Angel & the Ape # 1-4 (Ltd. 2001) (DC Comics/Vertigo) [COMICS]

 The 2001 Angel & the Ape limited series really leans into the T&A, with plenty of gratuitous bikini/lingerie shots.  It reminds me a lot in tone of Codename: Knockout, a short-lived Vertigo series that was published at exactly the same time.  In this version, Angel & the Ape are still private detectives, but instead of dealing with a super-villain like Gorilla Grodd, they get wrapped up in a pulp-style murder mystery.  It's incredibly crass but sometimes still funny.

In Issue # 1, the pair are hired by a lingerie designer named Torso von Morso to find his missing model, Bambi Dextrous.  Yes, that's the type of comic this is.  As in all private detective tales, there needs to be a professional rival in the police department whose own investigation intersects theirs so he can tell them to butt out.  In this case, it's *groan* Detective Komicz.  He's in love with Angel.  But alas, a missing person case turns into a murder investigation when Bambi is discovered dead, encased in concrete.

Issue # 2 starts with Bambi's funeral, proceeds to a strip club where she worked, and then a night club named Erection where there's a big shoot-out.  Detective Komicz makes an arrest (Bambi's ex-husband), but it's clearly the wrong man.

Issue # 3 has Angel and the Ape continuing to chase down leads.  My notes got wet and blurred, so that's all I can tell you.  Hey, if you really want to know what happens, buy a copy!

I like the tagline to Issue # 4: "Who done it? Who cares?"  At this point, I wasn't really following which clues linked which suspects, and it's the type of story that doesn't exactly repay close attention.  Angel and the Ape assemble all the suspects for a classic one-by-one "Here's why you could be the killer . . . but you're not because of X" sort-of-thing.  The real culprit: one Dr. Destrowicz, a plastic surgeon who was both Bambi's brother and her lover!  I did not see that twist coming.

I can't claim any particular redeeming social value for the issues, but they do they fit the "dumb funny" niche that can still bring chuckles if you're in the right mood.