Sneak Peek: Rad Erwank & Conspiracy Dog by Łukasz Kowalczuk, Kek-W and Jack Teagle

By John Freeman on January 3, 2019

Rad Erwank & Conspiracy Dog is an utterly bonkers 48-page black and white comic available to pre-order now from Diamond or direct from US publisher Alternative Comics. It’s scripted by Łukasz Kowalczuk and 2000AD‘s Kek-W, with art by Jack Teagle and Łukasz Kowalczuk.

Flagged as for mature audiences, it’s a savage piece of black comedy that will appeal to anyone fed up with many a SF movie trope – or comics trope, come to that. Check out the preview pages below, but note that if you want to order this comic from your local comic shop, you’ll have to do it by tomorrow, 4th January 2019.

Described as a double feature fuelled with slime, “Rad Erwank” is an epic story of heroes and villains with mundane problems, while “Conspiracy Dog” is the first of what me be many tales (or tails, even) of a gruff, chain-smokin, poop-sniffin’ pooch chewing on the trouser-leg of Truth.

The Secret Government ain’t gonna muzzle him, no sirree!

I’ve had a read of both stories and they’re utterly insane – Kek-W rightfully describes “Conspiracy Dog”as Thundercats on crack – but raised more than a few smiles along the way.

The creators of this crazy, galaxy-spanning slugfest are Polish comics creator Łukasz Kowalczuk, whose recent credits include Knock Off Wars (for Underworld Muscle) and Vreckless Vrestlers for Bloody Gore Comix, and Kek-W, whose many writing credits for 2000AD include “Deadworld”, “The Order” and “Indigo Prime”.

An award-winning a prolific self publisher, his comics also translated into Polish, and Russian, Jack Teagle is a freelance illustrator based in South West England, who’s worked in a large variety of fields. His credits include several titles for NoBrow, such as Jeff Job Hunter and Fight!, and The Jungle published by McSweeney’s – and his art has been exhibited worldwide.

Alternative Comics has been releasing some of today’s most original and intelligent creator-owned comic books and graphic novels since 1993. The company’s cartoonists and publications have been nominated for and have won multiple comics-industry awards, as well as several Emmys.

“Lukasz and I worked together on a couple of shorts for the much-missed 100% Biodegradable anthology,” Kek-W says of the project’s origins. “We started to play around with a couple of other ideas that haven’t got there yet.

“Conspiracy Dog started life in my kitchen after my wife threatened to put a colander on my head and knit me a tinfoil hat, when I suggested there may have been collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russian proxies,” he laughs. “This was back when that was still considered an outlandish idea! I suggested the character to Lukasz and he gamely ran with it.

“Soon we were off down a demented cartoon rabbit-hole where Conspiracy Dog was exposing the sinister secrets behind the American dog-worming program. I mean, did you know there were multiple Ronnie Reagans or that the Soviet scientists had performed unspeakable experiments on Newt Gingrich’s brain? No, me neither!”

“Conspiracy Dog is Fox Mulder if he had fleas and cocked his leg against lamp-posts,” Kek-W expands, “a chain-smoking, paranoid mutt who’s a cross between Deep Throat and Robert Anton Wilson. Hunter S Thompson if he sniffed his own poop.

“If you like straight-to-DVD Dolph Lundgren movies and taking the mick out of Republicans (and who doesn’t?), then this is the comic-book character for you!

Lukasz and I very deliberately picked the post-Christmas January-lull to release this book in the hope the authorities wouldn’t notice. Ssssh! Whatever you do, John, please don’t say the Previews / Diamond pre-order code out loud: DEC181504. Agggh, no… they’re onto us!

Lukasz and I would very much love to do some more Conspiracy Dog tales when we finally get out of jail,” he reveals. “I have one in mind where he goes up against Uber and another that features a giant robotic Mitt Romney. If any publishers are reading this, please drop us a line and a box of bonio biscuits — we’re starving!

“Gotta go now, there’s a Black Helicopter circling my house…!”

• You can pre-order Rad Erwank & Conspiracy Dog at publisher’s site here or from your local comic shop using the Dimaond order code DEC181504

• Łukasz Kowalczuk is online at lukaszkowalczuk.tumblr.com | Follow him on Twitter @lukkow83 | Find him on Facebook

• Kek-W is online at ko-fi.com/kewl_its_kekw | Follow him on Twitter @19f3_records

• Jack Teagle is online at www.jackteagle.co.uk | Follow him on Twitter @jackteagle

• Alternative Comics are online at indyworld.com and on Twitter @AltComics

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.