By d. emerson eddy — Kill Your Boyfriend from Grant Morrison, Philip Bond, D'Israeli, Daniel Vozzo, and Ellie de Ville is kind of a weird one with Morrison's body of work. That may sound strange for someone who has penned things like The Filth, Annihilator, and Nameless, but Kill Your Boyfriend is singular among Morrison's work. It's a love story, kind of, in the vein of the story of Bonnie & Clyde or movies like Wild at Heart or Natural Born Killers.

The story follows an unnamed Girl as the protagonist, routinely breaking the fourth wall and narrating directly to the reader. She's rather disaffected by her school life and a boyfriend who seems more interested in fantasy novels and “studying” for university than her. Not to mention the creepiness of her parents snooping through her underwear drawer to discuss a pair of knickers she received as a gift...This all changes when she comes across an incorrigible, orphan street Boy, who she falls in with and promptly kills her boyfriend.

Though there is death, sex, drugs, and debauchery throughout the story, readers today would probably find it fairly tame — even restrained — in what it actually depicts. The story is more darkly humorous than it is gratuitous, told in a fashion that wouldn't be out of place serialized in a British comics anthology. Still, there's an interesting commentary on teenage rebellion, and it’s one Morrison would use similarly between the Girl and Boy in the relationships of The Invisibles’ King Mob and Ragged Robin (and also even to a degree with Cyclops and Jean Grey in New X-Men), and we get some of the saddest counter-culture art rebels ever as character background scenery. 

I think one of the more interesting things presented is the Girl's dressing up in a similar fashion to Lord Fanny and the idea that somehow taking on a role as a male fantasy object could potentially absolve her of any of the heinous actions that she undertakes. It makes you think of agency and what someone might go to in order to manipulate and finagle their way out of blame. Also, there’s a rather disturbing revelation that you're likely to piece together before reveal.

It's wonderfully brought to life by Bond, D'Israeli, and Vozzo. Bond's thick-lined, somewhat square characters help elevate the humor and absurdity of the story, dialing back some of the excesses of mature content and ensuring that people get that this is supposed to be funny. It also just looks damn good, with some interesting use of color when the Girl has some of her own fantasies.

Although you do see some of the themes of this comic similarly explored in The Invisibles, Kill Your Boyfriend from Morrison, Bond, D'Israeli, Vozzo, and de Ville remains a rather unique entry into Morrison's work. And an interesting take on the fated bad romance that has appeared throughout time in fiction in its own right.

 Classic Comic of the Week - KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND

Kill Your Boyfriend
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Philip Bond
Inkers: Philip Bond & D'Israeli
Colorist: Daniel Vozzo
Letterer: Ellie de Ville
Publisher: DC Comics / Vertigo

Release Date: April 13, 1995
Price: $0.99 | Also available in the collection Kill Your Boyfriend / Vimanarama Deluxe Edition ($9.99)
Buy It Digitally: Kill Your Boyfriend on comiXology
Buy It Physically: Kill Your Boyfriend on Amazon

Check out more classic comics of the week from d. emerson eddy!

d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.