AMERICAN FLAGG! 27
have combined to radically remake the face of global civilization. Lauded for its
sophisticated political critique and formal innovations in the comic page, as well as
being notorious for its depictions of its characters’ sex lives, American Flagg! expanded
the boundaries of the possible in mainstream American serial comics.
In a short essay published in the fi rst issue of the series, Chaykin explained that
the roots of American Flagg! lay in his dissatisfaction with the way in which the 1960s
counterculture had “handed over the concept of patriotism to the corporate fascist
elite” and in his desire to reclaim and rehabilitate “the mythic aspects of America.”
Th is confl ict between substantial and superfi cial versions of the American myth is
central to the series and part of its larger project of exploring the increasingly blurry
line between reality and simulation. In the future of American Flagg! all experience is
mediated by an enormous corporate-governmental entity known as the Plex. Formed
when the United States’ governing elites, allied with a group of Soviet scientists, with-
drew to Mars after the disasters of 1996, the Plex claims to be working to restore the
United States to its former greatness; in actuality, it conspires to sterilize the remain-
ing inhabitants and sell off major portions of the country to the highest bidder. Th e
general populace remains unaware that such nefarious activities are afoot, as they are
distracted by the Plex’s endless stream of lurid, mind-numbing entertainment, includ-
ing programs such as “White Sluts on Dope,” “Bob Violence,” and especially “Firefi ght
All Night Live,” a show which pits “paramilitary poli-clubs” such as the Gotterdamma-
crats, the Moroccan Popular Front, and the Shabbas Goys against each other in armed
confl ict. “ Firefi ght” thus provides the illusion that Earth-bound political disputes are
meaningful while simultaneously reducing them to mere spectacle.
Chaykin’s hero in this world of artifi ce and corruption is Reuben Flagg. Once the
star of the hit program “Mark Th rust, Sexus Ranger,” Flagg fi nds himself on the wrong
side of Plex authorities. When the producers of “Mark Th rust” replace him with a
computer-animated double drawn from his previous performances, Flagg accepts a
commission with the Plexus Rangers, the Plex’s police force. Assigned to Chicago, and
assisted by allies such as Raul, a talking cat; Luther Ironheart, an earnest but dim robot
Ranger; and Medea Blitz, a reformed gang member, Flagg struggles to thwart danger-
ous elements such as the reactionary American Survivalist Labor Committee, to fi nd
an eff ective means of resistance to the Plex’s overwhelming hegemony, and to restore
some semblance of democracy to a citizenry with a severely diminished understanding
of free will.
In order to communicate the eff ect of living in a world fl ooded with information but
free of understanding, Chaykin developed an experimental visual style unprecedented
in mainstream comics. Assisted by letterer Ken Bruzenak, Chaykin created detailed,
multi-tiered pages that often featured overlapping panels of varying size. Video dis-
plays, advertisements, marquees, and sound eff ects formed an integral part of the overall
design. Th is unity of narrative and visual style earned the series widespread acclaim.
American Flagg! won 7 Eagle Awards in its fi rst year of publication, and it was the fi rst
comic book series to be nominated for a Nebula, a prestigious science-fi ction award.
