TROPE 3: Alphas (The Inscrutables)

In this 80-page issue of TROPE, Picklefish Comics' intrepid in-house cartoonist Arthur Trope presents another 20 single-panel, black-and-white comics from The Inscrutables, along with editorial commentary and backstories that chronicle the complicated evolution of the indie comic publishing house after the passing of its beloved founder Marvin Pisch and the resulting sale to mega-conglomerate Synergistic Systems, Inc. As Trope struggles with the new bureaucracy and the loss of creative freedom under the management of new corporate overlords, he explores themes ranging from unconditional love to string theory and the nature of the universe, ending with "Gazpacho Borracho", a long caption-turned feature story about a Transhumanist clown from San Diego in search of deeper meaning. -Ed.