Squid Works: On-Campus Crusader

The On-Campus Crusader

Eugene Wangenwonker (later a.k.a. "Wang"), college student, in an effort to bring peace and tranquility to campus life has taken it upon himself (and his girlfriend) to rise above and beyond the call of duty. One night there was ONLY CHAOS... the next, there was chaos AND the On-Campus Crusader. Meet Eugene, Chief, and Eugene's mom in their premiere adventure!

(Front Cover shown to left)

Title: On-Campus Crusader

Issue Number: 1

Written, illustrated, inked and lettered by Stan Yan

Intended Audience: Mature Readers

Format: 18 pg b&w half-legal digest.

Retail Price: $2.00 US

Out of Print!

E-mail: stan@squidworks.com

(Parking Nazis, right)

On-Campus Crusader #1-3
[Distributor]: Squid Works
Creator: Stan Yan
Website: www.squidworks.com

This short series will appeal to those who value hilarious cultural references and a tongue-in-cheek look at the life of a super-hero, Eugene Wang, the On-Campus Crusader. (I think I've set a record for hyphen use in a single sentence!) The style is loose and somewhat stylized, and slightly reminiscent of Jim Mahfood's work, but more visually humorous.

Anyway, this clever tale from Stan Yan relates Eugene's misadventures as he attempts to deal with catastrophes like clogged toilets and rude frat boys, all the while fending off campus parking nazis and a mom that is just about as fascist. You see, Eugene, or the OC, may be a super hero, but he has no actual super powers.

We see in these stories answers to the question that always tormented me when reading superhero comics — "How do they get away with those goofy costumes, and that riding roughshod over everyone?" At last in On-Campus Crusader, we see a hero who has to put up with the same crap we all face from time to time, only when it happens to Eugene, it's funny.

I particularly enjoyed reading [in OC2: Eugene the Queen] about Eugene's attempt to find a job after his mom refuses to lend him money to get his car...just read the damn thing! Anyway, he winds up in drag, waiting tables in a Hooter's-type restaurant, and then has to rescue his girlfriend, appropriately named Chief, from rude, sexist frat boys — still in drag. Of course, hilarity ensues.

In the [Only Chaos], we follow Eugene on a road trip to Vegas on which he intends to break the chains of motherly and girlfriendly love forever! Eugene has a terrifyingly weird trip as he picks up a hitch-hiker who turns out to be more lively than alive...Even more frightening, Stan says this story was based on one of his own trips to the San Diego ComicCon!

While this series has concluded, it is still available from Squid Works. We can look forward to the future adventures of Eugene Wang in his life after college in a series called The Wang starting some time next year. -Kim DeVries 09/01, Sequential Tart

"I enjoyed [Only Chaos, The On-Campus Crusader, and OC2:Eugene the Queen]. I especially liked that OC doesn't really have any powers (does he?)... You should feature Chief more prominently, though I've always had a thing for nerdy girls."

" [Only Chaos, The On-Campus Crusader, and OC2:Eugene the Queen] were a lot of fun. You've got a great cartoony style- with a little Joe Sacco thrown in. The great thing about a character like Eugene is that you can put him in any situation and make it a lot of fun. I do have a question or two. Eugene refers to his girlfriend as "Chief". Is that her name or is she a cop? I'm sure the answer is there in your comics but I'm too goddamned stupid to figure it out. I guess that was technically just one question. Sorry.

"[In OC2: Eugene the Queen], I really like the idea of Eugene working in a "Hooters" type place, seeing that he's so muscular that he looks like he's got boobies. Not that I usually notice that stuff, I mean, he just happens to be chiseled. And he has a nice little package too. Well y'know what I mean, not that I'm ah, well, um, I like girls. Really. Not that it's not okay to not, um, think of guys as good looking, um, that is if you like that kinda, um, stuff. Well, I gotta get going."

"P.S. Fine, you want the friggin' truth, I masturbated to your comics. Are you happy now?!"

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(Eugene's mom confronts him)	(Eugene hits the road as the campus savior, the On-Campus Crusader)