"American Psycho," #1 is an Interesting Expansion on the Film

"American Psycho," is a great film (based on a book). It is kind of in the horror genre but is more of a dark comedy. It follows a gentleman named Patrick Bateman who is a narcissistic sociopathic serial killer, but he fits in perfectly within the world of business due to how empty and vapid he is. A new comic-book sorta-sequel (it draws from the movie) has just started with the same title, "American Psycho," and it has me intrigued. 

I'm not super familiar with writer Michael Calero, but have been a big fan of artist Piotr Kowalski and colorist Brad Simpson since their work on, "Sex," with Joe Casey. The comic starts sort of weaving another character into the story (detective Donald Kimball) as he witnesses the events of the movie from a different perspective and it is made clear his character was actually quite possibly a serial killer too (and more aware of what was going on than the flick would hint). That was perfectly alright if a bit revisionist when it comes to the movie. However, my interest was really piqued when we jumped to 2011 and witnessed some 20-somethings at a nightclub including a girl named Charlene Carruthers who seemed to have her own psychotically violent urges. A few more twists and turns occur and I'm really curious about the 2011 element of the story and how that is influenced by the events of the movie in the 80s.

While I was a little thrown by the rewriting of Donald Kimball's character, if it serves the 2011 part of the story then perhaps tweaking the classic flick could be for the best. I noted back in 2020 how, "American Psycho," was uncomfortably prescient of what our World has morphed into. Therefore, a comic exploring how social media and our obsession with status (as the series hints it will be examining in future issues) mirrors the chasing of clout in the 80s makes perfect sense using, "American Psycho," as a foil. Things are only going to get more twisted. Buckle up.

5 out of 5 stars.

"American Psycho," is Uncomfortably Prescient

The movie, "American Psycho," came out 20 years ago and took place in the 1980s, but predicted a whole lot of the present. It follows a sociopathic murderer named Patrick Bateman who is able to easily hide his tendencies by hanging-out with another breed of sociopaths--stockbrokers and bankers. Christian Bale plays Bateman superbly and the film's Director Mary Harron has observed, "We never really left," the era of Patrick Bateman. Wall Street still is ruining lives and Republican politicians are eager to reopen the economy even if it kills people due to COVID-19 in the name of the almighty dollar. Plus, it is readily apparent how Trump and his children look like mirror images of Bateman, empty and hollow humans only after a quick fix of accolades or the satisfaction of hurting their, "Enemies."

The movie, "American Pyscho," was based upon a book, but the movie gets a lot more attention for its masterful mixing of the absurdly funny with the grotesquely dark for all to witness viscerally--everyone knows the Huey Lewis and the News scene thanks to memes, whether they've seen the flick or not. "American Pyscho," upon its release did not just represent the past, it predicted a good chunk of the future. Trump and his cronies may not be throwing chainsaws down stairwells at anyone, but they still are covered in plenty of metaphorical blood due to their policies.

Dear Nicki Minaj, You're Trying Too Hard

Yes, that is Nicki Minaj having a three-way with herself.

I debated if I wanted to write this article because I didn't want to seem like I was criticizing Nicki Minaj for being a sexual person. I am someone who loves people being comfortable with their sexuality, expressing it how they please, and otherwise am not a prude in any way. That said, having seen the latest cover to the magazine, "Paper," and looking at interior images too I feel I need to say, "Nicki Minaj, you are trying too hard."

I seriously have no problem with the, "Hyper-sexual bad bitch rapper," act that Nicki has been doing, I just liked it more the first time Lil' Kim was doing it and many a person out there (Lil' Kim included) would argue Nicki's whole motif is basically taking what Lil' Kim did, going a bit further, and claiming she's some kind of amazing creative force for doing what's already occurred. Plus, if we're being honest Lil' Kim could still rap circles around Minaj.

The only thing worse than Nicki Minaj is three of her.

In case you've been living under a rock, "Paper," magazine is a publication that likes to try to, "Break the internet," with shocking photo-spreads and articles, having done this kind of stuff before with Kim Kardashian and now giving us Nicki Minaj with clever Photoshop-editing making it look like she is having a three-way with herself. First of all, the idea of wanting to not just have sex with a manifestation of yourself, but a three-way of yourself sounds like the epitome of narcissism. It reminds me of that scene in, "American Pyscho," where Christian Bale's character pays two sex-workers to have sex with him and allow him to tape it...with his character then proceeding to keep the camera's focus entirety on him and how amazing he is as a sexual force in his mind. This isn't to say Nicki Minaj is a narcissistic serial killer, but the fact that I even drew the mental comparison says something, I would argue.

A bunch of people have been critical of this spread for a variety of reasons, with Eve thinking it isn't a good thing, and Wendy Williams stating it looks desperate. I want to state again I am by no means trying to slut-shame Nicki for doing this. I will admit without hesitation she is a beautiful woman and the imagery is very sexually charged--but it also just looks really self-obsessed and a bit like a cynical marketing ploy to play-up the, "I'm a raunchy rapper," image she's cultivated.

I'm amazed I haven't seen more, "Me, Myself, and I," puns.

Nicki Minaj has every right to be as sexual as she likes and people can respond accordingly with accolades or criticism. I have no problem with the photos and will give props to whoever had the technical skill to pull-off the illusion of three Nicki Minaj all going at it. I will say I take issue with how it just seems so calculated, narcissistic, and observe these stunts really do just remind me of when Lil' Kim did it first and did it better.  You're trying too hard, Nicki. Work on your flow and give us some solid rhymes and then maybe I'll care more.