A year ago, I reviewed Jeff Egli’s first comic, introducing his character Saffron the Pirate. Now, here’s his second Saffron comic, which likewise began as a Kickstarter project, which I backed.

When I was a teenager in the prehistoric 1990s, “swimsuit issues” became a big thing in mainstream comics. It started with Marvel, they’d produce an annual swimsuit special, published like a parody of Sports Illustrated’s yearly swimsuit special, filled with pages of various superheroes drawn in swimsuits and bikinis by different artist. After leaving Marvel Comics to form Image Comics, several of the various Image artists would produce their swimsuit specials featuring their own characters.  A few other indie comics would also try the gimmick. I don’t think DC Comics did it back then, although they have tried it in subsequent years. These things were blatant money grabs but seem less appealing today when you can easily go online and find tons of dirty drawings of superheroes if that’s what you’re into.

This comic, again written and drawn by Egli, isn’t a typical swimsuit special in that it tells an actual story.

It’s not a particularly deep story, but it’s a story nonetheless.

This 10-page story takes place on Tortogalot, which is described as “the mysterious island of lady pirates,” which is holding its annual bikini contest. The winner gets 10,000 gold coins and a “mysterious” map. Saffron is there with her still-unnamed talking pet frog. At least 12 other women are competing already, all gorgeous and incredibly busty. Then a new contestant, Lady Gwenifer, arrives, but the swimsuit she’s “wearing” is actually a black multi-tentacled bug-eyed monster of some sort, and when she arrives on stage she takes the monster off, revealing her naked body, and throws it at the crowd and it starts attacking the other contestants, while she tries to steal the map.

Saffron, apparently being the only lady pirate on this island who brought a sword with her, attempts to attack the monster and save the other lady pirates while she sends the frog to stop Lady Gwenifer from getting away with the map (which is apparently more valuable than the gold coins, as Lady Gwenifer makes no attempt to steal those).

The monster is difficult for Saffron to handle, thanks to its long tentacles. It knocks the sword from her hand and then begins to choke her, but then also rips her bikini off for some reason, leaving her naked. Saffron manages to get free and grab her sword again, rushing back towards the monster, who now has four of the other lady pirates wrapped up in its tentacles and stripped naked. With swift and brutal swordplay, Saffron kills the beast and saves the lady pirates, who celebrate in a big (naked) group hug.

Oh yeah, and the frog stops Lady Gwenifer, but I won’t spoil how (because if you’re reading this, I know you really care about spoilers).

The remaining 17 pages are a bunch of pinup drawings by Elgi of Saffron and other various female characters (including Princess Leia and the sorceress from He-Man) in provocative posiESE (and most are not wearing bikinis or anything else).

This book is what it is. You know what you’re buying it for, and for what it is, I’d say it’s pretty darn perfect. Do you want well-drawn, sexy, naked women? Jeff Egli delivers the goods!

Chacebook rating: FIVE STARS

YOU CAN ORDER A COPY ON JEFF EGLI’S WEBSITE