Danny Ochoa's Molly & Jo

Danny Ochoa's Molly & Jo In: "Let's Sell Some Meth" is definitely a throwback. The title (and the story, to some degree) feels like a reference to Peter Bagge's classic HATE #26, "Let's Start A Crackhouse!" There's also some element of Gilbert Shelton in there as well, substituting meth for weed, of course. Ochoa works very much in the Bagge tradition of extreme stylization and exaggeration in his character design and gestures. The frantic energy is not unlike an old Warner Bros. Bugs Bunny cartoon. 

The influences are clear, but Ochoa distinguishes himself in his willingness to go all the way with the concept. The title couple is broke, and Molly (armed with knowledge from an uncle, Breaking Bad, and Reddit), decides to cook up and sell meth in order to deal with their mounting debt. Despite an initial promise not to actually smoke any themselves, Jo's failure to sell on a street corner leads them both into a hilarious, horrifying spiral of watching Smurf-themed porn and ten straight days of getting high. A brief moment of clarity leads them to reason that they should stop, but that moment is short-lived as they descend into madness after another eight days of meth. This leads to them seeing "the shadow people" and sleep deprivation psychosis. The ending is very Gilbert Shelton, as an ex-freeloader roommate arrives with a proposition that they grow magic mushrooms. 

The comic doesn't overstay its welcome, quickly escalating and focusing on sex, drugs, and comedic degradation. Ochoa's inking is top-notch, giving his line a muscular but rubbery quality that exaggerates every gag, comedic act of violence, and over-the-top wackiness. Ochoa just goes for it, with characters that are more delivery systems for gags than they are fully-formed as people. The result works less because of the premise (which is not especially original) but because of Ochoa's execution, which is actually painstakingly careful and deliberate in every aspect of cartooning, from character design to lettering to page composition.