Warning : I should probably warn you that though I have kept most of the hard pictures out of this post, the Comic I'm about to talk about contains some adult material some may not appreciate.
During my review of the comics I have that prove to be inspirationnal for my hobby, I managed to completely miss one of the most evocative : RANX
I have no idea how I overlook that one but trust me, if a comic defines the 80's aesthetic and culture, it's that one (IMHO, YVMV...).
Ranx is an Italian-french comic whic was published in the early 80's in Italia and later in Heavy Metal. The graphic style is recognisable amongst thousands thanks to Liberatore's use of Pentone pens and his style employs many of the codes of his time.
The most fascinating bit about this comic is that it takes place in the late 80's/early 90's but many elements of the universe are clearly futuristic. The first one is obviously the fact that the hero, Ranx, ia an android built with the parts of a Rank Xerox copier but his technology seems to be quite advanced as he can hack sound systems, record TV shows for his girlfriend and things of the sort.
Like many comics of its time, the world of Ranx is a parody of the world in which it was written. Like you would expect in 2000AD publications like Judge Dredd or others or what you can find in the Incal and most of the Jodoverse, you can find all the features of our modern world exagerated to the extreme. Violence is ever present, sex is everywhere, drugs and rock and roll probably being the lesser evil of all in all that mix.
