Anthologies can be pretty good indicators of the strength and depth of a particular scene. More than individual creators’ own titles, anthologies can offer clues as to the social and artistic connections being made, as well as granting opportunities to directly compare and contrast the themes and sensibilities of a group. When Whores of Mensa #1 appeared last year, it represented concrete proof of the growing confidence and maturity of a section of the UK small press, and of a willingness to move beyond genre material and into much more interesting and personal areas. This time around, the ‘whores’ comprise original contributors Jeremy Dennis and Mardou, along with US cartoonist Ellen Lindner (replacing Lucy Sweet), plus a page from ‘guest whore’ Lee Kennedy, and the finished artefact is even better than its predecessor.

There’s an aquatic theme running through Whores #2, as well as a return to the raking over of high and low culture that characterized the first issue. Jeremy Dennis provides two scaly tales: the first following the Little Mermaid as she takes Prince Charming to the cleaners after their bust-up; the second detailing the bizarre and disturbing life of an arse-about-face merman. (It’s been remarked on before but it’s worth mentioning again that stylistically – and to some extent thematically – Dennis is the most direct descendent yet of Eddie Campbell – no bad thing considering Campbell’s one of the best cartoonists of his generation.)

Ellen Lindner’s touching adaptation of the Bobby Darin standard Beyond the Sea is possibly the best comics story featuring synchronized swimming ever, suffused with longing, excitement and tenderness and unfurling elegantly across eight beautifully designed pages. Meanwhile, Mardou has two tales on display, the first a lustful unpacking of fishy thoughts on a psychiatrist’s couch, the second a sexy-as-all-hell freewheeling free association depicting a femme fatale rescuing Tom Courtney from Billy Liar cultdom and lifting him to superstar status. Like the best of Mardou’s work, it leaves you dizzy with joie de vivre and dying for a shag.

With Lee Kennedy’s amusing ‘I had a funny dream last night’-style rumination bringing up the rear, Whores of Mensa #2 stands revealed as yet another shining example of how fertile and exciting the UK small press scene has become. Please: a round of applause for these whores.

Review by Nick Jones

£2.50/$4.00, order from www.usscatastrophe.com