A young woman in 1990s New York dreams of escaping the projects. She meets a tall, handsome stranger who is caught up with a new drug on the streets – super-marijuana.
While pursuing a mystery figure from her own past, an undercover police officer joins in the case. She also runs into an old acquaintance.
What is the drug that lies at the core of this story?
Police call it THC+. It’s a weed that is so potent, people lose their mind. The streets, however, call it Tephlon Funk.
This is the basic storyline of Stephane Metayer’s , Tephlon Funk. The series began with a Kickstarter-funded self-publishing and this new 192-page Dark Horse trade edition collects all seven volumes, plus a brand-new eight part, which includes additional art and material.
This street-wise story combines the style of Tako and Safe with an anime or manga. We are much more like Afro-Samurai or the Boondocks. The characters will react in anime style, with overdramatic actions.
I find it funny that many articles and reviews about Tephlon Funk mention how hip-hop inspired the book was. The story is not centered around Afrika Bambaataa’s five hip-hop pillars — DJing, breaking down, graffiti and knowledge.
Tephlon Funk is a collection of rap songs from the ’90s. It is set in Queensbridge Houses in Queens’ Long Island City, where the story revolves around Black and Brown characters. The famous hip-hop breeding ground from Roxanne shante, Marley Marl and Mobb deep to Nas.
Inez is a heroin-dealing 14-year old girl who dreams of escaping the projects. This storyline, as ancient as rap music itself, has been told for decades. There are cornrows, hoodies and bodegas. Pick-up basketball is also a common sight. This story would have been a hard-nosed rap, made to be played on big headphones. It was a rap which dominated East Coast culture and set tastes across the country.
Is that “hip-hop” story?
Hey, it could be just me. Metayer is about six years younger than me, and I have lived more of what he refers to.
It could be improved with more spice and cooking.
Inez, for example, doesn’t really know why she follows Gabriel, the tall stranger in the Afro. There is also a certain maturity in the storytelling, as when our detective Cameron doesn’t tell Inez or us why she chases Gabriel. We’re also still wondering what happened to Giselle, the Kitana swinging bartender/bouncer that spends the majority of the book kicking people or getting ready to.
However, I have one major criticism of the show. The series is supposed to be set in the 90s but there are smartphones that show video. Why don’t you just button that up?
The story is limited and there are some obvious mistakes, such as using smartphones. However, the adventure plot has some unexpected twists.
Stephane Metayer
David Tako and Nicolas Safe
Dark Horse Books