This is my first Michael Manning comic, but his art is amazing, and I'm intrigued enough by the world he has constructed to consider seeking out the other volumes in this series.

Michael Manning's “In a Metal Web” gives a strong first impression. My roommate and I were in the living room together when it first arrived for review. He asked to see it, so I gladly passed it over.

“Whoa,” he said after a moment, and spent the next few minutes flipping through it and staring raptly at the pages. When I started hitting him with a pillow to get it back, he demanded that I tell him what it was about.

And so I read it, and instantly understood why it had startled him into silence: the artwork is simply beautiful. One part fantasy, one part steampunk, one part Japanese pleasure district, wrapped in a liberal coating of latex and kept in line by a dominatrix in impossible shoes. Manning's inkwork is excellent, and his style is both interesting and distinct.

If only the plot held up. Most of the tale takes place in the Spider Garden, which is a pleasure house, so none of the sex seems shoed-in or tacked on. Unfortunately, the time-line is unclear, and so it took multiple readings for me to get a good idea of what was going on and when. Then again, it gave it great re-readability, so perhaps this isn't a bad thing. It's not vague enough to be frustrating when you get lost—again, the art is excellent—and it's complex enough for you to pick up on new things after the first read. I discovered after some internet research that though the title is “In a Metal Web I,” it is actually Book Three of the Spider Garden series, so it's possible that it makes more sense if you don't accidentally dive right on into the middle. The fact that I enjoyed it as much as I did having been exposed to none of the back story speaks strongly for Manning's work.

It's amazing how many different kinks are crammed into the comic's 72 pages. There's bondage, dominance, submission, sex slavery, robotic tentacle sex, fingering, rimming, oral, anal, bestiality, incest, piercings, watersports, drug use, imaginative and often terrifying sex toy use, same sex pairings, threesomes galore, non-consensual scenes, and of course the ruler of the Spider Garden hirself, who is both male and female. The females in the story definitely have more power than the males, which gives an interesting dynamic to many of the scenes. And, while I mentioned bestiality, it might be more accurate to call it “anthropomorphism,” as the creatures in question think, speak, and are part of their own civilized society. Envision a cross between a horse and dog with short fur, claws, and daunting fangs, and you'll be adequately prepared when you come across your first Tengu.

The layout is standard comic-book fare, complete with bordered panels and blood gutters. The cover is more durable than a traditional comic book, and will survive just fine any minor spills, water rings, etc. It sports a catchy image of a minor character who shows up for five pages, so don't get too attached. The pages have a slight gloss to them that makes the ink really pop, but isn't enough to cause glare.

This won't blend with other books in a bookshelf, sadly, as the spine has AMEROTICA written on it in bold white block letters.

I have an insane urge to go buy new heels after each time I re-read this. So far, I have managed to prevent myself, because if I purchased a pair even remotely similar to the shoes Manning draws onto his characters, I'd be in too much pain to walk. (I also have a feeling this is why so many of his characters love their opiates.)

A word from the unwise: it's very obviously an erotic comic, so don't be an idiot and leave it sitting out on your desk when your boyfriend's parents come over to see the new apartment. The ensuing conversation is guaranteed to be awkward, especially if they notice it before the planned dinner out.