American Caper #9 — Dan Houser and David Lapham Keep the Chaos in Verona, Wyoming
Dan Houser and David Lapham’s satirical comic continues its relentless descent into chaos. In #9, a cowboy cosplay weekend and an FBI clash collide in Verona, Wyoming, proving it’s okay to hate everyone and enjoy the disaster.
The premise of American Caper is a brutal satire that holds a funhouse mirror up to the current political and cultural climate, but it never gets preachy. Instead, it gets messy. In this issue, we’re back in Verona, Wyoming, where Marty is hosting an action-packed cowboy cosplay weekend. That sounds like harmless fun until you realize Marnie has decided to clash directly with the FBI, and Orson is finally pulling the trigger on a decision that changes everything. Meanwhile, Clint is mourning a lost love, and William is navigating the confusing world of fake gangsters, only to run into one who is having a full-scale meltdown. It’s a lot to juggle, but that’s the point.
What makes American Caper work is the partnership between Houser and artist David Lapham. Lapham’s art doesn’t just illustrate the chaos; it amplifies it. His line work is sharp, expressive, and perfectly suited for a story that thrives on facial expressions and sudden shifts in tone. Whether it’s a butler doing burpees or an odd hallucination that interrupts a yoga session, Lapham captures the surrealism with a clarity that keeps the reader grounded even when the story isn’t. The cover by Tyler Boss also does a great job of setting the tone—stylized, slightly unhinged, and instantly recognizable. It’s a visual language that says, "We know what we’re doing."
Issue #9 feels like a pivotal moment where all the disparate threads of the series are tightening their knots. From the Battle of Fallujah references to the odd hallucinations that plague the town, the story is weaving a tapestry of dysfunction that is both hilarious and unsettling. It’s the kind of comic where you find yourself laughing one page and staring at the next, wondering how the characters keep digging themselves into deeper holes. The energy is palpable, and the sense of impending disaster is something you can practically feel in the ink. It’s a ride, and Houser and Lapham are at the wheel, steering us straight into the wreckage.
I’ll leave you with a thought on the variant cover by Tyler Boss. It’s a striking piece of art that captures the essence of the series—quirky, dark, and unapologetically strange. If you’re looking for a comic that doesn’t take itself seriously but takes its craft seriously, this is your read. American Caper #9 is out now, and it’s exactly the kind of book that reminds you why we love comics: they let us explore the absurdity of the world in a space that’s safe, sharp, and thoroughly entertaining. Trust me, you’re going to want to see where this goes next.