Suspect Device 4. Anthology of collage based comics dedicated to linking comics history with its future. Cover by Raymond Pettibon.

Suspect Device 4 is the 4th installment in a series of comics first begun in 2011. Its principal conceit is that the artists work on comics based on older characters and spliced in source materials. Adding new art to photocopies of old frames is encouraged and expected. The theme here is a unification between the past and today.

This new issue adds a new wrinkle to the formula, borrowing images from the ” Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia” alongside the now familiar faces of characters like Annie, The Phantom, Popeye and others. The rest of the content is provided by our contributors, who riff off the older art to make new comics and illustrations. Usually the more the artists are set free of restrictions, the more they enjoy the work and the more likely they are to meet the SD deadline. As a result much of the work is violent, transgressive or sexual, and a surreal, demented or dreamlike approach to these topics is welcome.

Wow Cool has carried the first three issues of this rather dubious — but compelling — project in the shop. We’d like to spread this one around, like the tasty disease it is, too.

Go boot that up on the Kickstarter right now!