When Fantagraphics teased us with the unexpected return of Peter Bagge’s Hate series back in February for many it will have undoubtedly been one of the comics announcements of the year. The series, featuring slacker protagonist Buddy Bradley and a cast of unforgettable comedic grotesques, was an alternative comics phenomenon in its 1990s heyday. Fantagraphics’ deluxe box set collections of its precursor Neat Stuff and Hate itself over the last several years have only served to remind us that, while rooted in a certain pop cultural era, the themes of Hate remain timeless.
In Hate Revisited! Bagge’s approach is twofold. Firstly he’s reintroducing us to the cast decades on, in an era of Trump, Black Lives Matter and the pandemic, to show us where the characters are in their lives now. It will come as little to surprise to seasoned readers that in many ways it’s pretty much where they were when we last saw them, with the exception that Buddy and Lisa now have a grown-up son Harold. They’re still socially dysfunctional, still screwing up, and still trapped in the minutiae of their own lives. In other words they’re as recognisable as ever. That’s the charm of these characters and if their foibles seem oddly familiar to us it’s probably because we see a little bit of ourselves in them, no matter how much we would rather not admit that.
Bagge’s second strategy is to revisit the classic ‘90s era, counterpointing Buddy and Lisa’s lives now and then while also filling in some backstory and recontextualising events. Colour is used for present day tales while the ‘90s flashbacks use black and white to recapture that original presentational vibe. In #1’s first story ‘When Buddy Met Lisa’, for example, we witness Buddy and Lisa’s first meeting. Here Bagge reminds us of what flawed individuals they are and the toxicity of the characters’ inter-relationships, and yet somehow ensures we retain a sense of empathy with them. It’s a stark contrast to the darkness of another recent Fantagraphics returnee – Joe Matt’s posthumous final Peepshow issue – where the humour felt less self-deprecating and more unrepentant.
Hate Revisited! #2 focusses on Leonard “Stinky” Brown, the doomed erratic supporting character whose relationship with Buddy ended in one of the most memorable moments of the original series. Stinky’s demise way back in the day was a shocking and yet oddly understated given the nature of his final scene; a random event that was all the more brutal for its casual nihilism. Here Bagge use the movements in time to great effect, recapturing the back and forth in their dialogue in the earlier period while finally giving Buddy some closure in the present day. In that latter regard a heart-to-heart with Lisa and a parallel storyline involving Harold and his new friend, homeless student Spam, underline that while certain aspects of Buddy’s existence remain static by necessity he is indeed a character capable of some growth and reflection.
Bagge’s cartooning is at its elastic best with his vast cast’s emotional states forever imprinted on us for their extreme, gurning visual characterisation. If you were at all concerned that this was a revival that would have nothing new to say in 2024 you would have been very much mistaken. Hate Revisited! is a triumph!
Peter Bagge with D. Carrino • Fantagraphics Books, $4.99
Review by Andy Oliver
