Jumping back into the late underground with Joshua Quagmire and his buxom bunny. Last time I reviewed an issue of this series, I noted how it hearkened back to the older undergrounds, rather than the new vanguard that was quickly morphing into the alternative comics scene. It's also a forerunner in many ways for the diverging yet linked subgenres of anthropomorphic animal comics (Usagi Yojimbo, TMNT, etc, etc.) and furry porn (Genus, Filthy Animals). Kelly O'Hare is meant to be ogled, though she's well aware of the fact and doesn't let those who do (including the audience) get away with it. As comics collectors, fans, scholars, we're prone to dividing things up so that they're easier to talk about. The Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, Marshmallow Age, etc, or Alternative Comics, Mainstream Comics, Underground Comix. One thing I've started to notice is that there are a multitude that refuse such categorization. Army Surplus is such a one, I think.
Though I won't delve into it too much here, I think there must be a sub-genre of comics in which the actual writers of the comic itself are either disparaged or outright killed by the character in the comic over the course of the story. Quagmire seems to be working through some deep self-loathing in these comics. Or, of course, he's not, and this is an effort in humility.
Or it's just a silly comic with silly stories in it. Let's read some more tomorrow.
"Now all I need is somebody's swash to buckle...!"
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