Slacker Comics

I'm back from the infirmary. As per Rob's request I'm updating the blog just so he doesn't have to look at the mucus globber anymore. Nothing new to add, but I'm starting another American Idol comic tonight so that should be up by Thursday.

Way back in the year 1993 I came up with the character of Randy. In 1994 he starred in my comic book Slacker Comics from Slave Labor Graphics (now known as the far more respectably sounding SLG Publishing). I always hated the title Slacker. That part was the brainstorm of the publisher. But everything else was 100% me. Sort of. It wasn't until 19 issues and a few years later that I realized just how much I ripped off one of my favorite creators, Peter Bagge. I mean look at the picture up there! He's like Dennis Leary to Buddy Bradley's Bill Hicks!
Randy was a grunge loving high school kid that thoroughly resented the sudden popularity his culture enjoyed in the 90's. Now as I said, this title enjoyed a 19 issue run (and one trade compilation) which is pretty remarkable for an indie b&w, if I do say so myself. Of course, this was the 90's when the industry was booming. As with the music scene, comics were seeing a surge from the hipster indie audience. So I guess it was easy to sell a rip-off of that demographic's most popular book. But again, and I can't stress this enough, I was not aware at the time just how much I was plagiarizing Buddy Bradley. I thought my squinty eyed, flannel shirt wearing, suburban sourpuss was some kind of breakthrough! Why else would the publisher of Milk & Cheese want to run with it?!
And get this: It just occured to me this morning, this very morning, that they might have just selected me because of my name. How crazy would it be to have a comic about slacker culture written by a guy named SLACK?! In those gimmick laden days, this was a promotional hook cheaper than a hologram cover. I feel so used!
Now I'm not complaining, mind you. It can also be said that the industry was enjoying a time when publishers could afford to explore a plethora of different genres. And perhaps my stuff was part of that cultural zeitgeist. An insightful and funny satire of our times. I'll let history be the judge.

Discuss the follies of youth here.