Hate, Vol. 2: Buddy the Dreamer

Buddy Bradley #2

by Peter Bagge

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Humor, Fiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1994

About the author

Peter Bagge is an American cartoonist known for his irreverent, kinetic style and his incisive, black-humored portrayals of middle-class American youth. He first gained recognition with Neat Stuff, which introduced characters such as Buddy Bradley, Girly-Girl, and The Bradleys, and followed it with Hate, his best-known work, which ran through the 1990s and later as annuals. Bagge’s comics often exaggerate the frustrations, absurdities, and reduced expectations of ordinary life, combining influences from Warner Brothers cartoons, underground comix, and classic cartoonists like Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, and Robert Crumb. Beyond satire and fiction, Bagge has produced fact-based comics journalism, biographies, and historical comics, contributing to outlets such as suck.com, MAD Magazine, toonlet, Discover, and Reason. His biographical works include Woman Rebel, about Margaret Sanger, Fire!!, on Zora Neale Hurston, and Credo, on Rose Wilder Lane. Bagge has collaborated with major publishers including Fantagraphics, DC Comics, Dark Horse, and Marvel, producing works such as Yeah!, Sweatshop, Apocalypse Nerd, Other Lives, and Reset. He has also worked in animation, creating Flash cartoons and animated commercials, and has been active as a musician in bands such as The Action Suits and Can You Imagine. Bagge’s signature art style is elastic, energetic, and exaggerated, capturing movement and comic expression in a way that amplifies both humor and social commentary. His personal politics are libertarian, frequently reflected in his comics and essays, and he has been a longtime contributor to Reason magazine. Bagge’s work combines biting satire, historical insight, and a relentless visual inventiveness, making him a central figure in American alternative comics for over four decades.

Reviews

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

The continuing horrid life of Buddy Bradley, and if the title of the comic "Hate" doesn't give you a clue already, this is some ugly stuff. But it's so fucking funny, and rings so true. This comic revels in the dregs of the fringe. The kind of people that I carefully removed from my life over the years are put on display, and it is so horrifying, disgustingly real. I swear I've know these people, and did my best to distance myself from them, and there lies the power of this comic. However misogynistic, nasty, homophobic, manipulative and just plain gross these characters are, it's only because their analogues exist in the real world wandering around Seattle, and truth be told, every city or small town in America. Bagge holds up a mirror to society that distorts and caricatures, but only in service of highlighting the worst of society, exposing it for what it is: all too human. Or maybe it's just the beer talking. In any case, this shit is gloriously funny.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this to be usual boo-to-normality huzzah-for-bohemia bien-pensant stuff, but it's actually down on slacker culture, rock n roll bullshit, being a scrub. Every character is deeply flawed, and even the nice ones are drawn deformed (noses longer than their legs, pinprick eyes, eyes crawling along the nose). Buddy is self-aware and funny, but also a shit. Lots of observations, violated principles, ordinary madness.

[Jonathan Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Volume II of "Hate," the greatest comix chronicle of slacker life. Buddy Bradley lives in Seattle in the midst of the dot-com bubble and grunge. He shares an apartment with the near-sociopathic Stinky and the seriously maladjusted George. Stinky nags Buddy into managing a crappy and inexplicably popular rock band while George scribbles in his notebook and fantasizes about AK-47 rampages. Occasionally, there is regretful sex with the insane Lisa. "Hate" is often howlingly funny, but Bagge goes beyond that. He writes with strong empathy for his screwed-up, awful characters. It's easy to laugh at Lisa's lunacies, and Bagge encourages us to do so. But then he makes us see how desperately she's trying to connect and how lonely and lost she is. There's a core of sadness to the humor that makes it cut that much deeper.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The funniest rock n roll comic of all time, Buddy manages his loser bud Stinky's sub-Stooges punk grunge combo. Everything that's unbearable about being in a touring band gets exposed in this brilliant satire on the music scene.
The artwork is every bit as hysterical as the story, too. Peter Bagge hit one out of the ballpark with this one.

[Drew Canole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This felt like a step-up from the first volume which was already pretty great. Fantastic artwork paired with great stories, fun dialogue, and it all just feels so authentically 90s and true to life.

Issue 6 Valerie's Parents
Buddy finally meets Valerie's parents. It's a blast. Her parents are fairly wealthy which embarasses Valerie. Her father is the figurehead of a tech company, but knows nothing about coding. He also has health issues but him and Buddy somehow get along just fine.

Issue 7 Paranoia Rules Supreme!
George is a conspiracy nut. It's so funny - I always think conspiracy theorist started popping up in the 2010s... but they've been around for ages. And based on this they really haven't changed much. I feel bad for George although it is really funny. He does all his own research and things formal education stifles original thought. Here he goes on a date with Lisa and we get a lot of access to his thoughts as he waits for her, walks down the street with her, and has to suffer through her getting drunk and making moves on him.

Issue 8 Follow That Dream
Valerie wants Buddy to get a better job - but when he gets a job offer from Leonard to help manage a rock band, she's not too excited. Buddy ends up managing a loud rock band made up of four very small young men Kurt, Kurt, Greg, and Kurt! When the lead singer quits the band, Leonard steps up to fill the roll.

Issue 9 Follow that Dream Part 2
Now Leonard is a star in the Seattle underground music scene. Buddy has sex with a groupie looking for tickets to the show. He goes on tour with the band, neglecting his relationship with Valerie, but ends up quitting the tour very quickly.

Issue 10 The Nut
Valerie is in France and seemingly done with Buddy. Buddy helps Lisa get a job at the bookstore which - as George predicts - is a complete hilarious disaster.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ongoing chronicle of Buddy Bradley's life in Seattle continues with "Buddy the Dreamer". Peter Bagge's HATE was a fantastic time-capsule of the mid-to-late '90s in Seattle, which culturally was caught in a burgeoning grunge culture and the dot-com bubble that cultivated an interesting segregation of high-strung and the lackadaisical people of the Pacific Northwest. Buddy's supporting cast is equally prominent in this volume, with the wicked Stinky finagling his way into a rock band and the socially inept George harboring some even more antisocial tendencies. Meanwhile, Buddy's relationship with Val is strained by his own poor choices, particularly revolving around his ex-girlfriend, Lisa, with whom Val has a most contentious relationship with. Bagge's equal parts slice-of-life and social satire comic is epic in a way least expected, and "Buddy the Dreamer" is up there as one of the strongest volumes in the entirety of the series.

Individual reviews of each chapter contained in "Buddy the Dreamer":
"Valerie's Parents"
"Paranoia Reigns Supreme!"
"Follow That Dream!, Part One"
"Follow That Dream!, Part Two"
"The Nut"

[Pietro Bellini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sempre più divertente.

[Jez · Rating 4 out of 5]

More fine comics goodness from my youth. These issues take a more direct look at the early 90s punk/grunge music scene, viciously so. Sometimes painful to read, funny and brutally honest.

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have to read 'Hey, Buddy' first to get the back story to this one. It's definitely my favorite bunch of stories. This is the one where Buddy starts managing the band that becomes 'Leonard and the Love Gods'. He might even be the new Iggy. Heh heh. This is also the one where Lisa and George go out on a date. Peter Bagge got really good by this point at tying all his exploding faces and squirming appendages down to some really solid characters and story lines.