The Bus 2

The bus #2

by Paul Kirchner

During the years 1974 to 1986, after working as an assistant to Wally Wood, Paul Kirchner created several comic strips such as Dope Rider for High Times magazine and the bus for Heavy Metal. In 2012, French publishing house Tanibis published an anthology of the bus strips that was nominated at the Angoulême International comics festival, proving that even a 30-year old public transportation vehicle can take part in a Grand Prix. In 2013, Paul Kirchner surprised commuters when he decided to start working again on the bus. He fixed the old vehicle up, took it out of the garage and called its iconic passenger in the white overcoat back on duty, waiting to be taken on new, exotic adventures. The bus' unpredictable personality causes him to mimic classic pop culture icons such as King-Kong or Steve Martin while in turn analyzing or teleporting his passenger. And that's only when it's not cheating on him with other commuters. Kirchner's new ideas are on par with the original strips, proving that his creativity didn't end with the 80's. The crazy cartoon logic of the original strips is still present, and wackiness is the norm. Some details, such as the so-called « smart » phones or the passengers' looks, root the stories in the 21st century, but Paul Kirchner's universe retains a timeless vintage aesthetic that blends eras, lending these new stories a hint of nostalgia. The bus 2 will be published in hardcover horizontal format identical to the previous collection published in 2012. Back in that twilight dimension he calls home, it is rumored that Paul Kirchner is at work on new material for his psychedelic western Dope Rider. After all it seems that the bus' passenger is not the only one who gets caught occasionally in strange time warps... Parts of the bus 2 material have previously been published in magazines in north America and in Europe.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Bande Dessinée, Graphic Novels, Comic Strips, Fiction, Art

56 pages, Hardcover

First published November 16, 2015

About the author

Paul Kirchner is an American writer and illustrator born in New Haven, Connecticut.

Reviews

[Adan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as funny as the first volume, but still pretty dang funny. And still surreal as all get out.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished grading a few hours ago and was like I NEED TO GO TO THE COMIC BOOK STORE AND BUY A PAUL KIRCHNER BOOK and lo and behold, it took some digging but the dude behind the counter found their last copy of the bus 2. It is just as weird and just as good as The Bus 1. BUS NOW BUS FOREVER

[Alexander Lisovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Когда в 2012-м году Пол Киршнер выпустил делюксовый сборник своих классных стрипов про автобус (и его неизменного пассажира), и тот, видимо, неплохо продался, издатель предложил автору тряхнуть стариной и написать новые выпуски. Автор подумал "а почему бы, собственно, и нет" и вот в 2015-м свет увидел второй сборник совершенно новых, но столь же занимательных и искромётных мини-комиксов.

Честно говоря, если не знать заранее, ни за что не догадаешься, что между первой и второй коллекцией прошло тридцать пять лет — получилось ровно в том же духе и ничуть не хуже (разве что, если приглядеться, случайные пассажиры теперь иной раз держат в руках смартфоны, а юмор стал местами чуточку сложнее). При этом мягкое изящество, элегантность, лаконичность — всё на месте.



Вторую книгу уже бесплатно никто не предлагает, но вот я сделал подборку тех страниц, которые мне особенно понравились.

[Rick Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a welcome addition to any issue of Heavy Metal Magazine, Paul Kirchner's surrealist gag comic strip, The Bus, was compiled in a neat little collection in 2012. Having discontinued making the strip since 1985, the project of collecting all the strips that were featured in Heavy Metal sparked Kirchner's imagination, and with that came more strips that were eventually collected as The Bus 2.

It's a slimmer volume, but Kirchner's playfully bizarre strip still matches the charm of the original strip. One might even be remiss in assuming Kirchner never took a break from the strip, since the cartooning is just as sharp despite the near 25 year long hiatus. The individual strips are exceedingly well drawn with Kirchner's hyper-detailed, yet fairly minimalistic style presenting a cold and sterile world. It makes the darker strips a little less dark, since Kirchner cultivates a very alien quality to the world of The Bus 2. Stepping on the bus feels like an out of body experience, which Kirchner's visual storytelling captures so well.

This is absolutely a worthy follow up to one of the all time great modern day comic strips.

[Rizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

(This review is for both volume 1 and 2.)

What a delightful little book. I've always had a great love for the comics medium, but I'm ashamed to say that I have always struggled to enjoy comic strips the way previous generations seem to. This is the first one that penetrated me, I'm happy to say. It's such a simple, silly little gag comic, but I couldn't help but keep turning the page. The gags are bizarre and surrealist in nature, but never take themselves too seriously. You can't help but root for the poor commuter trying to navigate such an unpredictable and chaotic world. And I guess that's the point, right? It's strangely relatable, and at times, even thought provoking. It's the perfect coffee table book too. I'm glad Paul Kirchner was the one to make me appreciate this particular corner of the comics world. Now I'm really looking forward to the recent revival, the Bus 3!

[Megumiillusion · Rating 4 out of 5]

worse than #1 but still interesting

[Francesca Giardiello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geniale al pari del primo volume, un insieme di strip comiche che strappano un sorriso giocando su intelligenti riferimenti storici e pulp!

[Peter Landau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can read these forever. The Bus 3?

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this collection, it is just the right mixture of wordless and perspective based humor!

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Not as strong as the original series, but still damn good.

[Wetdryvac · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite since it caught my eye in Heavy Metal, and whoa, there's a second book out. Win!

[Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent visual gags and surreal humor.

[Jen 1070 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brillant !

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surrealist take on bus commutes with Kirchner reusing a collection of characters through physics and reality bending trips on a bus, all sketched out with black pen in a cartoon strip style. Funny and absurd.

[zoagli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to see that, 30 years later, all the people have smartphones in their hands – except for our protagonist, the man with the newspaper.

[JJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

the bus is just the absolute best in absurd comics.