Bear: Immortal

Bear #1

by Jamie Smart

Bear is a comic of doe-eyed hi-jinx, crazed slaughter, and expanding heads, all wrapped up with a fuzzy bow. See Bear suffer undignified ickiness, barely escape serious injury, and flee the deranged whims of his tormentor, Looshkin. It's a sweet crunchy bun of horrible joy.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2004

About the author

Jamie Smart is a British comic artist and author best known for his 10-issue comic series Bear and his popular children's comic series Bunny vs Monkey running in the Phoenix magazine.

Reviews

[Korynn]

These are dark foolish cartoons that typically appeal to goths who like Lenore or Squee or JTHM but these are better because they feature the demure intelligent Bear and Looshkin the demented psycho cat. I can't say I like all the cartoons in this volume (which is one of two and collects issues 1-5 of the series) which is now out of print. A few of the cartoons feature other characters but really it's all about Looshkin who spends most of his time grossing everyone out and devising more (often successful) methods of killing Bear (who is comics immortal). The fiendish genius of Jamie Smart is that language of his comics are hilarious nonsense, the random joy of Looshkin's speech balanced by the restrained posh of Bear's. This is a not a book of serious cartoons, it is sinister silliness and my favorite strips are Bear in Jane Austen, Bear on the Western Front and the strip in which Bear and Looshkin fight each other using only a single word in each panel (which may be in vol 2). Those seeking for more, I recommend Jamie's Ubu Bubu comics, also from Slave Labor Graphics.

[Kathleen]

It's like Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and questionable content got together and had a British baby that really liked teddy bears and kitties.

[Josh]

it's hilarious that there's a children's book with the same characters as this one

[Heather]

I'm not really a comic fan, but Bear and Looshkin's universe is equally cute and insanely violent - the perfect combination.

Jamie Smart's art is also fantastic in every way: http://www.fumboo.com/

[Andy Plonka]

It took me a while to get used to this format and some of the best parts were in script so small I really needed a magnifying glass to read them, but by the end of the book I cold appreciate the author's wit and wisdom.

[Jaime]

bear is an exciting comic. it's really the only comic I ever stick with and got into. he's pint sized. he's dashing.

[Lindsay]

Really great dark/humorous comic. If you like Invader Zim this is a must own.

[Simon Staken]

Jamie smart is brilliant at what he does and thats creating a crazy world or violence and chaos all centered around a stuffed bear excellent fun

[Velia]

This is lol funny. That crazy cat Looshkin...too funny.