Peter Bagge’s Hate comics were published as the underground comics movement was ending and a new alternative comics movement was taking shape. While the issues of Hate give all the appearances of being geared towards a male audience, the exclusive alternative nature of the comics allowed for a significant male and female audience that allowed readers to identify themselves within the characters’ self-critical reflection and distain for mainstream media and peoples characterized their internal monologues. By creating a persona in the stories’ text and within the editor and letter spaces that embraced some of the misogyny and patriotism that Buddy satires while embracing, Bagge was able to maintain the ironic filter of alternative comics that
…show more content…
In 1975 Clinton Sanders discussed the precursor to Bagge’s satirical depictions of nationalism, explaining the emergence of the underground movement: “In the mid-60s, aided by dope and political activity, a youth culture began to emerge out of the comfortable apathy of the 50’s. A growing number of people found themselves increasingly alienated from the racist, cold war, property-over-people mentality of mainstream America” (Sanders, 840). Racism and cold-war capitalism are issues directly addressed in the cover of the first issue of Hate, but instead of attacking them with pointed and sincere “political activity,” Bagge depicts these themes satirically, mimicking mainstream America’s conservative ideology in such an exaggerated fashion that they are being clearly criticized. Yet the internal content stresses the apathy of the characters. In “Valerie’s Parents,” Buddy tells Mr. Russell “I get a bit annoyed with people who harp on South Africa too, since the whole world is just as screwed up, but then I can’t fault anyone for caring… I mean, you gotta stand somewhere, I suppose” (Bagge, Buddy Does Seattle, 129). This ambivalence and uncertain support of activism is in direct opposition to the underground push for activism. In response to Lina Marie’s letter in Hate #4, Bagge …show more content…
Bagge worked as an editor of Weirdo, a collection of black-and-white “alternative” comics anthologies begun by underground comics author Robert Crumb in 1981 (Booker, 681), from 1983-1986 (Jeff Voris, Biography). Weirdo acted as an outlet for the comic artists who beginning to work just after the initial wave of underground comics publishing (Booker, 682) and as an “emphatically low brow aesthetic” (Booker, 681) alternative to Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouley’s “artistically ambitious and slickly produced Raw (1980-1991)” (Booker, 681). In discussing his leave from the School of Visual Arts, Bagge explained, “Discovering R Crumb's comics [and other]
In 1975 Clinton Sanders discussed the precursor to Bagge’s satirical depictions of nationalism, explaining the emergence of the underground movement: “In the mid-60s, aided by dope and political activity, a youth culture began to emerge out of the comfortable apathy of the 50’s. A growing number of people found themselves increasingly alienated from the racist, cold war, property-over-people mentality of mainstream America” (Sanders, 840). Racism and cold-war capitalism are issues directly addressed in the cover of the first issue of Hate, but instead of attacking them with pointed and sincere “political activity,” Bagge depicts these themes satirically, mimicking mainstream America’s conservative ideology in such an exaggerated fashion that they are being clearly criticized. Yet the internal content stresses the apathy of the characters. In “Valerie’s Parents,” Buddy tells Mr. Russell “I get a bit annoyed with people who harp on South Africa too, since the whole world is just as screwed up, but then I can’t fault anyone for caring… I mean, you gotta stand somewhere, I suppose” (Bagge, Buddy Does Seattle, 129). This ambivalence and uncertain support of activism is in direct opposition to the underground push for activism. In response to Lina Marie’s letter in Hate #4, Bagge …show more content…
Bagge worked as an editor of Weirdo, a collection of black-and-white “alternative” comics anthologies begun by underground comics author Robert Crumb in 1981 (Booker, 681), from 1983-1986 (Jeff Voris, Biography). Weirdo acted as an outlet for the comic artists who beginning to work just after the initial wave of underground comics publishing (Booker, 682) and as an “emphatically low brow aesthetic” (Booker, 681) alternative to Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouley’s “artistically ambitious and slickly produced Raw (1980-1991)” (Booker, 681). In discussing his leave from the School of Visual Arts, Bagge explained, “Discovering R Crumb's comics [and other]