This series keeps getting better and better. This one shows a lot more of Stinky and the general mess that is the relationship between Buddy and Lisa. This volume actually almost makes them seem like a normal couple, whatever that is. Valerie is thrown back in the picture, and the whole thing ends with them leaving on a trip to see Buddy’s family, so any desire that anybody had to see how the family is doing should be satisfied in the next volume.
Have I mentioned yet how horribly wrong I was about this series not being incredible? I can see how it would have been one of the better selling titles put out by Fantagraphics because it does seem to be accessible to a wide variety of people, but that doesn’t make it any less good. This guy’s a master of comedic imagery. Buddy getting punched is just hilarious, mostly due to the incredibly exaggerated reaction. And just how does Stinky get all the women, anyway? The ones that know him well hate him, but he has no problem picking up the random girl… oh wait, I have a few friends like that too. Highlights: In Search of the Enigmatic George Cecil Hamilton the Third (after George prints up a scathing review of Buddy’s personality in his zine), The Old Flame (when Buddy sees Valerie again and goes to a dinner party without telling Lisa), and My Pad (Revisited). Nothing in the book beats My Pad (Revisited) for sheer mayhem and high-larity. Easily my favorite story of the book, and that’s saying a lot because this one is my favorite of the bunch so far. Having the last story in the book be my favorite is probably a good sign too because it leads right into the next one, so things can only get better from here. There, have I rambled on about this book long enough yet? Can you get off my back so I can read the next one? Thank you. Have I mentioned yet that you should buy these? You could probably give a stack of these to somebody who doesn’t even read comics as a birthday present or something and change their life around, at least a little bit.
