Hate Revisited!

Bagge (The Complete Hate) revisits the world of his seminal alternative comics series Hate in this sharp return to form. Over the course of 30 issues, beginning in 1990, Bagge chronicled the misadventures of Buddy Bradley and his eccentric twentysomething friends and enemies as they cavorted around grunge-era Seattle. Now, Buddy and his tempestuous paramour Lisa Leavenworth are living in suburban New Jersey, having swapped the aimless debauchery that characterized the misadventures of their youth for the responsibilities of parenthood, homeownership, and maintaining steady employment. Bagge alternates hilarious and unflinchingly honest depictions of the absurdity and frustration of Buddy’s and Lisa’s modern lives with chapters revisiting their younger years, revealing secrets that ultimately prove impactful in the present day. Despite their spiky personalities and shared proclivities for self-sabotage, Buddy and Lisa remain (perhaps uncomfortably) relatable—and even endearing—protagonists, whose most cringe-inducing antics are steeped in grounded humor and sharp satire. Bagge’s signature illustration style, featuring rubbery, elastic character designs, provides a heightened sense of absurdity while simultaneously amplifying his cast’s emotional range.