RE/Read is an occasional column by Fantagraphics Bookstore curator Larry Reid examining backlist titles you may have missed or are worth another look. This time we’ll revisit Peter Bagge’s classic collection Buddy Buys a Dump.
Peter Bagge’s masterful Hate comic book serial concludes with Buddy Buys a Dump. The misadventures of Buddy Bradley and his crew of lovable losers reflected the experiences of a generation of counterculture mavens: from miscreant misfits to semi-respectable members of modern society. The final installment collects the seven issues of Hate Annual, ending with a new chapter that finds our anti-hero confronting a situation familiar most of his contemporaries. In many meaningful ways, Bagge was able to capture the comical and creative milestones of my misspent youth. Simultaneously uplifting and heartbreaking, reading this book is like saying so long to an old friend. I’m holding out hope that Buddy will someday return.
A comprehensive assortment of Hate and other essential alternative comix can be found at Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery, located at 1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S.), only minutes south of downtown Seattle. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM. Phone 206-557-4910.