doofus
doofus
Fantagraphics 1997
When I first ran across Rick Altergott’s DOOFUS OMNIBUS, I wondered exactly what a duo of panty-sniffing creeps had to offer me. The unlikely answer is: quite a bit! Sure, this may look like lowbrow material… well okay, it is, but there’s so much more here. The adventures of the repulsive Doofus (a dumpy unshaven man with bizarre fashion sense) and his even-more-repulsive pal Henry Hotchkiss (a dopey vagrant) occur in Flowertown USA, which looks like a pleasant place until you see the other goons who make up the town’s seedy underbelly. In fact, combined with other losers such as the mulleted Relief Erickson, greasy Stink-Hair Stu, and the buxom trailer-trash Miss Juniper, it appears that the realm occupied by Doofus and Henry is the real Flowertown, with the handsome businessmen, upper-crusts, and joggers being part of a thin veneer.
Altergott’s writing on these strips is quite varied. Sometimes, they reveal universal truths; othertimes, dopey one-liners; and still others are outright disturbing. But they all work in the context of Doofus, who is not too far removed from Ignatius J. Reilly of A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES. Other non-Doofus stories are included, such as “The ‘Dude'” and “Sleep in the Grave”. As for the amazing art, Altergott is clearly influenced by the best of MAD Magazine, especially Mort Drucker and George Woodbridge. As disgusting as his characters are, their filth and squalor are lovingly rendered.
My Name Is Doofus • What Color Is Your Parachute? • People keep telling me • Make hay, Henry Hotchkiss • Team America! • Doofus Meets Shamrock Squid • Sigh • It’s time for my weekly strip poker game • Four of a kind beats a full house! • Just what the hell do you think you’re doing • Baby’s Shitty Diaper • Trick or treat!! • Monday Man!
doofus
