Love & Rockets: A Seminal Alternative Comic Book - Comic Tropes (Episode 15) 

It's really fun when you start getting pretty plastered and your first instinct is to profess your love for comics. I wish more people would just profess their love for comics when they get drunk.

My dad worked for fantagrafix before he moved on and became an editor in DC. He died last month but he was responsible for publishing most, if not all, of the archive collections for DC. his name is Dale Crain. RIP dad. Love ya

Oh my god. I was afraid you were going to get alcohol poisoning from this episode and was laughing so hard I had tears coming out of my eyes after the first five shots. Many thanks for the shout out. I too love to talk comics and enjoy this series. Keep' em coming!

I'm really surprised that theres not more video essays on "Love and Rockets," on RU-vid. The Hernandez brothers have such a diverse body of work that are so transgressive. Personally, I love there one-off short stories the most.

The Palomar stories are wonderful as well.It's fun to see these guys covered in this episode.

LOVE LOVE & ROCKETS!!! Jaime Hernandez's artwork changed my life! I've only got ONE issue from the early nineties because shops in my area didn't stock the books consistently back when I was collecting. I cherish that one issue to this day and plan to collect all of it eventually.

L and R is probably my favorite "universe" as far as comics go....Particularly Xamie (jamie). The new stuff is still really good! To watch Maggie and Hopey and Ray literally age with me has had a huge impact in my life. L and R is who ive always been able to turn to, L and R has always been there for me......literally. When my mom passed, when my sister committed suicide, anytime ive been dumped or have lost love Xamie has always been there. Were you aware that a different Hernandez brother was in a very influential punk rock group called Dr. Know. You can see many many references to the band in Xamies earlier and more recent day output. Id love to see a Joe Sacco episode friend.....

I painted the cover to The Ultimate Gnatrat 1989, Fantagraphics Books.

One of the things I really love about Jaime's art style is how every single character looks unique. Not just face features, but also body shape/posture. On the other side, what about doing an episode about "they-all-seem-related-art-style" that some comic book artists have, such as Ron Lin and Jim Cheung. Not sure if it's enough material for an episode, but I think it would be funny.

I wish somebody would do an ultimate compendium for both Jaime and Gilbert's work because even though I've kept up with the series since the beginning I get confused with all the relationships; especially with all the time jumps both creators often incorporate where years will go by.

Oooh! You picked Love and Rockets tropes! You gonna get REALLY plastered! I've read L&R since the mid-80s, and I've always liked the very human aspects of relationships and the humor of the Hernandez's stories! Cool!

You really do cover everything! I love Love and Rockets! I'm glad you did this. Just dont die on us now. hahaha

Great video! I used to be a big fan of Love and Rockets! And Wig Wam Bam was one of my favorite stories. That and probably "Love and Rockets Premiere" by Gilbert

such a great mag. I still have that 1st collection they published.. so groundbreaking, surreal & all too real at the same time. No other comic like it.

I been binge watching all your videos!! Great stuff man!!! . Hope you do more of love and rockets and more lesser known comics.

Wow, I'm only 2 years late for this video! I adore Maggie and Hopey since WAY back, 1987 or something when I first found Love & Rockets in a wee comic shop in Scotland. My favourite comic ever. You were bound to get quite drunk with all those La Locas tropes! :-)

As far as “ REPOMAN” being an indie cult classic, I feel Love& Rockets are of that same creative mineral content . What a prolific body of work!! Just ordered the book you reviewed& “ Love Bunglers “ on Amazon so I’m stoked.

i owe you so much for opening my eyes and showing me the way. great vid

I had never heard of this comic before and now I really want to check it out! Thank you so much for making these videos, they’ve introduced me to so many new series I would never have heard of otherwise!

New subscriber. I didn't realize you were in Seattle too! My girlfriend met the co-editor of Fantagraphics while they were both proctoring SATs at University of Washington Bothell of all places. After getting burnt out on Spawn and the Image crew in the 90's, I took a long hiatus from comics until I discovered Love and Rockets a few years back. Jamie re-ignited my love for drawing cmics and I'm working on a pro-wrestling themed graphic novel, inspired by his short series Whoa Nellie. Anyhow, keep up the great work! I appreciate this channel very much.

It is such a realistic comic... Even though it sometimes goes off Sci-Fi wise all of a sudden...... But the conversations are always great and the artwork really fits perfectly. You can't help but be drawn in.

I've been reading comics for more than 40 of my 50 years and I only, surprisingly, came to know about Love and Rockets about 2 years ago. I'm on volume 15 and I have to say it may be my favorite comic series of all time. There is simply nothing like it out there. I love the characters, the art, the various plots, the manner in which the writer/artist brothers "direct" or "edit" the scenes. It must have been highly influential on the cinema that followed. Before I came across Love and Rockets, I was ready to say Watchmen, The Sandman and Saga were my favorites, but I don't think so anymore. Love and Rockets all the way.

In general you seem very kind, open and smart, but this episode was just the best!

You're the only one who pronounced Jaime's name correctly! As always your videos are great! They're always informative and educational. I learned a lot on the vlog about comic book distribution you uploaded. Love 'em all! Keep up the great work.

THE Jaime Hernandez stuff stats with Maggie the mechanic, Gilbert Hernandez starts with Heartbreak soup, these collections are still in print my fellow comic aficionados.

Chris, I love your dedication to your art of doing a challenge for each trope, and while it's entertaining to see you struggling, drunkenly trying to continue, the whole time I'm worried about you getting alcohol poisoning. Please take care of yourself. I love your content.

I picked up issue 1 back in 1985. Love the early work by the brothers.

Great to see u cover amazing alternative books!

This is like "Drunk History" but about comics. I love it.

It's cool to see that Fantagraphics has a storefront.

Nothing better than seeing him get tanked while discussing comic formalism and narrative structure. I love it lmao

Love your posts.

Never had any interest in this comic in the 80's but heard about it for years. Definitely intriguing.

Love and rockets is so good. :)

Love Love & Rockets!! I have the entire run of the first series. Wig Wam Bam was my favorite storyline and started reading L&R midway thru Wig Wam Bam and Poison River. You did a great job with tropes. My other favorite comic books are Ms. TREE and Kelly Green. I'd love to see you do tropes on them! Take care and I enjoy your video posts.

just watching this gave me a hangover :)

I read L&R back in the mid-80's. One of the very best non-superhero comics ever made. I would like to get back into it but never seem to get around to it.

Great episode! While I never got into it I do have a fondness for Love and Rockets due to it reminding me so much of the 90's and my first roommate so much. Really admire the art in the books also. The mash up between the realistic and cartoony has always been something I loved and try to achieve in my own work to a degree. I love those over the top expressions. I deffinatly think I should give the series a closer look now. :3 Also hey take care of yourself! Don't over due it on those shots man. ;D

Oh man this might be the one CT episode i tap out of the drinking game 😂

I love Human Diastrophism and Death of Speedy. Those stories both stick with me. Also the Eros series Birdland, which introduced a bunch of characters in the more recent L&R books, though hardcore porn.

just found your channel. great content!! look forward to watching more.

7:46 I can see the "sweat beads"!😅

I have been collecting this title since around 1986. I wish you'd have spent more time on Gilberts stuff too. Also Jaime has a very distintive starkly graphic and realistic way of drawing people and faces that could have been talked about a little more

You should do a Gilbert Hernandez episode too

Why don't you do, "Omaha Cat dancer", or 'Sugar and Spike" comics . Sugar and Spike have found some Cameos in modern comics.

Jaime's flyers for Dr. Know, Suicidal Tendencies, and FEAR were great. I have some original ones.

I'm not going to look through all the comments, but it's possible someone has already referenced Mort Walker's "Encyclopedia of Comiciana", where he says that the technical term for those beads of flop sweat is "plewds". (See also: Cathy Guisewite, "Cathy".)

I started reading Love and Rockets during Wig Wam Bam and Poison River storylines. The first issue I ever bought was the one with the pregnant Luba and bottle on the cover!

And in today's episode Chris speedruns alcohol poisoning

This made my morning :)

I’m kind of surprised you didn’t call out what that butch lesbian did as sexual assault or threatened sexual assault.

Hahahaha here 2020 and just started L&R today with vol 2. On my walk home I decided to see if there was any RU-vid videos on the series half thinking "I bet comic tropes has a video on it 😂" lo and behold

14:37 that feel when you're fully in the bag

How could you leave out the unexplained periodic futuristic Sci-Fi technologies that show up for no reason (like anti-grav low rider hovercraft)! That always struck me as bizarre and really interesting.

Have you read anything by Richard Sala? He's published stuff through Fantagraphics as well.

I bought from Ebay Love & Rockets #1 Vol. 4. I liked it.

I remember this issue. I remember laughing so hard to see Hopey's face on the carton. I am so old. I'm going to quit now for a bit...

It's indeed a great comic.

I love you dude,be careful.EXCELSIOR!!!

"I've completely lost track of what else I was going to do today..." after I took a ton of shots, I mean (hic).

That cackle will haunt me tonight 12:18

I remember Love and Rockets played I.U.P. in 1987

Thought, first, love your tropes. Second, brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts? I'm afraid, yes, I did say brussel sprouts for a trope. Thanks

You are funny and I learn from your preseentations. But I love you too much to see you drink that many shots! :D Please better pace yourself by making exceptions to the shot/trope rule by if you know there are going to be a zillion tropes, be willing to combine 2 similar tropes into one shot. I don't want you getting sick! :D

I had never really read Love and Rockets so I recently bought the Vol 1 Maggie the Mechanic tpb. but i don't really like the smaller shrunken size. but i guess the other versions are out of print?

thanks

nice lighting

I use youtube more than I shower, sleep, and eat combined. And this is the first video, I ever intentionally gave a thumbs up. You Def gained a subscribe from me. You are awesome and your work is awesome. I have but one long (continuous) question. Who are the animators for the following still shots when you were going through the expected tropes? 1. Maggie 4:45 2. Kids as comic relief 4:47 3. Nudity 4:48 3. Sex 4:49 4. Large cast of characters 5:04 5. Cartoony faces 5:12 Are they all from this one book? Or series? Or Artist? Please let me know. And keep up the vids.

Shots of gin! Christ, man! By the way, love your channel.

A good review, but FWIW Fantagraphics was founded in Maryland in 1976. Didn't move out west for years, and I'm pretty sure they spent some time in LA before winding up in Seattle.

GIN!!!

I just saw the name Love & Rockets and thought about the amazing band of the same name... lol

Urgh straight Gin you savage.

I hope you are living a more sober life now. We need you around.

Gettin’ fuuuuuucked up....

I thought Bombay gin was your favorite you have comical sweat beads coming off ya!

It's like drunk history but for comics... drunk comics.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-41E4PEQosPU.html pretty great, just can't hold it in. These comics are so good they make you feel better about the entire medium.

Nothing about Gilbert's stuff?

I tried to like an enjoy love and rockets. Picked up the comic book many times. Just not fun for me.

This was a meh comic on my end not to shit on it i tbh hated this series and never went back and still never to this day. I can see why some can love this but i loved Scott Pilgrim a lot so theres that... but i was worried you’d be in the hospital dude after this one please drunk responsibly lol

lmao

I loved love & rockets. But a time came when I could no longer justify giving Gary Groth another cent of my money. It was personal. Guy is a slimeball. To say more would put me at risk of legal action. So I never completed my collection.

I couldn't find any authors named Haimie. 8:30 though not representative of the entire population, I have met some aggressive lesbians.

you are clearly no lightweight

i really dislike these "Drink"-Games" on our Channel, lucky for you that youre Reviews are Awesome ;-)

So disappointed you focus on Jaime in this vid. Never really took to his writing although his art is better than Gilbert’s. Much prefer the Paloma’s stories.

Alcohol poisoning as a means of entertainment? This was hard to watch...seek help bro.

Again, these extra things just take so much away from really good comic analysis. But you lose so much with your gimmicks, and for the first time it got so bad I couldn't even finish this video. Sad sad sad

That comic sounds like garbage intersectional mumbo jumbo IMO, but watching you get blitzed while explaining it was hilarious.

Alternative comic is just another word for “bad”

"I love you comic, I love you, man." One minute later punching himself. A minute later "I love you comic, I love you, man." One minute later shooting a comic with a 9mm. Sirens. 'Come out, you're surrounded.' Gas canister rolling across the floor. Back door slamming, footsteps running away. Chopper. Gunshots.