A Gregory Treasury: Volume 2

I have loved this book since it's stories were originally printed. Great to have in one collection.

I Gregory is about the firmest precursor to the work of Jhonen Vasquez that's seen print- and for such a simple comic, is capable of surprising humor. I was thrilled to death to find that these comics were back in print! I'm docking the review one point because the book's printed in a smaller-than-comic format, which is a current trend in small-press reprints.

It's a strange character that finds amusement in fleeing willy-nilly around his tiny cell yelling, "BIM BIM BIM BIM BIM," but then, Gregory is a strange book. The titular hero is a little fellow of indeterminate age who does not so much suffer from mental illness as make the most of it. Marc Hempel seems to find endless amusement in this conceit, and most readers will, too - there's the occasional curse word (this really isn't intended for children, as harmless as it is), but the humor is mostly clean, free-spirited, and goofy, with a mild literary bent (the chapter in which Gregory finds his way out of his straitjacket is called "A Hello to Arms"). Add to this a series of gags involving Gregory's friends Herman Vermin (a rat who is constantly being killed and reincarnated... as himself) and Wendell (a painfully polite mouse who just wants to be left alone with his cheese), and you're left with a fun, funny, self-contained little masterpiece of cartooning that should warm even the stodgiest heart. Hempel's influences are the best of the best; there are shades of Walt Kelly here, as well as Ernie Bushmiller and maybe even a little Charles Schulz. Overall, a worthwhile purchase for anyone who needs a cheap laugh or just wants to read a good cartoon.

Gregory is a comic book about a little kid who lives in an insane asylum...it sounds bleak, but it's actually very funny. Gregory runs around yelling incoherently, he befriends a rat who keeps getting reincarnated as himself, and inspired lunacy generally ensues. You'll find yourself wanting to shout "Bim! Bim!" at random moments. (Sandman buffs might recognize Hempel as the artist who drew "The Kindly Ones").