Product Description: A vicious satire of pop culture and the commerce of art!
This hilarious classic from Dan Clowes is a brutal and scathing peek into the insular, pathetic world of the comic book industry, as seen through the eyes of antihero Dan Pussey (pronounced "Pooh-say"), creator of the smash superhero comic Nauseator. From cradle to grave, Clowes presents the complete saga of Young Dan Pussey, mercilessly skewering the business and medium of comics, bouncing from art to commerce to culture high and low. Clowes not only parodies the superhero genre (notably Stan "The Man" Lee), but also his own peers, from his publishers and fellow authors at Fantagraphics to artistic heavyweights like Art Spiegelman (seen here as "Gummo Bubbleman"). Through it all, Pussey dreams endlessly about having sex with a woman, but even those fantasies degenerate into superhero scenarios. If you think Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons is pathetic (and hilarious), wait 'til you read Pussey!
Pussey It is not as good as the other books from this author. It is one of Daniel Clowes' early works so maybe the expectations should not be as high with this book. The drawings and the story carry a slightly amateurish slant to them when compared with Ghost World and Ice Haven.
That's "Pooh-say" PUSSEY! is a collection of short works by Dan Clowes that skewers the comic industry. Dan Pussey works his way up from a neurotic childhood to a position as artist in the Infinity Comics bullpen, finally becoming the comics superstar of the nineties... but in the end, what's it all worth? The stories are hilarious, but there's definitely an uncomfortable vibe running throughout the book, as the situations contained within are one step removed from real life in the industry. Stan Lee, Art Spiegelman, Los Bros. Hernandez, and other creators, both modern and classic, get their turns - almost always for the worse. I never could understand how an entire movie came out of the short "Art School Confidential" (contained in TWENTIETH CENTURY EIGHTBALL); however, the saga of Dan Pussey has more than enough material for the silver screen. So get ahead of the curve, read PUSSEY!, and impress your friends when the preview is shown at your next movie outing.
A bit harsh, Clowes!! It's PuSAY! Man this book is a true look into the original comic book nerds, not the wanna be cool/nerd hipster readers of today. Clowes' hatred of costumed and superhero comics and of STAN LEE himself is never more apparent than in this book. So take it with a grain of salt if you're a Spidey fan. If you are a comic nerd and can laugh about it, pick this book up!
I knew Dan Pussey! ...and still do. DP is a tragic figure, instantly recognizable to anyone who has spent any time around comics, or for that matter, any "social scene" based upon collectables (video games, stamps, ducks). And that mouth... those teeth... that nearly unbreakable faith in his powers. And oh yeah, "Pussey!" is also the best send-up of the comic/convention/geek scene ever written. Not to take away from Clowes' undeniable genius as an artist and writer, but much of Pussey!'s effectiveness is due to the medium itself, which as Clowes himself writes is "the most versitile art form" and puts into several panels what might take a "pure" writer several chapters (or more likely, none at all).
Clowes pulls no punches. We have met Pussey, and he is us.
I was that Pussey Yes, this comic is possibly the most hysterical thing you'll ever read, if you've ever read comics or had a lingering doubt you might be a nerd. I idolized the comic's hero Dan Pussey immediately as an archtype par extraodinaire. I recommend the book to those in their late thirties and ready to laugh comfortably at what they once were. Or at least I was.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
