« And what can you say about Buddy Hickerson that hasn’t already been confessed in court? » — a 1992 blurb

While the 1980s mega-popularity of Gary Larson’s The Far Side (1979-1995) led to a plague of mostly feeble imitations, it more significantly contributed to the acceptance of a greater range of humour (and drawing styles*) in a staid syndicated strip industry sorely in need of a vigorous shakeup. While Dan Piraro‘s Bizarro (1985–) is the clear winner among those that followed Larson’s path — no small thanks to an original vision and drawing chops to kill for — I’ve always had a soft spot for one of the also-rans, Buddy Hickerson’s The Quigmans.

While Hickerson wasn’t a consistent gagman to rank with the cartoon gods, he scores points aplenty for trying and the intermittent spark of genius. And I dug his ‘melted in the sun’ aesthetic, echoes of which seeped into the mainstream. I mean, consider the likes of Beavis and Butthead (1993) and Duckman (1995), merely to skim the greasy surface.

Anyhow, here’s a sampler of my favourite Quigman misadventures.

Four Quigmans collections have, to my knowledge, been issued:

The Quigmans (1992, Tor Books)
The Quigmans (1990, Harmony Books)
Love Connection! (1992, Harmony Books)
and Tunnel of Just Friends (1996, Four Walls Eight Windows).

I’m happy to say he’s still active and has remained true to his vision; check him out at (of course) his official website.

-RG

*though we can’t not mention such trailblazers as Lynda Barry, Matt Groening, Gary Panter and even David Lynch in such a context. The 1980s weren’t altogether a cultural wasteland, after all.