Apocalypse Nerd
While geekish software engineer Perry and his macho pal Gordo relax at a Pacific Northwest cabin, Kim Jung Il nukes Seattle, and the boys’ vacation turns into a desperate struggle for survival. As civilization crumbles, the pair takes harsh and gruesome measures to defend themselves and, later, simply to secure food. Since the tale is told by the satiric Bagge, best known for his chronicles of ur-slacker Buddy Baxter in Hate comics, the depiction of the post-apocalypse is incongruously funny. Early on, when Perry and Gordo join a commune run by a tech tycoon and other computer types, and later, when they come across an enclave of lesbian separatists, humor really comes to the fore. But as their situation becomes more dire, the juxtaposition of Bagge’s madcap bigfoot style and chillingly grisly violence grows more and more jarring. As wacky as Bagge’s drawings are, they don’t allay the brutal grimness of a harrowing tale that works as wry commentary on masculinity, pointed riposte to post-9/11 mentality, and a rousing though farcical survival epic. --Gordon Flagg