Leave Freeze or Die
Leave Freeze or Die is a webcomic written and drawn by Jeremy Yuenger. It follows the misadventures of the students of fictional College University in Manchester, New Hampshire, and their dealings with figures from pop culture, state and local politics, and the media. It is published in strip form weekly by Neighborhood News, Inc. in their print publications and on NewHampshire.com, and as part of NewHampshire.com's insert in the "New Hampshire Union Leader". It is also appears periodically in graphic-novel format at FileFishComics.com. The title is a spoof of the New Hampshire state motto , "Live Free or Die". The weekly strip in its current form began in 2004. It is a spin-off of the graphic novel series of the same name begun in 1989, and was preceded by another weekly comic with the same cast, entitled Over the Counter Culture, which ran in Boston College's "The Heights" from 1996 through 1999. Yuenger created the comic originally to make fun of the industrial arts faculty at his middle school, and later expanded it to include public figures and classmates from Manchester High School Central, who formed the basis of the characters. Yuenger publishes  his work as "FileFish Comics", but is in fact the only person behind the company. Synopsis. The content of the series is largely episodic, usually focusing on efforts by the students to entertain themselves in a city largely devoid of entertainment options. In doing so, they typically run afoul of the "Union Leader" and its publisher, whose far-right values oppose anything the kids would consider to be fun. The central protagonist is Pete, a 21-year-old divorced college student and actor. Long-term plot arcs have dealt with the college dean's attempt to clone the faculty for  cheap labor (issues 91–97), the students' participation in a civil war in a fictional banana republic (issues 53–54, 72–73, 104–107), and Pete and Amy's marriage (issues 78, 98–99, 101). Several issues (55, 76–77, 87) involve run-ins with members of the Zendik commune. The weekly strips have featured shorter stories dealing with former governor Craig Benson reduced to working in a convenience store, publisher Joseph McQuaid being visited by the ghost of his chain-smoking former teen idol who begs him not to oppose anti-smoking legislation, and Manchester mayor Robert A. Baines attempting to infiltrate the city's  nightlife to foil crime. Recent strips have dealt with the influx of presidential candidates to the city ahead of the 2008 New Hampshire primary. The Huevolarian War. The current plot of the graphic novels concerns the Huevolarian War, an attempt by the American government to prop up the corrupt government of Huevolaria through military intervention. In issue #53, Amy Cameron of "Students 4 Socialist Justice" became involved in the Huevolarian Civil War, helping to train a band of communist rebels (all named "Juan") in their struggle against the dictator Juan Volaro Cortazio. Cortazio had grown insane, and believed he was  actually Tony Garza, the hero of Amy's high school Spanish textbook. Amy fled Huevolaria with the Juans, and brought them to her prom to hide them. Cortazio pursued her home to Manchester, and captured them all. In issue #72, Shalome went to Huevolaria to negotiate Amy's freedom, and found that Amy had become a rich drug kingpin. Amy repented, and they attempted to reenter the United States, but were stopped at the Texas border by Ross Perot, dressed as a Boy Scout. Once again Amy returned to Huevolaria, hoping to undo the damage she had caused. In issue  #104, President George W. Bush named Huevolaria part of the Rhombus of Inconvenience, and attacked the rebels on behalf of Cortazio. Rolly tricked his students into enlisting, but was surprised than Dan had also volunteered in order to impress women. Trish and Shalome went to Huevolaria to protest the war, only to discover Amy and rescue her again. During the war, Matt was shot (but survived), and Amy Cameron met Pete's ex Amy, who had taken the "Amy" spot in the comic during her absence. Amy Cameron decided to go by her surname of Cameron rather than fight for  the right to the "Amy" role. Cameron was able to rally the Juans against Cortazio, the Americans, and Cortazio's henchman, Bruno, and the Juans won the war. Dan was discharged honorably but refused to be used for propaganda by Rolly and McQuaid, and instead left the school and moved in with Rolly's mom. Dan and Rolly eventually reconciled, and adopted a daughter, "Rollina". Compilations. Unofficial photocopy collections of the comic date back to the early 1990s and were edited by the real-life inspiration for the character of Pete, Pete Boisvert, at Yuenger's request. CD-ROM's  were issued later, covering most material through the year 2000. Yuenger began printing paperback collections of issues #91 onwards beginning in 2005, and issued self-published hardcover collections in 2007. Criticism. Yuenger has been criticized by members of the Zendik movement for his portrayal of Wulf Zendik and life at the Zendik commune. He has also been chided for originally using the full names of private individuals who inspired the characters in the comic. In recent years, the characters' surnames have not been mentioned as often (the exceptions being public figures such as Dean Kamen and Joe McQuaid) and have  been removed entirely from the FileFish Comics website. Some readers have also complained the comic blurs the line between fiction and reality by featuring "real" people and using some real events as the basis for otherwise fictional plots. Yuenger has said he has received hate mail from readers opposed to his liberal political views, since the publications that run "Leave Freeze or Die" are politically conservative. The publisher of the "Union Leader", which carries the strip in an insert, is portrayed as one of the comic's main villains.