Life in Hell is a weekly comic strip by Matt Groening. The strip features anthropomorphic rabbits and a pair of gay lovers. Groening uses these characters to explore a wide range of topics about love, sex, work, and death. His drawings are full of not only fun, merriment, laughs, and frivolity, but also expressions of angst, alienation, self-loathing, and fear of inevitable doom. This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[1] in Portland, Oregon;[2] his family name is pronounced ) is an Emmy Award-winning American cartoonist and the creator of The Simpsons,[3] Futurama and the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. ... An anthropomorphic character; a cat ascribed human characteristics. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... The Scream (1893) by Edvard Munch. ... In sociology and critical social theory, alienation refers to the individuals estrangement from traditional community and others in general. ... Self-loathing in general refers to an extreme dislike of oneself or of oneselfs characteristics, often a symptom of Depression; in this sense, it is more or less synonymous with self-hatred, although neither are clinical terms. ... Look up dom in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The Big Book of Hell collection

The Big Book of Hell by Matt Groening This image is a book cover. ... The Big Book of Hell by Matt Groening This image is a book cover. ...

History

Life in Hell started in 1977 as a self-published comic book wherein Groening described life in Los Angeles to his friends, as opposed to letters. Groening photocopied and distributed it in a small "punk" corner of the record store he was working in, Licorice Pizza on Sunset Boulevard.^[1] Life in Hell debuted as a comic strip in the avant-garde Wet magazine in 1978, to which Groening made his first professional cartoon sale. The first strip, entitled "Forbidden Words", appeared in the September/October issue. Popular in the underground, Life in Hell was picked up by the Los Angeles Reader (an alternative weekly newspaper where Groening also worked as a typesetter, editor, paste-up artist and music critic) in 1980, where it began appearing weekly.^[2] Self-publishing is the publishing of books or other media by those who have written them. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Punks at a music festival The punk subculture is a subculture based on punk rock. ... It has been suggested that Childrens gramophone records be merged into this article or section. ... Sunset Boulevard (officially known as West Sunset Boulevard, except in Beverly Hills) is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... Wet magazine was an avant-garde Los Angeles-based magazine that revolved around the idea of gourmet bathing, which later evolved to gourmet bathing and beyond. Its publisher and creator was Leonard Koren, an architecture school graduate. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Los Angeles Reader was a weekly paper established in 1978 and distributed in Los Angeles, USA. It is known for being the first newspaper publishing Matt Groenings cartoon strip, Life in Hell. ...

The strip was frequently a serial discussing various topics, such as "Love is Hell", a 1984 "13-chapter miniseries" pontificating on love and relationships. In November of that year, Groening's then-girlfriend (and co-worker at the Reader) Deborah Caplan offered to publish "Love is Hell" in book form.^[3] The book was an underground success, selling 22,000 copies in its first two printings. Soon afterward, Caplan and Groening left the Reader and put together the Life in Hell Co., which handled syndication and merchandising for Groening’s projects.^[4] It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is concerned with the production of books, magazines, and other literary material (whether in printed or electronic formats). ... Syndication may mean: television syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside of the network system print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips web syndication, where web feeds make a portion of a web site available to other sites or individual subscribers radio syndication... A coffee mug bearing the logo of a company or organization is a common practice in product merchandising. ...

Life in Hell reached the attention of Hollywood producer James L. Brooks, who received one strip - "The Los Angeles Way of Death" from 1982 - as a gift from fellow producer Polly Platt.^[5][6] In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening with the proposition of developing a series of short animated skits, called “bumpers”, for The Tracey Ullman Show. Originally, Brooks had wanted Groening to adapt his Life in Hell characters for the show. Fearing the loss of ownership rights to his characters, Groening instead created an entirely new batch of characters, the Simpsons. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... James L. Brooks James L. Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American producer, writer, and film director. ... Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of 2-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. ... Sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes, or sketches, commonly between one and ten minutes long. ... The Tracey Ullman Show was a weekly American television variety show, hosted by comedian and onetime pop singer Tracey Ullman. ... The Simpson Family The Simpson family is the title family featured in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. ...

As television began to place more demands on his time, however, Groening came to almost exclusively feature single-panel strips or 16-panel grids in which Akbar and Jeff exchange terse jabs. This later period also saw the increase of autobiographical strips, perhaps because Groening was influenced by the burgeoning alternative comics trend of autobio. Cover of An autobiography, from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write, is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ... The term alternative comics is one of several labels applied to a range of comics that have appeared since about 1980, in the wake of the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 70s. ...

Television has also made the strip "safe enough for a number of newspapers to print", according to Groening, who claims that he has not "toned the strip down at all, other than no longer using profanity"^[7] as a concession to daily papers that carry the strip.^[8] Look up Profanity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

On December 7, 1998 Groening registered the domain mattgroening.com to publish Life in Hell online; however, the website has remained in its "under construction" state since then, although Groening insists he'll "get around to it... [when he's] ready to wade in on a regular basis."^[9] December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ...

Groening has stated that he will "never give up the comic strip. It's my foundation."^[10]

Recurring characters

• Binky is a bitter, depressed and thus "normal" rabbit and star of the cartoon. He usually embodies dread and alienation.

• Sheba is Binky's estranged girlfriend. Appearance-wise, she is "basically Binky in drag."^[11] Binky and Sheba met at a coffee shop in a 1981 storyline, and are often used as a generic couple whenever Groening needs one.

• Bongo is Binky's illegitimate son, the product of a drunken night of "jungle passion". He was introduced in a 1983 storyline in which his mother, Hulga, left him to Binky so she could seek her fortune in New York. Bongo's defining physical attribute is his one ear, which Groening admits is solely so that the casual viewer can tell him apart from Binky.^[12]

• Akbar & Jeff are described in various strips and interviews as "brothers or lovers or possibly both". Whatever the case, they are most definitely homosexual.^[7] They have large noses and wear fezzes and Charlie Brown-like striped shirts. They have run numerous businesses over the years, including Akbar & Jeff's Tofu Hut, Akbar & Jeff's Earthquake T-Shirt Hut, and Akbar & Jeff's Bootleg "Akbar & Jeff" T-Shirt Hut. Like Binky and Sheba, Akbar and Jeff are often used as a generic couple when needed. According to Groening, "the reason why I draw a strip with Akbar and Jeff instead of Binky and Sheba is that I figure that no one can accuse me of trying to score points against men or women if the characters are identical."^[3]

• Matt Groening appears in the strip as a bearded, bespectacled rabbit. He is also sometimes represented as Binky.

• Will and Abe are Matt Groening's two sons, represented in rabbit form.

• Snarla, a cat, is Bongo's classmate and love interest.

• Bart Simpson, has never spoken but is seen in the background of a number of strips.

• Mr. Simpson is Binky's boss at his job. His name precedes those of the Simpsons.

• Gooey, Screwy, and Ratatouille are Akbar and/or Jeff's triplet nephews. The names are an obvious spoof of the Disney characters Huey, Dewey and Louie (Donald Duck's nephews).

1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Akbar and Jeff Akbar and Jeff was a surrealistic (and absurdist) story arc involving the characters of the same name, begun in 1984 by Matt Groening in his comic strip Life in Hell. ... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ... The fez is a red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone; a black tassel hangs from the crown. ... Charles Charlie Brown (occasionally called Chuck by Peppermint Patty and when she first appeared, Marcie) is a character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. ... Bartholomew Jo-Jo Bart Simpson is a main character in the animated television series The Simpsons, voiced by Nancy Cartwright. ... The Simpson Family The Simpson family is the title family featured in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. ... The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck are a trio of fictional ducks who appear in animated cartoons and comic books published by the Walt Disney Company. ... Donald Duck is an animated cartoon and comic-book character from Walt Disney Productions. ...

Recurring jokes and situations

• Fake magazines such as "Lonely Tyrant: The magazine for abusive bosses whose employees hate their guts." Stories inside include, "The fine art of the meaningless memo."
• The X types of Y: The 9 types of college teachers, the 81 types of high school students, the 16 types of brothers, the 9 types of relationships.
• How-To Guides: Examples include "So You Want To Be An Unrecognized Genius," "How To Be a Clever Film Critic," and "How To Get Into The College of Your Choice."
• Miniseries - A series of strips focusing on a particular theme in a mock textbook manner, such as "School is Hell" and "Love is Hell," both of which have been collected in their entirety in book form.
• Akbar & Jeff discussing their relationship - Arguably the most common set-up. A 1992 strip, "The Dart Game of Love," was prefaced with "I hope this cartoon pleases you gripers who whined about all those Akbar & Jeff strips where they stared at each other."
• Binky attempting to meditate
• Advertisements for disreputable businesses run by Akbar & Jeff such as "Akbar & Jeff's Lucky Psychic Hut."
• Bongo locked in a detention room
• Bongo unsatisfied with the huge assortment of presents he has received on Christmas morning
• Shadow rabbit - Binky's looming shadow towers over Bongo, who has clearly committed a crime despite his assurances to the contrary.
• Forbidden Words - An annual compilation of buzzwords used over the past year that Groening has deemed "forbidden."

1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Merchandise and advertising

A 1989 Apple Macintosh advertisement featuring Life in Hell characters.

After the success of Love is Hell, more book collections followed, including Work is Hell and Childhood is Hell. To date, over 10 books have been released. Image File history File links Groening_apple_ad. ... Image File history File links Groening_apple_ad. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ...

In addition to the books, the comic also spawned T-shirts, greeting cards, posters,^[4] coffee mugs, and a short-lived newsletter called the "Life in Hell Times."^[13] There is also an annual calendar. T-Shirt A T-shirt (or tee shirt) is a shirt with short or long sleeves, a round neck, put on over the head, without pockets. ... A greeting card is a folded card featuring a message of greeting or other sentiment. ... A newsletter is a regularly distributed publication generally about one main topic that is of interest to its subscribers. ...

In the late 1980s, Groening drew several print advertisements for Apple Computer in the form of Life in Hell comic strips.^[14] Generally speaking, advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. ... Apple Inc. ...

At the 2005 Comic-Con in San Diego, a series of deluxe Life in Hell vinyl figurines manufactured by CritterBox Toys was announced.^[15] This article is about the fan convention. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates , Government County San Diego Mayor City Attorney         City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Jerry Sanders (R) Michael Aguirre Scott Peters Kevin...

Books

• 1986 - Love is Hell - (ISBN 0-394-74454-3)
• 1986 - Work is Hell - (ISBN 0-394-74864-6)
• 1987 - School is Hell - (ISBN 0-394-75091-8)
• 1988 - Box Full of Hell - (ISBN 0-679-72111-8)
• 1988 - Childhood is Hell - (ISBN 0-679-72055-3)
• 1989 - Greetings from Hell - (ISBN 0-679-72678-0)
• 1989 - Akbar and Jeff's Guide to Life - (ISBN 0-679-72680-2)
• 1990 - The Big Book of Hell - (ISBN 0-679-72759-0)
• 1991 - With Love From Hell - (ISBN 0-06-096583-5)
• 1991 - How to Go to Hell - (ISBN 0-06-096879-6)
• 1992 - The Road to Hell - (ISBN 0-06-096950-4)
• 1994 - Binky's Guide to Love - (ISBN 0-06-095078-1)
• 1994 - Love is Hell: Special Ultra Jumbo 10th Anniversary Edition - (ISBN 0-679-75665-5)
• 1997 - The Huge Book of Hell - (ISBN 0-14-026310-1)

life. ...

References

2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Screenshot of Salon. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[1] in Portland, Oregon;[2] his family name is pronounced ) is an Emmy Award-winning American cartoonist and the creator of The Simpsons,[3] Futurama and the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. ... Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[1] in Portland, Oregon;[2] his family name is pronounced ) is an Emmy Award-winning American cartoonist and the creator of The Simpsons,[3] Futurama and the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. ... Joe Morgenstern is the film critic for The Wall Street Journal. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... 2004 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → // February 29, 2004 Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns as president of Haiti and flees the country for the Central African Republic. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... -1... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (83rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[1] in Portland, Oregon;[2] his family name is pronounced ) is an Emmy Award-winning American cartoonist and the creator of The Simpsons,[3] Futurama and the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. ... Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[1] in Portland, Oregon;[2] his family name is pronounced ) is an Emmy Award-winning American cartoonist and the creator of The Simpsons,[3] Futurama and the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

External links

• What The Hell
• "Life In Hell" References On The Simpsons