No more Life in Hell

Posted: 6/20/12 at 2:09pm

"After exploring a world populated by “anthropomorphic rabbits and a pair of gay lovers” for over 30 years, “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening is putting down his pen and ending his highly acclaimed comic strip, “Life in Hell.”

The last “Life in Hell,” Groening’s 1,669th strip, was released on Friday, June 15. For the next four weeks, editors will have their choice of strips from Groening’s extensive archive before they close up shop in July on Friday the 13, which seems oddly appropriate.

“I’ve had great fun, in a Sisyphean kind of way, but the time has come to let Binky and Sheba and Bongo and Akbar and Jeff take some time off,” Groening, 58, said by email.

“It’s hard to imagine how the business model that sustained alternative social-commentary and political cartooning for two decades (and is now all but dead) would have evolved had papers not discovered the power of Groening’s strip and its ability to attract readers,” said syndicated cartoonist Ted Rall by phone."

It's a bad time for funky, weekly alternative comics. Hard to imagine that Groening only gets $18 per paper for his comic.

I LOVED Life in Hell and can still remember my first "real" boyfriend giving me an Akbar & Jeff card- it seemed so sophisticated.
Bye bye Bongo

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/20/12 at 2:16pm

The Life in Hell annual list of words and phrases that need to be retired was always completely right on, as the kids used to say.

[Addison D.]

Posted: 6/20/12 at 5:08pm

Wow--haven't thought about 'Life in Hell' for a long time. The cartoon, that is.

I, too, fell a little bit more in love with my first BF when he gave me a Jeff & Akbar comic. I still have it, too. They were putting on a two-person horse costume and they looked at each other and said "Yer the butt" at the same time. For the next 17 years, whenever we had a disagreement, one of us would say "Yer the butt" and we'd stop--or at least pause--the fight and laugh. Defusing stupid fights definitely contributed to our longevity. Thanks, Matt.

Posted: 6/20/12 at 6:44pm

I first fell in love with Matt Groening when someone asked him "Akbar and Jeff? Brothers? Lovers? both?" and he said "I want you to feel free to imagine what ever makes you the most uncomfortable."