Summary
Life in Hellwas Matt Groening’s first big success, released a decade before he became famous forThe Simpsons, and long beforeFuturamaandDisenchantment. In his early-career cult comic, a collection of odd characters mocked pop culture, relationships, politics, and anything else that ground Groening’s gears on a given day.
Running weekly for 35 years,Life in Hellhad its own success, distinct from the cartoon that would ultimately turn Groening into a world-wide phenomenon, and one of the medium’s greatest success stories.
Groening has said he loved havinghis own solo creative outlet,in contrast with the teamwork it takes to make television. While his wife at the time helped him market the strip, collecting them into books and putting characters on mugs,Life in Hellhas always existed as a kind of footnote to Groening’s more widely-known properties.
Below is a collection of ten of the funniestLife in Hellstrips, which will hopefully convince readers to seek out the further adventures of Akbar, Jeff, Binky, and Bongo.
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10Ice Shows Are Hell
“Hell On Ice,“FirstPublished In 1989
In the 1980s, America was awash with ice rink performances of popular shows:Stars on Ice, Holiday on Ice, Walt Disney’s World on Ice. (Had Matt Groening’sThe Simpsonspremiered 5 years earlier, the popular seriesmight’ve had its own show on ice.)This one-panel parody announces “Hell on Ice,” starring giant mascot versions of theLife in Hellcharactersjumping through flaming hoops, an act that perhaps shouldn’t be done in an ice arena. Acknowledging that his cult-hit comic doesn’t have the huge audience of Disney, the supposed tour dates include a mall parking lot, and an ice pit.
This also takes aim at pop culture that sanitizes media to make it “family-friendly.” Promising a “festival of fur, friendship, and frozen frolics,” this ice show seems to have no idea what happens inLife in Hell, a comic where the characters rail against inequality, conformity, and sometimes each other.
9Mixed Messages Are Hell
Life Is Hell,First Published In 2007
Akbar and Jeff are two recurring characters inLife in Hellwho are identical lovers. Early on, Groening would recount arguments with his then-girlfriend viaLife in Hell’sstraight rabbit couple, but felt like some fans would interpret those comics as battles of the sexes rather than just those two characters hitting a punchline. He started using Jeff and Akbar to “launder” these arguments. Here, the two encounter a love story as old as time – one only wants the other because they’re unavailable;when one finally relents and asks for a hug, the other suddenly loses interest and says, “Eww.”
According to Matt Groening, Akbar and Jeff’s design stemmed from him trying to draw Charlie Brown as a child, hence their shirts with a zig-zag stripe. Later, the pair themselves were clearly the inspiration forDisenchantment’sVip and Vap.
8Jealousy Is Hell
Life in Hell,First Published In 2006
Binky and Sheba are the aforementioned straight rabbit couple,who Groening often used autobiographically in comics about dating and relationships.Here, Binky pulls petals off a flower while reciting the classic, “She loves me, she loves me not.” After ending on, “She loves me,” Sheba appears in frame, and Binky happily smiles at her. However, Sheba has misunderstood Binky’s whimsy and jealously asks, “Who’s‘she’?” Even though Binky has only been thinking of her, Sheba suspects he’s dreaming of other bunnies.
With her dress and pearls, Shebaevokes Marge Simpson. In the early years ofThe Simpsons, Groening joked that Marge’s beehive hairdo would conceal a pair of rabbit ears, an idea that was understandably shot down in the show’s writers' room.
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7The Future Is Hell
Life in Hell,First Published In 1995
The more things change, the more they stay the same, as evidenced by this nearly 30-year-old comic that still holds true in a lot of ways. Bongo, Binky’s son, is asking an adult why he’sleavingthe world messed up for the next generation,instead of taking care of kids who will grow up to be voting constituents.The adult answers that they are planning for the futures of kids who are getting screwed over by the system – prison will be ready for any rabble-rousers to be tossed inside. Either way, the future isn’t looking bright for the young rabbit.
ManyLife in Hellcomics are visually repetitive, with 9 or 16 square panels and minimal character movement. This simplicity allowed Groening to continue the comic even ashis work withThe SimpsonsandFuturamablew upin popularity.
Matt Groening said he designed Bongo to have only one ear so that he’s clearly different from his father, Binky. Bongo also appeared as an animal for sale in Joe’s Ark Pet Store in the Futurama season 2 episode “Xmas Story.”
Futurama
Cast
Futurama is an animated science fiction series that follows Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from late-20th-century New York City. He is accidentally cryogenically frozen for a thousand years and becomes an employee at Planet Express, a delivery service in the retro-futuristic 31st century.
6Dating Is Hell
“Binky’s Guide to Love: A Cartoon Book by Matt Groening,” First Published In 1994
Similar to Homer Simpson’s"Secrets of a Successful Marriage” class, Binky has his own lessons to impart in a series of comics featuring questionable pick-up lines. The pick-up lines here are a mix of things that sound almost realistic – if odd – and others that are clearly for laughs. By putting the two side by side,Groening creates a visually simple comic that has unexpected laughs throughout, not just a punchlineat the end. One can almost see why Sheba is often so mad at Binky.
Also included is an aside with Jeff and Akbar, who don’t need pick-up lines, but are experts at making their partner infuriated.Their passive-aggressive comment promises a “brain-imploding frenzy of anger,” which can be felt by anyone who’s ever been spoken down to. They are truly experts in their field.
5LIFE Is Hell
Life In Hell,First Published In 1982
Life in Hell, as suggested by its title, often delved into nihilism and hopelessness, albeit with a joke at the end. The text in this comic, if read on its own, is incredibly depressing, suggesting that life is pointless. However, the image provide contrast,following Binky over the course of an interesting, incredibly fulfilling life.He graduates, climbs a mountain, sees his child take her first steps, has a long, happy marriage, and dies at a very old age.
A lot of the strip’sbest humor is timeless, which is why this comic still holds up. Even though some of the events here are specific to Binky, having anxiety about life and existence is universal. The humor is still dark, but overall there’s a hopeful message: everyone dies, so live your life while you can.
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4Los Angeles Is Hell
Life in Hell,First Published In 1982
Matt Groening beganLife in Hellas a fun comic zine to mail to his friends after he moved away to Los Angeles.That means the “Hell” in the title was originally Los Angeles itself,something this comic makes explicit. While still broken up into 9 even panels like other Life in Hell comics, the artwork changes more from panel-to-panel here than in Groening’s other dialogue-focused strips.
However, there is still repetition to be had. Gun violence and police-based gun violence are almost identical panels, as are the last two that hit the punchline: failure and success. In 1982,Life in Hellwas a bit of a cult hit, but Groening had in no way hitthe heights of his career. Luckily, his success has been less fatal.
This specific comic is allegedly the one that inspired television producer James L. Brooks to reach out to Groening about producing animated shorts for the sketch comedy seriesThe Tracey Ullman Show. Those bumpers becameThe Simpsons.
3The Litter Box Is Hell
Life in Hell,First Published In 2003
While Akbar and Jeff are often at odds, this comic starts out kind of sweet:one seems insecure about his place in the world, and the other assures him that he is loved and desired.That is, until his ulterior motives are revealed – he’s hoping this call and response will get his partnerto clean the kitty litter for him.
This comic is almost surely inspired bythe classic Looney Tunes bitwhere Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck would confuse Elmer Fudd on a hunting trip by arguing, “Rabbit season,” “Duck season,” etc. Unfortunately, the other knows him so well that he doesn’t take the bait. Again, it’s almost sweet how in sync the two are, while still being funny.
Matt Groening claimed in an interview that a beer company had approached him about licensing Akbar & Jeff as brand mascots, but ducked out when Groening mentioned in a Rolling Stone interview that the two are gay.
2Siblings Are Hell
Life in Hell,First Published In 1998
Matt Groening has confessed that he used to record arguments between his two oldest children, Will and Abe, andturn them into comics, often starring Binky’s son Bongo.This 1998 comic likely had the same inspiration, featuring two young brothers, with one attempting his own “How To"Life in Hell (see Binky’s Guide to Love above).
The dialogue between the siblings is pitch-perfect,one of the few times that repetition is incredibly realistic. Not just that, but when the repetition becomes annoying, it’s revealed that’s the punchline to the whole thing. Sibling rivalries have popped up a lot in Groening’s work, and he has a lot of experience in that regard: he was the middle child of five kids growing up, and is father to nine children himself. That’s a lot of inspiration for Bart and Lisa.
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1Guilt Is Hell
Life in Hell,First Published In 1988
Bongo is Binky’s son from a one-night-stand with a bunny who dropped their kid with Binky before trying to make it in the big city. Binky hasn’t always been excited about fatherhood, as shown in the many Bongo one-panel comics where he’s chained up in an empty room. Here, Binky’s heavy answer weighs on Bongo, who feels bad for ending a fly’s life when there’s only nothingness in death.
ThisLife in Hellstrip sits at the intersection of cutesy parenting comics and deep philosophy. Bongo swats a fly, then thinks about what he’s done before approaching his father, Binky, to ask about life after death.Binky doesn’t sugar-coat anything,though it’s not certain if that’s his parenting style or because he’s interested in reading the newspaper insteadof engaging with his son.
This combination of laughs and nihilism is what separatesLife in Hellfrom so many other newspaper comic strips of its day. It’s also why it’s always been more of a cult hit, enjoyed around the world by fans ofGroening’s more successful properties. While Groening retired the strip in 2012, its influences can be felt in his TV shows, as well as the comic artists who grew up readingLife in Hell.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an animated series set in the fictional town of Springfield, following the daily lives of the Simpson family—Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Premiering in 1989, the show is renowned for its satirical commentary on politics, media, and American culture, featuring numerous celebrity guest appearances.
