Happy Hour, Issue 4
When we last left our unhappy heroes, Jerry and Kim are still on the road to search for unhappiness. While at the same time, Special Agent Hamm had been dispatched by an assassin’s bullet. Sent from Landon Cohen’s Commune of Misery to set him free from his apparent happiness while in the Readjustment Center. In this society, it is unacceptable to be sad, and depending on where you go, it is frowned upon to be happy. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Don’t Doubt a Judo Champion
Meanwhile, Jerry has started to worry that Kim is hiding something from him. So much so that he gets her phone and calls the number she last dialed to see if it was indeed her Grandma. It was. But now, Jerry has made Kim’s Grandma concerned that something has happened to Kim. And even worse, he has pissed off Judo Master Kim.
After Kim assures her Grandmother she is fine, she lets Jerry know in no uncertain terms that she is not happy with him. Her foot upon his throat might be a dead giveaway. Jerry knows he has screwed up and decides to try an unorthodox approach to appease Kim, he sucks on her toe. Not sure that’s in the self-defense handbook, but it works. Come to find out, Kim had sensitive toes. Who knew? Next thing you know, they are in bed together and are very happy. Damn it! That’s not what their goal was.
This requires immediate action. No happiness allowed. A quick cold shower, and a bad meal at the local restaurant should put them back in the desired miserable aura. Unfortunately, their meal was more than bad, it was toxic. Nothing produces unhappiness better than a good does of Salmonella or worse. Strangely enough, they didn’t leave a tip. Go figure. The good news is there was a hospital nearby. YAY! The bad news is the bill for their care was $30,000. Needless to say they had no where near that kind of money laying around. Nor did they have health insurance. Not to worry, the hospital had an option for them. Welcome Guinea Pigs…
Guinea Pigs of Sadness
They are offered an opportunity to test a drug they had developed. The side effects of the drug is that it would make them feel very unhappy. Miserable even. That WAS their goal after all. So they agreed to take part in the trials to vacate their hospital bill. Darn if those Doctors weren’t right. Three days of misery and uncontrollable sobbing and their bill was paid in full. And even though they were ready to go, the hospital tried to convince them that they needed a few more days. They would of course be billed for that time. But they could find a way for them to square that bill too. After some thought that required about two seconds, they decided to decline that offer and took to the road again. Next stop, Landon Cohen’s Commune.
Except for one thing, they needed to get through the border. And the security at the border included misery smelling dogs. Say What!??? Yes, where usually the border had its share of drug sniffing dogs, these dogs honed in on misery. None of that allowed beyond the border. Sets a bad precedent and appearance for the good ole USA. So what to do? How can they make themselves happy enough to get past the dogs? Jerry decided the best way was to make the dogs have no doubt at least Kim was happy. So he once again kneeled down and sucked on her toes. It worked as Kim was so pleased, she easily drove past the guards and the dogs. “If only everyone was as happy as she was!”
From Happiness to Misery, One Readjustment Center at a Time
So now they found themselves in Los Tontotis. It is built to be a tourist town for those who embrace happiness. Jerry and Kim loved their time there. But in a few days, a representative of Landon Cohen’s Commune appeared. They were invited to come to the commune, but if they strayed from the “gloomy path,” they would be killed. Sounds reasonable. In five hours time, they find themselves at Landon’s Commune and soon after that, the Misery Re-Education Center. Jerry and Kim had come full circle. From the Re-Adjustment Center to instill happiness to the Misery Re-Education Center. How nice.
Thoughts
Another thought provoking issue. What makes a person satisfied? Happiness? Melancholy? One would hope to have the freedom to choose. As we have seen thus far, not in Happy Hour. Jerry and Kim are so confused by the current events, they don’t know how to feel and which emotions are acceptable. You can’t even enjoy having sex without fears of if this is how you should be feeling. That’s messed up. But that’s the world that writer Peter Milligan continues to explore..with flare.
Only Milligan could supply the stages of misery the test drugs Jerry and Kim are given with such alliterative monikers. Names such as: “My Pet Dog’s Been Run over and Killed, Mother’s funeral, Life is an Empty and Meaningless Charade, and the ever popular Lonely and Desperate.” But that’s not all! Also included is “Jilted Again, Amputated Above the Knee, and Your Best Years are Behind You!” Sounds like a playlist from a country album.
Artwork
As always, Michael Montenat is on top of his game. Michael can go from the serious, to the downright silly, to action and the sensual with equal aplomb. I bet this was the first time he got to draw a foot fetish. Mark one more thing down on the resume, Michael. This is such an unusual series and between the writing and artwork, it draws you in and forces you come back each issue to see what happens next. Which makes me happy. Wait, is that a good thing or a bad thing. I guess it depends on where you are at. Either way, I’m hooked. If you haven’t read it, give it a try and you could get hooked too.
Ahoy Comics Happy Hour, Issue 4 is available on February 10th where great comics are sold.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.