Rocky, Vol. 2: Strictly Business

Against all odds, he’s making something of himself! Rocky’s autobiographical strip grows in popularity by leaps and bonds, and he even gets himself a graphic novel out of it. And yet he’s still (for the most part) a miserable, screwed-up son of a bitch, as the second English-language collection of Martin Kellerman’s gut-bustingly hilarious, hugely successful daily strip dutifully chronicles.

To start things off, Rocky manages to wheedle himself a free trip to New York as a reporter covering a gaming convention; a glutton for punishment, he looks up the girl he knocked up in the first volume…and gets a big surprise!

Also: Rocky’s temporary roommate Klaus builds himself a “lovers’ bunk,” with catastrophic results; Rocky’s buddy Manny becomes a daddy; Rocky tries to become rich by taping a reality show starring his pals only to discover that their lives are, in fact, boring beyond belief. Rocky scores a new girlfriend and, against the advice of everyone (including himself), immediately takes her on a month-long vacation to Cuba; cartoonin’ superstar Rocky goes on a book-signing tour of Norway; plus how to deal with women who talk baby talk in bed, the annoyance of thrift-shop humor, wiggers, barbecues, and lots and lots of strips in which the characters sit around and bullshit about girls, advertising, their jobs, movies, television, comics—basically, the whole ball of wax—like pottymouthed animal-headed Seinfelds.