Ed the Happy Clown #[nn]
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThis collection brings together the early, surreal adventures of Ed, a hapless everyman whose life spirals into a bizarre nightmare after a chance encounter with a mysterious clown. Originally serialized in Chester Brown's groundbreaking comic series Yummy Fur, these stories blend deadpan humor, grotesque body horror, and sharp social commentary, establishing Brown as a singular voice in alternative comics. Published by Vortex, this volume compiles the foundational chapters of Ed's strange odyssey, showcasing Brown's raw, evolving art style and his unflinching exploration of taboo subjects.
In "How This Foreword Got Written," Chester Brown delivers a surreal, deeply personal tale where Bick and Ed find themselves in a bizarre, body-swapping predicament that upends their lives. With raw, unflinching storytelling and stark, expressive art, Brown explores the disorientation and moral confusion that follow when identity and reality blur—right down to the moment the RCMP arrive at Bick’s door. The cover by Chester Brown perfectly captures the story’s unsettling tone, making this a standout moment in his early, groundbreaking work.
In "Chapter Three," Ed—the once-happy clown now broken and disfigured—lies helpless on the sidewalk after a prison-induced illness ravaged his body. Cirel finds him and delivers another brutal beating before dragging him to the park, where the violence only escalates. Later, Jo and Josie pull him into the depths of the sewer, where a race of short, strange humanoid creatures await.
In "Chapter Four," Josie's fractured spirit drifts through a surreal, dreamlike limbo after Chet stabs her, reliving fragments of her past and grappling with the sudden absence of her body. As memories flicker and time bends, she struggles to find her way back—not just to her flesh, but to the self she once knew.
In "Chapter Six" of *Ed the Happy Clown*, Ed and Josie wander lost in the surreal depths of the sewers, where danger lurks in the shadows and a sudden gunshot shatters the silence. As chaos unfolds above, the Professor crosses paths with Ronald Reagan in a bizarre twist, while Ed finds himself unexpectedly thrust onto the set of the *Adventures In Science* TV show.
In "Chapter Seven" from *Ed the Happy Clown* #nn, Ed and the Professor find themselves on a surreal morning show, their bizarre presence a surreal punchline in a world already teetering on absurdity. When the producers of *Adventures In Science* learn the truth about the Professor’s dimension, their reaction turns deadly—leaving the future of both men uncertain.
In "Chapter Eight" of *Ed the Happy Clown*, Josie grapples with the shocking revelation that she's a vampire, forcing her to confront her own identity and return to her body. As the Vampire Killers eliminate the Pygmy hunter and chaos unfolds, Ed and Josie make a desperate escape from the sinister Adventures in Science building.
In "Chapter Nine" from *Ed the Happy Clown* #nn, Josie tracks down Chet at the hospital with a deadly intent—she wants to have sex with him before killing him, ensuring his soul is damned to Hell. Meanwhile, Ed engages in a bizarre, surreal conversation with his own penis, adding to the story’s unsettling blend of dark humor and grotesque satire.
In "Chapter Ten" from *Ed the Happy Clown*, a surreal twist flips reality when Bick and Ed wake up to find their genitals swapped—leading to a chaotic chain of mistaken identities and escalating absurdity. Mrs. Backman, convinced Ed is her husband returned from the hospital, brings him home, while Gerry’s frantic report to the RCMP sets the authorities on a bizarre pursuit.
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Yummy Fur #2 (1983), Yummy Fur #4 (1983), Yummy Fur #5 (1984), Yummy Fur #6 (1984), Yummy Fur #7 (1985), Yummy Fur #4 (1987), Yummy Fur #5 (1987), Yummy Fur #6 (1987), Yummy Fur #7 (1987), Yummy Fur #8 (1987), Yummy Fur #9 (1988), Yummy Fur #10 (1988), Yummy Fur #11 (1988), Yummy Fur #12 (1988)
Reprinted in The New American Splendor Anthology #[nn] (1991), Ed the Happy Clown #2 (2005)
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