The Bradleys

Peter Bagge’s The Bradleys (Fantagraphics, 1999–present) is a 6-issue series that shifts his signature squiggly, hyper-expressive style from the grungy rantings of Buddy Bradley to a more domestic, family-centered chaos. Following the Bradley clan through the everyday absurdities of suburban life, Bagge’s sharp satire and frantic cartooning capture the petty squabbles, financial woes, and darkly comic indignities of middle-class existence. A key chapter in Bagge’s long-running Hate universe, it matters as a focused, hilariously uncomfortable look at adulthood’s comedown.