Summary

• Life in Hell was Matt Groening's comic strip precursor to The Simpsons, which is where he developed the sense of humor that would make his animated television' series iconic.
• Groening's Life in Hell comic ran for 35 years, providing the Futurama and Disenchanted creator a solo creative outlet, as an alternative to the highly collaborative work of producing an animated show.
• Life in Hell was a cult hit, in which many of the themes and ideas that later appeared in The Simpsons and Matt Groening's other shows were sharpened in comic form.

Life in Hell was Matt Groening's first big success, released a decade before he became famous for The Simpsons, and long before Futurama and Disenchantment. 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 Hell had 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 having his 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 Hell has always existed as a kind of footnote to Groening's more widely-known properties.

Below is a collection of ten of the funniest Life in Hell strips, which will hopefully convince readers to seek out the further adventures of Akbar, Jeff, Binky, and Bongo.

10 Ice Shows Are Hell

"Hell On Ice," First Published 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’s The Simpsons premiered 5 years earlier, the popular series might’ve had its own show on ice.) This one- parody announces “Hell on Ice,” starring giant mascot versions of the Life in Hell characters jumping 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 in Life in Hell, a comic where the characters rail against inequality, conformity, and sometimes each other.

9 Mixed Messages Are Hell

Life Is Hell, First Published In 2007

Akbar and Jeff are two recurring characters in Life in Hell who are identical lovers. Early on, Groening would recount arguments with his then-girlfriend via Life in Hell’s straight 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 for Disenchantment’s Vip and Vap.

8 Jealousy 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, Sheba evokes Marge Simpson. In the early years of The 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.

7 The 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’s leaving the 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-ros to be tossed inside. Either way, the future isn’t looking bright for the young rabbit.

Many Life in Hell comics are visually repetitive, with 9 or 16 square s and minimal character movement. This simplicity allowed Groening to continue the comic even as his work with The Simpsons and Futurama blew up in 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.”

6 Dating 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 punchline at 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 ive-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.

5 LIFE 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's best 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.

4 Los Angeles Is Hell

Life in Hell, First Published In 1982

Matt Groening began Life in Hell as 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 s like other Life in Hell comics, the artwork changes more from -to- 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 s, as are the last two that hit the punchline: failure and success. In 1982, Life in Hell was a bit of a cult hit, but Groening had in no way hit the 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 series The Tracey Ullman Show. Those bumpers became The Simpsons.

3 The 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 partner to clean the kitty litter for him.

This comic is almost surely inspired by the classic Looney Tunes bit where 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.

2 Siblings 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, and turn 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.

1 Guilt 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- 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.

This Life in Hell strip 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 instead of engaging with his son.

This combination of laughs and nihilism is what separates Life in Hell from 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 of Groening’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 reading Life in Hell.