AGONY!

Have you ever been to a thrift store that you knew was going to disappoint you, but you found something there so great that you have to keep going back? My copy of Agony by Mark Beyer has kept me going back to the usually uneventful Goodwill in Gainesville, GA. Have you ever seen a dog return to the same spot over and over for years, hoping to find another turkey sandwich that a toddler left unattended? Agony is my turkey sandwich. The plot is this: Amy and Jordan (Beyer's most famed characters) are repeatedly beset by unthinkable and surreal tragedy, but try to continue through life while offering support and consolation to one another. Here's an example of unthinkable and surreal tragedy:

SPOILER ALERT: Amy gets her head re-attached after the flesh has been stripped, she has a skeleton head for a while which eventually fills up with so much blood it swells to the size of a room. That's only a very small part of the story. In the next panels, Amy has decided to get away for a while and go to visit her aunt up North: 

Things continue to pile up for Amy and Jordan, who seem invincible in the worst way. Who wants to live after having your legs bitten off by a fish while the rest of your body is swallowed? At any rate, buy this if you can find it. It came out in the 80s and was published by RAW/PANTHEON. Good luck. I'll see you at the Goodwill.