Love Is Hell
"Love Is Hell" is an older collection of cartoons by Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons." (Pieces of it can also be found in the collection "The Big Book of Hell") The weekly cartoon "Life in Hell" predates The Simpsons, and has an edge that Simpsons lacks, appearing mostly in smaller newspapers and not primetime television.

"Love is Hell" packs in a lot of truth about relationships but never loses its cynical tone. It begins with a 13-Chapter Guide to Romance, including "What is Love?", "The Nine Types of Boyfriends", "The Nine Types of Girlfriends" and "Do You Really Want To Risk A Secret Forbidden Illicit Tantalizing Exotic Sexual Encounter With a Mysterious Stranger? Or Would You Rather Just Read A Cartoon About It?" The rest of the book contains many more romance-themed cartoons, along with some others along for the ride.

The book may appear (to the casual observer) to be the inspiration for the name of this website-Groening's Love Blender is the interaction of the "57 Varieties of Love" (each listed for you, from "Puppy Love" to "Lust For Shoe Horns") I didn't purposefully name my site after this cartoon, but I can't deny that I may have seen it at one point or another.
"Life in Hell" is an interesting weekly cartoon, although sometimes a little repetitive. I'm especially enamored of the gay couple Akbar + Jeff, whose Get Rich Quick schemes smartly mirror trends in American Culture. They also reflect the dual love/hate form that hopefully few relationships fully experience. Under that dichotomy is a connection between the two, reflected in the finger touch they often share in the last panel. "Love Is Hell" is a smart, cynical, and funny as hell. You can get it from Amazon.Com, a new edition has recently been published.

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