Customer Reviews

Dugan Under Ground: A Novel

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'Dugan Under Ground' is a wonderful novel which focuses on the underground comix milieu of the late '60's and early '70's, but covers far more ground in times before and after. It begins with the story of Ed 'Candy' Biggs, his betrayal-ridden personal life, and his trajectory from desperation to success and failure in his career as the inheritor of a classic newspaper strip, 'Derby Dugan.'

Through an odd sequence of events, Biggs takes on a young and brilliant protege, Roy Looby, a character very roughly based on R. Crumb. As Roy's sensibility and fame develop wildly, he's pursued by several fascinating characters, including his resentful and adoring brother who detests and delights in his role as the 'inker' of Roy's demented comix; an ineffectual and obsessive comix fan who becomes a financially hopeless publisher and quasi-academic promoter of comix-as-art; and a cynical hippie vixen whose identity shifts gears repeatedly throughout the chase. The novel itself becomes kaleidoscopic as it barrels on to its heartbreaking finish.

'DUG' will appeal especially to readers interested in the history of comics, of the underground scene in particular, to admirers of Crumb and of the Terry Zwigoff film on Crumb and his family (don't expect the Loobys to be just the same, though!) As a portrait of grand hopes and bitter disappointments in the America of the '50's, '60's and beyond, it stands beside works like 'Vineland' by Thomas Pynchon and 'Underworld' by Don DeLillo. I thought it was great!

Usually the final book in a trilogy adds resonance to the entire series. In this case, readers may enjoy Dugan Under Ground better if they haven't yet read its predecessors--in particular, Derby Dugan's Depression Funnies, the second book in the series. Dugan Under Ground is a fun, vibrant romp, full of wonderful period detail. But the characters don't resonate the way characters in an exceptional tale do--or as they do in Derby Dugan's Depression Funnies.
To put it another way: If you read Derby Dugan's Depression Funnies, you'll laugh and you'll cry. If you read Dugan Under Ground, you'll laugh. Which in and of itself isn't a terrible thing.

Usually the final book in a trilogy adds resonance to the entire series. In this case, readers may enjoy Dugan Under Ground better if they haven't yet read its predecessors--in particular, Derby Dugan's Depression Funnies, the second book in the series. Dugan Under Ground is a fun, vibrant romp, full of wonderful period detail. But the characters don't resonate the way characters in an exceptional tale do--or as they do in Derby Dugan's Depression Funnies.

To put it another way: If you read Derby Dugan's Depression Funnies, you'll laugh and you'll cry. If you read Dugan Under Ground, you'll laugh. Which in and of itself isn't a terrible thing.

I really enjoyed this author's last book but this one has the feeling of needing a strong editor to tell the author that some of his ideas need to be fleshed out, others tossed entirely, and that he needs to go back in and get the thing from its draft-like into a real novel.
"Under Ground" is kind of a mishmash sequel to DD's Depression Funnies, and takes place in various times up to the present. Many of the characters clearly based on real-life pop icons, the obviousness of this seems to make the author think is enough to justify not developing the characters past a few recognisable mannerisms. This book also rides heavily on the coattails of the previous book, strangely assuming that the Dugan cartoon character from the 1920's -- rather than any human characters -- is interesting enough to support these new, poorly concieved human characters from the 1950's through the present.
I really hate to pan this book because DDDF was so well written and enjoyable, but I'm putting it down 3/4 of the way through and not anticipating picking it up again.