Bear (comics)

Bear is a popular black and white alternative comic book created by British writer/artist Jamie Smart and published in the United States by Slave Labor Graphics. It follows the adventures of a small stuffed bear named Bear and his roommate/antagonist, a psychotic housecat named Looshkin. Looshkin often plays cruel, sadistic, and nonsensical pranks on Bear, and it is not uncommon for faeces and dismemberment to come into play.

Smart's linework is bold and expressive, and his panels are littered with information and throw-away gags. The stories are marked by a combination of violent shocks, random silliness, and other hallmarks of Dada.

10 issues were published between 2003 and 2005. Smart would later revive the characters of Bear and Looshkin for the children's comic The Phoenix, with Looshkin as the titular character. The Looshkin comic doesn't feature the dark humour seen in Bear, instead the comic focuses on a slapstick comedy approach.