Buddy Bradley

Buddy Bradley
Hate (comic), The Bradleys character
Buddy Bradley from cover of Buddy Does Seattle Art by Peter Bagge
First appearance	"Comical Funnies" (1980)
Last appearance	"Hate Annual #9" (2011)
Created by	Peter Bagge
Information
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Occupation	Collectables salesperson, scrap dealer
Family	Brad Bradley (Father), Betty Bradley (Mother)
Spouse(s)	Lisa Leavenworth
Significant other(s)	Valerie Russo
Children	Harold Bradley
Relatives	Babs Bradley (Sister), Jnr Bradley (Brother)
Nationality	American

Harold "Buddy" William Bradley Jr., generally referred to as Buddy Bradley, is a comic book character created by Peter Bagge and the main protagonist in several of his comic books, most notably Hate and Neat Stuff. The character first appeared in Bagge's self-published Comical Funnies in 1981. In the 1990s Buddy became an iconic symbol of Seattle underground culture, with the character being associated with slackerdom and the grunge movement, something which his creator sees as fairly unintentional on his part. Bagge created Buddy as a fairly unlikeable character as a commentary on shallow hipster culture, but the character was immensely popular, with members of Generation X strongly identifying with Buddy and his problems. In this way he may have been seen as an antihero and archetype of 1990s underground culture. Bagge had the character enact storylines based on events from his past, such as his family life, adolescence and his move to Seattle in the 1980s. Buddy is a disaffected adolescent who is a self-proclaimed outsider. He is directionless and unmotivated, drifting through life without goals and commonly has a cynical attitude to almost everything. By his twenties he has not changed much, although he is rather more comfortable in his hipster persona, fitting into the Seattle grunge scene and listening to obscure rock music as proof of his hip credentials. He has a brittle personality and is quick to anger, often becoming violent and getting into fights, be it with his family, friends, spouses or rivals. He has a ruthless and selfish streak which he uses to his advantage in his business dealings as a music promoter, memorabilia salesman and junkyard dealer.

Buddy's appearance developed from early sketches until by the mid-1980s he had arrived at the recognisable figure with a black crop of hair covering his eyes with a bulbous nose and perpetually dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans. He kept the same look for nearly 20 years, until Bagge changed it to reflect the character's ageing and midlife crisis. Since 2004 he has been depicted with a shaved head wearing a sailor's hat. Buddy has had two major romantic relationships, firstly with Valerie Russo, an upper middle class feminist, and then with the neurotic and troubled Lisa Leavenworth, who later becomes his wife and the mother of his son.