Happy

Josh Simmons’ Happy is a stark, four-issue series from Top Shelf that ran from 2001 to 2004, offering a raw and unflinching look at life on the margins. Written and drawn entirely by Simmons, the comic follows a cast of downtrodden characters through a world of dead-end jobs, substance abuse, and quiet desperation, rendered in a deliberately crude, expressive style. It stands as an early, essential work in the alternative comics scene, showcasing Simmons’ singular voice and his uncompromising focus on the bleakness and humanity of his subjects.