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Bubba: The Redneck Werewolf was produced by a publisher in Orlando, Florida called Brass Ball Press (with a monkey straddling a giant brass ball as an emblem). This definitely earns them the award for best publishing company name and logo ever! If you’ve had the pleasure of living in Central Florida (which I have), then you can easily understand the amount of hillbilly communities that surround the Orlando area. There are some parts of West Tennessee (born and raised) that are almost as backwards (well almost) as those areas. The dialogue of this comic is grammatically incorrect to the point of being hauntingly familiar to me. Originating from a backwoods area of Tennessee (Bemis. Look it up.), I can tell you that the slang is incredibly accurate. It’s actually to the point of being so impeccable that I had to take a minute to re-adjust my formal English before writing this article. Nonetheless, this is a solid story that is absolutely ridiculous, and incredibly funny. So, kick back and enjoy this week’s Unsung Character of Comicdom, Bubba: The Redneck Werewolf!

 
Secret Identity: Bubba Beaurefgard Blanche
Alias/ Codename: Bubba: The Redneck Werewolf
Powers: Super human strength, enhanced sense of smell, Massive tail (that he uses to feel up broads via John Candy as ‘Barf’ in Space Balls)

Origin: Pammie K. Fayker (pronounced focker) ran a cosmetics company called PFC Inc, and her specialty was perfumes made from dolphin glands. She also had an affinity for torturing small animals by means of testing her products on them. One day, two of her scientists were experimenting on a poodle with some toxic chemicals, and it escaped to the community of Cracker County. To keep her inhumane practices a secret, Pammie offered a five thousand dollar reward for the return of the little deformed pooch. This created a frenzy in the county, because it was more than most of them would make in an entire year. Bubba Blanche was the resident critter-catcher, but his boss considered him a complete screw-up. The only reason he was able to keep his job was because he was the best there was at what he did, and that was catching critters. Eventually, Bubba got all loaded up on coffee and decided to head out to snatch his reward. While on the hunt for his prize, he ran into an old hippie on a crotch rocket named Bob. Bubba doesn’t take too nicely to strangers, but Bob offered him a magic cigar. Although Bubba was immediately suspicious of the whole situation, he wasn’t about to turn down a free smoke. So, he lit up the fat stogie, and continued his search for the lost dog. After a few puffs, the smoke began to take the form of a hand, and then it smacked ol’ Bubba right on the kisser. It proceeded to grab him by the overalls and drag him into an ally. There he found an old trash can that was shaking something terrible. After he popped it open, a fluffy pup popped out, all dolled up in mascara and rouge. The little rascal jumped up and bit him right on the hand. Then it viciously tore into his rear end, ripping his pants clean off. Pantsless and shamed, Bubba shuffled to an outhouse with the intentions of pulling himself together, but when he looked in the mirror, he noticed that he was covered with a thick fur from head to toe. After yelping out a vicious howl and a few curse words, he put two and two together. Though he was still sporting a Dale Earnhart hat and a pair of overalls, he had become a werewolf. A redneck werewolf, if you will. Bubba: the Redneck Werewolf! Ahhh-oooooooooh, y’all!

Allies: Bobby-Jo is a diner waitress and the absolute love of Bubba’s life. Unfortunately, she doesn‘t give him the time of day. She wants a big burly man to come sweep her off her feet and take her to an exotic locale (like Ohio).Which is why their relationship improved almost instantly after he turned into the fuzzy wolf-man that he is today. Needless to say, after the transformation, she’s a pretty solid companion. Clovis is Bubba’s business partner and friend, but he’s dumb as a brick. So, not much help there. Jerry’s a local artist who’s got Bubba’s back ‘til the end. No matter what. Booger is an absurdly, paranoid old geezer, but he’s an extremely reliable companion to Bubba. Hell, he didn’t even notice when he changed into a werewolf. Booger just thinks he started parting his hair on a different side. Polly is the chef at the local bar where Bubba gets his coffee and beer. Regardless of her stinging wit and cynicism, she’s always there to nurse Bubba’s wounds and set him on the right path.

Protagonists: His boss, Earl Roche (pronounced roach) is a royal pain in the ass, Roche stoops to a new level, when he teams with up with Pammie K. Fayker to submerge Cracker County into a giant sinkhole. She paid off Roche to help with the dirty deed. In addition, she blackmailed him for sex. Which he wasn’t too pleased about because she looks like a blind, transvestite clown who does her own make up. In reality, nobody appears to like Bubba on the surface, but he’s got some pretty good friends in the mix.

The unfortunate thing is that Bubba: The Redneck Werewolf was supposed to be a cartoon, and it was postponed indefinitely because of production issues related to the 9/ll terrorist attacks. In addition, the website that was mentioned in the comic (bubbawolf.com) has now been taken over by a Wolfenstien (game) fansite, and I have to admit, it’s kind of sad to dig up a worthy relic like this, only to find out that nothing came of the creators’ hard work. The letter at the end of the comic from the writer and artist was so optimistic about the future, but that was 2003 and this is now. Sadly, all that’s left of Bubba is this footnote in comic history.

Josh Jones
josh@comicattack.net