Advertising creeps into every niche eventually.
Originally published Early 1998

This week, why not run some Avery strips?

Avery is based on a specific person. I will not say who, because he or someone who knows him might be reading, but he was a "friend" of mine all through school. I mean, he had his good qualities, but he was more interested in being cool than in being a good friend, and this meant two things: being slavishly devoted to cool brand names, and immediately turning on me if someone cool happened to walk by.

Avery has displayed both behaviors. Of course, as is probably clear to anyone reading, Avery's efforts at coolness are a transparent failure. Even Stephan, possibly the uncoolest character on paper, scores just enough coolness points by being indifferent to whether he's cool that he squeaks past Avery.

And yet, Avery is a lot of people's favorite. There's just something about someone that pathetically eager.

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