and quotes himself saying so.

Larry Reid at Fantagraphics, Grant M. Haller, PI photo, 2006

In a press release Larry Reid wrote about an upcoming Peter Bagge exhibit at Fantagraphics Bookstore, Reid called Peter Bagge "one of the most accomplished and admired cartoonists in the world." OK, it's florid but (stretching here) understandable. Bagge's a fixture on the Seattle scene, and Seattle sees itself as some kind of wonderful for its alt comics.

Here's the part that stopped me. "In the opinion of Fantagraphics Books' resident curator Larry Reid, 'Peter Bagge's HATE is the most fully conceived and executed comic book series ever published.' "

Quoting himself quoting himself. Then there's the content of the quote. Surely "ever published" is going a tad far. Bagge draws as if there's a dead cat tied to his wrist. He draws as if he's middle-aged but stuck in seventh grade. Generations have come and gone and he's still there, carving obscenties into his desk.

All that could be a good thing. (See Jim Nutt and the Hairy Who.) I don't mean it to be. Bagge is a lousy artist. There's not a doubt in my mind, except one. Every time I tell Reid he's wrong, hindsight says otherwise.

I met him when he ran Rosco Louie Gallery in Pioneer Square. With George Chacona, Ries Niemi, Peter Santino, Sheila Klein, Bill Whipple and Lynda Barry, Reid jump-started the dead engine of the gallery scene. He closed it in 1982 and opened Graven Image Gallery, a punk rock skateboard gallery nightclub (83-'85), focusing on performance (Jesse Bernstein, Johanna Went, Karen Finley and Eric Bogosian) and musicians from what became the grunge scene (Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden.)

As director of CoCA, 86-92, he attempted to fuse music and visual art, giving a platform to graphic artists (especially Art Chantry), comic book illustrators and poets. He wrote a column titled "That Ain't Art" for The Rocket. He was a kick in the pants at EMP and now he's at Fantagraphics.

At 54, he says he's too old to run a comic book store but doesn't mean it. He might be too old to back Bagge, however. Bagge appeals to the boys in the back of the class flunking English.

"You're an art critic," Reid said in a patient tone, as if explaining aesthetics to a dead hare. "I'm talking about comic books, not the ones considered art, but the ones kids buy to break the spine and shove in their backpacks and leave in their tree fort. The ones that speak directly to attitude. Bagge is the best at appealing to that audience. When he's embraced by art critics, I'll find something else to do."

Jordan Crane opens at Fantagraphics on May 10. Bagge opens May 17 and Shag May 24.

Also May 10 is the Georgetown Art Attack, organized by Reid.