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Leave, Freeze or Die
Leave Freeze or Die hardcover compilation cover
Author(s)Jeremy Yuenger
Websitehttp://www.filefishcomics.com/
Current status/scheduleWeekly
Launch dateAugust, 2004
Genre(s)Humor/Slice-of-Life

Leave Freeze or Die is a webcomic written and drawn by Jeremy Yuenger. It follows the misadventures of the students of fictional College University in Manchester, New Hampshire, and their dealings with figures from pop culture, state and local politics, and the media. It is published in strip form weekly by Neighborhood News, Inc. in their print publications and on NewHampshire.com, and as part of NewHampshire.com's insert in the New Hampshire Union Leader. It is also appears periodically in graphic-novel format at FileFishComics.com. The title is a spoof of the New Hampshire state motto, "Live Free or Die".

The weekly strip in its current form began in 2004. It is a spin-off of the graphic novel series of the same name begun in 1989, and was preceded by another weekly comic with the same cast, entitled Over the Counter Culture, which ran in Boston College's The Heights from 1996 through 1999. Yuenger created the comic originally to make fun of the industrial arts faculty at his middle school, and later expanded it to include public figures and classmates from Manchester High School Central, who formed the basis of the characters. Yuenger publishes his work as "FileFish Comics", but is in fact the only person behind the company.

Synopsis

The content of the series is largely episodic, usually focusing on efforts by the students to entertain themselves in a city largely devoid of entertainment options. In doing so, they typically run afoul of the Union Leader and its publisher, whose far-right values oppose anything the kids would consider to be fun. The central protagonist is Pete, a 21-year-old divorced college student and actor.

Long-term plot arcs have dealt with the college dean's attempt to clone the faculty for cheap labor (issues 91–97), the students' participation in a civil war in a fictional banana republic (issues 53–54, 72–73, 104–107), and Pete and Amy's marriage (issues 78, 98–99, 101). Several issues (55, 76–77, 87) involve run-ins with members of the Zendik commune. The weekly strips have featured shorter stories dealing with former governor Craig Benson reduced to working in a convenience store, publisher Joseph McQuaid being visited by the ghost of his chain-smoking former teen idol who begs him not to oppose anti-smoking legislation, and Manchester mayor Robert A. Baines attempting to infiltrate the city's nightlife to foil crime. Recent strips have dealt with the influx of presidential candidates to the city ahead of the 2008 New Hampshire primary.

Main characters

Compilations

Unofficial photocopy collections of the comic date back to the early 1990s and were edited by the real-life inspiration for the character of Pete, Pete Boisvert, at Yuenger's request. CD-ROMs were issued later, covering most material through the year 2000. Yuenger began printing paperback collections of issues #91 onwards beginning in 2005, and issued self-published hardcover collections in 2007.

References