What is Bud, Nick, and Joe?
Bud, Nick & Joe: A Comic Strip About Clashing Worldviews in a Trashy World
Bud, Nick, & Joe is a satirical comic strip featuring three roommates who just happen to be literal trash. Bud, a crushed beer can, is an unapologetic, politically incorrect troll who embraces MAGA culture and outrage politics. Joe, a broken coffee mug, is a self-righteous leftist who takes moral grandstanding to the extreme. Stuck in the middle is Nick, a cigarette butt, who remains politically apathetic but tries (and usually fails) to be the voice of reason.
Each strip takes on real-world controversies, from political correctness in street signs to the never-ending discourse on race and representation in Hollywood. Bud and Joe clash over the latest cultural debates, often misunderstanding key details, while Nick tries to cut through the noise with logic—only to realize that neither of them is listening. In the end, their arguments rarely reach a conclusion, but the absurdity of their perspectives always leads to a punchline.
At its core, Bud, Nick, and Joe is a comedic take on the extreme polarization of modern discourse—where everyone is mad about something, no one really agrees, and yet, somehow, they all keep living under the same roof.
Hey everyone, it’s been a while! I know I haven’t posted here in some time—2024 was a rough year with some medical stuff—but I’m hoping to get back into sharing my comics and updates on Book Worms Horror Zine here.
So, let’s talk about Bud, Nick, & Joe. Believe it or not, these characters have been rattling around in my brain for over 25 years. Back then, they didn’t really have distinct personalities—they were literally just trash. If they had any defining traits, it was based on how their real-life counterparts affect the body. Bud was just a drunk beer can, Nick was an anxious cigarette, and Joe was a jittery coffee cup. They all lived in a pizza box, and that was pretty much it.
I actually have a longer story for these guys, but since it doesn’t fit in a three- or four-panel strip, that’ll have to wait for another time.
It wasn’t until I started noticing how extreme the cultural divide has become that these characters really took on a life of their own. Bud became a hardcore MAGA guy. Joe, being a coffee cup filled with way too much caffeine, became ultra-woke. And Nick? He’s the fact-checker, the guy trying to see both sides while his friends just fire off soundbites they picked up online. Despite their differences, they are friends. They love each other, even if they don’t understand each other. And, of course, nothing ever gets resolved. It’s just an endless cycle of “us vs. them.”
So, onto today’s comic. This one started when someone on TikTok saw my strip and commented, “WHY IS HE A CIGARETTE?” At first, I thought that was such a silly question. Why not ask why Bud is a beer can or Joe is a coffee mug? But then I thought—what if this question sent Nick into a full-blown existential crisis? I played around with a few different ideas before landing on this one. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s all part of the creative process.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by and reading! Hope you enjoy the comic.
Goodnight,
James