Love & Barbells: Henry & Glenn, Sittin’ In A Tree

I’m a devoted comic enthusiast, yet I don’t really go for traditional mainstays like superheroes, secret identities, and metahuman powers. I like ‘em weird: monsters, ghosts, antipathy, loners, zombies, black humor, crime, and teenage girls who kill things. Add a gay twist to any or all of the above and I’m there.

You want wacky? How about a chronicling of methalhead muscle monsters Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig living together as partners and experiencing the tribulations of a long-term relationship? At first blush it looks like a juvenile gay-baiting joke and sounds like the result of a drinking binge (which, admittedly, it is, the creators endeavoring to “do something like Tom of Finland, but with Henry Rollins and Glenn Danzig.”), but Henry & Glenn Forever actually succeeds in being genuinely inspired, riotously clever, and — dare I? — surprisingly sweet. Plus you’ll realize that you’re not alone in secretly imagining Henry and Glenn buying each other naughty thongs or banging their humongous pecs against each other in an “I’ve got the biggest!” battle that takes a turn for the erotic.

The premise is sheer genius: Henry and Glenn are a cohabitating drama-prone couple whose domestic adventures include “cryfest diary entries, cringing self-doubt and mega-hilarious emo-meltdowns.” Glenn is the high-maintenance half of the duo plagued by self-doubt and broody insecurities, while Henry is the more stable one who gives great hugs and keeps it real. Friendly next door satanists Hall & Oates stop by, and hilarity ensues all around, and since Danzig hates the whole idea with seething contempt, you know it’s gotta be awesome.