What do you think?
Rate this book
Shirtless Bear-Fighter! 2
Shirtless Bear-Fighter! Volume 2
FINALLY! The man, the myth, the legend...SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER RETURNS to the War on Bearror in a wild new action-comedy with higher stakes, new characters, and all the heart and hilarity you expect from series co-creators JODY LEHEUP and NIL VENDRELL! This time Shirtless's search for his true origin sets him on a cosmic collision course with the god of bears himself...URSA MAJOR!
The battle begins in April with over 200 pages of side-splitting, flapjacked fury! Don't miss it!
Collects SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER 2 #1-7
The battle begins in April with over 200 pages of side-splitting, flapjacked fury! Don't miss it!
Collects SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER 2 #1-7
- GenresGraphic NovelsComics
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2023
3 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 27, 2023
A thin joke gets stretched out a little too long as we explore the secret origin of Shirtless Bear-Fighter.
April 10, 2023
I guess I thought SB-F was a one trick pony, but they threw some interesting twists into book 2. There's some mystical bear constellation stuff tied into his origin and: Shirtless gets an arch enemy - PANTSLESS! And as with every super hero, there's a female version of Shirtless too!
December 10, 2025
This comic series is about a Shirtless man named "Shirtless Bear-Fighter" (I shit you not) who was raised by bears until he was betrayed by them and then proceeded to roam the forest fighting them and being the angriest man you've maybe ever seen in general - then one day when evil bears are attacking Major City (yup, that's the name!) he comes to the human world to fight them and to eat flapjacks (pancakes...) and the rest is history. This book is proof of the magnificent absurdity of life and how wonderful something insane can be when done right.
Oh and his weakness? His Kryptonite? Wearing shirts. I shit you not.
Picking up after the first volume which was a stunningly silly book filled with utterly terrible jokes (that made me laugh way too much) and a narrative that had no business being as well crafted as it turned out to be, we return to the world of Shirtless who is now an agent of government agency known as The Fuzz. Yup. And alongside his new friend from the last volume, Agent Silva, he fights against evil bears - but he is struggling with his rage and other issues and finds himself kicked off the team, leading him to be bereft and lost and on a quest to find himself. Meanwhile, evil machinations are underway and there are plans underway that will bring all our heroes to face the ultimate threat: The Bear-God himself... URSA MAJOR!
Not only do I enjoy the story, but the art team is just as insane as writer Jody LeHeup. Every page is vibrant with energy and colour and so much feels amped up and over-the-top and some of the art choices and layouts add so much more silliness and enjoyment to the humour. On top of that, they actually manage to switch gears very nicely when there is the (very) rare serious(ish) moment. Visually it is a book that wears every single damned emotion on its sleeve and then puts a dozen spotlights on it while bellowing into the void.
The nicest part is that you don't even have to read the first volume, you can just read this one and then choose to go check out the first if you like it, because the narrative gist is simply and easily filled to roll you right into the story.
This is til date one of the most well written, utterly stupid and yet cleverly fun good times I have read in comics and if any of the above sounds even slightly intriguing to you - I would highly recommend checking it out.
Oh and his weakness? His Kryptonite? Wearing shirts. I shit you not.
Picking up after the first volume which was a stunningly silly book filled with utterly terrible jokes (that made me laugh way too much) and a narrative that had no business being as well crafted as it turned out to be, we return to the world of Shirtless who is now an agent of government agency known as The Fuzz. Yup. And alongside his new friend from the last volume, Agent Silva, he fights against evil bears - but he is struggling with his rage and other issues and finds himself kicked off the team, leading him to be bereft and lost and on a quest to find himself. Meanwhile, evil machinations are underway and there are plans underway that will bring all our heroes to face the ultimate threat: The Bear-God himself... URSA MAJOR!
Not only do I enjoy the story, but the art team is just as insane as writer Jody LeHeup. Every page is vibrant with energy and colour and so much feels amped up and over-the-top and some of the art choices and layouts add so much more silliness and enjoyment to the humour. On top of that, they actually manage to switch gears very nicely when there is the (very) rare serious(ish) moment. Visually it is a book that wears every single damned emotion on its sleeve and then puts a dozen spotlights on it while bellowing into the void.
The nicest part is that you don't even have to read the first volume, you can just read this one and then choose to go check out the first if you like it, because the narrative gist is simply and easily filled to roll you right into the story.
This is til date one of the most well written, utterly stupid and yet cleverly fun good times I have read in comics and if any of the above sounds even slightly intriguing to you - I would highly recommend checking it out.
March 17, 2023
Shirtless Bear-Fighter returns in an unheralded, and frankly unnecessary, sequel. Bear puns abound as Shirtless battles still more bears including a bear god and an evil clone, and finds out who his real parents were. Yay…?
The first book was original and fun because it was so strange - it definitely didn’t need a sequel which just does all the same jokey things the first book does but in a more forced and decidedly unfunny way. Worse, it makes a bunch of ‘80s action movie references and thinks it’s being hilarious. I couldn’t have been more uninterested with this comic.
The puns are annoying and come at you thick and fast throughout: Bearmuda, The Fuzz: Counterbearror Operations, Subear Max Prison, the Yakuma, Bearth, and so on. It’s unbearable - gah, it’s got me doing it now!
Jody LeHeup throws in reference after reference - there’s a Power Rangers Megazord-esque fight, Mr Beeyagi (like the Karate Kid character but in bee form), multiverse versions of Shirtless, the Self-Care Bears - and yet the story feels oddly empty and flat. It’s like nothing’s really happening because nothing really is - it’s just a lot of noise to fill an unengaging and pointless story.
Who really wanted to know Shirtless’ origin story (which is derivative of Hellboy’s)? Exactly. And the attempts at emotion amidst all this campy nonsense plain didn’t work. The feeble story gurns its way to a predictable and laugh-free conclusion.
Oy, this was bad. Shirtless Bear-Fighter works fine as a standalone but beyond that it’s tedious as it’s the same dull jokes over and over. Volume 2 was nothing but sheer boredom to get through.
The first book was original and fun because it was so strange - it definitely didn’t need a sequel which just does all the same jokey things the first book does but in a more forced and decidedly unfunny way. Worse, it makes a bunch of ‘80s action movie references and thinks it’s being hilarious. I couldn’t have been more uninterested with this comic.
The puns are annoying and come at you thick and fast throughout: Bearmuda, The Fuzz: Counterbearror Operations, Subear Max Prison, the Yakuma, Bearth, and so on. It’s unbearable - gah, it’s got me doing it now!
Jody LeHeup throws in reference after reference - there’s a Power Rangers Megazord-esque fight, Mr Beeyagi (like the Karate Kid character but in bee form), multiverse versions of Shirtless, the Self-Care Bears - and yet the story feels oddly empty and flat. It’s like nothing’s really happening because nothing really is - it’s just a lot of noise to fill an unengaging and pointless story.
Who really wanted to know Shirtless’ origin story (which is derivative of Hellboy’s)? Exactly. And the attempts at emotion amidst all this campy nonsense plain didn’t work. The feeble story gurns its way to a predictable and laugh-free conclusion.
Oy, this was bad. Shirtless Bear-Fighter works fine as a standalone but beyond that it’s tedious as it’s the same dull jokes over and over. Volume 2 was nothing but sheer boredom to get through.
May 3, 2024
So fun! A friend recommended that I read Shirtless Bear-Fighter #1, which I loved, and I only recently caught up on reading the sequel. It takes the concepts from the first and expands the world in an unexpected way.
If you liked the puns and the gags from the first volume, the author continues that source of humor with some completely unexpected bear gags. (Self-care bears, come on, that's inspired.) The puns and references come at you fast - the second time I read this through I caught jokes I had missed the first time, which just goes to show how packed with humor this is.
While the first volume was super funny, I think the second one goes deeper in a really cohesive way. Shirtless is struggling with anger and loneliness, stemming from wanting to understand why his parents gave him up for adoption. This is a comic about bears taking over earth that also manages to deal with that part of becoming an adult where we all realize that our parents are only human, doing their best, but sometimes failing us. I found myself tearing up at some of the interactions between Shirtless and his mom.
Last thing I'll say is that the characters in this are amazing - we get a few new principal characters that are oddball and funny, and we get more depth from the characters we met in volume 1. Mister Bee-Yagi as a drunk martial arts instructor bee is hilarious. Ursa Minor is conceived in a really unexpected way that works so well for the book. And I love the way Susie Silva learns something about herself as well.
Long-winded way of saying, if you read the first, definitely read the 2nd. And if you haven't read the first, read both! Excited to see more from this author.
If you liked the puns and the gags from the first volume, the author continues that source of humor with some completely unexpected bear gags. (Self-care bears, come on, that's inspired.) The puns and references come at you fast - the second time I read this through I caught jokes I had missed the first time, which just goes to show how packed with humor this is.
While the first volume was super funny, I think the second one goes deeper in a really cohesive way. Shirtless is struggling with anger and loneliness, stemming from wanting to understand why his parents gave him up for adoption. This is a comic about bears taking over earth that also manages to deal with that part of becoming an adult where we all realize that our parents are only human, doing their best, but sometimes failing us. I found myself tearing up at some of the interactions between Shirtless and his mom.
Last thing I'll say is that the characters in this are amazing - we get a few new principal characters that are oddball and funny, and we get more depth from the characters we met in volume 1. Mister Bee-Yagi as a drunk martial arts instructor bee is hilarious. Ursa Minor is conceived in a really unexpected way that works so well for the book. And I love the way Susie Silva learns something about herself as well.
Long-winded way of saying, if you read the first, definitely read the 2nd. And if you haven't read the first, read both! Excited to see more from this author.
July 27, 2024
Jag tyckte helt allvarligt att den första shirtless bearfighter var en av de bästa serierna jag läst på väldigt länge. Jag är svag för drama/pulp/humor och konstigheter. Mycket av det som var bra i den första är även bra här. Det är i mångt och mycket en parodi på både serier och klassiskt serieberättande med riktigt fåniga serieklyschor som förs fram med största allvar, samtidigt som serien på ett plan också är bra.
Nå, det största problemet för uppföljaren är att vi sett det förut och att man också expanderar historien och gör den mer komplex. Vilket gör att serien är lite sådär på just det planet som är menat att någorlunda beröra en. Serien är lite för lång dessutom.
Men bortsett från det är det fortfarande roligt och fortfarande en kul parodi.
Teckningarna är fantastiska och de alternativa omslagen är en fröjd för ögat.
Det är en svag fyra. En bra serie men inget mästerverk.
Nå, det största problemet för uppföljaren är att vi sett det förut och att man också expanderar historien och gör den mer komplex. Vilket gör att serien är lite sådär på just det planet som är menat att någorlunda beröra en. Serien är lite för lång dessutom.
Men bortsett från det är det fortfarande roligt och fortfarande en kul parodi.
Teckningarna är fantastiska och de alternativa omslagen är en fröjd för ögat.
Det är en svag fyra. En bra serie men inget mästerverk.
May 30, 2023
It's hard to even know how to rate a series like this. From the Foreword, Ben Edlund describes "doing something stupid, then taking it so seriously that it started to look smart." Volume 2 of Shirtless's story is so absurd, you eventually have to just accept what it is and go along for the ride. It's even bigger this time around--more puns, more punches, and a story that's about so much more than just toilet paper. These creators commit to their bit so intently, it becomes something fascinating, and in the end, it can't be explained--only experienced.
Comics are fascinating.
Comics are fascinating.
January 5, 2025
(3,5 of 5 for another, even more wild, story about a man with shlong)
In the world of men and bears, there is one bear-punching dude and half of this comic reminds us he also has a big shlong, for some reason. Except that, it tries to humour us with some basic story of a returning villain and "final reckoning" with a style of crazy comedy. But for me, it's more hectic than fun. Yeah, there are fun moments, but it has no balance. The art is OK-ish, for this cartoon-styled genre. I hoped it moved somewhere from the last arc, and it did, but, for me, in the wrong direction.
In the world of men and bears, there is one bear-punching dude and half of this comic reminds us he also has a big shlong, for some reason. Except that, it tries to humour us with some basic story of a returning villain and "final reckoning" with a style of crazy comedy. But for me, it's more hectic than fun. Yeah, there are fun moments, but it has no balance. The art is OK-ish, for this cartoon-styled genre. I hoped it moved somewhere from the last arc, and it did, but, for me, in the wrong direction.
Read
August 19, 2024Is it determined to run a fairly simple gag into the ground, with enough puns on a given creature to make The Beekeeper wince*? Yep. Do its attempts at epic sometimes feel like they're unbalancing an action comedy? For sure. Does the self-awareness sometimes lapse in the half-mocking attempts to give the book an emotional core? No doubt. But it's still enormous fun.
*Of course, given bears like honey, this can do those jokes too – meet diminutive martial arts master Mr Beeyagi!
*Of course, given bears like honey, this can do those jokes too – meet diminutive martial arts master Mr Beeyagi!
October 31, 2023
Silly and ridiculous story but it was a fun ride and it didn't try to be anything it wasn't. Never takes itself too seriously, I liked the first one a lot more because as ridiculous as it was, didn't feel too out of control. But this was a great sequel
Read
June 14, 2024Do you like endless amounts of bear puns?
Do you snicker at pixelated male nudity?
Seriously. Do you REALLY like bear puns?
...if so, then THIS is the comic for you!
====
Good lord is this goofy. LoL
Do you snicker at pixelated male nudity?
Seriously. Do you REALLY like bear puns?
...if so, then THIS is the comic for you!
====
Good lord is this goofy. LoL
July 16, 2023
Divertida, pero no al nivel del primer volumen
August 9, 2023
how many puns can you handle
October 1, 2023
Different enough from the first book to keep it interesting. I want a movie.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews