Li’l Karate Pants: The First 99 Strips

Li’l Karate Pants: The First 99 Strips

By Emerson Murray

The first volume of Emerson Murray’s Li’l Karate Pants collects comic strips originally published from June 11 through October 24, 2024. Set in the year 1985, the strip follows seventh grader Li’l Karate Pants, a nervous, impulsive kid, as he navigates school, heartbreak, and life in a struggling rural town.

Living in a garage with his gruff dad and horror-obsessed little brother Snikt, Li’l Karate Pants drifts through a rough world of drugs, self-harm, schoolyard fights, G.I. Beau action figures, and wrestling. His friends and enemies include barefoot nerds, two-headed brutes, and skull-faced bullies.

Rough-edged, funny, and unexpectedly tender, Li’l Karate Pants blends classic newspaper comic aesthetics with a punk spirit and emotional depth.

Perfect for fans of underground comics, coming-of-age stories, and 1980s weirdness.