A couple of cantankerous, naked, little sprites duke it out in a slapstick battle of ideologies. Envy bubbles into shoving as they eat flowers and debate the purpose of life on a secluded forest floor. The strip also appears in color at Top Shelf 2.0.

More deep woods adventure follows with the second chapter of the forthcoming Petrified Girlfriend graphic novel. “The Forest Priemeval” finds protagonist Izzy Broadwaigh (who previously froze into a total state of petrification) waking up in a beautiful but ominous Acadia. There’s also a recap of chapter one to keep any newcomers up-to-date on the story.

Take a peek inside using the thumbnails below.

[Pat Barrett uses] thick brush strokes and lush imagery to tell his stories. If [“Hicough & Belch”] showed off his chops in building a story around a conversation, then [“The Forest Primeval”] illustrates how well he can tell a story with visuals alone.

–Rob Clough | High-Low || July 18 2011