LOVE IS HELL by Matt Groening (Pantheon: $5.95, paperback; 48 pp.) : Reviewed by Charles Solomon

Matt Groening, the creator of the “Life In Hell” strip in the Los Angeles Weekly, is one of the funniest and most original cartoonists working in the comics today. Romance in the contemporary world provides the principle target for his mordant humor in this first anthology of his work. These telling examinations of modern relationships are far more accurate--and entertaining--than the old husband-and-wife-at-the-table cartoons.

Unlike the mild, sanitized humor of most newspaper strips, the satire in “Love Is Hell” is razor-sharp and outrageous. The roots of its sardonic tone and gleeful anarchism lie in the underground “comix” of the late ‘60s. But Groening expands and updates that shopworn genre, discarding its facile political radicalism and advocacy of drug abuse.

“Life In Hell” has had a devoted following in Southern California since 1978, when it debuted in Wet Magazine. In 1980, the strip moved to the Los Angeles Reader where it ran until this spring. Although “Life In Hell” now appears in about 50 newspapers, the publication of “Love Is Hell” marks its long overdue exposure to a national audience.

Groening is an indifferent draftsman at best, but unlike other cartoonists who draw badly--Kevin Fagin (“Drabble”) or Cathy Guisewite (“Cathy”)--he uses the limited visuals skillfully, making them an effective vehicle for the sharply focused writing. The cast of “Life In Hell” consists of three rabbits: alienated, buck-toothed Binky; his girlfriend, Sheba, and his one-eared illegitimate son, Bongo, plus the human twins/lovers, Akbar and Jeff. These characters have little personality in their own right, but serve as spokesmen for the artist’s acerbic wit.

Groening’s ear for the catch phrases and cliches of the Baby Boomer generation is matched only by Garry Trudeau (“Doonesbury”). He mercilessly lampoons the follies and pretentions and psychobabble of his contemporaries in these devastatingly funny cartoons. “Woman From Mars” (one of “The 9 Types of Girlfriends”) announces, “I believe this interpretive dance will explain how I feel about our relationship.”

Men are advised, “Nothing piques the curiosity of a woman like an evocative nickname. Tatoo it on your chest for easy reference. Examples: ‘Powerhouse,’ ‘Mad Dog,’ ‘Elvis,’ ‘Big Pee Wee,’ ‘Chunk-Style’ and ‘Janitor in a Drum.’ ” The “Cobra + Mongoose” relationship (also one of nine types) juxtaposes “The thrill of victory” with “The agony of a toaster hurled at your face.”

The humor in “Love Is Hell” is not for everyone: Young Republicans and sensitive poets (two favorite targets) may discover the jokes hit too close to home. But audiences weary of the threadbare gags in “Garfield” will find the laughs they’ve been seeking--but not finding--on the comics page.