No, not that one. The 24-year-old comic book artist broke into the comic scene through the recommendation of Janet Jackson, the comics colorist. Jackson's company, Slave Labor Graphics, an alternative comic distributor, published Haring's first book, Dystopik Snomen, in 1994.

The Dystopik Snomen strip has been a fixture in Drexel's newspaper, The Triangle, since 1991 - around the time Haring started attending the University. Dystopik Snomen is set in a place called Dystopia and centers around the frustrations of living in a modern urban environment.

"The comic is populated with sad, bizarre people," says the bleach-blond Haring, relaxing in his West Philly living room. Haring's interior decor includes Spawn action figures, posters of classic cars and a cushionless couch (the artist is still in the process of moving in).

While Haring draws pictures of urban decay in his art, his home life isn't quite so bleak. You'll often find him curled up in front of an Atari 2600 with his Hungarian sheepdog Alma, sipping hot chocolate. It's hardly "squalor."

In addition to creating his own comic, Haring is also the comics coordinator for Slant, an Urban Outfitters-sponsored pop-culture zine. And he designs Web pages, does full service graphic design work, writes reviews for Drexel's paper and is a regular contributor to the zine Murder Can Be Fun, as well as an aspiring filmmaker.

On top of all this, Haring rides a 1980 Vespa scooter, is an expert on 3 3/4-inch G.I. Joe action figures, and collects Transformers and old bicycles.

"In a lot of ways I can appreciate something that's abandoned, rusting out and falling apart. it tells a story that indicates the passage of time and history... birth... death... It's very symbolic - there's a sort of romantic quality to it."

Because of his work with Slant, Haring has been able to invite his heroes to do strips for the publication - like Chris Ware (Haring's favorite) and Jay Stevens (whose work appears in this last issue of Slant).

"I don't do it for the money - it's very difficult to make it in comics. I just do it because it's a nice form of expression for me. You have to be active - you can't just sit back and wait for something to happen."

- Geeta Dalal