...and still do. DP is a tragic figure, instantly recognizable to anyone who has spent any time around comics, or for that matter, any "social scene" based upon collectables (video games, stamps, ducks). And that mouth... those teeth... that nearly unbreakable faith in his powers. And oh yeah, "Pussey!" is also the best send-up of the comic/convention/geek scene ever written. Not to take away from Clowes' undeniable genius as an artist and writer, but much of Pussey!'s effectiveness is due to the medium itself, which as Clowes himself writes is "the most versitile art form" and puts into several panels what might take a "pure" writer several chapters (or more likely, none at all).
Clowes pulls no punches. We have met Pussey, and he is us.