Rusty Brown is a continuing series of comics

Comics

Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...

 and comic strips by Chicago cartoonist Chris Ware

Chris Ware

Franklin Christenson Ware , is an American comic book artist and cartoonist, widely known for his Acme Novelty Library series and the graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he resides in the Chicago area, Illinois...

, named after its protagonist. In the strip, Brown is shown as a young Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

n boy and as a man approaching middle age, who has a lifelong obsession with the collection of action figures and similar pop cultural detritus, particularly Supergirl

Supergirl

Supergirl is a female counterpart to the DC Comics Superman. As his cousin, she shares his super powers and vulnerability to Kryptonite. She was created by writer Otto Binder and designed by artist Al Plastino in 1959. She first appeared in the Action Comics comic book series and later branched out...

.

Rusty Brown's only friend throughout his life is Chalky White. White is also a collector of G.I. Joe

G.I. Joe

G.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...

 and other action figure

Action figure

An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...

s, but gives up collecting as he grows up, gets married, and starts a family, unlike his friend Rusty, who remains locked in a permanent manchild state, always looking for elements of his lost childhood like lunchboxes, Funny Face

Funny Face Drink Mix

Funny Face was a powdered instant drink mix similar to Kool-Aid, marketed by Pillsbury in the 1960s and 1970s. They originally used calcium cyclamate as a sweetener, but because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the use of cyclamates, the sweetener was changed to saccharin, with the...

drink cups, and more.

A recurring theme in the series is Rusty's greedy, egocentric, and bold behavior opposed to Chalky's kind, timid, and often naïve nature. Rusty is often utilizing tricks to swindle Chalky of his action figures, while Chalky, being highly gullible, is never able to see through Rusty's true nature.