Book Description

From the first eye contact to the therapist's couch, from the throes of ecstasy to the nitty-gritty of safer sex, from the world's sexiest animal to the dating jungle, The Cartoon Guide to Sex covers everything you've always wanted to know about sex. Frank, informative, and written with Larry Gonick's characteristic comic verve and scientific accuracy, this book gives a comprehensive discussion of the spectrum of human sexuality, including sexual structures and functions, gender roles and sexual identity, sexual arousal and response, sexual communication, love, marriage and other arrangements, contraception, and sexual health -- without the fig leaves.

Reviews (12)

A very humorous comic-strip version of our sex education!
Already an acclaimed cartoonist who did the world's thickest comic books on the great history of our universe (in two volumes the size of phone books), Larry Gonick goes on to create a very informative book all about sex - with lots of really funny cartoons thrown in, of course! In fact, this nifty book really covers just about everything you would ever want to (or not) know about - ranging from mating behavior amongst the critters to women's self-defense to all types of contraceptives and how they actually work (or don't work!) Even the most "repugnant" subjects are included here, like gynecological exams and the "fetishes" of breastfeeding. Once again, we are warned here that we need to be careful about the great riskes of unwanted pregnancies and STDS whenever we "make love" (oh, yes! Even the most baffling term, "love" is discussed here!) Serving as illustrations are all those really cute and (sometimes very frank) line drawings so typical of good ol' Dr. Gonick you can even expect to see a funny dinosaur or two! Those cartoons are really bursting with such good-natured humor it would certainly put even the most squirmish reader at ease. Nevertheless, such a wealth of sexual and biological facts (as well as such zany comic art to go with it) seem to be printed on rather flimsy, low-grade paper so typical of any illegal porno pulp. Too bad, but it looks like those newprint-like pages would quickly turn yellow and become quite brittle and dog-eared the moment you brought it home from the bookstore!

The Fun Textbook on Human Sexuality
Larry Gonick is famous for his cartoon approaches to education, especially his books on history and science topics. In this book he teams up with sex educator Christine DeVault. The combination produces a good introductory text on sexuality that is lots of fun to read.

Narrated by a cartoon Mother Nature and a cartoon fairy called The Etiquette Elf, the book covers reproductive biology, sexual anatomy, developmental biology, gender roles, gender identity, interpersonal communication about sex, romantic love, the sexual act, birth control, health issues, STDs, non-consensual sex, and sexual function problems. All of this is done in delightful cartoons that are clear yet not overly explicit. Although the book is cartoon in format, the information provided is professional at an introductory level. The end of the book contains two pages of further readings, a list of journals devoted to sexuality, and eight resource organizations. An index allows you to find just what you need when you need it.

This is a valuable addition to the library of anyone who is sexually active or has plans to become so. Readers who expect Gonick's humor to dominate this book may be disappointed, but people who are looking for a good introductory sex manual will be overjoyed.

Kind of boring
Sex makes people crazy. Some people try to control it by becoming puritans. Others just let themselves go crazy. Besides the psychobabble and the Safe Sex sermons there's not really much to distinguish this comic from hundreds of other sex comics like Cherry or Omaha the Cat Dancer. The only reason why someone would read this would be to read up on Larry GOnick's current work. Sadly Larry Gonick has yet to do another Cartoon History of the Universe which were funny and informative.

Maybe if I hadn't read Cartoon History of the Universe expecting great things from this book, I wouldn't be so disappointed.

One disappointing page
As with the other "Cartoon Guides," the illustrations and humor with which the facts are portrayed are enjoyable and effective. I was very disappointed, though, in page 45 on the breast. So many positive things could be said of this marvelous organ's capacity for sustaining life, but DeVault made the misleading emphasis that breastfeeding is "erotic" and "...nursing in public is illegal in some states." Ugh.

facts and funnies all in one
The humor in this book should not make you believe that there is no educational value inside its covers. I already knew the birds and the bees but I am finding that I am learning more things about human sexulaity than I knew before. It is a wonderufl book. It contains some strange and little known facts with some plain spoken philosophy that seems to be a genuine interpertation of human sexulaity. Gonick ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Crumb is a saint.
And Fantagraphics is saintly as well.

The Crumb
This is not his good stuff. It is marketted fluff using his name. There are some good collections, but don't buy anything by this publisher. ... Read more

Book Description

One of America's most treasured comic strips is releasing its eighth treasury, FoxTrot: Assembled with Care.And eight most assuredly will not be enough for fans of the funny pages.Bill Amend's FoxTrot debuted April 10, 1988, and 14 years later it's undisputedly among the most popular strips in newspapers.This colorful compilation of cartoons from FoxTrot's last two years again demonstrates that few entertainers in any medium are better at finding humor in everyday family life than Amend.At the core of much of the strip's wild humor is 10-year-old Jason.He tortures his parents and two teenage siblings Peter and Paige out of their minds with his computer and his pet iguana, Quincy.In this latest treasury, parents Roger and Andrea again have their hands full.In one strip, Jason boldly bursts into their bedroom in the middle of the night to announce that it's "2 a.m. and the lights still work." In another, Jason surprises his mom with a new beep for her computer known simply as "Defcon One." Jason also holds his own with his older siblings, spelling "My Sister Is Ugly" with the carved faces of 14 pumpkins.As FoxTrot surpasses the two million mark in book sales, it continues to demonstrate its timelessness with its always fresh, irreverent, and zany brand of family humor.Like other successful FoxTrot books before it, FoxTrot: Assembled with Care captures the humorous side of the trials and tribulations that come with daily family life like no other strip today. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

More Foxtrot Fun!
I like to read Foxtrot because of it's fresh appeal and it is continually funny. Bill Ammend's latest compilation, FoxTrot: Assembled with Care, is no exception.First of all, note that this is a Foxtrot Anthology collection. So, in other words, all the comic strips in this book have appeared in their own separate books. The books that this collection is made up of are: Death by Field Trip, Encyclopedias Brown and White, and His Code Name Was The Fox.This book is the first of the Foxtrot Anthologies to follow a new format. Instead of the standard 3 strips on a page and full-page Sunday strips, all the strips in this book have been crammed in together to fit four on a page. This doesn't bother me too much, except for the fact that each line is slightly smaller.At 191 pages, this book is shorter than previous Foxtrot Anthologies; however, because of the new format, it actually has more strips included for the same cover price. It is the first Foxtrot Anthology to be made up of 3 books instead of the usual 2.All these reasons make this an excellent book and an absolutely necesary purchase for any Foxtrot fan!

"This rope should be made of Elven Hithlain, by the way."
FoxTrot anthologies never cease to amaze me. I have a lot of the books separately, but these big collections are the best for when you want to read a lot without having to bring so many books with you. And plus, some of the strips are in color as well! "FoxTrot: Assemble with Care" is a great collection that is bound to get laughs from just about anyone.

This anthology includes strips from the books "Death by Field Trip," "Encyclopedias Brown and White," and "His Code Name was The Fox." All three are hilarious and make this collection worth every penny. You will follow the crazy chaos that visits the Fox Family. Just when you think Bill Amend can't do any better, he does every single time. This collection is 191 pages of non-stop hilarity.

You will see extremely funny strips, such as:
*Jason's field trip*
*Andy's mother visits*
*Jason's new Grinch cartoon*
*Moron of the Rings*
*Peter's cell phone*
*E-Team Football*
*Roger's novel*
*Jason's new playmate*
*Roger and Peter go grocery shopping*
and much, MUCH more!

"FoxTrot: Assemble with Care" is an outstanding anthology collection that will keep you entertained for hours. If you've been feeling down and are due for a few laughs, think about picking up this bad boy and let the pages fly. You will not be disappointed.

The Best Comic Strip Since Calvin and Hobbes.
First Bill Watterson retired and there was no more new Calvin and Hobbes. Then Charles Scultz retired and unexpectedly passed away, so many newspapers stopped running Peantus. At first it would seem there isn't anything all that funny left in the funny papers. Ah, but one grand gem remains: Fox Trot. Appearing about half a decade before the funnies started to become unfunny, Fox Trot remains as about the only witty and upbeat comic that can be seen in papers. ASSEMBLED WITH CARE is a collection of two-year's worth of Fox Trot comics. I'm not for sure of the exact dates, but the strips ran around 1999-2000. The stories make grand observations on life, but are also constantly ribbing pop culture and (then) current events. Two of my favorite story lines are the one where Jason and Marcus imagine themselves acting in the just announced production of THE LORD OF THE RINGS (the director looks like a hybrid between Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson) and the series that ran the week that Y2K could have happened (the comic strip finds itself back in 1900). A great collection of one of the best comic strips still being written.

A great read
It's a funny book and all but there is just one thing - not just about this foxtrot series but all of them - it's that fox family always stay the same, no one ever grows up. Paige is always starting her first year in high school, peter is always staying a junior and taking a physics and trig class and jason is being jason as usual. Although maybe I'm wrong, maybe if they did grow up the show wouldnt be funny anymore...I dont know but it's still funny though. BUY THIS BOOK!!! IT'S FUNNY reaaaaaaly funny.

Great Book!
Worth every penny! This book had be laughing all day. I especially loved the one at the end where they go on vacation. ... Read more

Book Description

Lynda Barry had a bona fide hit with Cruddy, and her fans are now calling for her older comic strips, all out of print. This book answers the call as it delivers the life and times of Marlys Mullen, the most beloved character in Barrys nationally syndicated comic strip, "Ernie Pooks Comeek."

Shes back! This is a Lynda Barry double-tall: the long-awaited collection of the best strips from her syndicated comics. Way back in the mid-1980s, comic illustrator and writer Lynda Barry introduced the character of Marlys Mullen, her crazy groovy teenage sister Maybonne, her sensitive and strange little brother Freddie, a mother like no other, and an array of cousins and friends from the hood. This oversized book presents the long strange journey through puberty and life that Marlys and company have experienced. Marlyss universe and galaxy are funny, rude, disturbing, tearful . . . in short, very, very Lynda Barry. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Childhood so real.
No one can catch the poignant, perfect, sometimes heartbreaking, and usually funny in retrospect side of childhood like Lynda Barry. We all were Arna, Freddie, Arnold, Maybonne, and Marlys during some point in our youth as much as we might like to deny it! As I read these comics, the stories bring back the exact feelings I had when it was me doing the hand-turkey drawings, making shoe-box dioramas, and dancing in front of the mirror. If you want to relive the trauma, deliriousness, and great, great fun of being a child, Marlys and friends will bring it all back to you!

This book is one of The Great Right Ons of me
This book includes strips from some of Lynda's other books that are out of print, like The Fun House and It's So Magic. Missing these is a crime to your book collection so thank god for the awesomly titled The! Greatest! of! Marlys! Lynda Barry's work perfectly hits on the altered mental state of childhood and adolescence in certain kinds of misfit, but creative and eternally hopeful people. If you know this kind of person this book will speak to you by name. Lynda Barry's dead-on honesty and great sense of absurdity are perfectly nailed with details like the language and thought processes of kids writing essays or creating makeshift newspapers or weird games to try to make the mundane world around them live up to their great hopes and imaginations. Including her essays, books, and other comics, she is one of my very favorite writers of all time.

Beautiful!
Wow! Number one!! This book captures the feeling of childhood in an amazingly touching fashion.

Hilarious and Touching
I love Marlys and her goofiness. She is alternately hilarious (as when she describes all the different methods of fake smoking, such as the gum cigarrette with its realistic coughing, or a hot dog, for when you're having hobo feelings) and touching (as when she describes her sister's threat to kill herself when the tree outside loses its last leaf - which prompts Marlys to glue a bunch of leaves back onto the tree). I love how she reminds me so poignantly of the bossy kid that I was, and the wacky things that kids think. This book is way worth it.

Out of this world!
I'd give this book 10 stars if I could. It is so beyond good. You are transported back to an earlier time and really made to remember what it was to be a child - especially a child in a dysfunctional family. Lynda Barry's comics touch upon some of the sadder moments of childhood and dysfunction without losing their comic and ironic edge. They allow you to laugh without getting bogged down in the misery. They allow you to understand the pain without forgetting to enjoy the little things. This is truly a work of comic art. Lynda Barry is one of the best comic artists of our time. ... Read more

Book Description

THE LORD OF LASAGNA REIGNS SUPREME!

There's a lot of action in GARFIELD's life. It just happens to revolve around the refrigerator! So whether he's reviewing the list of things he's not going to do today, testing the first law of physics--"Bodies at rest tend to stay at rest"--or challenging Odie to a do-nothing contest, you can be sure that when mealtime comes, GARFIELD will have all the energy he needs!
... Read more

Reviews (8)

garfield jokes
This book had lots of jokes that were funny. HAHAHAHAHA-HEHEHEHE. I love reading this at night because when I get a good laugh it helps me sleep.

The best Fat cat 3 pack!
This is the best Garfield book ever!I love this book so much I read the book in two days and it has like 300 pages!It has Garfield in the fat line Garfield tons of fun and Garfield bigger and better! If you want these 3 books just get this fat cat 3 pack!

Fantastic
This book is really just one more of Jim Davis's hilarious Garfield books. Of course, the added advantage is that it is 3 books in 1. Funny, witty, satirical, all of the stuff that makes Garfield great!

My Best Friend-Garfield
I'm a Chinese girl. I'm eleven years old. I like Garfield because it is a very humorous and likes to eat. When I read this book I always laughing. I hope a lot of Garfield's books will be bought in the China.

A Not -so Colorful Comic Book
When I read all three Books from cover to cover. At First I was expecting a lot from Jim's work. But Alas- the least I expected. Well Anyway, As Garfield would say " Life's Like a Lasagna "-- Happy Reading Folks. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

One of the all-time best business books + Scott Adams¿ best
I cannot say enough positive things about BABLBSOS, Scott Adams' first book and the one that started him on his path to fame, glory, and fortune. I bought my first copy in the early nineties at the MIT Tech Coop bookstore, when a fellow geek friend of mine said I absolutely had to read it - he just shoved it into my shopping tote. At that point in time I had never heard of Scott Adams, and I think the Boston Globe was one of a small handful of papers carrying Dilbert (it subsequently took two years of letter writing before my local paper agreed to carry it).

In BABLBSOS, Scott Adams covers his by now familiar territory of the world of American high tech business for the very first time. BABLBSOS is not a rehash of the daily Dilbert strip like so many other collections of Adams'. Rather, BABLBSOS is original material organized by topics, which collectively cover all major aspects of the workplace experience in a high tech company. Since Adams is exploring this material for the first time, and is not doing it in a daily comic strip form, the results are more hard-hitting and concise than Adams' subsequent books. Each page stands on its own and showcases in the best possible way Adams' brilliantly cynical understanding of how businesses all too often really function.

But BABLBSOS is more than just Scott Adams' best work. It also is one of the best business books and management guides ever created, and certainly the pithiest. All too many business books present prescriptions for how businesses should operate. BABLBSOS is the opposite: an "anti-business" book that shows how businesses actually behave, from the perspective of the employees. The challenge and guidance for managers, then, is to do the opposite of the pointy-haired boss, to avoid the situations that Adams presents.

After I originally read BABLBSOS, I recommended it to everyone I knew who would appreciate it (which is almost anyone who works for a living in a corporation), and used many of the panels in various presentations. I still keep a copy handy in my office for reference. So, as you can see, I cannot recommend BABLBSOS highly enough.

OK Book
Interesting title but the cartoons inside does not match the funniness of the cover.

P.

Dogbert has useful tips for everyday situations.
This book is practical, humorous, and has big, simple cartoon pictures so it's easy to understand. Dogbert gives useful insights on everyday situations such as coffee intake, boss classifications, and hallway greetings. A must read!

A book about business through the eyes of Dilbert
There are many book about business etiquette. Many of them talk about all sorts of obscure manners and what to do in the strangest of situations. But this one actually talks about situations that you get into every day, such as hallway etiquette and mettings. But the best part about it is that it is fun to read. Other books have pages and pages of text that talk endlessly like a moron in the hallway. With this book, every page have something funny about it

excellent, excellent, excellent!
I will forever be grateful to the wise woman introduced me to the world according to Dilbert (and his megalomaniac dog Dogbert) with this book a few Christmases ago. If you enjoy this -- or rather, when you need more Dilbert, you have to get Dogbert's Clues for the Clueless -- my all-time favorite Dilbert book. ... Read more

Book Description

R. Crumb's illustrations have appeared on the covers of albums by Big Brother and the Holding Company, on bootlegged T-shirts, and in several underground newspapers. He is, however, first and foremost, known as the father of underground comics and for work that paved the way for both satirical comics and autobiographical work in the comics medium.

He has been compared favorably to Brueghel, demonized as a misogynist, defended by feminists, and lionized as the subject of Crumb, an award-winning documentary film. Having created such iconic characters as Mr. Natural, Fritz the Cat, and even himself as part of his cartoon universe, R. Crumb (b. 1943) is firmly established as one of the most significant, controversial, and technically gifted cartoonists of the second half of the twentieth century.

R. Crumb: Conversations collects interviews that span the late 1960s to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In these Crumb proves to be iconoclastic, opinionated, and---despite his celebrity---impervious to the commercial moods of the public.

Crumb appears alternately as neurotic, witty, acerbic, gentlemanly, cruel, verbose, and reticent. His persona in comics form (as an unattractive, continually nervous, lecherous, obsessive man) is both confirmed and challenged by the person who emerges from these interviews.

Gathered here are interviews and profiles that span the various periods and events in his life and work, including his early days as a countercultural figure in San Francisco, his verging on a nervous breakdown after the release of the X-rated Fritz the Cat, his editing the groundbreaking comics anthology Weirdo, his move to France in the 1990s, and the resurgence of his popularity when Crumb was released. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An excellent gathering of interviews and profiles
Fans of underground comix art who wish for insights into the counterculture artist and innovator R. Crumb, whose illustrations have received wide distribution both in his own collections and on the faces of records, newspapers, and t-shirts, will find R. Crumb Conversations an excellent gathering of interviews and profiles covering various periods of Crumb's life and works. Comic art jokes, interactions with publishers and the public, and Crumb's influence on the underground comic art world are all revealed in the course of some excellent surveys.

Explains comix with old blues
Freudians should read this book.Crumb has a very modern set of aversions.Instead of doing a pamphlet for Planned Parenthood, he says, "But it's political.I don't know how I feel about all that.It's all so complicated."(p. 68).The topics discussed in this book cover the psychic interior, and the corporate entities have subtle names, as in, "Nevertheless, Last Gasp has gone on to become the second largest underground publisher in the country."[back in 1974, when eight hundred dollars covered printing costs for an underground title] (p. 93).R. CRUMB CONVERSATIONS (2004) has an index (which only has boldface listings for 6 pages showing cartoon characters, and it should've had boldface for Lenore Goldberg on p. 193 and Crumb as character on p. 198) on pages 233-244, and the Chronology on pages xiii-xxii includes such great years as 1993:

"Crumb illustrates INTRODUCING KAFKA.Summer:The last issue of WEIRDO (No. 28) is edited by Aline.June:THE COMPLETE DIRTY LAUNDRY COMICS is published.R. CRUMB SKETCHBOOK, May 1987 to April 1991 is published.Fall:A Crumb wall calendar for 1994 is published.November:R. Crumb Retrospective is shown at Alexander Gallery, New York City.Kitchen Sink issues a Mr. Natural squeeze doll."

Four pages in the index are devoted to Crumb's views and works.For example, on page 235 you can find:

on Fritz the Cat, 120, 212-13; on Fritz the Cat (movie), 12-13, 28, 57-61, 174;

But anyone who is in the part of the index devoted to Crumb's works will notice that Works on page 236 begins with THE ADVENTURES OF FRITZ THE CAT (Cavalier), xvi; and includes eight lines of listings of other Fritz the Cat characters in the second column on page 237, up to "Fritz the Cat Superstar," 174, 213.

Crumb has problems he feels because of his being a celebrity as a result of the documentary movie that was made about his life.`When people asked me if I liked it, I said, "It's a good movie.It completely ruined my life, but it's a good movie!"(Laughs).'(p. 218).I usually feel that Crumb is being most honest when he says things that correspond to my feelings, but my situation has more concerns about sexual harassment in the workplace.Comics is work that takes a tremendous amount of time and energy.I used to subscribe to "Funny Times Magazine" (if you get a subscription and die laughing, it might be my fault, but it's not likely) and see what the more politically observant cartoonists were producing, but I was usually too tired to read each issue.R. CRUMB CONVERSATIONS is more like reading a book.With 18 major selections, mostly interviews, originally published in 1968, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1998, 1999, and 2003 (with an illustration from 1971 on page 11, from 1970 on p. 19, from 1967 "I wish somebody would tell me what `Diddy-Wah-Diddy' means..." on p. 22, from 1968 on p. 25, from 1959 on p. 30, from 1961 on p. 31, from 1972 on p. 32, from 1965 on p. 43, from 1963 on p. 45, a greeting card "I got a German shepherd" from 1967 on p. 46, "Keep on Truckin'..." from 1967 (the hit song "Truckin" by the Grateful Dead was years later, but the idea came from an old blues song) on p. 70, from 1967 on p.86, Whiteman on p. 89, from 1970 on p. 110, from 1985 on p. 124 and p. 139, from 1987 on p. 145, from 1971 on p. 153, from 1967 on p. 173, from 1970 on p. 192, from 1969 on p. 193, from 1982 on p. 198, from 1981 "Excerpts from Boswell's London Journal, 1762-1763," on p. 207, and from 2002 on p. 228), the book does not explain that "Diddie Wah Diddie" was an old song until the final interview conducted by mail in April, 2002.

`I don't spend nearly as much time dwelling on items that I "must have" for my collection as I used to.That said, I recently found an old collector willing to sell me an old bunch of fabulous and rare old 1920s blues records, stuff I've been trying to find for decades, such as Blind Blake's "Diddie Wah Diddie" and Memphis Minnie's "Cherry Ball Blues."They're not cheap, but not top dollar either.'(p. 226).

It is easy to find Academy Awards twice in the index, but only because of the Chronology for 1991"April:Crumb's account of his attendance at the previous year's Oscar ceremony is published in `Premiere' magazine."And for 1994"September:CRUMB, Terry Zwigoff's documentary about his longtime friend, premieres at the Toronto Film Festival and goes on to become a hit.Controversially, it is not nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary."About his participation in the movie starring his character, Fritz the Cat, he said, "Me and him [Ralph Bakshi] and my wife went out to lunch.After that I said:I'm going to do something, I'll see you later.And I just skipped and didn't come back for a week.I left him with my wife--it was really a bad mistake.He talked her into signing the contract.I never signed anything.I can't blame her, she had my power of attorney."(pp. 105-06).Crumb is not as rich as he deserves to be.

Robert:They gave me ten thousand dollars.
Al:You haven't got any royalty checks or anything?
Robert:Nah.Ten thousand dollars is what I've gotten from them.You know, I ain't poor.I'm probably upper middle class compared to most people I know.
Al:All these products that have been coming out with Mr. Natural on them and Keep on Truckin', that's really pirate stuff.
Robert:Most of it is. (pp. 69-71).

Back in 1972, it was the most famous cartoonist who was getting the most money."Charles Schulz has the highest salary of anybody in the world."(p. 71). ... Read more

Book Description

Gemma is the bored, pretty second wife of Charlie Bovery, the reluctant stepmother of his children and the béte-noire of his ex-wife. Gemma's sudden windfall and distaste for London take them across the Channel to Normandy, where the charms of French country living soon wear off. Is it a coincidence that Gemma Bovery has a name rather like Flaubert's notorious heroine? Is it by chance that, like Madame Bovary, Gemma is bored, adulterous and a bad credit risk?

Reviews (2)

New take on an old classic
This graphic novel begins in Bailleville, Normandy with the death of 31-year-old Gemma Bovery.Narrated alternately by the French baker Raymond Joubert and through excerpts from Gemma's diary, Gemma's story slowly unfolds. The beautiful British decorator marries Charlie Bovery, becomes caught up in a dead-end career, and is reluctantly involved in Charlie's domestic conflicts with his ex-wife and children. She decides to flee her dreary London life, and she talks Charlie into buying a home in the rural French countryside. Small town life seems no better for her, however, as her charming country cottage develops water leaks and is infested with pests. She tries to escape her boredom through adulterous love affairs and a spending spree that causes financial problems. Joubert, her next-door neighbor, becomes obsessed with Gemma, spies on her, and becomes jealous of her lovers.

If you have any familiarity with French literature, the title "Gemma Bovery" shouldimmediately remind you of the Flaubert novel "Madame Bovary."And if that's not enough, the parallels in the two story lines should make it obvious that this is not mere coincidence.But this story is more than a retelling of the classic novel, and there are as many differences from as there are similarities to the original. It is a witty modernization of a timeless tale that satirizes the aspirations and foibles of the yuppie middle class as well as thecultural differences between the French and British. In no way are the similarities between Emma Bovary and Gemma Bovery subtly presented. Author Posy Simmonds revels in them through the observations and machinations of Joubert, who warns others of parallels between the two and tries to prevent Gemma from coming to the same tragic end as Emma did.

For a graphic novel, there is a lot of text. But the cartoon panels are interspersed with the text, diary entries, and snippets of partially translated French dialog in a wonderfully layered fashion and are rich in detail. There are twists in the story as the details about Gemma's death are revealed. Whether you have read the original French classic or not, and whether you are a graphic novel fan or not, this is a creative and entertaining story you will enjoy.

Eileen Rieback

Interesting Marriage of Art and Text
This may be best described as a novella illustrated with cartoon sequences that are more-or-less integral to following the story.For a graphic novel it is extremely text heavy and there is a good deal of redundancy between the "narration" text blocks, the diary text blocks, and the cartoon sequences.

The story is a comedy of manners of the "Bridget Jones" school rather than social criticism.Gemma, a frustrated young designer, marries furniture restorer "Charlie" Bovary on the rebound and moves from London to a French village.There her life begins to parallel that of the heroine of Flaubert's "Madame Bovary."However the similarity is really being played for laughs and the twist ending is almost literally a whimper rather than a bang, consistent with Simmond's easygoing cynicism.

Simmond's art is reminiscent of the late Will Eisner's, and there is a nice sense of observation in the depiction of place and character.An altogether entertaining read. ... Read more

Book Description

Fish are people too. Or so it seems on the imaginary island of Kapupu, the setting for the wet and witty sea creatures of Sherman's Lagoon. For more than a decade, creator Jim Toomey has delighted readers with his off-center look at pop culture through the eyes of its namesake character, Sherman, and his coral-reef companions. Now, for the first time, the very best of this cast of lagoonies is captured in a treasury of classics. Sherman's Lagoon 1991-2001: Greatest Hits and Near Misses gives readers the opportunity to follow the evolution of the satirical strip from the first day it ran in the Escondido (Calif.) Times-Advocate on May 13, 1991, all the way up to the present day.This comprehensive collection highlights the complete history of the adventures of Sherman, the happy-go-lucky, brain-go-slow shark, and his lagoon-dwelling friends, including:o Fillmore the turtle, Sherman's sensible sidekicko Hawthorne, the cranky, beer can-dwelling hermit crabo Megan, Sherman's pearl-clad wifeo Ernest, the big-brained philosophical fisho And Thornton, the surfboard-toting polar bearThe compendium also features the funniest moments from the occasional humans who have inhabited the make-believe lagoon, such as Captain Quigley, the vengeful fisherman who lost his leg to Sherman years ago.This master collection of Jim Toomey's colorful cast of creatures will be treasured by longtime fans-and provide those new to the satirical strip an opportunity to catch up on all the underwater fun they've missed during the last decade. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

These fish are funny
These are not your typical cuddly cartoon characters. Sharks eat other fish--and people--with regularity. (The fish refer to people as "hairless beach apes.") But they carry on like people most of the time: ordering from catalogs (Sharker Image), watching TV, taking trips to exotic (for them) places. The guy who writes this has a really funny turn of mind, and each character has a well-developed personality. Take a look at the current strips at www.slagoon.com if you want.

Bloody good! (If ever a bloody shark can be good...)
Do not forget to have a go at the other 8 volumes... the next one due the first of September (the better way to go back to work...).
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

The Best comic strip since Calvin&Hobbes.
A kind of surreal atmosphere/personages created by without doubt a very imaginative mind. I really enjoyed the VARIETY of themes and approach of the different characters wich are'nt linear or flat at all.
Actually this book is a collection wich contains strips of other books and some wich are'nt included on the previous one's. If you enjoy this one go for the rest as I did (Quite the Sherman's approach to life mind...).
INNOVATIVE/BRILLIANT. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The only TRULY good comic strip still being printed
With "The Great One" Charles Schultz's passing (RIP Mr. Schultz and thank you!), this leaves Garfield as the only current comic strip that remains consistantly funny. This review is a pretty universal review for all of the books. If you're a Garfield fan and you don't have them: Get them!!!

Yet another grest Garfield masterpiece!
This fat cat 3-pack (like the others) is not only entertaining to read (like the others), but it is also a great reference book of Garfield comics (like the others), because from the point the book starts to the point it ends it has every daily comic in the order they were in the newspaper without skipping any days.

Funny! A great book in all Circumstances!
Great book! It was a great buy and if you're thinking of buying it, don't hesitate! Garfield makes me laugh a lot from his attidude and his interest in all the tings that people love to do.

This book is sooooooo funny. :)
Garfield is Hilarious in this fat cat set. His jokes are NEW and better than any before. Just to ruin the story Odie gets a brain and Jon marries a bieutiful woman(AS IF). Any way I think you should definitely buy this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Dark Horse is tempted to call Little Lulu the "comeback comic" of the year, but truth be told, Lulu's been a treasured part of the entertainment canon for years! Dark Horse Books is proudly presenting the complete library of classic Marge's Little Lulu comics in a reader-friendly series of affordable paperback volumes. A rascally but good-hearted seven-year-old with an endless supply of sass, oodles of smarts, and a wild imagination, Lulu is truly one of a kind. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wonderful Read with Printing Errors
I love having the chance to read this material in a new package. It's clever, funny, and well cartooned. Unfortunately, in this volume, two of the stories later in the book have pages printed out of order. Otherwise, I'd give it five stars. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the second collection book of the award winning comic book series, Liberty Meadows. This volume collects issues 10 through 18 of the wildly popular comic book, Liberty Meadows. All the comic strips are completely remastered and uncensored. With cover art gallery, extensive sketch and illustration section. Plus a complete never been published Liberty Meadows short story. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Liberty meadows
I wasn't an avid comic book reader, but after finding Liberty Meadows by Frank Cho, I realized I missed many years of fun and appreciation for an art that is not receiving the proper respect and attention that deserves.
"The Monkey Boy Cho" is one of the most talented artist I've known, the way he fusions drawings, color and prose makes me realize that Comics are real art, with humor.
The recollection of strips in "Creature Comforts" are very enjoyable and each one funnier than the last. The simple lines of the characters, either be animals or humans, show such details that you actually can "feel" their emotions. And the backgrounds take you, without a doubt, to "Liberty Meadows Animal sanctuary".
I highly recommend this book and any other written and/or drawn by Frank Cho. ... Read more

Book Description

The multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards series collecting one of America's true national treasures, Krazy Kat.

This is the fifth in a series reprinting George Herriman's early 20th Century comic strip masterpiece. Most of these strips have not seen print since originally running in Hearst newspapers over 70 years ago. Each volume is edited by the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum's Bill Blackbeard. Krazy & Ignatz 1933-1934 will be a hot-baked brickbat of a volume, adance with nearly two full years of the Sunday Krazy Kat (Herriman did not use color until 1935), snug between multiple pages of Herriman extras, not the least of which include an introduction by Blackbeard, a new "Debaffler" page, and a stunning layout front and back and throughout by the inimitable Chris Ware!

Krazy Kat is a love story, focusing on the relationships of its three main characters. Krazy Kat adored Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz Mouse just tolerated Krazy Kat, except for recurrent onsets of targeting tumescence, which found expression in the fast delivery of bricks to Krazy's cranium. Offisa Pup loved Krazy and sought to protect "her" (Herriman always maintained that Krazy was gender-less) by throwing Ignatz in jail. Each of the characters was ignorant of the others' true motivations, and this simple structure allowed Herriman to build entire worlds of meaning into the actions, building thematic depth and sweeping his readers up by the looping verbal rhythms of Krazy & Co.'s unique dialogue. ... Read more

Book Description

The nation's leading sports cartoonist delivers a hu-morous,outrageous, and irreverent collection of parodies guaranteed to elicit laughs. Steve Moore has done it again. In the spirit of cartoonists B. Kliban, Gary Larson, Charles Addams, and Gahan Wilson, the nation's leading sports cartoonist tackles, well, everything! Football, baseball, basketball, skiing, hunting, fishing, jogging, golf--even chess. No sport is spared from Moore's wickedly clever gags, drawn from the viewpoints of players, fans, and couch potatoes everywhere. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Subtle and over the top humor...
Arguably the most consistently funny panel since "The Far Side." A great collection. Viva en la bleachers! ... Read more

Book Description

Even challenging Dubya to a "pronunciation bee" can't save Uncle Duke's weird horse race for the White House.In the end, the former Ambassador passes out in a snowbank while the Cheney Administration kicks into high gear.Predictablistically, the new presidental syntax isn't the only thing that's tortured and strange.Take myvulture.com, an Internet company born and born-again, worth $1 million or $500, depending on whether you ask the CEO or his mother; or look at Joanie Caucus as the turnover in Washington casts her career into play, if not into midlife crisis; or consider J.J. and Zeke, whose pay-per-view, online wedding yields mucho buzz but zero bucks - just like the rest of the Net.Yes, it's a Dubya Dubya Dubya world.Doonesbury just downloads it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

From A Long Time Reader
While looking at our society and lifestyles, politics and foibles, Trudeau once again tweaks us, as a whole. Either you love his work or hate it and the anthologies are for his most die-hard fans. These characters are the people you have watched evolve and this is a visit with old friends.

Fine political satire and commentary
Revolt Of The English Majors is a collection of G.B. Trudeau's black and white Doonesbury cartoon strips and offers fine political satire and commentary. The classic characters of Doonesbury are entering middle age and re-thinking commitments and lack thereof - enjoy a set of strips which includes a center selection of full-color panels. ... Read more

Book Description

Get ready every "Futurama" and Matt Groening fan, here comes Futurama-O-Rama, the very FIRST comic compilation based on the Emmy-nominated television show "Futurama." It's a long way from making a pizza delivery on New Year's Eve to the bustling cityscape of New York in the 31st century, but for Phillip J. Fry it only took one little cryogenically frozen nap. Awakening in a future imagined by "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, Fry finds a job at an interplanetary messenger service and falls in with Leela, a sexy one-eyed space orphan, and Bender, an alcoholic misanthropic robot programmed to bend things. Blast off with this all-new Futurama comics collection, and leap feet first into a fun-filled future!

Reviews (9)

Good Art, Lame Writing
As a fan of the TV show, Futurama, I picked up this comic to get a little more of that Futurama fix. I was really let down by the comic though. First, I want to say that the art is excellent in this comic and the artists have really captured the feel of the Futurama world. Unfortunately the stories are deadly boring. It seems like they passed off the writing to the writers who were rejected from the show. There is absolutely nothing funny about the stories, and they hardly make any sense. The flow of the stories is like watching someone pouring lumpy gravy. I can't imagine anyone enjoying what passes for comedy in this comic. If you really must have this for the artwork, then it's OK. Just don't bother reading it. For the fans of Futurama, just stick with the DVDs of the TV show and you won't be disappointed.

great read for waiting for plane
I bought this book right before i went on my vacation to germany in july, i read most of it while i was waiting for our plane to arrive, I really got sucked into it. Unfortunately i later found out i can not read on planes. So this became the book type thing to read before each one of our planes. I really got sucked into the futurama universe with these, so much so that i thought later that i had actually watched those episodes, and would say phrases outloud from them and other futurama fans(who haven't read the book) didn't know where it came from. I kept getting the giant lobster one mixed up with the show, where leela eats zoidberg; oddly enough, that is probably the comic i get mised up with the show the most often. I savored this read so that i read it within each time getting on planes, so i had something to read on the trains to austria, and czech republic. I like it so much i read it again memorzing quotes from it, so i could repeat them outloud.

Like, the best comic/show ever!
Ok, after you buy the comic (which you will love), you have to watch the show. It's the best and it probably still will be in the year 3000. It's funny, has great characters, and you willget attached to the show. OK?

Funny, A good fix for when you can't see the show
Good animation. I've seen the show so many times that the comic pretty much rolled. The jokes aren't as caustic as the show but they're funny. In a comic book you're going to get punchline humor, that's it. Overall I'm happy with it. Great when you want to see the show but can't.

better than the series
The Simpsons comics expand the world of "The Simpsons," expanding on the lives of minor characters and forging new relationships (Bart with Professor Frink, for instance, or Kang the Alien with Apu). The "Futurama" comic stories, however, are almost identical to the tv series, with the same boring adventures of the same five characters. Not much wit or ingenuity here. But they are superior in one way: they display little of the raging anti-gay hatred that characterizes the series. ... Read more

Amazon.com

When Bone first came on the scene, critics raved about it, often mentioning it as being"fun for the whole family." Jeff Smith has always been wary about others labeling his work "for children,"partly because he knew that "no topic of human experience--from the introspection of Peanuts or the politics of Doonesbury to thelyricism of Pogo--was beyond the wonderful world of comics." He was also cautious because he knewthat the story he was telling was going to deal with issues and themes graver than Saturday morning's cotton-candy cartoons. In Bone: TheDragonslayer, the first volume of the second Bone trilogy, there is conflict, sometimes involving violence. There are forces of evil. There is war. ButBone is neither pap nor pabulum; it is challenging without being obtuse, and yes, even within its fantasy setting,Bone is real.This distinct combination makes it the best kind of children's book. Parents, read this book withyour children. You'll find it may turn out to be your favorite book, too. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Vol. 4 takes "Bone" into overdrive
Timeless is every way, "Bone" is an expansive story about three "bone creatures" (you'd have to see them to understand) that find themselves in a valley peopled with an assortment of crazy and interesting characters. Looming over it all is the menace of a great evil, first glimpsed by the ferocious (and funny) rat creatures, but later revealed to be something much more disturbing.

"The Dragonslayer," the fourth in the nine-volume "Bone" series, ramps up the tension and dramatically increases the scope and scale of the story, while retaining touches of its all ages humor.

This volume picks up where the third left off, as revelations about the main characters and the evil looming over the peaceful valley central to the tale draw the reader more fully into Jeff Smith's wonderfully-woven plot. Though still geared towards an all-ages audience, the deeper issues that make this compelling reading for adults really begin to show here, taking prominence over the humor through a good portion of the book.

Smith combines the kind of classic storytelling perfected by the likes of the legendary Carl Barks (Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge) and Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes) - gleefully funny cartooning with outrageously expressive faces and gestures - with the epic and engaging plotting of a sweeping fairy tale. "Bone" walks a tightrope and walks it well, managing to be something fans of both Donald Duck and Bilbo Baggins can enjoy.

Jeff Smith's "Bone" series is a critically acclaimed but criminally overlooked epic. Critics recognize Smith's masterful storytelling abilities and are drawn to his mix of all-ages humor and more mature darkness, but the black and white art and lack of superheroes turn off many comic book readers, making it a hit only in the "underground" sense.

And that's too bad, because this deserves to be read. Readers able to look past the lack of men in tights and color artwork will delight in this series. Little doubt people will still be reading "Bone" 50 years from now. Broad in scope yet personal and quaint, this is a charming story in every way that will surely outlast 90 percent of other comic works on the shelf.

*Great* Book!
Bone: The Dragonslayer is sure to please any hardcore Bone fan, and even not so hardcore ones! With humor, action, mystery, and beautiful pictures, this installation in the Bone series is sure to please.

A realistic fantasy on human nature
This comic has it all:the zany poetry of Peanuts,the wry criticism on human fallacies of Doonesbury,and the philosophy of Calvin and Hobbes,plus a scent of the best Pogo.Phoney Bone is the real negative hero of this book:his manipulation of the brainless masses superb,his total lack of scruples joined whit a nietzcheian rationalization ("People like to be victims! There's a sort of moral superiority attached to it...)unparalleled.If he fails,it is only for the spirit of sacrifice of the Dragon,a real Christian image,I dare say.Phoney Bone is a veritable Stavrogin of comics.

This book is great
Jeff Smith has again astounded me with the hardback publishing of the Dragonslayer series. A great plot, witty dialogue, and precise drawings make this one a must for any hardback collector.

BONE ROCKS!
Bone Vol 4: The Dragon Slayer is a great addition to the series. BONE is one of the best humor/fantascies I've read. This one of the better in the series. The story takes yet another bizarre Twist as a war unfolds. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Brings back fond memories
What a funny book. It reminds me of being a kid and reading my older brothers mad magazines. I laughed til I cried..

OK, so I read Number two first
Since this is Mad Magazine, why not read the books out of sequence? I never read the original book but Number two I have read. I bought this for my son and I must confess that I ended up reading these old Mad pieces from the days when sideburns were long and lapels were wide. Thus, the illustrations date the book as do some of the issues being parodied. Rememebr the Old days when the "On the Lighter Side" series dealt with a single subject? This book goes back to those days. All in all, this is a great trip down Memory Lane as I recall some of the hilarious older issues of Mad. There is one problem with this book: my son left it where it belongs, in the barthroom, and some guests mistook it for toilet paper. Oh well!!!

Some of MAD's Best Work!
This isn't one of those books that focuses on one style of writing like TV, Movies, Dogs, or MAD covers, but it gives you the whole SHABANG! This book, correction, work of art, is a combination of tha best articles from tha best MAD writers of all time! Not only did I read it while on the pot like I was supposed too, I read it over and over everywhere I possibly was! I couldn't help myself! Another must have from the Usual Gang of Idiots!

Mad isn't funny. It's hilarious.
Greate idea for a book. Apart from burning it. You can read some of Mad's greatest articles in shortened form! It rocks! I can't think of anyone better to write an introduction than the man who brought life to Canibal!the musical, Orgazmo and BASEketball (Ignoring South Park) to life! Yes, trey parker! Buy it

It is funny
ha ha. Mad is good ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Ha ha ha ha ha ha bonk...
That's my head falling off laughing. A great collection with nearly every page guaranteed to generate a belly laugh. Excellent compilation of Mad's finest recent stuff. ... Read more