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Catastrophic, world-altering events like the September 11 attacks on the United States place the millions of us who experience them on the "fault line where World History and Personal History collide." Most of us, however, cannot document that intersection with the force, compression, and poignancy expressed in Art Spiegelman's In the Shadow of No Towers. As in his Pulitzer Prize-winning Maus, cartoonist Spiegelman presents a highly personalized, political, and confessional diary of his experience of September 11 and its aftermath. In 10 large-scale pages of original, hard hitting material (composed from September 11, 2001 to August 31, 2003), two essays, and 10 old comic strip reproductions from the early 20th century, Spiegelman expresses his feelings of dislocation, grief, anxiety, and outrage over the horror of the attacks---and the subsequent "hijacking" of the event by the Bush administration to serve what he believes is a misguided and immoral political agenda. Readers who agree with Spiegelman's point of view will marvel at the brilliance of his images and the wit and accuracy of his commentary. Others, no doubt, will be jolted by his candor and, perhaps, be challenged to reexamine their position.

The central image in the sequence of original broadsides, which returns as a leitmotif in each strip, is Spiegelman's Impressionistic "vision of disintegration," of the North Tower, its "glowing bones...just before it vaporized." (As downtown New Yorkers, Spiegelman and his family experienced the event firsthand.) But the images and styles in the book are as fragmentary and ever-shifting as Spiegelman's reflections and reactions. The author's closing comment that "The towers have come to loom far larger than life...but they seem to get smaller every day" reflects a larger and more chilling irony that permeates In the Shadow of No Towers. Despite the ephemeral nature of the comic strip form, the old comics at the back of the book have outlasted the seemingly indestructible towers. In the same way, Spiegelman's heartfelt impressions have immortalized the towers that, imponderably, have now vanished. --Silvana Tropea ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This book am so funny me cried.
This is the sequel to the Bizarro Comics anthology from a few years ago.Like that book, this one features "alternative comics" types doing their versions of DC superhero comics.There are some great comics here, and also some not-so-great comics.But almost all of the comics are at least interesting.One thing I have to say is that you really need to be a fan of DC comics in order to understand the references in many of these stories.I don't think someone who is not into superheroes will get very much out of this book.But for those of us who do like superheroes, it's a lot of fun.

This book rocks!
Man, I am glad I picked this one up! I bought the first Bizarro book in softback format, and so I figured I'd order this one when it came out, and it is every bit as good as the first one IF NOT BETTER!

It's really well produced book, nice thick pages and good color.
As far as stories and art goes, DC again paired up underground/alternative cartoonists with each otther (one writing and one drawing) to hilarious and/or strange outcomes. But it works, though!

I think the best story in the book is either Batman & Monkey by M. Wartella, or Tony Millionaire's Batman. I guess it looks like I'm biased towards Batman, but I'm not. I like Wonder Woman best of all. But back to Bizarro World... other notable sections of the book were drawn by James Kochalka, Jason Paulus, Bagge/Hernandez, Rick Altergott, and Evin Dorkin.

Some things I DIDN't like about this book: The cover pales in comparison to Groening's on Vol.1. and some of the art is actually piss-poor (notably Kyle Baker, Brian Ralph, Michael Kupperman, and Scott Morse), looking like the artists spent, like, one hungover morning working on the art and just rushed it in.

Actually, there are a few other good stories
worth mentioning by Hunt Emerson, Ellen Forney, Tim Laine, & Danny Hellman. And how can I not mention excellents scripts by Peter Bagge, Harvey Pekar, Evan Dorkin (+++),uh... and others I can't seem to locate write now.

Oh, one other thing. Notably absent are these people who appeared in the first anthology and for some reason (idiocy?) were not in this vol.2:Stephen DeStephano, Bill Wray, Ariel Bordeaux, and, as I mentioned earlier, Matt Groening!

OK, so that's enough of my yappin'. BUY THIS NOOK!

Less than the first but still great
Bizarro World had a lot to live up to following in the footsteps of the award winning Bizarro released several years ago and well... it fell short. The new Bizarro book is excellent but just not as memorable as the original. The Bizarro books (can it now be called a series?) use popular alternative cartoonists to create short stories featuring characters from the DC universe from icons like Superman to obscure characters like Kamandi.

Here are some of my favorite stories from Bizarro World.

In "The Wonder of it All" a high school aged Wonder Woman learns that using her new Golden Lasso to force her friends to give their honest opinions about her nets her more information than she wanted.

The Spectre/Jim Corrigan unleashes his ghostly vengeance on his fellow officers at the police station for such minor infractions as hogging the copy machine. It's actually pretty funny.

Green Lantern has a revelation about his weakness to the color yellow in "It's not Easy Being Green". The story seems like a homage to the old EC Mad magazine comics.

In "The Power of Positive Batman" Bruce Wayne finally resolves his issues with the murder of his parents and decides to retire and sail around the world. Clark Kent decides to join him and the two sail off.

Aquaman decides to attend open mic night and sing a song about his relationship with Mera. Like a lot of the stories this one is just sort of a slice of life tale showing the private lives of superheroes.

Tony Millionaire returns with another strange Batman story. His art has a very old gothic style to it as if the story were something dug up from the 40's rather than a brand new tale.

In "Personal Shopper", Alfred is out describing, to a mechanic, the specifications for a car he wants to purchase. You know, bulletproof, 200 MPH, space for rocket launchers, huge bat like fins on the rear. Wonder who that might be for?

There are also some clunkers in the batch. Lantern Sentai in particular seemed pointless besides showing the Lantern Corps as Manga. In "Jing Kal-El" the Superman origin is rewritten with Kal landing at the North Pole and taking on the mantle of Santa Claus. I just couldn't figure out why. Some of the stories just stopped as if they're meant to be continued in another edition of Bizarro. "Bizarro Schmizarro", for instance has Luthor change Bizarro no. 1024 into a normal looking Superman (save for the Question mark on his chest) and then the story stops with a promise of more to come.

Bizarro World is sometimes great and sometimes not so great. It's less than the original book but I still recommend it. The Bizarro series has a long way to fall before it can be considered average.

Better than the first!!!! Me am like!!!
This second collection of stories (the first being Bizarro Comics) again turns DCs icons over to some of today's best alternate cartoonists and is a very enjoyable romp through the DC Universe. Take underground comics, your favoite DC comics, old Mad Magazines and your favorite strips from your local alternate newspaper, blend and this is what you get.

The framing sequence with Bizarro was more enjoyable to me than in the first one and seemed to blend in better with the rest of the volume.

The book seemed a little heavy on Batman stories, but don't worry there are a broad range of characters that get the "Bizarro treatment". The tales ranged from homage, to parody, to satire to dope dreams to slice of life pieces that would almost (heavy on that word) be welcome in a regular DC comic or annual.

Particular standouts were:

Tony Millionaire taking on Batman again in a story thatevokes a 1930's Batman feel.

A Legion of Super-Heroes tale where a corporation driven Brainiac Five drives the Legion to rebellion. The story and art makes you think Kurt Swan and Shooter could have drawn and written this on some crazy rainy night.

Evan Dorkins and John Krewson turn Kamandi into a slacker who'd rather veg out than help talking tigers, and lions and apes (oh my!).

This volume was fun. The hits far outweighed the misses. If you did not like one story don't worry the next one will be along soon.

Well worth it. ... Read more

Book Description

The New York Times best-selling series continues!

The Complete Peanuts will run 25 volumes, collecting two years chronologically at a rate of two a year for twelve years. Each volume is designed by the award-winning cartoonist Seth (It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken) and features impeccable production values; every single strip from Charles M. Schulz's 50-year American classic is reproduced better than ever before. ... Read more

Book Description

Pearls Before Swine is the hilarious new comic strip tale of two friends: an arrogant, egotistical Rat who thinks he knows it all and a slow-witted Pig who doesn't know any better. Together with Zebra, the activist, and Goat, the reluctant brain, Pearls Before Swine offers caustic commentary on humanity's quest for the unattainable. Smart, witty, and sometimes painfully honest, Pearls Before Swine mocks the flaws and shortcomings of human nature with cynical humor.Pearls Before Swine has been syndicated by United Feature Syndicate since January 2002 and now appears in more than 100 newspapers worldwide. In panel after panel, Pearls Before Swine causes readers to lose themselves in laughter. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Pearls Before Swine makes me laugh out loud!
One day while surfing the net I came across comics.com, and found the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. I immediately became hooked, because reading it made me laugh out loud. I now have the strip delivered daily to my email. Reading this little strip has been the BEST way for me to start my day!

Stephan Pastis is a witty genius at finding the humor in the quirks of the mundane, using his curious cast of characters, each with his own unique personality. I think all of us can identify with PIG, who is innocent, naive and unsophisticated, but I also think most of us have a RAT side as well, that is slightly sarcastic, ego-centered and mischevious. Just when I think I've seen it all, up pops another batch of whacky strange character...I LOVE it!

I believe Stephan Pastis will soon be every bit as popular as Charles Shultz has been with Peanuts. I have ordered copies of this new book for all my friends and family. I am also trying to get him published in my local newspapers, and hope others who love this comic strip will do the same.

ENJOY!

Truly Funny
"Pearls Before Swine" features wonderfully unique characters: the arrogant Rat, the dense Pig, smarty Goat, and occasionally bleeding heart Zebra. Pastis's writing is quite sharp, (although the quality of his drawings tends to be inconsistent). The strip features a wide variety of interesting and amusing scenarios and very funny word play.

Recommended!

Hysterical
I found this comic when it recently came out in my city newspaper. I instantly thought it was hillarious. I have the daily comic programmed onto my homepage. I highly suggest you buy one of the books or read the comic.

worth buying
PD, PENNSYLVANIA After the end of The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes I thought my comic book buying days were over (an occasional Fox Trot, but...) I don't read the paper as much either, so it takes a good cartoon to hit you and stay with you when you only see it maybe twice a week. Pearls Before Swine was that cartoon. The writing just caught me so off guard, in a way only certain characters can pull off. I still don't read the paper much, but now I'm up to at least 4 days, if only for this cartoon. Buy a copy and pass it around the office.

More Biting Humor Than Far Side
Pearls Before Swine is not an artistic masterpiece - Breathed, Watterson, and Frank Cho are better artists. But Pearls Before Swine is easily the funniest strip to hit the papers . . . well, ever. Yes, in my humble opinion it is more consistently funny than The Far Side. I've read BLTs over a half dozen times and have nearly hurt myself from laughing each time. I've shared it with friends who have threatened to sue, they were in so much pain from laughing. This is intellectual humor, too, by the way - it appeals to those with minds (which does not include the character "Pig"). No "Cathy" fat jokes or "Garfield" lasagna riffs here, folks. Of course, the warmth of Calvin and Hobbes is missing, and although there are some similarities between Pig and the equally hapless (although smarter) Opus, you won't want to give Pig a huge hug the way you would Opus (and the heck with herring breath!) ... Read more

Book Description

Non Sequitur has been entertaining fans for more than a decade, with its Twilight Zone of cartoon moments. Day after day, Non Sequitur hilariously jabs at the feats and foibles of life, skewering everyone from politicians to teenagers. Wiley's irreverent, satirical wit, combined with his superbly crafted illustrations, confirms that the universe is one big joke at humanity's expense.That said, some of Non Sequitur's most popular panels have been the ones where Wiley has offered his takes on "What he heard/what she said." In strip after strip, the cartoonist succinctly captures the absurd and unexpected miscommunications that lie at the heart of every relationship. For example:o What he heard: "Let's go drain the life force from your body." What she said: "Let's go shopping."o What he heard: "Honey, why don't you put your head in a vise and I'll turn the handle until your skull explodes." What she said: "Honey, why don't we turn off the TV and just talk."o What she heard: "Life as we know it will cease to exist unless you can alter the space-time continuum." What he said: "Honey, are you almost ready yet'"Everyone who's ever tried talking to anyone about anything will find Why We'll Never Understand Each Other to be the perfect way to laugh about it all, and maybe-or maybe not-try again.

... Read more

Reviews (4)

Short
Wiley, as always, gives great insight - his cartoons are so incredibly funny because they're so very true. Whoever came up with the idea of 'male' and 'female' gave cartoonists endless material to work with.

Wiley's commentary, especially the signature "What she/he heard, what he/she said", is wonderful. I'm sure he's done lots more him/her work than included in this slim volume, and I wish it had been presented here. What's present in the book is worth five stars, but it was only enough to make me want more.

Outstanding relationship humor
Non Sequitur and Pooch Cafe are my favorite strips. This is a SMALL book so don;t be shocked when you get it -- but the content is great.

Size Matters
I love the Non-Sequitur comic strips.I have three book collections and I was looking forward to adding another to my library but I was really disappointed when I opened the box.The quality is fine (you can never go wrong with a Wiley cartoon)- but the quantity is not worth the price.Advice for future purchases - check the technical specs.

Excellent material... but only five minutes worth.
I'm a big fan of Non Sequitur. Wiley Miller's comics are top notch. But I should have checked out the "technical specs" of this book before buying it. There are under 140 pages worth of material here, and the physical size of the book is roughly three inches by three inches. In other words, each page is large enough to handle roughly one panel of one strip. NOT one strip per page, but one *panel* per page.

The material here is, as always, excellent. Mr. Miller has even added a narrative thread to the collection. Alas, I think the narrative thread in this case only serves to highlight how thin the volume is. By providing text to connect the dots between strips, the book encourages the reader to keep turning the page rather than stop and dwell upon each brilliantly illustrated observation. The result? It takes five minutes to read (the entire book!), and it all feels so very, very light. Given that these are Non Sequitur comics we're talking about, that's a bad, bad thing.

I made a mistake. I spent full book price on what turned out to be a pamphlet. If you haven't already done so, I recommend that you spend your hard earned money on *Non Sequitur's Beastly Things* instead. ... Read more

Book Description

First published in The Los Angeles Times in 1970, Love Is... began as Kim Casali's private love notes to her husband but grew into a worldwide sensation, appearing in newspapers in more than 50 countries and becoming in the process an icon of the 1970s.

This new Love Is... book is part of a major relaunch of the unforgettable brand, which is already back in successful T-shirt and slipper lines. The cartoons have nostalgic and kitsch appeal for baby boomers, while younger generations, fascinated by '70s pop culture, will also be won over by Casali's simple truths about relationships. In addition to 365 of the most memorable Love Is... cartoons, the book contains the romantic story behind the phenomenon, the first drawing ever published, and an introduction by Kim Casali's son. With a satin cover featuring a die-cut heart, this charming volume makes a foolproof Valentine's Day gift. AUTHOR BIO: Kim Casali, a New Zealand native, began making drawings for her husband-to-be in California in 1967. The Los Angeles Times picked up the drawings for publication, and"Love is..." became a syndicated cartoon in 1970. It went on to appear in newspapers in 50 countries. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

not a set of note cards as the editor suggests
This is a cute paperback version of the hardcover cartoon collection that is also sold on Amazon.Amazon has done a lousy job with thier item descriptions and you never know what you are ordering anymore. ... Read more

Book Description

Essentially, this is the best of the best 50 years of Peanuts, the comic strip by the late Charles Schulz featuring Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, and the rest of the beguiling little gang. Peanuts debuted in 1950 and became a global phenomenon, with book collections selling more than 300 million copies in 26 languages and television specials rerun year after year. To create this all-new Peanuts Guide to Life we've combed through decades of comic strips to find those single panels which contain such pithy observations as "Babysitters are like used cars. You never know what you're going to get," and bits of wisdom like "Never lick ice cream off a hot sidewalk." Each droll, stand-alone "speech bubble" or punchline appears with cartoon art. The panels are organized into short chapters, such as "Love" and "Life's Little Quirks." For the millions of faithful Peanuts fans, this is a collection of "greatest hits" to cherish and enjoy again and again. ... Read more

Reviews (66)

A Great Comic!
Bill Waterson is argudably one of the best comic writers out there. Even through his retirement, he has made great books of past comics featuring his Calvin and Hobbes characters. I laugh and laugh at these comics he creates and I sometimes wonder how he comes up with such brilliant ideas sometimes with the storylines of some of the strips.

Calvin, one of his best known characters, is the trouble-making kid in the school. He is funny and imaginative and likes to make funa and games with his "real" pet friend Hobbes. Through the comics, you can see the relationship between a stuffed animal and a human.

In this comic though, Hobbes "comes to life" in Calvins eyes. The things that Calvin can sometimes get involved in is so hilarious and sometimes out of this world.

I guarantee that anyone that loves comics will fall in love with this one and should definitely buy this book to start their collection of classic comics.

All of Bill Waterson's comic books are very well done and very professional. His work is his life and it shows the time and consideration it took to make these characters come to life. Thank you Mr. Waterson for creating such a great comic and thatnk you people for reading my review!

LOOK! CALVIN COMICS!! IN A BOOK!!!
Bill Watterson brings to the table what no other cartoonist can bring: a true artistic, not cartoon, ability. Take just about any Sunday funnies in this book, among others. You will usually see a mass array of panels. They appear to be just a jumble, yet are arranged so that you can easily follow while reading, coming together with a great punchline at the end, or a beautiful portrait of the forest that Calvin & Hobbes walk through, or, both.

What strikes me funny about this strip, more than others, is the intelligent conversations of this otherwise typical six-year-old boy. Some of them I'll have to read a comic a few times over to get the conversation, much less the punchline.

Something ELSE that strikes me is how much of Calvin's ethical conversations about just about anything make sense almost half a decade later. I'm sure it's make sense 10-15 years from now, too. That's what helps make this cartoon so timeless & classic.

Its just too bad that Watterson had to end while at the top, It'd be much cooler if Calvin & Hobbes was still running today.

You should simply just drop anything you're doing & get the book now. You just can't miss out on Calvin's magical world.

A Magical Collectiom
One of the several reasons for Bill Watterson's departure from Calvin and Hobbes is that he wanted to pursue his craft in watercolor. It makes so much sense: just look at some of the background art in this collection and you can see it. (Actually, look at the background cover art, and it looks like Japanese watercolor.) Whatever his pursuits today, Watterson has left us a decade's worth of joy. This collection is just one of several. It doesn't really matter which one you pick up: you will always be guaranteed a few hours' worth of laughter and even a couple of warm tears.

A Strong Finish
This is the last of the C & H strips, and I think Watterson finished on a pretty strong note. I hear people say that Watterson should come back and write more strips. First of all, I think he did good to quit while he was ahead. Second of all, it always bother me when people complain about a writer leaving a series. As if they didn't have a life of their own and had to locked up somewhere and forced to churn out strips for the sake of their fans. If Watterson felt that he was tired of doing Calvin & Hobbes then we have to respect that.

This book has got almost nothing but five star reviews here. So I feel that it's necessary to offer a dissenting opinion. I don't think this is Watterson's best work, and there are signs here that the quality of the strips was slipping. For one thing, while the Sunday strips are intricately drawn, the daily strips seem somewhat sparsely decorated. I think Watterson was putting so much time into drawing the Sunday strips that he had to just rush off his daily strips to meet his deadline. Second and most importantly, I think that the characters and the world of Calvin & Hobbes were beginning to lose their charm to some degree. Calvin was evolving from a hyperactive child to an obnoxious brat, and even though Calvin has always talked alot smarter than your average seven year old, I think some dialogue here sounds wierd coming from his mouth. Also, I think there's too much preaching from the soapbox here, and that sort of thing always gets on my nerves. I don't mean to give the impression that these faults are as bad as I'm making them sound. Most of them are hardly noticeable. I am simply trying to point out that there is a decline here from the glory days of the strip, and that's it's best that Watterson quit when he did before things got worse. He himself probably realized that he was losing his touch a little. I know that there are people who are fans of the strip and feel they have to come here and rave about any book with Calvin and Hobbes on the cover. (There is even one guy who posts the exact same review for every book in the series.) Some people think that's what being a fan is all about. It's the same sort of mentality that would make Star Trek fans go crazy over a Star Trek X even if the Enterprise was shaped like a cereal box. But you can be a fan and still have a discriminating taste. You can still separate the good from the bad. I think giving this book five stars does a disservice to better work like Snow Goons and The Authoritative C & H, which I think were the high points of the series. Anyway, this isn't a bad book. It's still vintage Calvin and Hobbes, and I think Watterson choose the perfect time to hang up his drawing board.

Real Magic
Hobbes is the best animated animal. Even as an animated feline he's better than Garfield. He's the perfect best pal for Calvin and the interaction between them is wonderful. Just take a look at the back cover. I wish I had a tiger like Hobbes. To everyone else he's just a stuffed toy but in Calvin's eyes he the cuddliest cat ever.

The best thing about Calvin and Hobbes is the way Calvin is wise well beyond his years but still has the many illusions of childhood. I think it's the way many of us would like to be. Wisdom without cynicism.

I totally love Calvin and Hobbes. Their adventures are the best and their friendship is real, even if Hobbes is not. ... Read more

Book Description

Sit on the couch. Speak. Engage in witty banter and share ideas with friends who really understand your predicaments. Sounds like the perfect caf�. Especially if you're a dog. Pooch Caf� is the home away from home for Poncho and his canine buddies. No Collar, No Service marks the second collection of the hip hit strip Pooch Caf�, named for the place where Poncho, Boomer, and the rest of their pals regularly gather to discuss life among the humans and to hatch their plans to catapult all the world's cats into space. But you won't find this spot on Main Street. Its actual location is a canine secret compromised just once when they tried to get a pizza delivered. Poncho is as passionate about his love for his master, Chazz, as he is about his distaste for kitties. When Poncho and Chazz move in with Carmen and her medley of cats, Poncho pals up with "Fish," a goldfish who conveniently speaks dog, to learn the lay of the land. Poncho views his master's new life as a threat to the sacred man-dog bond, despite Carmen's efforts to make peace with Poncho using love, tenderness, and cheese. Good thing there's always the gang at the caf�. No Collar, No Service is the latest saga of a strip that captures the intensity of the human-dog bond in a way that resonates with pet lovers everywhere.

Reviews (1)

Is it THE Sean Hayes ( Will&Grace ) who didthe forward?
Mainstream comic brilliance. Distinctive art, LOL punchlines and great characters make this the best new strip I've seen in years. Muy only complaint is that the book would benefit from more color on the inside. I read it in the NY Daily News every day. ... Read more

Reviews (45)

Unbelievable
This is by far one of the funniest compilations of cartoons ever printed. The humor is so dark and hysterical. I have not laughed as hard as I have laughed at this book in a LONG time. The content is sometimes sick, sometimes twisted but always hilarious. I cannot get enough. I loved it through every page. Not only is the actual cartoon funny but the titles of each one lend a hand to the razor sharp wit of the strip. This is definitely a must buy, skip Gary Larson and buy this book.

Avid Fan (who is completely broke)
Okay to be quite honest I haven't bought the books yet, but that's only because I need to dig for a few more quarters out of my couch. I am a HUGE fan of Red Meat, and I think I have read just about every single panel on Max's webpage devoted to his comic. Milkman Dan is one of the funniest characters in short panel comics I have ever seen in my life. If you enjoy twisted humor, you NEED to add these two books to your collection of Dilbert and The Far Side! Trust me, it's worth every single penny.

A Breed Apart (Moo)
Like Gary Larson and Tom Tomorrow, people either "get" Max Cannon or they don't. If you "get" him, this collection is invaluable. If not, maybe there's a Mallard Filmore collection out there somewhere. The Family Circus is always good, too. For an anti-Family Circus, non-politically correct good time, Red Meat is a great read. Is it political? Everything's political. This is just a little something from the smartass anarchist lobby. :)

Essential
If you have any appreciation whatsoever for morbid humor, buy this man's books immediately. There's really nothing else to it.

Gut busting humor of the pancreas
Red Meat is a great off the wall, out of the ordinary bit of humor. Max Cannon continues to surprise me in the ways he makes me laugh through his cartoons. The art work may be cookie-cutter, but it is far from average. If your paying attention to the details it'll make you laught even more. Earl Rules!!! ... Read more

Book Description

Random Zits not-so-randomly combines the previous collections Road Trip! and Teenage Tales into one mega-volume. It includes popular story lines that include Jeremy and Hector fixing up their old van and take it for a clandestine joy ride, and Jeremy learning the value of tact on his girlfriend's bad hair days, selling random household items on eBay, surviving sudden radical growth spurts, and being coaxed into a fishing trip with his father, who seizes the opportunity to have "the talk." Zits captures the nature of teenage boys with uncanny precision. In one series of strips, Jeremy's mom is alarmed when she finds a fist-size hole in the wall of his room. Pressed to explain it, he balks. When he finally describes what happened, it turns out that the hole wasn't made in a moment of teen hormonal rage. It was made in a moment of teen hormonal idiocy, when he used his mom's meat tenderizing mallet to swat a bug. Anyone who has spent much time around an adolescent boy will recognize this seemingly inexplicable behavior: intelligence and impulsiveness locked in constant battle. This is the natural state of the teen male, and it's portrayed exquisitely in Zits. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Far Side Goodbye MUST HAVE
For those of you Larson~FarSiders like me, this is a must have. You need to love and see FarSide on your daily life to understand and enjoy Larson's humor. This last book has more of what we all wished he could and would continue giving us. On a scale of one to ten farsides, and compared to previous FarSide books, this one is an "8". Buy it!

Probably is the worst Farside book but still great
This isn't Larson's best book but being his last Farside cartoon collection before retirement is a collectors piece. The 140 cartoons in the bulk part of the book contain some classics such as the Inferiority Complex Sufferers cartoon and the ACME Wingbaby cartoon. The majority are good but there are some that you can tell were being left out of earlier books due to their standard. I love the two cartoons on page 80 (the end of the general cartoon section) that tell us The Far Side cartoons were all a dream of a man and the cavemen, cows, nerdy kids all looked like members of his family. The 13 full page cartoons at the back of the book are drawn after retirement and in most cases I would say aren't up to Larson's usual brilliant standard.

There is also an Afterword by Gary Larson that tells a tale his father drew on his kitchen table about a kid in school, drawing a box that becomes a lightbulb then becomes his mum bending over. Interesting story but I would have preferred a few more cartoons.

There are better Far Side collections than this one but if you own the rest you need this to complete your collection. There are plenty of good cartoons here.

a tearful farewell
This book is the last six months of Far Side cartoons. Plus 13 new cartoons. They are phenomenal. And now, a moment of silence for The Far Side...

i thirst for more larson
its like a drug. once you read 1 you cant stop. you got to read more and more AND MORE. till you read them all,then it starts slowly you feel unforfilled then you go in to denile"thair has to be more!!!!!!!!!!!" then anger"i need a (...) FAR SIDE BOOK!!!. then you find more and joy is restored. i just finished Winer Dog Art. now,i am in a state of peril. I NEED A (...)Far Side book. Larson RUN FOR PRESIDENT,you my not no this but you thousands of bystanderdeds who are willing to rise up and carry you to power.i know i would

PLEASE DON"T LEAVE US, GARY!
I hope that this is not Larson's last addition to the world of syndicated newspaper comedy. His humor is among the wittiest, most drop-dead hilarious stuff on the planet. WHile this may not be his most amazing work, it's still pretty damn funny. If you like this, you'll love his older stuff like the second Gallery. True comedic genious! ... Read more

Book Description

101 cartoons ... Read more

Reviews (2)

What Can I Do for You in the Next Three Minutes? - HMO Stall
I first discovered The New Yorker when I was a teenager. When I saw how many people subscribed to the magazine, I started asking people why they did. Inevitably, the answer was, "For the cartoons." Since then, I have come to realize that The New Yorker is like the hall of fame for cartoonists.

I became interested in this book after reading the excellent The New Yorker Book of Money Cartoons. I was a bit disappointed in this book by comparison, which explains the four star rating. While the cartoons are terrific, the book would have benefited from having a great introduction like the one that Christopher Buckley wrote for the money cartoons.

There are 86 pages of cartoons and over 90 cartoons in this book. Almost all of them are outstanding.

The humor is aimed at both physicians and psychiatrists. Somehow, the humor about the latter seemed funnier than the former. "Does the doctor hug?" was one of my favorites.

The strong conservative bent of many physicians was well captured by one cartoon that said, "Doctor, you must stop addressing your Medicare patients as Comrade."

Lawyer humor, and the physician's usual conerns about law suits are here, too. "The doctor's lawyer will see you now."

The questionable bedside manners of some physicians and the quirks of patients were equally well represented in the cartoon that said, "Well, Phil, after years of vague complaints and imaginary ailments, we finally have something to work with."

The ever-growing specialization of medicine came in for comment in this cartoon: "I'd like you to see a botanist. You exhibit many of the symptoms of Dutch elm disease."

Finally, some humor was aimed directly at the profession. In a group of ducks, one says "Let me through. I'm a quack."

A strength of this book is that it will definitely appeal to patients and nurses. I also think that many physicians will like it, as long as they have a sense of self-deprecating humor.

Physician, heal thyself!

The book is excellent in pointing out that personal habits, the training of the physician, and philosophical opinions can interfere with delivering good medicine. Humor like this can be a tonic to help bust the stalls that those sources of misconceptions and miscommunications help create. Laughter is not only the best medicine, it can bring about better medicine.

A book full of cartoons based on medical mishaps!
I like to read a whole lot of all kinds of cartoon books, I have always enjoyed the funny papers, and now here is a collection of funny situations based on the numerous kinds MD's that people deal with. I'm thinking of showing this book to my own psychologist. He would get a kick out of this sort of thing, as he has got a great sense of humor to speak of himself, which helps a great deal during our sessions. Anyway, like the rest of the "New Yorker" series, get this cool compilation soon. Each doctor's office should have one for the amusement of the patients! Hey, how about one for dentists or veternarians as well? ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Get your "Revenge"
The title of this book refers to the classic sequence of strips in which Calvin plots revenge on his "demonic" babysitter by kidnapping her homework and threatening to flush it down the toilet. Hobbes, wisely, tries to opt out of the operation. This is another outstanding collection in the Calvin and Hobbes series. Bill Watterson is a comic genius whose presence in the funny pages has been sorely missed since his retirement.

I rate All Calvin and Hobbes books with 5 stars
Bill Watterson was an amazing artist with an amazing comic strip. A six year old Problem Child (Who is also arguably a Child Genious. Just look at some of the words Clavin uses!) and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, get into all sorts of trouble, wether it be tormenting Susie Derkins through GROSS (Get Rid Of Slimy girlS) or Annoying his teacher, Mrs. Wormword, or being tormented by Moe the School bully.

All Clavin and Hobbes books are worth, but this one in particular. In it has the greatest attack against Rosalyn the baby Sitter ever.

All though this Book is not my favorite C&H Book (That title belongs to Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat) I do feel it is C&H at their best. A must have for any Comic Strip fanatic

"Give me liberty or give me death, Zogwarg Queen!"
No matter how many times I read them, I can never get tired of Calvin and Hobbes. They're funny, creative, and are always getting into some sort of hijinx that could just about get them grounded for life. "The Revenge of the Baby-Sat" offers such adventures as that in a funny and entertaining way.

Calvin is always getting into trouble. Him and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, are always faced with obstacles; from Calvin's parents to his teacher. One of the main obstacles he faces in this book is a deranged baby-sitter (or at least, that's how he sees her). But hey, no problem! Calvin and Hobbes have a plan to get back at the baby-sitter once and for all!

Other adventures in the book can be found, such as:

*Calvin tries to play hooky*
*Calvin's picture session with his father*
*The Beanie Epic*
*Calvin forgets his "bug project"*
*Calvin's house gets broken into*
*"The Pushing of the Car Down the Drive" incident*
*Calvin cleans his room*
and many more!

"The Revenge of the Baby-Sat" is127 pages of Calvin and Hobbes hilarity. Bill Watterson never ceases to amaze me with his witty creativity and well-executed humor. This is something that can be enjoyed by kids, as well as adults. This is an outstanding collection of Calvin and Hobbes comic strips that should be checked out by anybody who's a fan of the comic strip (or anybody who loves to laugh). A five-star collection that continues to entertain me without missing a single beat.

Watterson, the man, the myth, the legend in his own time
It is my feeling that Bill Watterson had enough integrity and ethics to prevent the syndicate from cranking out endless meaninglessly repetitive compilations. Of course, he did quit partly because he was becoming disgusted with many of the commercial aspects of his work. With most comics, even good ones, the collections get stale after a few. Watterson's collections don't. There are a dozen or so C&H compilations/collections, but you won't be dissapointed with owning the whole shebang, especially since Watterson frequently did a lot of extra work to ensure that each collection had something new to offer. Even without this extra stuff, Watterson's body of work is extensive enought to warrant owning all these collections. He was steadily cranking out great material for a decade or so, and if you are like me you will be reading some C&H weekly for as long as you are on this earth, so tons of books is not a bad thing. Basically, I wholeheartedly reccomend all the books. If you like one you will like them all. They only get better as you get to know the characters. Watterson never goes for the cheap laugh by having any of the comic's principals act out of character. As you progress through the years with C&H, and I do reccomend reading them in order, you will see how art progresses and grows when the artist is committed to excellent work. So, go get the first one, titled simply Calvin & Hobbes, and then start down the enjoyable road to making Calvin and his tiger a pleasant little chunk of your life. (Yes, i have repeated this review for every C&H book I own, wich is all of them, so get used to seeing all this anytime you look one of them up)

my personal favorite
truly and surely one of the best comic strips ever! were you to be sick in bed and need something to make you laugh, this is the best medicine! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Fifty issues--collected into 15 volumes that total 2,000 pages--the Hernandez brothers' Love and Rockets is an enormous achievement that helped to create a new audience for comics. Notable for their strong female characters and their focus on relationships, rather than on traditional comic-book 'action', the stories collected in this volume, and the rest of the series, show how the comic format can be used to create characters and situations as detailed and compelling as in any novel.

Reviewers have compared GilbertHernandez's work--set in the fictional Latin American town of Palomar-- with that of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Robert Altman. Reading his brother Jaime's work--most of which focuses on a group of Southern California Mexican American women--is like reading Tolstoy, if only Tolstoy had written about twenty-something punk girls. Love and Rockets has certainly earned its legendary reputation among the comic-book cognoscenti, and deserves to be read by an even wider audience. Welcome to the world of Los Bros Hernandez. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Overrated
I'm writing just to warn people not to buy this book!

I don't know, people say that Love & Rockets get better after this one... But, in my humble opinion, it does never get any better. And I also bought that Palomar book and I can say this for sure. Sorry guys...

I really tried hard to read this book (and it was a great effort from my part) and I still gave up just 8 pages to the end...

What's is this? Read something because some "critic" guys told this is the supposed beginning of one of the "best works in the comics medium"? No, no, I gave up, and I should have given up earlier... I really couldn't feel attracted to read, I used to read before sleep, and I used to read only 3 pages a night and get tired... (it's a good medicine for insomnia... and a good torture technique too...).

One of the problems with these stories and others in L&R is because there's some deliberate (or maybe no... but let us believe that these artists are good enough to make things deliberate) crudeness everywhere!

The crudeness begins with the art! It's hard to get engaged with the visual in these stories and the page style. And the lettering? It isn't well arranged, there's lot of text sometimes (sometimes no text at all), and you feel uncomfortable to read. It's funny also the fact that the guys think that everybody knows spanish expressions!! Or the stories are so interesting that someone would bother to look for them in a dictionary!!!

Besides, now I arrived in one of the main problems in L&R... The Brothers Hernandes are supposing every time that people love what they are producing... I mean, when you play with the patience of you reader, or make some non-linear tricks in your stories, or you throw something in the air without further explanation (since it will be clear later - or not... - or there will be some implicit reflective meaning that will be noticed later) you have to make sure that your reader is attracted to your material, that things are very engaging, that your reader will really want to follow the stories to understand things...

On the other hand... Who said them that I'm interested? I mean, I begin to read a story because someone said it's interesting... But I didn't even begin to read and I'm not feeling attracted by the visual... then, I don't feel attracted by the beginning of the stories, then I begin to get tired to read, then I begin to hate things... Then, I wouldn't feel any interest to proceed just to see if in the end things get straight in my head, and I begin to see the lights of the story! And I'm sorry...

I still really don't know how I achieved the end of that Ben story!

It's like to go up a tibetan mountain, just because someone said that you will get 100 dollars!! Well, there are many easy, interesting, attractive, and personal enriching ways to get 100 dollars... I hope you get my meaning. The truth is that there are a lot of more satisfying comic book stories than L&R out there, and the truth is that L&R have been very overrated by "comic book critics".

Los Bros: the early days...
Okay, first of all: by giving this only 3 stars, I am in no way dismissing Los Bros Hernandez or their remarkable overall achievement. (I hope to eventually get around to reviewing the other 14 volumes in the L&R collection.)

It's completely subjective on my part. I got into L&R when Jaime and Gilbert were well into their Hoppers and Palomar worlds, respectively. To me, that's L&R. This first volume, collecting the first two issues, shows the brothers finding their way into their signature themes and styles. There's also a lot of semi-readable sci-fi stuff, mostly from Gilbert, in the form of "BEM." (I should probably go back and re-read that more carefully, just to give it another day in court.) It wasn't long before Los Bros discovered that, yes, Gary Groth was going to support their vision even if it didn't include machines and monsters. As soon as they dropped the pulpy stuff and started hanging out with their thousands (seemingly) of real-world characters, L&R truly became L&R as critics and readers knew and loved it.

Still, if you're just getting into L&R, you do have to start here. If only for completeness' sake. If nothing else, it's a trip to see Los Bros' early drawing styles, especially Jaime's (he got a lot slicker as the years went on; Gilbert had a looser style to begin with and got even looser and more expressive; I enjoy both their styles equally). Plus, you do get to meet fan favorites Maggie and Hopey (Jaime) and Luba (Gilbert) here for the first time. I'm just not all that interested in the "Mechanics" stuff (Rand Race was probably the least interesting character Jaime ever put to paper) or Gilbert's "Heavy Metal"-influenced stuff, and I'm definitely one of those readers who thought Maggie got about 1,000 times cooler when she put on weight in the later comics. But that's just my opinion...I could be wrong.

what can you say?
I've collected the series of these L&R compilations. Jaime and Beto have mended my broken heart with their Heartbreak Soup and filled it with melanchollic wonder. This isn't just some comic book--each frame is a work of art rich in art history, astute literary refs, and beautiful cinematic homages. It's more like watching a movie than reading and I always finish each book ends with a bittersweet sigh. Maggie, Hopey, Luba, and all the folks in Palomar have become more real friends than most of the post-punk slackers I know. Sad but true. Buy 'em all!

...post-post-modern, decadent and absurd soap operas...
....like Betty and Veronica meets Almodovar meets Mad Max these future and past tales from Los Bros Hernandez, Jaime and Gilberto, are both highly entertaining and highly original. Some stories are set in barrios, some in futuristic deserts where denizens ride jet rockets like horses, some in a too realistic village where dreams and reality mesh and couples and not couples mesh. If you're not paying attention, you'll miss something important to the story line. This is how 'Love and Rockets' series first began, and when I was into the various plot twists and story lines I thought that this Los Bros' concept would make a good movie or even TV show...wordless stories of mythic and modern women warriors of Mexican and Spanish descent come right between chapters of a story line involving, for instance, whether Luba's dignity would stay intact after suffering emotional assault from a sister, a lover, the system, the poverty...some of the stories are ludicrous and humourous and others are graphic and real. All of them are full of humanity and bite. The art is Jaime and Gilberto at their Vargas-inspired best...they are equally great artists. You will love this! ... Read more

Reviews (37)

A great comic!
Bill Waterson is argudably one of the best comic writers out there. Even through his retirement, he has made great books of past comics featuring his Calvin and Hobbes characters. I laugh and laugh at these comics he creates and I sometimes wonder how he comes up with such brilliant ideas sometimes with the storylines of some of the strips.

Calvin, one of his best known characters, is the trouble-making kid in the school. He is funny and imaginative and likes to make funa and games with his "real" pet friend Hobbes. Through the comics, you can see the relationship between a stuffed animal and a human.

In this comic though, Hobbes "comes to life" in Calvins eyes. The things that Calvin can sometimes get involved in is so hilarious and sometimes out of this world.

I guarantee that anyone that loves comics will fall in love with this one and should definitely buy this book to start their collection of classic comics.

All of Bill Waterson's comic books are very well done and very professional. His work is his life and it shows the time and consideration it took to make these characters come to life. Thank you Mr. Waterson for creating such a great comic and thatnk you people for reading my review!

Deep fun!
Fans of Calvin & Hobbes who used to read the newspaper strip in the 80s and 90s will find great pleasure in reading this collection of C&H comics. These witty comics about the 6-year old Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes, named after the famous philosophers, will amuse people of all ages. The perceptiveness and humor of Watterson deserve the highest of cartoon awards, while his artistic creations exude hilarity. This cartoon is perhaps one of the most piercing yet funny critiques of modern society.

More daydreams and more weird inventions from the wide imagination of Calvin. Contains all the usual characters, but more elaborate and more philosophical strips.

Note that there are two series of C&H collections: individual wide-format albums, each covering an entire year of strips (will call it "regular"), and the vertical aspect ratio "treasury series" which covers selected comics from two regular C&H books. Note that C&H ran for a year in newspapers, so there's 10 regular books and 5 treasury books. Though the cartoons are slightly smaller in the treasury collection, each treasury book is far thicker and contains more strips than a regular book, and is furthermore less expensive, so treasury books are a real bargain. "There's Treasure Everywhere" belongs to the regular series and was published in 1996.

Calvin and the Snowmen
Every "Calvin and Hobbes" book contains wonderful insight into our society, children, and parents in general. Bill Watterson has an excellent way of looking at us from a slightly twisted child's point of view, but a child who has to be a genius or near-genius.

This collection contains some of the best winter strips that Watterson ever created. The images of a snow man worshipping Calvin are funny, especially in the last portion of the strip. In another strip Calvin has created a group of small snow men, and has taken another one to the roof as a potential suicide. While this strip sounds very twisted, it's also humorous. Another winter strip sums up the parents feelings as they note that Calvin's activities have led to the neighbors planting really big trees along the boundaries of their property.

Hobbes is an integral part of Calvin's life, ranging from insulting to supporting to the poignant. One of the best poignant strips is when Hobbes takes Calvin out to the school bus while it's raining, carrying an umbrella for him. Soon Calvin's parents look out the window to see Hobbes as a stuff animal with an umbrella tucked under one arm. Calvin's father goes out to retrieve Hobbes and then we see another image of Calvin sitting in school staring at the clock, clearly worrying about Hobbes in the rain.

There are quite a few collections of "Calvin and Hobbes." Of the eight or nine collections that I have I have found every one to be a worthy addition to my library and hope to eventually have them all. Of the "Calvin and Hobbes" collections I have this one is one of the best.

A Treasure!
Another great slab of chuckles and fun from Bill Watterson's master of insults and silly repartie, the irrepresible Calvin and his stuffed tiger (to everyone in his world) Hobbes.

although you are laughing at his antics, in the back of your mid you think Calvin needs some "Real" friends.

My favorite Calvin and Hobbes book!
I reccomend, on page 95, i think, Calvin's prank call to the library! My favorite Calvin and Hobbes strip EVER! ... Read more

Book Description

Since its debut in April 1999, The Boondocks has found a home in more than 250 newspapers, making its launch the strongest since Calvin and Hobbes and For Better or For Worse. The rich, multilayered comic strip offers a frank yet often funny look at race in America. It starts with a simple premise: Two young boys, Riley and Huey, move from innercity Chicago to live with their grandfather. The tension increases, however, because the two boys are African-Americans now compelled to adapt to a white suburban world. They must take all they've learned in the 'hood and apply it to life in the 'burbs. Aaron McGruder has created a strip unlike any other. Superbly illustrated, The Boondocks has stirred controversy, attracted widespread media coverage, and won readers who've applauded McGruder's unapologetic and humorous approach to race. This second collection includes some of the year's most compelling story lines.The Boondocks is a groundbreaking strip of enormous proportions. It's certain to only increase in popularity.

... Read more

Reviews (24)

Fresh for the 01: not just the same ol' comics...
I could not believe how funny this comic strip is! McGruder "keeps it real" by using the Freeman family characters to depict many aspects of African-American culture. Their coexistence within an all-white community is truly funny, and Huey's discourse often provides food for thought. This is what I want from a book: interesting characters, believable dialogue, and bust-out-loud laughter. Bottom line: I loved it!

From Broke to Boondocks
It seems like most of these reviews were written by people very familiar with The Boondocks. I bought this book on a whim after seeing McGruder's work in The Broke Diaries by Angela Nissel and a negative "letter to the editor" article about his comic strip.

I absolutely love this comic strip now and would have read the "funny pages" a long time ago if I'd known it offered a timely, smart, grown-up alternative to Family Circus.

McGruder speaks through youngsters for my generation, raising relevant issues but never losing the humor. No one is safe from his wit; not Puffy nor presidential candidates.

Not to mention, the artwork is awesome. I enjoyed the subtle shadings in the comic strip and his silly art in The Broke Diaries.

If you're not sure what all the fuss is about or you get your news online like me and haven't touched a paper in years, catch up with this collection. The Boondocks might actually make you start buying the paper again.

AN EXCELLENT FOLLOW-UP COLLECTION
This collection is an excellent follow-up to 2000's Because I Know You Don't Read The Newspaper. It's good to see another strong, interesting character like Caesar join Huey, Riley (...I mean Esco), their granddad, the DuBois family (Jazmine, Tom, and Sarah) and the clueles Cindy in whitebread Woodcrest. This comic is a breath of fresh (no pun intended) air in my daily paper. It's a shame that I only get one new strip a day though. Still, one Boondocks makes up for the void that fills the rest of the page. Thank you Aaron.

Fashizzle Dizzle
I've been a fan of The Boondocks since it's newspaper syndication and I hope it runs forever.

Working the great loophole...
Aaron McGruder uses one of America's last great loophole, being African-American, to produce some ridiculously funny stuff. Few white authors in America (sans Andy Rooney) could get away with any if this, but the fact the McGruder is black gets him a free pass. I really don't care, because its good stuff. ... Read more

Book Description

The 2001 Festival Of Cartoon Art at the Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library will feature Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes.The exhibit will be called "Calvin and Hobbes:Sunday Pages 1985-1995."It is scheduled to run September 10, 2001 to January 15, 2002.Andrews McMeel will publish the exhibit catalog that will reprint all 36 of the works in the exhibit, and it will include an essay by Mr. Watterson abou this work on the strip, plus his comments on each of the strips in the display.This book is a must-have for all Calvin and Hobbes fans. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

A MUST-HAVE for all fans!!!
Bill Watterson--the reclusive creator of Calvin and Hobbes--shares his personal insights on creating this incredible strip. If you're a fan, there's no question that you should buy the book. It's like being introduced to Calvin and Hobbes all over again. The strips you've seen before, but you'll learn things you never knew.

Waterson Does It Again
This book is awesome! If you are a true Calvin and Hobbes fan, you will get this. It has two versions of every 36 strips in the book, you can even see white-out and erase marks on the rough copies that are shown on the left side. Watterson talks about each strip, including a six page introduction. Calvin and Hobbes fans must get this book!

Insightful looks at classic sunday strips
Calvin & Hobbes was much more than a really good newspaper comic strip.

Created by Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes will be hailed among the greatest ever created, right alongside Peanuts and Krazy Kat for its creativity, scope of influence and the enjoyment it offered the reader. It was a strip capable of being all things gleeful and all things sad, all things goofy and all things serious.

Bill Watterson's genius cannot be overstated. He was a master of the comic form. He somehow managed to be funny, clever, touching, insightful, warm, cynical, uplifting, devious, nostalgic, and mischievous, all in the space of a little three- or four-panel comic strip.

And his Sunday strips? A feast. His use of space and color, especially in the strip's later years, was masterful. He knew how to work a page like no other.

In this collection, some of the best Sunday strips are collected in glorious color. Each is amended with footnotes and annotations by the creator himself, along with early pre-newspaper versions of the strips. While many of these can be found elsewhere, this collection is a nice look back at some favorites, made even better by the insight and observations of the man who drew them. Even those intimately familiar with these cartoons will learn something new about the craft of comic creation through his annotations.

Each comic strip is a story - and for longtime Calvin & Hobbes readers, a memory. That final strip, with its clean slate of white snow into which Calvin and Hobbes disappear, talking of discovery and exploring ... just fantastic.

If you're a fan of Watterson's work and Calvin & Hobbes, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

Bill Watterson. Cartoonist exrtodinaire.
Another in a collection of zany, wonderful episodes brought to us by a cartooning master. Keeps us in touch with sanity and makes us laugh because we need it! Good job, Bill!

Six stars would be better!
Who could say too much about the genius of Bill Watterson? The introspective Calvin and fun-loving Hobbes combine to make even the most dense of society roar with laughter! Kudos, Bill. ... Read more