Book Description

Imagine three hurricanes converging on one household and you get an idea of what Darryl and Wanda MacPherson experience each delightful day of parenting Zoe, Hammie, and Baby Wren. It's a perfect storm of flying foodstuffs, off-the-scale emotional outbursts, and enough offspring energy to make veteran storm chasers duck for cover � and that's before any little friends come over to play!Playdate: Category 5 captures all this and more in the latest Baby Blues collection. This book is packed with hilarious family situations and childhood challenges anyone can appreciate, whether it's fellow parents riding out their own "storms," empty nesters reveling in their calms, or parents-to-be wondering what all the fuss is about. Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott are right on target in episode after episode. Their witty observations and insights-such as "I think screaming is the primary form of communication for girls"; "We've gotta learn to travel lighter, or just put some wheels on the house"; and "Sometimes being the dad is like being the weird kid in the neighborhood"-always hit the mark.Playdate: Category 5 will be treasured by those new to the strip as well as those who've appreciated its previous 18 collections. Even better than the daily installments, which appear in more than 900 newspapers and 20 magazines throughout the world, Playdate allows readers to experience the full fury of the MacPherson family tempest time and time again. It's coming on fast! ... Read more

Book Description

When Dilbert first appeared in newspapers across the country in 1989, office workers looked around suspiciously. Was its creator, Scott Adams, a pen name for someone who worked amongst them' After all, the humor was just too eerily funny and familiar.Since then, millions of fans have repeatedly clamored for every Dilbert strip, book, coffee mug, T-shirt, you name it. Dilbert has become more than a cartoon character. He's become an office icon.In this 19th collection, Dilbert and his cohorts, Dogbert, Catbert, Ratbert, and the pointy haired boss, once again entertain with their cubicle humor. From bizarre personnel decisions to meetings gone bad, from schizoid secretaries to consultants from hell, In Your Cubicle No One Can Hear You Scream! provides a guaranteed recipe for success-and a way to get all those darn comic strips off the break -oom bulletin board.

... Read more

Reviews (7)

Another Day in Dilbert's Cubic Hell
Adams does it again. One wonders where he keeps finding all the ideas, and they are so right on. Dilbert plods his way through seemingly useless existence lost in cubic space while his dog and garbage man seem much wiser. Wally never does any work, and Alice puts in long hours that she has no life. Of the two Wally is more productive because he didn't make any big mistakes that cost the company money. Catbert the evil HR director thinks up new ways to torment employees. Classic Dilbert at its best. Send a copy to your own pointy haired boss for any occasion.

Not the best collection
For Dilbert fans, this is a must buy book. However, for those that are starting out on their Dilbert trek, I would recommend reading "Still Pumped from using the Mouse" or "I'm not Anti-business, I'm Anti-idiot" before purchasing this collection. Scott Adams did most of his damage in the late 90's and has not been able to pick up any momentum. Sometimes it feels like some of the newer Dilberts are just not as funny or even recycled. However, this book still has some great laughs and storylines. For the office slave worker, Dilbert will probably never cease to be funny. If you love Dilbert, you're going to buy this book anyway, and if you're just sort of interested, you should by some of the earlier ones.

Buy it!
Another Day in Cubicle Paradise is a 120-page (excluding title page, introduction, etc.) collection of Scott Adams' hilarious Dilbert cartoons. Dated between 2/5/01 and 11/11/01, these cartoons include all of the normal Dilbert crew: Dilbert, Alice, Wally, Asok, Dogbert, Catbert (a personal favorite), and so forth. All of these are printed in black-and-white (even though the Sunday ones appear in color in your favorite newspaper), but this is made up for by the fact that there are so many laugh-out-loud funny ones!

This book is great, a must-have addition to the library of any Scott Adams fan. Buy it!

cool one! may not be the best in the series
Good one, but why those marvelous episodes circulating in the e-mails are always in the 'other' books?

Dilbert' dailys
This book gathers the daily and sundays comic strips that you could had found on a daily newspaper or on the dilbert homepage spanning Feb 2001 to Nov 2001.

The book is a fast and addictive. You will see yourself reading this until achieve a state of immaterial sense. The genius of Scott Adams is on is prime no doubt. ... Read more

Book Description

From one of the funniest minds--and pens--of our time, at last, the definitive collection of the very best of Opus, everyones favorite maladjusted penguin.

One of Americas most beloved comic geniuses is back, with this collectible 25th anniversary compendium of the best of Opus, joined by his hilarious supporting cast, including Binkley, Milo, Bill the Cat, Steve Dallas, Ronald Ann, and the rest of the residents of Bloom County and Outland.

From Antarctica to Omaha, Opus has cavorted with space creatures, impersonated rock stars, fended off accusations of penguin lust, and even campaigned for office. Now, in addition to the classic strips, Berkeley Breathed also brings us never-before-collected Bloom County cartoons and original all-new material from his Opus comics.

Brace yourself for the sidesplitting, table-pounding, milk-through-the-nose-spewing laughter that only Opus and his outlandish friends can generate. The perfect collection for both die-hard fans and those discovering the matchless humor of Berkeley Breathed for the first time. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Like all good galleries this only contains masterpieces
The Far Side Galleries are literature's version of greatest hits CDs. This edition is even forwarded by Stephen King.

The artistic masterpieces in this one come from the books Brides of The Far Side, Valley of the Far Side and It Came From the Far Side. It may be cheaper to buy these books individually instead of this gallery so compare prices before purchasing.

The advantage of owning the galleries is that some cartoons are full page size which is three times the size of the original books. Not all cartoons are full size though just some.

Classic cartoons contained in this one such as dogs looking at slides with one pointing to the screen, "Now in this slide we can see how the cornered cat has seems to grow suddenly bigger, Trickery! Trickery! Trickery!" Another has a guy waking up with a post it note on his left foot where his toe should be with the words "Went to market" on it. The classic human parody of nagging where a bear demands of her husband who has No. 8 shaved into his fur, a huge tag with no.8 on his ear and a needle sticking out of him "Late Again! This Better Be Good!"

Is this book better than other galleries? Well that's a matter of opinion, different ones appeal to different people. Should you buy it? Yes!

the far side is by far the funniest comic strip
i can't tell you whether or not to buy this collection, you either like gary larson's work or you don't. and if you know his work, and everyone does, you already know if you want this. it's a winner. and has a brief intro by stephen king--it comes to no surprise that king is a fan of the far side. they seem to fit together.

The twisted world of Gary Larson
"The Far Side Gallery 2" gathers together a generous helping of cartoons by the brilliant Gary Larson, with an introduction by horror icon Stephen King. Larson's work is a surreal blend of horror, science fiction, and satire, all filtered through Larson's twisted, often macabre, sense of humor.

Larson aims his pen at many targets in this collection; vampires, nuclear holocaust, the Bible, the tooth fairy, obesity, game shows, suicide, Vikings, vegetarianism, creationism, and much, much more. He often pokes fun at famous people or characters from literature and popular culture: Albert Einstein, Humpty Dumpty, Frankenstein, Carl Sagan, the Brady Bunch, etc.

One of Larson's trademarks is to feature non-human characters who talk and behave remarkably like humans. Many such characters appear in this book: worms, extraterrestrial creatures, sharks, slugs, elephants, dragons, flowers, roaches, and more.

The book is full of weirdness, but throughout it maintains an oddly consistent "Larsonian" logic. So if you want to see a Venus Kidtrap awaiting a meal, a devil leading a nightmarish aerobic workout session in hell, or Spanish-speaking dolphins confounding a team of scientists, check out "The Far Side Gallery 2."

Same old goofy humor!
I have read this book through and through about 30 times and I love it! The entire series of Gary Larson books are funny, but this one is one of my favorite collections yet. Larson has a very strange sense of humor that fans of the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy books or Close to Home cartoons are sure to be amused by. I guarantee you'll laugh at this book.

Farside is cool
Hey this book is really funny. It has the same old Far Side humor. It is one of the more clever books a guy can read. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes The Far Side. (Especially you fans of his callenders.) I really like it and you should too. :) just kidding. Go with your instincts. Buy it if it is on the Sale rack somtime. ... Read more

Book Description

Earth braces for its final destruction in a collision with an onrushing planet, and only Dr. Zarkov can prevent doomsday. Taking Flash Gordon and Dale Arden captive, he takes off in a rocket to deflect the hurtling planet and save the world. The mad Zarkov, Flash and Dale survive a crash landing on Mongo, only to be captured by the diabolical Ming the Merciless. And the true adventure begins. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Great start for this series
Checker has another hit on their hands with their reprint series of Alex Raymond's FLASH GORDON. Presented in oblong 12 x 9" hardcover format, this makes for an attractive, if somewhat awkward, format for collecting these classic strips. I say "awkward" because oblong editions don't store easily on the bookshelf, but the benefit is that you get the strips in their original format. In any case, it's great to see Raymond's original strips back in print. This edition introduces Flash Gordon and his travelling companions Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov, as well as the interplanetary comrades and enemies we all know and love (or love to hate). Reproduction is fair: the linework is a bit light, and the colors are too soft for my tastes. Better reproduction quality, plus a higher page count, would have netted this book five stars.

Back to the 1930's with Flash Gordon on Mongo!
Finally, with the publication of this book, I have had the chance to see and read the original color comic strip of the famous Flash Gordon serial that was eventually made into the successful Buster Crabbe series! Looking back at the original illustrations and storyline is a benefit for any fan of Flash Gordon because we get to see the germination of the ideas and EXPERIENCE the thrill that weekly readers must have felt when they bought their newspapers. The colors are interesting, the storyline of course is great, but perhaps the best is that we get to understand the names of various beasts and races that existed on the Planet Mongo better than the Crabbe series on film. The scientific interpretation of technology is fascinating and the order of the planet will make much more sense to you after reading this book. It will also most likely cause a more appreciative view of those old Buster Crabbe serials of Flash when you see them again! A real gem and I am looking forward to the next volume of a projected 3 volume series. The only problem encountered is that some of the text was a little hard to see because of the colors behind them but to those who are familiar with the story it should not be much of a burden.

Great
When I went to my local comic shop and saw this book, I bought it without even checking the prize. I first saw Raymond's work on the History Channel series of programs retelling the history of comics, and being a fan of the animated series and a comic book artist myself, I set out to find his work. No success.
Now, it is available in this hardcovers and I can only thank Checker for doing this. The artwork reproduction is fairly good (being strips from 1934), and the panels are printed in a good size, at least for me (regarding the previous reviews). I don't know the original measures and the up to date quality of the strip, but in this collection, I think you'll be able to thoroughly enjoy Alex Raymond's stunning artwork, wich is a reminder of an era and a great source of inspiration to artists, both up and coming and professionals.

Publisher's Note on the PW review
Normally, Checker does not rebut reviews, but in this case I felt the need to clarify some points brought up in the Publishers Weekly review above. First, every criticism within the review is 100% valid FOR THE REVIEW COPY PROVIDED TO PW.

As readers may or may not know review copies are provided the media four to five months prior to publication. With full color comic strip collections the quality of the REVIEW COPY is a difficult thing to measure. Subsequent to Checker mailing review copies, we chose to delay the publication of the collection and revamp the book format and design to better reflect its original published format. The end book is something wholly different than what we provided to the editorial staff at Publishers Weekly. We are confident that fans will relish this watershed of comics history in their collections. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Humor and political insight unparalleled
Berke Breathed was one of those rare political cartoonists whose political insight was the same weight as his humor. "Bloom County" was his greatest vehicle. Some other cartoons have great political scope but just don't make you laugh out loud--"Doonesbury" and "Mallard Fillmore", particularly. While others fake political insight, but are very humorous. "Tales Too Ticklish to Tell: Bloom County" is as good as any of the other Bloom County anthologies, but it's the inclusion of a Bloom Picayune that makes this an extra treat, and serves as a reminder that this strip was special for its time. Boy, do I miss it.

The Way We Were, 1987 Edition...
In 1987, America's obsessions included the Iran-Contra affair, the NFL players' strike, the peculiar pecadilloes of televangelists and the effect they had on their "flocks," and the impending election of a new President from a crop of unlikely candidates. It is this America that Berke Breathed took a snapshot of, and is thus preserved for the ages within the pages of this, the sixth collection of Bloom County comic strips (covering late 1986 through virtually all of '87).

The longest and best continuity contained in this book is the one in which the Meadow denizens find themselves completely brainwashed by Bill the Cat's new teleministry. Calling himself "Fundamentally Oral Bill," he manages to convince everyone of the true danger lurking in the shadows of America - "Penguin Lust!" Guess who *that* directly affects... Opus soon finds himself hounded completely out of town, the victim of a misguided religious fervor. The strip then follows Opus as he takes a job as a male stripper for Chippendales, meets up with various celebrities-of-the-moment, and finally ends up aimlessly wandering a vast creative wasteland, completely without direction or a script. ("Boy, do I feel like the Democratic party!", he utters at one point.) Eventually, though, all is forgiven, and he's welcomed back to the Boarding House.

In other developments, Opus actually gets hitched to his girlfriend of a year's standing, Lola Granola... only to knock himself out cold on her face when leaning in for a post-nuptial kiss. (It's his nose, you see.) While unconscious, he envisions what life would be like after twenty years of marriage; it eventually ends with Lola leaving him for a rocket mechanic, and Opus left to raise their 23 test-tube babies. Needless to say, the first word out of his mouth when he comes to: "Annullment." Luckily for him, Lola was having second thoughts of her own, and so that storyline (begun in the previous book) is ended.

Then, there's the strike... The Bloom County Players' Union, taking a stand against the increased size reduction of newspaper comic strips over the years, walks off the job in a direct swipe at the NFL's labor troubles of that year. In retaliation, W.A. Thornhump (President and CEO of Bloom County, Inc.) hires a "scab" replacement cast, with predictable results.

The Iran-Contra hearings are also parodied, as Oliver makes contact with alien raiders who intend to harvest humans for slaves and food ("THEY AIN'T E.T.," scream the newspapers). The federal government retaliates the only way they know how - subponeas. Unfortunately for them, the aliens prove to be extremely telegenic puppy dogs, and public opinion soon overwhelmingly turns in their favor as a result. The representative depicted in these strips may just as well have been named "Lt. Col. Oliver North," because that's exactly who he's supposed to be talking like. Breathed's message is clear - with the right look and the right words, America can and will forgive just about any crime, no matter how heinous. Times really haven't changed all that much...

Also included is the series of strips that made headlines of a sort, when Bill the Cat was fingered in a "Bible-study" scandal with a middle-aged woman originally named "Edith Dreck." Breathed wasn't aware of it at the time, but the word "dreck" is Yiddish for excrement, and his use of the term raised quite a few eyebrows. The spelling was changed in subsequent reprintings (this book included) to "Drock," but the incident provided fuel for many future gags in Bloom County whereby a sensitive reader would become completely irrational over an offensive word on the comics page.

And in the final long continuity reprinted here, Steve Dallas is kidnapped by aliens (different ones this time, though) and put through a process called "Gephardtization" - by which his personality and beliefs are turned around the complete 180 degrees. As a result, the womanizing conservative ex-preppie lawyer emerges from the process as a feminist liberal Jesse Jackson supporter... completely useless as a defense attorney, and not much better as a lover. Although readers made it clear they preferred the old Steve, Breathed would maintain this new version of his oldest character up until just before the end of Bloom County itself in 1989. There was, after all, just as much humor to be mined from the "sensitive male" as there was from the "stereotypical MAN'S MAN."

As a bonus, the book also includes a pull-out section - a copy of the Bloom Picayune, Bloom County's best (and only) daily newspaper.

Highly recommended for scholars of newspaper comics... but then, you probably already knew that.

A genius of political humor
Breathed is a great cartoonist in general, but his political satire is without equal. For those of us coming of age politically in the mid- to late-1980s, this book will provide a constant source of laughs, from disgraced televangilists to football strikes to (my all-time favorite) alien dogs that look and act surprisingly like Oliver North. Don't miss!

classic bloom county
This was the first bloom county book I ever read in introduced me to the world of bloom county. Ever since I read this I have wanted all the bloom county I can find. Berke Breathed is a genus and opus rocks ... Read more

Reviews (30)

A Must-Have Book (if you like to laugh)!
Larson writes in his introduction: "What the reader will find herein is a collection of the Far Side's birth and evolution". He proves that by first showing us some of his drawings as a kid that even then show Larson as the warped genius he would become albeit without the subtlety his best work would display (IE: One of his childhood cartoon is of a boy being fangled over an alligator pit at the zoo by his father).

From there, we fast forward to Larson's early adult life where he is working at a retail music store. One day he came to realize that his job was the pits and so he decided to try to break into the world of cartooning. He started out by drawing strips for small regional publications in the Pacific Northwest. Until 1979, when he began drawing Nature's Way for the Seattle Times. Nature's Way was the precursor to the Far Side and Larson feared that there might be trouble early on when he discovered that his strip, with its decidedly adult oriented humor, was placed next to Junior Jumble.

A year later, Larson decided to try to expand his strip beyond one newspaper and went to San Francisco where he succeeded in placing it with the Chronicle. Ironically, one day after the strip was accepted, the Seattle times axed Nature's Way ("I knew it shouldn't have been next to Junior Jumble" Larson grouses). The strip is re-christened the Far Side and makes its debut a week later. Before long it appears in other newspapers. When Larson's contract expired in 1984, he moved to Universal Press Syndicate.

From there, Larson proceeds to take us inside his creative process and show us what was going on in his mind when he drew his comics. We also get a tasty sampling of mistakes Larson made as well as mistake his editors made and a list of angry letters from readers furious about certain comics and strips that the syndicate decided not to publish. And lastly, there is a selection of some of Larson's favorite strips.

You can pick up Prehistory Of The Far Side at any point and laugh your rear end off (even if you're not a horse). While we may miss the enjoyment of reading a new Far Side strip each day in our daily newspaper, we still have collections such as this one to remind us of the good times. Another Amazon quick-pick I recommend is the unusual and hilarious THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez

Taking Comic Strip Collections to a Whole New Level
This book is not just a showcase of Far Side cartoons. It's much, much more than that. It's a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most warped, twisted, and funny comic strips to make its way into the comics pages.

Besides page after page of some of the best Far Side cartoons, you also get a brief, but funny autobiography of the creator Gary Larson and how the Far Side came to be. You get early drawings from Mr. Larson's pre-Far Side days. You get sketchbook doodles, controversial Far Sides and the stories behind them, rejected cartoons, and glimpses into how some of these cartoons developed from sketch to full-fledged cartoon.

This is an absolute must-have for anyone who has ever enjoyed even one Far Side strip. It is a fabulous look not just into the Far Side, but into the entire world of cartooning.

Read this book with your favorite cow, bug or fat kid
How many books have you read so many times you don't even know how many times you've read them? How many books do you have that -- when you broke up with your ex girlfriend -- you got all your old Russian literature back but not them? Yeah sure, you can get another copy of this book for a few bucks, but it's the principle of the thing, isn't it? So, if SOMEONE who happens to be reading this is feeling guilty, they know how to get the book back to me. Or at least, just fax the part at the beginning where Larsen drew that picture of his family dog, or the page where Larsen drew the inside of the trunk, or the page where Larsen drew the snake after it ate...well let's just say it was next to any empty play pen or even the page where Larsen talked about his famous "cow tools" strip. Or you could just fax the whole thing.

All you ever wanted to know about Larson...
...but was afraid to ask.

Larson gives you an inside view into is wonderfully sick brain. From his rocky, struggling beginnings of being a starving cartoonist, to the monster he created, he spills all.

Some of the highlights are the chapters on cartoons that his editor wouldn't allow to be published and his late-night sketchbook doodles. Along with his comments on the cartoons, he has complied a sort of "Greatest Hits" of his cartoons.

This book never gets old. I'll pick it up every few months and be rolling on the floor with laughter every time.

what a sick man
Gary Larson created The Far Side comics and did so much for the world of comics. He broke taboos, he did disgusting things, he used intelligence with his wicked (and twisted) sense of humor. When you talk about the greatest cartoonists and strips you mention Garfield (old Garfield before Davis fielded out all the work), Calvin & Hobbes (which fits perfectly with Larson), and The Far Side (I'd also include the relatively new strip, Get Fuzzy). This book collects Larson's work, new work, and work he never showed. You have to see it to believe it, and it is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. ... Read more

Book Description

The ultimate collection by one of the most recognized talents in graphic novels: includes over a decade of comics and illustrations by the still-under-30 Adrian Tomine, from Pulse to The New Yorker and Esquire, collected together for the first time in one sharply-designed book. Scrapbook is the first comprehensive Adrian Tomnie collection. here you'll find the complete run of strips which was originally published in Tower Records' Pulse Magazine which Adrian started when he was only 17, along with comics originally published in Details and a host of other magazines of the past decade. A large section of Scrapbook is dedicated to Tomine's extensive illustration and design work, featuring his best material over the years from virtually every major publication in America including The New Yorker, Details, Esquire, and the late JFK Jr.-edited George. Tomines' art has also graced popular album covers and posters for bands such as The Eels and Weezer and posters and its' all included here in this beautifully packaged book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Perhaps the most interesting illustrator today
This is the best book present I've ever received. Whenever I come across AT's work in the New Yorker, I take a second, third, fourth look. There's definitely a pop sensibility in all his drawings, which I find appealing. The NY illustrations have been getting a little worn around the edges. AT's work brings back some of that edge that makes the NY still interesting--if only for the original art. (Someone dump their poetry editor!) That he could marry bright scenes and clean lines with his often alienated characters is a testament to his skill. Anomie has rarely been so colorful or so curious. ... Read more

Book Description

"Dog-Eared" is exactly what this latest collection from cartoonist Patrick McDonnell is destined to become. The brilliant assortment of simple-yet-complex strips will have readers turning its pages again and again, eager to revisit the charm, truth, and humor found within.McDonnell's strip, syndicated in more than 500 Sunday and daily newspapers throughout the world, highlights the adventures of Earl the dog and Mooch the cat, best buddies who regularly come in contact with Shtinky Puddin', Sourpuss, Guard Dog, and Crabby-as well as an assortment of whimsically rendered humans. This cast is capable of endless antics, interspersed with poignant views on both the animal and human condition. And whether they're raiding garbage cans or basking in full-frontal belly rubs, Mooch and Earl always have a comment to clinch the scene.Mutts is the kind of strip that comic readers find irresistible. "Dog-Eared" is the same kind of collection. One strip leads to another, and before you know it you've turned page after dog-eared page to satisfy a growing Mutts addiction. ... Read more

Book Description

Welcome to the world of that archetypal American, Reuben Lucius Goldberg, the dean of American cartoonists for most of the twentieth century. For more than sixty-five years, Rube Goldberg's syndicated cartoons -- he produced more than fifty strips -- appeared in as many as a thousand newspapers annually He was earning a hundred thousand dollars a year...in 1915. He wrote hit songs and stories and was, in succession, a star in vaudeville, motion pictures, newsreels, radio, and, finally, television.

He even, at the age of eighty, began an entirely new career as a sculptor, and, in inimitable Goldberg fashion, was soon selling his work to galleries, collectors, and museums all over the world. Sure, Rube won the Pulitzer Prize. Every year some cartoonist wins the Pulitzer Prize. But the National Cartoonists Society named its award -- the Reuben -- after you-know-who.

But it was Rube's "Inventions," those drawings of intricate and whimsical machines, that earned Rube his very own entry in Webster's New World Dictionary:

Rube Goldberg...adjective...Designating any very complicated invention, machine, scheme, etc. laboriously contrived to perform a seemingly simple operation.

"Inventions," even the earliest ones that date from 1914, are still being republished and recycled today as they have been over the last eighty-five years. New generations rediscover and enjoy them every day, even though their creator cleaned his pens, put the cap on his bottle of Higgins Black India Ink, and cleared his drawing board for the last time almost thirty years ago. The inventions inspired the National Rube Goldberg™ Machine Contest, held annually at Purdue University, an "Olympics of complexity" in which hundreds of engineering students from American universities and colleges -- and even middle and high schools -- compete to build and run Rube Goldberg invention machines that perform, in twenty or more steps, the annual challenge.

In 1970 the Smithsonian Institution hosted a show honoring Rube Goldberg's lifework. In a life filled with superlatives, it hardly needs mentioning that Rube is the only living cartoonist and humorist to have been so honored. In his speech at the show's opening, Rube said, "Many of the younger generation know my name in a vague way and connect it with grotesque inventions, but don't believe that I ever existed as a person. They think I am a nonperson, just a name that signifies a tangled web of pipes or wires or strings that suggest machinery. My name to them is like spiral staircase, veal cutlets, barber's itch -- terms that give you an immediate picture of what they mean..."

So welcome to a collection of spiral staircases and veal cutlets -- to the inventions of an American original, a creative genius named Rube Goldberg. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I thought It Would Be Better
The concept of accomplishing a ridiculously simple task with incredible complexity, is invented and taught here by Rube Goldberg.

As mechanical engineers in college, we used to play around with this concept quite often.

The use of unpredictable things in his cartoons (people, animals) make a cartoon look impossible, if it isn't enough already.

A plant being watered and growing (in a couple of seconds) to accompllish a task is to me, not possible, but at least predictable. An animal or person being heated up, causes Goldberg's desired effect only because he drew the human to do so. But for the human, the number of possible responses are many. We all know that the watered plant will do only one thing. Go up. The time suggested for it to do so; therein lies the humor.

The zaniest universe
I have a real problem with this book. Namely, I can't get on a New York bus or subway without having dozen strangers leaning over me to look at the cartoons, first with curiosity and then suddenly bursting into hysterical laughter. It's that kind of book. The name "Rube Goldberg:" is supposed to vaguely resemble a machine more complicated than it should be. But as I discovered here, the inventions are more than over-complicated.. They are zany, zappy, and have the weird quantum logic of a parallel universe existing in some mad scientist's crazy mind. Take a "modest mosquito-bite scratcher", which is modest if you have dogs, cannons and worms all hooked up in tandem. Or a "self-scrubbing bath brush", which is easy once you teach a monkey to play outfield and hook the monkey up with a millwheel, a jack-in-the-box and an organ grinder. But why go on? Each time I open the book, one of the hundreds and hundreds of insane worlds plays itself out with kind of an eerie reality. Maynard Frank Wolfe has written a decent down-to-earth biography of the real Rube Goldberg , who (obviously!) started his long life as an engineer. But the amazing and endless cartoons are simply the funniest and best things around. At first, I thought of Leonardo de Vinci on LSD. But the more realistic affinity is Gary Larson. Both Larson and Goldberg turn science on its head, with their own creations both defying and DEIFYING logic. Now if only he'd invented a way to make strangers on a subway train go away! Let them buy their OWN book!

They don't make them like ole' Rube anymore!
Rube Goldberg is justly famous for producing ingenious cartoons that show the most complicated ways imaginable to complete the most mundane of tasks. Any boomer, tweener, Gen-xer, teen, or kid who has played "Mousetrap" has witnessed a "Goldberg". This book reproduces his cartoons and reveals his three-fold genius - as a humorist, an artist, and a master mechanic. Today, the comic pages seem to be oriented either strictly towards children (Rugrats, et. al.), or adults (Doonebury, Dilbert and their kin); either type can be digested in seconds. Goldberg's genius was to produce a hilarious piece of work that could be enjoyed by all ages and actually made his audience think! Buy this book to revel in this master. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (6)

Divide and Rule
Julius Caesar's opponents in the Roman Senate are putting him under increasing ridicule, as a result of the continued resistance of the tiny village in the north of Gaul, which refuses to submit to Roman hegemony.
His latest plan involves the use of an agent, who has a remarkable talent to cause enmity and conflict, wherever he goes.
Before he gets to use his cunning in his attempts to neutralize the village, we get to observe his talents, with all who he comes into contact with.
Before long, Tortuous Convulvulus has sown the seeds of slander, jealousy and calumny in the Gaullish village, causing Asterix, Obelix and Getafix to leave the village.
Can our friends once more foil the Romans and preserve the independence of the village?
This Asterix album comes complete with a handy little battle guide, and once more is filled with the puns and wit we have come to expect from Goscinny and Uderzo.
In this album we get to examine the divide and rule tactics of the Roman Empire, which where used so well by the British Empire, and in the 20th century the Communist Empire. It is also used today with great effect in one party states to neutralize opposition.

If you like Asterix...
... you will love this book!The story is typical Asterix andthe color and puns are just as side-splitting as ever!Add this oneto your personal comedy library!

Classic Gaulish adventure!
In this book, the great Julius Caesar attempts once more to destroy the well-loved Armorican village on the seaside of Gaul. He sends a Roman agent to sow the seeds of strife between Asterix and his people.

Whetheryou're a newcomer to the world of Asterix and Obelix the Gauls, or an oldfan, this particular book is one that is definitely worth owning. The waythe authors so easily entwine history with fiction and comedy is priceless.

Priceless tale
This is a must read for everyone. This comics illustrates how politicians play double cross with people. Just read it for fun & then think whether the situation is same in today's real life as well!

This book is quite clever and very humourous.
I would recommend this book to any one. I have read several times and Ienjoy it just as much every time. Not that many people have heard ofAsterix, but you should really get this book! ... Read more

Book Description

In the five decades after the Yellow Kid first appeared in 1895, the funnies became an essential element of American life. Comic strip characters-Buster Brown, the Katzenjammer Kids, Krazy Kat, Tarzan, Dick Tracy, Popeye, Blondie, Li'l Abner-were everywhere. They starred in live-action and animated films, stage plays, and radio programs. Their phrases invaded the language; their adventures, which reflected societal changes, were retold in books and inspired hit songs.

This visually stunning, comprehensive survey-copiously illustrated with rare original comics art-is the most authoritative history of prewar American newspaper comics currently in print. It documents the major trends in the funnies business, decade by decade, and presents in-depth biographies of 21 of the most influential creators of the era. The Comics Before 1945 joins Brian Walker's The Comics Since 1945 to form a classic survey of American popular culture by one of the greatest authorities in the field. AUTHOR BIO: Brian Walker, a cartoonist and a founder of the International Museum of Cartoon Art, has written and edited more than a dozen books, including Abrams' The Comics Since 1945. Since 1984 he has been part of the creative team that produces the strips Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois. He lives in Wilton, Connecticut. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This 75th anniversary collection pulls together a variety of cartoonists ranging from James Thurber and his ever-battling sexes to Bruce Eric Kaplan and his modern urbans. Readers who are put off by The New Yorker's reputation for stodginess may be pleasantly surprised: a city lot offers Extreme Parking, and one of George Booth's crotchety old ladies urges a silent ogler to "Whistle, you dumb bastard!" There are plenty of sight gags and silly puns (a worried buffalo complains about his cell phone's roaming charges), but don't expect to get through without picking up on a literary reference or two. Roz Chast revisits Eloise at the Plaza hotel at the age of 46 and chronicles the Dialogues of Plato over what to have for lunch. And of course no New Yorker collection would be complete without the sly ghoulishness of Charles Addams. The perfect book for anyone who has ever flipped through a copy of The New Yorker just for the cartoons. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The New Yorker 75th Anniversary Cartoon Collection Is Biased
I just read this book cover to cover. I found it a vanity-piece for the editor and was disappointed by the selection and presentation of the cartoons.

The introduction is precious and information-free. On the preciousness, who expects or wants to read the cartoon editor's version of humorous writing? On the content, I wanted to know how the cartoons were chosen and how he chose to distribute them through the book. Also, some of the cartoons were smudgy and hard to read --- it would have been interesting for the intro to discuss the shape the various originals were in.

I was amazed to find that the editor included as many of his own cartoons in the anthology as he did of Charles Addams'. Even if he considers his own work at the level of Addams', it would be more graceful to leave the announcement of this fact to someone else. His parents, perhaps.

Finally, I would have really enjoyed seeing the cartoons grouped in some manner, by genre or by decade for example. Seeing either the evolution of topics or the universality of topics would have been interesting. I suspect that such a sorting would have made the past few years of New Yorker cartoons look topical and transient --- as I have found them in the magazine itself.

Eclectic Collection and Layout of Many Famous Cartoons
I was introduced to the recent books of New Yorker cartoons by The New Yorker Book of Money Cartoons, which I liked. Imagine my excitement when I saw this massive volume of 707 cartoons by Peter Arno, Charles Addams, Roz Chast, Mary Petty, William Steig, Jack Zeigler and others.

When I opened the book, I was in for another surprise. The book didn't live up to its potential, which is why I graded it down one star.

First, the introduction was a weak stab at humor that didn't work for me about encouraging the reader to skip the introduction and go to the cartoons. I did learn from the introduction that Bob Mankoff, the cartoon editor of The New Yorker, chose these cartoons after reviewing 60,000 cartoons and consulting with the cartoonists, editors of The New Yorker, and readers of the magazine. That research provided the opportunity to insert some of the comments that were made either into the introduction or onto the pages with the cartoons. Neither was done. You can safely skip the introduction, and you will like the book better.

Second, the material could have used some organization. The time periods, subjects, and styles seemed haphazard to me in their order. That robbed the material of some of its strength. The layouts were of 1 to 3 cartoons per page in random fashion. It has a feeling like a scrapbook would.

On the other hand, you'll never find all of these cartoons any place else. Here are a few of my many favorites:

Man in pajamas in a hotel room: "Front desk? There are no little candies on my pillow."

Pilgrim speaking to a Native American: "We're here to escape religious persecution. What are you here for?"

One couple in a living room to another couple: "The work being done on your marriage -- are you having it done, or are you doing it yourselves?

Couple looking at a sunset: "Too much purple."

"Now, if you'll just sign right here . . . you'll be making the biggest mistake of your life!"

The book repeats many of the best cartoons from the various subject series (money, business, lawyers, and doctors) that are separately published by The New Yorker.

The book would make a good gift except that the reproduction of the cartoons is not as sharp as it should be. It seems to have been caused by the digitalization process. Perhaps that's another cartoon for us: "Technology is always a source of progress."

The real strength of the cartoons is to remind us about our stalled thinking: Wanting the world to conform to our ideas about it, rather than perceiving reality and the other person's point of view. The captions take some line or concept that we all use at one time or another, and put them into an unfamiliar setting or turn them around a little. If you treat this as a potential source of self-improvement rather than humor, this will be a five-star book for you.

Sit down with someone you care about and discuss the lessons that you both draw from the humor. That will give you the added benefit of becoming closer, as well as wiser.

If the book doesn't make you laugh, think about why! Why is the humor stalled?

Curiously lacking in social context
Considering how literate and erudite the New Yorker tends to view itself, it's surprising that a collection of cartoons supposedly representing 75 years of social change are presented so randomly and without temporal identification.

The purpose of most cartoons is to make contemporary social commentary in a humorous, visual format. The trouble is, when those cartoons are reproduced years (or decades) later, the cultural situations or mores they originally poked fun at can be meaningless to present-day readers.

Early suburban life, the Organization Man of the 50s and 60s, big business, womens lib, the Me Generation of the 80s, etc., were all fertile fields for cartoonists of the time, but topical humor isn't always timeless and needs to be placed in some perspective if it's to be understood years later.

Most astute readers of this book will be able to place the cartoons in general time periods from clues in the subject matter or the drawing style, but printing the original date of publication in the margins would have allowed this material to be appreciated as timely social commentary and not just a haphazard collection of stand-alone jokes.

Un libro para iniciarse en las viñetas de New Yorker
Este libro es muy adecuado para introducirse en el estupendo mundo de las viñetas del New Yorker. Me fue posible aquí descubrir un montón de autores esenciales para esa publicación y que son de una calidad excelente. Inteligencia y verdadero ingenio están muy extendidos en las páginas de este libro. Lo recomiendo vivamente.

Classic Humor
While I would agree that The New Yorker cartoons in this book could have been better organized and that the introduction was inconsequential, there are many classic cartoons in this volume that are well worth the price of admission. In my collegiate youth, I lived for my weekly New Yorker, just to read the cartoons. I found many old friends in this book and was grateful to be reaquainted with them. ... Read more

Book Description

As Doonesbury shifts to a wartime footing, the strip"s major players find themselves pre-positioned for the coming cakewalk. Weekend warrior B.D. leaves the Fighting Swooshes of Walden in the care of acting Coach Boopstein, returning to the sands of Kuwait as Camp Blowback"s Public Affairs Officer. Among his charges: Roland Hedley, veteran of a grueling combat training program designed to keep media folk from getting capped. Offshore, the irrepressible Morale Officer Lieutenant. Tripler goes live ("Good MORNING, regime-changers!") to lift the shipbound spirits of his pre-swarthy charges, while offstage, Viceroy-in-Waiting Duke prepares to answer empire"s call.Stateside, Mike takes up a flanking position on the sofa to log some serious CNN time, while the Reverend Sloan girds his loins for peace: "Look for us on TV"we"ll be a million strong." Marching to the beat of a different cause, Zonker's old surfing mentor tries to enlist Z in a desperate fight to liberate Left Coastal access. Protests Zonk, "What can I do' I am but one dude!" Meanwhile, Jeff Redfern is but one CIA intern, yet he manages to launch a Predator drone and, using basic Nintendo training, knock out an Al-Q ammo dump. Also taking a hit, Trent Lott, busted for giving props to segregation. "I was trying to say I was down with the hood!" he backpedals, realizing too late that Mr. James Crow has finally left the house.With Alex declaring eco-jihad on SUVs, and Elmont launching a daily assault on coherence as on-line blogger "Jenny McTagart, Girl Pirate," it"s hard to see a peaceful world ahead. But Jimmy Thudpucker can. Waging war on the recording industry, he and other filesharers have a vision of ultimate change de regime: "The suits die off, and Pepperland will be free again."

... Read more

Reviews (1)

Typical Tudeau
Love it or leave it. As usual Trudeau as at its best when he makes you think before you laugh. ... Read more

Book Description

This first book from Chicago author Chris Ware is a pleasantly-decorated view at a lonely and emotionally-impaired "everyman" (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth), who is provided, at age 36, the opportunity to meet his father for the first time. An improvisatory romance which gingerly deports itself between 1890's Chicago and 1980's small town Michigan, the reader is helped along by thousands of colored illustrations and diagrams, which, when read rapidly in sequence, provide a convincing illusion of life and movement. The bulk of the work is supported by fold-out instructions, an index, paper cut-outs, and a brief apology, all of which concrete to form a rich portrait of a man stunted by a paralyzing fear of being disliked. ... Read more

Reviews (76)

The Greatest Show on Earth
I picked this up on a whim at the college bookstore; apparently a lit class is studying it.

As someone formerly somewhat wary of 'graphic novels,' Chris Ware has finally won me over. This book makes full use of the medium's benefits: It brings the bits and pieces of mental images and wanderings that any of us are apt to follow during the course of a day, wanderings that bring the past all too present.

Interwoven through the lives of the Corrigan men, the story itself is one that would stand up to any other medium: the story's great, the art work is fantastic.

This book is definitely a force in the movement to legitimize graphic novels. Like any great work of any medium, Jimmy Corrigan invites second, third, billionth glances, and has mysteries that are rewarding, not confusing.

The Melancholy Tale of Jimmy Corrigan
Wow, Chris Ware did a great job with this book. Let me start out by stating how deceptively simple the art is. At first, you start out thinking this'll be a cute and fun read, but as you read further into it, things get much darker and more depressing.

The story revolves around 37 year-old James Corrigan who we find out is a lonely, emotionally-impaired, human castaway. All the sudden his father, whom he's never met, decides he wants to spend time with Jimmy. Throughout the entire book, we go through not so seamless transitions into his fantasies and daydreams. At times, it can get confusing as to where they begin or end, but that's the whole point sometimes. We also go through other generations of Jimmy's family to take a look at their tribulations.

The story can get really depressing at times. Throughout the book, you're hoping for something good to happen to the protaginist. But just because of the overall depressing elements in the book doesn't mean there isn't any humor in it. There are some funny moments, but they tend to be subtle.

If you're into graphic novels, or even if you're not, I urge anyone who's in for a decent story to read this. Just don't expect the feel-good story of the year.

the loneliest man on earth
quite simply put: buy this book. This is one of the most beautiful and heart breaking books i have ever read. This book will change your life if you open up and listen.

A Landmark Achievement
Years from now, people won't remember that the graphic novel was once a marginal format, consigned to hobby shops and newsstands. Literary historians, however, will point to Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan as the book that brought graphic novels out of the dark and into the cultural spotlight.

Amazing, lifting, and magnificent
Ware does an amazing job of creating one of the most moving graphic novels I have ever read. The painstakingly detailed drawings add an unparalleled scope to this novel following the meek Jimmy Corrigan, as well as the 1893 story arc following his equally downtrodden grandfather of the same name. The dream tangents are vivid and beautiful, and only occasionally introduced before hand ("I allowed myself to luxoriate in one of my favorite semi-conscious conceits"). Do yourselves a favor and READ THIS NOVEL RIGHT NOW! ... Read more

Book Description

Featuring the mannister! Two-fisted Poe! Mister Bossman! wonder Book Junior, Boy Detective! Cousin Grampa! Sex Blimps! Underpants-on-his-head man! and much, much, much, more!

Reviews (9)

I love love love love love it!
I can go on and on about Michael Kupperman. My friends (that have had the honor of reading this book) and I have adapted Snake N' Bacon catch phrases into our daily lives. Such as, "Chee I wish we had a snackin' cracka" (I'm hungry), "Murder Me? Murder You!" (Gee, I'm angry) and also "We're all private detectives now, that's how it works in this crazy, fast paced world of the future!" (We're all private detectives now, that's how it works in this crazy, fast paced world of the future!) I... Just buy the book!

Incomparable weirdness
Oh, new taste! This is sublime cartoon Dada, an uncontrollable mixmaster of comic book and pulp fiction cliches, miscellaneous 20th century popular culture, and crazed anachronisms (Leonardo da Vinci inventing "Crunchalicious" snackin' crackers for a group of young hooligans straight out of the "Little Rascals".) Every page delivers the unexpected. I was mesmerized, and my wife was howling with laughter the whole time she read it. Now, most people aren't the type to be reduced to helpless giggles by a cartoon snake and a strip of bacon who say "Ssss!" and "Pat me dry with a paper towel to remove excess grease!", but if you're among the lucky few who are, press that big candy-colored patented One-Click button RIGHT NOW!

You May Remove Excess Grease with Paper Towel
For those of you who, like me, discovered the work of P. Revess through his occassional appearances in the Zero Zero anthology: this is the same guy. In fact, a couple of the stories in this book were also published in Zero Zero (which were themselves reprinted from other hard to find publications). So if you enjoyed those stories, you'll love this whole collection which is equally surreal and laugh-out-loud funny. For those who haven't read his work in Zero Zero, the reviews below give good descriptions.

Funny and bizarre
I am a fan of Bill Fitzhugh and as he recommended it I decided to try it.

Black humour, satire, and tongue-in-cheek send-ups on just about everything related to underground comics abound in Kupperman's little tour-de-force. Kupperman is endlessly inventive with weird super-hero ideas, such as "Underpants on his head man." Some of the other strips like Roger Daltry's Sex Diary, Long John Silver's Sex Diary, The Party Sex Blimps, Ozzy Osbourne in the 25rh century, are hilarious.

I like the way Kupperman takes famous people from the past, such as Einstein, Mark Twain, and Poe and reinvents them as superheroes. A lot of the humour in his work comes from that.

A lot of it is more weird than funny, but there is enough truly funny stuff to make it worth reading through the dry patches. To me it's a lot like what Mark Leyner would do if he did comics strips. As Bill Fitzhugh said in his review, a lot of the humour in Kupperman's work comes from the concept itself. And he's a damn good artist and illustrator as well.

Inspired beyond words
When I first heard of Snake 'n' Bacon about a year ago I laughed out loud. I hadn't seen the drawings -- the idea alone tickled me. Now I've seen the art and I'm knocked silly.

Michael Kupperman is a genius. This collection of work is profoundly inspired. He's created superheros the likes of which have never been seen before: Underpants-on-his-head-man; Dr. Slappy; Rip Lazybones and His Futuristic Wonderbed; and Professor Gastropod to name only a few. And superheros aren't necessarily his strong suit. Part surreal, part non-sequitur, all inspired. The humor comes from the concepts, the dialogue, and the art itself.

If you're a fan of humor that lands in the ballpark with Gary Larson, Monty Python, The Onion, Robert Smigel, Smack the Pony, National Lampoon etc., this collection is for you. And for your friends. Do yourself a favor and get it now! You can thank me later. ... Read more

Book Description

"Happiness is a warm puppy."-Lucy Van Pelt, Peanuts, April 25, 1960

Newspaper comics arrive in millions of homes each day and make families laugh out loud. They're not only funny-they also reflect their times. In this collection, cartoon authority Brian Walker has amassed more than a half-century of strips-more than 700 illustrations-including scores of rare examples provided by the artists themselves. Featured cartoonists include Walt Kelly (Pogo), Charles Schulz (Peanuts), Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury), Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), Scott Adams (Dilbert), and Patrick McDonnell (Mutts), along with many more.

Organized by decade, with biographical profiles and descriptions of different genres and themes, The Comics is both comprehensive and graphically stunning. Taken as a whole, this humorous compendium is a classic survey of American culture since 1945. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Great Look at the Funnies
I've felt for a while that the newspaper comic strip is the most ignored form of popular art, rarely looked at critically. While comic books prosper and have gone well beyond the standard superhero format, the comic strip languishes, rarely allowing new and creative strips to break through, while "institutional" strips (those that have not been amusing for years but are institutions, such as Heathcliff or Crock) dominate the paper.

In this sense, this book is not very helpful; it is a relatively uncritical appreciation of the comics. Nonetheless, it is an excellent book, a good summary of the major artists and developments in the comics since World War II. All the big strips are here: Garfield, Peanuts, Doonesbury, Calvin & Hobbes, the Far Side and many more, along with plenty of material from bygone eras.

This book is around 50% text and 50% comics, so there is plenty of fun stuff to read in either format. For what it is - an appreciative history - it is fantastic. The only flaw is that Walker ignores the comic strips of alternative newspapers, therefore neglecting such important works as Groening's Life in Hell (without which, there would be no Simpsons).

For anyone who has ever enjoyed the comics, this book is a great look at the field and a lot of fun.

An Insider Clues Us Mere Mortals into The Comics Strip World
A man who knows it all from the Inside: Creator, Writer, and Exhibition Curator, Brian Walker as a Comics Historian has every credential anyone could ask to create an interesting, informative AND knowledgeable read into the Pop Culture Core of the Comics. If he doesn't cover it, it doesn't exist in this fond retrospective of the last Fifty Years of the Comics. Great Examples, culled from Newspaper tear sheets , plus Black and White Examples of the Originals media.
Highly Recommended for Everyone interested in the Field of Comics.

The best single-volume history of the comics
Outstanding job. In every way, this book surpasses its precursors. I wasn't sure, at first, exactly HOW it was better than Blackbeard and Crain, Marschall, Horn, Wood, Blackbeard and Williams et. al. Then I pulled all those old volumes off my shelf. I saw the big difference at once: the layout and presentation is far and away the smartest. It's clear! It's easy to see and read! It doesn't turn the comics into a mystery and a cult; it renders this original American art form as history. Just take a look at Marschall and some of the others: the reader never knows where he or she is in time or even which artist's work is under consideration---or why. For a single-volume history, the clarity and compassion of this book, its generosity both to the reader and to the comics and to the comic artists makes it incomparable. Even a simple touch such as the artist's self-portraiture and self-caricature, carried throughout, becomes a kind of compass point for the reader. The prose is also first-rate, the research is bottom-of-the-well deep and feels deeply reliable, but the real achievement here is Walker's powers of selection. He's the David Lean of comic strip historians---bringing in the whole epic of the comics since 1945 in 325 shimmering, clear pages. I personally would have liked more of the character and personality of the comic strip artists themselves, but in fact, Walker has given us everything we need here (even Al Capp's parody of Peanuts), and, as Lean often said, the real power of the story comes from everything you leave out. ... Read more

Book Description

Baby Boomer Comics delves into the wide variety of comics from the 1960s, comics' "Silver Age." With humorous and informative essays, Craig Shutt covers key events affecting the four-color lives of Spider Man, The Hulk, The X-Men, Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern. He also revels in some of the sillier stories from the flower-power era.

Written in a delectably funny but affectionate style, this new comics reference entertains and informs while conveying the excitement enthusiasts experienced when they first read these comics. Hundreds of full-color illustrations feature both covers and individual panels showing some of the fun and exciting moments that readers remember best from this comic age. Includes current market prices for the issues described. Plus, readers can test their comics knowledge with the featured trivia quizzes.

* Humorous and informative essays cover key events affecting the lives of comics superheroes * Current market prices and hundreds of color illustrations for comics from the 1960s ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Best Book About the Silver Age -- Ever!
This book is about the most fun you can have with 1960s comic books without actually sitting down and reading them. Mr. Silver Age has a sly-but-respectful style of relating the silliness and fun of some of our favorite superheroes from that time. It's a style that works even if you aren't familiar with the origial stories themselves.

The book is lavishly produced with color reproductions of funnybook covers and appropriate comics panels on every page so you know exactly what the commentary is referring to. My only complaint with the book is that some of the reproductions are too tiny for this silver ager's eyes to see, but that just leaves more room for the copy!

Lots of trivia spread throughout, fun quizzes, and wry observations from Mr. Silver Age Craig Shutt make this the most funnest book about the beloved comics of my youth I've read.

Thanks to Krause and the Comics Buyers Guide for publishing this. When's Vol. 2 coming out?

--your pal, Hoy ... Read more