Reviews (1)

Mike Doonesbury learns the source of his college tuition...
Like "Ask for May, Settle for June," this particular collection of "Doonesebury" daily strips comes from the period 1981-1982, otherwise known as the early years of the Reagan Administration. However, the biggest target in "Unfortunately, She Was Also Wired for Sound" was not Ronald Reagan but a group of Oklahoma county commissioners caught in a political scandal. You see, the character of Michael Doonesbury just happened to come from Tulsa, which meant that for two weeks Gary Trudeau provided the nation with his own take on the situation, seeing as how Mike's Uncle Henry happened to be one of those commissioners. But before we get to that there are even larger concerns, such as Zonker retiring from competitive tanning, Duke "accidentally" shooting Brenner (and deciding once was not enough), and Richard Davenport trying to get the Maryland Audubon Society behind a call for the resignation of Secretary of the Interior Watt. The left comes in for its share of the fun as Ellie and Jeannie debate the merits of the Equal Rights Amendment with their first grade classmates and Walter Mondale is given a political "makeover" in preparation for challenging Reagan in 1984. As for the Gipper, the line to the woodshed is sure getting long with all of the President's men who had embarrassed the White House. One of the things about those strips that usually impressed me was that even when you had all four frames showing the White House, Trudeau still managed to put something in visually as an artistic counterpoint to the verbal humor. The end result is that this "Doonesbury" collection is average at best. Of course, every political crisis can not be as much fun as Watergate... ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good old "Bick Redfern" finally becomes a "Bridegoon"
"Ask for May, Settle for June" provides G. B. Trudeau's "Doonesbury" cartoons from 1981-1982.The long awaited wedding between Joanie Caucus and Rick Reedfern is the highlight, but that is only part of the fun this time around from the early heady days of the Reagan Administration.We begin with Alexander Haig's conferation for Secretary of State, the return of Uncle Duke (the 53rd Iranian hostage, known only as "the Bald Spy"), Mr. Slackmeyer testifies before Rep. Davenport's House committee, and the Reagan Administration looks for "A War We Can Win."Meanwhile, Joanie wants Rick to think about their relationship and suddenly the happy couple are making plans for a wedding (hence the collection's title)."Ask for May, Settle for June" is something of an atypical "Doonesbury" collection where the lives of the characters outweigh the political commentary.Consequently, Joanie and Rick might be getting married, but it is President Ronald Reagan who was apparently enjoying a (brief) honeymoon himself, courtesy of Trudeau. Now if only Rick can figure out what gift he and Joanie received from his grandparents.

Planning a Doonesbury wedding.

Doonesbury characters Joannie Caucus and Rick Redfern tackle such obstacles as should they move their wedding date to accommodate Prince Charles and Lady Diana and is it proper to send errata sheets with the invitations?

This book could be an amusing comfort to anyone you know who's going mad trying to plan their own wedding. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Uncle Duke Is A Riot
Doonesbury is a good comic strip though I am not a fan of Trudeau's political views. That aside, I find Uncle Duke to be the funniest character in the strip. This book is broken down by time periods starting in the 70's when Doonesbury first started. Then the book strictly follows the various Uncle Duke storylines (in time order) all the way through the Persian Gulf War. The book also came with an Uncle Duke action figure which stands proudly on a display shelf in my house. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Frank Sinatra finds Gary Trudeau "as funny as a tumor"
When "Doonesbury" offered up a week's worth of comic strips commenting on Frank Sinatra's association with known crime figures through the use of photographs, Sinatra put out a prepared press statement declaring: "Garry Trudeau makes his living by his attempts at humor without regard for fairness or decency." During a concert at Carnegie Hall, Sinatra told his audience "He's as funny as a tumor." For good measure, Congressman Joseph J. DioGuardia got up on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to express his outrage over Trudeau's strips as a "tasteless and unfair" treatment of Sinatra.

The Sintra steps might have given "That's DOCTOR Sinatra, You Little Bimbo!" its title, but it is only one week's worth of daily strips in this collection of "Doonesbury" cartoons from 1985-1986 and Trudeau steps on much bigger political toes in the political arena. President Reagan's visit to the Bitburg conentration camp (one of the "less depresssing ones") and endorsement of the pro-life documentary "Silent Scream" ("Silent Scream II: The Prequel") are really a lot more offensive to those inclined to be so. Meanwhile, Jimmy Thudpucker is off to Addis Ababa on behalf of U.S.A. for Africa while the President enlists the help of conservative superstars for their "USA for South Africa" effort.

Still, while it might take you a while to recall all these fun events from the Reagan Years there are still the lives of the Doonesbury gang to keep up our interest. Zonker checks out spring break in Fort Lauderdale and finds Boopsie making a movie and then decides to help the American Cancer Society make a PSA on the dangers of tanning. Homeless couple Alice and Elmont tie the knot, and Honey is a nude model at the Shaghai Art Institute. Then there is poor Mike Doonesbury himself, who not only has to attend Ms. Marcia Feinbloom's Celebration of her Singularity (she is calling off the search for Mr. Right) and J.J.'s unveiling of the suite of paintings she has been working on for two years (she tells him not to say anything, but does Mike listen?). So, "That's DOCTOR Sinatra, You Little Bimbo!" does not have any particular classic Doonesbury strips, but there is still a few palatable hits in the bunch.

The Reagan years.
The Doonsbury cartoons are one the finest examples of modern satire. Unlike many such series, the characters age and grow and many of them even mature. This brings an extra dimension to the series that is lacking in other cartoons.

In this book, originally drawn in 1985 and 1986 we see Trudeau's family of characters grown up from their college days and forming careers and becoming homemakers as well as dealing with the contemporary issues of the Reagan era. Boopsie throws her first star tantrum, Honey works as a model and then helps Duke with his "medical" conference, meanwhile, Mike and JJ try to move to New York. ... Read more

Amazon.com

In this Doonesbury collection, Zonker is shocked to discover that he missed Woodstock the first time around, so he tries to make up for it by catching the sequel. Uncle Duke continues his ongoing mission to hook up with every suspicious character in the world by becoming a security adviser for Oliver North, a man almost certainly more sinning than sinned against. President Clinton gets his very own icon in a reader survey, with a waffle winning out over a flipping coin, and Mikes shocks his fellow Walden alums by voting Republican. But all of this is swept aside when Boopsie becomes an alternate juror in the O.J. Simpson circus. What will she wear? --Simon Leake ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I'm a Democrat who Dislikes "Doonesbury"
Zonker, an airheaded moron was never an appealing character. His silly quest to redo Woodstock is an insult to every reader's collective intelligence. I admit, I don't like Doonesbury one iota. I CAN'T STAND that fresh mouthed brat, Alex Doonesbury and her stupid names for her pop (popster, dadster, popmeister, poppadoodle) are very irritating. Kim, the sneaky Generation X female is for the birds. Duke and his equally unappealing son are the male versions of stinky Alex. Mr. Butts should be stubbed out and flushed down the toilet.

One good thing about not being famous is you don't run the risk of being put down in "Doonesbury." That is a good incentive to shun fame. I really dislike "Doonesbury," and I was a history major!

A trip down memory lane? A history lesson?
Doonesbury books should be the textbook for the last week of high school history courses. You can use this book to remember the political atmosphere of the early 90s or just to have some slightly intellectual comics lying around. Of course, if you don't already like Doonesbury, this probably won't change anything. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Reasons why the Bush Administration hated Doonesbury
"You're Smokin' Now, Mr. Butts!" is yet another classic example about how irony is lost on some people. Mr. Butts says it is cool for kids to smoke telling them "Don't worry about cancer, kids! You're teenagers, you're immortal!" Now, you and I would call that a caustic comment and an attack on the tobacco industry. But White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater declared that the "Doonesbury" comic strip was glorifying drugs and a Tobacco Institute Spokesperson declared, "It is very unfortunate that Garry Trudeau encouraged a lot of young people to think that it is perfectly all right for them to be smokers." If Mr. Butts causally dismissed the 395,000 deaths a year the Surgeon General blames on tobacco, then that would not be a good thing. But then one of the fun things about going back and re-reading these old Doonesbury collections is to see who was ticked off at Trudeau each time about whatever.

Mr. Butts and his friend Mr. Jay are the cover boys for this collection of 1990 daily and Sunday "Doonesbury" strips, but there is more. At the American Embassy in Beijing there is the Trump-engineered wedding of Honey and Duke, Sal attends the annual Dr. Whoopee sales conference show, and Big Jim Andrews dumps the mother of his children for a bimbette (she has not met his parole officer yet). Mike has to put up with eight friends camped out in the Doonesbury living room until the whole comic strip gets raided, while the Bush Administration proposes a constitutional amendment on flag desecration which results in a memorable Sunday "Doonesbury" with a copy of the American flag and the conundrum of how to dispose of our nation's symbol without desecrating it. This was the one Fitzwater should have been complaining about.

No other cartoonist, editorial or otherwise, is as committed to ticking off as many people in power as G. B. Trudeau. But no other daily strip has been as committed to being topical: remember when George Bush went to Colombia and we were worried that the drug lords were going to try something stupid? You will if you read "You're Smokin' Now, Mr. Butts!" ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Trudeau deals with Poppy Bush, the Donald and an Ink Spill
This collection of "Doonesbury" daily cartoons is from 1989, otherwise known as the first year of the George Bush administration. You might not remember what happened that year, but G. B. Trudeau and his political cartoonist colleagues announced a "Cartoonists Honeymoon Week" during which they pledged not to ridicule the new president for seven days, to give him a chance to "get a grip on the vision thing," and a way of "formally thanking him for Dan Quayle." Actually, Trudeau goes pretty easy on the new Vice-President (compare these strips with the political cartoons Pat Oliphant did during this same period collected in "What Those People Need Is a Puppy!"

However, it is Donald Trump who gets to be the cover boy on "Give Those Nymphs Some Hooters!" as "The Donald" becomes as frequent a target as the new President and the various scandals of the new administration (remember John Tower, Jack Kemp, and Ethics Czar C. Boyden Gray?). However, the real dynamic here is what is happening in the Doonesbury household. J.J. is lured by big bucks to paint neo-rocco murals on the Trump yacht (done in the style of Picasso or Michelangelo--one of those famous guys), while Mike has to put together an ad campaign to get children to smoke for R.J. Reynolds. Mike's compromised imagination gives birth to the reprehensible "Mr. Butts," but J.J. is not to be undone, giving birth on cable television to the child who brings her and Mike back together (at least for the moment). Good thing Zonker is there to help as their nanny.

Remember, these are the cartoons that Donald Trump himself could not understand and declared to be "mediocre at best," drawn by a man who White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said "glorifies drugs." Trudeau is also dissed by Second Lady Marily Quayle and David B. Fishel, R.J. Reynolds spokesman on the back cover. My favorite strips are the week that the strip suffered a horrible INK SPILL! All this goes to remind us that "Doonesbury" has been America's most controversial comic strip artist and that if Trudeau does not have people totally outraged by what he does it would not be "Doonesbury." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Trudeau takes on Senator and Mrs. Elizabeth Taylor
For his week of strips on John Warner, the newly elected Republican Senator from Virginia and then husband of Elizabeth Taylor, Garry Trudeau was censured by the Republican Causcus of the Virginia General Assembly. The title for this collection of daily "Doonsebury" strips from 1979-1980 comes from a fictional (presumably) bumper sticker for the Warner campaign that read: "A Tad Overweight, But With Violet Eyes to Die For" (who could argue with that?).

But by the time you finish reading through these strips you will see the Democrats would actually have much more to complain about this time around, what with Mike Doonesbury watching a television documentary on "The Liberal Cult: Threat From the Left" (led by Ted Kennedy and supported by a tightly knit cadre of loyalists known as the Kennedy "Clan") and the Carter White House trying to come up with a new foundation for the government or at least a new metaphor for the upcoming campaign. Despite the title, more of the books pages are devoted to Jimmy-Boy's "Secretary of Symbolism" Duane Delacourt defecting and leaving Washington to create a context for California governor Jerry Brown's bid for the White House.

Meanwhile, Honey is testing the limits of Dr. Kissinger's authority in her Georgetown poly sci class, Ambassador Phred is matching wits with the Chinese at the U.N., and Mark Slackmyere's radio show is hosting returning Alumnus Dr. Ali Mahdavi, Class of 74, then on leave from the Iranian Revolutionary Tribunal. On the domestic front Uncle Duke leaves his job as General Manager of the Washington Redskins after a firefight with the Miami police and ends up on Capitol Hill testifying before Congress on the issue of control.

There is a tendency for the more political Doonesebury strips not to hold up as well as the more character driven humor, but these are classic Trudeau strips on the follies of the Democrati party on the eve the Reagan Era. Then again, Brown was still running for president the last time around, John Warner was still in the U.S. Senate, and even Jimmy Carter managed to get into the news a couple of times. Besides, if you cannot handle the political symbolism or the country's move towards mellowness, there is Zonker's eternal quest for the perfect tan and B.D. insisting Boopsie pose for "Playboy." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Actually, this one is more Joanie and Rick have a baby
It is always interesting to go back and re-read these collections of "Doonesbury" strips from my college days (which lasted a long time) and read the back cover blurb about how G. B. Trudeau was blurring the line between the real world and his comic strips.For "You Give Great Meeting, Sid," the "Los Angeles Times" comments on how Trudeau's comic strip characters struggling to make a deal on the life story of sports-car manufacturer John DeLorean, who had been arrested on cocaine trafficking charges, was paralleling the efforts of DeLorean's real-life counterparts to do the same thing. But as with most "Doonesbury" collections, with "You Give Great Meeting, Sid" you come for the political satire and stay for the characters.The cover might show Duke and Sid taking a meeting in a hot tub while enjoying a Southern California sunset, but the most defining arc of this collection ends up being the pregnancy of Joanie Caucus (and the efforts of Rick Redfern to get with the program).

Roland Hedley is sent to Lebanon (after having to do his own laundry), Boopsie is working out with Jane Fonda at the exercise video star's fitness center, and Congresswoman Davenport is addressing the Bay Area Gay Alliance.Meanwhile Zonker is doing job interviews and Secretary of Labor Ray Donovan is having another testimonial dinner, while Phil Slackmeyer has been named Chairman of the Board and is taking his company to the mattresses to gobble up a petrochemical company in an unfriendly takeover.Actually it is not until late in the book that Duke decides to leave the streets and make a movie deal on the DeLorean story.By that time Joanie and Rick have dealt with amniocentesis and gaining weight, not to mention almost drinking wine and almost make it all the way through birthing class.Ultimately, these 1982-83 "Doonesbury" cartoons are average Trudeau offerings, which means they are still superior to the competition, both then and now.The more you know about the political and cultural history of this period, the better you will understanding the jokes and jibes, but it is not a prerequisite.

Solid, if short, Doonesbury
This is a very quick read, something you can knock off in an hour or so.It is standard Doonesbury, with few memorable series and few unfunny ones.Jane Fonda leading feminist aerobics, Joanie's pregnancy, Zonker has to geta job, the Ray Donovan dinners...the usual odd mix presented by Trudeau,where no theme is put in center stage for so long it becomes dull.It wasa bit odd looking at all the characters in their "younger" daysbut just as funny.I'm not sure whether you consider an hour's worth ofreading worth the money, but if so buy it.If not, don't.Moderatelyrecommended. ... Read more