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.

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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

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.

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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

Here's the dog's life as seen through the eyes and imaginations of, among others, Charles Addams, Edward Koren, Saul Steinberg, and the dog's all-time best friend, James Thurber.101 cartoons in all from The New Yorker over the past 65 years. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Mortician to Begging Dog: "Now Play Dead."
Before discussing the cartoons (which are wonderful), let me warn you against the miniature paperback version. It is very small, the cartoons are hard to see, you need a magnifying glass for some, the reproduction quality is poor, and the paper is not good. Stick with the hardcover.

I have rated the book as the hardcover version. The only drawback I saw to the 101 cartoons was the lack of a witty introduction (like those in the cartoon books of the New Yorker for business and money).

In a spirit of self-disclosure, I must admit that I do not have a dog now . . . but I have had one in the past. Several of my friends have dogs, so I think I can properly evaluate the book from a dog lover's point of view.

The relationship between human and dog is an especially close one. The humor works well when it alludes to that. For example, in a wordless cartoon, a dog looks resentfully at a man reading a book entitled "How To Be Your Own Best Friend." Another one has a couple in bed with lots of dogs: "If you lie down with pugs, you wake up with pugs." In a third, a woman with two suitcases is seen leaving with the dog while a man inquires of the dog: "Et tu, Baxter?"

Dog-human reversals also work: A dog doctor examines a human and notes, "Well, your nose feels cold."

Sometimes the humor is aimed at the human, such as: A psychic tells a dog her/his fortune, "You will be going for a long walk."

Inevitably cats are part of the picture: Two dogs talking to each other spot a cat walking down the side walk, "Do you want to handle this, or should I?"

Sometimes dogs become just like people as in: A man walks down the street with a dog walking on hind legs holding onto his arm, "She never took to the leash."

What do dogs think of their humans? "They never pushed me. If I wanted to retrieve, shake hands or roll over, it was entirely up to me."

As someone who had a Sheltie, this one got to me: A sheep is leading lots of dogs in a herd, and a man says to another man, "I understand that in your country this thing is done quite differently."

Humor is a window onto our stalled beliefs that keep us from grasping our full potential of progress and joy from each day. Let these wonderful dog cartoons remind you of the potential in everything around you!

too funny for words!
I keep this book in my bathroom with some other fun books - I read it every time I'm in there, and I laugh over and over at the same cartoons. People always love going to the bathroom at my place because of it! :- ) Anyway, if you love woofers like I do AND enjoy the New Yorker sense o' humor, you must have this book!

The book was hilarious, especially since I love dogs!
I could barely put it down, I just wanted to read "one more cartoon". Dog lovers like me would like it the most, but anyone would love it. My 11 year old daughter read it and liked it too! ... 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

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 (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

"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

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

Book Description

Every once in a great while the glimmer of something different will twinkle from the stack of comic cordwood piled in the daily newspaper. In I Have Tampered with the Divine Plan, the second Agnes collection, that glimmer continues to shine brightly. Agnes, the round-nosed, elegantly footed little girl in the cute black shift, and her best friend, Trout, continue their mad scramble through youth's treacherous minefield. High adventure and mayhem are afoot as they share the odd conversations that cobble together all amazing relationships. And when all that imagination no longer fits in their heads, it spills out into some very messy puddles. And messy puddles are funny. Fans have been eagerly awaiting a second book of Agnes's wisdom and adventure. Agnes appears in many papers across the country, including the San Francisco Examiner, the Chicago Tribune, and the New York Daily News.

Reviews (1)

Charming
Agnes is everywoman, or at least the crazy little voice in us that we try to keep under wraps.With Agnes, though, it just spills out, and we are the lucky recipients of her insecurities, her ego, and her warped view of life.I don't know how Tony Cochran has managed to climb inside the head of a quirky young girl, but he's brilliant.Don't let the women in your life tell you that they've outgrown this awkward age - we've just learned how to hide it, sadly.This collection is delightful. ... 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

Reviews (2)

Welcome to the very conserative world of nuclear families.
This is the world where all men are dorky, guilt-driven daddies with soft, jelly-like bellies. This is the world where all women are milk-gushing baby machines. And this is the world where all spoiled, smart-mouthed rugrats rule. And of course, this world is filled with playgrounds, mini-vans, and slobbering dogs that no one can ever get out.

Once again, Wanda has popped out still another baby (to keep the baby strip going, of course) and this one baby probably would remain a baby for all eternity to come, unless Wanda is willing enough to birth 20 more babies to support the cartoonists for the rest of their natural lives. However, I still love the rather cynical bite added to such a harried, closed-in family life of endless cleaning up, changing filthy diapers, soothing colicky demands, pumping dairy products from private parts, enduring catty competition with a next-door bimbo who bragged about spawning a double order of male heirs (and remaining svelte to boot), and finally dropping off womb fruits at a place called "kindergarten" for the first time. Family fun for the conserative readers who all live by the same old traditions as their ancient baby-boomer ancestors.

And neither Zoe, nor Hamface are wiggly little infants anymore - they are now big-headed little midgets to add more cute, cute, cute than ever to the whole mess!;)

Two Plus One Equals Lots of Laughs
The McPhersons are in a period of adjustment. Baby Wren has arrived, and Zoe and Hammie haven't quite figured out where they fit in the family any more. Plus, they want everything to be fair for all three of them, even though they are growing and facing different things. For example, Hammie is going to his first sleep over. And if that isn't enough, Bunny is naming her identical twins identically. Fortunately, Wanda and Darryl are facing life with a quip and sarcasm as always.

I've always loved this strip of its real if slightly exaggerated look at every day life in a loving family. This set continues the grand tradition with more fun and laughter with this ever growing family. Every page held a smile and chuckle, with many having laugh out loud moments. Sometimes, they hit a little too close to home, but with some funny lines I appreciated.

If you need a humorous look at family life the way it really is, read this strip. And if you already know and love the McPhersons, this book is exactly what you're looking for to get the next chapter in the life of this funny family. ... 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

Mischief's on the menu and trouble's brewin' in this brand new concoction of comics.Share in the shenanigans, as GARFIELD, the furry prankster, engages in a little "tomcatfoolery" that's sure to elicit some catty laughter. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Garfield in his 39th Book
Being a big Garfield fan, I enjoyed this book. It is a wonderful, entertaining book (although you should first read Garfield Beefs Up, #37, and Garfield Gets Cookin', #38, before you read this book.) But I recommend this book to anybody, Garfield fan or not. Great art, and heartwarming fat cat, Garfield, is back again!

if you ask me, this is better than some reviews say
The title here should have been the first sentence! I was amazed by how much the first strip was like an opening joke. If Garfield keeps on going like this, it could get more popular than "Peanuts" was.

Okay
This book is, in comparison to the other Garfield comics, not as great as I hoped it would be. The puns and jokes throughout the entire book seemed a bit too stressed. The jokes weren't surprising, and could also be called "predictable". However, Garfield has always been a favorite of mine, so I'm sure that there will later be a coming book filled with great strips.

Date coverage
Contains all the daily and Sunday strips November 5, 2002 through June 2, 2001.

It's Garfield...
At his best. WIth three sets of Spider Weeks (for those who love Spider jokes), more Jon/Date jokes and tons of comedy. Just check it out ... 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

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

Scott Adams still has the corporate world guffawing about the adventures of nerdy Dilbert and his power-hungry companion, Dogbert, plus Ratbert and the pointy-haired boss, as they make their way through the travails of modern work life.Only a cartoonist with been-there-endured-that experience could make us laugh so hard.Over 150 million fans across 65 countries cannot get enough of Adams' glib office humor.When Did Ignorance Become A Point Of View? captures it all, even those Sunday strips that make it into the office each Monday morning. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Good Book
Title says it all, another hilarious book by Scott Adams.

Fun Cartoons, But Linited To The Office Workplace
I enjoy the Dilbert cartoons as much as most fans and have found many office truths in the skillful cartoons. Yet, a typical company workplace does not only consist of office life. In most companies there are also extensive research and develoment departments and an array of managers from technical to the self-important CEOs, which are rarely mentioned and dealt with in these cartoons. In this way I find the Dilbert cartoons to be limited and one-sided in their portrayal of real company worklife. I worked in a major company for many years, so I felt much has been left out. If you'd like to get a better feel for the kind of true-to-life examples of workplace "vices" and managerial traits that can eventually lead to ENRON, Worldcom etc., then I would like to suggest the real sharp satire, "MANAGEMENT BY VICE" by C.B. Don. It does have a sprinkling of hilarious pen&ink drawings, but it is the fast flowing text that is really worth reading and thinking about. Well, Dilbert has his famous place in the office and many cheers for that, but I believe that "Management By Vice" complements the Dilbert cartoons with a whole new, company-wide perspective...after all, you don't see the inside scoop on a grievance procedure or the meaning of the "Doughnut Deal" in the Dilbert series...and even the flippant Company CEO and his self-serving management staff are deservedly exposed!

128 pages of non-stop laughs!!
This is the 18th spectacular collection of stupidity, laughs, and weirdness. In this book, an amobia gets hired, and GASP, Dilbert gets fired (don't worry folks, it's only temporary)!! The motivation fairy visits Wally, who has made not working in the office a perfect art. In this book, Adams also introduces a new regular, Ming (female) the web designer.Dilbert still gets dates, though. These strips are the funniest.

Scott Adams creates the perfect comics for people who have an office job, and people who don't (like me ,BWAHAHA!!!!). I strongly suggest that you buy this book.

Laughter Plaster
Get it, why?, plaster your office with it, the walls look better and you'll laugh your bum off everytime you get up for coffee.
A good book for office conversation that both brings the comical and semi serious is SB 1 or God By Karl Mark Maddox.

More of the collected genius of Scott Adams
This is almost a pointless review because if you like Scott Adams you will buy this and if you don't get the Dilbert humour then you are not even going to read this review!
This is more of the collected strips, nothing new but a copy to cherish of all the strips people stick over the office wall. As always the focus is on the office and the impact of mis-managment and all the hoops through which office workers have to jump. If you work in an office you will see so much of your 9-5 life within this book, you will think Scott Adams sits next to you, rather then that overweight guy who steals your mints.
I do know of the odd person who does not work in an office who has read some of my Dilbert books and can't get the jokes and the shame is that they are missing out on something very special. ... Read more

Book Description

Giant events, earth-shaking themes, complex issues . . . all of these can make for captivating cartoons. But it's the artist who can take the simple, keep it simple, and still tell a story who really stands apart from the crowd. Patrick McDonnell, creator of Mutt's Mooch the cat and Earl the dog, is such a cartoonist.The quickest way to absorb McDonnell's mastery of his art is to pick up this third Mutts treasury, in which frame after frame and strip after strip he consistently displays his wit, cleverness, and ability with a pen. Mutts is the perfect way to escape into what appears to be an easygoing, carefree world. But just beneath the character's banter and endearing mannerisms are the universal concerns of animals and people alike. The cartoonist's spare style and gentle humor invite readers to fill out the frames with their own imaginations.Mutts, syndicated by King Features since 1994, enjoys a circulation of more than 500 daily newspapers. Nationally McDonnell has received awards ranging from Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year to Newspaper Comic Strip of the Year, and worldwide he has received such praise as being named the Swedish Academy of Comic Art's Best International Comic Strip Artist. This strip's a winner the world around.

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Reviews (1)

One Word: YESH!
Again and again, Patrick McDonnell demonstrates that he's the most inspired cartoon artist on the planet. For 10 years we've been treated to the adventures of Mooch, Earl, and all the elements, mundane or complicated, animal-vegetable-mineral, of their world. "Sunday Afternoons" is yet another treasure. As writer and critic Glen David Gold wrote in the Los Angeles Times, McDonnell gives us a "daily dose of brilliance." A shameless plug: If you love "Mutts" then be sure to check out the official Mutts website, www.muttscomics.com. More brilliance awaits you there. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great colors!!
This big book of selected sunday cartoons is great. If you alread saw this on the newspapers or online you will get a new vaued experiece by the quality of the printed color. Also the quality of the art is great!!

Wonderful Comic Strip!
I fell in love with this comic strip in Vallejo California. When I moved, I was so disappointed to find that the local newspaper didn't carry it. Thank goodness for computers! I found the comic strip online, and now receive it daily in an email! The books are wonderful "pick me ups". Rose and her family, experience life with love and humor. You'll find yourself with a smile on your face as you read this book.

Smiles on every page : )
I received this book as a gift this past holiday season. I must say it was one of my most favorite presents. It will bring much joy to anyone who prefers to smile and laugh instead of frown and grumble.

I pick it up each time I'm feeling down, and it lifts my spirits. Thanks so much Pat Brady for creating this comic and putting out whole books for us to enjoy.

I lost a pet shortly after Christmas and this book in part helped me keep my head up and my tears at bay. I HIGHLY advise buying it if you love Rose Is Rose, and if you don't know the strip I can't think of a better way to get to know the whole gang, and share in all the fun. I can't wait to add more of these books to my collection. -Heather :)

Magic in 128 Pages
I first came across Rose is Rose in my local newspaper. After the first strip, I was hooked. This book is a great compilation of many classic Sunday Rose is Rose comics done in beautiful full color. This is a great read when you're feeling down, because the love contained in the book almost jumps right at you and envelops you. Although that may sound a bit sappy, there very little doubt that after you read this book, you'll have as big a smile as Pasquale does in the book. If you're a Rose is Rose fan, or even if you've never seen this comic before, it's a great buy.

Gorgeous artwork, but a bit sappy in some places
I have simply no idea how Pat Brady was raised as a young boy, but he could sure create such a magical, fun-filled fantasy world full of bottomless unconditional love, pure childhood innocence, and endless flights of wild imagination. Where else would you find parents who are totally in touch with their "inner children" and are totally, completely in love with each other even though it is already years after their honeymoon trip. Thus you get a family who truly knows how to ENJOY life! So here are some of the Gumbos' best adventures collected together in FULL COLOR. However, there are still a few drawbacks to living in a world like this. It's a itty bit smothering at times and a little tad too cutesy at other times. So you might want to come up for some air every now and then. And it's a bit irky the way that little guardian angel really coddled and worshipped the kid as if he is God's greatest gift to the whole universe (even though Pasquale himself really knows better). In addition, the frequent use of the bright orange-yellow sunset color for the sky and Peekaboo exploding into a gigantic furball are getting a tad tedious lately. But other than that, let's say hats off to Pat Brady's marvelous ability to fantasize and thus capture it all on the paper! ... Read more