Reviews (45)

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon.com

Seeker's Mask is the sequel to P.C. Hodgell's classic high fantasy novels God Stalk and Dark of the Moon (collected in the omnibus volume Dark of the Gods). Fast-paced, fascinating, and skillfully written, Seeker's Mask continues the story of Jame the Talisman, the noblewoman/thief who possesses (or is possessed by) dangerous magical talents.

Jame has finally been reunited with her twin brother, the Highlord Torisen. But the joy of reunion doesn't last long. Jame is banished to the purdah-like Women's Halls as her brother's noblemen argue over who will marry her. When assassins slip into the segregated quarters, Jame must flee for her life, alone save for her blind, mind-linked cub, Jorin. But her attempt to rejoin her brother is complicated by court intrigues; by the ghost of her cruel half- brother Bane; by the conquered Merikit, who assault Jame's people with unknown magic; and by the weirding-mist, a mysterious fog that magically moves individuals, armies, and even castles to new and sometimes unidentifiable locations in the Riverland and beyond. And there are other problems. Jame's little-understood magical abilities are growing not only stronger, but more destructive. She bears the Ivory Knife and the Book Bound in Pale Leather, monstrously dangerous magic tools. The lost memories of her adolescence are returning, and they reveal that Jame may be a servant of the archenemy of her people, the worlds-destroying Perimal Darkling. --Cynthia Ward ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Slow at first but worth rereading
It is not as fluid as the first two but still an excellent story.
Really intriguing characters and development. Great job, Patricia!

Hodgell Rocks!
This is an absolute must-have for any fantasy reader. I have read and re-read her books and eagerly anticipate the arrival of the next ones to find out what happens.

The characters within have a depth to them that is really pretty impressive. The detail in the cultures and the world has astounded me. Can you tell that I am a Hodgell fan yet? I won't go into the details on the storyline, you owe it to yourself to buy the book and find out for yourself.

Every fantasy lover owes it to themselves to do that

Usual Superb writing, just not about Jaime and her brother
I was oh-so-excited when the book finally became available and I was able to purchase it. When I received the book I discovered that maybe half of the short stories contained within involved Jaime and her family. Hodgell's writing is excellent, of course, but I was expecting to spend the day feasting on unread tales of the adventures of my favorite heroine. I had no interest in the other stories that were included. What is there is good, but I would not have purchased the book if I had actually known what was contained. Borrowed it, absolutely, but not bought it. I guess I will just have to wait until her next book to get my Jaime fix. *grins*

lacked the fluidity of the previous 2 books
Let me first say that I am a huge fan of P C Hodgell and consider her books amongst the greatest in high fantasy. Like many of my fellow reviewers I waited for years for the "new" Jame book. When it finally came I was surprised that the writing did not grab me from the first page as the first two books had, it also seem to down play the enormity of some of the key incidents that were mentioned in the previous two books the disaster of the "white hills" and the massacre of Mark's family. It also cast the high borns as power hungry factions with the kendar slaves to their precocious whims. An aspect I did not enjoy.

I can only assume that Hodgell tried to paint the Kencyrath with more realistic strokes in an attempt to flesh them out more. Unfortunately what she has done is make Jame - a paragon of virture less plausiable by contrast. Tori also played far too small a role in this novel.

Why did I give it 5 stars? Because thats what her sort of brilliance deserves, even if I was not totally enamoured with the book as much as I was her with her first two.

The return of Jame, at long last!
Great, complex high fantasy from an author people should read more of! Reminds me of CJ Cherryh (Especially the Fortress in the Eye of Time) in a way, in the sense of complex motivations, major interior dialogue, but more inventive and more humor. Very fast paced and complex - sometimes a bit too much so: you can't miss a word or you'll miss something. A short synopsis of the previous 2 books would have been nice, as it's (probably) been a while since the reader has read the first 2 (which are happily back in print in the omnibus edition Dark of the Gods). Also a short glossary would be good too - lots of place names, gods, etc which aren't explained and you have to skip or figure out by context (the list of dramatis personae is useful though). But overall a great sequel, and a great standalone novel too- here's hoping there isn't another FIFTEEN YEAR WAIT for the next one! ... Read more

Book Description

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

Reviews (13)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Description

101 cartoons ... Read more

Reviews (2)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Physician, heal thyself!

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

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

Reviews (21)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Description

They were visionaries. Explorers. Imaginauts. They were Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. And like their creations - the Fantastic Four - they continually strove to overcome the impossible and achieve the extraordinary. Now, the first three years of their landmark run on Fantastic Four - issues #1-30 and Annual #1 - are collected in one oversized volume. ... Read more

Book Description

From the multiple award-winning, best-selling author of The Song of Ice and Fire series:

Haviland Tuf is an honest space-trader who likes cats. So how is it that, in competition with the worst villains the universe has to offer, he’s become the proud owner of the last seedship of Earth’s legendary Ecological Engineering Corps? Never mind, just be thankful that the most powerful weapon in human space is in good hands—hands which now control cellular material for thousands of outlandish creatures.

With his unique equipment, Tuf is set to tackle the problems human settlers have created in colonizing far-flung worlds: hosts of hostile monsters, a population hooked on procreation, a dictator who unleashes plagues to get his own way…and in every case the only thing that stands between the colonists and disaster is Tuf’s ingenuity—and his reputation as an honest dealer in a universe of rogues… ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Space Opera for the Thinking Person
So you liked A Game of Thrones, didn't you, and thought you'd check out what else George Martin has written since you can't wait for the next installment of A Song of Ice and Fire? Well, you may be surprised to learn that George Martin has been writing terrific, award-winning science-fiction and fantasy for years now. Though "Tuf Voyaging" has an entirely different setting than "A Game of Thrones" and its sequels, I couldn't imagine any fan of the genre being disappointed. So if you can track down a copy of this...gem, grab it.

In the first of the stories in the volume, which takes place thousands of years into the future, Haviland Tuf is an interstellar merchant who joins a group of adventurers on a perilous mission to recover the Ark, a millenia-old "seed-ship" engineered through lost Old-Earth technology to enable its owner to clone a vast array of plant and animal species and deploy them to either revitalize or destroy entire planets and ecosystems.

In the stories that follow, the reader joins Tuf on a series of picaresque adventures through the galaxy as he encounters duplicitous rogues, jaded politicians, false messiahs and others, many of whom attempt to seize the Ark from Tuf and bend it toward their own malign purposes. To them all, at first, Tuf appears to be easy prey: he is an obese, eccentric, albeit startlingly intelligent recluse, and is the sole occupant of the Ark, save for a litter of cats. However, Tuf, with his cunning, foresight and acumen in drawing upon the powerful resources of the Ark, is not to be underestimated. Tuf, in his benign, but sometimes coldly analytical way, cures blights, stems alien invasions and transforms worlds. As the stories unfold, he and the reader are forced to consider many of the most pressing social, environmental and moral issues faced by any society and attempt to work out a solution.

The stories here are delightful. Martin is truly a gifted writer and the prose sings from the pages. You will be delighted by the clever turns of the plot and of Tuf's many, often scathing, quips. Perhaps you'll wonder, like me, if in Tuf, an introverted creative genius, we are not catching a glimpse of George Martin himself.

Incredible stories, incredibly written
I first came across these stories when reading "The Plague Star" in an issue of my father's Analog magazine. Ever since, I've avidly consumed everything I could find by Martin. This collection of stories is such a pleasure to read, I can't do it justice here. If they book has any weakness, it is that the stories were written over a fairly large span of time (ten years, or more - I can't remember). Because of this, the quality of the written varies, growing better as Martin developed his skills.

The stories work on so many levels, and Tuf is such a singular character, the stories remain in my mind almost daily even ten years after I've read them. The fact that these stories live in the 'ghetto' of science fiction shouldn't scare away those who don't typically read it. Martin's grasp of humor, horror and the human condition is unmatched. I've often compared him to Mark Twain, in that his writing is so simple and universally appealing, yet contains so much more moving beneath the surface.

It's a wonder to me that with Martin's forays into screenwriting that he's never decided to pitch "Plague Star". It works almost perfectly as a feature film, with just the right length, rhythm and imagery. Perhaps the one thing holding him back is the lack of the standard 'human' element in all these stories - Tuf is profoundly asexual, and indeed, seems to have almost no typical heartwarming hooks that Hollywood demands be in virtually every film it rolls out. There are no love interests, no (traditional) paternal emotions. There's no boy meets girl here, just boy meets destiny. Yet I think that it could appeal to a wide variety of viewers nonetheless. The book after "Plague Star" has a fairly strong 'population control' message that might not appeal to the religious right, but I have a feeling the message would go right over their heads - history has shown us that people aren't to quick to pick up these subtleties.

Accessible and rewarding. If you can find this gem, don't let it slip through your grasp.

Imperfect, but one good thriller and some fascinating themes
The half dozen short stories centre on Haviland Tuf, a fastidious, pompous, somewhat misanthropic character, who outsmarts his foes, and appears to be the only person with integrity in the whole universe. The superior prequel story describes how he gained possession of an ancient but technologically massively advanced juggernaut - its most crucial capacity is genetics. Tuf can create virtually any species he wants - from devastating viruses to gentle cute grass-eaters to beasts of nightmare.
 
The story that started this collection (all written for Analog) probably came from the old notion that the technology we have now would make past cultures view us as God/s. In 'Call Him Moses', Martin sets up a self-styled prophet who takes over a planet by (secretly non-miraculously) reproducing most of the plagues of Exodus - the executive hand over office under threat of the first born'plague'.
 
Our 'hero' deliberately appears to this dictator as a pillar of light, saying I am the Lord God. With his far greater technology he displaces the 'false prophet'. Martin pushes this pretty hard, having his (not ironic or undermined) protagonist sincerely say for all intents and purposes in this case he is God because of the planet altering powers his ship gives him.
 
The same theme is explored in 'Manna from Heaven', written seven years later. Faced with an absurdly overpopulated planet which, after every chance to work on birth control (something their religion abhors), is descending into anarchy and expansionist warfare, Tuf devises a plant that will essentially sterilise 99% of the population.
"You have no right," declares the (straw woman) president of the planet. "...Who the hell gave you the authority to make that decision for them? ... You're no better than we are. You're only human ... What gives you the goddamned right to play God with our world and our lives?"
 
..."I make no claims to godhead in the mythological sense, " [replies Tuf,] "Yet I submit that I do indeed wield the power of a god...I traffic in the life and death of worlds. Enjoying as I do these godlike abilities, can I rightfully decline the accompanying responsibility, the equally awesome burden of moral authority? I think not."
 
Normally such a declaration would have the reader saying with Tuf's antagonist, "He's insane." But Martin is pushing us to think a little deeper. A cool theme that emerges is that we should recognise our responsibility rather than just act as if it doesn't exist. Learning to be comfortable with the power we have is actually admirable. It'd be great if he wrote something about this relating to the responsibility we in the '1st world' automatically have to the '3rd world' - with every purchase we make.
 
Tuf persuades the president with the analogy of the way he sterilised his cats:
"... Ultimately, as you yourself will discover, there are but two fundamental options. You must either reconcile yourself to inhibiting the fertility of your cats, entirely without their consent, I might add, or, failing that, some day most assuredly you will find yourself about to cycle a bag full of newborn kittens out your airlock into the cold vacuum of space. Make no choice, and you have chosen. Failure to decide, because you lack the right, is itself a decision, First Councillor. In abstaining, you vote."
 
"Tuf," she said, her voice agonised, "don't! I don't want this damned power."
 
I can see in this why he deals so well with the nature of kingship in his, 'Song of Ice and Fire' series, particularly Danerys. Also putting the power thing into this context doesn't offend my sensibilities as a Christian who actually does think God is not merely a myth, and all believers fools and/or manipulative liars.
 
While these two stories are easily the most challenging thematically, they don't really set the tone for the book. Interesting that the first story written, 'Call Him Moses', comes second last. The earlier ones are all prequels, most written seven years later in '85. The longest and most enjoyable, 'The Plague Star', is simply a thriller - Tuf has to kill or be killed by the individuals in the landing party attempting to claim the valuable ship. We then have novel accounts of how Tuf deals with the ecological problems of various planets.
 
There is another theme: despite him solving massive problems, his solutions are generally resented by those he rescues, and his motives always unjustly impugned (projection). This may be Martin deliberately setting him up for godhood, rightly seeing that justice from above, even in response to calls for help, often just results in rank ingratitude and abuse.
 
A weakness, however, is that no other character is given the sense or personality to actually appreciate or even understand Tuf's actions. Because some of these actions are so clearly helpful, this means everyone else is either stupid and/or ugly, or inconsistent. Tuf's eccentricities and virtue could have been much more enjoyable if he'd had at least some sympathetic characters - his precious cats aren't enough for me.

Pleasant surprise- fun, readable, non-insulting Science Fict
I picked this book up on a whim, I have always been a fan of the movie Silent Running and thought this had a similar premise (turns out it doesn't really, but that's ok).

First off I have to say that the book is a little oddly constructed. I am tired of the one line author bios ("Lives in Maine with his wife and four cats...") but in the end papers of Tuf Voyaging we get Mr. Martin's CV for goodness sake. The man has a lot to be proud of, but really, come on. Let's keep the ego in check a little.

Besides, the book speaks for itself. I understand it is "cobbled" together from stories published previously, but for myself, coming in unawares, the chapters work just fine. The opening chapter deals with how Tuf gets an amazing space ship, a bio-engineering "ark" (in one of the less subtle moments the ship is named, um, The Ark). Then we get introduced to an over populated planet in need of help (and desiring The Ark). Then a few more chapters, cleverly showing how Tuf uses the Ark in unexpected ways to both help people and satisfy his sense of morals.

The books works because a) it is endlessly inventive, always the hallmark of good science fiction, and b) clever in execution. Each chapter lays out an interesting problem which Tuf then proceeds to, in his own droll way, solve. Not always the way people expect or want him too, but in a way which is interesting nonetheless.

I do have to agree the novel ends some what poorly. Martin boxes himself into a corner and then offers a fairly mediocre (if not logical) way out, but the rest of the book more than makes up for it.

Hey, it's a fun read, it makes you think (and imagine) and yet does not dumb things down or present silly ideas just for shock or novelty value. Highly recommended.

Good Stuff
Like many people who have recently read "Tuf Voyaging" for the first time, I was introduced to George R. R. Martin through the outstanding "Song of Ice and Fire" series. "Tuf", of course, has a very different setting. In the far future, humanity lives on scattered planets long after the collapse of the Empire. One relic survives: a 'Seedship', containing all the ancient data and technology needed to clone extinct species or create new ones. This ship falls into the hands of a trader named Haviland Tuf, who promptly sets off on a series of adventures, using the ship's capabilities to address ecological and societal problems on various planets.

Although this is certainly early Martin, I would argue that we can definitely see the same qualities here that we love in his current set of fantasy triumphs. Characters stand out for their strong personalities and unshakable convictions. Tuf, portrayed as intelligent and self-confident but still holding a sense of humor, embodies the same strength and likeability that we find in Tyrion Lannister and other unforgettable creations. As in the "Song", minor characters are also well-developed in the space of just a few lines, creating genuine emotional intensity as they vie against Tuf. I should mention also that the humor is strong. Things that are supposed to be funny actually are funny.

The best story of the bunch is "The Plague Star", the opening chapter in which we see how Tuf acquires his ship and grow introduced to his tough but patient personality. This one is a minor masterpiece that pitches an entire crew into an every-man-for-himself battle where nobody can be trusted. (Petyr Baelish and Varys would feel right at home.) As with his later fantasy novels, Martin toys with the reader. He sets up situations where you think you can predict what will happen, but keeps some tricks up his sleeve until the last minute. Slightly less enchanting, but still definitely worth reading, are three stories where Tuf helps a crowded planet deal with overpopulation. I didn't find these tales excessively preachy, but there was certainly less action there than what I've come to expect from Martin. ... 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

Buddhism teaches that each person must overcome 100 demons in a lifetime. In One Hundred Demons, a collection of 20 autobiographical comic strip storiesfrom Salon’s popular "Mothers Who Think" section, Lynda Barry wrestles with some of hers in her signature quirky, irrepressible voice. From "Dancing" and "Hate" to "Dogs" and "Magic," the tales included here are at once hilarious and heartbreaking. As she delves into the delights and sorrows of adolescence, family, identity, and love, Barry’s ear for dialogue, dead-on delivery, and painterly style showcase her considerable genius. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Beautiful book. You must read this book.
Where did Lynda Barry come from?!!? Her early cartoons were great, sometimes inspired. Then came The Good Times are Killing Me and Cruddy, two extraordinary novels. With One Hundred Demons, Lynda Barry seems to have grown into a new level of inspired storytelling that ignores conventional boundaries and establishes its own self-contained universe of emotion and thought, image and word. As a result, this is great art -- not fiction, not autobiography, not painting -- this is GREAT ART that reaches inside you and messes with you on many levels. Mundane details illuminate huge ideas and cultural archetypes. Forget the details -- just get it and read it.

Wow
I stayed up late into the night to read this book, frequently crying. Lynda Barry has clearly made an effort to be as honest as possible, and as a result, these stories just really ring true. This book is a rare combination of funny and sad and smart. She handles some pretty lofty themes--memory, abuse of power, family--with an insistence on staying in reality. It's a provocative book, and a pleasure to read. I'm buying copies for several of my friends.

Holy Cow! This is the okayest book ever written!
This is the Okayest book I have ever Read! More Okay than anything else I have read EVER! Some people should Definately READ THIS BOOK!

Just Lynda Barry's usually awesome, trippy stuff
Lynda Barry's "One! Hundred! Demons!" is just another astonishingly wonderful book in a long line of astonishingly wonderful books. Using Japanese inks and brushes, she categorizes the demons of her childhood. We see everything from resilience to hate to common scents, from magic to "girlness" to dogs to cicadas.

Among the many pleasures of the book--Barry's extremely simple yet enormously evocative illustrations, the awesome ear she has for the way children speak to each other, the cheerful colors belying much of the sadness inherent in her work--is the section entitled "Magic." This regards Barry's rejection, at age thirteen, of her two-years-younger best friend. It's easy to tell that even more than thirty years later, Barry feels shame over this episode. She so deftly sketches the psyche of her thirteen-year old self that we are left alternating between complete understanding of her actions and rueful sorrow that she couldn't ignore the age difference.

This is a funky, trippy book that's simultaneously a quick read and something you want to linger over the second (and third, and fourth) time you read it. Long may Lynda Barry rule!

A Book that should be a mandatory read - everywhere!
As Marlys would say: (and the only decent way I can do this book any justice)

SUPER RIGHT ON!

The best book, hands-down, I have read in the past ten years. When will Lynda get the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature and Cartoons? ... Read more

Book Description

Exploring Drawing for Animation is an innovative introduction to 2D animation and inspirational skill-sharpener for working professionals.The authors creatively link drawing techniques and life drawinghuman and animal anatomy, architecture, and sceneryto 2D animation production and outcomes.The instructional format builds animation skills from the ground up, using a technical foundation in drawing as a basis for exploring animation.Overviews span the topics of sequence drawing, character development, motion, proportional techniques, and animation clean-up. Together, these essential skills combine to help readers develop the drawing skills necessary to be a successful animator. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Awesome resource
I have worked as a Game developer, Educator and 3D Animator for the last 8 years. During that time I have spent many long hours reading animation texts. I can say without a doubt that this book is one that every serious animator should add to their collection. Exploring Drawing for Animation is a useful resource for both beginners and experts, I highly recommend it!

This book is a MUST HAVE
I've been drawing for years, and thusly I'm always on the lookout for a drawing book that is truly helpful. After picking up this book, I knew I had found a winner. This book is by far one of the best books of it's type I've ever seen. Finally a book for aspiring animators that isn't filled to the brim with characters that look like stale ripoffs of Don Adams, or rejects from Sergio Aragones' "The Mighty Groo"... and I'm not just harping over this book because the authors are two of my teachers-- they know their stuff, and if you can't be in one of their classes, then you definitely have to pick this up. ... Read more

Book Description

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

... Read more

Reviews (24)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book Description

Dark Horse Comics is proud to present one of the authentic landmarks in graphic fiction, Lone Wolf and Cub, to be published in its entirety for the first time in America. An epic samurai adventure of staggering proportions -- over 7000 pages -- Lone Wolf and Cub (Kozure Okami in Japan) is acknowledged worldwide for the brilliant writing of series creator Kazuo Koike and the groundbreaking cinematic visuals of the late Goseki Kojima, creating unforgettable imagery of stark beauty, kinetic fury, and visceral thematic power that influenced a generation of visual storytellers both in Japan and in the West. Don`t missthis monumental monthly release, twenty-eight volumes, with each collection approximately 300 pages! ... Read more

Reviews (31)

A great manga to read.
I'm a big fan of the Lone Wolf and Cub fan movies. They are some of the bloodiest movies I've ever seen, but they're fascinating at the same time with their interesting display of the Japanese people during the Edo period. However, I was dubious when I heard about the manga series. I assumed that the manga was based on the movie series (an incorrect guess), thought it was too small (I've had bad experience with small manga books, read my review of Gundam Wing #1 to see what I mean), and while flipping through it, wasn't immediately attracted to the artwork like I was with the Blade of the Immortal series. However, when I gave it a closer inspection, I found the artwork to actually be pretty detailed and well done if you just gave it a chance. ... So I bought it. And I most certainly don't regret it. The stories are great, the art is great, the characters are cool, the dialogue is interesting, the different challenges Ogami faces are all unique and interesting...everything about it is great. Since continuity isn't a huge issue with the series the way it is with other mangas, I don't have to sweat it if I don't buy the books in proper order. Another great thing to not just this volume but to the entire series is the Buddhist mythology, beliefs, and tradtions inserted into the story. If you want to learn about Buddhism, don't pick up a "For Dummies" book. Instead read this manga and see the role Buddhism played in people's lives, as well as learning plenty about meifumado, the six paths and four ways, and other parts of everday Buddhism.

Last to mention, one of my favorite things about this series, that has brought it near and dear to my heart, is that it's portable...it's the perfect size that I can still read it, but it fits in my pocket and I can carry it with me anywhere. This is a great manga, and you won't regret buying it (as long as tasteful nudity, rare and minimalistic sex scenes, and incredibly gory and violent action).

Warmup for Rest of Series
In the first few stories, the character of Ogami Itto is shrouded in mystery. At first his name is mentioned without any one realizing who he is. Its the last two stories that his background is fully disclosed. The first story is interesting because of the shadowly introduction of the Lone WOlf and CUb within the first couple of pages. My favorite from this volume are A FATHER KNOW'S HIS CHILD'S HEART AS A CHILD KNOWS HIS FATHER'S, BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX, SUIO RYU ZAMBATTO, AND THE last two stories. Marvelous blend of action, historical ideass, and character development. Maybe not the best but a good way to become acquinted with what I think is the best Graphic novel series of all time.

A good beginning to probable greatness
I wasn't all that moved to adoration by this first volume but overall I was entertained and interested enough to pick up the second volume. Vol. 1's artwork is much more interesting than the story therein. The second volume is where the series begins to come into its own.

Don't hestitate! Draw out your wallet!
This is by far the best manga I have ever read. I've enjoyed Koike and Kojima's work in other manga -- but these stories are incredible. I couldn't put the book down. If you're reading this review, thinking about buying the book -- just proceed to checkout. It is worth the purchase.

One reviewer commented on how the stories from the Dark Horse comics were different. The guys at my comic store set me straight: the owners of the series only allowed Dark Horse to reprint it in paperback if they did it THEIR way, by presenting the material exactly how it is sold in Japan (format, sequential order, etc.). So you're really getting an incredible work of artistry here, held up to high standards.

The translation and notes (useful!) are really quite good. I love the manner the original Japanese is handled and am in awe. This is an awesome import from Japan.

My favorite story is the 7th, Gomori-juku Hot Springs. Incredible mix of psychology and action.

sequential art classic
It doesn't really matter if you like Japanese comics or American ones, in this case... This is a book you should read reguardless. It really is a classic.

For those of you who don't really dig the whole manga thing, don't worry. There are no big eyes, cute mascots, or bouncy schoolgirls in this series. The art is gritty, and the stories are dark. Some will stick with you for years after reading them, and the two main characters are unforgettable as well.

There's a reason why this series has the reputation it does. If you have any interest in sequential art or comic books at all, and if you can stand blood, gore, and some dark themes, you should without a doubt read this series. You won't regret it. ... Read more

Book Description

Look out world, here he comes - Luke Cage, Hero for Hire - and bullets won't stop him! The early adventures of comics' first and foremost black superstar of the seventies are collected for the first time in one volume as Power Man defends his home turf against the likes of Diamondback, Mace, Black Mariah, Dr. Doom, Senor Suerte, Chemistro, Lionfang, Steeplejack, Cottonmouth, and more! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and Iron Man! Collects Hero For Hire #1-#16 and Power Man #17-#27 ... Read more

Book Description

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

Reviews (26)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews (18)

Great book for ALL branches of comedy
As a professional comedian I have shelves of books on comedy. I always enjoy exploring new books just in hopes to extract one or two useful bits of information. The comic toolbox has TONS of useful information. I have used many of the author's tools to review and rewrite my current material to make it stronger and in helping me develop new material. The author's writing style is very pleasant and gets to the point in a lighthearted fashion. Whether you are writing comedy for tv, movies, or the stage this book is worth the small investment into your career.

A helpful - and ENJOYABLE - book of fiction writing advice
No other book on writing I've read - and I've read a lot! - kept me chuckling throughout. I'd recommend this book for the laughs alone, but I can also recommend it as the fount of writing wisdom it entails.

Vorhaus not only explains the basic types of humor and the elements of a comic plot, but also lays out an excellent plotting structure useful for any type of fiction writing. Whether you merely want to add a few touches of humor to an angsty story, or you want to write the next comic blockbuster, this book will help you on your way.

P.S. Chapter 9 alone is worth the price of the book!

Not a comic toolbox!
If you can get past the first 191 pages then the last page is great....its the page when you can close the book and thank god its over.
John Vorhaus gets confused with what a premise is and what most comics call a mix or a twist. If he is unsure of the basics maybe a book is beyond him.
In saying this its worth reading as it is a great tool for learning to push on no matter how bad things are.

Best book around except .....
I tremendously enjoyed reading the book. And the insights and ideas you get really blow your mind. One disadvantage is that it`s text only, so it`s sometimes hard to filter out the pure structure and the bone of it all.

But being not the constantly complaining german as you would assume I made a virtue of it and reread the book and tried to write down a 9-pages abstract of the book and I think this process (process not product!) helped me to get more out of the book than it would have been otherwise possible.(You college graduates knew that all along!) Give it a go!

Add to your collection. . .
I use three of the tools. Great stuff, gets the mind working like I want it to work when it comes to comedy. Plus, he has some very positive words of encouragement. However, he spends a lot of time on the comedic story and sitcoms.........I was looking for comedy for the stand up stage. But.......I bought it, loved it...Actually, 3 1/2 stars would be about right. ... Read more

Book Description

Never before has there been a single volume like the Comic Book Encyclopedia, a one-stop shopping guide to the best comics, graphic novels, artists, writers, and characters of the comic book universe. The encyclopedia spans more than seventy years, and within its pages you will find the origins of Superman and the X-Men, underground comic gurus like Robert Crumb, foreign sensations like Tintin, and individual writers and artists who changed the landscape of comics forever. Get an overview of major milestones in comics history with the opening time line or just flip through the book for Archie, Casper, Batman, Wonder Woman, and all the rest as you get hooked on the history of art-driven storytelling -- and never look at a comic book or graphic novel the same way again!

A must-have, fully illustrated compendium of the greatest comics, graphic novels, characters, artists, and writers from around the country. Whether you're a comic book newbie or a die-hard fan, this is the one and only book you'll ever need for a complete overview of this exciting world!

Inside you'll find:

• more than 400 comic covers, interiors, and images
• A historic time line from the '30s to today
• A selection of top graphic novels
• The origins of your favorite characters
• Biographies of top writers and illustrators and much, much more!

Book Description