Cartoons Books

Wow, this was my very first Simpsons Comic Book that I have bought and trust me I was very impressed. I didn't really have high expectations for it but this really took me by suprise. This Comic is amazingly funny! You just have to get this book, trust me you won't regret it with classic strips such as "A Trip to Simpsons Mountain" where Grandpa tells his days when there was no television and "Get Fatty" where the town of Springfield is known as the most overweight town in the country and every food that now sells is nutritional and so the whole town has to lose some weight in order to be awarded a waterpark. I would get this Comic book if I were you because now I have at least a dozen Simpson Comics in my room after buying this one.

This is the first simpsons thing I had ever bought-and once I read it I went and bought a lot more>! This is one of fav. simpsons comics.

Waitresses in the sky is the only bad one in this book.A trip to Simsons mountain is the best.All the others are good too.

All four stories were very funny.You should see the T.V. show first.Lisa's top 40 was also funny.I think number 18 was the funniest.I recommend Simpsons Wing Ding.

More super stories from the great characters of Springfield! Here's what this issue has to offer:

"A Trip to Simpson Mountain": Grandpa tells a story of his childhood days before television that sounds oddly enough like a cross between The Waltons, Beverly Hills 90210, Leave It To Beaver, The Brady Bunch, and the Partridge Family (must be a coincidence).

"Kill-er Up With Regular": A classic Itchy and Scratchy short from the "1930s".

"Waitresses in the Sky": Patty and Selma lose their jobs at the DMV and end up living with the Simpsons. Can they find the job of their dreams at Mr. Burns' airline (you'll love the insignia on the planes) or will they break under the pressure (actually, the "No Smoking" sign)? Would make a hilarious T.V. episode.

"Apu's Incredible 96-Hour Shift (without Getting a Break)": The legend is true, but not so impresive considering Apu didn't have a customer for 95 hours and 54 minutes of the famed shift.

"What's the Frequency Simpson": Similar to the T.V. episode where Lisa and Bart co-anchor a kids' news program. In this comic, Bart and Lisa take over a public access channel to start a new sensation: SimpTV. SimpTV offers such entertaining and informative programs as "Geek Patrol" hosted by Martin Prince, "Bad Boy" starring Nelson Munz, and "In the Kitchen With Wiggum" where Ralph creates many tantalizing dishes involving paste. The television elite of Springfield (aka Krusty the Klown, Troy McClure, Bumblebee Man, Kent Brockman, and Dr. Nick) try to shut the renegade channel down.

"Bumblebee Man in !Ay, Que Lastima!": Short about the trying personal life of the yellow and black striped character we thought we knew.

"The Dame and the Clown": Dragnet take-off where Otto is Detective Friday and Moe helps Marge escape an abusive relationship to return to her true love (Homer the Sailor Man).

"Get Fatty": One of the funniest of this book. This comic has a topic similar to the T.V. show where Springfield is named the nation's fattest city. In this comic, President Clinton plans to shape up the country's fattest town with the "worst cholesterol count in modern history." He sends his fitness ambassador Rainier Wolfcastle (aka McBain) to whip Springfield into shape. The worst offenders must lose 10 pounds in two weeks or face the consequences. Can they (or, more to the point, CAN HOMER) do it?

"The Quest for Yaz": This comic continues the storyline started in the T.V. episode "Three Men and a Comic Book." Milhouse's dream is to own a 1973 Carl Yastzremski baseball card when he had big sideburns--but is Milhouse willing to steal to get it?

This is a great book for all ages -- I read along with my 10 year old who did a report on this book ....terrific, funny....very true to life....

This book made me Laugh so hard I liked her first book Sahara Special but this is even better. The teacher used thhe book to help us journal and I thought it would be boring but I could not wait for her to read these funny stories out loud and then write my own stories about things like school and grandparents. This author writes about the city in a way that is FOR REAL and not boring and now I write in my journal every day because I want to be a writter. My only comnplaint is this book is not rewally about tuna fish but I dont even like tuna fish so who cares.

I enjoyed "Sing A Song of Tuna Fish" immensely, not only because of the fantastic description and detail, but also how Esme Raji Codell created an incredibly entertaining story of her childhood. I think she did a very good job of making something that in real life might not have been that entertaining, into a very good story. I think that even a 40 year old would enjoy this book!!!!

As an antidote to a wicked case of bronchitis, I've managed to read my way through a stack of books on my nightstand and found a winner: Sing a Song of Tuna Fish, Hard to Swallow Stories From Fifth Grade by Esme Raji Codell, the author of Educating Esme and other books.

It was published in 2004 but I hadn't seen it until last week on the shelf of the Atlantic County Bookmobile. What a treasure! I've been searching for good mentor texts to use with our fifth and sixth grade classes, something that would make the kids and their teachers really "get" the need to focus writing workshop around memoirs--and boy this is it! Esme takes you right into her life as a fifth grader. I think that both kids and adults will be inspired to explore their own childhood experiences after reading this book.

This book made me Laugh so hard I liked her first book Sahara Special but this is even better. The teacher used thhe book to help us journal and I thought it would be boring but I could not wait for her to read these funny stories out loud and then write my own stories about things like school and grandparents. This author writes about the city in a way that is FOR REAL and not boring and now I write in my journal every day because I want to be a writter. My only comnplaint is this book is not rewally about tuna fish but I dont even like tuna fish so who cares.

This was a great collection of strips. You can see the natural and humorous growth of Zoe, Hammie and baby Wren, who keep Wanda and Darryl constanstly on their toes and in the grocery store. I have always loved Baby Blues and will be sad to see them "grow up"....like the kids in For Better Or For Worse. That's when you know a strip is darn great...when you think of the characters as real and you can really relate to their daily "lives". Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

I bought this book for my wife, because she loves chocolate and we have raised two kids. It is a very funny book. It should be read while eating chocolate too.
Gordon H.

Great reading! Good for parents who have very small amounts of personal space! Be prepared for lots of laughter coming from the closed bathroom door!

I loved this new Baby Blues collection. It simply had me in tears. I liked it when Wren bumped her chin, the Hammie got greenstick fracture, then Zoe got bruised knuckles, and Darryl sprang his ankle. It was a hilarious Baby Blues story. I recommend this collection to anyone who wants to laugh.

I can't believe the longevity of this strip and how it has stayed consistantly funny. When it first came out I found it really amusing as it dealt with the pitfalls of being a parent with a baby/children. Now all these years later, they are on their third child and the jokes are fresh and still very amusing. Baby Blues is an excellent series for the young and older fans.

This is a very good book, it is really funny and it was everything I expected it to be.

great stuff if you love Mad magazine. i enjoyed reading the history of the comic and it's Cuban creator.

Something somehow was richer in character about Prohias's many Black Spy vs. White Spy cartoons in Mad Magazine and this make me think he was really the best of the Mad artists to tackle this subject (maybe times were just better in the 60's than in the late 80's-2007, the period this book covers) still I much like the many original ideas the later generations of Mad artists came up (like the two page in-color caveman one in this book).

I purchased the Spy vs Spy2 book as an Xmas gift for my 12 year old son. He receives Mad magazine. He always loves to show me the Spy pages. He loved the book so much, he just ordered the first Spy vs Spy book. His best friend also spent a good deal of time pouring over the pages at his last sleepover. We hope you continue to keep these products available.

If you are a fan of Mad Magazine then there's simply no way you cannot be a fan of Spy Vs. Spy. Created by Cuban cartoonist Antonio Prohias, the strip has been a fixture in Mad Magazine since 1961. The political cartoonist fled his homeland in 1960, just before Dictator Fidel Castro took over the Cuban papers. Prohias retired from the strip in 1988 and passed away ten years later, but his creation has lived on in the capable hands of new cartoonist who have even brought the strip to greater heights be producing it in color Sunday newspaper strips, video games, as well as getting their own animated commercials for Mountain Dew.

This 320 page, oversized trade paperback features the work of the men who took over for Prohias, first the team of writer Don "Duck" Edwing and artists Bob Clark and Dave Manak, followed by artist/writer Peter Kuper, the current force behind the strip. In addition to presenting hundreds of Spy Vs. Spy strips, the book featured a short biography of Prohias, and interview with Kuper, and several other short features.

While Edwing and his partners continued to produce the strip in much the way that it had been for nearly 30 years, Kuper came in with an entirely new look. Contrary to what many may think, Kuper doesn't achieve his look through airbrushing. In fact, he actually explains his creative process in the book. While the grainy look may not have been immediately accepted by longtime fans, no one can deny the incredible influence that he's had on the characters and how the black& white spies have continued to flourish under his watch. In 2001, Kuper began doing his Mad strips in color, giving it a complete different look. Perhaps it was Kuper saying that the world of spies simply is no longer black & white...or maybe he just wanted to do them in color.

In 2002, Spy Vs. Spy became syndicated in Sunday newspapers, with story and art by Edwing and Manak. The strip ran for only 39 weeks, in part because some editors deemed it inappropriate in the case of Mid-East violence. Thankfully, Watson-Guptill has seen fit to reprint all 39 of those strips in this edition. It's a wonderful book and one of the most legendary strips ever.

reviewed by Tim Janson

More humor from the mind of Berke Breathed. If you love Bloom County, this is good one to add to your collection, although some of it is repeated elsewhere.

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

This collection does a marvellous job of walking the fine line between the hilariously funny and the absurdly silly. Some of the other Bloom County collections fall off of that line and land in the absurdly silly zone; for the most part, this one avoids that flaw. A must for any fan of the collection, and a good place to start for someone who isn't familiar with it. Of course, anyone too young to remember the '80s may miss some of the then-topical political references (a murderous alien that looks like a cute, telegenic puppy testifying before congress a la Ollie North, for instance) but for the most part, even if the reference is unfamiliar to the reader, the humor is only reduced, not lost entirely.

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

Bloom County was and still is one of my favorite strip comics ever. It was often topical, referring to presidents, sitcoms, and other Americana of its day. Such subjects, when they appear, give this comic a dated look, almost like watching the Marx Brothers.

Most of the strips, however, are timeless. Opus' personality is as sweet and doofy as ever. Oliver Wendell Jones still gets in trouble, the kind no one has the heart to punish him for. Steve Dallas is still a jerk, the kind of jerk that I still find today. All the rest are still there, too, as good as they ever were.

It's a funny mix, news from the 80s mixed with topics that work today, and it's still a funny strip. If, someohow, you missed the original run of Bloom County in the daily funnies, you'll find that it's never too late to catch up. Enjoy!

//wiredweird

A Pleasure. Very smart - wonderful writer/artist. A very minor comment, I wish the pages were a bit thicker so the text from the under side of the page wouldn't show through the drawings. Of course though then the book would be very thick. Enjoyable still.

I think the book is beautiful and very well done.
Thurber was a great writer and his works are worth reading.
I have a bit of personal interest in this, though since he was
my father's 2nd cousin. Looking at Thurber's photo in the book
is like looking at my brother's face when he was a young man.

James Thurber's brand of humor often went under the radar -- he didn't have scintillating wordplay, goofy puns or juvenile humor. (No offense to you, Mr. Barry -- I love your work too). But, as "James Thurber: Writings and Drawings" demonstrates, the subtle approach worked just as well.

Thurber wrote and drew so much during his lifetime that this book is actually not a full collection, but a sort of "Best of" collection. Thurber turns a satirical eye at sex, marriage, men who bark like dogs, old ladies who foretell doom, some rather dry little fables and spoofs, and a look at how the Civil War might have ended if Grant had been recovering from a bender. Not to mention the entire text of Thurber's children's novel, "The 13 Clocks," a slightly twisted fantasy about a young prince who must rescue the Princess, with the help of the nonsense-spouting Golux (who is not a mere device).

Admittedly, not all of them are strictly meant for humor -- "My Life and Hard Times" is a short, entertaining autobiography, without the excuses and ego trips that many autobiographies have. There are also bittersweet memories, such as the story of a faithful dog that Thurber had when he was very small.

There are also quite a few pictures -- Thurber had a cute, rounded kind of style, without a lot of details. One example is "The Last Flower," an anti-war parable in which after a devastating war, civilization falls and people forget everything, even love. Not all the cartoons are as quietly grim, however -- one is a man, woman and child romping through various obstacles together, as well as several standalone cartoons.

"James Thurber: Writings and Drawings" shows Thurber off to best advantage. It's a great collection not only because Thurber was a wonderful humorist, but also because the pieces in here show the full range of what he could do. Included are humorous anecdotes, personal reflections, tributes, sad stories, fables fiction, and funny little cartoons -- it shows what a versatile writer he was. Not just a humorist, but a writer.

And a cartoonist as well -- Thurber was able to draw entire picture books that had no set story, but could be interpreted as the reader wished. Most of his cartoons were more relaxed, with a sort of rounded, simplistic style that looks like he doodled them while he was thinking.

"James Thurber: Writings and Drawings" is not only a good collection of this now-legendary writer's work, but a good introduction to Thurber as well. Definitely worth checking out.

I've often thought that Thurber doesn't get the credit today that he deserves as a writer. This is probably because his works are not "deep" in terms of meaning or content. His mastery of language, though,is superb, and his stories are some of the most hilarious and best written I have ever read. I can read many of them over and over and still laugh out loud! His cartoons are clever as well. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in humor and 20th century American literature.

One should never confuse writing with a light touch for comic writing. Thurber expressed dislike for the word "humorist" and I can understand why. When I read his writing, it is clear that the effect is intended to talk about serious things, not weighty things, but with a light touch. He makes his point by putting on the coat and hat of someone and wearing it in a way that points out how ridiculous it is, after all.

For example, our age has been obsessed with sex for, well, the obsession sort of defines our age, right? Thurber's first published work was with E. B. White on "Is Sex Necessary?" and basically mocks the discussions of sex by supposedly serious analysts. He refers to the problems between men a women as a product of pedastalism and that there were diversions created by women and men to distract them from their desire to get together. Men developed hobbies and became devoted to sports, and women distracted men by making fudge. There are also early Thurber drawings that became such an effective part of his work and his fame.

This collection was put together by a very appropriate editor, Garrison Keillor. He has a wonderful ear for the kind of thing Thurber was after and has selected well. Most of the book contains selections, but there are four complete works. And there is a rich sampling of Thurbers drawings. We get examples of Thurber's writing over the 1920s through the 1950s. The collection has a great sampling of his writing about the struggles between men and women, which was a wonderful topic for the times in which he wrote. But we also get his wonderful fables for our time and the popular writings he wrote for children. However, unlike the jelly filled sweet pastries our time provides for children, these have more pain and harshness. While they are not fairy tales such as the brothers Grimm, they do have similar bite.

If you don't know James Thurber, you owe it to yourself to get to know his writing. First of all, it is fun to read and the cartoons a style unique to him. Second, while he is not as famous now as he was, his work remains strong and an important contribution to American letters. This is a fine collection and very much worth having.

The Chronology of Thurber's life and the notes about sources and texts also make a solid contribution to our enjoyment of the text and help us understand some of the names and events that were quite topical at the time the piece was published, but have faded into the mists of time since then.

Enjoy!

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

"Unleashing Your Inner Dog" is a wonderful blend of prose and illustration. Mari Gayatri-Stein has the rare distinction of being both a literary and a visual artist, and both talents drew me delightfully through the book. The writing is lyrical without being precious, authentic without being confessional. The cartoons are wry and kind - the best combination for such illustrations, and a difficult balance to attain. "Inner Dog" is one of those handy books you can read in manageable bites. I looked forward every evening to sliding into bed and reading for five or ten minutes, then falling asleep in the kind of good mood only a dog can inspire. Whether you want to treat yourself to a little gem or give a welcome gift, I recommend this book unreservedly.

Mari's love for her dogs and her boundless insight into their character illuminates every page of her book. You find yourself immersed in a doggy world that soothes your soul and lifts your heart. Her delightful and amusing drawings enhance every page. This book is a real treat.

Your Best Friend's Guide to Life is the story of how our dogs can rescue us from a life of delusion & instruct us in the art of love & joy. By observing our canine companions, we can learn to be our own top dog.

It always amazes me to watch our Buddy-dog's abandon & joy in each new day, nay every time the front door is opened & he is invited into the outside. I remark at least once a day at how unconditionally I am loved by this four-legged fellow whose needs are so ordinary & attainable.

With whimsical cartoons & pen strokes, this author has composed a lovely, mature, witty & cosmic caper inspired by the furry & tailed angels in our lives.

While you don't have to be a dog lover to enjoy this book, it does help! Unleashing Your Inner Dog would be an inspired gift for your dog-loving friends! Something they'll treasure you for giving!

As a meditator striving to live in the moment and appreciate the small miracles of every day life, I was absolutely delighted to discover Mari Stein's "Inner Dog." She describes the challenges of being human with warm, loving humor. And the illustrations are exquisite! This is a book I can pick up over and over, each time discovering some new way to practice "loving kindness" when seeing myself through the eyes of my pet. I might add that I am owned by a cat who continually teaches me to stretch my body and my mind and not get too attached to anything.

I was so caught up in the illustrations, that I didn't want to distract myself with the words, but when I started to read, I didn't want to stop to look over at the illustrations. Profound concepts simply expressed. I found Unleashing Your Inner Dog to be delightful and clever, a treat for the eye, the funny bone, and the soul.

This comic makes me wonder...is my doggie reading this when I leave the room? :)

I'm a quite new fan of MUTTS. First approach was in Houston airport in some newspaper forgotten on a chair. Colorful and simple...one line in wich Bip tells Bop "Green is so yesterday", was so hilarious for me I couldn't understand why...so I looked forward to read more stripes online afterwards.

I just received my first book of MUTTS (No 7) "WHAT NOW". After reading the first pages, I can tell you that after a hard day, or even if you are kinda depressed or blue....this will cheer you up for sure!.
Definetely Earl and Mooch are the best!! . . . in this very issue you'll see the love at first sight of the "lil pink sock".

Inocent, simple and just delightful...!

Greetings to ya'll MUTT fans.

ORD

I always enjoyed the Mutts book and this is great as the others. The every day stories of the dog Earl and cat Mooch (inclusive owners and some other animals such as woofie, crabby, and squirrel) are cute, innocent, funny and kind of philosophical. I just love that even I read every strip at least five times, I can still smile /laugh about them.

Mutts was called "One of the greatest comic strips of all time" by Charles Schulz. Give yourself a little time a read this great collection. And then treat yourself to all the Mutts books, you'll be glad you did...

Best comic strip since Peanuts and Calvin & Hobbes. Those of us who own and love our pets can relate to McDonnell's silly yet sensitive and always charming sense of humor. Curl up with a lil pink sock, a bowl of Chicky Schnoodle Shoup and read ALL the books---you'll be better for it!

Will Elder, as you know was one of the Original EC Comics Artists. Along with Harvey Kurtzman he was a Part of the first 25 Issues of Mad Magazine.
His amazing Art helped to define what Mad was all about. To put it in Words, this man went Plumb Loco, and just about created Lampoon Art all on his own.

This Lavish 392 Page Book is The Document of Will's Life and his Art. Over 100 Pages of his Comic Art is Reproduced here, and this Material is a Feast for the Eyes, for anyone who enjoys Comics and Good Humor.

Besides Mad, Will's work in other Publications are here as well. The Humor Magazines: Panic, Trump, Humbug, Help! and Pageant are all represented with lot's of his Work not seen in decades. The 'Liitle Annie Fanny" and "Goodman Beaver" Stories {Teaming with Harvey Kurtzman, again} are here in Bulk as well.

Paintings, Portraits, Still Lifes, Stetches and Drawings from Will's Personal Files show another side of his Talents.

This Book is One of the Best, I have every seen on the Subject of a Comic Artist...{And I have seen a few!}. It is a Massive Volume about an American Original...The One and Only...Villie Elder !!!

Just buy this already-- here's a book with great production values that features one of the great artists (of any kind!) of the 20th century, Villy Elder. "Genius" it says-- and for once it's fully justified. Comic genius, artistic genius, wiseass genius: Elder is the real thing.

Will Elder is one of the greatest artists in American history. Elder's works have appeared in magazines ranging from Mad to Playboy. Many of Elder's best works are parodies of such comic strips as Archie and Lil' Abner. Elder eventually became a full-time artist at Playboy Magazine and was one of Hugh Hefner's top assistants.

This is a must have book for all Will Elder fans.

This collection of Elder's work is a solid addition to what is already available. (The complete Mad comic book issues are available in paperback form at most bookstores, and the Little Annie Fanny series can be ordered from Amazon.) This volume contains much of Elder's work from Trump, Humbug and Help, as well as other magazines, like the 1950s Pageant.

Also included are many personal paintings and drawings of Elder's family, as well as landscapes.

A class clown in art school, Elder also assiduously studied such masters as Peter Breughel and Cezzane. In fact, he even gives homage to these painters in an illustrated series for Pageant, in which he discusses the artists which inspired him.

There is a lengthy essay by Bill Stoudt in which he describes the painstaking process by which Elder, Harvey Kurtzman and Hugh Hefner created each episode of the "Little Annie Fanny" series. Hefner insisted that each page resemble a painting, and that is precisely what Elder delivered. Only after numerous drafts, sketches and erasures was a page of "Annie" ready for print.

When commissioned to satirize Norman Rockwell, Elder decided to prepare for the work exactly as Rockwell would. He enlisted his neighbors to model for the characters in the painting, and the result was the hilarious "Visit to Grandma's" in which a wholesome American family is depicted feeding small animals to a Venus Fly-Trap plant.

You can look over the panels of "L'il Melvin" or "Howdy Dooit" and see something different each time. This is because Elder doted over each picture, cramming it with details, building one joke over the next. Thus it took hours - maybe days - to complete one page, but so what? It kept the kids in the 1950s laughing their butts off! (I know because I was one of them. We used to run around the playground, running like the characters in the "Starchie" parody with our knees up to our chins.)

But did he make money? Well, eventually, but he could have made a lot more. In 1956, Kurtzman and Elder left Mad to start their own humor magazine, Trump, financed by Hugh Hefner. Kurtzman had given an ultimatum to publisher William Gaines that he would remain with Mad only if he could retain 51% ownership. Gaines insisted on 49%, so Kurtzman quit. In retrospect, he should have stayed, because the magazine went on to make a fortune for Gaines. Trump, however, folded after two issues.

As other reviewers have suggested, Elder's work belongs not only the category of "comic books" but possibly to the world of art. Will Elder drew in the tradition of Breughel and Hogarth. He drew the Human Comedy. Ultimately, he held the mirror up to nature and found it all hilarious.

I'm not going to fault Daniel Clowes for including selections from Elder's work available elsewhere (MAD satires on "Gasoline Alley", "Archie", etc) or for NOT including the complete "Goodman Beaver Goes Playboy," which is apparently under copyright limitations from the ARCHIE publishers (and is available elswhere on the 'net!) However I would have preferred more complete sequences from TRUMP and HUMBUG - which are not readily available elsewhere - and fewer examples of Elder's "straight" artwork - one still-life fruitbowl is plenty, thanks! How about more on the "A Night at the Castle" and "With trembling pseudopods" illos, which are in any event reproduced elsewhere?

I purchased this book for my husband and he was VERY PLEASED. I had overheard he and a buddy discussing the war cartoons and I was able to find them with a Google search.My husband was also impressed with the workmanship of the volumes.

There is ccombat for some in the military. So far as the army is concerned it is the men in the rifle companies who bear the brunt of combat. They are in touch with the enemy, face to face and hand to hand. Bill Mauldin was a master at expressig the life and times of the infantryman. Somehow he managed to picture a very serious busines with humor. Not an easy task, but he was a master of it.

A very good collection of the cartoons of Maldin. A very good selection of his cartoons and a good case study of him.

For those who lived through World War II, this is a sweet reminder of Bill Mauldin's fight to show the mud and toil of the war.

Had an original copy a number of years ago, misplaced it somewhere along the line. It's like finding an old friend.