Comics Books

This is a great ending to one of the best adventures of all time. All the mystery of Alita is explained in the conflict between Alita and Desty Nova, and the future of the scrapyard and tiphares is brought into a new world as Alita's power over her own destiny is realized with one final battle between fate and heroism.

WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL! WHAT MORE CAN I SAY? PERFRECT! SPECTACULAR! A MUST-READ!

Battle Angel Alita is a series I wish I could like more, and while it was good, it seemed to lose its soul after the second volume. It had equal parts romanticism and graphic death. Once Alita got past that, especially when she became a part of the RollerBall/DeathSport thing, this series began to take a downturn. So it's not a surprise that the final volume of Alita comes to an unsatisfying and hokey end.

Alita has a final confrontation with Desty Nova as the mad scientist tries to conquer Alita's will from the inside out, by deceiving her mind. But we just might find out that that Nova has a soft and cuddly side during the process. And after all, he finally does reveal the hidden secret of Tiphares, a secret that drove Dr. Ido mad! Meanwhile, the forces of Den and Barjack embark on a hopeless mission to destroy Tiphares and bring it crashing to the ground.

This last volume of Alita suffered from the same faults as most of the series. It's just plain goofy. The characters, while going through horrible ordeals, never rise beyond Walt Disney caricatures. It just doesn't seem like much deep thought went into the plot or the conflicts that the characters endure. You could've went into some social commentary instead of following the insane ramblings of a Godzilla size Centaur. And the ultimate sacrifice that Alita makes in this comic is totally contrived and really disrespects her. You're left wondering at the end of the book, "Is that it? This is the great resolution that the entire series has been working towards?". The only thing that saves this series is the lead character herself. If only the story constructed around her had went somewhere.

I can only admire Kishiro's way of ending so magnanimally a perfect series in the critical condition he was in. Talk about inspiration. The series could only end in Gally finding happiness or Gally dying, and I was surprised by the ending, my imagination was not prepared for the mental and heart blow he delivered. Do I recommend it? More than that, I urge you all to get the whole series, a must have, a Bible for some of us.

All good things must come to an end, at least temporarily. With this volume, Yukito Kishiro lifts ramps Alita's story up to a surprising new level, as the final stages of her battle with Desty Nova unfold. Nova, surprised that Alita has broken free of his mental trap, uses the truth about the citizens of Tiphares to cause enough confusion to escape. Alita follows, and is trapped again in Nova's mental coils. This time the Doctor seeks to sap her will to live. As the struggle develops, we get flashes of what might have been parts of Alita's past and future, which are in many ways the only explanation we will ever get.

At the scrap yard, Lord Den and Koyomi have arrived for the final assault on Tiphares. In a last dramatic gesture, Den challenges the might of the sky city on his own, little realizing that the real struggle for the city's survival was happening elsewhere, as Alita challenges Nova and the city for the last time. Suffice it to say, the book becomes one incredible series of images after another, as Alita transcends her limitations in an entirely mind-boggling and innovative fashion.

I always feel slow on the uptake when I completely miss a mystical reference. Until I was staring at the final imagery of the series, I failed to realize that the names Tiphares (and Ketheres) are drawn from the Sephiroth of the Kabalah. Tiphares means beauty, and Ketheres is the crown. These have a natural explanation in the story, so it is hard to decide how deep this metaphysical layer runs. I'll leave it for readers to judge for themselves. It is curious how often such symbolism works it's way into Japanese anime as a metaphor for the mysterious. Of course Evangelion comes to mind, and recently, X (the series) has made such references. A surprise addition to an already complex tale.

In any case, this phase of Alita's story comes to an end with a complete transformation of the order of her world. We know there is more, because a new volume is promised. This is a special manga, combining an intensely violent action story with an underlying theme of the nature of humanity and love. One can find material to think about while watching the parts fly, all beautifully illustrated by an artist who should be considered one of Japan's best. 'Ascension' is a unique work of art in an already outstanding series. I hope that Kishiro will keep the series alive for further incarnations.

In this series of The Complete Peanuts (1955-56), the Peanuts gang has established themselves as we now know them. Portions of this volume were used in Good Grief, More Peanuts (a collection of Sunday comics), Good Old Charlie Brown, Snoopy and You're Out of Your Mind, Charlie Brown (another exclusive collection of Suday Peanuts comics), all released on Holt Reinhart and Windsor books. Lucy has become crabbier and bossier to her kid brother Linus. When Lucy teaches Linus about the "facts of life," Charlie Brown says "It'll take 12 years for Linus to unlearn everything Lucy has taught him!" This leads to one of the 1st Peanuts stories where Lucy's inane lectures make Charlie Brown's stomach hurt (and later Linus's!). There is, however, a soft spot to Lucy, she's infatuated with Schroeder. But Schroeder loves only Beethoven and can't stand Lucy. In this volume, Scrhoeder uses the piano as a weapon against Lucy whenever she uses it a headrest for the 1st time (KLUNK!) or just drives him crazy, which is most of the time. He also won't tolerate Snoopy using his piano as a mini-dancefloor (Bill Melendez and Lee Mendelson used this gag in A Charlie Brown Christmas). Also used in one of the animated specials is a cartoon featured here where Lucy, fed up with Beethoven, smashes Schroeder's Beethoven bust only for Schroeder to go to his closet and get a new one! It was also used on GAF viewmasters, a toy many of you probably remember. Charlie Brown has become more melancholy and "wishy washy," as the gang seems to see him. He often complains he has no friends and has trouble flying a kite or winning a baseball game. He especially has trouble kicking the football from Lucy ("AUUUUUUUGH!" Did we mention that Lucy can be sneaky?). Linus grows up a little and is seen often with his blanket (Snoopy would often try to steal the blanket, leaving Linus flying in the air) or would sometimes shoot Lucy with his finger pistol ("BANG!"). Glimpses of the great philosopher Linus would become are already underway here. Pig Pen, who is featured on the cover here, is still a mess but can also be a great philosopher sometimes ("I tried cleaning up, Mom, but couldn't get the dirt off. I think I've reached the point of no return!"). Shermy is rarely seen, as Schroeder has replaced him as Charlie Brown's buddy. The 2 of them love to argue over which is better, Beethoven or Davey Crockett (Charlie Brown often wears a coonskin cap, in honor of his hero). It looks like Beethoven won in Charles Schulz's eyes, luckily for Schroeder! Violet and Patty, once friends of Charlie Brown, have become Lucy's Greek chorus for insults to the "blockhead." When Charlie Brown sees the 2 of them laughing, he thinks they're laughing at him! "Oh, good grief, Charlie Brown! We weren't even thinking about you!" Then he asks them "How come you never think about me?" And then of course, there's Snoopy, a lovable smart-allecky beagle who's often seen standing on his 2 feet, doing impersonations of a rhinocerus, Violet and Lucy, Mickey Mouse and (much to Schroeder's offense) Beethoven. For Patty, he can be a sad dog or a cheerful dog for Violet (or both at the same time!). He also could dance like Fred Astaire (much to Lucy's annoyance, but what doesn't bother her?) and once cost the other team a point when he refused to spit out the baseball he caught. Charlie Brown is often seen saying to his dog in frustration "You drive me crazy!" Snoopy also has one accident on the ice and his master (more like humble servant) Charlie Brown has to carry him home (Snoopy thinks to himself "When? When? When will I ever learn?"). Snoopy will probably learn his lesson the day Lucy lets Charlie Brown kick the football!

It would have been better if the description said this was a library book. Overall the item was fine, just had the library name printed on it, and I had to remove a plastic cover from it.

This series is going to be a regular drain on my bank balance for the coming decade, as that is how long it is going to take Fantagraphics to finish publsihing this collection, if they stick to their published schedule.

Be warned: The Sunday strips are not in colour unlike the Calvin & Hobbes and the Farside collection in which even the black and white strips are printed on colour pages. This quite pisses me off...

Finally, a Peanuts collection in chronological order and nothing left out. It's going to be a long wait indeed...

I've always thought of creating a bookshelf of hard cover with all my favourite comic strips, when I could afford them... Calvin & Hobbes, Farside, Tintin, Asterix & of course Peanuts.

I have the first two, and I'm on my way with Peanuts... It's going to be a long and interesting 11 years...

I'd give it seven stars if I could. As a kid, I would go down the street to the local store every week and buy the latest "Peanuts" book for 50 cents each. It was pure genius then, and it still is now. The cartoons are classic, timeless and wonderful.

There's almost nothing to complain about in this set of books - the print quality is great, the accompanying artwork good, the commentary insightful and useful!

I give this five stars, and yet I have some desires...

Color!! The Sunday funnies were great because they were longer and had color! Without color, they are just long daily strips. Reprint the color, guys, at least, if you can.

More history! What happened in those two years? How many more newpapers picked up the strip, and what other things did Sparky do during that time?

Even so, these books are very well done, nicely thought out, and bring back all the classic strips without any obstrusive other stuff. I am thrilled to have these on my shelf!

If you have not had the pleasure of viewing an episode of Inu-Yasha on Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network take the time to check it out, you will be hooked! One of the best anime series coming out of Japan I think. The storylines are entertaining and the content is not to questionable. There is some sexual content with some of the storylines, but it is completely within reason and not presented in any vulgar or offensive manner. The series is geared toward the adolescent viewer with funny cracks directed at the awkward stages of puberty. Your younger teens will laugh out loud and come to love every character.

As Inuyasha and company are sailing down a river they encounter a girl named Nazuna as she is escaping from a spider-head demon. It seems the whole area is infested with the spiders who take the heads of humans, except for a temple which is inhabited by Nazuna and a wizened priest. But when the spiders break into the temple, Inuyasha is at a loss because it just happens to be the time in all half-demons lives when they lose their demonic power and become fully human for a short time! Our heroes will have to use their brains instead of brawn this time. After that they will have to deal with a witch that steals Kikyo's bones in an effort to resurrect the priestess that imprisoned Inuyasha for 50 years!

What can I say about any work by Rumiko Takahasi? They are probably the best manga out there! She is a genius! The great thing about this volume is that we learn a bit more about the past conflict between Inuyasha and Kikyo and that their relationship was a bit more "involved" than we were led to believe. It wasn't just a simple battle for the possession of the Shikon Jewel. The twist of making Inuyasha become a human for a night was also a clever twist in the plot. Rumiko seems full of surprises in what is essentially an action manga. Excellent work!

There are 21 volumes of "Inu-Yasha" out as I write this, but volume 5 is still my favorite.

Inu-Yasha, Kagome, and Shippou meet a young girl whose village is being attacked by spider head demons. Strangely, Inu-Yasha is reluctant to help. We get to see Inu-Yasha's human form for the first time, and if you like the romance between Inu-Yasha and Kagome, you'll love this volume. I like the series before I read this, but this one made me fall in love with it.

If you haven't read up to this point, you'll probably want to get the other volumes first. Inu-Yasha is a must for any manga collection.

I was little surprised (given the author) that this was such a well-written manga but I was surprised that there was still humor.

Some of the action is not as well drawn as the conversation episodes of the work but still very enjoyable.

For the parents, there is one brief scene of some topless nudity but nothing overt.

I am looking forward to continuing this series.

Inuyasha a human! With black hair no ears or claws and fangs! (Gasps and faints) Buy this great book to find out more.

AWESOME! Stories and illustrations are top rate! Even my Dad (a die hard fan) would approve.

If you've never read (or wanted to read) Uncle Scrooge stories, thinking they're just funny animal comics, take a look at this book. You'll be surprised. This is an epic. The detail Rosa puts into these stories and illustrations is incredible. I find myself going mad, staring at covers and splash pages, seeking out the cleverly hidden D.U.C.K.s. The stories are enhanced by Rosa's "director's notes" after each story. I've never read much Uncle Scrooge before, but I'm going to seek out as much Rosa (and Barks) as I can, now.

I was fasinated by the way Don Rosa treated Carl Barks' story and yet put his own stamp on both the Duck, the clientele and history, even details of geografy like in Dawson. So it may be excused that Mississippi and Ohio are mixed a bit. All in all, if you care for Scrooge McDuck, the book is a must. If you do not care about him, be careful not to read it, you just might become a follower.

My kids love this book! I love this book! The only reason I give it a 4 star rating instead of a 5 is because the binding is terrible. I bought 2 of these books and after a few times of handling the book, the binding pops off the cover and individual pages start falling out. Very frustrating.

(this review encompasses both The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck and the Life and Times Companion--I highly recommend reading the two in conjunction)

I know I'm not the only duck fan who refuses to read any non-Carl Barks stories--unless they're by Don Rosa. Rosa seems to be the only one who really understands and respects Barks' work; unlike the great mass of European duck writers, he builds upon it while not dragging it off in overly cartoonish, Disney-esque directions. His best stories rival those of the master--and the work under consideration can definitely be put in that category. That he was able to synthesize so many off-hand Barks references into a coherent narrative--let alone one that astounds and delights the way this does--is really pretty incredible.

The Life and Times has its flaws, as perhaps do ALL great literary works (yes! I said it). The fact that Rosa had to work within a fairly tight framework with a specific goal in mind means that some of the stories, especially the earlier ones, can feel a little forced. The final installment, although necessary, feels a little bit pat. And--although this may be just a matter of personal preference--I feel like Scrooge's initial encounter with Flintheart Glomgold in the African section gives ol' Flinty short shrift. In Barks' stories--the first two, at least--he's a more complex character than he's given credit for here.

That said, however, this does a LOT more right than it does wrong. Rosa has worked before to expand Scrooge's character (see the absolutely essential "Last Sled to Dawson," readily available in several collections), but here he really takes it to another level. The first half of this narrative is more or less straight adventure stories (rousing adventure stories!), but things become considerably more interesting in the latter half, for several reasons. Firstly, there are the Yukon stories with Scrooge's lost love Glittering Goldie. These are particularly popular with fans, and for good reason: I don't really imagine that Barks had any notion when he introduced the character that the two of them would have had so much history, but Rosa handles it beautifully. He's SUCH a hopeless romantic when it comes to the two of them. I love it. Furthermore! "Prisoner of White Agony Creek" features an implied sex scene! Much to everyone's delight! Barks couldn't have gotten away with something like that. And if you never imagined that a duck comic could break your heart, you haven't read "Hearts of the Yukon."

Secondly, Rosa doesn't shy away from showing the less appealing aspects of Scrooge's character. In the latter part of the series, we see him gradually losing his ability to take in natural beauty for anything other than its potential for exploitation for monetary gain; we also see him being increasingly vicious and inequitable in his business dealings. "The Sharpie of the Culebra Cut"* even touches on something you wouldn't necessarily have expected; namely, the vague unease that some fans (like me) feel at the fact that Barks' archeological expeditions always involve Scrooge profiting from ancient treasures while disregarding their historical and cultural value.

The climax of the second half of the narrative comes in part eleven, though. Scrooge's highly self-satisfied account of his exploitation of African natives in Barks' "Voodoo Hoodoo" is an uncomfortable moment for duck fans; Rosa, to his credit, does not disregard this incident but confronts it head-on and makes it emblematic of Scrooge's moral downfall (of course, the fact that in Barks' story--after his alleged repentance--he's still gleeful about it doesn't make much sense, but I don't suppose there was much that could be done about that). Scrooge's return to Duckburg and subsequent abandonment by his sisters at the end of the story is quite powerfully dark. I almost wish the story had ended there--but, of course, that wouldn't have been appropriate, given the universe in which Rosa is operating.

Rosa also provides commentary on each story, which is fascinating to read. His love of and respect for this material is always apparent. It's inconceivable to me that, tasked with chronicling Scrooge's life, any other writer could have done as well. The book wouldn't exist without Barks' classic comics as a foundation, of course, but I'm going to go out on a blasphemous limb (the worst kind of limb!) and say that The Life and Times surpasses any of Barks' work. I can't read regular Scrooge comics in quite the same way since finishing it.

*Since Rosa is such a stickler for getting historical details correct, I have to be obnoxious and point out that he made a pretty big mistake here: Scrooge claims to be able to read Mayan glyphs, which is pretty impressive, since they hadn't even been deciphered at the time of the story.

Rattrap is an excellent book. Because of events like the Kobe Bryant case, one might think that the plot would be straightforward and predictable. It is anything but predictable. Ms Hamilton takes the characters through series of highly charged emotional events that are thought provoking in their presentation. The raw power of life comes through in many of its varieties and is dealt with in ways that leave the reader wondering about life and people in general. While some may feel that these unabashed displays of life are offensive, I find them refreshing. The characters are real and the ways that they deal with life are real.
More importantly, the book is enjoyable. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more offerings from Ms Hamilton.

Great character line it has all the good stuff! The story line is very believable it has a driving movement or action in it. The characters are very news worthy, it has drama,guns,sex,murder,drugs,and it keeps you wondering what happens next. Very good story line very good first book with great imagination, well thought out, Great effort to keep it real. Good job! Ed Abner

"In order to defeat evil, you must understand the nature of evil." This is a profound and demanding statement that occurs several times in Sarah's first novel. In many important ways it is a summary of the novel. Over the course of the novel, the reader is given the chance (choice?) to understand not only the `greater evil' of the main villain, but also the `lesser evils' of the various characters in the novel. The novel also wrestles with the idea that perception creates reality.

RATTRAP as a story can be read on many levels, from the erotic novel to a philosophic discourse on the nature of evil and thus should appeal to a very diverse audience. The novel also contains many vignettes that will amuse, arouse, disgust, enlighten, and entertain.

This one of the most intense and believable novels I've read in a very long time. I look forward to reading Sarah's next novel!

Sarah, I thought this book was fantastic. Read every word cover to cover. Graphic, but not offensive, and I think you displayed a wide array of knowledge and familiarity with sports, pop culture, history, art and so much more. It took me a while to get through all the book, but it was well worth it. A job well done and best of luck in the future.

Jose Romero
Seattle Times Seahawks writer

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Sarah's stories online I couldn't resist trying her first book, despite the fact that I read very few novels, don't care for violence, and have no particular interest in sports. But it was like getting on a wild carnival ride, once you got into this story, there was no way you were leaving until the ride was over. Be prepared for twists and turns and bumps in the road. Sarah will keep you guessing with her rapid fire short chapter style.
And be prepared to meet some larger than life characters along the way. There are enough bad guys to populate three novels. But for those of us that have witnessed examples of celebrity "justice" in action in recent history, this book will land a little close to home. Sex, professional sports, the criminal justice system, race, gangs, there doesn't seem to be a topic that Sarah is afraid to tackle head on. Where one so young gets the knowledge and confidence to do so and make the book believable and real is beyond me but more power to her. I know that Sarah's goal is to be a full time writer and I think she's well on her way. What a great first book. She's almost converted me to become a novel reader; at least when her second book comes out and I hope that's soon. Bravo Sarah, I just hope you will still have some time to titillate your online story fans as well.

For an action/drama focusing on a super team of heroes, look no further. If you haven't picked up The Ultimates yet, you don't want to start here. This is basically season 2 of the series and you'll be lost, but this is where it really takes off for me. Ultimates 1 was a very well done series and got this franchise off to a good start and Ultimates 2 still blew it away.

This is a testament to the skills of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch for giving us a mature look at super heroes that doesn't patronize the reader and pushes the realism as much as possible. Comics have certainly changed in the wake of popular serialized dramas like "Lost" for example and for the better. I couldn't be bothered to even watch NBC's "Heroes" anymore as it doesn't even come close to the action and suspense showcased in this book. Continued in this book is more focus on Hank Pym, Thor and Tony and Natasha's budding relationship. The whole team begins to fall apart due to a possible informant within S.H.I.E.L.D. but who's the traitor?

I enjoyed seeing cameos in here from Prof. X as well as Matt Murdock representing Dr. Banner in court. Helps to keep the Ultimate Universe feeling all encompassing with these crossovers. I enjoyed the dialogue between Steve and Jan as the Captain America of the 40's is still having a hard time adjusting to the 21st century. Those moments also help to ground it in reality. And that's what I'm enjoying so much about this take on The Avengers is how much more seriously I can take it than ever before. Comics are not just for kids anymore and The Ultimates is a prime example.

More of the entertaining destructive and self-destructive antics of the Ultimates. The general public now know that Banner is the Hulk, and his trial demands capital punishment.

Giant-Man is Ant-Man, Iron Man is married. There is the aftermath of the alien invasion to deal with, and now, Loki.

In a nutshell, "the Ultimates" AKA the Ultimate Avengers is far and away the best of Marvel's Ultimate titles, as evidenced by its top-rating among all of Millar's books. Interestingly, it rates higher than his other Ultimate titles...I think in general the tone is the most adult and most serious of the Ultimate books - closer to the new Battlestar Galactica or Season 5 of 24 than than to its comic peers.

While I liked Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-men, etc - this is the standard bearer of the line - even if you don't follow the avengers, this is an easy to grasp title. And Volume 2 is far better than volume 1!

Unlike the previous Batman collection I read (Batman: Officer Down), The Ultimates 2 collection was fantastic. Stories like these are what have started to bring people back to comics again following the disastrous market crash of the 1990's when people became fed up with generic art and horribly written titles.

This arc picks up 12 months following the last Ultimates book and much has happened in the Ultimates' universe. Bruce Banner is locked away and awaiting trial, Thor has broken away from the team, and Dr. Pym continues to try to find a way to rejoin the team. Captain America, Iron Man and the other Ultimates find themselves at the center of numerous debates concerning the problems with the American government and other nations pursuing super-powered groups and how they should be used, if at all. Although Bryan Hitch's art is quite strong, what separates this book from many other things on the shelf is the writing. I used to be highly critical of many of the comics being sold because the writing was often weak and depended so heavily on the art to carry the book. Now, in many ways, books like this and the work of Bendis and Miller keep producing, comics have reached the point where the writing is as strong if not stronger than the art, making the medium that much richer and more entertaining. Millar does a fantastic job of keeping an epic feel to everything and at no point do we lose sight of how all-encompassing a team that contains many of Marvel's most important icons should be. At the same time, we see the moments when everyone, including Captain America, seems all too human.

I think this is a fantastic collection and highly recommend it to seasoned and new comic readers alike.

i hated the ultimates 1 vol 1, the ultimates 1 vol 2 was a lot better but still not great.
the ultimates 2 vol 1 however is great. i still hate the idea of bruce banner being a scumbag, and there are a bunch of other ultimate universe things that carry into this that i don't like. but overall this is a great tpb and highly recommended.

I found this book to be exceptionally funny and have read several times over. I recommend this to any looking for a good laugh to cheer up a dreary afternoon.

As I read Zits, I am always stopping amid my chuckles to think that if this is how it is and boys have it this rough, then maybe we of the other half should consider we got through our teen years relatively unscathed.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's living treasure, Jim Borgman, has teamed up with writer Jerry Scott to create a funny, intelligent daily comic strip that rivals For Better Or For Worse in sheer insightful understanding of its subject matter. The four-panel stories of Jeremy, a perpetually fifteen-year-old high school freshman, and his daily misadventures on the rugged uphill climb of adolescence, tell an honest, sometimes rule-bending tale of growing up in modern America. Experiencing life through the eyes (ears, nose, emotions and wandering mind) of Jeremy as he deals with love, school, parents, friends, we are treated to some pretty good laughs. Zits has been around for most of the last decade but I only discovered it this summer, and I'm in the process of buying collections to see what I've been missing. "Sketchbook" was the first one I got and it's a jewel!

- this is a WONDERFUL, witty, funny, very true to life and very sweet representation of a teenager's day-to-day struggles. I have a teenage son who, while in high school, lived 'Zits'! I had saved many of my newspaper's strips to bring home and show him because of the similarity to what we were talking about at breakfast. I finally bought this book (I opened the first page and laughed out loud in the store!) and read it in one sitting cover to cover! I love it! It makes fun of all the teenage tragedies, parents, girlfiends, music, tests, all of it, and it does it with such wonderful sense of humor! I highly recommend it!

"Zits: Sketchbook 1" is simply wonderful! "Zits" is one of the best comic strips, full of teenager facts, personality traits, and humor! If you missed the first year of "Zits" or just want to refresh your memory, you must get this book! I recommend!

So, Calvin and Hobbes are gone.

Micheal and Elizabeth Patterson are no longer teenagers.

Where does one find the humor of teenagers and children? With this marvelous strip, we can be calmed in this world of headphones, Playstation 2's and constant self questioning. Teenagers are given the opportunity to laugh at themselves, with an excuse; they are SUPPOSED to! No one has to reveal that they are laughing at their best friend, or their boyfriend or girlfriend...because it is a comic strip! In the absense of a little boy and his tiger, of two siblings growing up together in Canada, Zits is a new addition to the childhood classics, which will come to be loved by all.

Got it for our 12-yr. old daughter's birthday. She loves it! She's a big fan of Calvin & Hobbes. This was her 5th book!

Is it possible that just 20 years ago that Calvin and Hobbes - - one of the finest comics strips ever created - - was fresh and poignant every day in the paper?

"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us," says Calvin, looking at the chain-sawn stump of a tree, in 'Weirdos from Another Planet' by Bill Watterson. The demise of Calvin and Hobbes is reason enough not to contact Earthlings.

Doonesbury by Gary Trudeau is sometimes still incisive, with the same brilliance in political observations as when it was new and Richard Nixon was newly president. But brilliance is boring after 40 years of repetition. Doonesbury is dated. Nixon is long disgraced, dead and gone.

Calvin remains relevant, because like Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' he dealt with the universal human condition - - - as it applies to small boys and to the grown men they become without ever losing their small-boy outlook on olife.

"Do you believe our destinies are shaped by the stars?" Calvin asks Hobbes.

Ever the logical one, Hobbes replies, "Nah."

Calvin counters with words as relevant today as in 1988, because, "Life's a lot more fun when you're not responsible for your actions."

How do we greet strangers? Calvin went to Mars and, after mugging for the Viking Lander "to blow some circuits at NASA" he met a live Martian. Hobbes thought the Martian must be as scared of them as they are of the Martian. Like many of us when meeting a foreign culture, Calvin explains, "We're just ordinary Earthlings, not weirdos from another plsanet, like HE is."

Doonesbury was similarly brilliant in portraying Nixon as a weirdo; but, Nixon nostalgia remains firmly Nixon. "Weirdos from another planet" is sadly reminiscent of the usual reaction to the current resident of the White House, and most likely The-President-to-Be.

Calvin's Dad isn't all that slow either, as when he sets him up in the first three panels of one daily strip by asking, "Hey, Calvin! Guess what time it is!"

"Why? What time is it?

"It's a very special time!

"Oh boy, oh boy! What time is it?

"Do you really want to know?

"Yes, Yes! Tell me! Tell me! Quick! Please! Yes!

"IT'S YOUR BATHTIME! OH BOY!!

Gettting Calin into a bath is about the same agony as pilling a cat. In the final panel, a dejected Calvin is up to his nose in sudsy water and commenting, "You know how old people always write to Dear Abby, complaining that their kids never write,call or visit? Those letters really crack me up."

Calvin had his own four-panel approach to homework, "When I grow up, I want to be an inventor. First I will invent a time machine. Then I'll come back to yesterday, and take myself to tomorrow, and skip this dumb assignment."

Personally, for me, it was lima beans. Any time lima beans appeared, it was lima beans or no desert. Calvin and his Mom had more imagination; Calvin looked at his bowl of soup and horrified, "Hey! What's this stuff in my soup? Yeccch! Is this rice? It had better NOT be!"

His Mom was very worried, "Rice? Let me see!"

Calvin was insistent, "Look! These little white things! See, there's rice in my soup. I hate rice!"

His Mom looked closely and explained, "I didn't put any rice in. These are maggots."

Calvin was delighted, explaining, "Gosh, wait till I tell everyone at school what WE had for dinner.".

His Dad lamented, "Another lovely meal at home with my family. I wish my job required more travel."

Evolution? As Calvin explains, "Just think, Earth was a cloud of dust 4.5 billion years ago . . . 3 billion years ago, the first bacteria appeared, then came sea life, dinosaurs, birds, mammals, and finally, a million uears ago, man. Now, in 1988, there's me. The acme of evolutuion."

Hobbes, rolling his eyes, responds, "Oh, PLEASE."

Even Richard Feynman can't come up with better answers. Trudeau is always wordy, as Watterson was at times. But the genius of Watterson was the ability to draw a 14-panel Sunday strip showing Calvin filling a water balloon and sneaking up on Hobbes . . . . panel after panel. Only one dialoguie panel was needed, when Hobbes drily explains, just before he was otherwise to be doused, "As if life isn't short enough."

It ends with a thoroughly frustrated Calvin resting beside Hobbes.

This is the Master.

Calvin and Hobbes has always been a great read. This was the first one in book form that I read and thoroughly enjoyed.

The book has many good strips and quite a lot of Sunday strips as well. The aliens show up towards the end and there is a good many strips on that series where he explores the Martian surface and rightly is told by Hobbes that if one is not potty trained would you invite them to your home? So of course after damaging Earth, men need not expect a welcome from the Martians or anyone else.

There is a lot of wisdom and good humour in the book. The opening splash page itself is attractive about why intelligent life hasn't contacted us - with a picture of deforestation.

Other favourites are of course being a tiger, or the tiger's welcome to the kid coming home from school, Dad's approval ratings in the election, the family outing, room service for the ill kid, etc.

The parents are delightfully tolerant of the crazy nutty Calvin. The family outing to the woods is a riot. Calvin wonders what kind of vacation is it if he has to be with his parents, LOLz. Even Calvin's vulnerability is explored when he panics after breaking Dad's binoculars.

This book is cute as hell - and especially a great gift to pretty young girls who thank me endless for making their day. You won't ever be disappointed, probably not with any Calvin & Hobbes collection - they are a gem, a treasure, a laugh riot, a piece of modern art and culture.

Beware of Captain Spiff, the T-Rex, the paleontologist, the incredible comic strip from the best graphic art has to offer.

I am a Calvin and Hobbes fan. And this book did not dissapoint me.

I love all Calvin and Hobbes books, but this collection has a few of my favorites that never cease to make me laugh out loud, including:

"The Disembodied Hand That Strangled People" (I snicker just writing it)

The trip to Mars ("We're going in the wagon?" "Of course! What did YOU want to do? Flap your arms?" "I guess I hadn't thought about that part."
"Obviously."

This book is recommended for all art fans--you don't need to be familiar with the Sandman character to enjoy McKean's gorgeous covers. The commentary is also very interesting, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the thought process behind many of the works. McKean progresses from producing physical pieces of art to digital manipulations as the series progressed, and although some of his initial digital effects are now dated, it's still fascinating to see a modern master at work.

is there any difference between the Watson-Guptill edition and the Vertigo edition? i noticed one says '1989-1996' while the other says '1989-1997', the size also seems to be differnt, althogh the page numbers are both 208. what i want to know is, is there any difference as far as the artworks go inside? and if so, which is the better one? (one's also more price than the other, it seems).

I bought this book as a gift for a Friend, I was familiar with McKeans art from the comics and she had recently gotten into his work... So i thought it'd make a good gift.

It was a great gift! I looked through the book thoroughly myself and was amazed at not just the artwork but the presentation of it throughout. McKean and Neil Gaiman's Commentry and Notes throughout are both Fascinating and sometimes hilarious. (Ah the Fish...)

I'm gonna pick up a copy for myself, as this really is an Amazing book... ArtFans or ComicFans alike will appreciate just how Beautiful Mckeans Art is.

I don't know why I haven't gotten around to reviewing this collection of work before, but it is amazing! As the title suggests, it is the collected covers of the Sandman comic book series that ran from 1989-1996. There are no Sandman stories in here, just the collected covers of all the issues and some commentary on the covers and The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman himself.

"Just." I love this book. It's "Art" with a capital "A." So many different styles, forms, and moods. It's beauty and magic captured on paper. It calls to mind art as diverse Edward Gorey, Salvadore Dali, the movies of Tim Burtn, and on one startling cover even H.R. Geiger (in a non-Aliens way).

The introduction is very nice too.

I recommend this for any fan of the Sandman series.

When I had collected the original Sandman issues, I was always intrigued by the cover art as well as the story and illustrations inside. Sometimes, I would find myself staring at the covers for minutes before reading the actual story. This was the only time I had ever really done that. And now you can own this book full of those intricate, detailed, and amazing art pieces, along with commentary by McKean and Gaiman.

And there's a Sandman story that I have never read before! If you're a Sandman fan, buy this book.

I love starting the day with this, eveyone wants my old ones when I finish. I think Dilbert seems to relate to every office.

This daily comic helps to relieve the stress and tension in my office. Scott seems to have his finger firmly planted on the pulse of corporate America with Dilbert, Asok, the "pointy-haired guy", Dogbert the evil HR guy, Catbert and more. If you need a therapeutic laugh to make it through your sometimes insane days at work, this is the calendar for you.

You'd think Scott Adams would run out of material. Sadly, today's workplace seems to provide plenty of fodder. Good calendar.

i look forward to getting to the office a little early, tearing off yesterday's sheet, reading today's calendar sheet, and laughing out loud. i use the old sheets to write notes for colleagues (instead of stick-it notes), which usually are apropros to the office goings on that day. i love adams' creativity - the ironies and utter stupidity are something that we all can really relate to at work! for the amount of laughter that this calendar has given me and my colleagues, it was well worth the price and i'm destined to purchase it again next year!

I've had this on my desk the last 3 or so years. This time around I ordered the desk diary by mistake.
I tried to persuade myself that I could use that one, and do without the daily, but I caved in, and ordered this again. Makes the working day get off to a routinely funny start, always a chuckle. A great gift too.

I can't fault it.