Comic Books Books

Ok!This just series just HAS has to be the best book series I have ever read!It kept me page turning!I finished it in just one day!My new favorite character is 11 year old Pudding.OH!Don't listen to those people who gave this book bad reviews,because TOKYO MEW MEW ROCKS!!!!!

In the start of this book there are only three Mew Mews: Ichigo Momomiya, Mint Aizawa, and Lettuce Midorikawa. Ichigo is part iriomote cat, Mint is part ultramarine lorikeet (a bird), and Lettuce is part porpoise. They meet two other girls, Pudding Fong who is part golden lion tamarin (a monkey), and Zakuro Fujiwara who is part gray wolf. Zakuro is probably my favorite. I like Mint, too. Mint is really pretty on the cover. I like her hairdo.
You should probably read book 1 first. It is about how Ichigo gets her powers and meets Mint and Lettuce.

This book is very cute and highly recomended! I just got this book a while ago and I loved it!The only thing I really hate is Kish he's just to flirty around Ichiga. So in this book The mews (Ichoga,Mint and lettuce) finally find the other two mews ,Zakuro and Purin(A.K.A Pudding),
and Minto(mint)and Retasu(Lettuce) meet the alien Kish.This book is made for some one nine or older for some mild laguege.

~*~Purin~*~

Tokyo Mew Mew
By; Mia Icumi

This book Tokyo Mew Mew was a very good book to read. The main characters were Ichigo the" leader", Mint the rich girl who always has a proper time to do every thing, Lettuce the clumsy one, Pudding who has a lot of energy, and Zacuro the model. This book leaves off from the first one. Mint, Ichigo, Lettuce, Pudding, and Zacuro got injected with animal DNA in a freak accident now Ichigo has to find the other mew mews to help her save the world from anima animals. Kish (a bad guy) likes to flirt with Ichigo and in this book Kish comes out of no where and kisses her. He wants to get rid of the mew mews so he and his master can take over the world. I wanted to read this book because my friend got me hooked on the show so I wanted to read the book to see what was going on. I think girls around 12 or 13 would enjoy this book because its got a really good plot and its about all theaes girls who are like animals. The theme of this book is "don't judge a book by its cover" because people think the mew mews are bad but they're not.
A good thing that I liked was that they were really powerful and they worked at a really nifty coffee shop. A bad thing would be that the ending was not enough and I wanted to read more about what happened so it leaves you hanging in a way.
Over all I think this book rocked so hard and ill read it again any day. I recommend this book because it's really good and it's really entertaining for girls. Im glad I read and hopefully I could get someone hooked on it.

Gabrielle D.

Hi! I'm Ichigo, just thought I'd put a little review for the second book. I don't want to give anything away, but you know how in the first book we're just getting to know each other (even though it's not all of us) and I sorta don't really like Mint . . . yeah. But this book features the other two Mew Mew's: Zakuro and Pudding. Zakuro is part wolf, and Pudding is part lion. . .monkey. . thing. I don't remember I'll have to ask her later. But anyway in this book this is where the Mew Mew's really start to get together, ya know battling chimera anima and stuff like that. (Kish is such the flirt!). . . (and an alien!) So, if you haven't decided whether you wanted to buy this book or not, I think you should. Even though it doesn't have me on the cover *sniff* it's still good. Oh and. . . oh, gotta go! More chimera anima to fight! Bye!

This first brick-like volume contains Giant-Size X-Men #1, and then (Uncanny) X-Men #94-131. This is the whole first Chris Claremont/David Cockrum run, and the more sizeable part of the revered Claremont/John Byrne run. There are a lot of "classic" stories here, including the "Phoenix Saga", the debut of Alpha Flight, "Proteus," and the first part of the "Dark Phoenix Saga" (it seems like an odd place to cut off, but reading these comics makes you realize that there's seldom any clear ending point between arcs; there's always at least two things happening, and one is never resolved in the same issue as the other).

It is, all and all, a hugely enjoyable run, and there are all kinds of first appearances scattered throughout the story. The primary lineup is fairly consistent throughout, with Cyclops, Wolverine, Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Banshee (a lot of people also include Jean Grey in this, but she's not really a team member [she's not mentioned in the blurb on the opening page], but a supporting character, and is usually dragged into the action); Professor X is in the background, and former X-Men Beast, Havok, and Polaris show up several times.

One thing to note is that a lot of people talk about how the modern X-Men comics are too often dragged into stuff that shouldn't really involve the X-Men, and then offer up this period as a counter-example; given that there are several times when the X-Men cross over with, of all things, "Power Man and Iron Fist", for no reason other than Chris Claremont was involved with that series too, this period is perhaps not the best example (the most bizarre of these being Storm venturing back to her birthplace, finding it inhabited by a bunch of junkies who try to knife her, only to be rescued by Luke Cage, who then delivers a lecture of kids wasting their lives). Now, there are a couple of stories that deal specifically with mutants, but most of the time it's just the X-Men in well-done superhero adventures.

As a diehard fan of the 90s "X-Men: The Animated Series", reading this makes you realize just how many of that show's stories were based on the Claremont comics fairly directly; not just the big stuff like the two "Phoenixes" and "Proteus", but also "Xavier Remembers" (#117) and "Repo Man." (#120-121) I actually liked the animated series' version of "Proteus" a lot better; in the comic version, Proteus is a pretty straightforwardly Pure Evil, refers to Joe as "the-one-I-hate," and, for an episode that deals with such a key component of Moira's life, not having Professor X there seems like a real waste. The Animated Series version does something a lot more interesting with Proteus; it focusses on the idea of Kevin as an isolated youth who doesn't understand why his father isn't around, and pursues him despite the clear evidence that Joe is a jerk. It also focusses squarely on Professor X's complicated relationship with Moira, and his attempts to help Proteus. Finally, it uses Proteus to touch on other characters' feelings of rejection because of their mutancy (Rogue), and also on political cynicism (Joe is a "family values" politician who doesn't want to be seen with his son because he's a mutant).

Another thing that's fairly impressive about this run is the narrative flow, which just doesn't let up most of the time. Consider this series of events:

#111 - Beast comes to rescue the X-Men from Mesmero in Texas. At issue's end, they are confronted by Magneto.
#112-113 - Magneto captures the X-Men, flies them to his Antarctic fortress, and imprisons them. They escape, and while Phoenix and Beast end up on the surface, thinking the others are dead, the others end up leaving by a different route, thinking Phoenix and Beast are dead.
#114-116 - While Beast and Phoenix get home and misinform Professor X, the X-Men have an adventure in the Savage Land, including a reunion with Sauron and Ka-Zar, and their first meeting with future continuity-annoyance Zaladane.
#117 - The X-Men get out of the Antarctic, and are rescued by a Japanese vessel on a shady government-sponsored adventure, necessitating radio silence until they get back to Japan.
#118-119 - The X-Men get to Japan, find several Power Man and Iron Fist characters (and one of their villains) there, and help save Japan. They team up with Sunfire once again, and Mariko appears for the first time.
#120-121 - The X-Men catch a flight home, only to be intercepted by Alpha Flight, looking to retrieve Wolverine. Thanks to a somewhat contrived and anti-climactic ending, they fail.
#122 - The X-Men finally get home. Now that's a world tour. It takes several more issues to clarify that the X-Men/Jean and Beast aren't dead, since Professor X has decamped to the Shi'ar Empire with Lilandra, and Jean is off on Muir Island with Moira, Havok, Polaris, and Multiple Man.

One final great feature of the Omnibus is the old Letters Pages ("Mutant Mailbox"), where you get to read people complaining about how Claremont and Cockrum suck, and the original X-Men should be brought back (one letter, in particular, complains about how nothing ever really changes at Marvel, and how they're sure that the old X-Men will be back in action quickly, just like Reed and Sue never stay apart, etc.).

This collection has fallen out of print, so it goes for rather exorbitant sums, but for anyone interested in the classic era of the Uncanny X-Men, this is a strongly-recommended purchase.

The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus volume 1 is a must-have book for any X-Fan. Content-wise you get X-Men #94-131, Annual #3, and Giant Size #1. This features the introduction of the new X-Men, the legendary Claremont & Byrne issues taking us into the Dark Phoenix Saga. If you haven't read these then you're in for an incredible ride. Getting so many issues in an omnibus is like getting 4 seasons of a tv show on dvd to watch. If you have read these there is no better collection than this. Production-wise the reproduction and coloring has never been better (yes, better than the Marvel Masterworks #1-4 which overlap with this omnibus). The binding is solid and built to last. Considering X-Men #94 can go easily for several hundred dollars, this omnibus is a bargain considering how many issues are collected. If you're thinking of getting it...don't wait if you see a copy. Big books like this tend to go (and stay) out of print because of low print runs, the expensive cost of printing, and the amount of space they take up for distributors. Unless you want to end up reading these in a digital form, get the book while there are still copies around. For the massive volume of content, the quality of the content, and the A+ book production values, this is easily the best X-collection ever.

I don't have this book, as its been out of print/sold out for a while; yet I've read all the single issues and like everyone else, this run of Claremont/Byrne is one of the best runs of all time.

Plus I just read on Diamonds website that its being Offered Again!! That means no more $150 copies!! Give Amazon a week or two and this should be available again for retail or even discounted again!

Truly awesome! I wish they could put every x men into one giant book. Bring on X Men Omnibus vol. 2!

This collection of the first 5 years of Claremont's run on Uncanny X-men is a great value. Great quality of the reprinting. My only complaint is minor, that the omnibus overlaps with the first 3 issues in the Dark Phoenix Sage tpb.

Also this book will be getting a new printing in November. Don't pay the marked up prices sellers are gouging for now, just wait. It was in the newest comic solicits from Marvel, it is being reprinted.

Humorous and easy to read, this book is true. It's cute and a little naive, all the information is important to take seriously though. I gave it to my boyfriend just to help him have an idea what kind of person he should not be like. He was reading and laughing. Hopefully he took it seriously enough to believe it.

The author's clearly had an array of good -- and bad -- dating experiences. The book zeroes in on some universal truths, but her appreciation of men comes through. Let's hope there's a companion book ("Vital Signs: A Man's Guide...") in the works!

hey wait a minute. i think i know some of those guys! ms. crugnola seems to have her finger on the pulse of the dating world.

this is a look at the hilarious realities of dating and relationships. funny yet not so far fetched...

i laughed til my pulse was racing.

I first read "Vital Signs" while doing something that many men spend much time doing...waiting for a woman to get ready, despite the fact that I showed up right on time. I was met with a half-prepared date, who showed me to her TV, gave me the clicker, and expected me to be transfixed for the obligatory half-hour or so of waiting.

However, this Tuesday night there were no good games on, so I picked up "Vital Signs" in order to get an insight into the mind of this woman that entrusted me with her clicker.

My initial reaction was that this would be one of those "Men always let us down, so let's write a book to bond with whom we are, and to bash them for being whom they are". It turned out to be anything but. The author seemed to genuinely like men, for all of our faults, but managed to provide her readers with "age-old" wisdom wrapped in non-preachy witticisms. I decided to get myself a copy the next day.

I found that while I walked dangerously like some of the "trouble" guys mentioned in the book, I admired the writer for telling women like it is in some respects, "if the signs of trouble are there, deal with them head on, and get out if the going looks rocky". I can't tell you how many of my "chick-buddies" I've preached this to, only to have them shut me out, and do what they want anyway. The author avoids my first inclination to preach, and just reminds the reader of the pitfalls of ignoring "vital signs", whether good or bad. I've recommended the book to a number of friends, one of whom immediately left a voicemail to thank me for being so "enlightened".

I don't know what electricity has to do with any of this, but I recommend taking a look at Vital Signs, for a laugh, and friendly advice.

Lisa Crugnola's Vital Signs, is not only hysterically funny, it is also incredibly insightful to the realities of dating in today's world. The book covers everything from what physical postures and gestures can indicate to the everday concerns we encounter. Lisa's illustrations are expressive and comical. This book is a delightful little treasure every woman should have!

The Water's Edge is a beautifully-written saga . . . reminiscent of the literary classics that have withstood the test of time-a novel as lyrical and mesmerizing as Derek Walcott's Omeros. Parker's words and descriptions, artistically wrought, have shaped a haunting story that lingers with the reader long after the last page is turned."
RAINELLE BURTON, AUTHOR OF THE ROOT WORKER

"The Water's Edge" was definitely one book I could not put down! I felt I knew these people and what they went through. Parker's descriptions of the ship, the crossing, the tending to different baking fires, were all incredibly interesting without getting bogged down with technical aspects. I especially enjoyed Mary Cooper, Abigail and Ruth (what wonderfully good, strong women), as well as watching young Ben's boyhood's dreams develop into reality. Her creative fiction set to the backdrop of historical facts, made for an exciting, interesting and informative tale. Like all great books, I hated to see it come to an end.

I have read the "The Water's Edge" written by Virginia Bailey Parker. It is an excellent story blending fiction with obvious historical information. Providing the family trees was a wonderful way to help keep and sort the cast of characters. Katherine, Mary, Abigail, and Ben were my favorite people. The book ended well, but too soon. I hope Virginia will write a sequel so I can find out where their lives took them.

I passed the book along for others to read. I am hearing that they also have become enthralled with the book.

Place everything you need for personal survival within your reach before you open this book - because you won't be leaving the sofa until you've read the very last page. Masterfully woven, The Water's Edge brings the early days of Salem to life. This is the way History SHOULD be taught in schools, through the passion and courage of "the people" rather than droning lists of dates and laws. I read the entire volume in two days, unable to pull myself away - even ordered pizza for Sunday dinner so I wouldn't have to put it down to cook. My 76 year old mother read it the next weekend and was equally enthralled. I hope we don't have to wait 20 years for Virginia's next book, but even if it takes that long to write another as wonderful as The Water's Edge, I'll be first in line at the checkout counter.

"The Water's Edge" is a historical novel set in the 1600's in England and the fledgling colonies of the New World. For those who enjoy a storyline that follows a family or group of families through their daily life this will be a great read. The book follows three families from England to the American colonies as they seek a better life. Using the vehicle of a historical novel Virginia Parker does a masterful job of showing the complex relationships between the Quakers, the Puritans, the Indians, profit seekers, and those whose primary purpose was religious conversion. The reader comes to understand the difficulties of life in the colonies and many of the problems and triumphs to be had there. Become a part of the families as you live their hopes, their dreams, and their realities. A well-done, recommended book for anyone who enjoys fiction based on historical events.

Mafalda's an icon...Through her words, we see a sense of humanity and realism that was hard to find when she was born...She speaks volumes about human nature, without saying much...that's her magic, that's why, 40 years on, she's still so fresh...It's a latin american classic, but her message is universal.

I read these comics back then when I was little girl.
In the 70's Mafalda was one of the most popular comics in the major newspapers in South America. Even now it is still humorous for the whole family, my children enjoy also the DVD.

This book is good, but I bought it thinking it was the complete collection of comics as you can find in little books (12 issues). This is not the complete collection, therefore, I think that "Todo Mafalda" is better.

I grew up reading Mafalda, and it is amazing to see how the political and social criticism that made us laugh 20 years ago still as valid today as it was back then. I was expecting the complete collection of stories, this volume provide you only with a sample of the best of them. But still a great collectors edition item.

Just wanted to say that this is not only a book that tell you about the situation in Argentina in those days (in a very sutil way). This book is going to make you LAUGH. It is a briliant, smart and a sarcastic book. Its characters come to life after reading a couple of pages, and after reading the first one, you just can't stop reading the others.
I had all the book but lost them, and know I want to get them again. The problem is that the shiping lasts to long...
I don't know if I would recomend these books from people who are not spanish speakers.

Well done!! My kids could not put this down. Now they have a million questions about the Civil War and about Lincoln. It is a nice change from "Mom, where can I get a radioactive spider bite" kind of questions.
This is a good concept. I hope the publishers expand on it. I would like to suggest that they start from the beginning of North American European settlements in the 16th century and continue chronologically down to present day.

I also read the review from the School Library Journal. That guy should be fired!! He is either a complete idiot or has never seen a real child. I do not understand what his beef with this book is. It is educational and fun for kids. This book is not for him. It is for kids. We need to encourage more quality books like this.

Side note: My kids asked a lot of questions about topics that were related to the book. A little research may be required to answer those questions.

This graphic novel caught my eye when doing a search for
teaching supplements for my grade schoolers. It's such an
amazing yet simple concept-- using graphic novels to teach!
The graphic novel provides a great insight into President Lincoln's accomplishments during his presidency and the Civil War. Not only does the book bring out the varied reasons for the Civil War such as State rights and slavery-- it also presents Lincoln in a unique perspective as a father and human being.

I love using it as a reading supplement for my students -- the illustrations are amazingly detailed and captivating and helps get children interested in reading and learning more!

This graphic novel caught my eye when doing a search for
teaching supplements for my grade schoolers. It's such an
amazing yet simple concept-- using graphic novels to teach!

The graphic novel provides a great insight into President Lincoln's accomplishments during his presidency and the Civil War. Not only does the book bring out the varied reasons for the Civil War such as State rights and slavery-- it also presents Lincoln in a unique perspective as a father and human being.

I love using it as a reading supplement for my students -- the illustrations are amazingly detailed and captivating and helps get children interested in reading and learning more!

Also available in a hardcover edition (097425021X, [...]), Abraham Lincoln: The Civil War President is about President Abraham Lincoln, his dog Fido, and the American Civil War as told in a "graphic novel" format by author Ginger Turner and animation illustrator Saral Tiwari. From Lincoln's path to the presidency, to the Battle of Gettysburg, to the Emancipation Proclamation, to the tragic assassination of President Lincoln, the attention to historical detail is as impressive as the collaborative storytelling abilities of Turner and Tiwari who combine text and illustration to present actual historic events that will engage readers ages 8 through adult from beginning to end because the graphic novel format is especially suited to bringing history alive in the minds and imaginations of the readers. It should be noted for school and community librarians, that Abraham Lincoln: The Civil War President is carefully mapped to the U.S. Department of Education's National Standards for teaching American History.

Rarely does a book combine great art, education, and history like this one. Immediately I see my students pick up on the brillant color illustrations, which really depict the complex emotions of the characters without seeming overly comic-like. Yet I am also impressed by how well-researched the story is. In the future, I will give this to my 4th graders instead of the textbook section on Lincoln.

This is probably the best piece of infotainment I've ever read. Van Lente and Dunlavey have managed to create a comic that's light, breezy, and educational. They give you all of the basic information on historical figures from Freud to Joseph Campbell while presenting it in an engaging way (Plato wears a luchadore mask and speaks like the Hulk, Nietsche kicks the crap out of Hitler and Leopold and Loeb over missinterpreting him). They make the stuff of dry, dreary lectures in to compulsively readable comics. I defy you to not plow through this thing in a day. Highly reccomended to anyone who feels bad about barely remembering anything from Psych 101 or who likes to learn something from their comics beyond what's in all of the pouches in Batman's utility belt.

This is without a doubt one of the funniest things I've ever read. And, shockingly (at least to me) it is also one of the most accurate I've ever read too. I have a B.A. in Philosophy and have just recently earned a M.A. in another discipline. With the exception of Derrida and Aquinas I have had exposure in an academic setting to all of the philosophers covered in here. I picked up this comic on a whim and didn't expect much (but heck, it's only eight bucks, what have I got to lose). I was laughing out loud at some of the stuff in there (I'll never forget the image of Aquinas' delusional bunny facing down the big rig truck screaming, "BRING IT ON!!! I CANNOT NOT BE!!!"). But, none (I repeat NONE) of the substantive material of any of the philosophers is sacrificed and equally impressive none (I repeat NONE) of the humor is diluted by the philosophical material. For example, Wittgenstein is covered with an accuracy I have seen in few introductory philosophy texts. Overall, this is the perfect marriage of accuracy, humor, and freakin' awesome comic genius. If you are a beginning philosophy student (e.g., no formal training but are interested in the field), an intermediate student (some philosophy classes in a university setting), or an advanced student (a degree from a university or actively pursuing post-baccalaureate studies in philosophy) you will find something of value in this. Beginners will have to read it more than once to get all the substantive ideas if you've had no exposure to them and then need to go to source material with good secondary sources to help guide you. Intermediate or advanced students will have to read it more than once because you'll be laughing so hard you won't be able to get all the jokes the first time through.

Further Recs (Beginners): Anthony Appiah's "Thinking It Through" (BEST intro to contemporary philosophy I've ever encountered. There actually IS a reason to read Descartes, Hobbes, Plato, and all those other dead white dudes that relate to topics philosophers are talking about TODAY.)
Further Recs (Intermediate): Bryan Magee's "Confessions of a Philosopher" (You can justify squeezing in a book that's not for class because technically it IS a philosophy book)
Further Recs (Advanced): Scott Soames 2 Vol "Philosophical Analysis in the 20th Century" (If your academic training was anything similar to mine, you were trained in some sort of analytic philosophy. This gives a good bird's eye view of all the faults AND virtues in our mother tongue.)

While the Action Philosophers series is better used as a gateway drug to some hard core philosophy than a substitute for actual study of the source materials, it has amazingly lucid graphic explainations of both Plato's Allegory of the Cave (vol. 1) and Descarte's Cogito, Ergo Sum (vol. 2).
I give it my heartiest reccomendation. In fact, so long as it's part of Amazon's 4 for 3 deal, I'm stocking up. I plan to give a set to each of my MA professors who teach literary theory, to gift one to my younger brother, and to keep one in my bookbag for work--tutoring high schoolers. AP is quick, portable, and nutritious.

A great intro into some of the great thoughts and thinkers. The humour is very witty. If you like Monty Pythonesque silly intellectual humour, then this book will be a treat.

This is hysterically funny. For anyone who knows the history of philosophy and likes to laugh. Philosophically accurate.

I enjoyed this book so much that I used it for a Sunday School class and bought extra copies for gifts. Rabbi Harvey's wisdom and dry wit are just perfect for all ages and denominations.

I loved reading this book. It was funny, engaging, and worth owning. The cover caught my eye, and I love how the novel is drawn. Very cute!

In the revival of comics in recent years, there's nothing quite like Rabbi Harvey, which is why this black-suited, black-bearded, black-hatted rabbi has popped up occasionally in news stories across the U.S. about trends in faith and comic books (or, in this case, graphic novels).

Without firing a shot or turning to some exotic form of martial arts, Rabbi Harvey manages to tame his little corner of the Wild West. His non-violent style, relying only on his faith and his razor-sharp wits, holds the potential to help tame graphic novels as well. Perhaps other comic artists and writers will pick up this concept of a non-violent, spiritual hero and run even further with it.

Harvey is the creation of Steve Sheinkin, whose other professional pursuit is writing history textbooks for schoolchildren. As you might guess, Sheinkin's true passion in working on history texts is trying to provide students more of the fascinating bits of history that are left out of traditional textbooks.

In the case of the two Rabbi Harvey graphic novels, it's a little tough to sort out what's history and what's not. There were Jews in the Old West, but Rabbi Harvey himself is a fictional character. He's a creation of Sheinkin's fertile mind, but he's also acting out roles in traditional Jewish folk tales that span many centuries. (In fact, in the back of this first book, Sheinkin provides a suggested list for further reading in Jewish folklore. In the back of his sequel, knowing that readers are interested in these connections, he expands this appendix and explains in greater detail where the original patterns of these stories emerged.)

Each book has about 120 pages of comics (a few more in Volume 2). The comics are black-and-white drawings, colored in a limited pallet of beige, gold and brown that suggests antique images from many years ago.

In this first volume, we meet the rabbi. There's an extended flashback to explain how he first came to this town high in the Rockies - and managed to defeat the deadly foe "Big Milt."

The stories here serve up some of the best short (and very short) "wisdom stories" of the Yiddish tradition, presented in the unfamiliar environs of the Old West of the USA. Arguments are settled, bullies get their comeuppance, and the good guys (the ones with the black yarmulkes) win. A great intro to Jewish short stories and novels, and much of it is very funny (even if you can see the punchline coming from 200 cubits.) Get your kids (and the kid in you) interested in Jewish Literature in a painless fashion.

I loved, loved, loved this "graphic novel" (not so much a novel but a collection of stories). The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey is a collection of Jewish folktales told as Western adventures featuring Rabbi Harvey of Elk Spring Colorado. Rabbi Harvey's stories involve his own travels and encounters with double-crossers and odd types like the boy who insists he is a chicken, as well as moral dilemmas brought to him for his rabbinical ruling. Since I'd read/heard some of the stories previously, I am assuming that many of them are based on traditional Jewish folktales but some seem to be original stories. It's a nice mix and all are deftly and humorously illustrated, with funny asides from the rabbi, onlookers, even the occasional animal or inanimate object (when a traveling merchant attempts to cheat a woman out of a bag of money he is supposed to deliver, throwing only one coin on the table, the head on the coin wonders, "Why am I not surprised?"

There is a distinct Jewish flavor to the tales, set in a neverland of all-Jewish Western towns, and I definitely recommend this book for older kids and adults alike who want a fun and easily digested book of Jewish stories. But even for non-Jews, this is an entertaining book of stories with moral points of view, told with a sense of humor. HIghly recommended, this one is a keeper for me and I sincerely hope there are more Rabbi Harvey books to come.

This is definitely an excellent book. I have read both this and Samurai Cat Goes to the Movies and have found both to be hilarious and highly enteraining. While often very wierd it is a great book which I would highly recommend.

I read this book about 6 times in a row as a kid...the title page fell out because it had been read so much and I framed it and put it on my wall! I really wish it was still in print...please let me know if it becomes available. It is definately a world I'd like to revisit.

"Tomokato turned, watching the sun's glaring disc begin to sink beneath a mountain-ridge. A chill breeze sprang up, stirring his whiskers. His paw clenched on the hilt of his katana, or long-sword. He wondered if he would ever see the light of day again, but he knew it did not matter. His lord had been cruelly, treacherously butchered. Fugu Otoko had had a hand in it, and Otoko had fled into the vast recesses of Catzad-Dum. Tomokato's soul ached with the lust for revenge. His slitted eyes seemed almost to smoke, like newly congealed obsidian. He smiled slightly, showing his wickedly pointed teeth. He was the very image of ferocious martial resolution.
"Just before the sun dipped from sight, a crow flew by, and was almost too awed by the sight of him to continue flapping.
" "What a stud!" the bird mumbled to himself, winging erratically southward."

So begins THE ADVENTURES OF SAMURAI CAT by Mark E. Rogers, the first in a series of at least six books about Miaowara Tomokato, the Most Perfect Samurai ever to whip out a katana, and his mischievous nephew Shiro, the most demented, blood-thirsty little fluff bunny ever to whip out a Johnson M1941 automatic rifle. Yep, that's where the ADVENTURE begins, the story itself started a few pages earlier when Tomokato defeated all 30,000 of Takeda Katsuyori's armed warrior's merely by stepping out from behind a screen and revealing himself. His mere presence had so terrified even the horses that they had stopped dead in their tracks causing a massive pile-up in which the entire attacking force had been killed. What a stud! As a reward Tomokato asks only to be allowed to visit his brother's family, a request which his lord grants since it is far too small a payment for the service Tomokato has rendered, but of course being a Perfect Samurai, he will accept nothing else.

This turns out to be a Bad Time for Tomokato to have left court, however, for in his absence Lord Nobunaga was assassinated by what may have been the largest and most diverse group in recorded in history. Upon returning and finding everyone dead, The Cat, with the assistance of his Lord's severed head which is very talky considering its present state, compiles a list of the names and address of everyone involved in the murder. It includes, but is not limited to; Cossacks, Apaches, Al Capone, Vikings, Nazis, Stalin, Mongols, and Martians. It also includes Fugo Otoko, the Blowfish Who Never Smiles mentioned in the openning quotation. When asked about the large number of out of towners on the list Nobunaga explaines that he had travelled a lot when he was a teenager.

I first encountered SAMURAI CAT and his creator Mark Rogers at the New Orleans World Science Fiction Convention in 1989, I think. He was giving a slide show and a telk in one of the panel rooms and the phrase "samurai cat" caught my eye and intrigued me. The slides were of his artwork for the third book in the series SAMURAI CAT IN THE REAL WORLD in which The Cat tracks down those who responsible for his Lord's death to Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. All of the books are heavily illustrated. I suspect that The Cat may have started out life as a visual concept and then evolved into a literary one. As it turned out Rogers was giving a reading from the third book that night in his room and all were invited. Cool.

I made a point of showing up, I just had to find out what these stories were like after having seen photos of T-Rex's in Gestapo uniforms being cut to very bloody pieces by an orange cat wearing lamellar armor and weilding a katana! A lot of other fen showed up as well, maybe 40 which is a goodly number for a regular sized hotel room. The door to his room was actually propped open but Rogers himself was nowhere to be seen. Gradually we all inched our way into the room and decided to wait in there, we were about 10 minutes early. So we waited. And waited. Then at about 5 minutes after the appointed hour Rogers staggered into room. He was out of breath and his face was the oddest shade of red I've ever seen. He really looked as if He was going to keel over. The elevators had been jammed with people so he had decided to run up all 34 flights of stairs so he wouldn't miss the reading!

I'm so glad I stayed, and equally glad that Rogers didn't stroke out that night! He had 3 more books to write. The story was wonderful, and I finally managed to getsome closure for the JFK assassination! But that's another book.

THE ADVENTURES OF SAMUAI CAT is simply put, a classic of comic genius.
It plumbs new depths of genial idoicy and will ultimately leave you knowing far more about assorted heavy weaponry than you ever imagined you would. If you're a fan of absurdist humor and don't mind having some/all of fandom's sacred cows lampooned you'll be in your element. Rogers takes on just about everyone and everthing fannish in this series, including (at the end) his own fans. Ouch. In the first book Tomokato ventures first into Tolkein country and encounters D&D gamers as well as the great winged demon B'aalhop. Then its on to the village of Outsmouth and the Real Old God K'Chu. There's Con-Ed the Barbarian, and his deadly foe Thpageti-Thoth and all sorts of other exciting and silly characters to be sliced and diced before The Cat finds himself in Asgard facing RAGNAROK!

I can't imagine having to live in a world devoid of Samurai Cat! As science fiction writer Robert Jordan said, ""The Cat Is marvelously funny and maniacally adventurous, turning every science fiction convention on its ear. I want to be Miaowara Tomokato when I grow up."

Me too.

I can honestly say these books (there is five in the series) are the best books I have ever read. My advice? Search them out and find them (I know I have all five in my personal library!). YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

This book is the first and best in the series, and contains the following sections:

KATEMUSHA
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In feudal Japan, loyal samurai Miaowara Tomokato returns from a family visit to find his lord dead in a scene of destruction that's completely spoiled me for similar scenes forever. Maybe it's the arrow-ridden dragon in Red Army uniform, or the landgoing replica of the Merrimac.

"From his vantage-point Takeda Katsuyori surveyed the grim scene. 'Fudge," he gritted."

THE BRIDGE OF KATZAD-DUM
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Samurai Cat pursues one of his lord's killers into Tolkien country, dealing with such critters as porks and the dread B'aalhop.

"The katana whirred and flamed, slicing through tentacle after tentacle, whistling in a constantly repeated *Datsun Tempura*, or Divine Whirling Outboard Motor Propeller Blow."

THE BOOK OF THE DUNWICH COW
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The setting: a Lovecraftian town whose houses consist only of gabled attics to hide the squamous half-human denizens of Outsmouth.

"Yog N'goggawoggah and Yoknapatawpha, twin masses of stone-cold cream chip beef that ooze sluggishly in the center of all time and space, are their chiefs, terrible in combat, unappetizing to behold. Their herald and messenger is Stor-Atroomtemp, Lord of the Luke-warm, Cosmic Blight, Master-of-Many-Shapes-and-Interesting-in-None-of-Them. Their publicity is handled by the horrendous Isaac Azathoth...."

BEYOND THE BLACK WALNUT
-----------------------
Another murderer, Thpageti-Thoth, has fled into savage Pictland. Illustrated in gorgeous Frazetta parodies, the story shows Samurai Cat's meeting with Con-Ed the Barbarian.

"Amalric the East Anglian..., armored in a scale-mail corselet, was a tall weasly-looking teenager whose spiky hairdo sent orange and purple tufts up through the holes he had deliberately punched in his own helmet. His only weapon was a gigantic Wilkinson sword razor-blade with the words 'Hi Mum' written on it in crimson lipstick."

AGAINST THE GODS
----------------
Tomokato's search takes him next to Asgard, as the gods prepare for the final war against the giants of the Greater Jotunheim Co-Prosperity Sphere.

"Odin nodded his grimly regal head and picked up the microphone for his P.A. system. 'Attention, attention,' he began. 'This is Odin, Lord of the Hanged. Ketil Jormunreksson, report to the Throne-Room, on the double.'"

This book is a must.

The nearest thing I know of today to the satire of Li'l Abner is The Simpsons. Parodies of popular culture, politics etc.. from the perspective of flawed innocents somehow getting caught up in weird events. Al Capp's creation was probably just as well known in it's day as Groening's work is now.
There is great drawing to be seen here by the stable of cartoonists employed in Li'l Abner, there is persistently good writing which must surely have cut close to the wind in 50's America. This is pre-PC and the way Capp seemed to look at the world and the roles and weaknesses of men and women is funny to look back on. At the same time the comedy stands up in it's own right. I particularly enjoyed the Lower Slobbovia scenes. There is often a frenetic pace to all these comics, with Capp seemingly uninterested in continuity concerns.
These works do not seem to be taken from original art (perhaps it can't be located (easily anyway)). They are scanned from newspapers with mastheads still intact. This is interesting to a degree but the limitations of the sources mean the colour leaves a lot to be desired. One of Lonesome Polecat and Hairless Joe's dinosaurs is a different colour each week it appears. A character may have different coloured hair or clothes. Skin tone also vary greatly.
These quibbles are major but the quality of the cartooning and writing is such that it can be overlooked. The 4th volume has some isolated pages which are well coloured and that makes you wish that it was all at that higher standard. Perhaps it would be better in black and white as the dailies look great.
Time to get the dailies back out too. Get on it Fantagraphics!

I caught the tail end of the Li'l Abner series as a child in the 1960's and remember loving it. I recently started looking for some collections in libraries, but couldn't find any so I looked on Amazon and found this volume and bought it. I've had a great time reading it and even though the things it satirizes occurred before I was born, I'm familiar with much of them through my study of history. Much of what is satirized is applicable to any time and is still fresh.

I've recently been reading some of the classic satire of Voltaire (Candide) and Rabelais (Gargantua and Pantagruel) and this seems to fit right in with that style. I guess I have a warped sense of humor. I wish today's comics were this good.

I enjoyed the artwork and appreciated the explanations at the end of the book highlighting some of the items that someone born after that era may have missed. I highly recommend this book. I will probably order more volumes.

Grew up reading this series. Now I have a permanent copy of my own. Good price and great product for comics junkies.

I bought this volume (and volumes 2-4) for my Dad for Christmas because he was such a big L'il Abner fan when I was a kid in the 60's. When they arrived I just had to sit down and read them all before wrapping them up! L'il Abner is a lens focused on it's own era in time, totally tongue-in-cheek! For rollicking fun and biting satire these comics can't be beat!

Lil Abner always had a strong fan club that allowed the reprinting of the daily strips by Kitchen Sink press for about 25 volumes, which if there was no fan base, only one or two volumes would have been published.

In addition,we are very lucky that Frazetta's reputation and fan club would allow the printing of a comic strip that John Steinbeck once stated, its author, Al Capp, should be given the Putszler (excuse the spelling) prize.

Al Capp was a master satirist and storyteller, who would have one acclaim like Mark Twain or O'Henry if not for the snob attitude toward comic strips.

This is shown here. The 50-year-old color strips are re-printed in a fine manner with expert commentary about the period they were written in by Denis Kitchen.

Beware, they feature "politically incorrect" well-endowed women, and one main character, Daisy Mae, as mostly submissive, which would not be allowed in comic strips today as it would raise the ire of feminists and other "progressive" people.

On the other hand, it features the two main male characters, Abner and Pappy, as idiots or wimps, Abner and his brother Tiny as "hunks", and the one of the main women characters, Mammy as the leader of the Yokum clan, who occassionally beats Pappy, which are allowed in comic strips today as the "Progressives" seem to have no problem with this.

Remember, vintage comic strip reprints do not generate big bucks, some even lose money. They are produced out of great admiration for the strips, and we should be grateful for the publishers for doing so.


By the way, why does Amazon include a 'NO' in 'was this review helpful to you?'. People are only human and don't like opinions that differ from themselves. With some who are less mature, this the 'NO' makes it too easy express such displeasure.

Are they trying to discourage negative reviews, hence not purchase the CD. Such reviews only help a person in not being dissatisfied a product that received positive reviews