Comic Books Books

Ahh, how I love Tokyo Babylon. Its probably my favorite work by CLAMP (and one of their oldest). The story, the characters, its all just so wonderful. A bit bittersweet though, and some of the stories will bring a tear to your eye while others will turn your stomach..or maybe both. =) I find it to be an endearing story.......but maybe I'm just an evil tokyo babylon fangirl.

....but it really isn't. Actually, that is the last thing I would call this master work from the four woman powerhouse with the awesome stories and the drool-worthy men that is CLAMP. "A save Tokyo City Story" denotes that this would be a story full of giant robots and superheroes, rather than delicate men with supernatural powers and the secrets they hide. I'll summarize for you: Subaru is a naive(ish) sixteen year old boy who follows his family's profession as the Onmyouji (literally yin-yang magician)for Tokyo, where he sorts out the spirits of the dead and their (often multiple) problems. Along the way he is accompanied by sometimes shallow twin sister Hokuto and his crush, the older, mysterious Seishirou. And that's all I'm gonna say! Heh heh. Buy it, rent it from the library, borrow it from a friend or read it in the store, you won't be dissapointed by the fabulous artwork and dark atmosphere of this "Save Tokyo City Story".

As the title says, this is my absolute favorite CLAMP manga, and i have the utmost faith that anyone who reads it will love at the very least one scene. me, i love it all....

From start to finish, this is an amazing and gripping manga. CLAMP does an amazing job with the illustrations, every character and scene thoroughly CLAMP. The story and characters are amazingly complex and human, making this very worth reading.

The summary on the back of Tokyopop's cover doesn't do it nearly justice. I love it thoroughly, but if I had just picked the first volume up and read the back cover, I probably wouldn't have read it. The back cover makes it seem slightly horror creepy-ish, and while that element is there, it is by no means the main focus of the manga. It's the story of Sumeragi Subaru, the 13th head of the Sumeragi clan, an onmyoji who does exorcise spirits, but it is his relationships with the rest of the characters that really make the story. These relationships range from sibling bonds, friendship, love, and everything inbetween. The manga is filled with almost every human emotion, especially CLAMP's early favorite, angst, which is very apparent in the last two volumes. *cries over vol. 7*

Tokyopop does an actually pretty good job with the translations. They leave in the oh-so-important honorifics, and leave the characters intact, with Subaru-kun's 16-year-old uber-cuteness, naivete, with all his blushing and stammering, and the adorable pull-the-hat-over-the-eyes trick *squee!!*, Hokuto-chan's "Ohohoho"'s, her attempts to set up Sei-chan and Subaru-kun, her outrageous outfits, and the ability to be goofy and seemingly shallow one scene and sweet and deeep the next, and Seishirou-san's seductions of Subaru-kun, the feeling that underneath the kind vetrinarian exterior, there's more....(*alter ego hits w/ fan to prevent spoilers*), and his speeches. All of the trio are as complex characters as to make them completely unforgettable, and all three of them have made a permananet spot in my heart. You really should go out and at the VERY least read the first volume.

It's an amazing series, and a lot of fun to read.

OH! and the sakura petals!!! ^_^ ...the sakurazukamori.....read and you'll find out...^_~

I absolutely loved this manga. It was the first time I'd read anything by Clamp, and I can't say that I was disappointed! Don't let the somewhat bland covers or common "Save Tokyo City" summary fool you - inside is an absolutely brilliant work of art.

You've read the summary already, so I won't bore you with the details on that. I will tell you, though, that it is definitely worth the read - and that shounen-ai, or boy love, plays a fairly large role in this. I would still recommend this to almost everyone, even if you're uncertain on whether to pick up a manga in which men love men.

Anyway.

The artwork is absolutely, positively beautiful - the characters are distinctive and wonderfully done, and the backgrounds and scenery are startlingly realistic. Some may not like the blacks, but I personally rather like the high contrast. It was quite a surprise to see that the twins were so similar in appearance but you could still tell them apart easily - something that can't be easy. And Subaru may be distinctly feminine, but Seishiro is definitely not - something that isn't extremely common in this type of manga. Panels with artwork in colour are on the inside of the front cover and are absolutely wonderful.

The plot is very nice. Subaru is an onmyoji who seeks to aid souls of the dead and the living. Doesn't seem too exciting yet? Throw in his overly exuberant twin sister, Hokuto, and his suitor, Seishiro (who happens to be the heir of the rival Sakurazuka Clan), and events in his past that he can't quite remember, and you've got quite an interesting story going on!

The characters are wonderful. Subaru is the innocent, almost naïve protagonist who is willing to do anything to help others; Hokuto is wonderfully different, loud and enthusiastic; and Seishiro is the one you can't be too certain about, for his family - for the Sakurazuka Clan is one of assassins - belies is kindly and amicable nature. When you take Seishiro's romantic advances, Hokuto's consistent attempts to get her brother and Seishiro together, and Subaru's embarrassment at the whole ordeal into consideration, you've got plenty of comic relief. And yet, the main plot - Subaru's attempts to ease wounded souls - overshadows a more serious and sinister secondary plot involving Subaru and Seishiro, their onmyoji powers, and that mysterious event that Subaru can't remember all too clearly and that is hinted at from volume to volume....

Left in its original, unflipped format, Tokyo Babylon is definitely quite a read. The translation doesn't seem to be all to bad, and suffixes and name order are left untouched, each of which is a definite plus. This series has, so far, gotten progressively darker, so be careful what you get into. The rating of 13+ is deserved, warranted by some violence, blood and gore, minor sexual references and dark themes, and while the first volume never gets too serious, these do show up in later volumes. You have been warned.

This is a manga that you definitely get into and can read over and over again; it's worth the money to buy it. Tokyo Babylon is definitely a manga to read.

A tale of good and evil, light and darkness, innocence and corruption, Tokyo Babylon is a powerful drama.

Subaru Sumeragi is a deeply compassionate sixteen year old medium/exorcist who uses his gift to aid lost spirits and the possessed. After a hard day or night's work, he comes home to his devoted, vivacious twin sister Hokuto, whose favorite hobby seems to be trying to hook Subaru up with their friend Seishirou - a veterinarian nine years their senior - in spite of reservations due to the fact that he belongs to a family with a reputation of being in the assassination business that they both choose to ignore.

The interaction between the three reaches it's climax in the final volume, with hints throughout the series about how things might ultimately turn out, but Subaru's interaction with the people he tries to help is interesting in itself. The series handles such topics as gang rape, child abuse, treatment of the elderly, and the ethics of organ transplantation - pretty heavy subject matter.

Subaru himself is a highly unique hero. Professional and competent but without a shred of conceit, he would prefer to lead a quiet life but cannot turn his back on the suffering. Not arrogant enough to believe he can change the world, all he knows how to do is unconditionally love everyone who comes his way, and he's one of those special people who make the world a better place just by being in it. But no one can fix everything, and the underlying question of the series is whether or not Subaru will break if and when he finally faces an evil that might be more than he can handle...

At a relatively short seven volumes, Tokyo Babylon is a manga any fan of either angst or the supernatural should have in their collection.

Hi,
OK! This book is just toooooooooooooooo CUTE!!!!!! I've read the whole first series twice!!!!! And this just happens to be one of the sweetest EVER!!! You HAVE to buy it! For those of you who are on the first books and LOVE Ichigo {and no her name is not Zoey}you will love the ending of this series! Also mew mew continues in Tokyo mew mew A La Mode!!! So if I were you I would keep reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh boy, this is the best book yet! I LUV Kish, he's soooo HOTT. I'm so mad at Ichigo for liking Masaya instead of him. If I were her, I'd consider myself lucky. I cried when Kish died, it broke my heart that he would die to save the girl that doesn't even love him! ANYWAY.......I HIGHLY recomend that you read this book.

By the way, im not a kid. Im just a girl who used the kids review so i wouldn't have to log on. im 14, seriously. Luv ya!

-Rezurii

This book was great. I've read it over 5 times in the first month I've gotten the book. The book is great, and the petite mew mew and extra pages are great!

I loveddd this book it's probably the best book out of the series. It seems so happy until the suprise twist. I'd really like to tell you but it would destroy the suprise part. Read IT!!!!!!!

It was a great book, but it was sort of sad. I mean, Kish dies and he really loves Ichigo and all that. It does have it's happy moments, but in my opinion, it is just plain sad.

What a delight this book is!
In a voice entirely his own, and with terrific humor and great sympathy toward his oddball hero, John Butman engages us in this original tale of relationships, power, loyalty, love, business dealings, responsibility, and fine men's shoes. Butman is a careful observer of people. He's particularly good at noting the small details, usually passed over, that make a situation or character, no matter how far-fetched, come alive.
This unusual (and very funny) story of improbable coincidences, and contradictory and conflicted characters, is one that provided great pleasure to this reader. I eagerly look forward to what John Butman does next.

Good things come in small packages. This novel has its own ironic but not unsympathetic tone towards it characters. You might hear some echoes of John Barth, Nabokov, S.J. Perelman in terms of the novel's unusual set up, humor, and wordplay. The humor in particular is interesting because much of it is sharp-edged satire of the absurdly monied classes of the eighties and nineties, with their grotesque MacMansions, devotion to gigantic cars, and the need to demonstrate to one and all that they are indeed richer than you. Yet, once we meet one of these people in the form of Arthur Worthy, we are charmed by him, much as Theo, the neo-Thoreauvian butler, is charmed. The details are rich, the oddities entertaining (I shall never look at a wrought-iron railing again without certain unrelated words coming to mind), and the twists and turns unexpected.
Buy it, read it, and read it again. It's even better the second time.

Townie is an exceptionally well-written and engaging first novel and I so enjoyed it I was sorry when I turned the last page. How often do you laugh out loud while reading silently and alone? I was charmed by Arthur and Theo, lovably flawed, and by their unlikely, but very appealing relationship. The plot and characters make Townie more than good enough ro recommend, and the writing itself is a real pleasure; it's a rare treat to come across unfamiliar words in contemporary fiction.
Three cheers for Butman!! When's the next novel due?

I really enjoyed the characters and laugh-out-loud dry humor in Townie. From an unlikely beginning to an unpredictable but enjoyable end, Townie was entertaining and thought provoking. It's a fast read but full of insights. I highly recommend it!

Despite the need to admit that acquiring and reading the book was based on my being a close friend of a friend of John Butman's, I realized as I read that it is a damned good book.
I expected this debut novel to be interesting, good, nicely written.... more than enough reason to read it. I did not expect to be riveted....to be held in suspense... to laugh out loud.... to sadden.... to recognize people.... to mark passages for repeat reading.... to wonder if a little bit of Alan Theo Lowe is hidden somewhere in John Butman. Wonderful!

Edgy and hilarious! For long time fans like me, this latest bumper collection is an essential purchase, and for Troubletown "virgins" it will be an excellent introduction to one of the top independent weekly strips. Lloyd Dangle is consistently funny (as in laugh-out-loud), thought provoking and highly quotable. As the title suggests, a lot of these cartoons came out when most cartoonists were being extremely cautious about criticizing the Bush administration as we sent troops in to occupy Iraq. Dangle went out on a limb and in retrospect we see he was right on the money.

When will Americans wake up to the fact that alternative cartoonists should be employed as Rovian and Carvillian(?) masters of political campaigns who can predict the future? Maybe after reading this book.

As the title suggests, Lloyd Dangle's "Troubletown" cartoon has been telling us what's what--and making us laugh--week in and week out since he began cartooning during Lord Reagan's reign.

This plump collection has all the tidbits you need from the last few years--from the divisive confirmation hearing of Vlad the Impaler to How A Bill Becomes A Law (Pole dancing is involved).

Cleverly disguised as a cartoon collection, this History book is presented in chronological order, which may be of use to someone desiring an absurdist trip down memory lane. For myself, the years-long assault on reason has blended all the nightmarish events together, so I'm thankful to Dangle for reminding me that Frist diagnosed Terry Schiavo via TV before the Korans were flushed down the toilet.

Forget the memoirs and dour political tomes--cartoon collections tell the true story of our turbulent times.

I read trouble town in the paper and I recently had a chance to pick this book up from the author at a comic show. Not only does this book tell the tale of our troubled nation but it does so with terrific art! Not only that but Lloyd Dangle was very nice and sold his bok to me in a very convincing manner. Love it.

There's simply nothing sexier than an intelligent man with a razor sharp sense of humor. Lloyd Dangle's wit, illustrated in his political cartoon "Troubletown," is as sharp as his x-acto knife.

Reading these comics has become an addiction for me, especially because they're so language intensive. Each five-by-five inch square is packed with a full service laugh. One might think a book of cartoons is a quick read, but this isn't the case with the collection, "Troubletown Told You So: Comics that Could've Saved Us from this Mess." You'll want to spend time on each page and not miss the subtle notations and political barbs within the drawings. Indeed, many are amazingly prophetic, and evoked a sad-but-true reaction from me--even while I was laughing.

Good for the coffee table or the powder room collection, you might want to keep this away from your Republican acquaintances as they surely won't appreciate the humor. But your well-read, intellectual friends (particularly those who peruse daily newspapers and have registered as political "independents") will marvel at Dangle's ironic, right-on take on the mess that is American politics.

Michele Cozzens, Author of A Line Between Friends and The Things I Wish I'd Said.

I used to live in San Francisco, where I could read Troubletown every week. Now I'm stuck in the middle of no where, so I have to wait for these great compilations when they come out. I've got all of them, and this new one really rocks thye housed! I thought from the title that it might be only focused on the Iraq War and major Bush calamities (which would be fine by me) but, as usual, Dangle aims his unique perspective at the whole world of subject matter. And, as usual, he comes up with some amazing gems.
I always find a really different perspective when I read Troubletown, Dangle sees the world through an amazing filter. I think he must be one of the most studious, well-read of political cartoonists working today.
This book is a great deal-chock full of a great years output- and it's samll and easy to carry! The perfect birthday present!

I love reading Garfield and decided to buy this 3-pack. My autistic son picked the book up one day and started reading it. He fell in love with it. Now I buy all of the Garfield 3-pack comic books for him. He laughs and read the strips out loud. It encourages him to read. He is now officially an advid Garfield reader. I'm so glad I bought them!

Somewhat reminiscent of Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow, this massive tome puzzled me for years until Davis' macabre vision of one's relation to oneself finally struck me; that with each abuse of Odie, Garfield moves closer and closer to the pro-active diad that is John and Odie. Eventually the suicide-prone, self-loathing cat which we as a society find quite the jester winds his way through the high road to alienation, much like a Puccini character. The subtle irony of Garfield's monumental epiphany finally places Garfield at the pinnacle of the newly formed triumvirate, and finally, societal acceptance. In this way, Garfield becomes so cynical that he adopts an anti-cynical work ethic in order to preach his intellectual treatise to the masses, thus eventually compromising his own moral barometer in the worst way. Like Icarus, Garfield flies too close to the brilliant heat of personal ulra-rationalism, and winds up destroying himself via his self-enforced taboo of social acceptance. Brilliant.

I think Jim Davis out did himself this time! Outragously funny!
I even gat a detention durring reading class from laughing so hard!!!!

This is one of the funniest garfield books that I have read. Lots of comics with John trying to hook himself up with a date. I think there needs to be more comics of garfield beating up on nermal.

I am too old for comic books but I simply love Garfield. He always manages to bring a smile on my face. Although repetetive at times, Jim Davis does a terrific job each time in presenting Garfield in all his lazy and mischevious glory. This Fat Cat 3-pack is a great value as it has 3 books combined into 1. I think that the paper quality is different from the actual books but who cares!!! I enjoy the books anyways.

This is a great book if you've been watching the anime. The book is much more in depth and finishes up a lot of loose ends in the anime. If you liked the anime, you'll love the book.

O produto é ótimo. A entrega foi feita antes do prazo previsto. Mas atenção: as pãginas do livro são de papel simples, parecem de HQ. A capa dura não é plstificada, é rústica mas muito bonita, vermelha com detalhes em baixo relevo. E possui uma "capa" externa de papel plastificado colorido com a imagem azul que aparece na foto do produto.

While I may be older than the target audience for this series, I honestly enjoyed the book just as I did the first. A quick, entertaining and engaging read. If you like anime, if you like fantasy worlds, then this series of novels from Fuyumi Ono could probably be for you.

Being a fan of the anime also called the twelve kingdoms I wanted to know more about this world. I have found the first two books to be a great read. Sea of the Wind follows Taiki, the black kirin. This book is close to the anime. Or should I say that the anime has closely followed the book in this volume. This book has deepend my understanding of what occured at this point in the story. If your a fan of the twelve kingdoms, or in ulternate worlds with fantasy origins than this book is for you.

After waiting for a year, finally I have this novel.
Such a cute story. It is much more relax than the first book about our empress of Kei, Youko. May be it is because of the innocent of Taiki.
The translation are really good, but I do not like the translation for some specific terms of Twelve kingdoms cause they do not give the original meaning.
There are few funny scenes that its anime cannot make it look funny, and of course, the novel is different to its anime. However, this difference does not make it bad at all. We do not need to have Youka telling us Taiki's feeling, we still can understand them very clearly through the story.
For 12 kingdoms fan, it is a must.

Filled with true suspense and engaging swordfights. The storyline is perfect and it keeps you involved with the characters throughout the book. I would recommend the entire collection. The Vagabond series are one of my favorites.

I bought this manga without ever having heard of it and it quickly became my favorite. I usually don't read manga (though i do watch anime) but this one I fell in love with. I would suggest it to anyone. Beautiful artwork, neat story and the fact that it's historically based is the icing on the cake. I can't wait to read the rest.

I've been reading various Manga for more than 15 years. I read Japanese manga in various genre not only ones in English but also the old ones that never made it to English translation. The first two volumes of Vagabond so far are fantastic. Definitely a tall cut above the average. I can even compare it across genre and say it's a lot better than Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball (one of my top choices before I read Vagabond).

Vagabond is very poetic and alive. It fully exploits the advantage of the manga as a media and I feel the scenes from the comic are actually more alive than movie or novel. Look carefully at the expression of the characters. My favorite is Takuan Soho - it feels almost like you can get a glimpse of "Satori enlightenment" just by looking at his features as drawn in the manga. Beware that you may end-up being converted into a big Musashi / Japanese swordsmanship fan after reading this manga! This graphic novel is very absorbing!

Vagabond is about the journey of Takezo, a young man, future master swordsman, who is in search of purpose and meaning to his life. In the first book he thinks its to become the best swordsman by challenging and defeating the best in the world. This is bravado for an untrained youth, even just fresh from his first battle on the losing side.

If you like Manga that does not romanticizes war or swordsman, Vagabond should peak your interest. The storytelling is excellent in the drawings, more so than the text. I would rank such adept skill in the same arena as Lone Wolf and Cub. LWC is the standard for balancing poetic story telling and showing the hardcore grit of life as a swordsman. Vagabond starts with a youth, a teen, not a man with a child. So Takezo maturity is not yet there. What drives him to succeed and overcome his past makes this series promising. The characters show a range of emotions in this manga, and the situations they deal with does an excellent job of targeting a mature audience. Takezo struggle for "his" truth becomes ours to learn from his journey about becoming complete.

Read each book like a wine, one delicious sip at a time, enjoy the flavors.

For those of you who don't mine a fair amount of explicit violence, and enjoy fast paced things with good actions and pretty good characters, I suggest Vagabond. Okay, so thus far I'm, on the 2nd vol. However, I HAD to read that right after the first one.

You see Vagabond moves very fast, its not a short manga, page wise, but you get through it quite fast. Vagabond is based off of a novel based on the geatest Samurai whom ever lived. Forgive me, but I don't remember his name(blocks some shots). haha

I don't really see a need to run through the story, so I wont. Just read it, and be sure to get volumes 1 AND 2. :D

God Bless & *enjoy ~Amy

Jason Cheeseman-Meyer has done something special with "Vanishing Point" - he makes a pretty darn difficult subject look fun and easy. An initial flip through the book with its colorful multi-genre example illustrations is all it takes to know this one's different.

The author offers fresh looks at basic one, two and three-point perspectives and heads into new territoy with solid explanations for FOUR and FIVE-points. That's right - FINALLY, a book that covers the fun fisheye lens look used by many contemporary comic book artists - CURVILINEAR PERSPECTIVE!

It's not enough to know how to build environments, however - one has to populate them. That's all addressed with a section on drawing figures from different angles in addition to placing them properly in a scene.

His "Tricks and Troubleshooting" chapter alone is worth the price of admission as Cheeseman-Meyer breaks down several common mistakes, tells you WHY they're mistakes and offers advice on how to correct them. Yes, there are even cheats and shortcuts among many other useful gems.

This book truly stands out as one of, if not THE best books on the subject.

I thought I had a fairly good handle on perspective drawing, but this book goes into significantly more depth. (Pun intended.) It provides exciting options for approaching a piece of art beyond the ordinary, and many little tips and tricks on solving perspective problems. Even though it is themed towards comic and fantasy art, I would recommend it to any artist who wants to have a greater understanding of perspective, and more tricks up their sleeve for producing believable and emotionally impactful scenes.

This book is good and clear for beginners and the more advanced. It touches some topics I haven't learned at art school. Definitely a book I will be using frequently. All other books talk about the same vanishing points.
The practical examples in this book will help the student grasp the subject quickly. Love it!

I highly recommend this book. It is a simple read with simple diagrams and explanations on how to draw in perspective. i have recommended its title in other reviews i wrote. I think you will be very pleased with this book if you want to see, read and practice from a book.

I'm an artist by hobby and have read 8 books on perspective but this one is exceptional. It's not just a book for comic artists but a great book for learning perspective. I was surprised when I received it. It covers topics that I have not seen covered in any other perspective book I've read. Such as, curvilinear perspective. It covers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 point perspective. I never saw any other coverage of 4 and 5 pt perspective before. Great book for any artist, comic or not and great illustrations. A+

For those of you new the the series, yes, the manga and anime known as "Wedding Peach" (WP) looks a lot like "Sailor Moon" (SM). Why? Well, not only is it a typical magical girl shoujo (such as "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy" and "Tokyo Mew Mew"), but the producers of Sailor Moon have actually worked on the series. I also find WP different in that it has a more focused storyline (saving love versus saving the whole universe), fewer magical warriors, and one singular body of evil. So, if you enjoy SM or like series but want something more digestable, I highly recommend WP.

As for the sixth volume, I admit, it was rushed. Nao Yazawa, the creator, admits it to being rushed. And frankly, I like her honesty. I do not see many manga writers that own-up to such things; at most, I see them tip-toe around the subject. (Of course, this could just be my experience; if you've read of others that have acted similarly, be thankful.) That being said, the storyline is wrapped up well with a mix of drama, action, and a fitting happily ever after.

I really like this Manga. It has action romance, and surprises around every corner. I reccomend this to any Manga reader. I plan on getting all of the Wedding Peach books.

I love Wedding Peach, and when I found out it was being published into the English language, I was pshyced! I've been into Wedding Peach for about three years, and I never thought it would make it to the USA, but it has. Anyways, this manga was pretty good. It is obvious that it wasn't translated from the original Japanese version, but from the German version because there seems to be german words in the backround scenes that are supposed to be sound effects...kind of strange. Other than that, its worth buying. I definately recomend!

You've just transformed into an angel of love and told that you must fight devils. WHAT ON EARTH JUST HAPPENED HERE!!!?!?!?!?!?!
That's exactly what happens to Momoko Hanasaki, daughter of the angel Celestia. Devils from the Demon Realm are on earth, threatening to steal all energies of love and replace it with hatred. Momoko and her friends Yuri, Hinagiku, and Scarlet are out to battle with the demons as the angels Wedding Peach, Lily, Daisy, and Salvia!
Along the way, new friendships are found, and many secrets are revealed.
Don't miss out on this new shoujo sensation! Be sure to get the anime too when it comes out on DVD in APRIL 2004!!!

This is the volume that actually jump starts the Wedding Peach plot. Before was a very long introduction and character establishment. Now that it has passed, volume three sends the Love Angels into understanding the history of the war they're fighting and comprehending how important their role is. Though the story doesn't become darker, it's a bit somber at times (especially in later volumes) which, I think, most will find refreshing.

Volume three is a reward for getting through the first two, and a nice passage into the final volumes that are definitely worth reading (especially if you've come this far).

Cartoons of the NEW YORKER variety are a long way from comic books or most newspaper comic strips when it comes to social commentary. Byrnes is a well-known practitioner of the slightly cynical cartoonist's art, often giving the reader pause: "Wait -- What did he just say?" Like the businessman asking on the phone, "What's our policy on honesty?" Or the magnate remarking to a younger manager, "When I lost my sense of humor, I lost my sense of compassion, which is how I got where I am today." And sometimes his commentary is sharper, such as with the parents in front of a family camp-tent addressing their youngest child: "I'm sorry, Tommy, you've been voted out."

Hilarious is one way to describe the cartoons in here.Especially the few "Adam and Eve" ones..but youd have to buy this book to understand what I mean by that.Heh.The only reason I give it 4 stars is because I admit I didnt quite get atleast 5-7 or the cartoons.But thats only due to my ignorance in the subject that is joked about.

Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of really funny cartoons here. But, given the subjects we could choose from (normal business operations, radical religions, absurd politics, etc.), I expected more absurdity. Twenty of the included cartoons are from the "New Yorker." I have often read an entire issue of "New Yorker" cartoons without "getting" them, although I appreciated the artistic skill involved. Once, I interviewed a cartoonist who had sold a single cartoon to the "New Yorker." He could not explain why the editor had bought the cartoon or why he could never sell another one. Now, Pat Byrnes' cartoons are much funnier than the average. His art, though it looks dashed off, is certainly not. A great deal of thought and effort has gone into these well-crafted pieces. Here's hoping that Byrnes will publish a companion volume of even darker humor. Perhaps, the devil will make him do it. By the way, his introduction is just as humorous as his drawings.

Thankyou very much for these comics. LOL happen with each of them.

Pat Byrnes's cleverly caustic "What Would Satan Do?" is a collection of the artist's outrageous cartoons on the delights of deviltry. In his amusing introduction, Byrnes points out that the temptation to transgress is all around us; after all, society's moral compass went permanently haywire a long time ago. Therefore, the author decided to profit from the wages of sin by ridiculing such human shortcomings as greed, selfishness, incompetence, sadism, rationalization, one-upsmanship, hypocrisy, insensitivity, and other obnoxious traits that we see all around us every day--but never in ourselves.

The cartoons, some in black and white and others in color, are deliciously satirical and skillfully drawn. Nasty nuns, putrid parents, curmudgeonly CEOs, creepy criminals, and scenes from hell (literally)--they're all here for your reading pleasure. Byrnes also takes aim at reality show hosts, newscasters, computer geeks, slimy lawyers, and other easy-to-lampoon targets. "What Would Satan Do?" is timely and biting social commentary that makes us laugh at the expense of those self-centered and nasty individuals who delight in making everyone else's lives miserable. Although a few of the cartoons fall flat and others may be too naughty and tasteless for some, the book's blend of artistry (I love the facial expressions) and merry mockery make it a good purchase for misanthropes with a sense of humor.