Cartoons Books

I'm very picky with buying manga I'm not familiar with, and I haven't seen the entire series so I was skeptical about picking this up. But this is not a purchase that will be regretted. This excels the show in some areas. It takes its time to focus closely on the characters and their development, it stretches out few episodes to go into great deatail. Along with the terrific storytelling is the art. The art in here is superb, definetely one of the best in manga. At the end, it also has articles about evangelion from various people. The two aspects of manga, art and storytelling, are the highlights of this book, so it should defeintely be picked up.

SO far, I've read Evangelion books 1-3 and loved them all. The story is just great, action sequneeces are just so suspense full, I literally couldn't put the book down. Besides that, the art work is great. I didn't thing they couuld fit huge mechs into a comic book, but they did a great job of it. This is one of the best Manga epics I've ever read. I suggest all the books to everybody.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is far most the best manga/anime i have ever seen and read. The plot of the story gives it real life and deals with very much sci-fi and mecha. It also revolves around a world where our world could probably end up being. The characters are very vivid and interesting and my knowledge of Eva is far more than what i am writing here. If anyone would like to email feel free to!

out of all the neon genisis mangas, I like the third the best but you can't get to the third without the second. this was a realy cool book though. there was fewer battle scenes than in the first book but they were still great. shinji is more rebelius in this one, he refuses to follow misatos orders and fights the angel to the end. some cool new weponds and charactors await you as shinji takes on another dreaded angel and an angry misato afterwards. the art is incredibale and the characters are still great in NEON GENESIS EVANGELION vol.2 (p.s. the only reason I gave it 4 stars is beacause they don't have a 4 and a half star rating.)

How to do justice to Neon Genesis Evangelion? I'm not entirely sure it's possible to describe this book with words. Yes, it's a comic book--but not in the sense most Westerners will think of them, or even the style of most manga.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Japanese "Shinseki Ebangerion") was one of the most controversial manga in Japan for the very reason it's so enjoyable. Unlike most comics, which are focused on action and little else, Evangelion involves heavy character development. The story centers around the introverted, socially inept 15-year-old Shinji Ikari. He works (so to speak) for NERV, a government agency devoted to repelling the attacks of the Angels--mechanical beasts seemingly bent on destroying humanity.

With Shinji is the First Child Rei Ayanami. Together, they pilot huge robots known as Evas (short for Artificial Human Evangelion). Close to Shinji is Misato Katsuragi, his 20-something commanding officer, whom he also lives with, not having anywhere else to stay.

Do not be fooled, Evangelion doesn't skimp on the action. But where this story really shines is the characters--per traditional manga, each one has deep character flaws. But they interact somehow much more naturally than most characters in such stories seem to. Each has his or her own set of confounding problems to deal with.

This volume in particular deals with Shinji's conflicting concepts of who he is and who he is told to be, and his more outward battles both with the Angels and with schoolyard bully Toji Suzuhara. The entire feel of Evangelion is enrapturing: the world is a dark reflection of our own situation, and despite the abnormal circumstances under which Shinji exists he still manages to come across as a very human character, something which can at times be almost frightening.

I reiterate, it is difficult to put in words how compelling this manga is. Whether or not you normally look at comics, Evangelion is more than worth the time and money.

~Kei

This series started in a very auspicious fashion, and in this second volume it already reaches an excellent level. When we left the story last time, Kenshin has just started his confrontation with Zanza, and now comes the time to see the conclusion. Those that like action will not be disappointed by the fight, but once again we get to see how Kenshin's past affects his current way of living and fighting. Later in the volume though, our hero will have to face a tough decision in this respect.

One of the things I like about the series is the time it spends going back and informing us about the history of important characters. In this volume we find out more about Zanza's past, and thus, understand the reasons behind his hatred for imperialists. Regarding other important characters, in the last chapter of this volume we meet Meugmi, a female doctor that is surrounded by a suspicious aura and who will be a key part of the story in the next volume.

This installment already shows the progression in terms of the skills of Kenshin's opponents, which will continue in volumes to come. Kenshin and his friends come across the deadly killer Kurogasa (means black rain hat), who is looking for a challenge, and therefore, wants Kenshin to become his old self and partake in a fight to death. You already know about Kenshin's promise regarding not killing again, so Kurogasa has to resort to messing with Kenshin's friends to enrage the Battousai. The question is: will Kenshin break his vow and kill again? You cannot afford to miss this! It is a delight to be able to read a series with such a compelling plot, great character development, effective humor and proficient graphics.

This is about a legendary swordsman named Kenshin. He killed men like an ogre as a hitokiri, but disappeared and reappeared again as a rurouni, a wanderer. I was hooked after the first two volumes. This novel also shows in particular Kenshins friendship with Kaoru, despite the fact its definitely not romantic...heh...

Rurouni Kenshin is great a series that really grows over time and becomes incredible in a few more volumes. I've read all 28 of the fan translated volumes and can't wait to buy the rest of the volumes as they're released by Viz. I have to wait for so long!! Vol 1-6 = Tokyo Arc, this is where the introductions of main characters are made. It sets the stage for a much bigger picture. Vol 7-17 = Kyoto Arc, the arc that made the anime series so popular. It's a great arc with an amazing story and great fights, and you just can't put it down. It also has much character development, and you love Kenshin and his group all the better. The saga is so well planned out that it's perfect. Vol 18-28 (end) = Jinchu(Revenge arc, human judgement) arc, just when you think Kenshin will settle down, the story gets better! We finally learn about Kenshin's famous scar and his past. People from Kenshin's past are back to haunt him and carry out their long-awaited revenge. This saga is the best of the series and was unfortunately never animated except in an OVA, which only showed how Kenshin got his scar. In the manga this is the end of vol. 19, all of 20, and the first few chapters of 21. Kenshin's past is a true tragedy, but he finally finds his answers in this arc. I can't believe that they left this incredible story unanimated. The TV series had nothing to do with the manga story after episode 62, and the OVA is dramatically different from the manga also.
Anyway, Kenshin really grows in art and storytelling throughout the series and never gets weak nor drags like the TV series after the legend of Kyoto.
It's the best series ever! You have to read it to experience all the humor, drama, fighting, and romance. It just grows on you!

I really enjoyed reading this novel. It finishes off the battle between Kenshin and Sanosuke, moves on to the creepy arrival of the assasin Jine Kurogasa, and ends with the introduction of Takane Megumi. Nobuhiro Watsuki pulls off more good script and illustations that include intense bloody battles, moving scenes, and comical antics that make it so popular. No other graphic novel really interested me as much until I read "Rorouni Kenshin", number one, because the show rocks, and two, I was familiar with the characters and plot. Now I've moved on to buying the other volumes, which are just as good.

I love this book!I want all of them I just wish I hadn't lost this one!It's funny really because I thaught they didn't have volume two here in parkersburg and so I waited until I went to charleston with my friends. Well they had volume 1-13 their. Well a month later I lose the book and they canceled Rurouni Kenshin on Toonami sniff sniff waaaah!So I go to the Waldenbooks here and they had all the Rurouni Kenshin books but couldn't see them!So I got volume3 and now I need $10.00 more dollars so I can buy volume2 again!
Your Friend,
New Rurouni Kenshin Fan

I read the book years ago and have never forgotten it. I do not like dogs, and reading is a laborious process for me. However, I liked this book so much I read, enjoyed and reccomend it. I am here to purchase copies for my friends.

Mr. Sipress's book, The Secret Life of Dogs, is as good as the reviews say. The one-star review refers to The Hidden Life of Dogs, which is, as stated, garbage, by a different author. Mr. Lengowski might please amend his review.

Why should I review something that was already explained to us by [...]back in 1993.

I want to talk about the hidden lives of my dogs.

Until recently, I wasn't aware that my dogs had hidden lives. There were many times, such as when they'd take turns repeatedly eating a deceased lizard and throwing it back up, when I wasn't even sure they had brains. Then I got ''The Hidden Life of Dogs,'' the best-selling book by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, who has some astounding insights into dog behavior. For example, in an effort to find out what dogs do when they're on their own, she spent months following a husky named Misha as he roamed all over Cambridge, Mass. What Thomas discovered was that Misha, who at first appeared to be simply trotting around aimlessly, was in fact earning a degree from Harvard Business School.

No, I am joshing. Harvard does not accept huskies unless their parents are extremely wealthy. What Thomas discovered, after much observation, was that Misha spent his time -- and here I will attempt to summarize two full chapters of ''The Hidden Life of Dogs'' -- sniffing other dogs and peeing a lot.

This might not strike you dog-owners as all that deep of an insight. But trust me, it seems like one when you're reading the book. Because where you might see just a plain old dog engaging in non-rocket-scientist behavior, Thomas sees a highly sophisticated organism responding to elaborate socio-biological stimuli and performing complex problem-solving tasks. It's not her fault that the solution to the problem is usually to pee on it.

Anyway, reading this book got me to thinking about my own dogs. Did they have a hidden life? If so, could I discover it, and -- more important -- write a best-selling book?

To find out, I removed my dogs from the confined, controlled environment of our house and put them outside, where they were free to reveal their hidden lives. I observed them closely for the better part of a day, and thus I am able to reveal here, for the first time anywhere, that what dogs do, when they are able to make their own decisions in accordance with their unfettered natural instincts, is: Try to get back inside the house. They spent most of the day pressing sad moony faces up against the glass patio door, taking only occasional breaks to see if it was a good idea to eat worms (Answer: No).

Of course, the dogs have important and complex socio-biological reasons for wanting to get back into the house. For one thing, the house contains the most wondrous thing in the world: the kitchen counter. One time a piece of turkey fell off of it. The dogs still regularly visit the spot where it landed, in case it shows up again. There's an invisible Dog Historic Marker there.

Another reason is that the house provides a better echo for barking. Dogs employ barking as a vital means of communicating important messages, such as: ''bark.'' Barking also serves a vital biological purpose: If a dog does not release a certain number of barks per day, they will back up, and the dog will explode. (Whenever you hear an unexplained loud noise in the distance, it's probably a dog exploding.)

Our large main dog, Earnest, spends her day sleeping directly under my desk, and three or four times a day she'll have a pressure buildup, causing her to wake up, lift her head, release a bark and immediately go back to sleep. Her bark, traveling at the speed of bark, quickly reaches our small emergency backup dog, Zippy, who is sleeping elsewhere in the house. He wakes up and rushes up to the outside of my office door and starts barking at it, because there is clearly something wrong inside. (Why else would Earnest have barked?) This in turn awakens Earnest, who leaps up, bonks her head against the bottom of my desk, then rushes over and starts barking at her side of the door. Each dog is firmly convinced that there is Big Trouble on the other side, possibly involving their arch-enemy, the U.S. Postal Service truck. It comes around every day, and usually Earnest and Zippy are able to drive it off by barking at it and getting spit all over the windows by our front door, but now apparently the truck somehow has GOTTEN INTO THE HOUSE and is ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS DOOR BARK BARK BARK BARKBARKBARKBARK!!!

This is what my dogs are thinking (if ''thinking'' is the word I want here) as I get up, walk past Earnest, who is now insane with rage, and open the door. Instantly Earnest charges BARKBARKBARK into the hall, narrowly missing Zippy, who is charging BARKBARKBARK into my office. Each one goes about five feet, then -- WAIT a minute!! -- skids to a stop, whirls around, and charges back the other way, still barking. Sometimes they'll pass each other three or four times before they run out of momentum and lie down again, confident that, thanks to their alertness, the house is once again safe. This is the hidden dog world that goes on every day in our house. I admit that, socio-biologically, it is not as interesting as the things that Elizabeth Marshall Thomas' dogs do. But Earnest and Zippy are the only dogs I have. Make me an offer.

I think you guys are all referring to a different book. The editorial review refers to this book as a collection of cartoons, and the author as David someone. Most of you seem to be writing about a book that I am unable to find, called I think, the INNER life of Dogs, not the SECRET Life of Dogs,a non-cartoon book, and the writer of that book is female, as referred to by the other reviews. Possibly this other book is out of print, but if you can find it, I highly reccomend it for the insight it gives into dog behavior. The rather angry reviewer, the only one who rated it badly, is totally off the mark. This is really the only book of its kind, and it is an invaluable resource for dog owners. Of course, if you want to buy that book, you are on the wrong page!

I first ran across this book as a book on tape. I enjoyed how the author intertwined her own astute observations of dogs with other research. I came to appreciate how complex canine behavior could be, especially regarding social rules and heirarchies.

Just as funny as all the other hillarious Dilbert books. Gte this one to start your Dilbert Collection or make it bigger. This book os a must read just like all of the other dilbert books so BUY IT

Shave the Whales is another Dilbert masterpiece! These strips were in the older Dilbert days, so there were more comics with just Dilbert and Dogbert. However, the pointy-haired boss started becoming more of a character, and some office jokes are featured. It is a great book for any Dilbert fan! It is filled with wit, humor, and incompetent management. A wonderful book!

I have never been disappointed with anything written by Scott Adams and this is no exception. This is a collection of some of the older strips featuring our office hero Dilbert dishing out some sarcasm and much-loved puns. If you are a Dilbert fan like I am, this is a must have for your collection. I laughed hysterically and then laughed some more; I shared it with my friends and they laughed; then I silently cheered as Dilbert sticks it to the PHB as all of us wish we could. Hats off to Scott!

As another member if the DNRC, I claim, the other two induhviduals in this list (if you can't easily spot them, I claim you also) to help me when my car is stuck in the mud: "hey, buddy there is a whale under my car if you want it"

While this is the 4th Dilbert book, it is the 2nd book of strips from the newspaper, following "Always Postpone Meetings With Time-Wasting Mornons". The strips in this book are from the end of 1989 through mid-1990. Some characters of note introduced in this book are the Garbage Man (who is a member of MENSA) and Ratbert. Also, the famous fictional country of Elbonia makes it's first appearance. People will see characters that look a lot like Wally but aren't called that as Wally wasn't established yet. The humor picks up with more business related strips and the artwork tightens up a bit. A good book for laughs and light reading.

I always know when my husband is reading this because i can hear him laughing from the other end of the house! These are really cute and I recommend them to all my friends and family members.

I grew up with "talking heads" type comics. I can burn through the Sunday funnies in about a minute-and-a-half just reading the text and, truthfully, this is what I =did= do for many years because it was rare to find anything really interesting to look at. But when "Calvin and Hobbes" came around, and Berke Breathed transmogrified "Bloom County" into "Outland", I started to stop and look at what could be done in what I had formerly considered a fairly seriously limited medium.

Around 1992, I started a subscription to a local paper which carried "Rose is Rose" and I immediately recognized the same kind of wondrous artistic talent in Pat Brady that I had seen in Breathed and Waterston. Even more so, since the author didn't have the clout of these other two, he had to cram this creativity into the formats and patterns dictated by the newspaper nazis (who want to make sure there's plenty of room for those Sizzler's coupons).

The subject matter of the strip isn't for everyone. It's a sincere, sweet look at a happy family. The humor in the strip doesn't generally derive from strife or even serious friction, but from the characters' expressions of imagination, and even the creative manner in which they get along. The fact that this works without being cloying, in a millenium ushered in by the Simpsons and South Park, is a testament to the truth behind the art.

I love Rose is Rose, and this collection of strips has given me no reason to think otherwise. For the humorous looks at life you've come to expect from Rose and her family, (and Peekaboo, too!), get this. :) I couldn't stop laughing, and I had to read the whole book in one sitting!

If you love "Rose is Rose" especially Jimbo and Rose's relationship and/or Peekaboo the cat, you need this book.

This is a collection of Rose Is Rose comic strips, one of the few decent ones not to appear in the Washington Post (along with Foxtrot and maybe Funky Winkerbean). They're a bit sappy at times: son Pasquale has a helpful guardian angel and is too good to be believed. On the other hand, the artwork is excellent and some of the ideas superb. Rose, the mother, has recurring fantasies of being a biker babe, which are brought out at odd moments. Dad is a great tease, at one point getting onto his knees with his shoes under them and telling Pasquale that he got that way because he didn't eat his vegetables. Certainly very entertaining.

It was just as I expected - it's full of small facts about our loved Simpsons family. There are a lot of staff you cant hear about in TV series.

The one of greatest part is covers - Bouvier and Simpsons family tree.

I enjoyed this very much. It was very cute and funny. Lots of pictures.

The Simpson's are one of those families that you gotta love and this picture album is tops when it comes to learning things about the Simpson's that you didn't know or refreshing the things that you do know. It's funny and is a great gift idea for any Simpson's fan!

I CAN"T BELIEVE THIS BOOK!!! HOMER IS DISTANTLY RELATED TO BURNS! AND TO THINK THAT BURNS CAN'T REMEMBER HOMER'S NAME!!!!

I still am a huge Simpson fan,
And this book certainly is a WONDERFUL, detailed, edited
family photo album.
In order, starting from the first to the end, here it is...
The first part is The Simpsons Family Tree.
Then Simpson pictures, etc.
Then Marge as baby, (Patty and Selma as 3 year olds),
and Marge as a kid.
The next page is Homer as a baby, then the next as a kid.
After words, we are in Homer and Marge's high-school years about
4 pages worth.
Then when Homer and Marge get Married.
Then when Bart, Lisa and Maggie were born!
Finnaly, regular pictures of them today.
At the end, it's The Bouviers family tree!

THIS BOOK IS WONDERFUL!!! :)

I studied this book like a Bible when I was a kid, lying on the floor all weekend. I started on the easy reads like Allie Oop and Buster Brown, then slowly got drawn-in to strange ones like Krazy Kat. I was surprised by the great narratives in strips I'd only seen in tired forms, like Popeye and Mickey Mouse. All the way into college I was still making new discoveries, eventually coming all the way back to love the pure optimism of Buster Brown. Astounding examples of art are all through this book; It's amazing.

Growing up in the 60s & 70s, I wasn't much enamored of comic strips appearing in the newspaper with a scant few exceptions. Newspaper comics were awfully stale if not comatose at the time; they smell even worse now. In light of this reality, thank God I found this book 20 years ago. To me, this mammoth oversized anthology of color and b/w strips (mostly vintage 1895-1950) was and is an education, a revelation and a door to a separate reality. Who knew that such fully realized, utterly compelling and unique works of art were once commonplace features in our daily and Sunday newspapers? Compiler Bill Blackbeard provides minimal but insightful commentary, which only underscores his good taste as the majority of SMITHSONIAN is devoted to the actual comics themselves. Wherever possible, he provides continuities of strips to give the reader not only a fuller flavor of the individual storylines and the era they appeared in, but each strip's particular dynamic with its audience. What's also impressive is the sheer number of titles sampled. Among the weightier excerpts are Popeye, Moon Mullins, Wash Tubbs/Capt. Easy, Barney Google, Polly and her Pals, Krazy Kat...but many of the lightly-skimmed properties are just as good. Set aside their enormous entertainment value and what you may find most impressive is how starkly individual each strip creator is; what ends up on the page is the sum total of one man's creative & emotional being, distorted through a prism of fantasy or slapstick or melodrama. Your net gain as reader: 336 pages of the kind of joyous, crazy, all-elbows-and-graceful-despite-it art that can only emerge from forms that the Arbiters of Taste don't take very seriously. Splendid as this book is the first time 'round, it continues to enrich you, always revealing more with every subsequent re-reading. Out of print for a while but readily available through the online auction services; I also hear it's being reissued soon. By the way, the other mandatory strip anthologies are the 'sequel' to this one (COMIC STRIP CENTURY), an important predecessor (Robinson's THE COMICS) and the entire run of Rick Marschall's NEMO magazine; happily, there is next to no duplication of strips reprinted between all of them (apparently the archivist's code of honor). If this book floors you like it did me, seek them out and flabbergast further.

not a longwinded anecdote about an age by someone who wasnt a part of it but the strips, sundays and dalies, from the turn of the century heavy into the forties with a quick touch of fifties to top it off. has the prestige and backing of the smithsonian, so the selection is incredible, complete storylines are presented, color, large format, things youve never seen before and will never see again. thimble theatre, krazy kat, flash gordon, ally oop, mutt and jeff, king aroo, dasheil hammet, rube goldberg, walt disney, dick tracy, little orphan annie, white boy, li'l abner, terry and the pirates, winsor mckay including little nemo sundays, a large number of teens and twenties strips i cant name, a large number of thirties and forties strips i cannot name, i am in awe of this book. i am a comic maker and reader and this book is absolutely flooring.

This is a beautifully packaged collection of some of the very best comic-strip art from the first half of the 20th century (and a little more). The reproduction is very good, the introductory material is useful and informative and the selection of strips is first rate.

In particular, having collected several of these strips in other formats over the years (e.g. "Little Nemo", "Polly and Her Pals" and "Krazy Kat"), I can say that they've selected many of my personal favorites for inclusion here.

As I write this, this book is basically in "remainder" status meaning that it is available brand new for very cheap, but has gone out of print in hardcover - pick it up while you can!

One day I had to go to the library to get a book from my 7th grade reading list and I saw this huge book of comics and I just had to take it out. I read it probably 100 times .It became my favorite book.My favorite comics were Popeye, Gasoline Alley, The Smythes,and Krazy Kat. I love this book and you will to. So my advice to you is if you love comics you will love this book!

Jason Love is a brilliant cartoonist. He is not afraid to tackle ANY subject. He says things we're all thinking (but probably not saying out loud for fear of being politically incorrect.) His humor hits the nail on the head and shows he understands what life is really all about. Jason's material is, in my opinion, much funnier than The Far Side. If you want several hundred good laughs, by all means, buy this book. Then be sure to visit Jason's web site at www.jasonlove.com.

... Well developed, great humor, clever observations, and very lighthearted. If you need a pick-me-up, Snapshots is just what the doctor ordered.

There's no doubt about it, this is one of the most clever and humorous comics ever printed. Such a humorously brilliant take on life and people. If you haven't yet read this, you are missing out! It's the retro version of The Far Side. Read it today and excercise those facial muscles.

If you like The Far Side stuff, you'll like Snapshots. Not quite as off the wall and many right on the money. Especially good on lawyers, politicians and "correct" thinkers.

Well worth my money.

I work for a rather large company and every day I come to work with jokes from "snapshots". Now. everyone looks forward to hearing the joke of the day. I also pass them on to people who are on my mailing list. Some of them have become some of your new clients. We love these jokes and think they are funnier than the "far side".

As a die-hard Baby Blues fan (...), I would definetly recommened this book. It has some of the earlier comics, and even includes lyrics to some original songs! A must-read!

The book is worth the price for so many reasons. It is uncomfortably true, and hits you funny bone. To see the first anatomically correct baby is worth the price. It reminds me of Mort Walker's belly button story. I recommend you spend the money for a brief tour in the land of new parents. You can always wake up screaming later.

I am not sure how we could laugh at this book. What we are able to laugh at now is going to be real and not so funny next month when our first child arrives. This book (and the strip in general) touches on so many truths and makes us able to enjoy them, almost cherish them. This book also has practical applications. While learning about various things in our child birth prep class, we related experiences to those found in The Super-Absorbent Biodegradable Family-Sized Baby Blues Treasury. So funny and even heartwarming, we are buying it for everyone we know who is expecting.

This collection rocks -- its right on par with the Calvin and Hobbes big book collections. It's worth the extra cash for the color comics and the extra content. Half-way through the songs included and you'll be laughing on the floor.

A must read for new parents, old parents and anyone with young kids. Here's to hoping Kirkman and Scott put out a few more big book volumes!

I have all volumes of the book with Zoe and Hammie. Would the authors developed more stories as Zoe turns 4 and Hammie turns 2 where the real sibling irritation begins as Hammie can walk and talk and behave like Zoe when she was little. Thanks.

This is an appropriately titled tome with some of the best of Bloom County. A must for any BC fan.

If you remember the eighties, this book, the second collection from the "Bloom County" syndicated comic strip will be hysterically funny. If you do not remember the eighties, then it will just be funny. No one captured the moods, social movements and absurdity of their combination as well as Breathed did. His exaggerated characters and references to the anxieties of the moment were a dose of reality encased in the fiction of a cartoon strip. I never missed it and neither should you.

That's really all I can say. It's not my favorite comic strip (that honor belongs to CALVIN AND HOBBES) but it is the laugh-out-loud funniest. BILL THE CAT LIVES!

The beloved characters all appear. Milo remains well-supplied with nightmares from his anxiety clost, Steve Dallas remains un-supplied with tact or charm, and Opus displays his huge supply of innocent bafflement. Winsome Yaz Pistachios appears a few times, as does Bill the Cat (the anti-Garfield) and Oliver Wendell Jones, computer geek extraordinaire.

The humor is still there, but some of the freshness rubbed off during the quarter-century since these first appeared. Some grey heads will remember Phyllis Schlafly and all the other Reagan-era targets of the Bloom County barbs. The problem with topical humor is that topics change in the real world, but remain frozen on the printed page, becoming gradually more antiquated over time.

No matter. You'll find plenty of timeless humor and maybe a bit of nostalgia between these covers, as well as a reminder of how the early 80s looked to one cartoonist of the era.

-- wiredweird

These strips aren't just funny. They're laugh out loud, roll on the floor, tears streaming down my face, people coming into the room to see "WHAT-are-you-laughing-at?!" funny.

Berkeley Breathed has created a perfect 'toon universe populated by funny and poignant humans, along with funny and poignant penguins, groundhogs, Bill the Cat and purple critters that hide in your closet of anxieties waiting to grab you as soon as you sleep. Breathed was an absolute genius at seeing some topical issue of the day (circa 1984 for this voume) holding it up to the light so that we could see it just the way that he did, then skewering the thing with what would be the humor equivalent of cupid's arrow.