Cartoons Books

I teach computers in high school and can relate to the cartoons in this book. In fact, I use a few of them on my inter school memos. They're attention grabbers. The cartoons are funny and each has a nugget of truth in it which any teacher can recognize.
I love this book.

There's some funny stuff in this book! I teach computers in a public school and the situations portrayed in this adorable volume seem familiar, with a humorous twist. These cartoons are professionally sketched and make wonderful intro pieces for our school's in-service courses where our staff can upgrade their computer skills.

Great work! These are funny on-target cartoons. If you use a computer you've already visited these situations but now you can laugh about it. Even if you don't know a hard drive from a memory stick, get this book and laugh a little before you boot up. Teachers beware! You're going to have a smile on your face every time you go near that computer in school.

I teach computer classes in high school and in college. The cartoons in this funny book deserve a place on the class bulletin board. A few have been posted there for all to enjoy. The author has a clever way of portraying familiar tech situations in cartoon shorthand. The artwork is very professional and enjoyable. I plan to use one of the cartoons as an ice-breaker for an upcoming workshop.

I teach computer courses and the situations described in this wonderful cartoon book look familiar, with a very funny twist.
These are professionally sketched cartoons and I have placed a few of them on a bulletin board in the class. We all get a kick out of them. Don't forget to back up your hard drive and to buy this book.

This is far and away the best book available on Lightwave rigging. Gorden is the only author to thoroughly address the relationship between weight maps, bones and the polygonal structure of the model and how they must be combined to create a working 3D character. I consider this book absolutely essential for anyone looking to do any kind of character animation in Lightwave.

I'm a Lightwave user for about 3 years now, I did a lot of 3D stuff but never any boned character animation. Just had trouble getting trough the process of rigging ( like every other beginning 3D artist ).

I bought the Volume 1 and 2 en really took the time of reading it word by word. Underlining the most important things so i'll be able to use these books as a quick reference guide. Sometimes I just forget things and then I like to quickly return to my books for help ;-)

I know that a lot of you prefer some training DVD's above reading because it takes some time to get trough these books... But believe me, they are worth it. They get you trough the basics and then take you up to the next level. The CD that comes with this book also helps a great deal. You can go and analyse the settings of the examples.

I recommend this book to anyone who's thinking about character animation, even if you haven't got any knowledge of rigging. You have got to get this book...

This book has proved invaluable resource for dealing with Ligthwave's rigging. Filled with great tips and examples, this book shows you clearly how to build efficient rigs.

This is an excellent book for detailed instruction on using Lightwave for character rigging and texturing.

Until I read this book Rigging was always a challenge and something I avoided. This book clearly explains not only the buttons to click but the basic concepts needed for anyone that wants to rig. Then when you have mastered the basics he walks you thru complex, power, but easy to setup rigging setups.

As an Instructor I recommend this book not only to my students but also to high end studios. Jonny has written the "Rigging Bible" in my honest opinion.

I hope we see more from this talented artist!

I have two daughters, ages 12 & 7. Their brother has enjoyed the classic Marvel comic book reprints for years. But have you ever looked for comics for young girls that are worth their reading? Slim pickings! Happily, it's Little Lulu to the rescue!

Both of my girls have had a ball reading and rereading these paperback volumes collecting the classic strip of a bygone era. Even my little one, whose reading skills are just emerging, has her nose in these books constantly (sometimes reading them out loud to me).

They're clever, clean, and genuinely entertaining. My only wish is that they were reproduced in color, instead of b&w. (That would probably triple the price of each installment, though). There is one special color issue, so be sure to snag that one.

I have all the Little Lulu books. I grew up reading Little Lulu comic books and now my children are reading them. Besides being great fun, they tell stories usually involving morals and have great storylines. Why don't they make comics like this anymore?

I recently finished plowing through the collected paperback editions of the classic 1950s "Little Lulu" comics, and wanted to put in my vote... yes! yes! yes! True, it's a little disappointing that the strips are reprinted in black-&-white and not in the original color versions, but the real genius of these works is in the draftsmanship of artists John Stanley and Irving Tripp, and once you get onto their wavelength, even these half-size B&W reprints are a pure delight. They can say so much with such economy -- a single panel of Lulu's unbridled mischief can have you laughing your head off, and here, in this multi-volume collection, you've got a real treasure trove of some of the best graphic-art humor produced in the 20th Century. Great stuff, highly recommended, and major kudos to Dark Horse for making this artwork both available and affordable.

The numbering and publishing order of Dark Horse's "Little Lulu" series is rather confusing. Although "My Dinner with Lulu" was their third release, it is labeled Volume #1 in the series. This is because it reprints the first comic "books" featuring the character; Dell Four Color #74, #97, #110, #115, #120 (published over a two year period, 1945-1946). All 52 pages of content from these five books is included, unfortunately the covers and advertisements are not. And the reprints are black and white, which makes the volumes very affordable if poor substitutes for the original four-color pages.

John Stanley did all the pencils and some of the inking for these five books, in partnership with Irving Tripp. Cartoonist Marge Buell created the characters in 1935 for the Saturday Evening Post and the early comic books had to secure her approval before publication. Judging from the obvious style differences, it is likely that several of Buell's multi-panel one-page SEP stories were included in the comic books and reprinted in this volume.

The 1945-46 drawings are more faithful to Buell's style than later Lulu issues. Note that the characters' mouths are only shown when they are speaking and they have only a single eyebrow line going across their foreheads. Despite this both Buell and Stanley are able to convey an amazing number expressions and emotions.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

While this is 'volume 3' of Dark Horse Comics' reprint series of Little Lulu, it actual reprints the first 5 of the 10 "Four Color" Little Lulu comics (#74, 97, 110, 115, 120) which were published before Little Lulu got her own title. Hopefully volume 4 of the series will reprint the last 5 of the Four Color issues.

Everyone's battling couple are at it again. These strips from the 1970's are from creator Bill Hoest, not his wife who currently writes the strip. Not appearing in enough newspapers, this is perfect for anyone who needs their Lockhorn fix.

Leroy drips venom and Loretta is perfect as his long suffering wife. Leroy always criticizes his wife's cooking and once he told her he wanted to use it for exhibit A. In this mood, my favorite strip in the book is where they are eating out and Leroy says to the waitress, right in front of Loretta, "What do you mean home cooking? Why this is delicious!!"

Have a hard day at work? This is the perfect antidote to make you forget your day. Buy it right away.

Finally, after years of searching, my favorite comic couple are back in a book. If you're a fan of "The Lockhorns" or just need a laugh this is for you. Couldn't put it down and now I want more! When's the next one coming out?

I love the Lockhorns. Larry and Loretta fight their way through married life like two champions who just will not go down with a punch. Bill Hoest has a really good look at life in all its inexactness and irony. And we can laugh. There is a lot of Larry and Loretta in every relationship and it helps to see the real pros going at one another and still managing to stay together. If Larry and Loretta can stick it out, so can we.

There is real fun here, and that is the main reason to visit with Larry and Loretta. Fun. You will laugh with each turn of the page, and be truely sorry for the end of the book.

I highly recommend the Lockhorns by Bill Hoest.

Everyone's battling couple are at it again. These strips from the 1970's are from creator Bill Hoest, not his wife who currently writes the strip. Not appearing in enough newspapers, this is perfect for anyone who needs their Lockhorn fix.

Leroy drips venom and Loretta is perfect as his long suffering wife. Leroy always criticizes his wife's cooking and once he told her he wanted to use it for exhibit A. In this mood, my favorite strip in the book is where they are eating out and Leroy says to the waitress, right in front of Loretta, "What do you mean home cooking? Why this is delicious!!"

Have a hard day at work? This is the perfect antidote to make you forget your day. Buy it right away.

Bill Hoest is one of the best funny men around. And Leroy and Loretta (the Lockhorns) are his champions. These two blast one another in every possible way, and their marriage counselors as well, while delivering tons of laughs.

If you want to have a really good time, lift the cares of the world off your shoulders for awhile, and enjoy a tremendous laugh or two along the way, turn to the Lockhorns. It is a book I have read more than once, and I laugh outloud every time.

I highly recommend this book and any book by Bill Hoest about the Lockhorns.

I thought this was an excellent book! I would deffinately recommend it!

This book is a hallarious compilation of previously published strips. I LOVE the Bermudez family, they are a great cast of characters with so much potential. There's just nothing else like it in syndication. I would reccomend this book to anyone who's interested in reading a funny, funny strip with a new perspective on everyday situations. Cantu and Castellanos do a wonderful job of bringing this family to life.The art is first rate, and among the best there is. I can't wait for the second book to be released.

I've been a fan of Baldo for a few months now and I really look forward to the morning comics so I can read this strip. Along with Get Fuzzy and Garfield, this is one of the best comics out there. I don't have the book yet, but having read this strip for a while, I think I am allowed to put in a comment right here.

The writer of this comic series really captures the teenage spirit of a kid gowing up in today's America. Funny, and entertaining.

The Lower You Ride, The Cooler You Are is the first collection of the Baldo syndicated comic strip by the collaborative efforts of writer Hector Cantu and illustrator Carlos Castellanos, and which appears in over 100 newspapers across the U.S.A. This hilarious anthology of the newspaper comic strip mixes Latino culture and the ridiculous foibles that haunt every teenager's life as it follows 15-year-old Baldo with his wild imagination, his yearning to date the prettiest girl in school, and his love of soccer and cars. The Lower You Ride, The Cooler You Are is enthusiastically recommended for an entertaining good time.

A must own for any Lucky Luke fan... 40 minutes of sheer reading pleasure... and as always the aboslutely best graphics!

This is another installment in the hugely popular Lucky Luke series. These English-language editions by 9th Cinebook got my 12-year-old hooked into the Lucky Luke series. The books tend to present a historical situation or event (the discovery of oil, the range wars between ranchers and farmers, etc.) in a humorous, yet educational, light. A fun aspect of the Lucky Luke books is Luke's fictional interactions with real-life personalities from the Old West: Billy the Kid, The Dalton Gang, Jesse James, Calamity Jane and others.Yakari and Great Eagle (Yakari S.)Yakari and the Beavers (Yakari)

lucky luke has got to be one of the best comics in the world. asterix and tintin are good but ive read them tons of times since I was a kid. Lucky Luke is just fantastic. Every one of the comics is really nice, quite funny, somewhat historical. The horse is too cute, the way he talks and his antics.

Its a pity there are less than 10 of these in print in english. The publisher is slowly releasing 3-4 each year now and I hope to collect all of them.

If you liked Asterix, dont hesitate, buy all of the Lucky Luke's they are just fabulous. Dont have to bother about which title, they are all good.

Another good book for a Goscinny fan.

Goscinny, yet again, tells a nice humorous story about the "poor lonesome cowboy" who is really a long way from home in this adventure as he is held prisoner by the deadly Dalton brothers. But our hero has his own schemes to outsmart the Daltons and get rid of a bunch of other no-good-doers at the same time. Joly Jumper is very funny as always. A nice wonderful story.

If you're reading this review, then you're probably already a MAD fan and are wondering if you should buy this book. If so, then rest assured that if you do, you won't be disappointed. Contained within these pages is a priceless slice of comic book history from the 1950s when a humor magazine that took the mickey out of other popular titles was a novelty and when legends like Bill Elder, Jack Davis and Harvey Kurtzman cut their teeth and in the process, forged the template for hundreds of followers in the decades since. The best part of this vol (and Vol 1) is that you can re-read the stories again and again and still find something funny you'd have missed in previous readings. The humor is straightforward funny - whacky, zany and maybe even slapstick at times. But I'm sure that almost every MAD fan will find them all entertaining. Well worth the investment.

So much of what is in here has been so readily available over the years since the 1950's ended that the novelty is a little bit lost. I actually wish Mad had made these earlier 50's issues accessable to late 20th and early 21st century readers but a little less than they actually do. Still the great comic book satires are imaginative and alot of fun to read (even for the fifth or sixth time or more).

As soon as i received Vol 1 of Mad Archives and went through it , I immediately ordered Vol 2, the reason being the first edition of Vol 1 was out of print and I had to wait 12 ( that's TWELVE ) whole months to receive the second edition. Both volumes are a comic lovers delight, especially from a historical perspective. The artwork and coloring is so fresh and eye catching; good job of restoration, not to mention the layout and binding... all for only USD50. Will definitely become a collectors item very soon, if it hasn't already. What you waiting for? GO FOR IT !

Well, at long last...Volume Two !!!
The Mad Archives: Volume 2. This One contains Issues 7 thro 12 of Mad Magazine. Almost everything here was written by the Creator of this American Instution of Lampoons: Harvey Kurtzman. The Artists featured are Bill Elder, Jack Davis, Basil Wolverton, John Severin and The Great: Wally Wood.

For me, Mad really hits it's stride here with Great Spoofs on Comic Books: "Bat Boy & Rubin", "Starchie", Newspaper Strips: "Little Orphan Melvin", "Flesh Garden", Movies: "From Eternity Back To Here", "Sane", and TV Shows: "Dragged Net", and even a Stab into the Heart of Edgar Allan Poe, with: "The Raven".

Born into the EC Comics Company run By Bill Gaines, Mad was the only Comic Book Title to Survive the great Comic Book Witch-Hunt of 1953, when Senate hearings labeled Gaines', Horror Comics as corrupting America's Youth and he had to cancel all of them.

But, Bill Gaines had a Winner on his Hands with "Mad", and an Publishing Empire was Built around this Little Comic Book. The Influence of Mad Magazine is HUGE, and along with: "Playboy" it is considered One of The Fore-Runners of Sixties Pop Culture that would change the way America viewed her Values & Morals. Sex and Humor got us out of The Nuclear Cold-War Years and everything was about to be very Different.

Right here in these pages, it is Hard not to Laugh at loud at: "Woman Wonder" and "the Lone Stranger". These Stories hold up as American Folk-Tales more than Fifty Years on, the Art is too Good to be believed. from those Weird Creatures of Basil Wolverton: "The Mad Reader" to the Sexy Broads, drawn by the Fantastic, Wally Wood in "Flesh Garden", this is a Feast for the Eyes.

Again, this is The Comic Book that CHANGED America, and let us Laugh at ourselves....My Highest Recommendation.
Let's hope we don't have to wait another ten years, for Volume Three !!!

Sure, I read New Yorker and with a Martini in my hand can picture myself in John Cheever's 50s. I've read Time. I learned to read, and ended up employed for a while as a television programmer, because of TV Guide. In terms of cultural significance, they are all piffles next this giant mountain of cultural commentary.

The issues in this volume are where its original creative team caught their wind and set sail for the very heart of satire and deconstruction. The earlier volume is great, but this one is a molotov cocktail handed to the young and open-minded of post-war America to assault complacency. The roots of nearly anything great the baby-boomers did (the Beatles read Beano, Zimmy read this) lie here.

This book is great. It goes into, although briefly the rise of marvel comics. The meat and potatoes of this book though is the study of the marvel characters. Captain America, Spider-man, The Incredible Hulk, and the X-Men are looked into in depth. Other characters in the marvel universe are also explored but not in the length of the others mentioned. Whats great about this book is that it looks at the characters major story lines and their origins but also their representations in other mediums. WOndering about Captain America in the movies or on t.v.? Then this is the book for you. There is also another great book titled "marvel universe." That book looks at the characters in the comics only. So if you want just a study of the comics go with "Marvel Universe." If you want a book that looks at everything invovled with the character go with this one. Or buy both, they are fantastic books. So buy both! I did.

I put off buying Marvel: The Characters and Their Universe because of the price. I finally decided to give in to the temptation, and WOW, am I glad I did! I had an absolute BLAST reading this book.

The book is beautifully designed; It looks, smells, and feels GREAT. It's so attractive that at times I actually hated to open it for fear of getting it dirty. The cover art by Kaare Andrews is just gorgeous. Content-wise, Author Michael Mallory does a nice job of covering the history of the Marvel Bullpen and it's major players (Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko), and the Marvel Universe and it's major characters (Captain America, The Hulk, Spider-Man, and The X-Men each get extensive chapters of their own, The Fantastic Four, The Avengers, Daredevil, The Silver Surfer, et al, all share smaller chapters). The chapters are lavishly illustrated, and filled with beautiful art from the Comics, Movies, TV shows, and video games that the characters have appeared in. I'm a REAL Marvel Comic afficionado, and not only did I NOT find too many mistakes in the book (A few, but nothing major...), but I actually learned a lot; My favorite tidbit- Captain America co-creator Joe Simon hails from my adopted hometown of Rochester, New York.

Marvel: The Characters and Their Universe is a luxury item, to be sure, but one I'm glad I splurged on. I guarantee any Marvel Zombie will love it.

Most people who know me know I've loved comic books since I was a mere lad. Mallory's book on the Marvel Universe not only reminds me of exactly why comic books have inspired and thrilled me throughout my life, it includes things that not even I (ravenous comic book consumer that I am) have experienced. Mallory divides his book into several sections, some of which chronicle in detail the pop culture evolution of particular characters in the Universe (Spiderman, The Hulk, Captain America, and the X-Men come to mind.) It also details why comic book lovers consider the universe so special. Marvel was the first comic book company to seriously attempt to create a coherent universe out of all their titles. Ironically, unlike DC, they seem to have had less difficulty making readers take their universe seriously, by-passing all of the convoluted Earths and complicated and contradictory timelines that caused DC to write sometimes horribly ridiculous cross-over events to eradicate half of their characters.

One of the most important things that Mallory outlines in this book, and what makes Marvel so accessible to broad ranges of people, is the fact that the characters to come out of the Marvel Universe are so believable. They aren't perfect gods like their DC counterparts. They do sometimes make the wrong decisions. Spiderman, for instance, is a computer nerd. Iron Man is an alcoholic who has a hard time relating to other people. The X-Men are shunned across the globe because of their powers. These characters aren't automatically celebrated as like Superman and the Flash. People are afraid of those with more power than themselves. Mallory brings out this most human, and ultimately most important, aspect of the Marvel Universe. His book works because it brings out the characters behind those shiny and colorful spandex costumes, making sure that the reader understands that superheroics is not just about having powers and easily saving the day. It's also about wrestling with personal issues.

The book itself is quite simply beautiful. Hundreds of full color pictures chronicle the development of these characters. Dozens of interviews with such people as Stan Lee, Joe Simon and others add to the nuanced approach this book takes in discussing its subject matter. When I recieved the book in the mail, I was literally taken aback at the cover. I think many of you would agree, its one of the most spectacular covers I've ever seen on a book. More than simply chronicling the stories of the Marvel Universe, more than simply being a critical review of the characters within the universe, the book itself is a work of art, something you can display proudly on a coffee table or the like. Mallory brings up so many social issues that were inevitably tied with the production of these comics (Tony Stark's experiences in Vietnam being only one example), that the book inspires many discussions on the ways in which popular culture interacts with the world. Comic books aren't just superficial stories to escape the world. If Marvel comics have taught us anything, it's that comics can deal with real world issues in ways that are appealing. We don't have to think that gods from Olympus (a recent metaphor used to describe the characters in DC comics) watch down on us. They are among us. We have the ability to become heroes ourselves. The Marvel Universe, and indeed Mallory's analysis of that universe, reminds us of our own powers and our own responsibilities. Like Peter Parker's Uncle Ben once said "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility." Mallory's book shows us the degree to which Marvel comics aren't an escape from the world, but are an inspiration to act responsibly as heroes within our own world.

This book, while lacking a little in historical content compared to Marvel: Five Fabulous Decadess of the World's Greatest Comics, exceels in Character content on primary Marvel heros. The art work, photos, and some updated material is nice (eventhough, in the age of comic movies, it is now behgind, but that cannot be helped).

Chapters on Captian America, Spider-man, and the Fantastic Four are very nice, but it does not do justice to other marvel heros such as the second tier group like the Punisher or Daredevil.

All in all, this book functions well as a coffee table book, of which it is intended. I ama Marvel and DC fan, and find this book to be a nice collection.

This book is great. Full color, large pictures and information from the past to present on most Marvel Heroes. What is great is that you can be entertained and kept interested while reading about charactors you might not have had any interest in before.

It arrived very soon. I am very pleased with the good condition of the product.

As a paperboy in the sixties, I was always fascinated by the adventure strips in the newspapers I delivered, but unfortunately I only managed to read them sporadically and missed their continuity. It was also the time of their decline and today, the adventure strip is not what it was in its heyday during the previous decades and has largely disappeared. I often wished I could revisit those times. A number of high-quality reproductions have recently come out, restoring these great strips, and it is now time for me to delve. Since there is much agreement that the giant among the adventure strip artists was Milton Caniff, I gave the 1947 Steve Canyon a try.

The post-war years had their special appeal, reflected in the visual arts - and especially Hollywood, with its Lauren Bacalls, Bette Davises, Katharine Hepburns, Agnes Mooreheads, Joan Crawfords, and scores of other individuals and femmes fatales, and the leading men of the time, and secondary characters and sidekicks - there is something about the visual style of the people, cars, planes, design and architecture of the time that is very pleasing. The look of those times is stunningly captured in Caniff's panels, little chiaroscuro masterpieces (Caniff was called the Rembrandt of cartooning), with the artist's own stable of femmes fatales, villains and supporting characters issuing from his imagination, complemented by gripping plots.

This Checker restoration is well-bound and well-printed on glossy paper, and the art comes through in delicious detail, though it is admittedly a little small, due to the need to fit enough of it on each page. The panels are all beautiful and some are masterpieces so detailed that it is worth looking at them with a magnifying glass. The balloons are very wordy, however, and crowd the art. The pacing and imaginativeness of the adventures is superb. There is more depth to the stories than one would find in any of the superhero comics past or present (possibly a very few exceptions nowadays). You will find strategy and planning, tactical execution to get out of situations, technical knowledge, plot twists, and very little deus ex machina. The femme fatales have distinct personalities; Caniff did not get them all from the same mould.

Obviously, one does not discuss matters of taste, but if the chiaroscuro renderings of a very special era by a recognized master appeals to you, then by all means get this hard copy of the late forties.

For years, I have been more familiar with Caniff's "Terry & the Pirates" than with "Steve Canyon". Having bought this volume, though, I can't wait to get more. Milt knew how to tell a story and was an incredible artist. As a cartoonist myself (I draw the strip "Tuttle's") I am envious of the freedom Caniff had. Not just in space, but that he was apparently given more than a month at the beginning just to establish the characters. Now, if a strip hasn't grabbed the readers by day 2 (it seems) it's gone.

I want to give praise to the publishers of this book, too: Checkers. Some reprints of cartoons lately have gone to such lengths to present the strips in a large format that the cost of the volumes became prohibitive. Especially for people who aren't comicphiles. Checker has done a great job of presenting the cartoons in a crisp print that's readable and affordable. I can't want to get more editions!

Milton Caniff left Terry and the Pirates to create his own comic strip, Steve Canyon, and these early adventures are some of his greatest work.

All but a few years of Steve Canyon have already been reprinted, by Kitchen Sink, in the Menomonee Falls Gazette, in Comics Revue monthly, and in Carl Horak's Caniffites, but it is good to have the beginning of the strip back in print from Checker Books. Until his support of American troops in Vietnam lost him many of his readers, Milton Caniff was one of the most popular cartoonists in the world. His snappy dialog and interesting characters, especially his female characters, make his strips well worth seeking out.

This compiliation of the first year of the immortal Milton Caniff's Steve Canyon strip is a treasure.

Not only is it printed on excellent stock, the reproduction is crisp and clean and easy to read.

More than anything it provides inarguable examples of why Milton Caniff was and is so revered as a storyteller. These stories feature the man's work when he was at his prime as both a writer and artist.

If you're a comics historian and have ever wondered why legends like John Romita, Jim Mooney, Don Heck and others viewed Mr. Caniff as a role model, this volume conclusively proves why.

More than anything, this volume and the follow-up from 1948 makes for great entertainment, presented in an excellent package.

A true treasure.

Kudos to Checker Publishing and everyone involved in this project.

Few books come along that in so brief a span change the paradigm of modern thought. "The unparallelled camaraderie of desert yoga", "Apocalypso" or simply "Creamcheese driveway death". Come on, aren't you the least bit intrigued?!!!
... If you're familiar with this little gem, do civilization a favour and petition the publisher to reprint it and use the number......let's see...10 million for a first run.

Moot Points is one of those gems you kick yourself for not hanging onto, and now you can't find it anywhere, much less anyone who's ever heard of it. I have searched high and low for this book, but it seems that anyone who has a copy hangs onto it (unlike me). I've never even seen it in a second hand book store. If anyone can tell me where I might find a copy, PLEASE do! I will be forever in your debt.

Very well done, A bit of the twilight zone meets Hogarth. If you have it, treasure it, if you don't keep looking

As my friend Jesse told me in college, "If you have not read this book, you are illiterate." You will read this book over and over. You will begin to have random mootisms come to mind during everyday situations. You will begin to greet others with "Scudda Hoo!" They will look at you strangely.

If you like B. Kliban, you'll like J.C. Duffy. I found this book about twenty years ago at the same time I encountered Kliban, and I'm afraid they combined to do some damage.

How to describe the quality of Duffy's stuff? I can't possibly do justice either to his drawing style or his either-you-get-it-or-you-don't sense of things. Here's an example: one cartoon features a simple-looking fellow sitting in front of a sign that says "No Standing," while a car runs over his legs. The caption reads: "Steady as a rock, and twice as smart."

Read this book too many times and you will find yourself saying such things to your friends. Worse, you may find yourself _choosing_ your friends based on whether they understand you when you say things like, "Sweet Jesus, this is no simple trek to the north forty!" It may actually put you off when someone fails to pick up on your passing reference to the priest with a suspicious case of rugburn-on-the-knee, or doesn't know what you're talking about when you characterize someone as "The Happy Guy." Well, into each night some days must fall, and sometimes you're just too tired to climb the walls.

If this collection ever comes back into print, buy it at once. Otherwise you'll be -- as another of Duffy's cartoons puts it -- missing the humor in everyday life. In the meantime, go buy everything of Kliban's that's still available.