Short book reviews on graphic novels 26

Some more quick reviews on graphic novels and comics I've read recently that do not really need a full review. As you can see, this is mostly Garfield and Far Side volumes. Some of these books qualify for 2021 Reading Challenges as noted. 

 

Jim Davis, Garfield Listens to his Gut: His 62nd Book. New York: Ballantine Books, 2016. ISBN: 9780425285572. 

As I've written before, if you have read others then you pretty much know what to expect. This is another light and easy read, which is perfect for these Hard Times. Davis just keeps producing the comics. The humor is light, predictable, but it is also nice and comforting at times. 3 out of 5 stars. Borrowed from Berea branch of the Madison County (KY) Public Library.

Jim Davis, Garfield Easy As Pie: His 69th Book. New York: Ballantine Books, 2020. ISBN: 9780593156407.

Much like previous volumes. Cute and amusing at times. Humor can be a bit predictable, but it still makes for easy and comforting reading in the Hard Times of 2020.

 

 

 

 

 Jim Davis, Garfield Feeds the Kitty: His 35th Book. New York: Ballantine Books, 1999 (classic edition 2018). ISBN: 978-0-425-28569-5.

An older book I found in the public library. As noted, originally from 1999, but reissued in 2018. Another entertaining volume in the series. Among the highlights is Garfield encouraging Jon to read more books. For me, these books are always a nice comfort read. 3 out of 5 stars. 

 

 

 

 

Gary Larson, The Chickens are Restless: A Far Side Collection. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 1992. ISBN: 978-0-8362-1717-9. 

Overall, this is an amusing collection of Far Side cartoons. It's a nice light read with some good humor at times. There is a virus cartoon that is amusing as well and relevant in these COVID-19 times. I liked it. 3 out of 5 stars. This book qualifies for these 2021 Reading Challenges: Backlist Reader and Virtual Mount TBR. 

 

 

 

 

Jim Davis, Garfield Weighs His Options: His 49th Book. New York: Ballantine Books, 2010. ISBN:
9780345491817.

 

Another entry in the series I found in the public library. This part of the series is still in the early days when Jon started dating Liz. A highlight of the book is a small series of Garfield and Jon showing bachelor humor. An amusing entry in the series. 3 out of 5 stars. Book qualifies for these 2021 Reading Challenges: Backlist Reader and Virtual Mount TBR.  

 

 

Jim Davis, Garfield Shovels It In: His 51st Book. New York: Ballantine Books, 2011. ISBN: 9780345524195.

 

We get a bit more of bachelor humor in this volume of the popular series. Overall, another amusing volume in the series. Nice comfort read.  3 out of 5 stars. Book qualifies for these 2021 Reading Challenges: Backlist Reader and Virtual Mount TBR.  

Gary Larson, The Far Side Gallery. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 1984. ISBN:
9780836220629.

This is the first big omnibus of the series. It collects the first three books in the series: The Far Side, Beyond the Far Side, and In Search of the Far Side. These strips were originally printed from 1982 to 1984. Overall, the humor is good, though some strips can be better than others. I like combination of surrealism and casual daily observation humor. For this volume, the strips are printed a bit larger than in regular books, which makes some of the strips look better. Overall, I really liked it. 4 out of 5 stars. Book qualifies for these 2021 Reading Challenges: Backlist Reader and Virtual Mount TBR. 

Jim Davis, Garfield Fat Cat 3-Pack. New York: Ballantine Books, 2003. ISBN: 9780345464552.

This volume collects the first three trade collections of the Garfield comic strip. You can read it from the beginning. You get to meet Lyman, Jon's roommate who brought in Odie the dog. For some reason, Odie stayed and Lyman disappeared down the road. It is also interesting to see what Garfield and the rest of the gang looked like back then before Davis stylized the look and improved on it. The humor back then was actually pretty good, and while some strips may be a bit dated, the humor overall holds pretty well. As much as I like the series, these days it feels a bit like he is just dialing it in at times, so it was nice to go back in time. The work here overall is fun, amusing, light reading, and by the way, the strips are in full color. On a side note, when I looked over my notes, I saw I had read this back in 2014, so this is a re-read for me, and I still enjoyed it very much. For libraries, these 3-Pack sets do give you a bit of value in terms of acquisitions. 4 out of 5 stars. Book qualifies for these 2021 Reading Challenges: Backlist Reader and Virtual Mount TBR. 

 

Gary Larson, The Far Side Gallery 2. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 1986. ISBN: 9780836220858.

This is the second gallery collection of Larson's comic strip. This one collects his books Bride of the Far Side, Valley of the Far Side, and It Came from the Far Side.  As before, good humor combined with that unique brand of surrealism that Larson does very well. Also as before, I enjoy that the strips are printed a bit larger than in the regular books. Some highlights include: the vampire parents warning their daughter's boyfriend, a human, to have her home before sunrise, Carl Sagan as a kid, which I thought was very cute, and one of my personal favorites the scientists trying to communicate with the dolphins. Overall, I really liked this one as well. 4 out of 5 stars. Book qualifies for these 2021 Reading Challenges: Backlist Reader and Virtual Mount TBR. 

Gary Larson, The Far Side Gallery 4. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 1993. ISBN: 9780836217247.

The fourth gallery collection of Larson's comic strip. This volume collects his books Wildlife Preserves, Wiener Dog Art, and Unnatural Selections. Robin Williams provides a short foreword for this one, and as he writes, Larson is "the best of a weird breed." Larson certainly proves that in this series. Two of my favorites in this volume are the primitive think tanks and the vaccination man, which I think may be just what we need to get more people vaccinated for COVID-19. Larson may have been a visionary with that. As always, the comics have that nice blend of the bizarre and humorous, and for me, they make for nice comfort reading. Another volume I really liked. 4 out of 5 stars. Book qualifies for these 2021 Reading Challenges: Backlist Reader and Virtual Mount TBR.

Gary Larson, The Far Side Gallery 5. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 1995. ISBN:  9780836204254.

The fifth gallery collection. This volume collects his books Cows of Our Planet, The Chickens are Restless, and The Curse of Madame C. It includes a foreword by Jane Goodall that explains the small controversy over Larson's strip about her. Turns out she herself was quite amused. A favorite strip in this volume was the one about "be a virus, see the world," which in our times of COVID-19 remains seriously relevant. As in previous volumes, this book features a selection of strips in full color. This continues to be nice comfort reading for me and always worth reading for the bizarre humor. 4 out of 5 stars. Qualifies for these 2021 Reading Challenges: Backlist Reader and Virtual Mount TBR.