Short book review: Pearls Hogs the Road: a Pearls Before Swine Treasury

Stephan Pastis, Pearls Hogs the Road: a Pearls Before Swine Treasury. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel, 2017.  ISBN: 9781449487324.

 

Genre: comics

Subgenre: humor, life observations

Format: e-book

Source: via Hoopla from Madison County (KY) Public Library 

 

This was an entertaining and fun collection of comics to read. These comics have a good blend of humor, sarcasm, and cynicism; they are perfect for the Hard Times we live in. In addition, Pastis includes commentaries on many of the strips which add to the humor and/or offer additional insights into the comics and his craft. Sometimes a comic strip may not work out as well as he thought it should, and he is often transparent and open about it, which I think adds to the series' appeal. 

I found myself laughing often while reading this. Some of the puns Pastis does work better than others, but overall the humor is good with a bit of dark humor here or there. This is not a cuddly comic series, but it is a funny one overall. 

 

This volume covers strips appearing in newspapers from March 3, 2014 to September 6, 2015. In addition, this volume features 3 comic strips illustrated by Bill Watterson, author of Calvin and Hobbes.

4 out of 5 stars.