Publisher: Hachette Books
Release Date: October 20, 2015
Price: $16.99
Creator: Judah Friedlander
Format: 208 pgs., 5-3/4" x 7-1/4", Hardcover
ISBN: 9-780-3163-0695-9
Age Rating: N/A
ICv2 Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5
Those who recognize Friedlander’s name will probably know him best from the TV series he was on, 30 Rock, or from his standup comedy. Cartoons are another part of his life, and a creative and interesting part.
Friedlander is a bit like Kliban mixed with The Far Side, but much weirder. These cartoons range from single gag panels to multi-panel extravaganzas of strangeness. Many involve odd bits of sex or violence, just because. Death by kitchen utensils, car-washing aliens, musical prodigies in pain and a host of other images test the imagination of readers, as some ideas are based on wordplay or stray thoughts turned into visual images by the cartoonist.
A few of the comics have serious undertones, like his multi-panel piece about gentrification. There is little or no subtlety in the book, including the title cartoon. Readers of alternative comic strips will find a lot to enjoy in this book, but those of a more conservative bent in their cartoon reading will find it less enjoyable. Also, the penis and nipple jokes didn’t seem all that funny, and came across as the cartoonist just trying to outrage readers.
Still, a book whose cover blurbs were written by folks like J. J. Abrams and Susan Sarandon is certainly intriguing, even if the blurbs themselves are a bit of a non sequitur.
For adults, due to content and themes.
--Nick Smith: Library Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.