My family subscribed to the daily newspaper when I was a child, including the extra large Sunday edition, complete with the color comic strip section. This was the only part that I read at the time. While I did enjoy stretching out and leisurely perusing the latest Bloom County, Cathy, Garfield, Marmaduke, Hagar the Horrible, and Family Circus, I really am not nostalgic for the vast amounts of paper garbage that it left behind. Now I get my daily dose of the latest news online, Apps on my phone, NPR, and evening TV. I fill my funny pages void in another way.
Dragon Puncher by James Kochalka. This is one of my favorite books. I brought this home for my kids and it was a huge hit. When I brought it back to the library, I made all of my coworkers read it. Yes, it’s in the Children’s Department – so? No, I don’t think I’ll give you a synopsis, you’ll just have to read it. I wish I could read this book out loud to all of you right now. I do a great Spoony-E.
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Hellboy by Mike Mignola. Funny ha-ha AND funny weird. Two great tastes that taste great together. This series is about a red guy who is in a secret U.S. government program to defeat the Nazis. It has lots of supernatural Lovecraftian (a real word) things, plus lots of wry comments. It has been adapted for two movies, but read the original – the original is almost always better, and in this case, is much, much better.
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Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Comic strips are like short stories, a satisfying whole in bite-sized chunks. I however, cannot get enough of Calvin and Hobbes. Amusing tales told through the eyes of a rambunctious boy and his stuffed tiger. A modern day Winnie-the-Pooh, but so much funnier.
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Amphigorey by Edward Gorey. I urge you to read everything by Gorey. Read his biographies as well. The man is as unusual as his work. It’s funny, and creepy, and weird, and icky. Kids love this stuff. If you love this, try Gahan Wilson as well.
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Beanworld by Larry Marder. I am so glad this was republished, for your sake. Marder uses the fact that the piece of paper in your hand is two-dimensional, and creates a funny and quirky world. Hoka Hoka Hey!
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So I am no longer able to press Silly Putty on the newspaper to get the image. It ruined the Silly Putty anyway.
-Joelle
A day of comics, a day of giving. Click here to learn how you can support the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh on October 3rd.
Eleventh Stack 