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zmull's review
4.0
Newspaper comic strips have become an old thing like men wearing hats and penny candy and smoking at the hospital. They're a petrified art trapped at the center of a dying newspaper industry. The advent of Garfield in the early-80s was the flashpoint. Nearly all of the strips still running are frozen at that moment. It was the last cash-in. The shuttering of the art. The death.
But like a daisy in a cow turd, there have been a few strips to make it to sunlight. The greatest was Calvin and Hobbes. The most successful Dilbert. There were some minor greats, Bloom County / Outland, The Far Side, For Better or For Worse, and, maybe, Foxtrot. There are some good ones still running; Get Fuzzy is most funny of the current best. Cul De Sac is the closest to being great. It has everything classic comic strips of the past had. It's funny. It has pathos and character. The art is beatiful. Richard Thompson's got the gift. Cul De Sac has the looks of a great. At it's finest it's got that hint of poetry Charles Schulz. Some of the early strips in this collection are clearly find its feet. There's a few jarring moments where the focus moves off the Otterloop family and into surreal territory. But if you follow the daily you know that Thompson's found his groove. It's good.
But like a daisy in a cow turd, there have been a few strips to make it to sunlight. The greatest was Calvin and Hobbes. The most successful Dilbert. There were some minor greats, Bloom County / Outland, The Far Side, For Better or For Worse, and, maybe, Foxtrot. There are some good ones still running; Get Fuzzy is most funny of the current best. Cul De Sac is the closest to being great. It has everything classic comic strips of the past had. It's funny. It has pathos and character. The art is beatiful. Richard Thompson's got the gift. Cul De Sac has the looks of a great. At it's finest it's got that hint of poetry Charles Schulz. Some of the early strips in this collection are clearly find its feet. There's a few jarring moments where the focus moves off the Otterloop family and into surreal territory. But if you follow the daily you know that Thompson's found his groove. It's good.
newo_42's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
jsmithborne's review
5.0
Jaden and I LOVE this book, and even Holling picked it up and snickered at the comics a few times. Thompson really nails the psychology of the 4-year-old. One fabulous example--the way that the only Alice remembers about the nature center is the nasty sand- and gum-filled water fountain, and it's the first thing she wants to see again when the class visits again. I am always amazed at the details that stick in Jaden's brain about the places we visit, and this was exactly something that would have happened in our house.
colleenaf's review
4.0
Mr. Danders might be my new favorite Guinea Pig in a work of fiction. That says a lot people! Totally read this because of the Watterson endorsement and while this is no Calvin & Hobbes it did have the same general sensibility and a whole bunch of comics that warmed my twisted heart.
elisala's review
5.0
Sans conteste ma découverte BD du moment, petit chef d'oeuvre de peinture du quotidien dans ce qu'il a de plus absurde, de plus inattendu... un savant mélange de pure analyse du monde et d'absurdité fantastique - on croise quand même un hamster qui parle - directement sortie de l'imagination des enfants... L'air de rien aussi une description assez fine de l'enfance, quand on est incroyablement intelligent et logique et en même temps complètement crédule et surréaliste...
Ne vous attendez pas à un dessin d'une grande finesse, c'est même un peu brouillon, comme griffonné au crayon, ça n'en rend le propos que plus drôle.
Ne vous attendez pas à un dessin d'une grande finesse, c'est même un peu brouillon, comme griffonné au crayon, ça n'en rend le propos que plus drôle.
richard's review
A newspaper comic strip that is actually funny. Who knew that such a thing still exists?
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