Tales Designed to Thrizzle

(Fantagraphics, 2005-2010)
™ and ©2005 Michael Kupperman

Blast the copywriters that made cliché terms out of "oddball, wacky, zany" and other such cheese-invoking triggerwords. They've mutilated all the terms that should be saved for Michael Kupperman without negative connotation.

A beautiful, pop cover seals a collection of mostly non-sequiteur humor that anyone should be able to appreciate for the art even if their funnybone is broken. If the book has a weakness, it's staying in a tight confine of punchlines, and while one can never predict what that payoff will be, and it's always good, the reader risks a little desensitization to the out-of-left-field humor.

Perhaps smaller doses are better, but by no means should you miss a single gag from the creator of Snake 'n' Bacon. It takes a steely character to stifle a guffaw at running gags like "Sex Blimp" and "Jesus' Half-Brother Pagus," who looks like an extra from Jack Kirby or He-Man.

It's true laughter, and we need more of it in comics… and life.

— Brendan McGinley

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