Man, I Hate Cursive: Cartoons for People and Advanced Bears - Jim Benton - ★

-
AUTHOR: Jim Benton
GENRE: Sequential Art Novel
PUBLICATION DATE: January 24, 2024
RATING: 1 star.


A comic collection by "the most visible cartoonist in America". I grabbed this for the title and the cover illustration. Sadly, that turned out to be the best comic of the book.

This collection compiles single-panel comics as well as comic strips, covering topics as varied as animals, body parts, existential crises, and God. A few of the comics made me smile lightly. (The ‘God’ comics were the best.) Most left me feeling meh. The randomness of the topics didn’t help as it made me feel like I was reading a row of random newspaper funnies with no link.

Further, I found some of the humour insensitive. How can topics such as obesity, ebola deaths, mental health issues be considered funny?

A few of the comics do go deep, covering topics like male ignorance about women’s anatomy. But no use having 1-2 such thoughtful satirical pieces and juxtaposing them with fart jokes… 🤦🏻‍♀️

The artwork is okay. Nice in some panels, mediocre in the rest.

The only positive is that it goes by fast. 96 pages of flat jokes doesn’t take that long to read as you aren’t smiling most of the time and hence there’s no need to pause for laughter.

This might work for fans of the author as they might be more used to his sense of humour. Not for me though. I have read much better and honestly don’t think this is worth purchasing.

Comments

Post a Comment

Explore more posts from this blog:

City of Jackals - Aman J. Bedi - ★★★★

-
Image
AUTHOR: Aman J. Bedi SERIES: Ghosts of Ethuran, #2 GENRE: Epic Fantasy PUBLICATION DATE: March 13, 2025 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A dark fantasy set in a fictional South-Asian setting. The second book of the Ghosts of Ethuran series, and needs to be read in series order. Continues the story well, revealing more shades to the protagonist and the world. Excellent action sequences. The gore and the cuss words were still not to my liking, but I enjoyed the rest, maybe even more than the first book as I was better prepared for the graphic content. This was a “paisa vasool” experience. Plot Preview: (Contains mild spoilers from the first book.) After the victory against the Kraelish, Kavi is now the unofficial leader of the Taemu, who are finally getting a bit more respect in Raayan. But when a hooligan forcibly takes control of the Imperial Rickshaw Company and forces Kavi to work with his gang as an enforcer, threatening her with dire consequences against the Taemu if she refuses or...
Read More»

Michael Without Apology - Catherine Ryan Hyde - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Catherine Ryan Hyde GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: May 6, 2025 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary fiction about a young man who finally learns the value of self-acceptance. Excellent characters, storyline, writing, and life lessons. Drags a little in the final few chapters, but overall, a beautiful and meaningful read. Much recommended. Plot Preview: When Michael was seven, he had a near-fatal accident that left him with severe physical scars and eventually led to foster care. Now nineteen, Michael has learnt to keep his scars hidden. On signing up for film class, he is taken aback on seeing that his professor Robert Dunning is also disfigured, but unlike Michael, he doesn’t hide his scars. Encouraged by Dunning, Michael plans to make a documentary about body image issues in scarred people. When he places an ad seeking potential interviewees, he learns that too many people in society are unhappy with their bodies. With their stories and also his ...
Read More»

If The Train Arrives - Heather Fellin Tierney - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Heather Fellin Tierney GENRE: Historical Literary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: August 26, 2025 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A historical literary fiction focussed on three ordinary people and the way their paths cross with each other. Excellently sketched characters, a complex and thought-provoking plot, a realistic ending. Great use of the 1970s small-town Wisconsin setting. An amazing debut! Much recommended to lit fic lovers. Plot Preview: 1970. Every morning, one train leaves from Minneapolis to Chicago via Milwaukee. One small stop it makes is at the tiny station of Oconomowoc in Wisconsin. Lincoln is a forty-year-old ticket agent at the Oconomowoc train station. Though it has been many years since his wife left him, he still struggles to move beyond. Vera is a teenager determined to look for someone from her past. She is gearing up for her first ever train journey, boarding at Oconomowoc and going to Chicago. Violet, a single woman in her fifties, has only one major re...
Read More»

The Quiet Librarian - Allen Eskens - ★★★★

-
Image
AUTHOR: Allen Eskens GENRE: Contemporary Mystery PUBLICATION DATE: February 18, 2025 RATING: 4 stars. In a Nutshell: A dual-timeline mystery. Interesting lead character, good story, great historical content. Quite gruesome in the war-related bits. A tad too convenient at times, and the romance subplot track annoyed me (as expected). But on the whole, a worthwhile read. Plot Preview: Minnesota. Hana is a reserved forty-seven-year old librarian who keeps her personal life guarded. When a detective comes to her with the news that her best friend Amina has been murdered, Hana knows that her past has finally caught up with her. But as no one else knows who she was or what she did, Hana has to rely on her instincts and her old training to protect herself and also Amina’s eight-year-old grandson who has been left in Hana’s care. The story comes to us in two timelines, both written in third person. One is the contemporary track from Hana’s point of view. The other is from 1995, set during the ...
Read More»

Inheritance: A Visual Poem - Elizabeth Acevedo - ★★

-
Image
AUTHOR: Elizabeth Acevedo ILLUSTRATOR: Andrea Pippins GENRE: Illustrated Spoken Word Poem PUBLICATION DATE: May 3, 2022 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: An illustrated version of the author's famous spoken-word poem. Didn't get much of the poetic merit (no surprises there, given my lack of fondness for poetry), but liked the powerful message and the vibrant illustrations. Might work differently for readers more impacted by this format of poetry. I have wild hair. Though thinner now with age and hormonal upheavals, my hair still looks like I forgot to brush it after I woke up. Over the years, many friends have asked me to straighten my hair. They claim it's easier to manage. No one asks me whether I'm bothered by my messy waves or if I prefer straight hair to curls. They just assume that their straight hair IS better. ( Fact: I think straight hair is boring. I love curly hair as it has a personality of its own! I am very jealous of women who have ringlet curls .) Isn'...
Read More»