Best of Bizarro

Customer Reviews:

Stream of conciousness at it's best!.......2000-08-07

The reason I chose that title is because Dan Piraro seems to think of simple everyday things and then let loose his imagination to create these amazing comics. Just like The Far Side and Steven Wright, there are things in his books that will make you think "why didn't I think of that?" Of course, there are also some that will make you scratch your head. All the while, you will be looking at some of the greatest comic art ever shown in a newspaper. This guy has a gift and you owe it to yourself to check out the often weird, often hilarious world created by the brain of Dan Piraro. I'm glad I did!

The Best of Bizarro is awesome.......2000-06-18

Well, this is a great collection. The artwork is great, but it's the clever conceptions that make these cartoons so funny. There are no stock characters or favorite themes, every panel is original and fresh. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

THE BEST OF HIM+CHIM+HER

THE BEST OF HIM+CHIM+HER
Mike Philbin
Manufacturer: Lulu.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Product Description

Chim+Her and Chim+Him were two separate titles originally published through Cyber Pulp Press of Houston. They showed how much fun one can have in collaboration with another writer of either sex. Where there were three collabs with each of the writers in the original books, here Ive chosen the very best collaborations from each book. Collaborations with Destiny West, Queenie Tirone, Dawn Andrews, Brutal Dreamer, Charlee Jacob, Amy Grech, Christina Sng, Alex Severin, Simon Logan, Mark McLaughlin, Vincent Sakowski, Greg Wharton, John Edward Lawson, D.F. Lewis and M.F. Korn.

Customer Reviews:

THE BEST OF HIM+CHIM+HER.......2006-07-08

When I read the first page of THE BEST OF HIM+CHIM+HER, I thought, "Damn okay, another book by Hertzan Chimera." But to tell the truth, I was very excited to read it. And boy, is it a fine treat.

THE BEST OF HIM+CHIM+HER (with a title that is damn exhausting for me to write every paragraph of this review) collects fifteen collaborations and ten tricephallics from the previous collections CHIM+HER AND CHIM+HER, published by Cyberpulp Books. The authors from the 15 collaborations include Charlee Jacob, Destiny West, Brutal Dreamer, Vincent Sakowski, D.F. Lewis, John Edward Lawson, and a big handful of other authors from both genders.

The stories range from beautifully grotesque and sexy to just plain weird. Some of my favorites include "Unknown; They Are My Children", "Crimson Screams", and "Spawn of the Cancer Womb". As you can tell by the titles, these are stories that are not for the weak of heart and feature a lot of extreme sex and violence. Although explicit, the writing here is so well-written it's almost poetic, and the collaborative effort is almost unseen--it is hard to tell when Chimera is writing and when he stops for his collaborator to continue. The tricephallics (three-way stories) are also a great read, and just as well-written as the two-author collaborations.

If you're looking for something very different, definitely pick this book up. It is very out of the ordinary, as are the various descriptions in this novel. (To include them in this review would probably get this review banned because of the graphic nature of some of the most powerful details.) However I wouldn't recommend this if have a weak stomach or if you like your fiction very standard and mainstream.

Mike Philbin is quite the writer, and I can't wait to read what else he has released.

And did I mention he has some of the craziest yet best cover art I've come across in a long time?

Average customer rating:

Discouraging at Best by John Edward Lawson
Tight

Discouraging at Best
John, Edward Lawson
Manufacturer: Raw Dog Screaming Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1933293195

Book Description

Already known for his works of speculative fiction, author John Edward Lawson uses Discouraging at Best to take a look at the "real" world. On the pages within are five interlinked tales that, when pieced together, paint a panorama of apathy, greed, and manipulation. We follow the self-inflicted plight of working class families and their efforts to step on others in the race to get ahead. We watch the petty wars of Nobel laureates. We become immersed in the minds of those caught in an ankle-biters rebellion. We are drawn into the intrigues and incompetence of those pulling the strings at the highest level of government. And, ultimately, we wonder: why? Here the absurdity of the mundane expands exponentially creating a tidal wave that sweeps reason away. For those who enjoy satire, bizarro literature, or a good old-fashioned slap to the senses, Discouraging at Best offers extra helpings of each.

Customer Reviews:

Discouraging at Best by John Edward Lawson.......2007-06-03

In his latest book Discouraging at Best, award winning poet, fiction writer, and editor John Edward Lawson takes on everyday American life as his subject, becoming at turns hilarious and gravely serious. Functioning as a bizarro page-turner as well as social commentary, this collection of interlinked stories follows the life a working class family, the thought processes of a comically pompous Nobel Prize winning author, and the inner workings of the White House. These stories often intersect and illuminate one another, presenting the reader with a satirical portrait of the ways people of different genders, ethnicities, and social classes interact and view one other.

Lawson's approach to satire is highly inventive. His writing drifts gracefully between different characters' points of view, allowing the reader to view the same plot through several characters' eyes. In the first chapter of the novel, which deals with the struggles and adventures of the Havenot family, July Havenot tries to rent his son out to wealthy neighbors as a disciplinarian, and this incident is recounted from the point of view of the father as well as his daughter Josephine and his son Malcolm. Early in the book, for example, Lawson writes from the father's perspective: "This son of his would go from door to door, yes, with that supple, imposing thorn switch, and he would hawk his wares, oh yeah, unlimited whippings for just five bucks" (10). The narrative then shifts to Malcolm's point of view, revealing how frightening this scheme has become to the young boy, then transitioning daughter Josephine's perspective and her confusion as to the general state of chaos in her family. Providing the reader with a mosaic-like narrative comprised of different voices and perspectives, Lawson's approach is both imaginative and hilarious in its pairings, juxtapositions, and contrasts.

In portraying the interactions between these characters, the stylistic aspects of the book often change shape to suit the individual being described. For example, Lawson makes a dramatic shift in tone and diction between the first chapter, in which he describes the day-to-day lives of the Havenots, and the second, in which he writes in the voice of a fictional Nobel Prize winner. He narrates in the first chapter, for instance: "This was his scheme of schemes; no way could this fail to bring home the bacon" (9). The conversational tone, use of slang, and informal diction form a stark contrast with the following chapter, which reads: "...By that time my antagonized mind was bubbling with the lewdest of obscenities dredged up from the course sediment of my darkest sentiments..." (48). This ceremonious and stately tone in the second section of the book suits the scholarly Nobel Prize winner's character, whose voice narrates this chapter, just as the more casual opening of the novel reflects the personality of the Havenots. This juxtaposition of several different narrative voices gives the reader a sense of the diversity of the cast of characters, expressing on a formal level how these dissimilar people, views, and voices coexist and relate to each other.

Discouraging at Best is an accomplished and enjoyable read. A fabulous introduction to John Edward Lawson's work as well as a treat for long-time fans, these stories are stylistically innovative and engaging. Highly recommended.

Tight.......2007-05-24

In Discouraging At Best, John Edward Lawson has created and confronted intertwined tales of human behavior, political awareness, social morality and its boundaries, and the ever-present racial tensions that continue to drudge through this "civilized" nation among other topics. This serious approach to fiction is not without Lawson's ability to bring disgust and humor to the situation at hand at any given moment. His words are sharp on the tongue and his sentences sting the eyes, they read as though they are fully written books themselves. Tight, righteous and slightly surreal, Discouraging At Best is full of wonder and intelligent story telling. John Edward Lawson is easily a top dog of the small and specialty press.

Average customer rating:

THE BEST OF BIZARRO/VOLUMN II

Manufacturer: CHRONICLE BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GYC1FW

Average customer rating:

THE BEST PF BIZARRO/VOLUMN I

Manufacturer: CHRONICLE BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GYA0GY

Book Description

The first in Delmar Learning's Herrick & Jacob Series, six tightly integrated electronics engineering technology texts, DC/AC Circuits and Electronics: Principles & Applications teaches readers how to apply basic laws and analysis techniques to traditional introductory circuits, as well as popular, real-world DC and AC circuits. Central to this book is its ability to engage readers who are new to the study of electronics in interesting and useful concepts from the start, guiding them in their efforts to learn how to develop and apply fundamental laws. Throughout the book, only those circuit theorems and analysis techniques that are practical and typically used in real-world circuit analysis are addressed. In addition, Kirchhoff's Current Law, Kirchhoff's Voltage Law and Ohm's Law are introduced in separate, stand-alone chapters to ensure that the reader has a complete understanding of each law before attempting to apply all or part to traditional series and parallel circuits. Level and rigor make this book an ideal choice for use in programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). In addition, the same circuits presented in DC/AC Circuits and Electronics: Principles & Applications also appear in subsequent books in this series, encouraging readers to enlarge the envelope of performance and revisit techniques as they gain increasingly sophisticated knowledge of circuit theories and operations.

Average customer rating:

AC/DC Kicks Butt ! ! ! (sorry about the language...)

Dc/Ac Circuits: Principles and Practice
Louis E. Frenzel
Manufacturer: Delmar Thomson Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Power Systems | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Vocational Guidance | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Applied | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0827363389

Book Description

N/A

Customer Reviews:

AC/DC Kicks Butt ! ! ! (sorry about the language...).......1999-01-25

I have always been impressed with ac/dc. This book has really made it all much more clear. I was a little disappointed though that absolutely no mention of Angus Young or any of the lads for that matter had appeared in the text. Well, I mean... if the band was important enough to have these particular forms of electricity named after them, one would think there to be some mention of them in the book! I mean... who made who? This is not the first time that this oversight has occured. As a matter of fact, I scarcely recall their being mentioned even once in a four year university level discourse on the subject! Oh well, at least I received a BSEE? out of the deal, and it has proved quite useful in securing a job in the states (United States that is). In conclusion though, putting these issues aside, I found the book to be quite interesting.

Regards, David Herbster, BSEE, EPE, North American Philips Ltd

Customer Reviews:

Precise yet Imaginative Graphic Storytelling.......2007-02-04

Yukinobu Hoshino's 2001 Nights is not your average manga.

With precise and detailed drawings, and a tangible indebtedness to Arthur C. Clarke, Hoshino tells in a series of short stories the future of mankind's journey into space. Beginning with a classic Cold War sf story, continuing on with the discovery of life--of sorts--on the moon, and furthering outward to the utmost boundaries of the solar system, Hoshino tells his stories with steadily increasing imagination, pulling the reader gradually from more mundane hard sf to weirdly handled (but very Clarkeian) cosmic and religious issues in the volume's final, lengthy chapter, "Lucifer Rising," which smacks of Clarke's "The Star" as well as Gene Wolfe's "All the Hues of Hell."

Not only are these excellent comics, they are some of the best sf short stories you're likely to read, though Hoshino sometimes plays fast and loose with science if it helps the plot.

Only Wish It Is All in Color!.......2003-11-11

Okay, ditto all the other glowing reviews; I normally don't post my opinions unless it's different from others', but this is one of the few times when a product has got me so enthused that I simply must join in the praise. IT'S GREAT!...I got chills all over just like I first did as a kid when it dawned on me how vast the universe could be, and how alone humankind seems in it...I must say, this is quite an effective "twist" on one's usual expectations of Science Fiction, a twist which actually in effect restores the sense of melancholia which a deep, prolonged contemplation of outer space usually seems to instill sooner or later...EXCELLENT! I mean, what if -- WHAT IF -- we are really, truly, all alone in this great universe?? The statistical probabilities of this seem to make such a case so unlikely it may as well be impossible -- but WHAT IF it is just the case that we are indeed simply alone, that there is really no one out there? After all, would that seem any more improbable than the very fact of the universe's very existence?

Many of us have already given up on notions of an anthropomorphic sky god and its derivatives -- but how many are prepared for the notion that there may well be no other intelligent life forms out there, that *WE* are actually all there is to self-reflective cognition?? Again, this may seem like a cop-out, but it seems easy enough (certainly typical enough) for Science Fiction to speculate on other intelligences, whereas the genre seems to hardly ever suggest the truly more mind-boggling alternative, that we're "just it", and that's all there is to "it"!...the effect achieved is much, much more sublime and breath-takingly, enduringly poetic....

Has Yukinobu Hoshino done any other stuff, I wonder??? Now that I'm "onto him", I'm gonna go look for his other works....

This makes my top 10 list of essential graphic novels.......2002-06-13

This is an amazing trilogy (read my other 2 reviews of vols. 2 & 3). The below reviews are so accurate to what I want to say, that I won't repeat them. I love this series. It's some of the best sci-fi comics I've ever read. There's an overwhelming sense of vastness to the universe and a sad feeling for mankind in the stories - no matter how far they get in space, it's still not enough - there's no end to the immenseness!
The stories are wonderfully believable and the Japanese artwork is not the `big eyed', Hello Kitty stuff one comes to expect of manga.
Whoever decided to translate this series for America should be given an award for recognition of intelligent comic work. It's that good. I've read the 3 books several times and they're wonderful with each read.
Each volume ends with an epic tale. Volume 1 has "Lucifer" which is a great concept of an anti-matter universe which may be responsible for the Big Bang theory. Great stuff. Get these books - they're wonderful. This is the way comics should be done!

2001 Nights and other great worlds.......2000-04-13

I bought this book in the spring while I was in college studying comics. When you read so many comics, even the good ones seem to go pale. This graphic novel made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. With mature visuals and sensitive writing Yukinobu Hoshino sows accurately the vastness of the universe and the importance of human destiny within it and beyond it. The occasional over-explaining takes away very little in this epic. A great read by anyone's standards; comics fan or not.

A Manga Odyssey.......2000-03-23

2001: A Space Odyssey is one of my favorite movies for its detailed and believable vision of a future that is still largely unrealized. I was pleasantly surprised to see Yukinobu Hoshino pay homage to Kubrick's visual style throughout much of 2001 Nights, in scenes that were recognizably inspired by the film. The skillfully-rendered black-and-white panels throughout the book are evocative of the silence and vastness of space, yet the human characters are drawn with grace and style, without the occasional cartoonish facial expressions that mar other manga I've read. This stylistic discipline helps to keep the work focused and believable.

Aside from the fantastic artwork, the author lays out a sweeping story of humankind's quest to find its destiny beyond Earth, told in a series of time-separated vignettes. He touches upon issues of cooperation, isolation, exploration, greed and even religion -- and manages to pull this off without becoming trite.

It's pretty tough to describe in words something that is so visually distinctive and compelling. I originally ordered this book on a whim, but it has just blown me away.

Book Description

An inspired work of science fiction and a biting political allegory, Bulgakov's The Fatal Eggs tells of a brilliant scientist whose experiments with life spiral terribly—and fatefully—out of control. Quite by chance, Professor Persikov discovers a new form of light ray whose effect, when directed at living cells, is to accelerate growth in primitive organisms. But when this ray is shone on the wrong batch of eggs, the Professor finds himself both the unwilling creator of giant hybrids and the focus of a merciless press campaign. For it seems the propaganda machine has turned its gaze upon him, distorting his nature in the very way his “innocent” tampering created the monster snakes and crocodiles that now terrorize the neighborhood. Russian novelist and dramatist Mikhail Bulgakov is one of the foremost satirists of the 20th century.

Customer Reviews:

sci-fi satire.......2004-10-15

Of interest to any admirers of Bulgakov and those interested in science fiction or satirical fiction, The Fatal Eggs is a brilliant satire on Stalinist Russia. Bulgakov lived under Stalin's regime and experienced first-hand suppression and censorship (his most celebrated works were not published in his lifetime), giving this satire a thrilling bite. The story is of an eccentric Russian scientist who discovers a form of light ray that accelerates growth in organisms. But when the ray is shone upon the wrong batch of eggs, he accidentally creates giant hybrids which quickly overun the city, while the propaganda-driven press report on all of this as it spirals further and further out of control. Highly entertaining, and well-translated too.

Slow, predictable with some fantastic moments.......2004-02-09

The satire element of this story is so oudated that it fails completly to enliven the functional prose, the tedious details and the very thin and predictable plot. But Bulgakov IS a great writer, and his genius shines in some intermitent episodes of the book .. and make it worth the while, it's only 100 pages after all.

The Fatal Eggs and Other Soviet Satire (Evergreen Book)

Average customer rating:

The Fatal Eggs and Other Soviet Satire (Evergreen Book)
Mirra Ginsburg
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Political | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Satire, Classic | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Anthologies | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Eastern European | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Russian | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

European | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Russian | Classics | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0802130151

Book Description

This famous collection of Soviet satire from 1918 to 1963 devastatingly lampoons the social, economic, and cultural changes wrought by the Russian Revolution. Among the seventeen bold and inventive comic writers represented here are the brilliant Mikhail Bulgakov, author of The Master and Margarita, Ilf and Petrov, Mikhail Zoshchenko, Yevgeny Zamyatin, Valentin Katayev, and Yuri Kazakov. "Amusing and excellent reading. The stories in this collection tell the reader more about Soviet life than a dozen sociological or political tracts." - Isaac Bashevis Singer; "An altogether admirable collection . . . by the highly talented translator Mirra Ginsburg . . . Many of these stories and sketches are delicious, even-a miracle!-funny, and full of subtlety and intelligence." - The New Leader; "Hilarious entertainment. Beyond this it illuminates with the cruel light of satire the reality behind the pretentious façade of the Soviet state." - The Sunday Sun (Baltimore).

Average customer rating:

THE FATAL EGGS AND OTHER SOVIET SATIRE
Mikhail Bulgakov
Manufacturer: New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1968
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000UTHK6I

The Fatal Eggs and other Soviet Satire 1918-1963

Average customer rating:

The Fatal Eggs and other Soviet Satire 1918-1963
Mirra, ed. & translator Ginsburg
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000K4XS1E

Average customer rating:

The Fatal Eggs and Other Soviet Satire.
Mirra editor. Ginsburg
Manufacturer: macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0000CN06S

FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION - Volume 26, number 6 - December Dec 1964: Buffoon; Man with the Speckled Eyes; Plant Galls; On the Orphans' Colony; Wilderness Year; Final Exam; The Docs; The Fatal Eggs; A Galaxy at a Time

Average customer rating:

FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION - Volume 26, number 6 - December Dec 1964: Buffoon; Man with the Speckled Eyes; Plant Galls; On the Orphans' Colony; Wilderness Year; Final Exam; The Docs; The Fatal Eggs; A Galaxy at a Time
Joseph W. (editor) (Edward Wellen; R. A. Lafferty; Theodore L. Thomas; Doris Pitkin Buck; Kit Reed; Joanna Russ; Walter H. Kerr; Bryce Walton; Richard O. Lewis; Mikhail Bulgakov; Isaac Asimov) Ferman
Manufacturer: Mercury Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ICJ3QW

Average customer rating:

The Fatal Eggs and Other Soviet Satire

Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000GP5PRW

Average customer rating:

Rokovye Yaitsa / FATAL EGGS

Manufacturer: Ardis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Russian | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

All Russian Books | Russian | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: B000EDTA9K

Product Description

Audio book, format Mp3

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books