I'd like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy of this book.
I love humor books and this one didn't disappoint!

We Should Improve Society Somewhat: A collection of Comics by Matt Bors is a collection of his comics that stretch from the latter part of Obama's term through Trump's debacle of a term.

First, good political satire isn't supposed to be generating belly laughs. The only kind that can do so is usually the weakest form, namely the insult. The ones currently just making fun of Trump without making any reference to anything elicits laughs from some of those who are smart enough to despise Trump, but it makes no actual statement about what is wrong beyond having an imbecile in the White House. Bors points out hypocrisy and/or contradictions within stances within a group. He also is coming from a particular position, not from a particular party. He criticized Obama for his mistakes and miscues just as he does for Trump. It isn't Bors' fault Trump has as many moronic moments in a normal week as Obama (and his entire administration) had in 8 years. So a critique because the book isn't funny enough means that the person either supports Trump's cruel regime or they like a very base level of political satire, or both.

To say it is dated is a way of saying I am a privileged little twit and I don't want to keep rehashing that a moron in office expands my already too large sense of entitlement. This stuff is still going on in mid-2020, so this isn't dated, it is pointing out from comics just a couple years old that Trump is still fooling the people and destroying the country. Oh, but it is too dated or doesn't make you laugh enough. I see. Take your hood off.

For those who appreciate political satire that makes a statement beyond simply choosing a side, you may enjoy this collection. This is not meant to be a collection of new material that speaks to today specifically, but that goes without saying, especially in these times of new unethical and illegal actions daily from the White House. This is a collection that highlights some of Bors' recent comics. He contextualizes many of them by mentioning what event he is responding to or what right wing hypocrisy he is emphasizing.

I highly recommend this collection unless you prefer more base humor or you are anti-democracy (as in, you support Trumpenfuehrer).

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

This book is just okay. It’s a piecemeal of satirical comics that ring with truth but just don’t impact as much as other satirical books.

Maybe this wasn’t the best time to read a book of political cartoons. The cover art is based off a cartoon that has taken off as a meme. The collection is well put together with thoughts about the art underneath some bout not all the panels. But reading it in more small doses was just a steady stream of too much negativity. This is better to be read in small chunks.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

Comic strips published as an immediate reaction to an event, and a collection of them in book form published at some point in the future, are obviously two very different beasts. What works in one format doesn't necessarily work in the other, and "We Should Improve Society Somewhat" doesn't manage to avoid all the pitfalls of such a transition.

Reading this in April 2020, while in isolation due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it was particularly apparent just how easy it is for the current situation to change and for any news item to become outdated. That's not to say (unfortunately) that the issues covered in Bors' book are obsolete by any stretch of the imagination, but the comics ARE very much representative of the exact time in which they were written. That's fair enough, and no one could expect a book like this to be more than an archive of its times, but the question is if it could have provided some "added value" to the core material. When I started reading, I was initially impressed by the two forewords and occasional captions accompanying individual comic strips, which seemed like a great way to provide some context. The more I read, however, the more I hoped for more than just the intermittent comments. Even just the original dates published would have been illuminating, to say nothing of further captions or even brief recaps of current events which were being satirized. It's not Bors' job to play the part of a historian, of course, but some more content around the comics themselves would have gone a long way to make the book more approachable for a wider audience. (I'm fairly well-informed about the issues covered here and still often found the comics on the verge of hermetic.)

Furthermore, and I hesitate to call it this a criticism because it's not like Bors can help it: seeing one of these comics online, likely just scrolling through a feed and pausing to chuckle darkly at it, is something very different from reading through a book of them. We live in the world we live in, but, holy shit, seeing 150+ of these comics together was just so BLEAK. Again, I can't really criticize them because... until we improve society somewhat, these are the issues we'll be dealing with. But with no real-life solutions in sight, reading this was an altogether depressing experience, without any catharsis to show for it.

2.5 stars, rounded down.

Bors offers a good look at the bullshit going on in the world around us, most specifically here in the United States. I had not been a follower of his work before picking this up, but I definitely plan on following him more now (I'm sure he has great stuff he's creating as we go through the pandemic). His thoughts aren't unique to him, yet the comics put what so many of us are trying to explain but can't find a way to say it so the other side gets it.

I have to preface my review by saying that this is a very US-centric book. This factor was not something I paid attention to as I chose it. That did not change much for me since I am relatively updated on the goings-on in the US (as any person on the outside of a country with no ties to it can be), and therefore many of the points did make sense.

The next warning would have to be the satire and sarcasm. It is an abundantly used tool, another thing that I get along with so I liked most of what I read. Some of the panels were better than others, but on the whole, they were all quite intelligently presented. It is heavy reading and cannot be read at one go. There is relevant information presented with some panels to add depth to the content. Overall, an interesting read. I would recommend it for those interested or have a vested interest in the American political scene.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Some skewering political cartoons from Trump's rise until now. Bors gives a lot of knockout punches to the hypocrisy of the right. However, I just didn't find it funny. Maybe, it's just opening a lot of old wounds that I'd like to forget as our personal liberties are trampled and families ripped apart. Maybe it's just that the world is such a nightmare right now that i don't want to be reminded of all the other shitty things that have happened in the recent past. This is, perhaps, the worst possible time to have released this book.

This book did a good job on making you aware of how messed up our society is. The cartoon style was perfect for the topics discussed. I enjoyed it overall.

I'm into both comics and politics so I already knew I would enjoy this book, but was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed it. Matt Bors makes cutting satirical cartoons about the state of the world we live in. They're very funny, but also very real. From the far right, to gun violence, to imagined dystopian future, no stone is left unturned.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Daaamnnn!! this was really good. He tackled so many issues, that we STILL have to face, in the best way possible. He was so good that I honestly thought he was black. Still very surprised that he isn't but it goes to show that you do not have to be part of a certain community, to have empathy.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC of the book!

4 out of 5 stars

A clever, rollicking romp of political commentary, Bors plays his hand well. Engaging and humorous, easy to read, yet able to address the deeper issues of today. A clear snapshot of the time it was written, full of humor and great illustrations, it will serve as a moment in time.

If you think Trump is literally Hitler, and that he will refuse to leave office at the end of his term, tyrannically leading the U.S. into a post-apocalyptic wasteland, you will love Matt Bors's comic collection We Should Improve Society Somewhat. If you think Fox News is the voice of white supremacy, you'll love the book. If you think a wall on the southern border is a racist symbol with no practical purpose, you'll love the book. If you believe Brett Kavanaugh was a teen rapist and that Trump is a rapist who paid Russian hookers to pee on him, you'll love this book.



If all of the above sounds pretty unhinged to you, congratulations on being a rational person who will see occasional moments of humor or insight but will mostly be bored by the standard leftist anti-Trumpism throughout. From a historical perspective, this is a good reminder of the ridiculous, extreme predictions of the disaster of the Trump presidency during and immediately after the election. After three years of his administration, those fears and doomsday scenarios have not played out.



Unless you're a hard-core leftist Trump hater, don't waste your time with this book.





Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

'We Should Improve Society Somewhat: A Collection of Comics by Matt Bors' with comics by Matt Bors and an introduction by Tom Tomorrow is a collection of political cartoons capturing a recent moment in political time.

The problem with political cartoons, and books about recent events, is that they capture a moment. During that moment, they are fresh, but they sometimes don't age well. Matt Bors does not like Trump. There is no end of weird material from our current president, and there is much lampooning here about him and his followers.

Some of the comics are funny, but in a large batch like this, they feel repetive, and like a joke that has outworn its welcome. Perhaps in a weekly format, during the time of the events, they were funnier, but not so much here. It also could be that I've never really been much of a fan of political humor in most forms. Your mileage may completely vary.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Clover Press, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

I had a great time reading this graphic novel. The strips were a bit dark sometimes, but this was necessary to get the point across. They take plenty of jabs at current politics, and there are some strong truths to see in them. This may not be a graphic novel for everyone, but I think some people will find it funny.

An enjoyable editorial look at the last few years of politics ... which is mostly Trump and Trump-related things (including satire taken to some extremes). Continual solid work from Bors.

I adore Matt Bors' work. He constantly walks the line between so funny I have to laugh and so awful the laughter gets stuck in my throat. His commentary is terribly on point, the art detailed and nice to look at.

I'm conflicted here...

I love political satire.

I love political cartoons.

And I like Matt Bors.

This should be a five stars read for me. But it is not.

The problem is that those cartoons do not relate to something currently happening. It's old news, and it just feels like it's missing the target. It feels like it's missing something.

It definitely feels like making a book on political cartoons definitely does not work. At least for me. Because it has to be quick, react to what's currently happening. It just does not reflect when you read two years later.

So, yes to political cartoons. Yes to Matt Bors. But no to the format.

Half of them were really great, half of them I did not like at all.. Sometimes I did not even get the point, but overall, it was really great. Drawn very good. Everybody should read. A nice look at how the politics work in these days. In a sarcastic way.

I think the cartoonist is incredibly talented, but I think that unfortunately this book was just not for me. Some of the strips I really liked, but overall I felt bored and just didnt want to keep reading. But again, that's not due to the author, that's due to me. I tried out this book because I enjoy getting out of my comfort zone, it just wasn't a slam dunk for me. However, if you really like political cartoons, i would say ignore my review and try the book out.