Member Reviews
I enjoyed this collection of comics. They were very dry and felt very close to home, which ultimately makes a lot of this very satirical. It was a quick and easy read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys some dryness and satire in their comedy. I think if you enjoy The Far Side comics you’ll most likely enjoy these too.
Received via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
Ha! That was fun! This collection will make you want to share every page on Facebook, which is likely where you've seen many, if not all, of these cartoons already. They're the cartoons you cut out of the newspaper to stick on the fridge or on the wall of your cubicle at work. You attached them in emails to friends, before texting happened. I'm betting almost everyone has seen a Speed Bump at some point in their life and had a good laugh because of it. Well, now you can have a bunch of laughs, anytime you like! A perfect book to pick up and flip through when you need a break from the world.
#SpeedBumpA25thAnniversaryCollection #NetGalley
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
This book is hilarious! I laughed out loud so many times reading this and probably way more than I should have too. This is a fantastic collection of Dave Coverly's work all in one book! He has such a great creative humour and this book is sure to make anyone smile. We all need a dose of laughter in our lives especially in this year of 2020 with covid19 and everything else the year has thrown at us.
Somehow, I totally missed Dave Coverly's 'Speed Bump' in print over the last 25 years, but I very much appreciated the timeless element of his one-panel comics (a little reminiscent of Gary Larson's 'Far Side' stylings) and can certainly see myself keeping up with his latest work.
A very fast read that's full of so many funny comics that you'll want to read it again and again and send everyone the panels you relate to. I'm not familiar with this cartoonist so all of the cartoons were new to me and although a few went over my head, there were some that had me laughing out loud. I really enjoyed when there was a bit of commentary for the panel which would point something out in the comic, teach you a bit about his thought process, or just add a fun fact. It's a lovely collection for any long time fans of his cartoons and a great read for any new readers looking for a laugh.
I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I love graphic novels for all ages and this one was a lot of fun to sit down and read cover to cover.
by Dave Coverly. Published by IDW Publishing.
(This title was provided for review by NetGalley.)
In addition to my comic book collection I also have a surprising amount of comic strip collections. There are so many great jokes and content from the funny pages over the past century. Many of which was always seen as disposable and forgotten about when the newspaper was finished. Collections like this one are necessary to the history and respect of this format.
Collections like this are also funny to be laughing so hard on the couch your spouse asks if you're okay. Every couple pages I'm stopping my wife from what she is doing so I can share another gag. I haven't laughed this hard in months and if you're also upset about everything in the world I can't think of a better remedy for your mental state.
Coverly is a master of the format, and he works the even more difficult style of single panel gags. Character, set up, and punchline in one image is an impossible task to do once. Pulling it off well for 25 years is a miracle.
above image from SpeedBump.com for purpose of review.
My only complaint and I think the biggest obstacle preventing Speed Bump from being an even bigger comic, is that 25 years ago was 1995. People were already getting used to the internet in their homes and at work. Single panel cartoons like this are easy to attach to an email or later send via social media. Far Side became a phenomenon as a single panel gag that went up on fridges and corkboards around the world. Pre ubiquitous internet. If Speed Bump was out in the 1980's or 1990's it would have been just as huge.
I love smart outside the box thinking in comic strips. Creators that take everything that worked before and move it forward. From Pogo all the way to Pearls Before Swine. Whether it takes a newspaper subscription, email list, or buying this book from your favorite seller, I would add Speed Bump to that list of hysterical and innovative comic strip creators.
I absolutely love these little comics they are just so cute and funny. There is something for everyone.
I had a great time reading this graphic novel. Turns out I had actually read a few of these strips before. There were lots of clever cartoons in here, and plenty of them made me laugh. If you are looking for some laughs, then this is a graphic novel you will want to read.
I enjoy these cartoons alot. Especially in these times we need to laugh - and so I have already ordered book to be sold in my store.
This 25 year retrospective on cartoonist Dave Coverly's work includes 300 of his best, each presented full page and most in color. Coverly's approach to humor is very similar to Gary Larson's Far Side - offbeat, one-panel gags often playing on words or social trends (from the prevalence of cell phones to how our pets view our modern life). The humor is never mean or incisive and operates on a more gentle and carefree level than Larson ever did, however. In that way, this collection is a nice get-away from the negatives of real life.
An added perk to this book is that several of the cartoons have a brief commentary from the artist. He touches upon themes of time and place, editorial consideration, the cartoonist process, how some earlier cartoons would never be acceptable today (e.g., a bomb squad sniffer dog after 9/11), and how fans have reacted (or overreacted) to some. The comments are brief - typically 1 or 2 sentences but interesting.
In all, a nice way to spend an afternoon when you need a pickup or want to smile. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
Well this is one of those few delightful books I should be showing to any fly-by-nights who have learnt to draw online and made a digital comic of their one-page yucks. I know this is a special anniversary best-of, but the hit rate here is up there with the best, and this is how it is done. I don't think I've come across this creator before but he seems to have been the closest yet at carrying Gary Larson's flame, and while he is a little less hard-hitting and the response isn't quite as great, this book has the enjoyment of one of the Far Side compilations I knew and loved way back when. A worm regretting talking too long, the reality of glass-bottom boat tours, and some right A-holes moving in – the ideas here can be really quite immediate, and really quite strong. There's a philosophical bent, too, and many a dig at mobile phone infatuation. Too often I see four-panel comics books that have a large syndication that don't go anywhere, but these single panel efforts are much more successful. There's very little wrong here.
I was so sorry to see this book end. I haven't laughed so much in ages. There were very few cartoons that didn't make me laugh out loud, which I don't think has ever happened to me before. This book is a definite winner.
You don't quite realize just how long cartoonist Dave Coverly has been at it until you start reading through "Speed Bump: A 25th Anniversary Collection" and begin to realize how many of the single-panel comics hit you with a wave of both hilarity and nostalgia.
First appearing as an unnamed panel in 1994, "Speed Bump" was officially christened in 1995 and before long it was appearing in 90 newspapers. By the end of 1995, Coverly left his full-time gig as an editorial cartoonist at Bloomington, Indiana's Herald-Times and devoted himself to "Speed Bump."
Coverly was recipient of the National Cartoonists Society's Greeting Card Award in 1997 and picked up their Newspaper Cartoon Panel Award in both 1994 and 2002. "Speed Bump" received their Reuben Award in 2008.
"Speed Bump: A 25th Anniversary Collection" is a collection of 300 of the best "Speed Bump" cartoons in a full-color hardcover book being released on June 30th by IDW Publishing. For 25 years now, "Speed Bump" has appeared in over 400 publications including the Detroit Free Press, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Parade Magazine, and in a host of other settings including textbooks, greeting cards, web-based outlets and others.
One of the joys of "Speed Bump: A 25th Anniversary Collection" is the dry, laid-back humor that comes to life via Coverly's brief yet often hysterical comments that accompany many of his panels and, of course, the panels themselves that range from awesomely weird to surprisingly poignant to absurdist to silly to ever so slightly naughty. Coverly seldom goes political, but when he does go political it's typically in kinder and gentler ways that will resonate with a universal audience.
This 25th anniversary collection is laugh-out loud funny, a vividly realized collection of cartoons with typically simple phrases that will make you laugh, snort, guffaw, and possibly fart.
I mean, seriously. You know a book is funny when it's fart-out-loud funny.
If you know Coverly's work, "Speed Bump: A 25th Anniversary Collection" is practically a must-have collection. If you don't know Coverly's work, then this is a sublime entry point that will make you want to revisit past collections while watching for his latest work in a newspaper near you. If he's not in a newspaper near you? You'll probably want to move.
I’ve seen a few of Coverly’s cartoons over the years and they never disappointed. Much like Gary Larson, Dave Coverly has mastered the one panel comic strip. Both laugh out loud funny and quietly clever and contemplative, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection.
This is a great collection of the past 25 years. It was great to see some of the ones that had appeared in the weekly paper. For old and new fans alike
Very funny. A nice lift, a steady stream of laughter to keep me grounded during these crazy, chaotic times.
Thanks to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for this digital ARC.
If you love "The Far Side" or "The Oatmeal" this would be an amazing collection of (mostly) single page comic strips. The author commentary is great and helps bring a bit of depth to each annotated strip. A fun and enjoyable read.
I love simple but hilarious comics and this one does NOT disappoint! I laughed out loud at a ton of these. Definitely worth the read.
Hilarious collection of single page comics. I did snort over quite a few. More of an adult book so I won't be purchasing for my library but I am glad I read it. I needed a good chuckle!