Member Reviews

Overall I liked this one. It is an easy read, relatively quick getting through it. I do always like the art in this series, especially when the author turns objects into people like the cigarette and now the Juul vape stick. Doonesbury does have a way to keep up with the times, but it does not always age well though.

(A full review on my blog, which goes live 5/8/24.)

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Ah, Doonesbury- good to see you're still around. Still amusing, if not laugh-out-loud funny; I've always found Doonesbury to be the kind of funny that eases the pain of the truth rather than rip-roaring fun, and that's okay- we need that, especially right now. If you know anything about Doonesbury, you know it's not a strip for everyone; there's a definite lean here. If, like me, you lean in the same direction, you'll likely enjoy this book, even as it exposes some of the pain of the last two years. I sincerely hope this will be the last collection on this subject, though I suppose one more would be okay, as long as it's short, and only covers through January 21, 2021.

#LEWSER #NetGalley

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Trudeau has been making political comics as long as I can remember, and his takes are always poignant. He has a great ability to put so much into so few words and make it really hit home. This book is no different.

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The book is at its best when it's skewering Trump and his swamp that he developed into a golf course and condos for all his lobbyist buddies instead of draining. It tended to lose me when it was just comments on the current state of America, mostly because you really need to know the history of these long-running characters to get the full impact.

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This was a pretty fun graphic novel to read. I will admit it had some good moments, but a few not so great ones as well. Some of the strips were quite funny, yet there were a few that didn’t illicit any laughs from me. Overall I enjoyed reading it though, and I think fans of this comic strip won’t want to miss checking this book out.

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LEWSER!: A Doonesbury Trump Collection
by G. B. Trudeau
From Publisher: A mirthful and merciless skewering of the Trump administration from the senior statesman of political cartooning, Garry Trudeau. Trudeau's third (and final?) collection of Doonesbury Trump cartoons takes readers through the dark heart of Trump's presidency and into 2020 election mania.
Trudeau is still the master of Political satire. What could have been just a book of comics mocking Trump, was actually a very intelligent commentary of today's political climate.
I give Trudeau credit for handling a tough objective. How do you make fun of things today that are not that funny, unbelievable, or of a man who is more Class clown then President?
Lewser is the third book in the Trump series of Doonesbury, the other two being- Yuge! and Sad!
If you don’t like or approve of 45, you will love this book. What’s a shame is “Trumpsters” who need to have the Great head Cheetos’ foibles pointed out to them will never even pick this book up.
Their loss.

I received this book free from Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Netgalley for my honest, unbiased review.

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EXACTLY what you would expect. A treasure trove of snark, pointing out some of the more obvious character traits of the man currently in the White House.

If you love Doonesbury, you will love Lewser. If you love Trump, you will hate Lewser. Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in return for an honest review. Five stars (I love Doonesbury)

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An ok collection of comics in the Trump era even though most of the comics are not specifically about the president as I thought they were going to be.

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LEWSER! is the third collection of Doonsbury in the Trump era (the other two are YUGE! and #SAD!) by Garry Trudeau. Due out 7th July 2020 from Andrews McMeel, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

Every day seems to bring more bizarre news which would've been unbelievable just a few years ago. Trudeau has always had a laser sharp talent for zeroing in on the sanguine bits of whatever ridiculousness we're facing and making it, if not actually funny, at least more palatable in its pathos. This collection, true to form, is full of the pithy ascerbic wit which is Doonsbury's trademark. Some of these are genuinely funny, some are sad, all of them are worthwhile.

Not all of these strips are actually about Trump (many are). They provide a running commentary about the state of America, drawn from the daily headlines. For fans of Doonsbury, definitely worth picking up, for new readers, there is a learning curve involved; most of the characters have a very long history in the story line.

Four stars. I hope we survive the current madness, but in the meantime, there's Doonsbury.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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Well I was always going to get confused reading it. As I am very less aware of politics of USA. And except Trump and his family all other leaders are less familiar to my brain.
I expected funny cartoon strips in it. But it is a big and complete graphic novel.
It is very vast and has so many events and characters. I was not aware of all backgrounds. But I liked drawings by the cartoonist. He creates a cohesive background and characters.
If you love American politics you will certainly understand it better.
Thanks netgalley and the publisher for review copy.

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"Lewser" is a collection of Doonesbury comics from across the presidency of Donald J. Trump. Familiarity with Trump's presidency is required, as is familiarity with the cast of Doonesbury, least the reader quickly become confused by the disjointed and only tangentially related comics. This book should NOT be read as either sequential or an effort to fully describe Trump's presidency in a single volume, rather it's more like a themed collection.

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I first learned about Trump by reading Doonesbury collections as a little kid. In fact, I’m pretty sure I was so young I didn’t even get the title of “Give Those Nymphs Some Hooters” the Doonesbury book in which I first encountered him. For a kid growing up in central Illinois in the 1980’s G.B. Trudeau’s portrayal of an ostentatious and arrogant blowhard was one of only two frames of reference for him. The other was his cameo in Home Alone II, but considering that the guy who as president has made public policy of ripping immigrant children away from their parents was depicted trying to help return a young Kevin to his family, that hasn’t aged as well. Trudeau’s savage depiction though remains prescient. And while no one is learning about Trump from Doonesbury anymore, in an administration so largely immune to satire (see almost all of SNLs flailing attempts since he was elected) G.B. Trudeau still finds a way to strike the core of our President’s insanity and incompetence while still managing to elicit a laugh.

This collection, (hopefully) completing a trilogy on a President cartoonish enough to have started making appearances in these panels back in 1987, isn’t as strong as its predecessors. The darker current subject matter doesn’t lend itself as well to lampooning as the Trump Princess days and the Sundays only schedule of the strip now keeps Trudeau from the long narrative insanity allowed by daily strips where I would argue he is at his best. Epic tales of Elvis Presley reappearing to play John Denver tribute sets in Trump casinos just require more world building than one can get in a Sunday strip. Still the humor is well-informed, the punchlines cutting, and Trudeau’s gloriously unique comic voice ever present.

Give it a read, its less cartoonish and far more knowledgeable than any of the books ex-Trump staffers have produced so far.

Also, seriously, give those nymphs some hooters.

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Timing is everything, and the timing of the release of this book is perfect, Everyday the current president seems to become more and more unstable and dangerous for our country. In that classic Trudeau style, current events are beautifully illustrated with humor and intelligence. This is a must read for anyone fed up with our current president’s antics, but the MAGA hat wearing followers probably won’t like it.

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Unfortunately I wasn't able to understand that book quite much, I think I lacked of political knowledge and/or context. Maybe there were some stories published by the same author before that I should have read before entering this one. I hope it's gonna find its public, though!

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC.

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My dad had a complete collection of Doonesbury comics from the 60s throught the 90s; I like to say that Doonesbury, Sesame Street, and Mr. Rogers form the three cornerstones of my political philosophy and preferences.

That said, this collection focused on Trump isn't great. I don't know if the strip is getting tired (I haven't been a regular reader in 20 years); if it's just really, really hard to do political satire in the era of Trump; if it's just the events are still too recent (the comics printed span from June, 2018 to May, 2020); or if it's just beating a dead horse to parody the lies, corruption, polarization, media abdication, and filter bubbles that characterize our present moment.

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Some of these were hilarious (especially Roland's tweets!), but some of them went over my head because I'm not super familiar with all of the characters and the history of Doonesbury. Loved the way they drew the squatter in the White House, in all of his orange, bald, pursed-lipped, flabby, insecure yet arrogant truth. The Republican congressman tying himself in a pretzel (head moving towards rectum) while trying to justify supporting the Mango Mussolini was great as well.

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Another solid collection of timely political cartoons from Gary Trudeau, primarily focused on the current administration's scandals/failings, the primaries, and (near the end) the pandemic.

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More commentary with a smirk than actually funny.

I haven't read any Doonesbury in years, I was never a devout follower, more of a take it or leave it occasional reader so that should be taken under advisement when I state my opinion. This collection seems to me that Trudeau is just coasting--preaching to the choir without putting much real effort into it.

The art is first rate Tredeau, the substance is weak... Maybe it's too easy a target? I got a few chuckles and one of two outright laughs but mostly my reaction was a slight smile with an "Mm-hmm."

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

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As always, I enjoyed this compilation of recent Doonsberry cartoons. I agree with the reviewer who said that the roasting of Trump felt relatively mild. Entertaining, but is already a bit dated.

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This is really pretty entertaining all the way through it.....I even laughed out loud reading the 'Preface'! Great 'Doonesbury' art & commentary on the recent times that we've been going through. Not all the segments have to do with Trump... but all are relevant to the recent happenings/news. I laughed many times while reading this! Trudeau really has a talent for using his artwork for giving voice to many people's thoughts! This was good! I'd recommend it to all!
I received this e-ARC from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley, in return for reading it & then posting my own fair & honest review.

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