Comics For A Strange World: A Book of Poorly Drawn Lines by Reza Farazmand

Title: Comics For A Strange World: A Book of Poorly Drawn Lines
Author: Reza Farazmand
Publisher: Plume Books, Penguin Random House USA
ISBN: 9780735219885
Genre: Comics
Pages: 197
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 stars

First read of June 2019. Yes it’s a book of comic strips and yes it counts. I’ve been following Poorly Drawn Lines since some time now and love what Reza does with not only his seemingly simple art, but also so profound when it comes to the writing of the comics.

Comics for a Strange World is the kind of book that worries and also strangely comforts as well. It is the kind of comic that upsets you, because what Reza has laid out – some of it might actually come true. Global warming is a reality. So is our dependency on technology. There are alternative realities, taking us through space and time, and some really bizarre scenarios.

The entire book is a parody of human life, much like the account here on Instagram. Follow him if you aren’t. Also, the book mocks modern age like no other. It’s a testimony to our troubled times and honestly nothing is too weird. The book is divided into 5 sections: The Human Experience, Social Creatures, Changes, A Strange World, and Thoughts on Things. Each is superbly funny and outlandish. Read it.

All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat (And then Some) by Suzy Becker

Title: All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat (And then Some)
Author: Suzy Becker
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
ISBN: 978-0761147664
Genre: Comic Strips
Pages: 144
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 Stars

Reading Suzy Becker’s book on what cats can teach you made me miss my cats a lot while I was in Singapore. This is where I picked the book from and I couldn’t wait to get back home to meet my cats. When I did, I learned something else from them: You leave us and we will ignore you for an hour or so. You will plead and beg and plead some more but we shall not show affection or love. Sigh. But it is true: Cats do teach life lessons which perhaps other humans cannot.

The book is aptly titled; “All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat (And Then Some)” is a book of cartoons – with some lesson or tidbit wisdom from cats. There are so many truths in these pages – people who have cats and those who don’t also will relate to this book.

The illustrations are so plain and cute that they will melt your heart and you would want more. This book is a delight, it is brilliant and it is silly and makes you realize the things that you need to be in touch with and what is absolutely okay to let go of.

“All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat (And then some) is a meditative book on living and life. Most importantly, it will make you see your cats differently. A lot of Cat Zen and Wisdom in these pages. A must read.

The Book of Memory Gaps by Cecilia Ruiz

Title: The Book of Memory Gaps
Author: Cecilia Ruiz
Publisher: Blue Rider Press
ISBN: 978-0399171932
Genre: Comic Strips, Graphic,
Pages: 64
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 Stars

The fourth book read this month and let me tell you, that while it may be a short book, it certainly will linger in your memory for a while. Funny how I used memory there when the book is about memory gaps. It is a tribute to Jorge Luis Borges and his meditations on memory and time.

Ruiz tells tales of individuals whose memories have failed them. These individuals’ tales are short – a few lines and the rest of the talking is done by the illustrations accompanying them. These stories have to do with false memories, memories that keep getting renewed each day and getting nowhere, memories that are not wanted and memories that keep going in circles. The instances of not remembering are also witty sometimes – also heartbreaking to a large extent.

Some characters suffer from dementia. Some are just lost. Some are searching endlessly. It is almost like the collection of these small tales represents one emotion: Melancholy. The illustrations also go so well with the text – they are dusky and have this dreamlike quality attached to them. The book resonated with me long after. It is the kind of book that stays with you. I am still reeling from its effect.

Adulthood is a Myth: A “Sarah Scribbles” Collection by Sarah Andersen

Title: Adulthood is a Myth: A “Sarah Scribbles” Collection
Author: Sarah Andersen
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ISBN:978-1449474195
Genre: Comic Strips
Pages: 112
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 Stars

I am old. Not that old. But I am old enough. I am in my early 30s and I am still waiting for the day when I become an adult. Mostly because I believe, mostly because I know that the decisions I make are not “adult-like”. I have been told that several times and I am aware. I don’t need to be told. I don’t need to be nagged by almost everyone around me. It isn’t fair. And yet life is not that bad either. Life is passing by and everything else with it. These are the times when you need someone like Sarah Andersen to tell you that life is okay, you are okay the way you are, and even if it isn’t okay, then it is alright.

“Adulthood is a Myth” is a collection of Sarah Andersen’s rad comic strips – which are funny mostly, depicts the times we live in – the dating scene, the lonely ones, technology and everything else rolled in between. Above all, it speaks of how okay it is to not grow-up in a world where everyone just wants to prove something or the other.

This book is perfect for everyone and hence makes a great gift! It will resonate with almost everyone who has had a tough patch or the other or for who even waking up on a Monday morning to get to work is tough. The situations are from life, the embarrassments are real, and the annoyances of life are just too vivid and we have all been there, done that.

The book makes you feel that you aren’t the only one who feels and thinks that way. There are perhaps millions of people who feel the same but never communicate it, till Sarah has. Read her comics online and most certainly pick up this book!

Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Title: Skim
Words by: Mariko Tamaki
Pictures by: Jillian Tamaki
Publisher: Groundwood Books
ISBN: 9780888997531
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 143
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4/5

I had heard a lot about “Skim” before purchasing it. It is all about teenage angst, but I also think it is meant for everyone who wants to find a place of their own in this world and also about what path you want to choose, when there are so many in front of you.

“Skim” is Kimberly Keiko Cameron – who isn’t slim, is also a Wiccan Goth (well she does want to be it) and goes to a private girls’ school, where keeping up and meanness is in vogue. It all begins with Katie Matthews’ boyfriend dumps her and then kills himself. This starts a chain reaction of events at school forcing Skim to think about things she doesn’t want to and also in the process she falls in love and doesn’t know what to do anymore.

“Skim” as a book works on so many levels – adolescence, crushes, love – gay or not, forming cliques and what happens when you’re not a part of them, first love, and more than anything else – a way to find yourself is explored beautifully in this slim graphic novel.

It is the kind of book that can and should be given to every teenager as a rite of passage so it can help them come into their own. It is a book about being young and more than anything else it is about actualization to some extent. Please do not judge it by the cover. The illustrations are beyond words beautiful and it is all in black and white, which makes it even more special.

I am glad I read this book this year and more importantly this month. February as cliché as it may sound is about love (well all months are) and one must read some books all about love – twisted or not.

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