Nancy & Sluggo's Guide to Life

Ernie Bushmiller

“If you were alive in twentieth-century America, you knew Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy - and this new collection assembles some of the greatest strips featuring the much-loved cartoon icon and her pug-nosed companion, Sluggo. The newspaper cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller once admitted that "all my characters are conceived in desperation." Nancy was no exception. She was the niece of the star of his other strip, Fritzi Ritzi , and meant to serve as a throwaway gag character. But Nancy could not be contained- Within a few years, Bushmiller's strip had been renamed for her, and she had begun her ascent into the pantheon of cartooning greats."

The Ruling Clawss

Redfield

“Published under the pseudonym A. Redfield by prominent New Yorker contributor Syd Hoff in the 1930s, these mordant and marvellously drawn gag comics skewer the rich and powerful with a pointed pen. During his career as a New Yorker cartoonist, and before he wrote Danny and the Dinosaur , Syd Hoff wrote under a different name. He was A. Redfield, a cartoonist for the communist newspaper the Daily Worker , and a scourge of the rich and powerful. Scorning what he saw as the complicity and stale jokes of cartooning peers, Hoff set his sights on the ruling class and revealed them for what they were- hilariously inept, deeply selfish, and incredibly dangerous.”

Pearls Seeks Enlightenment

Stephan Pastis

“Join award-winning cartoonist Stephan Pastis in his comical, careening journey to enlightenment, featuring 18 months of daily comic strips from 2020-2021 along with an introduction, reflections, and strip-by-strip commentary by the author. Stephan Pastis is no ordinary cartoonist. In his two decades of writing and illustrating the blockbuster daily comic strip Pearls Before Swine , the award-winning humorist has traveled the globe, co-written a film for Disney+, and authored several hit book series, but always stopped short of total enlightenment--until now!”

I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together: A Memoir

Maurice Vellekoop

An astonishing, epic graphic memoir in the spirit of Fun Home by Alison Bechdel and Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe " I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together is that rarest of things - a book about coming out to a loving yet conservative family that is as heartrending to read as it is to look at. It's an incredibly moving, funny, and ultimately triumphant account (spoiler alert!) of what can only be described as a magical fairy tale (pun totally intended!)." - Anderson Cooper

How to Stay Productive When the World Is Ending

Reductress [Sarah Pappalardo, Damien Kronfeld]

“A biting humor collection about the cult of productivity and the feeling of impending doom that comes with it. Juggling careers, maintaining relationships, managing side gigs, and sustaining an engaging social media presence is hard--and we're expected to do it all while battling the ever-present feeling of existential dread against the backdrop of climate catastrophe, an ongoing pandemic, and social isolation. From the editors and most popular writers of Reductress, the only satirical women's magazine in publication, How to Stay Productive When the World is Ending is a collection of essays, how-tos, and "inspirational" graphics to help you laugh when staying both sane and productive in a commodified world feels impossible.”

Bay Area Stand-Up Comedy : A Humorous History

Nina G & OJ Patterson

“Comedians of the San Francisco Bay Area changed comedy forever. From visiting acts like Richard Pryor, Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg to local favorites who still maintain their following and legacy, the Bay Area has long been a place for comedians to develop their voice and hone their stand-up skills. Popular spots included Cobb's, the Purple Onion, Brainwash, and the holy grail of San Francisco comedy during the 1980s boom, the Holy City Zoo. For over seventy years, these iconic venues and others fostered talent like Ali Wong, Moshe Kasher and the Smothers Brothers, introducing them to local crowds and the world beyond. Join comedians Nina G and OJ Patterson on a hilarious and thoughtful tour through the history of Bay Area comedy."