Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Frequently Asked Questions (Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum)

Frequently Asked Questions
(An Unshelved collection)
Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
Overdue Media
Fiction, Comics
****+ (Good/Great)


DESCRIPTION: The staff of the Malville Public Library deals with all manner of peculiar patrons and their perplexing problems. In a special section at the back, a variety of books are plugged in comic strip format.

REVIEW: I actually got this book for free through work. (I work for a library system that somehow scored donated copies - something to do with technically being the highest circulating library system in the nation, as I understood it. I stopped listening after "free book.") The authors/artists are librarians, and I suspect that more of these strips are based loosely on life than one might suspect. (I wouldn't know; my job is blissfully free of interaction with the general public.) You don't need to work at a library to laugh at these, though; a passing acquaintance with humanity should be enough. This is not the first Unshelved collection printed, but there are no major story arcs to catch up on. A one-page primer at the front of the book explains the characters, if you're worried about coming in on the middle. The artwork is simple, but it does the job. I've always liked their weekly book strips, and though some of the summaries are too vague to pique my interest, I respect the spoiler-free format. In any event, after a not-good week, I enjoyed a chance to laugh, and that's about all I ask out of a comic collection.

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