This book was quite a pleasant surprise. I was devastated when Gary Larson retired from writing The Far Side - but The Argyle Sweater just might fill the void. While I was reading and laughing, I kept finding similarities between Argyle and Far Side - the weird looking people, the bizarre, slightly sick, off the wall humor, the many hidden references. I would describe this book as a slightly edgier and more modern Far Side. I laughed out loud quite a few times and will definitely read more of The Argyle Sweater books.

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The next Far Side! A bit of self-referential humor (which usually I find funny but didn't work as well for me), a lot of puns (usually pretty clever), and animal behavior humor galore. A few of the comics seemed to repeat basically the same joke, which I found a bit disturbing in a book of only 128 pages (are you out of ideas already?), but, if you're looking for something to fill the shelf space next to your Far Side collection, pick up this gem.

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Cartoonist Scott Hillburn and I have a lot in common. We both share the same first name and we were both exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation as children. We also have all our teeth, a weird sense of humor, and a strong affection for puns. Unlike me, however, Hillman is also a talented artist, and a hilarious cartoonist.

The Argyle Sweater is a collection of Scott Hillermans single-panel cartoon by the same name. The influence of Gary Larsons Far Side comics is easily noticeable when enjoying Hillermans work, yet it never feels like he is attempting to copy or mimic Larsons work. Hillermans humor is his own, a laughable blend of bad puns, unfortunate antonyms, and other fun examples of humorous wordplay.

This is where a book review would normally give a more detailed description of the contents, but I simply refuse to be the guy who sits there describing cartoons and ruining the joke. All I can tell you is that I will never look at the Pillsbury Doughboy the same way again. You can count on laughing out loud every so often, in between the giggles and chuckles that will no doubt follow any reading of The Argyle Sweater.

The Argyle Sweater is a great collection of Scott Hillermans past work, but theres no need to stop there. You can also view his newest creations at theargylesweater.com, many of which no doubt comprise another wonderful collection in the near future.

There are so few cartoons left that are worth reading, let alone worthy of open laughter. Do yourself a favor and dont miss out on this one.

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