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Get Fuzzy #13-14
Jerktastic Park
The Get Fuzzy gang is back! Bucky the arrogant cat, Satchel the clueless pooch, and Rob the exasperated human make up one crazy and hilariously entertaining household.
Collecting the cartoons from The Birth of Canis and The Fuzzy Bunch , this treasury is a rollicking read full of Bucky's signature bullying of Satchel and Rob's inability to keep the peace.
Collecting the cartoons from The Birth of Canis and The Fuzzy Bunch , this treasury is a rollicking read full of Bucky's signature bullying of Satchel and Rob's inability to keep the peace.
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2014
116 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Darby Conley
47 books152 followersDarby Conley is an American cartoonist best known for the popular comic strip Get Fuzzy.
Conley was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1970, and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee.
While in high school in 1986, he won a student cartooning competition. During his Senior Year at Doyle High School (now South-Doyle High School) in Knoxville, Conley was voted 'Most Talented' by his graduating class. He attended Amherst College, where he studied Fine Arts, drew cartoons for the student newspaper, played rugby, and was a member of an all-male, jazz-influenced a cappella group, the Zumbyes. (Fellow cartoonist alumni of Amherst include FoxTrot creator Bill Amend and the late John Cullen Murphy of Prince Valiant fame.)
Like Rob Wilco, the human protagonist in Get Fuzzy, Conley is an enthusiastic rugby union fan, playing during college and sustaining several injuries that failed to diminish his passion for the sport.
Before becoming a cartoonist, Conley held a wide array of jobs: elementary school teacher, art director for a science museum, lifeguard, and bicycle repairman. This eclectic collection of professions is reminiscent of those held by Douglas Adams, whom Conley has mentioned as a comedic influence.
Conley, an animal rights activist and vegetarian, lives in Boston.
Conley was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1970, and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee.
While in high school in 1986, he won a student cartooning competition. During his Senior Year at Doyle High School (now South-Doyle High School) in Knoxville, Conley was voted 'Most Talented' by his graduating class. He attended Amherst College, where he studied Fine Arts, drew cartoons for the student newspaper, played rugby, and was a member of an all-male, jazz-influenced a cappella group, the Zumbyes. (Fellow cartoonist alumni of Amherst include FoxTrot creator Bill Amend and the late John Cullen Murphy of Prince Valiant fame.)
Like Rob Wilco, the human protagonist in Get Fuzzy, Conley is an enthusiastic rugby union fan, playing during college and sustaining several injuries that failed to diminish his passion for the sport.
Before becoming a cartoonist, Conley held a wide array of jobs: elementary school teacher, art director for a science museum, lifeguard, and bicycle repairman. This eclectic collection of professions is reminiscent of those held by Douglas Adams, whom Conley has mentioned as a comedic influence.
Conley, an animal rights activist and vegetarian, lives in Boston.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 23, 2024
Ha - you know how people put bumper stickers that say "my other car is a Mercedes" on their beater? Well, when I post books like this (especially two back-to-back), I feel like I should add a sticker saying "my other book is a 500-page history." *
But in fact, this book is way good. Conley has really grown both in terms of art and writing from the last book of his I read (which is to be expected, considered they were published at least a decade apart). But I mean he is a really good comics artist - each panel is an individually constructed composition, each pose and facial expression is unique - something all too rare in most strips. And his writing is not only funny, but he has an excellent dialogue ear...I don't really know how to describe it, but he is really a cut above most others working in the field today.
That said, the covers for these collections are uniformly weak - just too busy, too colorful...but otherwise, just A+ stuff.
* In this case, my other book REALLY IS a 500 page history - Peter Hopkirk's excellent but BIG The Great Game, so breaking this up with the silliness of Bucky and Satchel is the perfect combination.
But in fact, this book is way good. Conley has really grown both in terms of art and writing from the last book of his I read (which is to be expected, considered they were published at least a decade apart). But I mean he is a really good comics artist - each panel is an individually constructed composition, each pose and facial expression is unique - something all too rare in most strips. And his writing is not only funny, but he has an excellent dialogue ear...I don't really know how to describe it, but he is really a cut above most others working in the field today.
That said, the covers for these collections are uniformly weak - just too busy, too colorful...but otherwise, just A+ stuff.
* In this case, my other book REALLY IS a 500 page history - Peter Hopkirk's excellent but BIG The Great Game, so breaking this up with the silliness of Bucky and Satchel is the perfect combination.
August 18, 2014
The nationwide debut of Darby Conley's comic strip Get Fuzzy was back in... 1999? Wow, this comic's older than I thought. I'm not sure just how it got nationally syndicated in the first place, either, since it's not just one of those "zombie strips" so beloved of newspaper publishers, the ones that're just shambling along, reanimated by the heirs and assigns of some long-dead original cartoonist.
Although Conley no longer writes and draws 100 hours a week (!) as he did when starting out, Get Fuzzy still seems fresh and funny to me, skating deftly along the line between comfortable and edgy but only occasionally dipping into the political. Okay, I guess I can understand why it's in the funny pages, then... Get Fuzzy is often surreal, but rarely threatening.
Another part of Get Fuzzy's success, I think, is due to its extremely restricted—but as a result very well-developed—cast. The strip has just three major recurring characters: Rob Wilco, a mild-mannered advertising executive of some sort in Boston (not New York City, as I first believed—a recent strip making fun of Massachusetts' "full frontal rudity" kinda clued me in); his dog Satchel, a Newfoundland/Shar-pei mix who's staunchly loyal but more than a little dim, and Rob's batshit insane cat (but I repeat myself), a Siamese named Bucky Katt, whose bizarre theories, Rube Goldberg-like inventions, and vicious paranoia are the engine that drives the strip. The setting is also small and well-defined; almost all of the action takes place within Wilco's apartment.
Jerktastic Park is a recent (2014) large-format treasury, collecting strips originally published in The Birth of Canis and The Fuzzy Bunch. It's also the first Get Fuzzy collection I've picked up, and I'll admit it was great fun to go through and see whole storylines laid out for me in one place, and to realize just how well Conley manages the difficult trick of keeping things interesting day-to-day while still advancing longer storylines. While I've pretty much stopped reading my local newspaper entirely (since they went to tabloid format and a four-day-a-week schedule), I will probably go back and pick up more Get Fuzzy collections—I still gotta get my Bucky fix somewhere...
Although Conley no longer writes and draws 100 hours a week (!) as he did when starting out, Get Fuzzy still seems fresh and funny to me, skating deftly along the line between comfortable and edgy but only occasionally dipping into the political. Okay, I guess I can understand why it's in the funny pages, then... Get Fuzzy is often surreal, but rarely threatening.
Another part of Get Fuzzy's success, I think, is due to its extremely restricted—but as a result very well-developed—cast. The strip has just three major recurring characters: Rob Wilco, a mild-mannered advertising executive of some sort in Boston (not New York City, as I first believed—a recent strip making fun of Massachusetts' "full frontal rudity" kinda clued me in); his dog Satchel, a Newfoundland/Shar-pei mix who's staunchly loyal but more than a little dim, and Rob's batshit insane cat (but I repeat myself), a Siamese named Bucky Katt, whose bizarre theories, Rube Goldberg-like inventions, and vicious paranoia are the engine that drives the strip. The setting is also small and well-defined; almost all of the action takes place within Wilco's apartment.
Jerktastic Park is a recent (2014) large-format treasury, collecting strips originally published in The Birth of Canis and The Fuzzy Bunch. It's also the first Get Fuzzy collection I've picked up, and I'll admit it was great fun to go through and see whole storylines laid out for me in one place, and to realize just how well Conley manages the difficult trick of keeping things interesting day-to-day while still advancing longer storylines. While I've pretty much stopped reading my local newspaper entirely (since they went to tabloid format and a four-day-a-week schedule), I will probably go back and pick up more Get Fuzzy collections—I still gotta get my Bucky fix somewhere...
August 4, 2014
Jerktastic Park is the latest Get Fuzzy treasury in the collection, and it is composed of the collected strips of The Fuzzy Bunch and The Birth of Canis. These strips include Bucky's continuing war with Fungo, television shows and writings by Bucky, Mac (Bucky's cousin) and the cat spy Jimbob, Satchel's wit, and Rob's constant confusion.
As usual, this Get Fuzzy treasury turned out to be hilarious between Satchel's stupidity and hilariousness, Bucky's antics, and Rob being able to put up with them both. I loved the strips between Fungo and Bucky, and Satchel in general. I can't wait to get my next fix of Get Fuzzy!
As usual, this Get Fuzzy treasury turned out to be hilarious between Satchel's stupidity and hilariousness, Bucky's antics, and Rob being able to put up with them both. I loved the strips between Fungo and Bucky, and Satchel in general. I can't wait to get my next fix of Get Fuzzy!
June 21, 2014
Some of the story arcs in this volume include the re-appearance of Mac McManx,the saga of secret agent Bob Jimbob, and how the Muppets are actually remnants of cold war genetic experiments. This volume also has one of my favorite visual gags. Satchel has a book that explains dinosaurs went extinct because of meteor. You can see a page of the book in the frame, it has a dinosaur looking of his shoulder in amazement at a meteor heading straight at him.
March 1, 2015
I love these guys.
November 24, 2014
Once again, I was brought to the point of tears multiple times from laughing so hard.
February 19, 2024
Pure fun. Makes me want to change my cat's name from Lucky to Bucky.
January 10, 2017
Consolidating.
13. The Birth of Canis - 3.75
14. The Fuzzy Bunch - 4.00
13. The Birth of Canis - 3.75
14. The Fuzzy Bunch - 4.00
August 4, 2020
Lots of typical Get Fuzzy strips. Storylines include Bucky's missing closet door and visits from Bucky's British cousin, Mac. A good laugh when you need one.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews