Parallel Universes

by Roz Chast

Cartoons take a humorous look at advertising, computers, conversation, lotteries, banks, doctors, philosophy, and boredom

Genres: Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Cartoon, Comics

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1984

About the author

Rosalind "Roz" Chast is an American cartoonist and a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker. She grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, the only child of an assistant principal and a high school teacher. Her earliest cartoons were published in Christopher Street and The Village Voice. In 1978 The New Yorker accepted one of her cartoons and has since published more than 800. She also publishes cartoons in Scientific American and the Harvard Business Review.

Chast is a graduate of Midwood High School in Brooklyn. She first attended Kirkland College (which later merged with Hamilton College) and then studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and received a BFA in painting in 1977. She also holds honorary doctorates from Pratt Institute and Dartmouth College, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is represented by the Danese/Corey gallery in Chelsea, New York City.

Reviews

[Matt Mazenauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an utterly odd cartoon style - simply and almost crudely drawn... and about 40% of the time there is no joke. Or a barely discernable one. But the unique voice in its simple non-jokes really is striking. I'm completely addicted.

[Matt Mazenauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roz Chast isn't for everyone, and I find it hard sharing any particular cartoon as a highlight. But the understated nature of her humor works really well if you read a large chunk at once, letting the suburban malaise and ennui wash over you. It reminds me of some of the more subtle Kids In The Hall sketches, really.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

she's a phenomenon.

[Daze · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of panels of life in New York, reimagined as warped parallel universes. There are no page numbers which may be frustrating if you don't have a bookmark or are trying to reference a specific page number. Luckily, each panel is given a unique title.

Here are some of my favorite strips:


"Joe's Favorite Chair" - On mass media's effect on our lives; TV Addiction

"Gregor's Favorite Chair" - Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis reimagined

(untitled) the robot + puppet - "pushing buttons" "pulling strings" ; coping; emotional response

"The 3p.m. of the Soul" - on day time anxiety; a reverse of 3am thoughts cliche

"The Piece of Thread" - The Commercialization around art to the point of absurdity; a jab at modern art

"Trip Memory Test" - Small talk=forgettable; Real connection/conversation=transformative, life-long

"People Storage" - We carry many people within us.

"Summer Fun Guide" - Expectations vs Reality

"Don Z & His User-Friendly Apt" - anthropomorphic or AI living room; how technology is anxiety-inducing

"Cab From Hell" - the unspoken rules of public transport

"Collector's Items" - If Barbie were authentic...

[elstaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pull quotes/notes
"THE CRAZY HOUR
Face gets wild
Back hunches up ('Halloween kitty')
Noisy runs after invisible things *GALUMPH GALUMPH*
Back to normal."

"IN A QUANDARY
The Voice of Reason: It's not such a big thing, just put the galoshes on.
The Voice of Conscience: Mom will be mad if you don't put them on.
The Voice of Practicality: It's raining. Why don't you just wear 'em?
The Voice of Binky: Toss them out of the window."

"OTHER WITCHES
The Wicked Witch of the Northeast: No more rent control! The sky's the limit!!
The Wicked Witch of the Midwest: Ha, ha! Another huge corn surplus!
The Wicked Witch of the Sun Belt: How'd you like a 30-acre mall right in your BACK YARD, my pretty??!"

"YOUR HONEDT OPINION
Singer or Song Stylist?
Writer or Prose Stylist?
Chef or Food Stylist?
Computer Programmer or Data Stylist?"

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of sensible chuckles.

[Laura Madonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roz Chast is my favorite author, maybe my favorite humanoid.
Everyone on Star Wars and Star Trek are related. The best page is the crossword puzzle.

[Susan Fetterer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly more illustrated, esoteric commentary on daily life.....

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing since Raz Chast’s cartoons capture a certain New York sensibility. Some of these are a little dated and sort of similar when you see a lot of these cartoons together.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my favorite Roz Chast book, and the one that made me fall in love with her and consider her the best living cartoonist.

[Courtney Chappell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really disappointed with this book. It was a quick read, but I did not find it at all enjoyable. I didn't find the comics funny, and half the time I simply did not get them.