The Book of Onions: Comics to Make You Cry Laughing and Cry Crying

by Jake Thompson

The Book of Onions  is a collection of darkly funny comics from Jake Thompson, creator of the celebrated bi-weekly webcomic "Jake Likes Onions."

Ranging from the relatable to the utterly nonsensical and bizarre, The Book of Onions focuses on themes of loneliness, desperation, and failure. And misplaced optimism. And perverted talking fruit. Sort of like Gary Larson’s “The Far Side,” if Gary were way less accomplished and suffered from depression.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics, Comix, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Manga

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2018

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thompson has a dark, cynical, wry sense of humor that hearkens back to Gary Larsen's time on The Far Side. I like the 4 panel construction and only wish the book had been longer.

Received a review copy from Andrew McNeels Publishing and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Paul Falk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake Thompson came up with some of the most outrageous off-the-wall weird and wacky comics. I didn't get past the first page without laughing out loud. Now how's that for an endorsement? My only complaint was that the comedy show ended too soon. Well done.

I extend my thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one!
On first look i was a little disappointed to find just four pictures per gag.
I judged too soon, four was enough, enough to make me laugh out loud through the majority of the book.
Funny, witty, clever,dark, and comical are just a few words that describe this book.

"If you was expecting and educational volume about vegetables i am sorry for wasting your time " even the intro was funny!
Its not possible to put it down once you've started , it draws you in and spits you out at the end!
Brilliant !

[Nusrat Mahmood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who does not love a book which can make one laugh from the very starting of the book. In this case, I meant the dedication of the book is so funny that it hints the humour inside of the book.

I chose this book seeing the cover and always have a knack for comics but did not expect such funny (weirdly and wackily funny) stripes to be there. The book contains no onions to make one cry rather than has some dark humorous comics to make the readers laugh. Jake Thompson did some outrageous and brilliant work.

You will be surprised how the only four gags per page can make you laugh so hard. Even the intro started with a funny note.

It's an unputdownable and perfect waiting room read for everybody. Very much eager to read 'Jake likes Onions' cartoon series by the same author after finishing this. If you are in a reading slump, this funny book can pull you out for sure.

ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (one less star because the book is short...I want a huge volume of those humour.)

[Nikki "The Crazie Betty" V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

A delightfully morbid book of comics that speaks to the cynical and pessimistic. I can’t say I laughed out loud at anything, but did have a wry smile of satisfaction through the majority of the book. The synopsis of the book likens the comics to that of Gary Larson’s “The Far Side”, which I can totally understand and would back up that statement. The book is lightning quick to read, and each “gag” is only one-page long. So, easily something where you can make a photocopy of your favorite and hang it in your office.


Received via Netgalley. I have provided a truthful review of my own accord, and it reflects my opinion alone.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warning: The Book of Onions contains no onions at all. Instead it contains darkly humorous single page cartoons about life.

Have you ever wondered how Ronald McDonald got his job? Or whether kitchen matches are happy to be chosen for important jobs? Even if you have never had any curiosity whatsoever, I guarantee you will enjoy this madcap dive into the bleakness of life. I doubt you will soon forget the panda face of war. If war turns men into animals, you really do not want to know what it turns the animals into.

Laugh-out-loud moments make this the perfect waiting room read. Some of the themes are rather dark so the Book of Onions is not for children. However, for everyone else it is great. 4 stars!

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short cartoons of just four simple drawings make up this small book.
Filled with some classic laugh out load moments, care if reading on your morning commute or in the library.
I love nonsense humour, a little of that interspersed with wicked observation and literal interpretation of life. It has animal jokes, relationship humour, microbe and virus comedy as well as looking on the brighter side of life even if aliens turn up.
Each quartet of drawings have a distinctive hand in the clever illustrations with speech bubbles and comment with an under written title for the set.
I liked Okay, Steve? and with guilty pleasure "Laughter is the best medicine, Howard."
Stifling chortles I loved "Follow your dreams", "It's a metaphor" and "The power of the tinkle"
Creasing me up LOL, "Worth it" and "My main paranoia"
Stands up with a second read through; a great little coffee table book for people who don't have the room for a nest of tables or a centrepiece coffee table.
Laughter can be the best of medicines but not perhaps if your name is Howard.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bark laughed so hard. 👏 👏 👏

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deliciously dark and bizarre humor. Not every strip is a banger, but I snickered a lot 'cuz the overall tone is right up my alley.

How is this book from seven years ago the only collection of this strip?

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is intended to be a collection of dark, hilarious comics about life, and given my own tendency for gallows humor, I was pretty stoked, but, eh... for every one or two comics that registered on the funny scale at all, there are five that ranged from un-funny to downright eyeroll-inducing. I also don't think this humor is particularly dark, unless your idea of dark is just cartoon guys stabbing each other every now and then.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny, entertaining collection of cartoons. Simple, to the point, and sometimes just brilliant; Guaranteed to bring a smile (and some loud laughs too).

I received a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[kaelan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this read like a poor man's Perry Bible Fellowship .

[Bunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

I found these comics on Tumblr maybe a year ago, and they are absolutely batshit insane.

I'm serious.



Like, what?

But the thing is, they're hilarious. This is the kind of humor that makes you laugh even when you can't figure out why you're laughing. It's dark, and often morbid, but if you have just the right twisted humor, these are absolutely the comic for you.

I mean, he's not wrong about the cry crying part.



Some of them are a little too true.

And for fans of his online artwork, I'm happy to report that there are a ton of comics he's not featured online, more than enough to justify the book.

And lastly, my favorite:

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/yvMVYTQZMco

Enjoy!

[Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times, severely eye-roll inducing and others tragically relatable, The Book of Onions is comic meme-ography come to life. I don't know that I'm the target audience for this type of humor but the dry macabre pages were surely my favorite and I could have done less with the more clichéd jokes. This would make a great gift for any teenaged guy in your life.

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those series that's incredibly funny in that "Should I really be laughing at this?" sort of way. A lot of the jokes were absurd or cringe, and I was having so much fun reading pretty much every single one. This is a great collection, and I'm looking forward to finding more from this author.

[Jenny Houle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't heard of the Jake Likes Onions cartoons until I read this book. Entertained, though maybe not as much as regular fans. It was a little simplistic in my opinion. Good, but not great.

[January Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique, bizarre and entertaining. Certainly for a unique taste in humor. I enjoyed it. Not for all, but I enjoyed it.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. That is all.

[Ken Yuen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty amusing!

[Radwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this immensely! I highly recommend these clever and really funny comics, and I also recommend following the artist on social media, I just love his comics!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

*netgalley review*

I already like his comic series, "Jake Likes Onions" and I have some friends who follow him on social media. His darkly, absurd humor just easily makes me laugh. When I saw his book on Netgalley, I got so excited. The book is perfect for quick reading and it finished instantly. *sad face here* I absolutely loved it and I highly recommend.

[. (not active on this account stop adding me) · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC kindly provided by Andrew McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

The Book of Onions: Comics to Make You Cry Laughing and Cry Crying is pretty much what the title tells you. It's a collection of humorous comics that you either find funny or tragic. The crying part is exaggerated, though.

I can't quite explain the following point without being incredibly blunt, but: I don't like male humour. That's what most of this book is. Sometimes it was reminiscent of Tumblr posts I saw in 2015, but it was mostly just male humour.

I didn't know what to expect when I picked this up because I've never really had luck with a collection of joke comics before. Some of these were hilarious and actually made me laugh out loud (which is an exceptional feat in itself because that's something I don't easily do). Meanwhile, others were just plain terrible or rip-offs of other jokes I've seen elsewhere.

The art is very simple and nothing distinct. Each comic looks exactly the same, which makes the whole collection cohesive overall. I'd be lying if I didn't say that Thomspon is exceptionally talented, since some of the drawings featuring established characters (like The Evil Queen from Snow White) looked extremely similar to the actual drawings.

Overall, this was an entertaining read for most of it, but the rest just fell short. I'd recommend it if you want a quick reprieve from life and need a laugh.

[Paul Franco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another collection of small-paneled no-continuation comic strips, usually featuring a round head in a suit. The artwork makes you laugh, and then the caption cranks it up another notch.
Right off the bat, the first page, “A Love Story for the Ages,” made me laugh. Good start.
Other faves:
Jogging! I’m on the side of the animals.
Revenge!
What do guitars have to do with capital punishment? Find out here!
“Tell me I’m beautiful.” That’s the second Mirror Mirror on the Wall joke I’ve read this month, and both were awesome.
Kleenex and gun-toting pandas, back to back.
So many more I could have mentioned, but had to draw the blurry line somewhere. Just go check it out for yourself.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of these jokes were hilarious.

I’d never heard of the webcomic Jake Loves Onions, but I enjoyed this book a lot.

I might not check out the webcomic - I liked this as a book; all the comics weren’t funny, so it was nice to skip over ones that weren’t funny, or were just amusing, to get to the really funny ones.

This dude has an odd sense of humor.

Recommended if you like to laugh.

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for a copy in return for an honest review.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suitably dark, sarcastic and snide collection of four-panel comic yucks, and one that really works. They're not exactly quotable, as a lot of them are a very competent mixture of image and text, so you can't really cite them in a written review. But trust me they're a heck of a lot better than many other books that purport to offer single-page strip jokes. It's very child-unfriendly too, in that it's almost NSFW at times. But I'm certainly feeling friendly to it. Four and a half stars, for being clearly superior to many other alternatives.

[Tahoora Hashmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a comical one, with illustrations based on daily life scenarios. You can call it a joke book. I wasn't expecting it to be as humorous as it turned out to be. Its a perfect read if you are tired and looking for something to refresh your mind. I still hope there was more content in it, maybe a part 2?

I guess I wouldn't hesitate to gift this as a birthday gift to one of my friends. its very refreshing and the best part about it is that the content is very original unlike certain comic books where you have similar jokes repeated.

[Nathaniel Darkish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun collection of webcomics. I'd seen way more of these strips than I'd realized, going in, and I think that there is definitely a good reason that they're so well-circulated. Not every strip lands, but those that do are pretty dang funny. The art also really works for me, which is weird because it is stylistically inconsistent, but is almost always done in a way that really helps the joke land.

[Ham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thompson has a great sense of humor and his drawings are fun. I just wish he didn't resort to the cheap throwing-an-F-word-in-there-makes-it-even-funnier gimmick.
I would've read it many times over and recommended it to my friends. Even the graphic violence could've been toned down and made more cartoony. Then it would've been appropriate for teens. But this, this is appropriate for bathroom stalls. Bad form, Jake.

[Meg Hendry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book of Onions by Jake Thompson was a mix of lighter and much darker jokes. For the most part, I enjoyed the book. Some of the jokes weren’t my kind of humor. My favorite ones were The Old Oak Tree and Never Forget Your Roots. The numerous swear words throughout the book felt unnecessary and, to me, it detracted from the humor.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.