Help Is on the Way: A Collection of Basic Instructions

by Scott Meyer

Ever want to know the best way to combat "the silent treatment"? How to destroy society? Apply video game skills to real life? Well, read Help Is on the Way, a collection of strips from the hilarious online web comic Basic Instructions! Cartoonist Scott Meyer will guide you through some of life's more uncomfortable moments with plenty of absurdly bad advice, usually packed economically into four side-splitting panels. This is the kind of stuff that jumps from the weekly paper onto your cubicle wall in seconds flat! Learn how to apply the laws of physics to your personal relationships! Help Is on the Way, by Basic Instructions creator Scott Meyer, is your "all-inclusive guide to a life well-lived."

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Humor, Fiction, Comic Strips, Webcomic

120 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Scott Meyer has been a radio DJ, a stand-up comic, a writer for video games, an office manager, and a pretend ghost bellhop.

He is the creator of the comic strip Basic Instructions, and has now written a novel.

He and his wife live in Florida, to be close to their cats.

Reviews

[Kristen Northrup · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection from a web comic I'd never read or even heard of. But I'll probably start. Many of these were extremely funny, especially the ones that involved his wife. Lots of "It's funny because it's true!" And that delicate balance of snarky without cooler-than-thou.

[Bree Hatfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a funny collection of one-page comics from one of my favorite novelists. I can’t help but think that reading them in a book like this isn’t how they were originally meant to be consumed, which is why it took me so long to finish, but there were still some really funny comics here. Overall, I think Scott is better at novels than comics, but this was still fun.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the magic 2.0 series but this just wasn’t for me I’m afraid

[Allison Renner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd be so upset I didn't know about the Basic Instructions webcomic if they weren't collected in this book. I stumbled upon it by accident, devoured it quickly, and now want to recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor. Meyer takes simple tasks like how to ask for time off work, or how to give a gift to someone who didn't get you anything, takes what everyone is thinking, and portrays it in a funny, four-paneled comic.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the comics on the website and got the book from the library when I finished the archives. I was hoping for new material, but this is just the stuff from the site. It is however, super funny and there are some little notes from the author at the bottom that aren't on the website. If you've never read the site, totally worth it. Scott Meyer is super funny!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually into comics, but I found this to be well written, witty, and laugh out loud funny (seriously, I did lol quite a few times while reading this book)!

[Jdetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find this to be one of the funniest comic strips being done today.