Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head & Other Drawings

by B. Kliban

All the Kliban people--from Houdini escaping New Jersey to the famed Genghis and Sylvia Khan.

“Not to put down Crumb or Koren or Booth or Rodgriguez or Trudeau or anybody else, but Kliban’s Never Eat Anything Bigger than Your Head & Other Drawings is the only book I’ve read in years that made me howl. I mean thigh-slapping, roll-on-the-ground, can’t-catch-my-breath howling. And every time I go back to it, I find some new detail to chuckle at.”—Charles M. Young, Rolling Stone .

Genres: Humor, Comics, Cartoon, Art, Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels Comics

174 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Bernard "Hap" Kliban was a popular American cartoonist. He became an instant cartoon sensation after the publication of his groundbreaking book Cat in 1975. Some forty years after their initial appearance, Kliban’s quirky, colorful cat illustrations are adored icons and cherished friends of fans worldwide. One of the top cartoonists of the 20th century, Kliban contributed work to national magazines for over 30 years.

Reviews

[Patrick]

"Chapter IV - Scott laughed hard when Wanda brought home the contaminated cheese."

I can't explain why that caption sends me into paroxysms of laughter. I also can't understand why other people don't crack up just as badly. But I do know that anyone who does is a person I want to know better.

Kliban's best known for his cats, but his non sequitur one-panel cartoons paved the way for everyone from Gary Larson to J.C. Duffy (witness his "Moot Points" collection). This is my favorite of his non-cat books, but all of them are worth the fifteen minutes it takes to read them. Twenty, if you're laughing really hard.

[Fishface]

Every page is a delight. Don't miss this one!

[Lisa Macklem]

Typical Kliban. When it's funny, it's hysterical. When you don't get it, it's puzzling... moving on...

[Roger Eschbacher]

I've read this book dozens of times over the years and heartily recommend Kliban's unique brand of off-beat, conceptual comedy. For me, NEABTYH&OD is a foundational read that began my journey into comedy and animation writing decades ago.

[Ioan]

Plain weirdness. Raw and seemingly underdeveloped graphical ideas. These two are pretty much defining for Bernie Kliban's cartoon art, and they often work in unexpected ways. There is a stark dadaistic tone oozing through the pores of these cartoons, and it is quite hard to find whether it's more satisfying to read Tristan Tzara or simply take really long looks at Kliban's visual jokes or deconstructions of humor. I definitely opted for the latter over the former. And in spite of a considerable number of truly impenetrable gags, thoughts, jokes, call them what you want, when Kliban got it cookin', he could be unequaled. I'm striving to be a Kliban completist nowadays, so as a principle I recommend any Kliban book that one could get. They may be little, but they are true bombs.

[Mikey]

With the exception of the ubiquitous Cat which is usually the only thing anybody knows by this guy, I love B. Kliban. Some of my earliest memories involve finding Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head and Whack your Porcupine on my parent’s bookshelves and not really getting the jokes…just knowing that they were jokes I should aspire to someday understand. I remember being both repulsed and strangely attracted by his drawings of doughy weirdos and their orifices…and of course the occasional boob, which was just, like, thrilling.

[Tentatively, Convenience]

Am I wrong about this guy being really popular? I mean, I think he's really, REALLY funny but his bks are on a press I've never heard of & they aren't represented on GoodReads in a zillion editions. I've always thought (even before I was a sperm in my daddy's eye) that he was classic bathrm reading material - in everyone's home, kindof like a Chairman Mao shirt in China. But now I'm beginning to wonder. It's probably too subtle for the average person.

[Dominick]

Another stunningly good collection of Kliban's trademark absurdist cartoons. There are a few more almost political cartoons here than is usual for Kliban, making some quite sharp comments about politics and capitalism, along with the usual mix of outrageous puns ("Why do you stay with that sadist?" "Beats me!"), bizarre juxtapositions, whimsy, and sheer impenetrable (but nevertheless usually funny) absurdity. Highly recommended to cartoon fans with a high tolerance for the bizarre.

[Ilona]

Ok, this book accidentally popped up when I was looking on Amazon, and I remembered it so vividly that I had to add it - it is hysterical and very twisted and occasionally not, but so off-beat. Its worth a flip-though if you find it on a shelf or in a stack sometime. Especially the 'parking meter violation'

[David Ward]

Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head & Other Drawings by B. Kliban (Workman Publishing Company 1976)(741.5973). This is a series of one-panel cartoons by the funniest cartoonist who ever walked the face of the earth. Kliban is sort of like Gary Larsen on acid; do yourself a favor and track this one down. My rating: 8.5/10, finished 1977.

[Sara]

This man is amazing, okay? Filthy, hilarious, great art style. I read this one cover to cover a million times, plus "Cat" and "Whack Your Porcupine". I spent years thinking those were his only collections, since I could never find others, but I'm overjoyed to find out there's so much more to his library. I intend to find as many of them as I can.

[Aaron]

B.Kliban's books never get old, even after pouring over them late nights with friends and family, drunken or sober. Some will love them, others will get that question mark look to their face and wonder what the hell it is that the other people see in these...

[Lena Webb]

Good advice, great cartoons.

[Andrew]

A definite precursor to (and probable influence on) Gary Larson's "The Far Side", only decidedly more surreal. Highly recommended.

[Seizure Romero]

“Hands off, bitch. That’s a MAN’S hairspray.”

[Chris Andersen]

I liked this one a little better than Cat, just because the subject matter was more varied.

[Anne]

Mmmm, tasty.

[Ira Lichtenstein]

HEY EUROPE! LOL

A very funny book that I first read in college and take out from time to time when I need a good laugh.

[Deke]

Strange, clever, wacky perfection

[Jeff Lewonczyk]

Madness and absurdity, beautifully rendered.

[Becky]

We had this book on our coffee table when I was a kid - it was brand new. I understood very little of it at the time. The ugly people depicted in such gross situations drawn to such perfection. The one -liners (and one word titles). It is just unlike anything else written and pre-dates Gary Larson, Doonesbury and Bloom County. I loved "Cat" before there was a Garfield. Kliban's books were meant for adults, but kids like me tried to understand and could laugh at the drawings.
There are so many things to laugh at in this book that it is hard It is now on my coffee table and will remain there as long as I own a coffee table.

[John “Hoss”]

A great and funny collection of some one panel gags that feel like reading something from The Far Side.

[John Reis]

I received this as part of a boxed set for Christmas when I was a kid. I found it hilarious. It very likely helped form my sense of humor.

[William Belecz]

It was fun. Some of it is lost to time I think.

[TrumanCoyote]

My favorites: "Cynthia is mistakenly crowned king of Norway," "Proving the existence of fish" and "Downstairs at the Mormon Tabernacle."

[Gavin]

More awful puns and mild Sunday perversity. 4 great ones out of 150.

e.g.
https://i.imgur.com/8Q8k85w.gif

[David Thomas]

I inherited this from my dad's comic collection, along with stuff like a pile of Dell comics, Nancy, and a ton of vintage 60's Mad Magazines. I have to be honest: as a kid, I didn't get the humor at all. I found it totally mystifying. Now, though? Hilarious.

This is a collection of absurd gag cartoons. Think The Far Side but even stranger. Stuff like a guy wearing a turban with machine parts sticking out, with the title "The Improved Gas Turban." Or a guy on an assembly line with crackers on it, holding a salt shaker, with the title "Cracker Salter." Yes, that's the whole joke. Like I said, hilarious, but I can understand if some people don't get it.

[Dan]

First read with a copy borrowed from a friend
Acquired a personal copy Oct 28, 2016
amazon.com

[William]

“The Wagon Of Love Breaks Under the Baggage of Life” made me laugh hard, as did most of this book.

[Kim Menier]

I have owned a copy of this little book for nearly 50 years. And I laugh my ass off every time I open it, e.g. "Unfortunate Child". Dark humor never spoils.