We’d love your help. He does have moments of insight, or at least perceptive wit ("Art School Confidential," "Ugly Girls"), but mostly the collection's a repetitive misanthropic diatribe. All of these messages are delivered in a self-aware, self-mocking manner with Clowes acknowledging the complexities of his role as an artist, wondering how he could possibly make a legit living by making stuff up yet justified that he's actually creating something instead of merely pencil-pushing and waiting for 5:00 to arrive. Not nearly as good as Wilson, but funny, interesting, and - for all the smart-assery - there's the genuine feeling of someone who self-aware struggling with the insane difficulty of being genuine, and being smart enough to say, "no, I'm not genuinely this sensitive sap, that's just a persona I use to try to say what I'm feeling, but that's still not the 'authentic' me. And Clowes both nails the parody and connects it to Santa and our curious rite of telling our kids to beware stranger danger but to sit on the lap of a sweating, hairy old man that they only superficially know that he may hear and fulfill their fantasies. Attending art school myself (well, with a primary focus in graphic and multimedia design rather than specifically that of fine arts), I could wholeheartedly agree that both students and teachers bite into the typical stereotypes and banter about the same cliches time and time again, and other people (students, teachers) eat it up like it's part of the curriculum! Absolutely wonderful. While Clowes is generally known for having a somewhat somber tone, in his short works, he lets loose his inner wildman/child. Twentieth Century Eightball is a collection of gag strips from the 1990s written by Daniel Clowes' earlier self.
Beyond that, not much else grabbed me.
It ranges from social commentary, satire, outrageous tales to weird character deceptions. Most of the contents previously appeared in the earlier, out-of-print collections Lout Rampage! The characters facial expressions and emotions are captured really well. I was laughing so hard I cried. In this collection (which, to be fair, is mostly old filler strips, so we're not seeing him operating at his full potential) he tends to resort to easy gross-out gags and non-narrative screwball fantasies, which gets a bit old. Right toward the end ("Eightball"), he does give a nod to the possibility that the world might not be totally shit, but honestly it's not enough to pick you up out of the mire.Clowes may have a knack at making you feel uncomfortable with rudimentary jokes and thoughts, but it shouldn't overlook how dark and witty these comics can be. OMG this graphic novel had me dying of laughter. Love the lettering. There were some chuckle to myself highlights and if anything I'd go read more on the ones I took to, but because the comics skipped around all over the place I just couldn't focus.Hard to rate this one for my own personal tastes. The illustrations are really good. Daniel Clowes is one bitter man. One of my favorite graphic novelists, easily.When the latest chapter of “Like A Velvet Glove” weighed heavily on me like a psych anvil Dan Clowes would restore the levity by following it up with short features that always raised a chuckle. This anthology collects all those funny stories in one volume, so no matter how heavy “Ghost World” or “David Boring” got these little zany bumpers kept you laughin’. Appeals to my loves and doubts, challenging and strengthening my stances on pet peeves, religion, the inevitability of certain things in life, and even (in conjunction with this year's terrible NBA Finals) makes me want to stop following/caring about certain sports. OMG this graphic novel had me dying of laughter. I was a big fan of this book when it was in monthly format so I can only imagine that the compilation is great as well.This eclectic collection of shorts from Clowes includes some definite filler, but much of it is quite amusing and insightful. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being a design major, but half the time I have to question the importance of a design/art degree as opposed to simply saving the tuition and setting out to freelance and practice on my own (and that's coming from the one in school for this, just imagine what others who haven't a clue what a 'graphic designer' is, ex: parents, family members, anyone over 30). Interestingly, Clowes self-defines as an underground rather than alternative cartoonist, and the work here suggests that that's an apt appellation. I understand this was a rushed, last minuet strip thrown together as filler before the magazine was sent to be published, but I find it to be one that speaks to me on a different level. I remember living in Chicago in the early 1990s reading Clowes's Freudian analysis of American team sports in a free alternative paper called the Lumpen Times and I was Xeroxing it for friends and reading it over and over again, it was so wickedly good. Love the lettering. )Anyhows, this: Lotsa funny stuff, with no big (or muted) emotional moments in sight. Then his roommate tells him that he found giant carnivorous worms under the sink. Don't let the fact that it is a comic book or a collection of short stories/comic strips fool you. There are a few gems, especially "Art School Confidential" and "Ugly Girls" where you see maturity peeking out. Published It is not like American Splendor (which is great as well) it is a little more off kilter but really nothing amazing happens in the books. Daniel Clowes manages to turn misanthropy and self-loathing into fun, hilarious comic strips.
I remember living in Chicago in the early 1990s reading Clowes's Freudian analysis of American team sports in a free alternative paper called the Lumpen Times and I was Xeroxing it for friends and reading it over and over again, it was so wickedly good.