Ballard Street

Great cartoonists have to be a little bit sick in the good sort of way. They somehow have to have that extra twist or demented neural pathway that allows them to look at situations in life and express them in absurd yet funny ways. Jerry Van Amerongen is such a person and we all can be in better humor because of it. Of course, one way to do that is to read this book. The cartoons involve unusual people, in many cases exhibiting odd behavior yet at other times expressing what are common anxieties. One of my favorites in that area is on page 50 where the image is of an old married couple sitting in their easy chairs reading. The woman has turned to the man and is saying, "Honey, You don't mind do you, if I don't live up to my full potential?..." Every person that reads has had a moment when they have read about another person or some item in the self-help area and experienced a momentary feeling of inadequacy. Life can be good, strange and sometimes hilarious and in this book Van Amerongen captures all three.

I have his previous books and believe them to be unique and worth having in any personal library. This new book is exactly like the others. If you liked his Neighborhood books, you'll like this one. Its more of the same, which is exactly what I was looking for.

In my humble opinion, Jerry Van Amerongen is a comic genius. His "The Neighborhood" and "Ballard Street" panels take everyday phrases and/or situations and he turns them into absurdity when combined with his detailed, exaggerated drawings. During my day-to-day activities I am constantly reminded of his cartoons and I can't say that about any other cartoonist. Jerry (along with Gary Larson) completely changed the nature of the comics because before them the drawing was secondary to the humor of the panel or strip whereas they made the picture an integral part of it. Today, there are many comic panels that are of this type, but Ballard Street is still unique. My only criticism is that Jerry now focuses almost exclusively on dumpy old people in his panels, whereas in his old "The Neighborhood" panels he frequently used animals (particulary chickens which are really absurd creatures!) or inanimate objects which would seem to allow more creative possiblities. Anyway, enjoy!

J Amerongen entertains us by divulging the home life, and inner musings of the folks who go through life being totally ignored. They have hum drum jobs, and share their boredom with a boring spouse. One man enjoys talking to his weeds, while Jocelyn posts household hints on her front window. Aaron sits stunned in his office as he realizes an original thought just passed through his brain. Others engage in a battle of wits with their dogs. They generally lose. Some find their world too stressful and drive up to the drive in therapy window for help. Strange humor? You bet, but to me its the most hilarious stuff in the world. I was very disappointed when I bought the book, though, because at 144 pages I thought, "Oh no, I can read this at one sitting." My solution? I limited my reading of it to 6 pages a day. That way I could keep laughing for over three weeks. I read JvA's Ballard Street daily newspaper cartoon in the LA Times for years, but then moved to humorless Atlanta. This book was a godsend, and I hope JvA comes out with a new one every other month. I'll buy them all.

Thanks Jerry! I've been a fan for years. This is the kind of humor that can be visited time and again without getting old. (Do not keep a copy in the bathroom without a seat belt.) I recognize so many of the characters depicted in these pages and many of them are me. (Going to have to work on that.) As a frustrated cartoonist (no talent) and self proclamed humorist (no laughing) it is to Jerry's alter that I bring my offerings. Just don't raise prices. I give these books to people I know well. I don't loan my collection anymore, because they never come back. (I'f your reading this Leonard, I know where you live.) And a warning; be very careful which ones you show to your wife. The last time it cost me flowers and a long dry spell (get it). I'f you've never purchaced a cartoon book before (I can only imagine your kind of person) now is your chance to hit one out of the park. If you like to put on a Snoopy suite and your wife gets a rolled up news paper and play "bad doggie", you'll like this book.