Loserpalooza: A Get Fuzzy Treasury (Volume 9)

If you enjoy the "Get Fuzzy" comic strip in the paper, then this is the book for you! Hilarious collection of what I would say are the best pieces of the strip. Definetly recommend this book. ALso makes a great gift for that person who has everything.

Get Fuzzy is one of my few favorite comic strips (I also love Doonsebury, Boondocks, and older Garfield, I also love the now defunct Calvin & Hobbes and The Far Side). The cat is funny, the dog is stupid, and I rather like the human, he's got some great lines. This collection is slightly weaker than the others, but still, great stuff in here.

I won't go into how fantastic this comic strip is, but it is easily my favorite comic strip of all time. :) For the uninitiated, there are eight collections so far and three treasuries. The fourth treasury is not yet released. Please keep in mind that each treasury is two collections put together, so as far as I know the treasuries are the same as two of the collections, except I believe the treasuries have the Sunday comics in color while the collections have them in black and white. In chronological order, the collections are: 1. The Dog is Not a Toy: House Rule #4 2. Fuzzy Logic: Get Fuzzy 2 3. The Get Fuzzy Experience 4. Blueprint for Disaster 5. Say Cheesy: A Get Fuzzy Collection 5 6. Scrum Bums 7. I'm Ready for My Movie Contract: A Get Fuzzy Collection 8. Take Our Cat, Please: A Get Fuzzy Collection The treasuries are: 1. Groovitude (encompassing collections 1 and 2). 2. Bucky Katt's Big Book of Fun (encompassing collections 3 and 4). 3. Loserpalooza (encompassing collections 5 and 6). 4. The Potpourrific Great Big Grab Bag of Get Fuzzy (encompassing collections 7 and 8). (not yet released - release date is currently 9/1/08) These comics are beyond hilarious, and I would highly recommend them to pet lovers/haters of all ages. :)

This third treasury in the get Fuzzy series is a wonderfully funny collection of daily strips done since the last treasury was printed. Like the previous two, the cartoons are both black and white, and the weekend ones are in glorious color. I had the feeling that some strips were omitted, and had a sense that they were not all in chronological order, but I havn't double checked my collection of cartoons cut from the papers yet - I've been too busy laughing. I do wish that there was a statement telling readers which years and which previous books were included in this third treasury, so I do not miss any. Much of the humor lately seems written for an older audience, perhaps, but my preteen grandson and I love the Get Fuzzy characters, jokes and short weekly themes. Bucky's sideways glare and the sad wonder of Satch express emotion without a single word needed. This collection is still very fresh and enjoyable, but I agree with a previous reviewer that lately in 2007 the author occasionaly gets too wordy and loses the simple basic focal points that made the strip so incredibly catchy six years ago. May Darby Conley continue the strip, and may be inspired to keep it simple and fun. For the heavy thoughts, I'll read Doonesbury; for years of fun, laughs, and emotions, I'll read Get Fuzzy books again and again - including Loserpalooza.

If you have (or have ever had) a dog or a cat, you will absolutely love Get Fuzzy. Rob, the main human character, works in advertising and spends most of his free time with his . . . well, his roommates, who just happen to be a dog and a cat. Satchel is a big, sweet, rather stupid dog with a heart of gold; Bucky is a nasty, cynical, mean cat with a tongue of steel. And Rob . . . well, he's usually the straight man. Like Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost, the villain here -- Bucky -- is the most interesting of the characters; his evil nature makes him more vivid. But he's loveable, I suppose, because he's not completely evil. In the midst of a scheme to exploit Satchel somehow, he will sneak into Rob's bedroom at night and cuddle. Of course, when the scheme is discovered he's haughty and unapologetic; when the cuddling is discovered, he's horrified that his softer side may be showing. That's Bucky, and he's sort of the essence of kittyness, just as Satch is a dog's dog. Again, if you've ever shared your home with a dog or cat, you'll be falling out of your chair laughing.