So Sue Me!: So Sue Me! Cartoons on the Law

Although most readers know Harris for his informed and witty gibes at science, he's also launched a few salvos at the silliness of the medical and, in this case, legal professions. Lord knows there's plenty for him to work with. First, there are the lawbreakers. One cartoon shows two convicts arguing in a prison yard, with telling the other, "What do you know? You were only a lawyer. I was a judge." Another shows a well-dressed business man strolling out of a bank, waving to the guard as he passes by. The caption reads "Perpetrator of a daring, daylight, illegal electronic transfer of funds, fleeing the scene of the crime." Not a fleet flight at all. More than the lawbreakers, Harris teases the lawmakers. A courtroom swearing-in displays the caption "Do you swear to tell your version of truth as you perceive it, clouded perhaps by the passage of time and preconceived notions?" Truly, truth isn't what it used to be. Then Harris delivers a realistic chill as two judges leave a courtoom, saying "The opportunity to be fair and just is rewarding - but what I especially like is taking the law into my own hands." A scene in a patent attorney's office strike closer to home for me. It shows the lawyer addressing a waiting room full of hopefuls, saying "Go home! The world has enough stuff! We don't need any more!" I found the publication date, 1993, a bit startling - and some of the panels go back to the 1980s. The startling part was how timeless so many of these comics are; they could have been drawn from today's headlines. I'm also amused to see that the Rutger University Press printed this book. It suggests that they don't take themselves entirely seriously, or that they do see serious purpose in Harris's well-placed barbs. Either way, I like the statement they made. -- wiredweird