The Pain: When Will it End?

Rating:
Summary: Tim Kreider is the funniest person in America
Review: A lot of people have been waiting for this book for a long time since we need to get a dose of Tim's cartoons every night before sleep and it's not practical or comfortable to bring a laptop to bed with you and go online. If I had the time or inclination (or analytical skills) to breakdown why exactly the drawings are so unbelievably funny I probably still wouldn't bother because I'd run the risk of ruining that moment when I see a Tim Kreider picture of Dick Cheney cringing or Condolezza Rice flashing the President's staff and I haven't even read the joke yet but I'm already in hysterics over the way it's drawn. There's just nobody in the world--not Steve Brodner or Oliphant or Ben Sargent or anyone--who wrings as much laughter out of his expressions and linework. It gets even better. Go to his website and click the "artist's statement" for each comic. They're every bit as funny as the comics themselves.

Rating:
Summary: "Pie before popcorn. . . ."
Review: Not very often does a book make me laugh so hard I accidentally snort Diet Coke out my nose. "The Pain" treads the line between high-brow intellect and complete retardation in a way that is completely addictive and hilarious. I read it from cover to cover and then read it again. I've already bought two copies for friends. I wish my local paper ran Mr. Kreider so I could see new work every week.

Rating:
Summary: Keider is the next great genius of political comics
Review: Think a more foul-mouthed and angrier Oliphant. Having seen the entire online collection of The Pain, I must say that depending on the themes, the comics are hit and miss (the "loser who never gets laid" schtick is really old), but when Kreider does draw blood, the result is some of the most brilliant political satire I have ever seen. If you want intelligent, exceedingly sharp, unbelievably funny and, above all, brutally honest liberal satire, and don't mind a bit of foul language, then this book is an absolute must have. Ten points out of five.

Rating:
Summary: Keider is the next great genius of political comics
Review: Think a more foul-mouthed and angrier Oliphant. Having seen the entire online collection of The Pain, I must say that depending on the themes, the comics are hit and miss (the "loser who never gets laid" schtick is really old), but when Kreider does draw blood, the result is some of the most brilliant political satire I have ever seen. If you want intelligent, exceedingly sharp, unbelievably funny and, above all, brutally honest liberal satire, and don't mind a bit of foul language, then this book is an absolute must have. Ten points out of five.

Rating:
Summary: If there is a God, it will never end
Review: This is a funny collection of cartoons which is perfect for smart, jaded, cynical people with dark senses of humor. It is not a book for the dumb, unattractive, faithful or optimistic.