Get Your War On II

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Summary: Since they're tracking your reading habits anyway...
Review:
Give them something worth tracking:

"You know who I've really come to like in all of this? John Ashcroft. The guy just gives me a good feeling...Man, these are some powerful antidepressants. Even my smiles are smiling." ~ D. Rees

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Summary: Funnier than . . .
Review: . . . a bagfull of monkeys drafting foreign policy. And the most straightforward political commentary since Tom Paine. On speed. If you have even one cynical bone in your body (you know -- that sense of slightly defeatist but NOT defeat-ED humor that's produced when you actually perceive the breadth of incredible social possibility utterly pulped by realpolitik "reality"), GET THIS BOOK. You will laugh 'till you pee. And you'll register to vote again the very next day. Three times, probably.
Guarantee it.

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Summary: Holy f*** this is funny
Review: David Rees brings the funniest and most penetrating perspective to our current political climate, bar none. Plus, I'm particularly pleased with the stock art selection: the women are gorgeous and the men are Lank Thompson handsome.

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Summary: Hilarious and timely!
Review: David Rees has done it again--provided us with just the sharp-edged comic relief we need in troubled times. He did it with Afghanistan in the first Get Your War On, and this book is even funnier, more ambitious as it tackles Iraq, weapons of mass destruction, and George W. Bush.

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Summary: The Best Use I've Seen of Red Ink
Review: During 9/11 and the subsequent invasion in Afghanistan, David Rees was a temporary employee at Martha Stewart Omnimedia (Probably not the best place for a long term career). He then started a cartoon strip that has been called the intelligent response to the War on Terrorism. Anyone who has ever worked in a cubicle will immediately identify with these cubicle denizons who spend their life on the phone solving the world's problems.

The book, printed in the signature red ink it is a collection of cartoons that would otherwise be lost in the day to day trash with the newspaper. And for those who don't live where this strip is available, here is a single dose of wisdom on the Antrax scare, sovereignty in Iraq, and more.

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Summary: Yes! Reese does it again!
Review: GWYO was one of my favorite all time comics, and Rees follows it up with another hilarious book. I want part III!!!

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Summary: Right on the money...
Review: It's a neat trick, getting people to laugh at incredibly depressing observations.

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Summary: Damn
Review: Just like the first Get Your War On, this collection made my day. This book is perfect for people with a short attention span and left leaning politics.

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Summary: Great comic!
Review: This comic is the funniest thing on the planet, bar none. The sarcasm is so intense, this book may leave burn marks on your coffee table. I'd never stop laughing at his jokes, if I wasn't already so busy vomiting at the prospect of another Bush administration.

Rating:
Summary: a review, hopefully helpful to all
Review: You know what I've noticed? At the bottom of every review on Amazon, it asks "Was this review helpful to you?" and lets you click on yes or no. Yet perusual of books on any controversial subject - especially politics - leads me to suspect that people often vote yes/no on "do I agree with the politics of the reviewer?"

I'll try to review GYWO2 in a way that at least will be helpful for anyone, whether you saw "Farrenheit 9/11" or whether you never trust anyone not on Fox News.

This book collects a comic strip, which is entirely 3-panel strips using clip art. Presumably Rees wanted to do a comic but can't draw. The illustrations all show office workers talking, with a few variations, enough to suggest Rees is trying (and partly succeeding) to use the comics medium fully. It also suggests an "everyman perspective" for the material. All of the strips are on politics, almost always foreign policy - as the title suggests, the war on terror is the main focus. Here's a typical one-liner from this collection:

"Will future historians describe Bush's foreign policy as the Grand Theft Auto school of diplomacy?"

If you found that amusing, this looks like the book for you. If you're a conservative who found that to be a pile of crap, then definitely avoid this book, because it is pretty much all scathing criticism of the Bush administration.

A couple other factors that might influence your purchasing decision: this is also not a book for those who feel uncomfortable/offended by lots of swearing. Also of note, the author's royalties go to a charity that clears landmines from Afghanistan and other areas (though you could just contribute to them directly if you like).