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GAG-HAG
by various
($4.00 from Onsmith,
www.onsmithcomics.com)
Review by Rick Bradford
Ah, the grand old tradition of gag cartooning! While the majority of mainstream magazines has more or less sent gag cartoonists to bed without any supper, it's good to know that there are still artists out there who love the format. I could definitely see something like
Gag-Hag as an ongoing title. In this volume are straight gags, surrealism, non sequiturs and content guaranteed to offend your mom. Each cartoonist has several gags spread throughout and the roster makes this a must-have item in my book. I imagine a publisher can't really go wrong when the talent consists of Ivan Brunetti (what's a gag cartoon collection without Brunetti?), Chris Cilla, John Hankiewicz, Ted May, Johnny Ryan, Dan Zettwoch, David King, Onsmith and Bryce Somerville. Of these, King (whose cartoons could've been pulled out of some 1950s men's mag), Brunetti (traditional approach, non-traditional jokes) and Johnny Ryan really make me nostalgic for the heyday of the form. Several of the others (Cilla, Hankiewicz, Zettwoch) turn gag cartooning on its ear and kick it in the face a bit. Anyhow, I highly recommend this one. Now go buy lots of copies so Onsmith will do another!
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