Merideth says: For some reason, I enjoyed this volume of the Penny Arcade reprints more than the previous one. Maybe because it's newer, and the issues under discussion are more current? Anyway, I still like Gabe and Tycho. ( )

"The Case of the Mummy's Gold" is the fifth randomly-named Penny Arcade book; the strips covered are from 2004. The extras - random sketches from Comicon 2005 - aren't really that interesting this time.

Krahulik and Holkins do wander further afield in terms of writing - golf, square dancing, a Cthulu Christmas sequence, and a number of other things depart from the gaming and geek humor that still make up most of the strip. The humor there is less trapped in topical events and knowledge of gaming/geek culture; even when the jokes are extremely topical, though, the commentary can keep it in context. Holkins' commentary itself is rarely overexplanatory, often adding humor of his own.

There's less change in the art; it's never bad, and the character designs continue to evolve, but apart from where they step outside of the normal strip format (Twisp & Catsby, Cardboard Tube Samurai, and the Cthulu Christmas sequence) there aren't the leaps or experiments of previous volumes.

Krahulik and Holkins can still tell a joke, of course. "Case of the Mummy's Gold" is an extremely funny book. ( )

When excellence is the general standard, it leaves a reviewer with very little to say... http://icantstopreading.wordpress.com... ( )