Patrick McDonnell

A little cave boy named Tek remains stubbornly absorbed in his various electronic devices in this tongue-in-cheek picture-book examination of technological addiction. Nothing anyone can do, from his desperate parents to his hopeful best friend (an alligator named Larry), can tear him away. He misses everything from evolution to the Ice Age, until finally the local volcano has had enough and erupts, thereby separating Tek from his gadgets, and forcing him to see the beauty of the world around show more him...

An entertaining look at an ever-growing problem with today's younger generation - namely, an addiction to technological devices, and a resultant inability to interact with the non-digital world in a healthy way - Tek: The Modern Cave Boy manages to be quite thought-provoking, without ever feeling preachy. Everything, from the format of the book itself - it is formatted like a tablet, with cardboard covers designed to approximate such a device - to its title (surely a reference to people staying in their "caves" with their computers?) offers a commentary on the issue at hand. Recommended to anyone looking for stories that will prompt discussion about computer/TV addiction, and the importance of getting out into the natural world, as another means of education and entertainment. show less

Self-indulgent pap.

Mutts creator Patrick McDonnell takes a pair of scissors to a bunch of 1960s Marvel comic books to cobble together a half-assed story about Dr. Doom's new invention to spread negativity waves throughout the world, causing a bunch of superhero infighting and setting Uatu the Watcher and Reed Richards on a quest to bring back peace and calm. Between the panels written by Stan Lee and illustrated by the likes of Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, McDonnell self-inserts with some show more scenes from his own childhood, plasters in a bunch of inspirational quotes, and appalls with his own scribbled renditions of the superheroes with the stated intent to "capture the feeling of childhood."

Looks like garbage. Reads like garbage. Must be garbage.

(Best Graphic Novels of 2023 Project: I'm trying to read all the books on the Washington Post 10 Best Graphic Novels of 2023 list. Eight down, two to go! How many have you read?) show less

I used to enjoy reading the Mutts comic strip collections with my daughter when she was younger, but I haven't really been a regular reader for the last decade.

I do remember feeling sad whenever we came across any strips that featured Guard Dog, the lonely dog chained up in a neighborhood yard. So I was happy to hear that that storyline finally got some closure in the regular comic strip and has been given a special collection.

Be ready to get choked up as Guard Dog's chain binds him to the show more loneliest and most perilous moment in his long life of suffering.

Side note: The introductory text material contains numerous spoilers about the storyline. Skip directly to the strips if you want to preserve the surprises.

FOR REFERENCE:

Collects select Mutts strips from November 27, 1995 to October 12, 2023, almost all strips from November 6, 2023 to December 19, 2023, and the strip for February 14, 2024.

Contents:
• [Introduction] Our Dog – Guard Dog and Giving Voice to the Forgotten / Rob Thomas and Marisol Thomas
• The Time Was Now – The Story of Guard Dog / Patrick McDonnell
• A Selection of Classic Guard Dog Dailies and Sunday Strips – 1995-2023 / Patrick McDonnell
• The Guard Dog Story / Patrick McDonnell
• Afterwords – The animal welfare community reacts to the Guard Dog Story / Kitty Block, Katy Hansen, Karen Dawn, Ingrid Newkirk, Jim Nelson, Susanne Kogut
• True Stories – MUTTS readers share their experiences unchaining a dog / Melanie Wagner, Susie Slanina, Bethany Dalton, Cathy Tomlinson
• We Can All Do Something – A Resource Guide / Patrick McDonnell
• [Acknowledgments]
• About the Author show less

Cartoonist Patrick McDonell, creator of the Mutts comic-strip, brings his distinctive aesthetic style to the world of children's picture-books, producing a lovely wordless story in South. When a little bird misses the departure of his flock for places southward, because he is napping, he is very distraught. But then a kindhearted cat happens along, and taking the little stray under his wing, helps him to catch up to his migrating fellows...

I agree with my friend Gundula, who describes the show more style here as 'uncluttered.' McDonnell's artwork is deceptively simple: lots of blank page (light pink, in this case, since that is the color of the paper), simple lines and colors, lots of little musical notations, to indicate the singing of the birds. The end product, however, is immensely expressive - one feels the little bird's distress, and then growing fondness for his feline protector, as well as the cat's affectionate patience, with his somewhat demanding charge - and quite heartwarming. Recommended to anyone looking for engaging tales of friendship, or for wordless picture-books! show less