John Callahan (1) (1951–2010)

I'm not gonna lie - I thought that Callahan's artwork sucked until I learned that he was a quadriplegic with limited use of his arms. But his physical disability certainly had no effect on his wit and humor. I actually laughed out loud at some of the strips. It does get pretty dark at times, and some of the comics are about disabilities, which some people complain about as being 'ableist'.

Fuck that noise. If a disabled man can laugh at disabilities, the rest of us should be able to.

Of show more course, by that I certainly don't mean mocking or mistreating disabled people, any more than we should mistreat people based on race, sex, orientation, etc. But admit it, we've all laughed at sexist jokes, racist jokes, etc, there's a time and place to do so and Callahan really nails it. show less

I know exactly what the guy on the cover feels like because I was actually in a situation almost identical to that, lol. And I think that's one of the things that make Callahan's work so appealing. There's a lot of dark humor, and situations that many of us can identify, or at least sympathize with, even if we laugh at it.

This collection of Callahan's cartoons, including his brief autobiography, has a less sharp edge than his later bookeven if it has an "Adult Swim" vibe. There's still jokes about addiction, fat people, disability, and mental illness, but at this point in his career, there's a visible empathy, a clear "survivor humor".

Although not yet critically acclaimed, this book deserves a wider readership. It is the story of the King of Things who controls his environment with a complex system of strings, and the change that comes when he realizes that you can't control everything, especially the Cranberry Clown.

This wonderful book for young readers was written in poem form by John Callahan, a cartoonist with a penchant for black humor. There are glimpses of that black humor (like when he mentions the gators and show more sharks and "everything else they were chomping on") which will appeal to young readers but not alienate them. The rhyming poem form makes the book easy to read for most young readers.

Actually, the book is very inviting, especially with the fanciful, full-color watercolor and ink illustrations which depict the King of Things in various emotional states, from surprised (with bulging eyes) to sad (with tear-spewing eyes). The illustrations show how extensive the King's grip is, but they also show how the Cranberry Clown is able to reside outside of the King's domain.

The message of this book is poignant and clear: everyone is a king in this world and trying to control the actions of others at all times is undesirable because spontaneity is valuable. This is a message that young readers (and readers of all ages) can take to heart. show less