Brad Rader

"It's alive! The Butt is alive!"

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-book for review through NetGalley.)

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 where necessary.

My husband introduced me to Bob's Burgers right before the start of Season 5, and I promptly binge-watched it on Netflix in all of a week.

There's just so much to love: The burger puns, of course. (SO MANY BURGER PUNS. I may or may not do a Bob's Burgers theme one of these VeganMoFos.) The butts. (SO MANY BUTTS.) In Tina, a complex, fully show more realized teenage girl who's neither denigrated not mocked for her love of horses, fan fic, boy bands, and (wait for it) butts. (Think of how The Family Guy treats Meg, and then imagine the complete opposite.) The evil, scheming genius that is Louise (voiced by a wonderfully screechy Kristen Schaal). Gene and his burger suit. Linda and her penchant for wine.

If you're a fan of the show, you'll love the comic book; if you're not a fan, you might get a kick out of the weird humor anyway, and then go DVR Bob's Burgers for good measure. (Sunday nights at 7:30 Eastern, yo!) Not only are the comics considered canon, but there's quite a bit of crossover and continuity between the two (exhibit A: Boo-Boo from Boyz 4 Now).

This collection (and I hope there are more!) includes Issues 1-5, each of which has the following features:
* Tina's Erotic Friend Fiction
* Burger of the Day Ideas
* Louise's Unsolved Mysteries and Curious Curiosities
* Letters from Linda
* Gene Belcher Presents

The humor perfectly mirrors that of the show; it's easy to picture any one of these stories turned into a full-length episode (or, in the case of Bob and Linda's smaller contributions, featured as a gag). Just as with the show, I have a pretty strong preference for Tina's Erotic Friend Fic (Battleship Galac-tina, I would watch the crap out of you), Louise's Unsolved Mysteries ("Louise's Legacy," you give me feelings), and Bob's Burger of the Day Ideas (book-inspired burgers for the win!).

The collection also includes a number of issue covers and pin-up art, all of which are hella fun - colorful, visually striking, and just generally in keeping with the aesthetic of the show. All it's missing is Gayle and a new installation of her animal butt art.

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This is a tough one. It's a good crime noir, but it's filled with racist, sexist and homophobic slurs. I believe it's because that's the way people spoke in the 50s, but it still makes it difficult to read in parts. However, I think it's worth the read.

I'm just here for Tina's erotic friend fiction-

Edit, after reading: Very amusing stories and true to each character. I obviously liked Tina's sections the best as she's my fave character on the show. I do feel that all the stories were too short and ended somewhat abruptly-- they seemed to build up to a climax, only to drop the plot line and wrap everything up in a neat bow in the space of one page, so that was kind of disappointing.

It's not often that I read comics. In fact, it's probably been at least fifteen years. Not that that matters, because I will happily watch, read, or listen to anything Bob's Burgers-related. That silly cartoon is one of my favorite shows, and the first volume of its comic does not disappoint.

Each character gets their own story, and everything is very true to the show. I particularly enjoyed Tina's Erotic Friend Fictions, mostly because Tina is my favorite character and I've always wondered show more what she has hidden away in those journals of hers...

The first one may have been the best. I nearly fell out of my bed when I read the following exchange:

"What's your name, stud?"
"Horse Jimmy Jr."

Because of course Tina would write about herself and Jimmy Jr. as horses. Of course.

There's not a lot to say about this one, aside from highly recommending it to any fan of the show.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy.

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