Creepy Susie: And 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children

Are you taken with the twisted tales of Edward Gorey? Do you delight in the off-kilter visions of Tim Burton? Well my brothers & sisters, have I got a book for you. Run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of Creepy Susie and 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children. Between these shiny pink covers lies a whole world of naughty happiness. Read them and perhaps you, too, will ponder these questions: Where have you been all my life, Angus Oblong? Why have I not experienced the dark joy of your tragic tales long before now? How could I get this far in life without speaking the name "Eric Twinklebutt?"

The book is designed to resemble a children's book (in style, at least, not in size), but these stories are clearly show more meant for adults. Twisted adults. Adults who enjoy The Simpsons and who cackle over the antics of the kids on South Park. I don't think it's exaggerating to say that there's something here to offend everyone, but it's also screamingly funny, with characters ranging from stick-figure Barbie-clones called The Debbies, to a very stupid vampire who bites all the wrong things, to the aforementioned Creepy Susie and her star-crossed romance with the dashing Eric Twinklebutt (I'm sure that it's bad and wrong and the outward sign of some deep-seated problem that I get so much joy out of saying that name. Sigh.).

Creepy Susie is only 165 pages long, and most of the space on the page is taken up by illustrations. The longest story has 15 pages; the shortest has only 3 (if you count the title page). But each story is a dark comic gem, sparkling with demented charm. The illustrations only add to my enjoyment; it's as if someone gave Damien a crayon and told him to amuse himself.

So who is this Angus Oblong fella? The Bio printed on the back cover of the book claims that he is legally insane and an avid collector of dead trees. It also claims that he writes and illustrates children's books actually meant for children. Be still my heart - this imagination let loose in kiddie-land? I'd pay good money to see that. show less

Wonderfully horrible or horribly wonderful, this book was a... delight?... to read. As the back cover reads: "Your mother never told you these stories. She didn't want to scare you. But Angus Oblong is not your mother." Bordering on offensive, these shocking stories are not for everyone, but if you're not everyone, they're hilarious.

Both horrifying and humorous, these thirteen illustrated stories include: The Debbies; Stupid Betsy; Waldo & Bean; Little Scooter; Happy Happy Happy Happy Sammy!!!; Milo's Disorder; Creepy Susie; Emily, Amputee; Narcoleptic Scottie; Sibling Rivalry...; Rosie's Crazy Mother; Jenny, Jenny, Jenny, and Babette, the Siamese Quadruplets; Dick and Muffy; and Mary Had a Little Chainsaw.

Experiments in Reading

If you ever run across a zombie, and you just happen to have this book with you, you have nothing to fear. There are so many things listed that you can do with your zombie, you’ll never have to worry about how to keep him occupied. It’s an eclectic mix of activities, some of which actually sounded like fun. The illustrations really make the book - take time to enjoy them.

What to say about Creepy Susie.... Well its certainly a good book for cheering you up thats for sure.

When this book arrived i was thinking it would be a book of short warped stories so i was rather surprised to find it like a comic in the way it was told with illustrations and little quirky sentences.


Much like the Bunny Suicide books, the illustrations themselves were relatively simple and fit well with the short text that went with them. My favorite out of the bunch would be the sibling rivalry, it had me in stitches and I had to show it to a friend.

This book took only twenty minutes to get through but it is well worth getting if you're interested in warped little books of humour that are meant for brightening your day. If I had a show more coffee table this would be left there for anyone to read. show less

If you are into dark humour and potty-type jokes this Angus Oblong book will not disappoint you. I went looking for this book all over Toronto and was thrilled when I finally found it at a Chapters location downtown - randomly shelved at the price of 1.99. The cartoons in the book are equally as important as the hilarious little statements found on every page.
This book is NOT suitable for children...just for immature adults *Smile* :)

A collection of very short, illustrated stories, Creepy Susie is disturbing, funny, gross, and extremely twisted. Many of the kids I know will love it, but it's really an adult cartoon.

Ew. Not funny, not clever, not delightfully twisted--no wit, no gallows humor, no emotional connection to anything. This lacked both subtlety and style. No heart. Just ew.