"Insightful and venomously cynical political cartoons . . . Rall straddles stereotypes, avoids party lines like live wires. . . . A true freethinker." --Las Vegas Mercury

There simply isn't a more polarizing, more controversial, or more widely read political and social cartoonist than Ted Rall.

Matt Groening: "Ted Rall makes me laugh out loud." 

Rush Limbaugh: "What is sad is that such an ignoramus ends up as a prominent cartoonist in major newspapers."

Janet Clayton, L.A. Times editorial page editor: "He's wonderfully incisive. He has a way of looking at the world that is rarely articulated in editorial cartoons."

Bernard Goldberg, author of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America: "There is loathsome and there is beneath loathsome. And then there's Ted Rall."

Love him or hate him, Rall has a unique drawing style and makes caustic social commentary that sets him apart from the pack. America Gone Wild features Rall's most controversial cartoons assembled for the first time in a single collection. Rall views his strips as a vehicle for driving social change. He applies his outrageous sense of humor to volatile topics from 9/11 and the Iraq war to social issues such as unemployment, the environment, and religion. This collection comprises his edgiest material and features lengthy behind-the-scenes commentary from Rall.

This zany strip enters the comic-collection scene with circus-like zeal. All that's missing is a parade of elephants and a clown-car escort.

Gary and Glenn McCoy's delightfully absurd comic panel blends superheroes, office humor, huggable animals, and twisted relationships in a bizarre marriage of Gary Larson, the New Yorker, Conan O'Brien, and Mad Magazine. Put succinctly, the brothers McCoy present "comics for a bold new world." 

Creating a world where greeting cards heal hospital patients, police officers pull over children driving bumper cars, babies use the patch to quell the pacifier habit, and nudists find out what constitutes a streaker in their colony, the St. Louis area natives alternate writing and drawing duties for the daily panel.

The brothers each have been nominated for multiple National Cartoonists Society awards, and Glenn has won in three categories. Gary McCoy's past as a comedian (he won HBO's Stand-Up Stand-Off contest for the St. Louis area in 1995) also shines through in the strip's offbeat humor.

Their impressive freelance client list reads like a who's who in cartooning: Disney, DreamWorks, and Hyperion, to name just a few.

I think comic strips can enlighten as well as entertain. Adolescence is a very funny time, except when you're in it. Many teens feel alone in their struggles; I want to show them that adolescence may be scary but it isn't fatal. Finding the humor amid the horror is helpful." Luann DeGroot is a 16 year old girl who's full of spirited personality-and agonizing confusion. Like all teens, she's happy if she can stumble through a day without totally embarrassing herself. She lives with typical parents and an annoying older brother. Luann and her best buds, Bernice and Delta, along with a lively cast of characters from Pitts School, struggle with the euphoric highs and devastating lows that torment the life of a contemporary teen. From small events (a pop quiz) to large (a daring fire rescue), Luann 3 delivers the kind of poignant, honest, amusing stories that have made Luann a reader favorite for 21 years. Luann is featured in 400 newspapers worldwide, and LuannsRoom.com receives 80,000 hits a day. Luann consistently ranks in the top five in newspaper surveys and is often number one with female readers. Luann, the Musical, from Pioneer Drama, has been performed by hundreds of theater groups across the country.

In 1991, I wanted another baby," writes creator Lynn Johnston. "Since it wasn't possible to do in reality, I made one up! Baby April appeared April 1st of that year and has added a great deal of creative fun to the strip. . . ."

The Pattersons have never exactly been all "sweetness and light." As any For Better or For Worse fan can attest, this entertaining family endures just as many of life's downs as ups, but they always seem to keep moving forward. Now, however, parents Elly and John experience life in all directions as their youngest daughter, April, becomes a teenager!

In true For Better or For Worse style, the best-selling strip examines all the good and bad of "teenagedom," while keeping it in context of the rest of the family's other joys and challenges. Readers will smile knowingly as John and Elly try to decipher teen-speak, deal with their own protective parental tendencies, and struggle to give their maturing daughter the independence she wants and needs. Then just when the wide, wide world of 13-year-olds is at its most intense, everything from fired coworkers to another new grandbaby vie for everyone's attention.

This collection of daily and Sunday strips demonstrates once again that Johnston's ability to intertwine the lives of all her characters with the reader's own is remarkable. She's Turning into One of Them! will have them laughing, crying, and shaking their heads in the best For Better or For Worse fashion. Life? Bring it on!

FoxTrot is character driven, as opposed to silly situation or slapstick humor. It is one of the most entertaining comic strips in America.

Meet the Fox family:

*  Roger, the sports-enthusiast father stuck in the middle rung of the corporate ladder.

*Andy, mother and mediator of the family. Always wanted lots of kids. Now knows better. Her gourmet specialty?-tofu casserole.

* Peter has never known a food he couldn't eat, but otherwise is a typical high schooler. Inherited the sports nut gene from Roger.

* Paige. Egads, a freshman! Mall rat, Cosmo queen. Knows full well Mr. Right is right around the corner . . . or the next one . . . or the next.

* Jason is the youngest sibling. This warped little genius' favorite pastimes include tormenting his sister and get-rich-quick schemes.

* And finally, Quincy, Jason's iguana. Vomits on Paige's pillow when not sleeping or eating. What more could a 10 year old boy ask for?

FoxTrot is a hugely popular comic strip, with twenty-three successful collections and nine treasuries. Appearing in over 1000 newspapers, three million FoxTrot books are in circulation. Jam-Packed FoxTrot features strips from Orlando Bloom Has Ruined Everything, My Hot Dog Went Out, Can I Have Another?, and How Come I'm Always Luigi?

It's been said politics makes for strange bedfellows. In this case, those fellows just happen to be furry. In Dog vs. Cat: A Nation Divided, cartoonist Don Asmussen creates a fun and fluffy mix of politics and pets that's outside the box. The litter box, that is.

It has become ever apparent in recent years that divisiveness is poisoning our national debate. Discussion and compromise have been replaced by name-calling, bullying, and veiled hate speech. Never in our history has our country been so fractured between these two groups . . . dog lovers and cat lovers.

Using metaphors from the political scene of both yesterday and today, Dog vs. Cat humorously parodies government silliness and squabbles through the eyes of a cartoon canine and kitty. Humorist Don Asmussen takes us behind the scenes for an investigative look at the controversial Spot vs. Mittens election-one that nearly scratched and clawed our country apart. The media gets accused of cat bias in its coverage of Mittens's affair with JenniPURR Flowers. Meanwhile, Spot's dog license is called into question at the Cat National Convention.

Perfect for the pet owner who keeps an eye on the political arena, Dog vs. Cat scoops the stories-and then the yard-of all the funny, quirky things that cat lovers, dog lovers, and elected humans can do, all in the name of creating a pet-ter tomorrow.

Parenting is a competitive sport these days. With all the pressure on the modern parent, a little comic relief is not just welcome; it's a matter of survival. Because I'm the Child Here and I Said So offers a much-needed hilarious first-aid kit for parents of all types.

Between the fat stacks of parenting books designed to engender paranoia and hyper-competitiveness, and the culture that demands everyone must "have it all," today's parents don't stand a chance. Because I'm the Child Here and I Said So by cartoonist Pat Byrnes is a gleeful send-up of modern parenting: the obsession, the sport, the pseudo science, and all the maddening challenges parenting presents.

Each full-color cartoon features a smart punch line that will make you smile (or wince in recognition):

* "A birthday party? Didn't we already do that kind of crap with your older sister?"

* "I couldn't find a sitter, so I got a video."

* "Just remember, son, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose-unless you want Daddy's love."

Be advised, if you find yourself relating to any of the parents in this book, you need to chill out. Fortunately, Because I'm the Child Here and I Said So is the antidote to all your parenting woes. Whether you keep it for your own sanity or give it to a desperate parent, the cartoons of Pat Byrnes will delight and amuse.

Creator Pat Brady received the 2004 Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year from the National Cartoonists Society. He's previously been honored as a nominee for the award seven times, and Rose is Rose has been nominated five times for the Society's Best Newspaper Comic Strip Award.

Rose is Rose has long garnered attention from fans across the country and around the world. When the National Cartoonists Society named Rose creator Pat Brady Outstanding Cartoonist of 2004 it only confirmed what those readers already knew in their hearts: Brady rolls out one of the best strips in the business.

Red Carpet Rose is Brady's first book since he received the NCS honors. As the seven previous Rose is Rose books have done before, this one continues the tales of the hilarious Gumbo family: Rose, her husband, Jimbo, and their devilish, delightful, and demanding son, Pasquale. Brady deftly captures the innocent and ageless qualities of wonder and awe at the world's boundless experiences, as seen through the lives of his beloved characters.

Whether the Gumbos are sharing a simple family moment in the park, Pasquale is pushing his little-boy limits, or Rose is morphing into her Biker Chic alter ego, this Rose is Rose compilation of daily and Sunday strips delivers all the fun, laughter, and family-loving moments that mark Brady's work. This is cartooning at its best!

After ten book collections and a treasury, great white shark Sherman and the Lagoonies celebrate 15 years of life under the sea with this new collection of creator Jim Toomey's daily cartoons and full-color Sundays.

In an imaginary lagoon near the island of Kapupu in the South Pacific lives a group of nutty but sophisticated underwater creatures-complete with neuroses that rival those of humans (also known as "hairless beach apes"). Their wet world, oddly enough, is not so different from our own.

Sherman, a great white shark, is a typical guy, and Megan is his ruthless but nurturing wife. Rounding out the aquatic crew are Fillmore the turtle, geeky fish Ernest, and macho hermit crab Hawthorne. Salty old Captain Quigley, who lost his leg to Sherman years ago, is hell-bent on seeking revenge against the shark.

Sherman and friends effectively reflect human behavior and occasionally must confront humans' encroachment on their unspoiled habitat. Activist groups have applauded this comic strip with a social conscience for promoting marine conservation.

Sherman's Lagoon has been syndicated since 1991, currently by King Features, and has a circulation of more than 200 daily newspapers on five continents.

"Ziggy must be part of me, because he feels as if he's been with me all my life." --Tom Wilson

No matter where you are, no matter what's going on in your life, Ziggy has been there. For the past 35 years, readers around the world have picked up newspapers, opened greeting card envelopes, or caught sight of T-shirts and there's Ziggy, unfailingly showing how to appreciate life and find the silver lining in any cloud. 

Tom Wilson's character--an admirable mix of Ben Franklin, Dale Carnegie, and Forrest Gump all rolled into a little bald icon--strikes a chord in everyone. And that's why so many will cherish A Little Character Goes a Long Way, a celebration of Ziggy himself. After all, it's the character of this character that's earned Ziggy such a special place in our hearts.

This treasury includes many classic Ziggy frames and strips, each highlighting the traits that make Ziggy the upbeat, hopeful, and unflappable optimist that he is. There's Ziggy generally making molehills and wrinkles out of life's highest mountains and lowest valleys; Ziggy and his menagerie of pets; and Ziggy taking the time to appreciate nature's beauty at its best. This little Everyperson reminds us all of what's really important, and this treasury will undoubtedly do the same.

Some believe that the key to humor is timing. Others think it lies in a slightly distorted presentation of the familiar. E. B. White thought that humor ceased to exist upon close examination. But if anyone has humor figured out, it's Stephan Pastis. His philosophy is written in black felt pen on the bulletin board in his home office. It reads: 'When in doubt, kill cute things.'"

Lock up your valuables. Stockpile your ammunition. Sandbag your bunker. The familiar foursome of Rat, Pig, Goat, and Zebra-joined now by the fraternity of Zeeba Zeeba Eata crocodiles are here to storm the ramparts of humor in The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised.

In this fourth collection from the award-winning comic strip Pearls Before Swine, Stephan Pastis deploys all the weapons of his comic arsenal in an all-out attack on the animal (and human) imperfections he sees around him. The result is a collection jam-packed with the sharp-edged humor that has made Pearls Before Swine one of the most successful comic strips running in newspapers today.

Just remember: As The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised makes clear, Pearls Before Swine takes no prisoners.

We warned you.

Over the years, Garfield the cat has struck a chord with readers who can identify with his laidback, shall-we-say-lazy approach to life. The famous feline--whose passion for food and sleep is matched only by his aversion to diet and exercise (he prefers lie-downs to sit-ups)--has become the poster cat for all kinds of people, none of whom would ever describe themselves as "Type A's."

To celebrate being the world's favorite feline, Garfield introduces I'm in the Mood for Food: In the Kitchen with Garfield.

Chock-full of tasty recipes, the cookbook also features spot art and food-related Garfield comics in color. I'm in the Mood for Food includes chapters on Family Food, Party Food, Pasta, Outdoor Cooking, Kids' Recipes, Snacks, and Desserts. Consider some of these mouth-watering morsels: Lazy Cat's Lasagna, Color Me Hungry Red Pepper Potato Frittata, Royal Roasted Lemon-Herb Chicken and I'd Rather Be Happy Than Thin Chocolate-Chunk Cookies. All in all, I'm in the Mood for Food will appeal to cooks everywhere, especially those who love Garfield and, like him, believe that the best things in life are edible.