The popularity of Sherman's Lagoon continues to swell like the perfect wave. The strip's rather slow namesake shark is back with more urbane wit and capricious creatures in his famous lagoon. While the imagery and setting appeal to a younger generation, Sherman and his pals' clever dialogue and outlandish hang-ups appeal to their parents and grandparents as well. Sherman the dim-witted shark and his cast of characters in Sherman's Lagoon provide enough laughs for a barrel of monkeys, not that they've ever seen any. The Lagoonies, as they're known to regular comic strip readers, are a motley crew—mostly of sea life—known for their acerbic humor. There's Megan, Sherman's wife (a soft-touch despite the tough exterior). Fillmore the sea turtle makes up for Sherman's lack of intellect. Hawthorne the hermit crab resides in a beer can and is always in a "crabby" mood. Ernest the fish is a computer whiz, and Thornton the polar bear stumbled upon the island while floating by on an iceberg. Captain Quigley is the only human (or "beach ape") who resides in Sherman's Lagoon. He lost his leg to Sherman and is now out for revenge, but never quite gets close enough. To round out the cast there's Bob the bottom dweller. Enough said. 

  Readers love Sherman and his friends for their hilarious reflections of human behavior as seen through a seawater lens. Jim balances the lighthearted antics of this quirky group by promoting the importance of marine conservation. Sherman's Lagoon is quite a catch!

Sherman's Lagoon has been in syndication since 1991, and boasts a circulation of more than 200 daily newspapers on five continents.

A Day at the Beach

$18.99

Fish are people too. Or so it seems on the imaginary island of Kapupu, the setting for the wet and witty sea creatures of Sherman's Lagoon. For more than a decade, creator Jim Toomey has delighted readers with his off-center look at pop culture through the eyes of its namesake character, Sherman, and his coral-reef companions. Now, for the first time, the very best of this cast of lagoonies is captured in a treasury of classics. Sherman's Lagoon 1991-2001: Greatest Hits and Near Misses gives readers the opportunity to follow the evolution of the satirical strip from the first day it ran in the Escondido (Calif.) Times-Advocate on May 13, 1991, all the way up to the present day.This comprehensive collection highlights the complete history of the adventures of Sherman, the happy-go-lucky, brain-go-slow shark, and his lagoon-dwelling friends, including:o Fillmore the turtle, Sherman's sensible sidekicko Hawthorne, the cranky, beer can-dwelling hermit crabo Megan, Sherman's pearl-clad wifeo Ernest, the big-brained philosophical fisho And Thornton, the surfboard-toting polar bearThe compendium also features the funniest moments from the occasional humans who have inhabited the make-believe lagoon, such as Captain Quigley, the vengeful fisherman who lost his leg to Sherman years ago.This master collection of Jim Toomey's colorful cast of creatures will be treasured by longtime fans-and provide those new to the satirical strip an opportunity to catch up on all the underwater fun they've missed during the last decade.

Sherman's Lagoon 1991 to 2001

$18.95

Sherman's Lagoon is popular because it's funny-not just cute or silly, but truly laugh-out-loud funny. As in many other great cartoons, the main protagonists are animals; however, the residents of Sherman's Lagoon also are genuine, well-developed characters, complete with personalities, moods, neuroses, and their own unique points of view. Whimsically rendered yet written with sophisticated, edgy humor, Sherman's Lagoon has garnered a large, loyal, and diverse fan base.

Welcome to the world of Sherman's Lagoon! Sherman is a carefree shark; he's carefree because he doesn't know any better. Fillmore the Sea Turtle, Sherman's sidekick, is a philosophical sort who does what he can to make up for Sherman's lack of sense. Ernest is a fish of indeterminate species with the technical savvy and dubious intentions of an ace computer hacker-in fact, he is one. Sherman's wife, Megan, possesses a ruthless yet nurturing nature. Hawthorne, the macho hermit crab, is not actually a hermit, but he is actually crabby. Thornton is an expatriate polar bear who drifted into the tropical lagoon on a wayward iceberg and decided to stay. Captain Quigley, the token human (or "hairless beach ape" in the local dialect), is bent on Sherman's destruction. This ambition may be traced to the fact that Quigley is a crusty old fisherman and Sherman is a fish. Or it may be traced to a long-ago incident in which Sherman ate Quigley's leg!

In addition to satirizing human behavior, Sherman and his friends occasionally have to contend with the threat of encroachment by the beach apes on their unspoiled tropical home. The strip has been lauded by activist groups for promoting the importance of marine conservation.

Catch of the Day

$10.95