With fatherhood looming, I kept seeing that six-year-old version of myself drawing comics in his bedroom, and I thought how crushed he would be to find out that I had given up on our dream. . . . So, three months after my daughter was born, I submitted Cow and Boy." -Mark Leiknes, creator of Cow and Boy Evocative of a boy and his pet beagle, or a precocious six-year-old and his imaginary pet tiger, Cow and Boy isn't afraid to tackle the complex relationship that exists between a boy and his cow.More Cow and BoyTo balance yin, there is yang. To complement day, we have night. There are just some things in life that harmonize with one another and Mark Leiknes's Cow and Boy creation definitely benefits from the paradox of its two central characters, namely one towheaded boy named Billy and his trusty bell-ringing sidekick Cow, who move through life's adventures with a refined balance of curiosity, meaning, pathos, and humor. From inspired games of chess to grassy afternoon talks of reincarnation to lakeside swimming-hole ponderings that make room for a game of charades, Cow and Boy thoughtfully explores a different species of friendship in the funny pages.

  Fifteen-year-old Jeremy Duncan is the heart and soul of puberty. A typical teen, Jeremy is shy, self-absorbed, and bored. He loves hanging out and playing the guitar. He lives in the shadow of his older brother's perfect 4.0 grade-point-average, athletic talents, and flawless complexion. Jeremy's girlfriend, Sara, loves that she can get him to do anything for her. His best friends are Hector and Pierce, whom he's known for-almost-ever. His parents? Uncool baby boomers. (Unless you're a parent, then they are two suburban professionals just trying to do the best they can with a teenager going through that "awkward" phase.)

  The enormously popular comic strip Zits depicts teenage and parental angst like no other. Teenage Tales is a cornucopia of Zits for die-hard fans everywhere. Zits can be seen in more than 1,100 newspapers, which is almost unheard of—only 18 other comic strips have achieved that extraordinary milestone. Zits has also won the National Cartoonists Society's Best Comic Strip of the Year award for two years in a row.

Syndicated by United Feature Syndicate, Get Fuzzy appears in 250 newspapers, from the Los Angeles Times to the Detroit Free Press to the Philadelphia Enquirer. Darby Conley's first book, This Dog Is Not a Toy, sold more than 115,000 copies; his second book, Fuzzy Logic, more than 85,000.When he was a child, Darby Conley used to wonder what his beloved pooch was thinking. That curiosity led to his creation of the hilarious strip Get Fuzzy in 1999, which has rapidly become one of the most popular cartoons in newspaper syndication. Showcasing the relationship between Bucky, a temperamental cat with an attitude; the sweet and sensitive dog Satchel; and their mild-mannered human companion, Rob Wilco, Get Fuzzy has cornered the market on anthropomorphic antics.

Anyone who finds animals both amazing and amusing will find this new Get Fuzzy collection one of the most bitingly funny books ever printed.

 "[Zits] is one of the most visually innovative comic strips to come along in years. Borgman's graphic pyrotechnics are the perfect complement to Scott's carefully designed layouts."—Brian Walker, The Comics Since 1945The world is full of issues but none so pressing as those faced by a teenager. For proof, look no further than Zits, the timely teenage-focused strip that now appears in more than 1,100 newspapers worldwide. This two-time recipient of the National Cartoonists Society's Award for Best Newspaper Comic Strip follows the life of 15-year-old Jeremy Duncan, a kid bursting with questions, concerns, hormones, and insecurities. Cast adrift between the worlds of peer and parent, Jeremy survives by clinging to his sense of humor . . . the universal flotation device of the teenage years.

  Creators Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman pull all of this eating, dating, driving, and parental angst and energy together in Road Trip! Zits Sketchbook #7. This hilarious collection contains the very popular series of strips that follows Jeremy and his best amigo, Hector, as they actually (okay, and accidentally) get to test-drive their van. Yes, that van on the cover.