"MUTTS is the real thing, a comic strip that can touch, amuse and astound all at the same time."—Riverfront Times

  The comic strip MUTTS has won the National Cartoonists Society's coveted Comic Strip of the Year Award, and its author, Patrick McDonnell, has earned the NCS's Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year Award.

What Now? chronicles the humorous happenings of Earl the dog and his feline friend Mooch. As usual, the endearing pair can be counted on for laughs and charming adventures. In this collection, Mooch professes his love . . . for a little pink sock.

"How can I take you seriously with a little pink sock in your mouth?" asks Earl."This from a guy who wears a 'Shnoopy' collar," retorts Mooch.

Mooch's affection for his sock is so deep, he sings little songs about it. But the love affair comes to an abrupt end when his pal Earl buries it to try to end the obsession. Fortunately for Mooch, socks come in pairs, and he's soon reunited with "its twin sister."

  Earl and Mooch put their comic spin on a wide range of subjects, from napping and poetry to summer vacations and Christmas anticipations. Interspersed with its charming humor are more weighty messages on issues important to McDonnell, such as animal shelters, saving our endangered species, and other animal-protection topics.

What Now? delivers creative style and the charm of yesteryear unlike any other strip on the funny pages today.

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.

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.

You have to wonder what kind of pets cartoonist Darby Conley had as a child. If they were anything like Bucky Katt and Satchel Pooch. . . well, life in the Conley house must have been interesting to say the least. The wacky triumvirate of Bucky, Satchel, and Rob are back in this Get Fuzzy collection,

Rob Wilco is the mild-mannered ad executive caretaker of Bucky and Satchel. Satchel is a sweet and naïve shar-pei-yellow-Lab cross, while Bucky is a Siamese with "cat-titude" to spare. Bucky and Satchel get along like, well, like cats and dogs. Like a beleaguered parent, Rob constantly must thwart Bucky's schemes and protect the unsuspecting Satchel. His pets' mischief continually disrupts his attempts to meet women. You try explaining to your date why your cat thinks he's a gangsta rapper and your dog is filming his ";crib" for MTV. Would anyone live with humans who behaved like this?

Bitingly funny with a wry sense of the absurdity of life with pets, Get Fuzzy appeals to everyone who has ever lived in a mixed-species household.