I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Matthew Diffee's (cartoonist for The New Yorker) collection of comics "Hand Drawn Jokes for Smart Attractive People" in exchange for an honest review.
It's not that I don't "get" Diffee's humor... I do. But perhaps I'm just not smart enough or attractive enough to really think that his stand-alone panels warranted enough attention for a full, published collection. I think I chuckled a few times while reading, sure, but overall I just couldn't wait to leave one over-wrought punchline behind and move on to the next one.
The collection is broken up into thematic chapters, which do add a feeling of cohesiveness to an otherwise random set of unrelated ideas, but I kept thinking, "what's the point of all this?" Aside from a specific few comics that really stood out to me as witty, relevant, and questioning convention, Diffee's artwork, while technically very good, is very reminiscent of caricatures of the 1950's or from the era of popart, which when paired with jokes that are occasionally bordering on racist and ignorant, gave an impression less of a self-aware hipster poking fun at everything and more of the impression that Diffee is being quite conventional in his self-indulgent and politically incorrect gags.
I didn't feel that this collection was a stand-out or special moment in visual art or comedy, and I feel like I wasted my time a little bit. Instead of continuing to give attention and publishing opportunities to established cartoonists who keep pumping out the same level of conventional giggles, I would much rather read comics from unknown artists who take risks and try to infuse their work with originality and inclusivity.
2/5 stars. Add me here on Goodreads to follow more of what I'm reading and reviewing!
No comments:
Post a Comment