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 Let's Wrestle
David Shrigley
Redstone Press
Whenever you see David Shrigley's photos or doodles you always think "Shit, I wish I'd thought of that" because they're so simple but weirdly profound, too. He's this insanely prolific—and very busy—artist who literally sketches every single one of his thoughts, no matter how inane, on to paper, hundreds of which then get published in a cool little book like this. If you meet someone who says they don't like David Shrigley, they're talking about someone with the same name but not the one here.
KAT STEVENS |
 HANDWRITTEN—Expressive Lettering in the Digital Age
Steven Heller & Mirko Ilic
Thames & Hudson
Besides the unavoidable proliferation of bad design, the ubiquitous computer has caused another major eyesore. The perpetual coldness endless right angles bring. Everything from want ads to record sleeves have become so automated it looks like we are policed by a nation of Zilons. That's why Handwritten is so inspiring. It shows the merit of introducing an element of hand-drawn design and it reminds you of a time when you needed artists to make art. I know I sound fucking boring in this review but trust me. It's a really inspiring book.
MIKA HIROKO
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 SELFISH, LITTLE—The Annotated Lesley Ann Downey
Peter Sotos
Void Books
The special hardback edition of this sold out fast so they packaged it in a cute little paperback. Unless you were familiar with the author's previous works, the new artwork may fool you into thinking it was a murder mystery you could give to your mum to read on holiday. The original cover, with Sara Payne's face on it, gave more indication as to what's in store, i.e, the filthiest imaginings and tallest tales of the modern-day Marquis De Sade. It's eye-fucking in every way imaginable.
JACK STEEL |
 Funny Pages
Johnny Ryan
Limited Edition, covers by Buenaventura Press
In our own utopia, all daily comics would be like the parodies in this genius book. Vice comics page contributor Johnny Ryan uses this small run zine to rip to shreds every canonical comic, from Popeye and Nancy to The Boondocks and Garfield. All of them are treated with the same Johnny R. humor: retarded and scatological to such an extreme that the piles of shit and explosions of jizz eventually become as rote as the tired punch lines in the dailies that inspired them. You get to see Dagwood replace his legs with two huge severed penises, Garfield fuck his owner up the ass, and Alley Oop get shaved only to discover that he has a vagina. It is the most repulsive and hilarious book we've seen in years. Look at johnnyr.com for proof of his genius.
ROALD DULL
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