Poorly Drawn Lines by Reza Farazmand

Published by Plume on October 6, 2015

Poorly Drawn Lines started as an internet comic strip. The book mixes new material with strips that were previously published on the web. Four panels per page is a typical strip, although they range from one panel jokes to strips that spread across two or three pages. Occasionally, a few lines of text appear on a page without art. The whole thing can be read pretty quickly, or you can keep it in the bathroom and read it a bit at a time.

The book is divided into chapters covering such topics as the natural world, the future, and big ideas. There are quite a few talking animals (birds and bears in particular) and an occasional monster. Many of the strips deal with the meaning of life, or death, or cheese. People (and animals) tend to be filled with existential angst, which might explain why most of them aren’t very nice, particularly the animals, who are usually giving humans (and other animals) the finger.

My favorite jokes include a chameleon that hides its emotions and a drawing of a rabbit with a bandaged foot wearing a rabbit’s foot around its neck, captioned “Fluffy has made his own luck.” Another favorite: a guy who says “use your hands in conversation to help project confidence” slaps the next person who talks to him. Maybe you need a dark sense to humor to appreciate the collection.

I didn’t have many LOL moments while reading through this collection, but I did smile regularly. Smiling is good. Any book that makes me smile is, in my judgment, a good book.

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