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Pearls Before Swine #3-4
Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My!: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury
In this, Pearls Before Swine treasury, you'll know you're not in Kansas anymore.
The Pearls Before Swine crew are at it again in their new book, Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! But even the wonderful Wizard of Oz couldn't help this bunch of merry misfits. Collecting strips from his last two books, and , cartoonist Stephan Pastis takes you on a magically malicious journey over the rainbow and into the rat trap of Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! As in the previous Pearls treasury collection, , the comic strips are annotated, as only the smart-alecky, misanthropic-but-lovable Pastis can do. Following his yellow brick road of notes, readers gain great insights into the making of such classic Pearls bits as Rat's stint as a New York Times reporter, Angry Bob, Pig's plastic surgery, the Mallet o' Understanding, Mrs. Bootyworth, and the fraternal order of the Zeeba Zeeba Eetas.
A special bonus feature included in Lions and Tigers and Crocs is "The Good, the Banned, and the Ugly," a section of never-before-published and unedited Pearls strips.
So go, as fast as lightning, to the Emerald City-or the cash register-and buy this book, before a twister drops a Box o' Stupid People on you!
The Pearls Before Swine crew are at it again in their new book, Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! But even the wonderful Wizard of Oz couldn't help this bunch of merry misfits. Collecting strips from his last two books, and , cartoonist Stephan Pastis takes you on a magically malicious journey over the rainbow and into the rat trap of Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! As in the previous Pearls treasury collection, , the comic strips are annotated, as only the smart-alecky, misanthropic-but-lovable Pastis can do. Following his yellow brick road of notes, readers gain great insights into the making of such classic Pearls bits as Rat's stint as a New York Times reporter, Angry Bob, Pig's plastic surgery, the Mallet o' Understanding, Mrs. Bootyworth, and the fraternal order of the Zeeba Zeeba Eetas.
A special bonus feature included in Lions and Tigers and Crocs is "The Good, the Banned, and the Ugly," a section of never-before-published and unedited Pearls strips.
So go, as fast as lightning, to the Emerald City-or the cash register-and buy this book, before a twister drops a Box o' Stupid People on you!
262 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2006
5 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
About the author
Stephan Pastis
134 books439 followersStephan Pastis was born in 1968 and raised in San Marino, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1989 with a degree in political science. Although he had always wanted to be a syndicated cartoonist, Pastis realized that the odds of syndication were slim, so he entered UCLA Law School in 1990 and became an attorney instead. He practiced law in the San Francisco Bay area from 1993 to 2002. While an attorney, he began submitting various comic strip concepts to all of the syndicates, and, like virtually all beginning cartoonists, got his fair share of rejection slips. Then, in 1997, he began drawing Pearls Before Swine, which he submitted to the syndicates in mid-1999. In December, 1999, he signed a contract with United.
Pearls Before Swine debuted in newspapers in January, 2002, and Pastis left his law practice in August of that year. Pearls Before Swine was nominated in 2003, 2004 and 2007 as "Best Newspaper Comic Strip" by the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) and won the award in 2004 and 2007. Pastis lives with his family in Northern California.
Pearls Before Swine debuted in newspapers in January, 2002, and Pastis left his law practice in August of that year. Pearls Before Swine was nominated in 2003, 2004 and 2007 as "Best Newspaper Comic Strip" by the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) and won the award in 2004 and 2007. Pastis lives with his family in Northern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 25, 2019
The Pearls Before Swine treasuries are always a delight to read. Stephan Pastis goes out of his way to ensure that they’re more than just reprints of the smaller volumes.
Many of the strips feature authorial comments. He might mention notable reader responses, or talk about his inspiration for a particular bit, or point out details of the artwork that might get overlooked. He’s also been known to highlight mistakes and disparage his own drawing ability. Basically, you get the equivalent of the director’s commentary on a DVD.
There's also a selection of bonus material at the back. These are strips that never ran, or were significantly altered before running. A joke may have been just a little too dark and edgy. Or perhaps it was a strip that seemed funny when conceived, but considerably less so when the time came to send it off to the syndicate.
Pearls is a prime example of a strip where the writing more than makes up for the simplistic art. Pastis may disparage his own drawing ability--though he certainly draws better than I can--but he possesses a fine sense of comic timing, a boundless enthusiasm for puns, a fondness for metatextual references, and a surprisingly dark sense of humor for a mainstream cartoonist. These all combine to make it one of my favorites. Highly recommended!
Many of the strips feature authorial comments. He might mention notable reader responses, or talk about his inspiration for a particular bit, or point out details of the artwork that might get overlooked. He’s also been known to highlight mistakes and disparage his own drawing ability. Basically, you get the equivalent of the director’s commentary on a DVD.
There's also a selection of bonus material at the back. These are strips that never ran, or were significantly altered before running. A joke may have been just a little too dark and edgy. Or perhaps it was a strip that seemed funny when conceived, but considerably less so when the time came to send it off to the syndicate.
Pearls is a prime example of a strip where the writing more than makes up for the simplistic art. Pastis may disparage his own drawing ability--though he certainly draws better than I can--but he possesses a fine sense of comic timing, a boundless enthusiasm for puns, a fondness for metatextual references, and a surprisingly dark sense of humor for a mainstream cartoonist. These all combine to make it one of my favorites. Highly recommended!
July 8, 2017
Newspaper comics is an underrated medium.
I think we have a tendency to write off things that are mass-marketed and/or intended for general audiences. For example, Disney makes charming and, at times, insightful films. The majority of my friends subscribe to the Disney cult, having grown up during the "Disney Renaissance" of the 1990s. And yet for every bit of praise, I've encountered an equal amount of criticism and derision, abounding accusation of "sameness" and "lameness". It's a core facet of hipster contrarianism. Why like Disney, the film studio that everybody likes, when you can root for Laika, the up-and-coming underdog that deals in darling stop-motion animation? Easy enough to like the films of Hayao Miyazaki, but why not swear your allegiance to a lesser known (at least by Western standards) Japanese director like Satoshi Kon?
I get the impression that we regard "mainstream" things as lacking because, in order to achieve general popularity, certain particulars must be sacrificed. Many people, especially in the puritanically-founded United States, are adverse to open and frank discussions regarding sex, and so a film or book or TV show may eschew any mentions of sexuality to avoid criticism from an offended audience. And, if nothing else, we must think of the children. If you're looking to create something that's "fun" for the whole family, you've got to make it acceptable for young kids. Or, at the very least, you must make it acceptable to the parents of young kids.
Newspaper comics, thus, takes this idea of content sacrifice to the extreme. Almost everybody reads the comics (at least the Sunday strips), and so you find funny pages devoid of sex, drugs, extreme violence, swearing, and so on in order to make it as palatable as possible to the largest amount of people. Some strips would have been devoid of these elements to begin with, but the censorships enacted by syndicates and newspaper editors, I believe, results in many readers dismissing the funny pages as "bland" and its creators "uncreative", trying to find humor despite rigorous constraints.
And I would argue that humor can be found within these limitations. Countless strips tacked up in cubicles and magnet-ed to fridges suggests as much. And despite such constraints, comics writers still find opportunities to be wicked.
Stephen Pastis, I'd wager, is among the wickedest.
A former lawyer, Pastis easily recognizes the inanity of newspaper comic censorship, and is quick to criticize it in his work. His strip, Pearls Before Swine, centers on the adventures of anthropomorphic animals (particularly a rat named Rat and a pig named Pig) as they navigate the pitfalls of, among other things, home ownership, joblessness, murder, abandonment, rampant alcoholism, censorship, and the burdens of being a comic strip character, all skirting the line of decency enacted by censors.
Pearls is everything that I love in a comic strip: dark humor, puns and meta-commentary. Pastis knows his comics are not (and may never be) on par with the likes of Gary Larson or Bill Watterson, and so he has fun with what he's got, writing strips that amuse him as much (maybe even moreso) than his readers.
And Pearls is popular, make no mistake. His published treasuries suggest that he receives a fair amount of hate mail for the occasionally controversial strip, but for the most part, people respond positively to the cute animals and the anarchic sense of humor.
Sure, at times his puns are a little sweaty. And at times the meta-comic jokes feel like they're raging too hard against the machine. But considering the amount of content comic strip artists have to generate, I'm willing to give a pass.
Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! is a great collection of Pearls strips from the early days, before such popular features as the croc fraternity Zeeba Zeeba Eata were established. And one of the best parts of a Pearls Before Swine treasury is the commentary Pastis provides underneath certain strips, giving us a glimpse of what goes on in the making of Pearls. A lot of these commentaries boil down to "Have I gone too far?" and though my response will always be "No!", it's fascinating to see what strip artists have to consider when submitting their work. As Pastis asserts, newspaper comic censorship stopped evolving around the 1950s, but every now again something slides, and that is a curiosity to see.
Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! also has a section of "banned" strips that were either censored into oblivion or Pastis decided not to run. I clamor for more of them, but the section itself is a neat little taste.
If you like Pearls, you'll like this. And if you don't like Pearls, well, there's a few story lines in this treasury that are still worth checking out.
I think we have a tendency to write off things that are mass-marketed and/or intended for general audiences. For example, Disney makes charming and, at times, insightful films. The majority of my friends subscribe to the Disney cult, having grown up during the "Disney Renaissance" of the 1990s. And yet for every bit of praise, I've encountered an equal amount of criticism and derision, abounding accusation of "sameness" and "lameness". It's a core facet of hipster contrarianism. Why like Disney, the film studio that everybody likes, when you can root for Laika, the up-and-coming underdog that deals in darling stop-motion animation? Easy enough to like the films of Hayao Miyazaki, but why not swear your allegiance to a lesser known (at least by Western standards) Japanese director like Satoshi Kon?
I get the impression that we regard "mainstream" things as lacking because, in order to achieve general popularity, certain particulars must be sacrificed. Many people, especially in the puritanically-founded United States, are adverse to open and frank discussions regarding sex, and so a film or book or TV show may eschew any mentions of sexuality to avoid criticism from an offended audience. And, if nothing else, we must think of the children. If you're looking to create something that's "fun" for the whole family, you've got to make it acceptable for young kids. Or, at the very least, you must make it acceptable to the parents of young kids.
Newspaper comics, thus, takes this idea of content sacrifice to the extreme. Almost everybody reads the comics (at least the Sunday strips), and so you find funny pages devoid of sex, drugs, extreme violence, swearing, and so on in order to make it as palatable as possible to the largest amount of people. Some strips would have been devoid of these elements to begin with, but the censorships enacted by syndicates and newspaper editors, I believe, results in many readers dismissing the funny pages as "bland" and its creators "uncreative", trying to find humor despite rigorous constraints.
And I would argue that humor can be found within these limitations. Countless strips tacked up in cubicles and magnet-ed to fridges suggests as much. And despite such constraints, comics writers still find opportunities to be wicked.
Stephen Pastis, I'd wager, is among the wickedest.
A former lawyer, Pastis easily recognizes the inanity of newspaper comic censorship, and is quick to criticize it in his work. His strip, Pearls Before Swine, centers on the adventures of anthropomorphic animals (particularly a rat named Rat and a pig named Pig) as they navigate the pitfalls of, among other things, home ownership, joblessness, murder, abandonment, rampant alcoholism, censorship, and the burdens of being a comic strip character, all skirting the line of decency enacted by censors.
Pearls is everything that I love in a comic strip: dark humor, puns and meta-commentary. Pastis knows his comics are not (and may never be) on par with the likes of Gary Larson or Bill Watterson, and so he has fun with what he's got, writing strips that amuse him as much (maybe even moreso) than his readers.
And Pearls is popular, make no mistake. His published treasuries suggest that he receives a fair amount of hate mail for the occasionally controversial strip, but for the most part, people respond positively to the cute animals and the anarchic sense of humor.
Sure, at times his puns are a little sweaty. And at times the meta-comic jokes feel like they're raging too hard against the machine. But considering the amount of content comic strip artists have to generate, I'm willing to give a pass.
Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! is a great collection of Pearls strips from the early days, before such popular features as the croc fraternity Zeeba Zeeba Eata were established. And one of the best parts of a Pearls Before Swine treasury is the commentary Pastis provides underneath certain strips, giving us a glimpse of what goes on in the making of Pearls. A lot of these commentaries boil down to "Have I gone too far?" and though my response will always be "No!", it's fascinating to see what strip artists have to consider when submitting their work. As Pastis asserts, newspaper comic censorship stopped evolving around the 1950s, but every now again something slides, and that is a curiosity to see.
Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! also has a section of "banned" strips that were either censored into oblivion or Pastis decided not to run. I clamor for more of them, but the section itself is a neat little taste.
If you like Pearls, you'll like this. And if you don't like Pearls, well, there's a few story lines in this treasury that are still worth checking out.
June 13, 2011
Sometimes, the commentary of Stephan Pastis is funnier than his actual comics. That's not to downplay his strip, but he's self-deprecating and observant. The mania of Pearls Before Swine is written from being very appreciative of the cartoonist's life (instead of his previous decade-long gig as an insurance lawyer) and his ability to answer his own question of "Can you believe I get paid to do this?"
He's not culturally angelic, like Charles Schultz and Bill Watterson, but he represents more of a new perspective of the new crowd of cartoonists that try to displease groups of people instead of being available to every demographic. The guy just makes me laugh, whether its his own words or that of Pig, Rat, Zebra, Goat and the Crocodiles.
He's not culturally angelic, like Charles Schultz and Bill Watterson, but he represents more of a new perspective of the new crowd of cartoonists that try to displease groups of people instead of being available to every demographic. The guy just makes me laugh, whether its his own words or that of Pig, Rat, Zebra, Goat and the Crocodiles.
August 15, 2024
being in a bit of a reading funk, I've gone back to one of my old favourites. There's something quite wonderful about Pearls. It can go from incredibly sweet, to really quite dark in the space of a few strips, Pig dating at a slaughterhouse anyone.
It's a really early collection, so there's still the feeling of Pastis finding his feet. Some characters arrive, and then leave never to be seen before. Some change, Goat for example still has his beard. Some get introduced that we know will kick around, the Crocs moving in next door.
While the majority of the book is reprints, there's a small section of the end given over to strips that had either been censored, or had been removed for one reason or another. It's interesting seeing what has been allowed, and what hasn't in the past. If you've read any of the other treasuries, you'll know that there's a commentary from Pastis throughout the book. It's obvious from that he's trying to push the envelope as far as he can.
I may have to go and read all the others now.
It's a really early collection, so there's still the feeling of Pastis finding his feet. Some characters arrive, and then leave never to be seen before. Some change, Goat for example still has his beard. Some get introduced that we know will kick around, the Crocs moving in next door.
While the majority of the book is reprints, there's a small section of the end given over to strips that had either been censored, or had been removed for one reason or another. It's interesting seeing what has been allowed, and what hasn't in the past. If you've read any of the other treasuries, you'll know that there's a commentary from Pastis throughout the book. It's obvious from that he's trying to push the envelope as far as he can.
I may have to go and read all the others now.
November 10, 2024
This is the second Pearls Before Swine Treasury...which are loaded with great jokes, amazing insight on some of them (Stephan Pastis writes notes under some of the strips and to me this is the pure gold of these collections) and some just an overall masterpiece. I love when Mr. Pastis tells us about reactions from other professional artists as well. The cover of this is a very easy homage of the Wizard of Oz, which also starts to give the Crocs a little more attention. Some great characters are introduced in this treasury, but more impressive than anything is the depth of content that you get in these. If you have read the first one, it's more of the same great writing and I would say the art has stabilized and is very much the same from start to finish. Excellent book to own! There are also 17 unpublished strips at the back of the book making it even better!
June 21, 2021
So I read this almost right after the last anthology I read and I have to say that this one deserved the one star more. The reason being are the notes that Stephan Pastis writes in after some of the strips. Seeing the thought process behind the strips or what was changed last minute or things like that was really interesting and I hope he continues it in his other books. I picked up two more anthologies from the library.
May 12, 2024
Stephen Pastis' Pearls Before Swine is a very funny comic strip. I particularly enjoy the treasuries, including Lions and Tigers and Crocs, Oh My! because of Pastis' commentary that accompanies some of the strips; it's fascinating to learn the motivations and inspirations behind some of the cartoons, and some of the strips that garnered letters of complaint. My favorite characters continue to be those demented crocs; they bust me up.
June 5, 2022
This is a great collection of early Pearls strips with lots of commentary. I loved how Pastis kept talking about trying to cut down on the puns. Two decades later, the puns are pretty much the highlights of Pearls strips.
September 12, 2022
Pretty solid (not liquid) book.
(Mon 12 Sep 2022 05:01:54 PM CDT)
(Mon 12 Sep 2022 05:01:54 PM CDT)
May 24, 2025
"You're not taking my ho"
"Give us your ho"
"That's my ho not your ho"
Steph you're one hell of an envelope pusher
"Give us your ho"
"That's my ho not your ho"
Steph you're one hell of an envelope pusher
April 24, 2012
Old Pearls strips are amazing. These strips are dark, cynical, and even shameless, but incredibly funny. Some of these are even somewhat thought-provoking. While his artwork isn't fabulously spectacular (he often criticizes his own drawing ability in the commentary), his humor is top-notch. For some reason, the new Pearls strips just aren't as funny anymore. Fans of Pastis's current work will be astounded by the hilarity of the strips in this treasury.
Visit my site: http://disappointmentsea.blogspot.com/ for more reviews!
Visit my site: http://disappointmentsea.blogspot.com/ for more reviews!
August 19, 2008
I got this book for free. I saw a guy at my favorite coffee shop (The Roasterie Cafe in Kansas City, MO) reading this book one evening, and had to comment that I too love Pearls. Little did I know that he worked for the publisher Andrews McMeel (also located in Kansas City, MO), so he gave me the book to say thanks for loving Pearls. Kansas Citians are so friendly. Oh, and this book is funny too.
October 3, 2013
When I was working in any of the many bookstores where I was employed and I did not want (or have the time) to read my current book, I would grab one of these collections to read on my too short break. I slowly but surely worked my way through several series. These are great time killers and will usually improve your mood no matter how hectic the day. Laughter can be the best solution to dealing with the public.
January 20, 2008
If you don't know what Pearls before Swine is, then buy this book!
This book is for people with the same sardonic, devilish humor as those who enjoy Addams Family (Chas Addams), The Far Side or Sherman's Lagoon.
It just has me rolling.
This book is for people with the same sardonic, devilish humor as those who enjoy Addams Family (Chas Addams), The Far Side or Sherman's Lagoon.
It just has me rolling.
January 22, 2010
Funny, but not enough of the Crocs to make this a four star book. Pastis humor is interesting and to some it's not friendly, but it does speak of the reality of human nature. A funny book, but not the best in the collection.
January 31, 2011
I enjoyed this much more than I expected. I used to be so annoyed at the way the crocodiles talk that I would skip reading this cartoon. But I am enjoying the sly commentary on society and even politics that is sometimes masked by the use of animals as the characters.
November 26, 2020
This treasury has Alphonse the Porcupine, Pig dating Ms. Bootyworth, Rat attacking Scott Adam's house, and more puns than anyone has ever wanted. Plus, Pastis showed 17 strips that he pulled from running in the very back.
November 11, 2007
very funny. And it is very funny.
January 17, 2008
Pearls Before Swine--what a hoot. Gotta love Rat.
March 6, 2008
another great pearls treasury.....
i love the crocs that want to eat the zebra....but i gotta say...rat is just a little too much like me.....
i love the crocs that want to eat the zebra....but i gotta say...rat is just a little too much like me.....
November 26, 2008
also VERY VERY FUNNY
May 13, 2009
too funny, too punny.
this is the best comic since The Far Side and Calvin & Hobbes.
this is the best comic since The Far Side and Calvin & Hobbes.
July 24, 2009
I love cartoons!!! This is one of the better ones ;-))))
May 20, 2010
Love those crocs!
January 19, 2011
Would have given it 4 stars if Pastis didn't rely so much on bad puns.
March 31, 2012
Further development of a great comic strip. I just love this guy. Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, and Pearls (well I'd throw in Mutts also).
Great stuff.
Great stuff.
April 20, 2012
again I declare my love of the "pearls" comic strip.
August 13, 2012
Any time I need a laugh
Read
August 26, 2012That's right. Finishing up my heavy summer reading before the semester swings into gear.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews