Point Your Face at This: Drawings

by Demetri Martin

The New York Times bestselling writer and comedian Demetri Martin is back with a brand new collection of drawings that urge you

POINT YOUR FACE AT THIS

In his first book, This Is a Book , Demetri Martin introduced fans and readers to his unique brand of long-form humor writing. That book spent twelve weeks on the New York Times bestseller list Now Demetri returns with an eclectic volume devoted entirely to his trademark drawings and word play. Point Your Face at This contains hundreds of hilarious drawings and visual jokes, showcasing Martin's particular penchant for brevity.

With a sensibility all its own, this is a great gift book and an absolute must-have for fans of the brainy, ambidextrous, comedian, palindromist (and author), Demetri Martin.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Comedy, Art, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Demetri Martin is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.

Martin is known for being an unconventional stand-up comic. He uses extensive wordplay (particularly paraprosdokians), one-liners, and drawings on a "large pad", as well as accompanying his jokes with music on either guitar, harmonica, piano, keyboard, glockenspiel, toy bells, ukulele, or tambourine, sometimes all at once. He has cited comedian Steven Wright as an important influence (both use deadpan one-liners in their acts) and he is also a fan of Bill Cosby.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

یه سری نقاشی جالب داشت یه سری خط‌خطی بیخود هم داشت. ایده های یه سریش خیلی خوب بودند، یه سریش خیلی تکراری بودند.
در نتیجه متوسط بود. ولی خب می ارزه به یه بار دیدن.

[daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

i vowed to buy the book if a randomly selected page made me laugh out loud--

just so happens i agree wholeheartedly that the sport of volleyball would be much improved by making one player on each team wear a blindfold.

[Vonze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm honestly, probably, a little bias because I already love Demetri Martin's comedy and I've watched all of the episodes of his show via Netflix. How to describe him? He's like a smart Napoleon Dynamite, Bob Dylan/Neil Young, hipster, nerd, with a dash of best friend who is bored and likes to doodle in class.

This book showcases more of his clever and witty drawings. They play a big part in his comedy. I don't know how he comes up with some of them. Some are laugh-out-loud hilarious, some are genius, some are both, some are shocking, a few are a miss. Four stars, because, although, it's great overall, I feel like his best material was used or saved for his shows.

Therefore, if you're not familiar with Demetri Martin, I recommend watching his show. If you're already a fan, you're already familiar with his comedy style, and you'll love this book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, Demetri Martin's superior wit shines in this collection of drawings. Think of it as a picture book for adults. It took me less that 2 hours to read the entire book, and that's because I had to think about some of them. I loved a lot of his observations, and his sense of humor can sometimes be silly, but never stupid. I've always liked Demitri because of his ability to be funny in different mediums: stand-up, songs, sketch comedy (miss the show!) and drawings. This collection demonstrates the effectiveness of humor in art. Keep up the good work Demetri!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

This is a collection of independent drawings / graphics. Some are funny, some are witty, some are weird, and some I just didn’t get!

[Liesl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is what I imagined This is a Book was going to be like. Martin's wit and humor shine through in his drawings, several of which made me laugh out loud. But it is mostly a collection of random drawings, which feels a little lazy and easy. I would have liked to see a few sequential drawings, which do occasionally appear in his act, or material categorized by topic or theme so that the included content didn't feel so unrelated. I chuckled a greater amount while reading this book, but appreciated his previous one more because it felt like Martin stretched himself to a greater extent as a comedian.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Martin’s last book This Is a Book. It was a combination of drawings and essays. You have to appreciate his humor to appreciate the essays but the drawings are pretty universal. One was a picture of highway traffic and all the cars were labeled ‘Idiot’ except for one labeled ‘Me.’
 
Point Your Face at This is an entire book of those drawings. My favorites were the break room and the ‘3D person in our living room’ drawings. I kind of wish I could get a small print of the last one and hang it somewhere. Even if you’re not a big Martin Fan it’s worth a read.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin's brain works in weird and wonderful ways - he's kind of a lo-fi Gary Larson. Some of these drawings are LOL, some are just head-scratchingly odd, and some are ... incomprehensible. But since the whole book can be 'read' in under an hour, and it's guaranteed to bring a smile to your lips and a chuckle to your mouth, what more could you want?

[danes · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 2.5. Occasionally amusing.

[Fiona Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't get all of the drawings but overall a nice, short, funny book. Some of the illustrations are amazing.

[Becky Shaknovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a book of drawings. It's funny. I LOL-ed on the subway several times. It would be ideal to read this book with at least one other person around so you can point and say "Ohmigawd looook!" And then laugh. I suppose I could have showed it to strangers on the train, but that's probably ill-advised.

I tend to find most mainstream comedy offensive. This book only offended me mildly, and only a few times. Good job, Mr. Martin. Gold star.

Martin's last book had drawings interspersed with text. I think I might like that format better. But this was still good. Maybe it would have worked better as a picture book or coffee table book-type book.

Samuel (my wee little brother who is 11 years old, for those of you who don't know me) really enjoyed the drawings in Martin's last book, even though I told him not to read it becasue it's inappropriate for children. I bet Samuel would really enjoy this title and probably spend hours tracing the funny drawings... and then have some interesting questions for me

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A stand-up comic's compilation of his simple and pun-filled sketches, part xkcd, part The Far Side .

Demetri Martin had a short-lived show on Comedy Central, and I remember his drawings being the best part. It's full of visual punning and absurdity (there's even a desert island drawing for those Far Side fans). The jokes are sometimes buried, but many of them made me laugh out loud after the moment of realization. There are a few duds, too, but they pass so briefly. This book could likely be read in a half an hour.

If you like your humor weird and nerdy (charts, graphs, and Venn diagrams abound), this is definitely the book for you.

[Keely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martin's intelligence and depth bring meaning to these drawings/commentaries that I didn't expect in a humor book. I am always surprised by his perspective and perceptions of the world. He navigates our social and linguistic constructs deftly, revealing the absurd and ultra-pseudo-logical as well as those profound human truths that we all think we're alone in experiencing. What it comes down to is this: I literally couldn't put the book down until I'd finished it; I was concerned I'd wake my sleeping child with the midnight ruckus of my guffaws; I can't wait to finish writing my undergrad thesis so I can read Martin's book again. Buy this. You will not be disappointed. Makes a great gift you can borrow back!

[Ryan Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun way to spend half an hour.
I've liked Martin's stand up routines and Comedy Central sketch show for like 10 years, and pre-ordered and read his previous book, "This is a Book." As I read this one, I suspected that I had seen a couple of these drawings before, on his show, but maybe it was just so much his style that it just felt familiar.
I was surprised at how many of the drawings here were not comedy, but poignant, or just depressing. This is the first time I felt like I got a glimpse into the non-comedian side of Demetri Martin, who finds women confusing and elusive, and life a little futile.
And some of it is just good artwork, all done with single lines of pen.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Demetri Martin-style sketch humor. Seriously, it's all drawings. John Green would love this book, because of the high volume of humorous Venn Diagrams. I have to say, Martin can make some surprisingly sophisticated jokes with some simple drawings. Not to say that most or all of the are sophisticated, but there are some surprises in there. If you're a Demetri Martin fan, you're going to love this book, get it! If you're not, well, maybe you should look him up on YouTube before you buy it.

[Ron Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Demetri Martin is one of my favorite comedians, and I liked his first book quite a bit. But this book -- eh, it was okay, but it didn't make me roll on the floor laughing. The entire book can be read in a few minutes, since it consists entirely of line drawings and charts (for lack of a better word). If you have seen his stand-up act (where he frequently uses drawing and graphics), you will recognize his style in the book -- very simple, sometimes profound, sometimes just a little corny. It's a fun little time-waster, but his stand-up act is better.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martin is a madcap genius. Those absurd "what-if?" thoughts that flit through your brain and die? He holds on to those, mulls them, records them. I think that's his secret. There are some misses here, but there are some hits that you have goggling at his talent. He has the combined ingenuity of the clever parts of famous cartoonists' brains. Some Far Side here, some Non Sequitur there, some Argyle Sweater, et al. It's all crammed in. It's astonishing, really.

[Lacy Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had my face pointed at this the whole time I was "reading"/looking at this. My eyes saw and tried to make my brain understand the meaning of every page I had my face pointing at. I laughed audibly a couple of times and imagined myself laughing for most of the book.

I changed my rating from five to four stars several times. I didn't feel right giving the extra star since it is mostly pictures. Ha!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Demetri Martin. His first book (This is a Book) had me laughing nonstop. This one is 100% drawings and there's still some good stuff in there but it wasn't quite as funny. I admit there were a handful of drawings that I couldn't even figure out--just pure bizarreness. But I must say I particularly love his Venn diagrams and charts. That's where his super powers lie.

Best for older teens and up, due to some profanity and mature themes in some of the drawings.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Demetri Martin's stand-up, this book is at times simplistic, clever, and profound--and sometimes all at the same time. His penchant for palindromes, wordplay, and puzzles is indulged throughout this book, which will appeal to thoughtful readers and fans of Gary Larson's The Far Side (whom Martin credits as one of his big influences).

[Alarice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high expectations for Demetri Martin. I loved his first book and I love his stand up comedy. Howver, I found myself thinking only a few pages were actually funny. Maybe if this was written by an unknown author I would have given it 3/5, but I know Demetri Martin can do better.

[Jack Sallay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got the chance to read an advance copy. Fantastic, as always. But wish it was published as a hardcover.

[Tyler Lutz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A complete and utter rip off of Gary Larson, but that's OK in my book.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

My focus is not the greatest right now, but his book was just what I needed. Some of his stuff was hilarious, some pretty funny, some just funny, some just plain silly funny, some I had to pause and think....then usually laugh and some I tried hard but just did not get......... overall it was a picker-upper and enjoy his sense of humor a lot........... thanks for the book Barry..... just what the doctor ordered.

[Bett Correa-Bollhoefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The laughs build as you read in each reading session. I don't recommend reading in a public place like a plane because you will get very very loud.

[Sierra Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

while this book definitely had its funny moments, there were far too many jokes at the expense of women for me

[Tamás Fábián · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly witty and light read. Love it <3

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a first read.



If you like Demetri Martin (which I do) you will like the book because you are already used to his comedy but even someone who isn't familiar with his stand up will like it because the drawings while simple are thought out and many are pretty funny. There are a few that aren't but the majority are.

I think I would have liked it a bit better if the book had been a bigger format which would have made some of the drawings a bit clearer. It is a very quick "read", once I got started, I read it in about an hour.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Demetri Martin's comedy, I enjoyed this small little book. The whole book is a giant picture book for adults, filled with humors drawing (like the ones he draws during his stand up specials)with clever word play. Word play is one of Demetri Martins talents and this book is basically what Martin does when he tells jokes. It's a super fast read, anyone can read it under 15 minutes, and whats even better is that anyone whose is anyone will enjoy the jokes. It's just a nice object to have sitting somewhere on a bookshelf.

[Gian Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is extrodenary and is a book about a story on each page I believe this man is not just a aourther and artist but a einevator and is great at what he does my grandma is the one who bought me the book and is also the one to recommend it I was suprised becuase it was kind of a michour since of humor yet she had trust me enough to let me read it and she new I was mouchor enough to understand it I liked the book because it was funny and it was a very good book in all even though it is a picture book