What do you think?
Rate this book
Stuffed!
When Tim and his wife inherit his father's museum of curiosities and find therein a taxidermied African warrior ("The Savage" -- or so the museum's placard labels him), Tim's quiet suburban life starts spiraling out of control. In this dark comedy about family, race, and politics, Glenn Eichler and Nick Bertozzi explore what's buried under the surface of middle-class America.
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
3 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
December 20, 2025
What would you do if you inherited a 'stuffed' African warrior? This book looks at the sensitive issue of how to deal with questionable ethics from the past and how choices were made that dehumanized racial groups that were considered inferior. It is amazing to me how culture is often taken and 'institutionalized' - if it is in a museum then it must have been appropriated legitimately. We now now that was rarely the case.
June 16, 2011
Glenn Eichler created Daria. She came from his brain. He currently writes for The Colbert Report, which is hilarious when I bother to watch it. The blurb on the front of this book is from Stephen Colbert himself. It says: "This book reminds me a little of myself - in that I love it." That blurb is the funniest, most interesting thing about this novel. Do not read any further. I won't even tell you what it's about because I'm not sure Glenn even knows. Maybe it's about grief (if so, it's poorly done). Maybe it's about family ties (if so, it's poorly done). There's a stuffed African man that figures prominently while also adding nothing except a strange discussion of racism that seems entirely out of place. There are pages with ink on them. I've left nothing out.
March 13, 2012
I laughed out loud at least 12 times reading this book--and it's not very long. The writer is a Colbert Report writer, so if you like Colbert, The Daily Show, or anything of that uncomfortably-funny genre, you'll like this graphic novel. Also, it involves a stuffed-and-mounted African mummy. How many books can you say that about?
August 27, 2010
Very funny book, and illustrated by one of my faves!
October 25, 2009
Stuffed is a graphic novel that reeled me in by Stephen Colbert’s quote on the front cover. I figured if he liked it, there’s a good chance I would to, and I did. This makes perfect sense, because one of the authors of Stuffed is a writer for The Colbert Report. The book is quirky and witty, while touching on political, racial, and family issues.
The book centers on Tim Johnston, a white, middle-class guy who lives a typical life. Typical at least until his father dies, and he’s left with, among other things, a life-like statue of an African man. The statue, which Tim knows as “The Savage,” brings back unwanted childhood memories. So, Tim quickly tries to donate the statue to a nearby museum. He finds out quickly though, that it won’t be so easy. Howard, the African-American curator trying to help Tim, discovers that politics are preventing the donation of the statue, since the statue appears to be a real human! To add to the chaos, Tim’s crazy brother, who goes by Free, shows up at his doorstep. Tim, Howard, and Free have to come together to try to get the statue, now called “The Warrior,” to its proper place- wherever that may be. Finally, after a series of interesting events, they’re able to send the statue to Tanzania for its final burial.
I would recommend this book to high school students or older. Middle school students would likely be lost by the political undertones found throughout the novel. Because Stuffed focuses on the issues of race, politics, and family, it would be helpful in the classroom for those purposes. I can even envision the novel being used to compliment a heavier, required reading that deals with those same issues. Quick, easy read- liked it!
The book centers on Tim Johnston, a white, middle-class guy who lives a typical life. Typical at least until his father dies, and he’s left with, among other things, a life-like statue of an African man. The statue, which Tim knows as “The Savage,” brings back unwanted childhood memories. So, Tim quickly tries to donate the statue to a nearby museum. He finds out quickly though, that it won’t be so easy. Howard, the African-American curator trying to help Tim, discovers that politics are preventing the donation of the statue, since the statue appears to be a real human! To add to the chaos, Tim’s crazy brother, who goes by Free, shows up at his doorstep. Tim, Howard, and Free have to come together to try to get the statue, now called “The Warrior,” to its proper place- wherever that may be. Finally, after a series of interesting events, they’re able to send the statue to Tanzania for its final burial.
I would recommend this book to high school students or older. Middle school students would likely be lost by the political undertones found throughout the novel. Because Stuffed focuses on the issues of race, politics, and family, it would be helpful in the classroom for those purposes. I can even envision the novel being used to compliment a heavier, required reading that deals with those same issues. Quick, easy read- liked it!
January 5, 2020
Sometimes when I read graphic novels, I get an attack of snobbery...it's not really the equal of a novel or a non-fiction book. How can it possibly have that kind of complexity when it has so many fewer words? But the very best of the genre rises so far above that (Maus, Rentgirl, Open Borders, several others) that I don't even think that for a second. And even midrange stuff I content myself with the thought that it is not a competition--that something about the pictures conveys meanings beyond what you get with just a novel. And that is certainly true of this work. The pictures do a lot of the work, and do it well. But the core story would make a 1 act play, or a short story. There's depth here, there's real characters, there's growth, pathos, and the main characters have an arc. But the scope of the story is...limited. Still, within the context of what it attempts, it is successful. And it deals with issues of race, family dynamics, death, and history with a sure hand. I recommend it--it's a fine work.
January 12, 2010
I'm a little prejudiced because the artist Nick Bertozzi used to be my rep at DC Comics many years ago - great guy, but I would have liked this anyway. Great art and a really good story about a stuffed "Warrior " from Africa inherited by a couple of sons who have no idea what to do with it. Good characters and a story that kept me interested until the very end. Would be accessible to most age groups, something I think is important.
March 21, 2013
maybe 6stars, such a fun read.
a quote from the book, w/no context "I am sorry to dissappoint you sir, but the state of New Jersey will no longer stop a car just because there's a black man in it." i was laughing outloud!
a quote from the book, w/no context "I am sorry to dissappoint you sir, but the state of New Jersey will no longer stop a car just because there's a black man in it." i was laughing outloud!
July 4, 2018
In just 124 pages this graphic novel manages to touch on race relations, parenthood, siblings, marriage, international diplomacy (and the lack of it ), forgiveness, and what it means to be human. Somehow it also manages to be pretty darn funny too.
October 22, 2017
A great little read about a museum curiosity that turns out to be a stuffed black man. I don't know what else to say but race comes into it. Politics and other things show up too. I was set to be incensed but turns out it was way more nuanced and funny that I thought it would be.
July 20, 2009
A refreshingly original story with intriguing art.
Want to read
September 8, 2009If one blog entry had me laughing this much, I can't wait to read this book.
July 19, 2019
Tim ve babasının arası hiçbir zaman iyi olmamış ancak son görüşmelerinin üzerinden yaklaşık 20 yıl geçmişken Tim babasının öldüğüne dair bir telefon alır. Bunun üzerine babasının kendisine ve kardeşine bıraktığı miras işlemleri ile uğraşmak zorunda kalır.
Kendisine miras kalan babasının Savage adını verdiği siyahi bir adamın heykelini ne yapacağını bir türlü bilemez ve müze ile irtibata geçer. Müze Savage'in aslında bir heykel değil gerçek bir insanın tahniti olduğunu söyler ve Tim bunun üzerine Savage'i ne yapacağını bir türlü bilemez. Bu sırada ortaya çıkan Free her şeyi daha da karmaşık bir hale getirir.
Ben çizgi romanı okurken çok eğlendim. Free okuduğum en çılgın karakterlerden biri olabilir. Kitap pek çok konuya değiniyor ve pek çok yerde kara mizaha kaçıyor ancak gerçekten güzel bir eser olduğunu düşünüyorum. 10 puanlık bir kitap değil ama anlatmaya çalıştığı konuyu gerçekten iyi bir şekilde anlatmış. Kara mizah sevenlere tavsiye ederim.
Kendisine miras kalan babasının Savage adını verdiği siyahi bir adamın heykelini ne yapacağını bir türlü bilemez ve müze ile irtibata geçer. Müze Savage'in aslında bir heykel değil gerçek bir insanın tahniti olduğunu söyler ve Tim bunun üzerine Savage'i ne yapacağını bir türlü bilemez. Bu sırada ortaya çıkan Free her şeyi daha da karmaşık bir hale getirir.
Ben çizgi romanı okurken çok eğlendim. Free okuduğum en çılgın karakterlerden biri olabilir. Kitap pek çok konuya değiniyor ve pek çok yerde kara mizaha kaçıyor ancak gerçekten güzel bir eser olduğunu düşünüyorum. 10 puanlık bir kitap değil ama anlatmaya çalıştığı konuyu gerçekten iyi bir şekilde anlatmış. Kara mizah sevenlere tavsiye ederim.
January 3, 2025
With a front cover endorsement from Stephen Colbert, I was skeptical. It is an odd story for sure about a stuffed African man from a dysfunctional family's curiosity museum. But in the end, he gets repatriated to Africa.
June 27, 2018
A good premise. Had some funny bits. Read fast. Like a twenty two minute script. ;)
What I learned: “he always wanted to be his own boss. And everybody else’s.”
What I learned: “he always wanted to be his own boss. And everybody else’s.”
December 5, 2019
This graphic novel was too weird of a topic for me these days. The dialogue and premise made me uncomfortable.
September 8, 2022
This had me crackin’ up, what a silly story.
January 27, 2017
Fun, almost Sunday-funnies kind of art and the narrative of two brothers reconnecting and navigating their own lives through the inheritance of their father's Museum of Strange Bullshit or whatever is great, and I wish I'd thought of it!
If there was more of that narrative and less haphazard threads of race and social structure--wonderful topics worth addressing when they feel like they appear wholeheartedly--I would have dug this a lot more. A decent time that just bites off a bit too much.
If there was more of that narrative and less haphazard threads of race and social structure--wonderful topics worth addressing when they feel like they appear wholeheartedly--I would have dug this a lot more. A decent time that just bites off a bit too much.
October 19, 2011
Tim, a health-care administrator, gets a call one day that his father has had a setback and is in the hospital. Which surprises Tim, since he didn't know that his dad was sick. Dad quickly passes and Tim is left to care for the estate, such as it is, and find his missing half-brother Free. The estate mostly consists of the museum of the weird....of which the most notable pieces is "the Savage," a life sized African warrior. Tim wants to donate the statue, but is stunned when he finds out its a really taxidermied African man! Tim and Free set out on a journey to right wrongs and ensure that the "the Savage" finds a proper home at long last.
To be honest I'm not quite sure what the overall theme of the story is supposed to be. It mixes together so many different themes--brothers reconnecting, brothers overcoming screwed up family, coming to terms with absent father, racism, life, death--that I'm not sure which one is supposed to come out on top. I think part of the problem is that the author has so many different ideas of what he wants to cover that he tries to cram it all into a relatively short book. If it was something longer or done over a series of books then that many different themes might work, but as it is it just feels jumbled together in some places. Which is a bad since parts of the story are decent, such as Tim trying to do the right thing with the African man, but overall the mix of themes just don't quite work. I think if it had left out the brother component the overall story would have worked a bit better.
The artwork isn't bad. They do an excellent job of capturing the human form and capturing the expressions of the character so you can almost image that they're real people. You can see their anger, their exasperation with the turn of events and so on. Even the stuffed warrior is drawn in such a way that it looks real, but without being to fear inducing. In a few places they've overused the black line, such as on page 45 where Tim suddenly looks like he has two black eyes. It's a bit weird considering that in the rest of the book they do an excellent job of creating semi-realistic colors.
I don't want to sound so down on the story, but taken as a whole it doesn't quite work well together. If you see the book at your local library go ahead and pick it up to read, but it wouldn't be one that I'd recommend to buy for your selves at home.
To be honest I'm not quite sure what the overall theme of the story is supposed to be. It mixes together so many different themes--brothers reconnecting, brothers overcoming screwed up family, coming to terms with absent father, racism, life, death--that I'm not sure which one is supposed to come out on top. I think part of the problem is that the author has so many different ideas of what he wants to cover that he tries to cram it all into a relatively short book. If it was something longer or done over a series of books then that many different themes might work, but as it is it just feels jumbled together in some places. Which is a bad since parts of the story are decent, such as Tim trying to do the right thing with the African man, but overall the mix of themes just don't quite work. I think if it had left out the brother component the overall story would have worked a bit better.
The artwork isn't bad. They do an excellent job of capturing the human form and capturing the expressions of the character so you can almost image that they're real people. You can see their anger, their exasperation with the turn of events and so on. Even the stuffed warrior is drawn in such a way that it looks real, but without being to fear inducing. In a few places they've overused the black line, such as on page 45 where Tim suddenly looks like he has two black eyes. It's a bit weird considering that in the rest of the book they do an excellent job of creating semi-realistic colors.
I don't want to sound so down on the story, but taken as a whole it doesn't quite work well together. If you see the book at your local library go ahead and pick it up to read, but it wouldn't be one that I'd recommend to buy for your selves at home.
September 7, 2010
The editors at First Second are pretty consistent at putting out interesting graphic stories, so I try and pick up whatever they publish, regardless of the content. Here, the story is a rather strange take on the theme of sons trying to come to terms with their difficult father. Tim is a middle-aged professional with a wife and kid, leading a regular middle-class life. When his estranged abusive father dies, Tim and his hippy-dippy nomadic brother inherit their father's museum of odd artifacts. One of these is an eerie life-size statue of an African man clad in some kind of pseudo-traditional costume. It used to terrify Tim as a child, but as an adult he wonders if it has historical value, and decides to donate it to a museum.
From here, wacky complications ensue as (A) the true nature of the statue is revealed, and (B) Tim's estranged free-spirit brother shows up to throw a spanner in the works. The story that follows attempts to handle issues of race with a light comic touch, and for the most part is successful. The thread of Tim and his brother trying to reestablish their relationship and come to terms with their dead father tends to veer into more cliched turf. In fact, the whole thing has the feel of a formulaic comedy -- think Paul Rudd or Ben Stiller in the Tim role, with someone like Jack Black playing the brother with a self-trepannation wound. It's all perfectly entertaining as you go, but unlikely to leave much of a last impression.
The artwork is perfectly pitched -- realistic enough to work with the material, but not overly so, with some good sequences into anxiety-induced nightmares. As with all First Second books, the color work is very nice and the production values are top-notch. Overall, worth checking out if it's sitting around, but probably not something to go out of your way to get a hold of.
From here, wacky complications ensue as (A) the true nature of the statue is revealed, and (B) Tim's estranged free-spirit brother shows up to throw a spanner in the works. The story that follows attempts to handle issues of race with a light comic touch, and for the most part is successful. The thread of Tim and his brother trying to reestablish their relationship and come to terms with their dead father tends to veer into more cliched turf. In fact, the whole thing has the feel of a formulaic comedy -- think Paul Rudd or Ben Stiller in the Tim role, with someone like Jack Black playing the brother with a self-trepannation wound. It's all perfectly entertaining as you go, but unlikely to leave much of a last impression.
The artwork is perfectly pitched -- realistic enough to work with the material, but not overly so, with some good sequences into anxiety-induced nightmares. As with all First Second books, the color work is very nice and the production values are top-notch. Overall, worth checking out if it's sitting around, but probably not something to go out of your way to get a hold of.
February 9, 2013
This graphic novel, an examination of modern disassociation of kitsch, race relations, and insurance, is an uncomplicated and bland sendoff to much bigger issues. The biggest problem with it is that there were just too many places that it wanted to go, not enough time to go there, and not enough examination of the issues to make it worthwhile. On one page, we have a curiosity museum, on the next is trepanation, on the next is the incomprehensible nature of the insurance industry, and then on the next is being a parent. If this were a novel, or a play, or something that has perhaps more cultural value, it is possible that it may be discounted outright. Or perhaps there is an inherent issue with the overall application of the story in the format of a graphic novel - but then, I think that it may be taking the genre down a little. I am not sure.
Regardless, I think that I enjoyed reading this, and the artwork was good, but I think the writing and the application of what the author was trying to accomplish was a bit washed out and could have been better if it didn't try so hard to hit so many themes within its limitations of the format. I have read many more graphic novels that addressed the same issues much shorter and more effectively, and perhaps most importantly, more simply then Stuffed!
Regardless, I think that I enjoyed reading this, and the artwork was good, but I think the writing and the application of what the author was trying to accomplish was a bit washed out and could have been better if it didn't try so hard to hit so many themes within its limitations of the format. I have read many more graphic novels that addressed the same issues much shorter and more effectively, and perhaps most importantly, more simply then Stuffed!
June 2, 2013
This graphic novel is like a sitcom with a randomly-generated bizarre-yet-typical plot. In this case, I would imagine marijuana played a key role in terms of plot creation. Quirky illustrations, some strange and funny additions (eg volcano-head), a likeable parody of a nuclear family living in contemporary times, a few avenues of interest explored, such as middle class Black intellectual life; overall it's nice, but nothing memorable beyond the key plot item. Like sitcoms, and like the night-time comedy show one of the authors writes for, there are plenty of comedic misses, along with the hits, including some extended pages of 'overly-cliché'd,' 'out of character' or 'not funny.' I liked the montages with 'The Savage/Warrior,' what with their frosting of dark African mystery and sprinkling of the afterlife's unknown.
True rating: 2.7 Stars
True rating: 2.7 Stars
June 5, 2010
Two is a little harsh, but, well. Lot's of the time, it seems, I don't like First Second very much. I kept wanting this book to be better than it was. It was about brotherhood but of one's own family and the family of man. But uh.... yeah. And racism? And sense of responsibility? There was a stuffed African warrior at the heart of the tale that everyone was trying to deal with, and it was not brave enough to have some awful twist that say, maybe this was an American black man...Because it was an awful concept. But the story dealt with it so gingerly (and really misrepresented the spirit of museumship, which I am sort of picky about). And the illustration style was ok, but uh... nothing new or special. Just didn't make it to where it should have as a book. Too bad.
March 3, 2011
A man's father dies and in the estate is a taxidermied human being. This touches on some interesting phenomena - racism, insurance sales, family relationships, bratty children, transcendant experimentation, African politics... A lot of interesting stuff, but it left me wanting more. None of these issues are really delved into to the extent that I wanted them to be. Honestly, the parts I enjoyed the most were the office politics portions, at the insurance company, and at the museum. The family relationships felt hollow, and none of the characters were fleshed out very well. Interesting, but doesn't feel finished.
January 30, 2010
This was kind of generic, both in storytelling and art style (though moreso the story). I usually really like Nick Bertozzi's stuff - even stuff like "The Salon," which didn't seem at all like something I'd enjoy, I thought was really great - but this just didn't do a thing for me. The story is trite and lifeless, and everything is so predictable - it's plotted like a Disney channel movie or something. Not terrible, but certainly not very interesting.
April 28, 2011
This was my first graphic novel but growing up I always had a stack of comic books so this seemed a more sophiscated version of a comic book.
The story is funny with bits of sober truth. Other reviewers have recounted the story so I will just add that the graphics were really well done and the story had a moral or maybe morals to it.
This graphic novel touchs on family, politics, prejudice and "out of the mouths of babes". I like it!
I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway.
The story is funny with bits of sober truth. Other reviewers have recounted the story so I will just add that the graphics were really well done and the story had a moral or maybe morals to it.
This graphic novel touchs on family, politics, prejudice and "out of the mouths of babes". I like it!
I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway.
November 29, 2013
A spiritless homage of sorts to "wacky" 1980's comedies that tried to moralize about complicated issues. Eichler tries to do that here with race relations via a taxidermied statue of an African man inherited by a suburban dullard and his -wait for it- kooky long lost brother. The dialogue is stinted, the characters stupifyingly inept. Even the drawings by illustrator Nick Bertozzi -whose work I usually love- seem as though he was just going through motions.
December 30, 2015
I don't understand why everybody's talking about this book being funny or not funny, except that the author wrote for Colbert. I don't see it as addressing humor at all, at least no more than your typical amount. It IS an interesting book about racism and family relationships, much more engaging than I expected. I just wish it had a more definitive ending, especially with all the creepy frames designed to make it look like the warrior would come to life and start killing people.
January 17, 2016
also read in Nov. 2009
Oh no; it's gotten to the point now where I can't remember some of the GNs I've read. This one felt vaguely familiar once I got to the information that the protagonist's brother had trepanned himself. I enjoyed this more in 2016 than 2009, apparently. The sad little oddities shop at the heart of the story appeals to me even more now than it used to.
Oh no; it's gotten to the point now where I can't remember some of the GNs I've read. This one felt vaguely familiar once I got to the information that the protagonist's brother had trepanned himself. I enjoyed this more in 2016 than 2009, apparently. The sad little oddities shop at the heart of the story appeals to me even more now than it used to.
February 3, 2010
Colbert blurb sold me....but it was not Colbert-esque in any way. I really liked how realistic it was - they got the modern racial relations thing down pat - lots of uncomfortable moments and everyone trying to reassure each other they are not racists...Great, crisp illustrations, almost Tintin-esque.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews