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Liō #1
Liō: Happiness is a Squishy Cephalopod
LIO is brilliant! In this post-Calvin and Hobbes and post-Far Side world, this is the brass ring for cool!" --Dallas Morning News
* LI O is a pantomime strip featuring a curious young boy whose daydreams embark from reality destined for the dark chasm where wit and sarcasm collide.
Drawn in the age-old style of pantomime strips, LIO offers a decidedly new and edgy twist to the wordless comic format. That's right, LIO is so crafty it doesn't need word balloons, dialogue boxes, or clever captions. Mark Tatulli's cartoon also employs a unique drawing style influenced by cartooning greats Gahan Wilson, Charles Addams, and 19th-century satirist A. J. Volck.
* In describing his strip, Tatulli explains he was eager "to bring something truly different to the comics pages . . . something to appeal to all ages, drawn in pictures only. To tell a story without text, while updating the pantomime concept with a modern audience in mind."
* The result is a mind-bendingly humorous and astute journey into the darkly detailed world of young LiO--where a spit wad can put a school bus out of commission faster than a spider can hamper the efforts of the U.S. Postal Service.
128 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2007
19 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Mark Tatulli
31 books60 followersMark Tatulli is a comic artist and film maker, mostly known for his dark comedic newspaper strip Liō. He is the recipient of three Emmy Awards. He works for Banyan Productions. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and children.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 13, 2016
Book Blurb: LIO is a pantomime strip featuring a curious young boy whose daydreams embark from reality destined for the dark chasm where wit and sarcasm collide.
Some boys might be made of snips & snails & puppy dogs tails, but Lio is a different kind of boy. Some of his interests include science, space and experimentation. To say more is to give away some of what makes this a fun read. This is a collection of comic strips, and if you are a Calvin and Hobbes fan, give this one a try. But be forewarned, this one is much darker. The mostly black and white art is really expressive, and most of the panels need no text at all. I read it in two sittings, and I liked the first half of this book better than the second, maybe because I was used to Lio's antics by then.
Some boys might be made of snips & snails & puppy dogs tails, but Lio is a different kind of boy. Some of his interests include science, space and experimentation. To say more is to give away some of what makes this a fun read. This is a collection of comic strips, and if you are a Calvin and Hobbes fan, give this one a try. But be forewarned, this one is much darker. The mostly black and white art is really expressive, and most of the panels need no text at all. I read it in two sittings, and I liked the first half of this book better than the second, maybe because I was used to Lio's antics by then.
September 21, 2009
This is the best comic book written. Ever. It's as all the hilarity of Calvin and Hobbes, plus the added geeky humor that only mad scientist children can give. Lio, the previously mentioned mad scientist child, loves cephalopods, captures aliens, experiments on his father, and has giant spider pets. Many of the jokes might be predictable if this were a comic book about a regular boy but are instead gleefully original as Lio puts a new spin on what we consider a 'normal' life.
February 26, 2009
I was a big fan of Tatulli's Heart of the City, and although his Lio character is the polar opposite of the girly Heart I have come to love him. Lio is a much darker character whose Little Orphan Annie eyes are a window to the unreal. Lio's been compared to Calvin, but where Bill Watterson's characters explored life, the universe, and everything through dialogue, Lio has none. Nearly every strip depends on sight gags and visual inferences with zero speech bubbles. Lio straddles the edge of reality with creepy crawly creatures, zombies, and all manner of ghouls - this strip's wry and edgy humor will hold appeal for all ages.
July 26, 2009
Other than a comic strip here and there, I'd never really read a lot of Lio. I can't believe how much I've been missing out!!! A mischievous litte kid with a penchant for mayhem, monsters and robots???? What more could I ask for?!?!
July 27, 2017
Edgy, surreal, unexpected, and sometimes dark comic. And I love it because of that! It's reminiscent of The Far Side, Calvin & Hobbes - all favorites of mine, reminding me how much I miss those older ones.
March 31, 2021
Got a chance to meet this terrific artist at a NY Comic Con -- and to buy a piece of original art! -- and immediately set out to find what I could once I'd recovered. This is a dark, twisted, hilarious, and unique strip.
August 15, 2017
I love the Lio books. The dark humor is somehow even funnier using very minimal wording. I think it helps the imagination cogs start working a little harder.
April 2, 2019
Mark Tatulli is a modern-day miracle of humor and laughter and art.
March 30, 2022
Goog
I'm so happy with the way it makes my kid laugh And keeps him busy during my calls love it
I'm so happy with the way it makes my kid laugh And keeps him busy during my calls love it
December 27, 2022
Gahan Wilson meets Calvin and Hobbes.
September 6, 2025
I love Lio :)
January 30, 2017
A boy introduced me to Lio the other day when he was trying to find "Lio: Making Friends." I wasn't having a lot of luck finding our copy since we were both under the impression that it was spelled "Leo." His sister, who also remembered the book, finally found it for us. But, in the meantime, I asked him to describe Lio to me and he said, gesturing with his hands, "His hair is like this!" (sticking straight up) It's true. Lio has some seriously excited bangs. He's also a bit of a mad scientist, schemer, friend to spiders and cephalopods, and troublemaker. Those who enjoy Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes may also like Lio. Most of the strips aren't very wordy, so readers can easily figure out what's going on from the pictures. What IS going on? All kinds of imaginative and amusing things that are sure to make other little Lios laugh. Like Calvin and Hobbes, Lio transcends age and can be enjoyed by kids and teens and adults alike (estimate: 3rd grade and up).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2008
This collection of Lio comic strips is about a creepy little boy who has an affinity for bugs, aliens, monsters, ghosts, vampires, and other weird and crawly things. The artist is far too talented to need dialog, and the art is wonderful. What I liked most about this comic was the constant fourth-wall-breaking and the snarky references to other (much more bland) comics such as Garfield and Peanuts. When you get right down to it, though, the best thing about this comic is the deliciously dark humor and Lio's ability to be kind and creepy at the same time. Who'd have thought that a weird boy with a pet rattle snake and a sadistic streak would be lovable?
June 15, 2013
This might be my comics pick for kids this summer. Intelligent, funny writing. Brilliant imagination and cartoon graphics.
Lio lives with his father, his pet squid and a myriad of other encephalopods, arachnids and reptiles and lives daily adventures pranking his teachers and his father, hunting aliens and plotting world domination. No one is safe- not Garfield or even Charlie Brown's Lucy. Highly recommended for school age kids.
That being said, go get it from the library or bookstore under the pretense that it is for the children in your life, then read it after they go to bed, or with them if you are looking for !REALLY COOL ADULT! points.
Lio lives with his father, his pet squid and a myriad of other encephalopods, arachnids and reptiles and lives daily adventures pranking his teachers and his father, hunting aliens and plotting world domination. No one is safe- not Garfield or even Charlie Brown's Lucy. Highly recommended for school age kids.
That being said, go get it from the library or bookstore under the pretense that it is for the children in your life, then read it after they go to bed, or with them if you are looking for !REALLY COOL ADULT! points.
April 29, 2013
Reading Lio always puts a smile on my face. I brought this one home to share with Tom since he's also a fan. One of the first times he was in my office at work, he noticed that I had a Lio strip on the wall. It's the one where Lio is reading Mad magazine in the library! That was just the first of many indicators that he is the right man for me!
March 11, 2015
It's always impressive when someone can be funny, creepy, or just plain entertaining without any words, and Tatulli has the knack. His Lio is a character I feel quite a lot of kinship to, and would be right at home in Charles Addams' strips. A little perverse at times -- just the way I like 'em.
October 11, 2007
This is the best comic strip since Calvin and Hobbes! This kid reminds me of...well...me!
February 10, 2008
lio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! centhrapod!!!!!!!! ATOMIK EXPLOSHIN!!!
May 19, 2008
Macabre fun. Where has this strip been all of my life?
January 13, 2011
I knew that someday I would love a comic strip as much as Calvin & Hobbes and Far Side. Amazing work by Mark Tutulli!
May 1, 2015
nice lio book!
May 26, 2013
741.56973 TAT
April 21, 2014
4 1/2 stars.
September 12, 2014
Hilarious collection...as though Edward Gorey was writing Calvin and Hobbes was a squid.
January 15, 2015
I've dabbled in Lio over the past few years and decided to read his collections from beginning to end. This was good, but his stuff gets better. I'm looking forward to successive volumes.
January 2, 2013
Damn funny.
November 18, 2011
I love Lio.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews