Rat's Wars: A Pearls Before Swine Collection

Pearls Before Swine #14

by Stephan Pastis

Acerbic, biting, and hilarious, Pearls Before Swine entertains with its mocking of human nature depicted by a Rat, a Pig, and a cast of predators and prey.

"Pearls Before Swine ,  the oft-snarky comic that features a kind-hearted pig, a rat with the mind of Mencken, and suburban lions and crocs forever trying to ensnare their zebra (or "zeeba!") neighbors. The strip's sharp, attitudinal zing distinguishes it from some of its less daring neighbors on the funny pages; its panels crackle with pitch-perfect timing." —Michael Cavna, Washington Post

At its heart, Pearls Before Swine is the comic strip tale of two an arrogant Rat who thinks he knows it all and a slow-witted Pig who doesn't know any better. Together, this pair offers caustic commentary on humanity's quest for the unattainable. Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams says that Pearls is "one of the few comics that makes me laugh out loud."

Genres: Comics, Humor, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Comic Strips, Star Wars, Graphic Novels Comics

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Stephan 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.

Reviews

[Midna127 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartwarming: my favorite comic strip from when I was a kid is still as funny as I remember it.

[Addison · Rating 2 out of 5]

For some reason I remember thinking Pearls Before Swine was a comic strip I really liked. So I picked up this collection thinking I would really enjoy it.

Unfortunately, I found the strips to be mostly bland. I chuckled about once every 10 pages or so. Most of the characters are either uninteresting or unlikable, with a few exceptions like Rat whom I found to be the most likely to put a smile on my face.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of Pearls Before Swine comics that originally appeared from Dec 5, 2011 - Sept 2, 2012.

Some of these made me roll my eyes, some of these made me shake my head, and many of them made me laugh out loud. My favorite string was the series of comics about the East vs West Comics war.

Notes on content: Swearing is replaced with symbols so no language issues. No sexual content. There is some violence, especially when the crocs or the duck appear but it is a cartoon so no one is ever permanently hurt. Beer jokes appear every once in a while and occasionally Stephan appears in his comics smoking.

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the pun cartoons most of all.

[Laurla2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

read in the pearls falls fast treasury

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pearls Before Swine is one of the wittiest hilarious comic strips out there! This collection did not disappoint with plenty of word play and sarcasm.

[Veronique S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it wasn't my favorite Pearls Before Swine, it still was a fun read. I love those characters and all the puns.

[Deborah Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant, of course. I was glad (though hardly surprised) to see that Stephan Pastis shares my feelings about tradition. I see tradition as something that's done a lot of harm and doesn't bring much good with it. Tradition is a magnifying glass. After all, if a custom is something people enjoy doing, they keep doing it because it's fun. The fact that it's "traditional" just gives it a little extra fillip. If a custom is harmful, though, the idea that "this is our tradition" can give it a longer life than it ought to have. Yes, I listen to BBC Global News every day and hear wonderful stories about women being denied basic rights of inheritance, possession, and participating in certain lines of work -- all in the name of "tradition."

So, yes, I was amused to see the following dialogue in one of this collection's comics:

Goat: Well, guys, I'm off. Today is my family's annual potato sack race. It's sort of a tradition.
Pig: What's "tradition"?
Rat: Tradition is the reason for doing something you can no longer think of a reason for doing.
Goat: I hate it when I agree with you.
Pig: So that's why we still see our annoying family!

If this isn't your idea of a good time, don't read *any* of the "Pearls" collections, and certainly don't read this one.

[Robert Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book collects PEARLS BEFORE SWINE strips from 2011-2012. Rat decides to "occupy Sesame Street," rather than Wall Street. Zebra finds a long lost son. Guard Duck adopts a duckling. The crocs think Newt Gingrich is an amphibian, and later, they stage a Godfather-style hit on Zebra in a restaurant. The grim reaper moves in next door. East coast cartoonists go to war with West Coast cartoonists. That is, of course, a mere sample of the hijacks that abound.

Hallmarks of the PEARLS BEFORE SWINE comic strip include puns, cartoon hijinks with talking animals, puns, breaking the fourth wall and puns. In other words - it's everything that makes me laugh. Every installment doesn't hit the bullseye, of course, but a good number did literally make me laugh long and hard, and my wife can testify to this.

Rat: "If you could either fly or be invisible, which would you pick?"
Pig: "I'd be invisible."

Rat: "How come?"
Pig: "Because when I fly, they never give me enough peanuts."

If, like me, you found that exchange hysterical, then this strip is for you. If you didn't find it very funny, then....well, never mind.

[Popzara Press · Rating 4 out of 5]

If nothing else, Rat’s Wars showcases Stephan Pastis’ unique ability to make his comic strip, now blazing into its second decade, predictably unpredictable. Behind the simple artwork lay one of that most rare of things: a fully engaged, topical, and satirically relevant comic strip that’s just flat out hilarious. What a treat for longtime comic fans such as myself, who thought the days of picking up a new printed collection with glee were nearly extinct, to have such a treat to look forward to. Recommended without hesitation and looking forward to the next!

Rat's Wars: A Pearls Before Swine Collection Review on Popzara

[Rex Libris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I somewhat hate to admit it, but I like Pearls Before Swine. Part of me says I ought not to, but the other part finds it to be a guilty pleasure. Much like Married, with Children.

While Rat is far to cynical even for my taste, he gets his comeuppance when Goat beats him senseless.

Kudos to Pastis where he really deserves it: the memorial strip for Bil Keane was a class act.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can be said about another great collection of Pearls Before Swine? I know for a fact that I am definitely hooked on this very funny comic strip. The characters are absolutely hilarious and the author even puts himself into the strip on a lot of these. Really funny stuff that I have to give five stars just for the big smile pasted on my face.

[Marley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call me biased because I got a signed copy at Comic Con, but I love Pearls Before Swine, which is easily one of the most offensive if not the most offensive on the page. Truly hilarious at making me laugh at the things we all laugh at under our breath.

[Sanchita · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of comics, I love how nicely it breaks the fourth wall and addresses both the author and the viewers on occasion. I like the way they maintain continuity between strips and the characters are very distinct in their behaviours and manners.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vaikka taso on saattanut vähän pudota alkuaikojen ilotulituksesta, niin kyllähän "Pearls Before Swine" on edelleen hauska - ja paikoitellen tavattoman ilkeä - sarjakuva.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always funny

[Marta Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it. Pearls Before Swine is one of my favorite strips. I look forward to reading it each day, especially the PUNS! Keep up the good work!

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic sarcasm, innocence and unholy puns. Pastis strikes again!

[Denlillebogblog · Rating 4 out of 5]

3½- 4 stars.