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Cyanide and Happiness #1
Cyanide and Happiness: A Cult Comic Book of Dark Humor from the #1 Bestselling Webcomics
Introducing the first real, tangible, ignitable collection of the hit online comic Cyanide & Happiness, featuring a selection of your favorite comics and thirty brand-new strips.
From the minds of Kris, Rob, Matt, and Dave comes a barrage of irreverent entertainment sure to keep you amused until the day you die. Just see what their mothers have to say!
"Dave is a nice, young man with a bright future ahead of him. I always knew he was a gifted boy who would go on to do great things. I hope he settles down with a nice, young woman and ****s the **** out of her."—Dave's mom
"I don't know how to get computer pictures, so I'm glad Kris finally has a book out. I haven't read it yet, but I hope he gives me a quote on the back."—Kris's mom
"I hope Robert's book does well so he can finally afford to move out. He plays his hip-hop music too loud."—Rob's mom
Matt's mom was unavailable for a quote due to being dead.
From the minds of Kris, Rob, Matt, and Dave comes a barrage of irreverent entertainment sure to keep you amused until the day you die. Just see what their mothers have to say!
"Dave is a nice, young man with a bright future ahead of him. I always knew he was a gifted boy who would go on to do great things. I hope he settles down with a nice, young woman and ****s the **** out of her."—Dave's mom
"I don't know how to get computer pictures, so I'm glad Kris finally has a book out. I haven't read it yet, but I hope he gives me a quote on the back."—Kris's mom
"I hope Robert's book does well so he can finally afford to move out. He plays his hip-hop music too loud."—Rob's mom
Matt's mom was unavailable for a quote due to being dead.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 2, 2005
286 people are currently reading
2203 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
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July 24, 2017One more to go :)
October 4, 2020
Honestly, I still prefer it when comic strips like this just pop on my Facebook than having a book of hundred of them. But, here, I do not care at all, and I was having so much fun reading these.
These are not for everyone, absolutely not.
But I did enjoy reading these, so, if your sense of humour is a bit twisted, maybe give this a shot.
source: http://explosm.net/comics/717
These are not for everyone, absolutely not.
But I did enjoy reading these, so, if your sense of humour is a bit twisted, maybe give this a shot.
source: http://explosm.net/comics/717
March 26, 2012
TEN wholly inappropriate examples demonstrating why Cyanide & Happiness is tasteless, cleverly offensive, and always often some pretty funny shit:
A nice intro that sets the stage nicely. I call this one “Birth of a Serial Killer” as this is just the kind of honest parental communication that scars children and helps develop that newsworthy, “let’s go slaughter the diners at a McDonald’s” worldview.
Zombie hygiene…c’mon, what’s not to love.
A classic example of the damage that miscommunication has caused throughout recorded history. Plus...whores.
Warning….this next one is not for the sheepish:
Besides an apology for the bad pun, I have nothing to add to this…the shit is just messed up.
This was the breakthrough moment for me, when I first laughed out loud and realized that I was going to really enjoy myself reading this...especially the wordless last panel.
When you can make broken-hearted suicide FUNNY, you are (a) doing it right and (b) doing it very, very, very wrong.
This “look on the Brightside” moment about one of America’s favorite eating disorders just seemed too smartly disgusting not to include.
The tear coming down the face in the last panel was just brilliant. Sick, twisted and funny.
Another involuntary, out loud guffaw elicited through the perfectly timed use of our language’s most versatile expletive.
I’m a comic book geek, so I had to include this one. An important lesson for the kids out there.
Overall, this collection was mostly good to very good, with the added YAY of a handful of brilliant gut busters. My sub-four star rating is reflective of the fact that there were large stretches where I would simply smile appreciatively or give the humor a courtesy mental kudo for clever effort. Still, while not as consistently funny as, say, Oatmeal and his 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth and Other Useful Guides, there were enough genuinely hilarious and unabashedly sick, “oh you didn’t just do that” moments that I am confident I will be revisiting this world again…probably soon.
3.0 to 3.5 stars. Recommended.
P.S. Since it's Sunday, here's a bonus strip because I didn’t get a chance to throw in something truly blasphemous above.
A nice intro that sets the stage nicely. I call this one “Birth of a Serial Killer” as this is just the kind of honest parental communication that scars children and helps develop that newsworthy, “let’s go slaughter the diners at a McDonald’s” worldview.
Zombie hygiene…c’mon, what’s not to love.
A classic example of the damage that miscommunication has caused throughout recorded history. Plus...whores.
Warning….this next one is not for the sheepish:
Besides an apology for the bad pun, I have nothing to add to this…the shit is just messed up.
This was the breakthrough moment for me, when I first laughed out loud and realized that I was going to really enjoy myself reading this...especially the wordless last panel.
When you can make broken-hearted suicide FUNNY, you are (a) doing it right and (b) doing it very, very, very wrong.
This “look on the Brightside” moment about one of America’s favorite eating disorders just seemed too smartly disgusting not to include.
The tear coming down the face in the last panel was just brilliant. Sick, twisted and funny.
Another involuntary, out loud guffaw elicited through the perfectly timed use of our language’s most versatile expletive.
I’m a comic book geek, so I had to include this one. An important lesson for the kids out there.
Overall, this collection was mostly good to very good, with the added YAY of a handful of brilliant gut busters. My sub-four star rating is reflective of the fact that there were large stretches where I would simply smile appreciatively or give the humor a courtesy mental kudo for clever effort. Still, while not as consistently funny as, say, Oatmeal and his 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth and Other Useful Guides, there were enough genuinely hilarious and unabashedly sick, “oh you didn’t just do that” moments that I am confident I will be revisiting this world again…probably soon.
3.0 to 3.5 stars. Recommended.
P.S. Since it's Sunday, here's a bonus strip because I didn’t get a chance to throw in something truly blasphemous above.
July 28, 2017
Let's assume I'm not offended by this. Putting that aside, this book had one job and that was to be funny. And it was barely funny.
October 18, 2015
Really hated this one. Cartoon strips featuring stick figures who do unexpectedly offensive, often violent, things. The problem is it’s filled with old jokes and bad puns and they often aim their attacks at those with less power rather than those with more. Consider two typical strips. One shows a woman asking a man when he’s finally going to fix a leaky pipe, she suggests duct tape and he says it’s worth a shot and puts it over her mouth. Another strip shows a guy talking to a girl on a couch at a party, when he realizes she’s not actually listening to him but is passed out, he squeezes her breast — and that’s the entire joke. They think they’re being edgy but at best they’re doing the equivalent of recycling dead-baby jokes. Grade: F
August 29, 2015
I don't know why I bought this.
November 23, 2021
It is super fucked up and gross. Men really need to stop calling rape jokes, transphobia and being misogynists as "humor." If that is your definition of humor y'all really need to evaluate your values.
June 10, 2023
This was definitely a throwback.
March 26, 2012
Now that was a perfect beginning to the day. Ever since I discovered 9GAG I've been a big fan of rage comics but I had never heard of Cyanide and Happiness before, but I must say, some of their stuff is really funny! My favorite was this one:
And that's just because I fucking love superheroes.
And that's just because I fucking love superheroes.
May 10, 2017
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Humor books like Cyanide and Happiness defy both ratings and reviews; either you like them or you don't, and there's not always a whole lot of wiggle room in this concept. What sets Cyanide and Happiness apart along these lines is just how transgressive much of the humor is, and again, if you like transgressive humor, you're more likely to enjoy all of the books in the Cyanide and Happiness series as well.
The book and series isn't all for shock value, though. Several of the jokes are borderline intellectual, if that's possible for a book like this; foremost in my mind among jokes like this are that about Schrödinger's cat (p. 115)—which Kris Wilson and company outright state most of Cyanide and Happiness' audience won't get—and that about the meteorologist (p. 53) (though the latter gag is very borderline). But most of the jokes, as befits this collected webcomic, rely on sight gags that play with the conventions of paneled cartoons, as well as plays on words of all sorts (and of various degrees of taste). If Wilson et al.'s humor was only transgressive and less clever, it wouldn't be anywhere near as tolerable as it is; that even the grossest jokes in the book are clever is testimony to its (relative) quality.
Again, the purpose of a review of a humor book, especially one of a webcomics, is essentially for the reader to figure out if they'll enjoy it, not so much as an objective assessment of its quality (since such assessments are inherently subjective); if you like clever, transgressive humor, Cyanide and Happiness is for you.
The book and series isn't all for shock value, though. Several of the jokes are borderline intellectual, if that's possible for a book like this; foremost in my mind among jokes like this are that about Schrödinger's cat (p. 115)—which Kris Wilson and company outright state most of Cyanide and Happiness' audience won't get—and that about the meteorologist (p. 53) (though the latter gag is very borderline). But most of the jokes, as befits this collected webcomic, rely on sight gags that play with the conventions of paneled cartoons, as well as plays on words of all sorts (and of various degrees of taste). If Wilson et al.'s humor was only transgressive and less clever, it wouldn't be anywhere near as tolerable as it is; that even the grossest jokes in the book are clever is testimony to its (relative) quality.
Again, the purpose of a review of a humor book, especially one of a webcomics, is essentially for the reader to figure out if they'll enjoy it, not so much as an objective assessment of its quality (since such assessments are inherently subjective); if you like clever, transgressive humor, Cyanide and Happiness is for you.
March 23, 2022
I'm all about dark humour... when it's actually funny. Most of these comic strips are just lame or a bad excuse for blatant female objectification. I can't believe I was an avid Cyanide and Happiness online reader many years ago. Yikes!
April 9, 2017
Some of these had me actually laughing, most had me saying "Oh, ok." Then a few of them just soared right over my head, because I am still not as cool as I think I am.
December 30, 2017
Cyanide and Happiness is a comic with really dark humor and great timing. Sadly, it doesn't really have much to say other than, "Look how dark we are!", but it's a fun distraction if you find dark humor fun, which I do.
April 11, 2018
Meh, it has good ones and bad ones. It was entertaining for the whole 20 minutes or less I devoted to it. You'll appreciate it more if you have a dark sense of humor.
December 7, 2019
A mixed bag with a couple of truly amazing comics
June 25, 2024
I don't personally think it was my taste in comedy....
January 14, 2019
Oh man, this comic was one of my favorites when I was younger, but man a lot of the jokes don't hold up as well now that I'm older and the world is a different place
October 6, 2016
Loved it!
June 27, 2023
I first learned about these comics in highschool and wanted to revisit them as an adult. After reading this comic I was shocked to find several depictions of groping women while unconscious. This type of humor is only benefiting rape culture, I did not enjoy this comic as much as I was hoping too.
January 2, 2012
Haha! These comics are spectacular! I am only familiar with one Cyanide and Happiness comic (prior to this) so I was looking forward to reading the book of comic compilations. They were great! I will definitely read the next one!
Here are some of my favorites from this collection:
I don't know what it is about a banana peeing on someone that is so hilarious!
This one is hysterical!
I laughed for about 10 days straight after reading these three:
Here are some of my favorites from this collection:
I don't know what it is about a banana peeing on someone that is so hilarious!
This one is hysterical!
I laughed for about 10 days straight after reading these three:
March 23, 2010
I must say, this book... Pretty damn good. The book jumps into different stories and yes, this book is 81% offensive to women (Yes don't stomp on me please.) Ah this has the be the first book that Kris, Dave, Matt, and Rob actually made since they had a site called "Explosm" which they have been working since 04'-Present and the book is based off there work such as the running on gag "Happy Easter Zombie Jeaus!" and 20 new comics "Too hot for the internet" that are usually based of cancer jokes, gender, idiotic acts, and inside jokes that 90% of the public will not understand (That is one of them.)
The Author(s) of the book isn't really saying anything at all, Kris, Rob, Matt, and Dave are just saying life can be unfortunate to the characters of the Cyanide and Happiness book. What do I say? Read the damn book! It's worth it!
The Author(s) of the book isn't really saying anything at all, Kris, Rob, Matt, and Dave are just saying life can be unfortunate to the characters of the Cyanide and Happiness book. What do I say? Read the damn book! It's worth it!
November 19, 2014
I don't like the violence, but sometimes it's quite funny (in my place, it's five minutes rules: you can eat it if five minutes hasn't passed)
May 15, 2019
Fun quick read
Number of good chuckles in this one. Pick it up. You'll laugh. Smack someone with a copy of it. You'll laugh at that too because you obviously have that kind of humor.
Number of good chuckles in this one. Pick it up. You'll laugh. Smack someone with a copy of it. You'll laugh at that too because you obviously have that kind of humor.
September 3, 2020
These are all so... weird, disturbing and unfunny
May 5, 2024
Every strip had me in stitches. I don’t think there was a dull joke in here. Sometimes I had to force myself to put the book down so I didn’t read it all in one sitting! Definitely worth reading, especially if you love ‘dad humor’.
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March 24, 2010This book is comic gold. It will keep you laughing and make you want to share it with anyone who will give you the time to listen
March 31, 2011
Hmmm I guess it's for the Jack Ass generation... see review Aisle B http://aisleb.tumblr.com/post/4226557...
November 29, 2015
Adorable, broadly delineated little characters. Gruesome, highly disturbing situations. Some of the darkest humor out there. Need I say more? I loved it!
February 21, 2014
I loved this. I've liked the web comic since high school. The inly reason I'm giving this four stars is because I expected the never before seen comics to be better and edgier.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews