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Schlock Mercenary #1
The Tub of Happiness
Welcome to Tagon's Toughs, a mercenary company whose newest recruit is almost as much trouble as the new owners. They want to revolutionize space travel. Schlock just wants to hurt people and break things. This 240-page volume takes the reader back to the very start of Schlock Mercenary, and then some. It opens with nine pages of all-new strips telling the story of how Schlock came to enlist, and then forges onward chronologically from the very first strip. It also includes concept sketches, commentary, excellent guest art, deck plans for the Kitesfear. If you've been waiting to devour this Schlock Mercenary from the very beginning, the wait is over: grab your big spoon and dig into the Tub of Happiness.
240 pages, Paperback
First published December 8, 2007
10 people are currently reading
523 people want to read
About the author
Howard Tayler
47 books169 followersHoward spent most of his happy childhood in Florida where he was on the swim team in grade school, and in a rock band in high school. He graduated in 1985 and moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University.
After two years there, he served two years as a missionary for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), after which he returned to school at BYU and decided to move to Provo permanently after graduating and getting married.
He currently works full-time as a cartoonist, writing, drawing, and coloring Schlock Mercenary , as well as doing comics for assorted corporate clients.
He is married to author and editor Sandra Tayler.
See the author page on Schlock Mercenary website
After two years there, he served two years as a missionary for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), after which he returned to school at BYU and decided to move to Provo permanently after graduating and getting married.
He currently works full-time as a cartoonist, writing, drawing, and coloring Schlock Mercenary , as well as doing comics for assorted corporate clients.
He is married to author and editor Sandra Tayler.
See the author page on Schlock Mercenary website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
May 14, 2011
I found the Schlock Mercenary web-comic in a somewhat roundabout way. First I heard that Brandon Sanderson was finishing the Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan passed away. I went to his website and saw that he had a weekly writing podcast with two of his friends, Dan Wells and Howard Taylor. I listened to the podcast and heard that Howard Taylor had a web-comic so I went to his sight and checked it out.
After reading the comic every day for a couple of years I decided that I needed to catch up on some of the back story. Howard Taylor has been producing a strip a day since 1999 so reading all of that on the computer was out of the question, my eyes would go numb.
So instead I bought the first book of his published strips.
I think I have three things to say.
One: Howard Taylor is the kind of hilarious that only the best satirists (like Terry Pratchet, Bill Amend, whoever wrote Galaxy Quest) are able to achieve. He consistently tells a joke in each strip while keeping tensions high and addressing serious themes.
Two: If you can’t appreciate the original series Star Trek because the effects are so bad then you might not want to read Schlock Mercenary in the early years – stick with the modern stuff. The artwork is only slightly better than what I could do. It does improve rapidly, however.
Three: When I finished reading “The Tub of Happiness” I ordered the next book. Because it was that much fun to read.
After reading the comic every day for a couple of years I decided that I needed to catch up on some of the back story. Howard Taylor has been producing a strip a day since 1999 so reading all of that on the computer was out of the question, my eyes would go numb.
So instead I bought the first book of his published strips.
I think I have three things to say.
One: Howard Taylor is the kind of hilarious that only the best satirists (like Terry Pratchet, Bill Amend, whoever wrote Galaxy Quest) are able to achieve. He consistently tells a joke in each strip while keeping tensions high and addressing serious themes.
Two: If you can’t appreciate the original series Star Trek because the effects are so bad then you might not want to read Schlock Mercenary in the early years – stick with the modern stuff. The artwork is only slightly better than what I could do. It does improve rapidly, however.
Three: When I finished reading “The Tub of Happiness” I ordered the next book. Because it was that much fun to read.
March 20, 2015
This is the earliest of the comics, full of really rough art but good story arcs. I've already read book 13 first so I know the art gets a LOT better, but the stories seem to be good all-around. Good enough that I might just sit down and read every single frame in almost a single go. The fourth wall breaking does suit the humor, and while it always tries to be funny, it's more of a smirk than a laugh out loud. Despite that, I'm amused. Blood and guts is very much lighthearted entertainment, after all.
July 6, 2017
After getting hooked on the Writing Excuses podcast (ft. Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells and Howard Tayler) I decided to check out Howard Tayler's web comic Schlock Mercenary. Soo glad I did! This "volume one" has some rough patches, but by the end, I was getting really excited about the characters, the story and the artwork. And of course I loved the humor XD The comics are still available for free online, but I really enjoyed the authors notes and fan artwork of this collection. This is only the beginning, but I definitely plan to continue. In fact, I already ordered the second volume for my library! :)
February 27, 2011
Ommmmmmmminous hummmmmmm...
Yeah, so I don't own the books; I follow the webcomic and Tayler's blog and I've recently become addicted to Writng Excuses, so I guess that counts for something. I would own the books if I had the money/a credit card/parents who felt this was a good investment. Which is to say, I'll buy these books when I live on my own.
As far as actual content goes, I think I can sum it up by saying: Schlock Mercenary is better than many a syndicated comic, and gets far less love than it deserves. Go, dear review reader, and give it more love! It be here and I promise the art gets better.
Yeah, so I don't own the books; I follow the webcomic and Tayler's blog and I've recently become addicted to Writng Excuses, so I guess that counts for something. I would own the books if I had the money/a credit card/parents who felt this was a good investment. Which is to say, I'll buy these books when I live on my own.
As far as actual content goes, I think I can sum it up by saying: Schlock Mercenary is better than many a syndicated comic, and gets far less love than it deserves. Go, dear review reader, and give it more love! It be here and I promise the art gets better.
October 20, 2010
A collection of the first adventures of Howard Tayler's hilarious sci fi webcomic, Schlock Mercenary. Here we see how Schlock joined Tagon's Toughs, the origins of Ennesby, Petey, and other fabulous characters. Every strip is howlingly funny, and Howard's notes (included in this collection) are priceless insights into both his psyche and Schlock's!
June 15, 2011
What started as a check to see exactly what Howard Tayler is referencing when he talks about Schlock Mercenary on the Writing Excuses podcast has turned into a reading frenzy. I'm playing 11 years of catch-up now. Well, the first year/book is done, on to the next!
October 19, 2019
I have appreciated Howard Tayler's humor and insights for several years now on the podcast Writing Excuses. I don't read a lot of graphic novels, comic books, or comic strips (although I used to read comic strip collections as a kid). And I had never heard of Tayler's work before the podcast. But the way they talked about Schlock Mercenary, about the characters and the narrative arcs, made me want to check this out.
I gathered from the podcast that this was a comic strip like the syndicated ones I'm used to, but I was also confused because it seemed that altogether there was a bigger story than what I've typically found in Garfield, Peanuts, or (of course) The Far Side. What I found is this:
There are characters that emerge and develop, and I can see how fans could be drawn into Schlock's 31st-century world. At first it seems as silly, mediocre, and 2-dimensional as its panel-bound art. But the would-be tropes take on form and individual wants and needs, and I found myself caring. This makes the jokes funnier and the fictional world a little more alive. Like when the recruiter dude who gets blasted to nothing but a talking head gets razzed by the robot who gets to use a fake arm and hand before he does -- I really want that recruiter to get his promised body!
Ultimately the silliness and the sexual focus on female anatomy (tongue-in-cheek as it was) were too much for me to continue reading this. Regarding the latter, in a short story arc about 1/3 of the way through the collection, the male characters encourage the leading female character to buy some very bust-accentuating clothing. This culminates in a new crew member getting hired just because of her chest size. And I realized that I could probably expect more of this (including the large breasts highlighted from here on out), with little other payoff to offset that creepiness.
I appreciated the extras interjected in this collection, such as memoir-like notes from the author, character paintings, and fan art. But overall what impressed me most about this silly comic is how the author doesn't resort to a limit of 1 punchline per strip. He adds jokes to jokes and includes side jokes all along. That's something I could see myself doing. It shows that, regardless of how other syndicated artists do it, the author is truly invested in his comic.
MPAA ratings:
PG-13 for violence, suggestive themes, and crass language/gestures
PG for rude humor
I gathered from the podcast that this was a comic strip like the syndicated ones I'm used to, but I was also confused because it seemed that altogether there was a bigger story than what I've typically found in Garfield, Peanuts, or (of course) The Far Side. What I found is this:
There are characters that emerge and develop, and I can see how fans could be drawn into Schlock's 31st-century world. At first it seems as silly, mediocre, and 2-dimensional as its panel-bound art. But the would-be tropes take on form and individual wants and needs, and I found myself caring. This makes the jokes funnier and the fictional world a little more alive. Like when the recruiter dude who gets blasted to nothing but a talking head gets razzed by the robot who gets to use a fake arm and hand before he does -- I really want that recruiter to get his promised body!
Ultimately the silliness and the sexual focus on female anatomy (tongue-in-cheek as it was) were too much for me to continue reading this. Regarding the latter, in a short story arc about 1/3 of the way through the collection, the male characters encourage the leading female character to buy some very bust-accentuating clothing. This culminates in a new crew member getting hired just because of her chest size. And I realized that I could probably expect more of this (including the large breasts highlighted from here on out), with little other payoff to offset that creepiness.
I appreciated the extras interjected in this collection, such as memoir-like notes from the author, character paintings, and fan art. But overall what impressed me most about this silly comic is how the author doesn't resort to a limit of 1 punchline per strip. He adds jokes to jokes and includes side jokes all along. That's something I could see myself doing. It shows that, regardless of how other syndicated artists do it, the author is truly invested in his comic.
MPAA ratings:
PG-13 for violence, suggestive themes, and crass language/gestures
PG for rude humor
November 29, 2008
This is Tayler's earlier work and while the humor is every bit as funny, he was still perfecting his artistic style so the artwork is much more primitive. Still a very fun read.
I love these series of comic books! Goofy humor, great sci-fi plot, and the ominous hum of Schlock's plasma gun. What's not to like?
The author, Howard Tayler is one twisted, but very, very funny guy. He's also one of the nicest guys you'll meet.
Howard Tayler writes one of the longest running web comics. Check it out at http://www.schlockmercenary.com
Then buy the books, you won't regret it!
I love these series of comic books! Goofy humor, great sci-fi plot, and the ominous hum of Schlock's plasma gun. What's not to like?
The author, Howard Tayler is one twisted, but very, very funny guy. He's also one of the nicest guys you'll meet.
Howard Tayler writes one of the longest running web comics. Check it out at http://www.schlockmercenary.com
Then buy the books, you won't regret it!
August 5, 2013
A rough start, but this comic gets pretty good by the end. I don't think I've ever seen a comic strip with such an involved story and cast of characters; Kudos to Howard Taylor for pulling this off for so long. The sci-fi gets a little technical and nerdy at times, and the humor is often strained (especially at the beginning), but I laughed out loud several times throughout the course of the book. I'm looking forward to reading the next decade of work next, especially since the quality of the strip seems to continuously improve.
March 18, 2008
This book goes back to the beginnings of Schlock Mercenary. While you can pick up pretty much anywhere with this series, I recommend starting here for the full background on Tagan's Toughs. Of the physical Schlock Mercenary books I've read, this is the best. Plus, it's fun to watch the author's artwork evolve through the strips in this one. By the time he got to the other books, his characters were pretty "developed" to the ones we know and love, but it's fun to see their humble beginnings.
January 22, 2009
This is the start of the series, though not the first book published. The artwork isn't as nice as Howard's later stuff, but the jokes and story are still great! Certainly worth the read, though if you aren't sure, just visit the website!
Note: My rating may be biased by the fact that the author is a friend of mine. But only by one star, at the most. It really is good!
Note: My rating may be biased by the fact that the author is a friend of mine. But only by one star, at the most. It really is good!
October 13, 2009
I was so happy to get 30% off on a book that I read for free on the internet. (It was like getting paid twice. Happy Dance!) One fun thing about this book is you get to see Tayler's drawing skills improve. The fan art is nice too. Never thought I'd see Hard Science Fiction in comic form. This one is more episodic than the later books, the but over-arching structure of the universe starts to come into focus.
April 4, 2013
It's the beginning of a series that will be nominated for Hugo awards every year for probably eternity, but the beginning is a little rough and even the author admits it. That being said it is well worth a read for fans of the series. Otherwise you might consider starting to read by visiting the website (where the comic is available to read for free) and using their suggested starting point first.
March 8, 2013
I've been reading this comic for the past year and I finally decided I was tired of not understanding all the history and backstory, so I'm working my way through reading the massive back catalog. I don't generally read comics, so I feel like I don't have the experience to say much about this except it's super fun and I enjoy it. It's really fascinating to watch as the artist's abilities improve over the years.
April 4, 2012
This is the only 'review-review' that I'm gonna write for the Schlock Mercenary books--suffice it to say that I've gone through six+ years of this strip in a little under three days.
WARNING: Not for the little-little ones. Start at 14, mas o menos.
WARNING: Not for the little-little ones. Start at 14, mas o menos.
August 12, 2009
Read up to the end of 2005 so far - It just gets better
August 25, 2010
Great comic, full of funny puns. Highly recommended.
September 3, 2011
Great comic! Hilarious! I'm going to get the next installment, The Teraport Wars. I highly recommend it. You can view these comics for free online (it's a web comic).
September 24, 2013
I love the Schlock Mercenary app that puts all these books on my phone. I've been wearing down the battery reading all of them. Very funny
February 17, 2015
Don't worry, the art gets better, and the story is worth it.
June 5, 2021
There are pros and cons to starting Schlock Mercenary here. Generally, I wouldn't recommend it. If you start later in the series (I like Longshoreman of the Apocalypse, personally) then you get to see it after it's hit its stride and the art has become good. If you start here, that's not what you get.
The art in Vol 1 is rough, to be generous. Fortunately it does get better as you go through. The first few stories are very short, but they give a hint of what Schlock Mercenary will become, particularly as you get further into the book.
What you do get right from the beginning, though, is the characters and the humor. This book is FUNNY. And the characters are fun to read about and spend time with. Not that you'd want to spend time with them in reality. That would be dangerous. Very dangerous. But from the safety of your couch with a book? I'll do that any time.
The art in Vol 1 is rough, to be generous. Fortunately it does get better as you go through. The first few stories are very short, but they give a hint of what Schlock Mercenary will become, particularly as you get further into the book.
What you do get right from the beginning, though, is the characters and the humor. This book is FUNNY. And the characters are fun to read about and spend time with. Not that you'd want to spend time with them in reality. That would be dangerous. Very dangerous. But from the safety of your couch with a book? I'll do that any time.
October 10, 2017
It's funny, it's entertaining, it's a sci-fi comic that's true to the science and lots of fun. It's also clean (Thank you, Howard Tayler!!) There are a few jokes that my young sons don't get (and shouldn't get) because this comic is not written to entertain children, but I can leave it lying around the house and not worry about my kids picking it up. I can't wait to start the next book.
December 14, 2018
It's impressive how Howard Tayler is able to come up with enough punchlines for a daily comic strip. I've grown to really like the characters and world in Schlock Mercenary and plan on reading all the way through until I'm current. If I read a full month's worth of comics every day starting now, it'll only take me 7 months until I'm caught up. Props to the author for 18 years of consistency.
September 27, 2020
Despite a rough beginning, this first volume contains some of the most memorable origin stories (Ennesby, Petey, the Gatekeepers) in the comics. Great writing, amazing world building, dubious art.)
April 5, 2021
The beginning of the Schlock Mercenary series. Compared to how the series developed the artwork and stories are relatively crude, but still very entertaining.
July 25, 2021
Amusing SF webcomic collection about some hapless space mercenaries.
August 24, 2016
I can read these strips for free online or through the app, but that's not how I wanted to experience them. I'm so glad I plunked down my $25 and bought this book so I could really enjoy these stories. I have listened to Howard Tayler on Writing Excuses for years, along with Brandon Sanderson and Dan Wells. (I like to pretend Mary is just a long-term guest who will, hopefully, someday disappear.) It didn't take me long to buy and read Brandon's and Dan's books and become just a big a fan of their writing as I was of their podcast. It has taken me much too long to do the same with Howard's work. In my defense, I did try to read them online, but that's not how I like to read and I didn't realize for a long time that the books existed. Once I did, I finally found out what a talented writer Howard is. I can honestly say that he's just as good as either of his two cohosts.
No one is going to ooh and aah over the drawing in these early strips, but that's okay because the writing is so good that he could have used stick figures to illustrate them and nothing would have been lost. The humor is terrific and I love that he knows just when to break the fourth wall and when to leave it intact. I also really enjoyed the side notes and wondered how many of them were exclusive to the book. I like to think I got a little extra for my money.
This is a consistently funny strip which doesn't stint on story for the sake of a punchline. I look forward to reading the next two books (which I have already ordered.) Now I want to go back and listen again to all of the Writing Excuses podcasts with a better understanding of Howard's contribution to writing in general and the podcast in particular.
No one is going to ooh and aah over the drawing in these early strips, but that's okay because the writing is so good that he could have used stick figures to illustrate them and nothing would have been lost. The humor is terrific and I love that he knows just when to break the fourth wall and when to leave it intact. I also really enjoyed the side notes and wondered how many of them were exclusive to the book. I like to think I got a little extra for my money.
This is a consistently funny strip which doesn't stint on story for the sake of a punchline. I look forward to reading the next two books (which I have already ordered.) Now I want to go back and listen again to all of the Writing Excuses podcasts with a better understanding of Howard's contribution to writing in general and the podcast in particular.
March 26, 2023
The art on this one is unpolished (as I'm sure Howard Tayler would admit), but its important as it introduces the core characters of this sprawling comic space opera, in this case comic applies to format and genre. Tayler is excellent at ending nearly all daily strips with a punchline, even while driving the story forward. This volume is very focused, following a single line of action, making it easy to keep track of as a daily comic. In later volumes Tayler starts splitting the crew of Tagon's Tough's, meaning the reader needs to keep track of multiple story-lines, somethings that only works when you can read it in one big archive binge, rather than a strip a day. I am about to embark on such a archive binge, as Talyer has been writing for 19 years and, having taking a break about 10 years ago, am heading back to the beginning - wish me luck!
August 15, 2012
I read the Tub of Happiness by Howard Tayler because he is a member of the Writing Excuses podcast. Otherwise, I never would have heard of his work because I'm not much into reading serialized comics anymore. I also always try to support local Utah authors, another thing Howard had going for him.
The work was good, it's the first of the Schlock Mercenary series and the early part of Howard's career as an artist and it shows. The art is amusingly simple in some parts and downright bad in others, but you can see growth in just the one volume which I find encouraging.
A good way to know if this is something that would be for your is to check out the Schlock Mercenary page, where strips are done weekly. I believe their is a full archive as well. http://www.schlockmercenary.com/
The work was good, it's the first of the Schlock Mercenary series and the early part of Howard's career as an artist and it shows. The art is amusingly simple in some parts and downright bad in others, but you can see growth in just the one volume which I find encouraging.
A good way to know if this is something that would be for your is to check out the Schlock Mercenary page, where strips are done weekly. I believe their is a full archive as well. http://www.schlockmercenary.com/
December 9, 2012
Step into the tub of happiness.
Just don't step on the amorph.
It might be easy to be put off by the quality of the artwork in this volume, but if you are you will be missing out. Howard Taylor is IMO one of the best Sci Fi authors around. He manages to mix hard SF with humor and military action in a way no one else I've seen has been able to do.
This book is a collection of his earliest work from the web comic plus a bonus story created especially for the book. As a result the quality of the artwork isn't nearly as good as his current work, see the web comic and the bonus story show's the contrast. The writing and humor are excellent however.
This is a good beginning of a great series.
Just don't step on the amorph.
It might be easy to be put off by the quality of the artwork in this volume, but if you are you will be missing out. Howard Taylor is IMO one of the best Sci Fi authors around. He manages to mix hard SF with humor and military action in a way no one else I've seen has been able to do.
This book is a collection of his earliest work from the web comic plus a bonus story created especially for the book. As a result the quality of the artwork isn't nearly as good as his current work, see the web comic and the bonus story show's the contrast. The writing and humor are excellent however.
This is a good beginning of a great series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews