Wondermark, Vol. 1: Beards of Our Forefathers

Wondermark #1

by David Malki

Dark Horse Comics is proud to present this handsome hardbound collection of David Malki's Ignatz-nominated comic strip Wondermark. One of the Internet's new generation of self-syndicated comic creators, Malki repurposes illustrations and engravings from 19th-Century books into hilarious, collage-style comic strips.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Webcomic, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

96 pages, Hardcover

First published July 23, 2008

About the author

David Malki ! spells his name with an honorofic exclamation point. He is the author of the comic strip "Wondermark", which since 2003 has been repurposing illustrations and engravings from 19th century books into sarcastic, silly, and surreal collage-style comic strips.

Malki also co-edited the fiction anthology Machine of Death, which, thanks to a 100% grassroots campaign, became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon.com for 36 glorious hours.

He lives in Seattle with his wife Nikki (a stop-motion puppet fabricator), and their one son.

Reviews

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will never not love Wondermark. The comics in this volume were excellent, as always, and the extras were also highly entertaining. There were a few more "duds" in this one than in Wondermark, Vol. 2: Clever Tricks to Stave Off Death, imo, and in particular I didn't care much for the sections of abandoned strips and guest comics, but overall it was still an excellent collection.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wondermark is a webcomic David Malki !; not much point of a review since you can read them online (such as here: http://wondermark.com/bestof.html) and judge for yourself.

Just in case you've clicked through when you're having a bad day, or on the off chance that you perhaps suffer from a short attention span and have found the lettering too small, or for any other reason your judgment should not be trusted: I can assure you that even the most boring have a comforting, surreal style and rhythm of their own and the best make you pine for the days when your wireless router ran on steam power.

[Philip Athans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immense fun!

[Daniel Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Wondermark. The collection is great, and adds enough to make one glad that there is a physical version and not just a webcomic.

[Constance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightfully quirky.

[Robert Chartrand · Rating 3 out of 5]

All in all this book is pretty straight forward; it's a collection of comics. Granted the "Garfield" kind, not the "X-Men" kind. Given that, it possesses the usual traits of comic books, some are funny, some are hilarious, and some I just don't get and probably never will. What really makes this book stand out, however, are its illustrations. All of the humor and references are 100% modern, but the author uses ridiculously old-fashioned pictures. They are more clip-art than the cartoonists own creations. When first looking through the book it's pretty weird; soon, though, the pictures are what give the comics their positive quality and they really make the jokes that much funnier. So, if you want a quick laugh without having to think too much then definitely take a look Wondermark.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason I read the second volume first and then went and got this. Signed by Mr Malki himself direct from the website, this has sat in our toilet for a while now. Great to dip in and out of (the book I mean, not the toilet). I'm sure he'd approve.

I'm a fan of the Wondermark strips and they continue to amuse, puzzle and entertain to varying degrees. The book itself is a wonderful item. Hard bound, beautiful design, lovingly crafted. It's worth reading them in print rather than the internet just for that reason. There's a bunch of supplementary material included and I could do without the prose novel intro but it's still good value. Now I need to dig out the next collection. If you're not convinced go check out his website: http://wondermark.com/

[Clinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wondermark is a webcomic written by David Malki in which he adds dialogue to reprints of Victorian-era panels. In principle, the idea sounds ridiculous, but the humor comes in applying modern-day issues and speech to what are, effectively, really old pictures. It's certainly a unique brand of humor, but I've found it significantly smarter than most webcomics out there (which isn't saying much), without being snooty or condescending.

Beards of Our Forefathers is just a print collection of the comics that have appeared online, with some commentary and additional content added by the author. It's a great, light-hearted, easy read that definitely draws out a few belly laughs.

[Seizure Romero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home of W.Baker & Co.'s Breakfast Pabulum. Is Absolutely Pure and Ridiculous

What I learned from this book:

"I am a man who needs pie. That is who I am."
( http://wondermark.com/123/ )

Seriously, there's nothing I can say that won't be better explained by sending you to http://wondermark.com/ to poke around on your own for a bit. Just be careful around the piranhamoose.

[Brennin Weiswerda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never read a book in so many sittings--it demands your full attention, and rewards you for it. Each detail is important, and engrossing. I can imagine opening up a newspaper each day, searching for this strip first.

The book is clever and surprising in every aspect of design/writing/art/layout/genre (there's see-through text boxes!). Needless to say, the transition from the internet to hardcover didn't lose a damn thing, it opened more possibilities.

I can't wait to read the rest.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this book is a lot of fun. I started reading Wondermark online after he did a guest strip for the Unshelved guys...or else they just had a link to his comic. It's really strange but funny and I love the combination of old-time graphics and modern day jokes and colloquialisms. Definitely take a look at his comic and get a daily laugh by subscribing to his comic.

[Christian Lipski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is seriously up my alley.
1) Comic strips made from old etchings and illustrations, rife with shocking revelations and humorous twists.
2) Fake ads using turn-of-the-century language.
3) An all-over devotion to quality, from binding to endpaper to simulated page-texture.

David Malki is some kind of crazed genius.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thing was approximately seventeen times funnier than I expected, overmilked as Victoriana is. I would certainly give it as a gift to anyone who likes to laugh, but (unusually for me) I'm keeping my copy because I think I'll enjoy it all over again when I get around to re-reading it. Very, very droll.

[Adriane · Rating 4 out of 5]

More delightful Wondermark comics, this is the first book to set the layout for the subsequent books by setting up old timely catalogue pages (all invented of course, but very feasible). And having each chapter (about every 6 pages) end with a small written article relating to the comic at the top of the page. My favorites being about an elephant actor.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Beards of our Forefathers" was my first foray into the world of Wondermark. I only encountered it thanks to stumbling across Machine of Death. This book has some really impressive detailing in it, making it a pretty read, while simultaneously being filled with delightful comics and anecdotes. What more could you ask for, really? Especially from a comic anthology.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't come up with a category to describe this or the other work by this artist. It's truly bizarre, and not for everyone, but I found most of the strips to be really enjoyable. It's like reading a Monty Python skit captured in freeze-frames, only weirder.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snark is the main dish served up by Malki in this comic strip, which is illustrated with old-fashioned characters in a sort of Trader Joes-esque style.

I loved the comic strips, but mainly only read them while falling asleep and had to return the book before I finished.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly like the illustrations on Trader Joes products, except the humor is a little less food based and has more dead babies. Also it hates hipsters for some reason which just makes hipsters like it more.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of webcomic strips from the author's website. His illustration style is to have turn-of-the-century clip art characters comment on current society, but it didn't work that well for me.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Strongest Consolidation of Illustrated Jocularities ever effected in this country.

"Sometimes a second skin is just so much more comfy."

[AJ LeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have much to learn about beards. And cats. Malki! can teach us. Also, we will learn about pie.

This one made me laugh out loud on several occasions.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alright, I haven't actually read the hard-copy book. However, the webcomics are really funny. It's sort of hit and miss- either they're very dull or hilariously funny.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of some excellent Wondermark comic strips. They range from high to low comedy, invoking both poop-humor and complicated, self-referential ironic commentary.

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Modern slang and pop culture references juxtaposed with Victorian-era illustrations? I would love to meet the mad genius who came up with that concept.

[Babs]

FALSE

[Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty funny. i am a sucker for this stuff, though.

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't start reading this online until very recently. It's pretty fantastic and extremely dense.

[Dayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

How have I never discovered Wondermark until now? Hysterical.