Eat More Comics: The Best of the Nib

The Nib

by Matt Bors (Editor), Eleri Harris (Associate editor), Matt Lubchansky (Editorial assistant)

The Nib has published some of the best slightly sweetened comic puffs on the internet. Now on the shelf in real life for the first time, this BEST OF collection is a necessary part of a balanced comics diet. Inside you'll find 300 pages of scrumptious comics journalism, editorial cartoons, and personal essays fortified with insights and humor to help you grow strong bones and teeth probably.

Genres: Comics, Anthologies, Graphic Novels, Comix, Nonfiction, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics

300 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Matt Bors is a cartoonist, writer, editor, and the founder of The Nib. He was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist for his political cartoons in 2012 and 2020 and is the co-writer of the dystopian satire Justice Warriors with Ben Clarkson.

His cartoons have appeared in The Nation, The Guardian, CNN, The Intercept, and were collected in the book We Should Improve Society Somewhat. He also drew the graphic novel War Is Boring written by David Axe.

Reviews

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why I like political cartoons: they're barely politics, they're barely art, and the people who make them barely get paid. In an age when Michael "DEBT" Ramirez has two Pulitzers and Glenn and Gary McCoy are still syndicated, it might be best to entomb the whole medium with Thomas Nash and Paul Conrad and call it 'done'.*

The Nib is a brave effort by cartoonist Matt Bors to bring the medium into the 21st century, with the hope that the right image in the right time can go viral, can say what people can't say on their own, and make a difference. Like the cover says, this volume is a record of the best of the Nib's first year and a bit, with a talented list of artists you can google on your own. The topics are a smorgasbord that is very very 2014. Dumb internet jokes about the sad states of millennials, long confessional graphic essays about miscarriage, rape, and depression, stabs against the injustices of shootings in Ferguson and at Charlie Hebdo.

Personally, I would have cut some of the longer and less artistically interesting essays (lots of literal talking heads) in favor of more sharp or symbolic pieces, or even essays on what the hell 2014 was, but this is a solid collection of young and diverse artistic talents. That's why I'm dinging it a star compared to my much treasured books by Tim Kreider. But if you like paper books and political cartoons, there's nothing better that's to celebrate the present state of the field.

*the fact that I know all these names is a sign of a deep problem. If you recognize these names too, seek help.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only a few comics were unbearable. Loved Gemma's art and was hoping for more of that artstyle.

[Toronto Millennial · Rating 2 out of 5]

“The first thing I notice is the noise. Not of the outside world, but of my body. Blinking is deafening. Breathing is a river of sound.” -Lucy Bellwood (Flip the Switch)

Jemma Correll’s comics are familiar to me because her drawings are all over millennial Instagram feeds. I like the colourful and light-heartedness of her comics. The book cover drew me in, but I found the content was not reflective of the cover and didn’t meet my expectations. The comics rely on dark humour to convey serious, political, educational news and ideas. I learned new pieces of history from this book but found the political pieces to be tired & long.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a whim at the used bookstore and quickly realised that The Nib was responsible for many of the political and satirical comics I enjoy online. This is a massive anthology of their best works and you'll find comics like Trigger Warning: Breakfast by Anon Anon, I Want to Live by Erika Moen, and Not All Men by Matt Lubchansky. It's fun, biting, witty commentary on society and I enjoyed the hell out of it. So glad to have paper copies of some of my favourite comics over the past few years!

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a kickstarter project that pulled together a bunch of web comics from a number of artists that had been published on "The Nib". It was spearheaded by Matt Bors, one of my favorite comics and contained a few others that I already knew and liked. Eat More Comics was a good way to be exposed to some other artists and subjects that I hadn't made time to read online. The book is beautifully produced, which added a tactile aspect that you don't get with these as web comics.

[Hina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of The Nib ever since they started out on Medium. All the comics in the book have previously been published online, but it's a great collection to have in an easy-to-read book that you can revisit again and again. The Nib is home to some of the most sharp and poignantly funny political cartoons and satire I have come across, and I'm so thrilled to have it be a part of my book collection.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some gems in this collection, but a lot of stuff felt either way too on-the-nose, or worse, too far the opposite direction -- you can reasonably expect the former of a political cartoon, but one that just presents some facts or stats on an issue without taking a stance falls pretty flat as it turns out.

[Julie Isen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I contributed to the kickstarter campaign and absolutely loved the result.

[fire_on_the_mountain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Runs the gamut of every emotion, and some really hit you hard. Great balance between humor and seriousness, and an honesty and humanity in so many of these works. Get after it.