Kelly: The Cartoonist America Turns To

by Ward Sutton (Editor)

The Los Angeles Times proclaims The Onion’s editorial cartoonist, Stan Kelly, “A maniac whose ideas frequently make no sense at all!” But what do you expect from the Lame-stream Media? What truly makes no sense at all is that there has never been a published collection of Kelly’s work — until now! Easily our era’s top opinion-maker, Kelly influences everyone from world leaders to water cooler layabouts. Sticking it to the sickos and giving props to the patriotic, Kelly’s super-award-winning cartoons “tell it like it is” and frame today’s crucial issues in context so you don’t have to. This lavish, soft-cover 50th Anniversary Collection, compiled by acolyte Ward Sutton and loaded with bonus extras, presents the best of Kelly in his signature, eye-popping black and white. It’s a trip every Kellyhead has been dying to take!

Genres: Comics, Fiction, Art

200 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 2016

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's incredibly fitting that the last cartoon in this collection is the first one to reference Donald Trump and Make America Great Again. Because Kelly might be one of the best ways to explore and understand the mindset that gave us President Trump.

Ward Sutton's fictional editorial cartoonist is probably the most MAGA-ist character one could create. He's an avatar of aggrieved suburban masculinity, but with rich layers of specific and obscure obsessions. In Trump's case, it's Diet Coke, the Handsome Generals, and Graydon Carter's Bad Food Restaurants. In Kelly's case, it's JJ Abrams's rebooted Star Trek, Penthouse magazine and sons who resent their deadbeat dad.

In Kelly's World, a world of Today's No-Good Teens, Today's Over-Burdened Seniors, Beleaguered Shoppers and Budget-Conscious Johns, it's only right and fair for Trump to take the White House. Who else can defeat the Smug Waiters, Scheming Trollops, Pampered Disabled, Homeless Hippies, ISIS, terrorists and other assorted sickos.

[Nicholas Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if you know and understand Kelly's schtick (being adopting the facade of a tired right of center cartoonist who longs for the good old days and lacks a lot of subtlety), I still found myself consistently getting a few shocks and a "that's a bit close to the bone" style thoughts reading this collection.

The fact that a cartoonist who has already let you in on the joke is able to do this is the ultimate measure of their skill, and so I declare Kelly is unparalleled genius. Five stars.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already thought the comics were funny but I hadn’t realized that altogether they constitute a portrait of one of the saddest self-deluded characters. I really liked all the ones about dads leaving or demonizing greedy firemen but the ones that personify some kinda disagreement or encounter it’s obvious Kelly experienced directly were my favorites.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not my type of book. I heard the author was good...and the art is nice, the topics were at times thought provoking.
But I am not interested in political art; and don't find The Onion to fit my humor.
You may enjoy it, but I didn't.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stuff, cannot believe how prescient Kelly's analysis of boomer brain was/is. One can only assume Sutton spends all his days hanging out at Ohio barbershops. Unsurprising that some have mistaken it for a real comic strip.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

These comics are so absurd. They make life worth living. I look forward each week to a new one. Having the back issues is a godsend.

[Steve Peifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's funny all the time but it is also subversive and slapstick in the same cartoon. Quite extraordinary.

[Andrés · Rating 5 out of 5]