Ho!: The Morally Questionable Cartoons of Ivan Brunetti

by Ivan Brunetti, Patton Oswalt (Introduction)

Hoping to further increase his irrelevance to the esteemed world of graphic novels and thus cement his status as “former cartoonist,” the saturnine Ivan Brunetti (author of the acclaimed Misery Loves Comedy and editor of Yale Press’s two essential Anthologies of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons and True Stories) has compiled HO!, which collects the vast majority of his morally questionable, aesthetically confused―and absolutely gut-busting―“gag” cartoons. Culled mostly from out-of-print work (Hee! and Haw!) and other anthologies, the contents are discreetly presented in an uninviting, funereal package of unglamorous black and white. Hopefully, this will keep the impressionable, young, and faint-of-heart unintrigued and at a distance, while those who appreciate a touch of the gallows in their humor can enjoy an uncomfortable chuckle or two before the merciless thumb of oblivion grinds us all into less than dust.

Genres: Comics, Cartoon, Graphic Novels, Comix, Humor, Graphic Novels Comics

113 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2009

About the author

Known for his dark humor and simple, yet effective drawing style. Brunetti's best known work is his autobiographical comic series Schizo. Four issues have appeared between 1994 and 2006. Schizo #4 won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Comic of the Year in 2006.


He has also done numerous covers of The New Yorker.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 1 out of 5]

At a loss as to what to say about this book. So I will just warn anyone thinking about reading this: if you are not ready to be shocked then you should not consider reading this. Look up the work of Ivan Brunetti - I think that is the best advice I can give you.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Deliberately offensive collection of one shot cartoons. Trying hard in every one to be as offensive as possible. Trying too hard for me. Many of y'all think these are funny. I didn't think so. Some of you find these interesting, because, as the introduction by the I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell guy, wow, how low can this guy go? How many lines can he cross? I say who cares? I don't find the exercise in deliberate offense in these cartoons interesting at all, intellectually or emotionally. I feel the same way about Prison Pit, by Johnny Ryan.

Some reviewers I admire seem to like it! He is, I think, making a point about comedy, or certain kinds of comedy, as in that movie, The Aristocrats, about the dirtiest joke ever told, and yes, I thought that was funny and interesting. If you can keep this distance from Ho!, see it as an object of study, maybe it would be interesting to some people. And some comedy is funny because it just crosses every line you ever thought to cross.. Ethiopian chicken jokes, Helen Keller jokes, and I can't say I haven't laughed at them. I like R Crumb, though not ALL of it… some are (he admits! ) misogynist, some seem racist… Maybe it is a great opportunity to read a hipster comic and feel validated as racists and sexist. Maybe this is the same thing for so many people who like his humor: Oh, he's SO out there, SO outrageous, dude… meh.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivan Brunetti has dropped more jaws than you've had hot meals. His one-panel cartoons cross so many borders of taste, decency, and sanity that it's worth having a copy of this book just to remind yourself that you *haven't* seen it all. Most highly recommended, but definitely not for the faint of heart.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't mind morally questionable. I would prefer funny.

[Nicholas Palmieri]

Brunetti is an incredible cartoonist and a few of these are genuinely funny/satirical, but mostly it's pushing against the limits of bad taste just because it can. It screams "mid-aughts edgy," like a cartoon version of the "pile of dead babies" jokes. I'm glad we as a society have moved on from this kind of humor.

[RND · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sick, wrong, inappropriate, offensive, hilarious. I enjoyed it. The cartooning is clean, direct, pure.

[Samiksha Reddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some outright funny, rest disgusting.

[Dantanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awful! I laughed my arse off.

[chrstphre campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in The last Ivan Brunetti book …

… nice recovery ( ! )
14 more words required for this review !
Fawking Nazi Rules ( ! )

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

The good is that this is a collection of the most nasty, the disgusting, the brutal and totally hilarious of the Brunetti. It is mostly one-panel gags, and there is penises, and vaginals, and vomits and shits and sex with the dogs and the incests and the murder while doing the sex. And so much of the other stuff that makes you feel so bad and laugh so hard!

The bad, which is not bad because the art or the humor is bad, but because of the package of the comix, is this: This is a maybe 6" x 6" hardcover thing (and i don't understand this in-the-last-few-years trend of the hardcover fancy-packaged comix! It make the comix so expensive, and why? To make it more like the "art"?) and each page is one panel, and it take me maybe five minutes to read the whole thing! I pay $20 for this thing! If I pay $20 per five minutes of entertainment, this entertainment should include something at least like the Velvety Blowjobs and also the Multiple Glass of the Thirty Year Old Single Malt Scotch! For a little book of the comix? Is too much!

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly funny collection of gag strips. So incredibly offensive, you constantly think he must of finally painted himsef into a corner of bad taste, only to find out that he is willing to knock the wall out to go farther. The art is stupidly amazing too, and it's a classy looking little devil.

My only nitpick is it isn't a complete collection of gag toons up to this point, but what can you do?

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compilation of stuff from Haw and some unpublished material. I vastly prefer Haw but this is still a must-have because everyone who lives here or frequents my home is basically a f**king cynical & dirty-joke-loving degenerate. (Brunetti would approve.)

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Ivan Brunetti, usually, but these just didn't thrill me.

[Vogisland]

bless you, Ivan.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unforgivably foul. Thank you, Mr. Brunetti.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guaranteed to offend!

[S King · Rating 2 out of 5]

too rude for me

[Bryan Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go to your comic shop...
Buy this book!
Be SO offended that you feel dirty...
ENJOY!!