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Pearls Before Swine #19
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream Because Puns Suck: A Pearls Before Swine Collection
PUNS!
We know it’s coming. The telltale signs are all there: the oddly specific setup, the unusual word choice, and, just visible out of the corner of our eye, the final panel of Stephan sitting at his desk awaiting the chastisement of one of his characters. Somehow the pun still manages to elicit a groan larger than we expected.
Fortunately for us—and for Stephan’s job security—there are more than just puns in I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream Because Puns Suck. The entire Pearls Before Swine crew returns in some of the strip’s most raucous cartoons yet. Rat tries his hand at public service as a judge and presidential candidate (he’s accepting tips), Goat has a nasty run-in with Internet trolls (maybe it’s time to get off social media), and Pig is dismayed to learn that there is no European city of “Hamsterdam” (much less a dam that holds back a river of hamsters). And like always, the Zebras can congratulate each other on a safe day and hope for a Croc-less tomorrow—in other words, the preys praise and pray.
We know it’s coming. The telltale signs are all there: the oddly specific setup, the unusual word choice, and, just visible out of the corner of our eye, the final panel of Stephan sitting at his desk awaiting the chastisement of one of his characters. Somehow the pun still manages to elicit a groan larger than we expected.
Fortunately for us—and for Stephan’s job security—there are more than just puns in I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream Because Puns Suck. The entire Pearls Before Swine crew returns in some of the strip’s most raucous cartoons yet. Rat tries his hand at public service as a judge and presidential candidate (he’s accepting tips), Goat has a nasty run-in with Internet trolls (maybe it’s time to get off social media), and Pig is dismayed to learn that there is no European city of “Hamsterdam” (much less a dam that holds back a river of hamsters). And like always, the Zebras can congratulate each other on a safe day and hope for a Croc-less tomorrow—in other words, the preys praise and pray.
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2017
3 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Stephan Pastis
90 books445 followersStephan Pastis was born in 1968 and raised in San Marino, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1989 with a degree in political science. Although he had always wanted to be a syndicated cartoonist, Pastis realized that the odds of syndication were slim, so he entered UCLA Law School in 1990 and became an attorney instead. He practiced law in the San Francisco Bay area from 1993 to 2002. While an attorney, he began submitting various comic strip concepts to all of the syndicates, and, like virtually all beginning cartoonists, got his fair share of rejection slips. Then, in 1997, he began drawing Pearls Before Swine, which he submitted to the syndicates in mid-1999. In December, 1999, he signed a contract with United.
Pearls Before Swine debuted in newspapers in January, 2002, and Pastis left his law practice in August of that year. Pearls Before Swine was nominated in 2003, 2004 and 2007 as "Best Newspaper Comic Strip" by the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) and won the award in 2004 and 2007. Pastis lives with his family in Northern California.
Pearls Before Swine debuted in newspapers in January, 2002, and Pastis left his law practice in August of that year. Pearls Before Swine was nominated in 2003, 2004 and 2007 as "Best Newspaper Comic Strip" by the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) and won the award in 2004 and 2007. Pastis lives with his family in Northern California.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 13, 2021
This was probably the *punniest comic book I have read in a while. The puns and jokes in this comic are at times cringe worthy and the author isn't ashamed to let his main characters threaten him because of it. Well worth the read.
October 30, 2023
I read Stephen Pastis's Pearls Before Swine strip regularly (I often save it for my last read in the big weekend Comic section of my newspaper) and buy his collections.
I adore and appreciate the characters, the sense of humor, the wit, the sarcasm, and the many of the messages he wants to convey to his audience.
But Oh the Puns!!! - they are hysterical AND priceless. Some are so bad, they're funny. Many are bad, but clearly, he is clearly aware of this when he has his characters bludgeon and/or confront him at the end of the strip. It's the best, I love Pearls !!! (I even dressed as Mr. Snuffles complete with the backpack helicopter and "love bombs" as my Halloween costume a couple of years ago)
Keep 'em coming, Stephen!
I adore and appreciate the characters, the sense of humor, the wit, the sarcasm, and the many of the messages he wants to convey to his audience.
But Oh the Puns!!! - they are hysterical AND priceless. Some are so bad, they're funny. Many are bad, but clearly, he is clearly aware of this when he has his characters bludgeon and/or confront him at the end of the strip. It's the best, I love Pearls !!! (I even dressed as Mr. Snuffles complete with the backpack helicopter and "love bombs" as my Halloween costume a couple of years ago)
Keep 'em coming, Stephen!
May 25, 2024
The charm is gone. In its first few years Pearls breathed a fresh air into the comics world with whimsy, wit, and simplicity. Now he's reduced it to a trite, tired format (something he critiqued the older comics for doing) that just aren't funny and don't have a punchline. Must we have Pig shout at the end of every strip to try and signal people to laugh?
I opened up "BLT's Taste So Darn Good" and it was like I was reading a different comic strip.
Oh, to have things the way the were.
I opened up "BLT's Taste So Darn Good" and it was like I was reading a different comic strip.
Oh, to have things the way the were.
January 2, 2018
The puns are painful. I agree with the strip characters than Steph needs to stop.
I also hope that the references to a failed marriage are just jokes, and that he has a happy life.
Still, love the crocs and Zeeba neighba, Pig, Goat, and even Rat.
I like that he showed us he basically has one character template. Now they just need to call him out on his character names.
I also hope that the references to a failed marriage are just jokes, and that he has a happy life.
Still, love the crocs and Zeeba neighba, Pig, Goat, and even Rat.
I like that he showed us he basically has one character template. Now they just need to call him out on his character names.
August 9, 2021
This one is a bittersweet read. I loved it because it contains a massive amount of puns. I am sad though because this is the last book that my group of libraries has. I don't get the paper but have signed up for daily alerts about Pearls so I guess I am down to one strip a day. I hope I don't have withdrawals.
November 16, 2018
The title of this collection pretty much says it all. There did seem to be even more pun focused strips than usual for Pearls Before Swine. The average quality was not nearly as high as past strips, though. It was nice to shift away from the side characters like the guard duck and cat.
June 25, 2022
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream Because Puns Suck: A Pearls Before Swine Collection (Pearls Before Swine #19) by Stephan Pastis – Are you suffering from a lack of really bad, but dreadfully impressive puns? Look no further! The one about Mussolini is priceless! Happy Reading!
January 9, 2018
Hilarious and laugh out loud!
July 7, 2018
"Pearls" toistaa jo pikkuisen itseään, mutta on silti riittävän hauska (ja häijy), että sen parissa jaksaa viihtyä edelleen.
January 18, 2019
this author is a genius and hilarious. also technically read on midnight of new year's day so it counts as a 2019 book. thanks eliza!!!
May 19, 2019
Lots of very bad puns! Love it!
February 2, 2023
If you enjoy this kind of humor, then by all means read it. I particularly like the strips based on the perils of technology and the truth behind politics.
March 14, 2023
Many of the puns are funny. Many of them went over my head. It was a fun read.
December 27, 2023
I remember enjoying the humor in these comics more than I did. I really struggled to get this done and only chuckled once or twice. Hm.
September 6, 2021
As a New Hampshire resident myself, I deeply appreciated Rat's characterization of us in the State Motto comic.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews