Best of Temp Slave

by Jeff Kelly, Debbie Goad

This anthology of cartoons, artwork and stories reveals the anger and frustration created by America's idiotic temporary work industry.

Genres: Essays, Anthologies, Graphic Novels

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 8, 1997

Reviews

[AnitaDurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

this zine is saving my life right now. its good to put your personal situations in a larger context and i know that i am not alone. so many people temping in offices where it is hard to get a hold on what is happening. people i work with now at least treat me well, but there is an uneasy feeling. i am not really one of them. i am here on a short term basis. i am a temporary part of the team. all because the institution is too stingy to give me a full time position. why bother when you can avoid paying benefits. but i ask you, isn't there a decrease in the quality of work? it doesn't seem efficient to have to constantly re-train people and on top of that, people who are not fully committed to the company and therefore produce lower quality work or slack off because they don't actually feel invested in what they are doing. for example, here i am on good reads when i could be doing much more efficient work. why bother when i am a temp slave...might as well surf the net...

[Smiley III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irreplaceable. For those who thought indie artists in the '90s had a high-time, easy-going way of it, all I can say of Mary Timony's temping during her Matador records days ("Did anybody ever recognize you on your temp assignments?" "I don't know. [laughs] Probably not that much") was that in contrast to the people recording their tales of woe in these here pages, she seemed to have a more-reliable go of it in Boston (a "nice" city, yes, I'm going ahead and saying it!).

For those who were there. For those who weren't.

[Nwoka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like book compilations of zines I like. This book made me laugh so hard I almost cried. I was reading it at the bus stop on the way to a stupid job and some lady stared at me and I was like "you know what, this book is really funny!" and then I kept laughing. Sometimes at that stupid job (or the stupid job before it), I would put it in my purse and take really long bathroom breaks. Once this horrible co-worker I had heard me laughing in the bathroom and she yelled "what are jou doing in theeeeeeerrrre" (and that "j" is not a typo, that's how she talked) and I told her that I was reading the side of a tampon box. Whatever. Pointless story short, this book is great, read it at your temp job, it will make them nervous and mad at you.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES this is the best book ever if you have ever been a whore- I mean, temp. Reading this makes me angry and happy all at once, and then I want to go out and fuck shit up. I especially like the prank where you make 200 photocopies of a pen and then put the photocopies in the paper tray- the company will think there is a pen trapped in the copier and spend tons of money on repairs. Mwa ha ha ha!!!!

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a comic. More of a column with some strips in it.

[Chris Landry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone should re-start this 90s era zine. Maybe as a blog?