Not Sparking Joy: A Zits Treasury

Zits Treasury #18

by Jerry Scott, Jim Borgman

Sixteen-year-old Jeremy Duncan is a high school freshman and an aspiring musician. He daydreams about the day when his band, Goat Cheese Pizza, records their first monster hit single and they all pile into his van for their cross-country, sold-out concert tour. Between naps, study hall, and band practice, Jeremy still manages to find time to be the star of the hugely popular comic strip Zits.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comic Strips

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 22, 2019

About the author

Jerry Scott is an American cartoonist. He is the creator of Baby Blues and co-creator of Zits.

Reviews

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs]

Proust believed that we must Re-Live the critical episodic icebergs of our frozen past in order to KNOW Ourselves.

And that is the reason A Zits Treasury resonated in me. Adolescence remains the same Gordian Knot it was sixty years ago!

Not Sparking Joy untied that knot for me.

The knot was inextricably tied in 1963... It was the night before the first day of high school. Dad was gone - he had fled off in a huff for a two year postdoctoral research fellowship in Minnesota, leaving Mom alone with us kids.

As Zits does, I was goofing off, trying to record the full version of Carmen from a CBC Labour Day Opera Special.

Well, Dad had left Mom alone, as I said, but in a state of simmering rage. She wanted to vent badly.

She stormed down to my room and Swept all the detritus of my teen existence onto the bedroom floor.

Wham! Bam! CRASH!!

Just like on the book cover...

No, adolescence never changes in this present postindustrial whirlpool. Until that not-too-distant day when humankind (God forbid) finally goes down the drain.

You know, Zits is still us. Check out the gab on any tell-all social media platform and you’ll see.

Will we end up buried in debris like him (and me)?

Well, Fifty Years of psychiatric probing have convinced me that there is real Treasure buried beneath that pile...

And always Light at the End of the Tunnel!

[Joanne]

The Zits anthology Not Sparking Joy will hit home for anyone who’s ever lived with a teenager—and maybe even for teens themselves, provided they have a bit of self-awareness. The art is classic, top-tier comic strip work, and the humor genuinely made me laugh out loud.

I’m not sure I’ve read much Zits before—maybe here and there—but with newspapers fading, it’s not exactly something I kept up with. That’s why I loved getting this mega-dose in anthology form. It was a great way to dive in, and I really enjoyed it.

[Amber]

Always love the series.

[David Allen Hines]

I've enjoyed the Zits comic strip for years, so I decided to purchase all of the books in the series. While I prefer comic books to present the strips in the sequential order they appeared, Zits seemed to drop this format a while back in favor of "treasuries" based on themes. This large size compilation, which includes many panels, includes a whole slew of great Zits comics any fan of the strip will really enjoy. Unlike some of the earlier treasuries, all of these are printed in a large, easy to read size. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to any fan of the series.

[Alex]

Amusing collection for parents of teenage sons.

[Stacey B.]

DNF on page 39.

It's fine, just not feeling it right now.

[Max Truty]

funny and nostalgic

[Sadie-Jane Huff]

Book 143 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I absolutely love Zits, and I so wish that the local library had more volumes of it... well, maybe they do as I have only focused on the e-comics.

Zits also makes me kinda glad that I don't have teens LOL, let alone stinky, hormonal, and always hungry ones!

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[Stephanie]

Ok maybe a bit of a cheat book, as I was able to read it cartoon to cartoon end in about an hour, but fun and relevant in raising teen boys....although fortunately, we've all been through the Konmari method, so less stuff to begin with....:) Also it was one of the books that I was able to get in person from the library yesterday, when we were present for the last in person programming at CADL libraries for the next three weeks....different world we're living in at the moment, so it was fun to escape into the old "reality" for a bit.

[Lori Koppelman]

I have loved the comics since I was a wee child, and Zits is my fave current one by far. I love the collections and pull down a book whenever I need a dose of laughter-is-the-best-medicine. This one is full of belly laughs, what I've come to adore about these talented collaborators.

[Linnea]

always a chuckle

[Tracey]

My kids are past the teen years, but Zits never fails to delight me.

[Margaret Gerberding]

Another fun book of Zits comics! These always make me laugh out loud!

[Steve]

Another amusing Zits anthology that's bound to net smiles and laughs. The series remains a recognizable depiction of suburban adolescent guy life, and hilariously so.

[Allison]

A funny, accurate account of life with a teenager!

[Rebecca]

I love the Zits! comic strip although it is startling to pick up the morning paper and see your own family interactions depicted there in print.

[Catherine]

Another fun collection of this humorous comic strip

[Jaymie]

So fun!! Identified with many of these.

[Mike McStay]

best comic strip writer going today hits a homerun!

[Brian]

3.5 stars

[Ruth]

Always reliable laughs. Yep yep yep. Parenting teens is no picnic.

[Sherry Guice]

Not really a graphic novel...but a collection of comics...

[Shiralea Woodhouse]

I'm not going to put on here every Zits book I've read, but I love these so much... If you are a parent of a teen, you will especially enjoy these comics!!

[James]

Very funny, Zits has always been one of my favorite comic strips! I rely on the books, as I no longer receive a daily paper.

[Elizabeth]

Not Sparking Joy: A Zits Treasury by Jerry Scott - Ah the joys of the teenage years! Happy Reading!

[Erin]

Good for a quick pick me up.

[Ted Cartier]

These Zit's co9llections are always fun and a good reminder of relationships between parents and children

[Flyingzebras]

As always, right on!

[Lynn Wright]

Needed a funny read after heavy books

[Jane]

I love these because I used to teach secondary school. Oh the memories of Axe Body Spray.