FoxTrot, Assembled with Care

FoxTrot Anthologies

by Bill Amend

Assembled with Care is a colorful compilation of cartoons from FoxTrot demonstrates that few entertainers in any medium are better at finding humor in everyday family life than Bill Amend. At the core of much of the strip's wild humor is 10-year-old Jason. He tortures his parents and two teenage siblings Peter and Paige out of their minds with his computer and his pet iguana, Quincy. In this treasury, parents Roger and Andrea again have their hands full. In one strip, Jason boldly bursts into their bedroom in the middle of the night to announce that it's "2 A.M. and the lights still work." In another, Jason surprises his mom with a new beep for her computer known simply as "Defcon One." Jason also holds his own with his older siblings, spelling "My Sister Is Ugly" with the carved faces of 14 pumpkins. FoxTrot continues to demonstrate its timelessness with its always fresh, irreverent, and zany brand of family humor. Assembled with Care captures the humorous side of the trials and tribulations that come with daily family life like no other strip today.

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Bill Amend is an American cartoonist, best known for his comic strip FoxTrot.
Born as William J. C. Amend III, Amend attended high school in Burlingame, California where he was a cartoonist on his school newspaper. Amend is an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. He attended Amherst College, where he drew comics for the college paper. He majored in physics and graduated in 1984.
After a short time in the animation business, Amend decided to pursue a cartooning career and signed on with Universal Press Syndicate. FoxTrot first appeared on April 10, 1988.
Amend currently lives in the midwestern United States with his wife and two children, a boy and girl.

Reviews

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

FoxTrot has always been a warm blanket to pull around me, quick and fun and very familiar. This collection lives up to that standard, and even improves on it, with several strips that I laughed out loud at in addition to the general standard of appreciation. There are some short series included (the Caribbeanny resort is one that stays with me) that work really well in their build-up and playing out. If you're a fan of the family, this is definitely worth the read (if you haven't read them already), and will always be nice to return to.

[Amber Scaife · Rating 4 out of 5]

A portion of these comic strips went right over Charlie's head, but he loves the ones with Jason and his friend. No surprise there - I see a lot of Charlie in Jason...

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had a load of fun reading this, laughed a lot.

[Ari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amend is one of the funniest comic artists around. His jokes are funny and hit family relationships squarely on the head. He is a very talented artist, and very imaginative. I love to look for his "Easter eggs" in the form of newspaper articles with comic writer jokes and how from frame to frame the Fox's household picture and magazines will "move". Overall anyone who loves to laugh aloud will enjoy this.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume of FoxTrot comics was published in the early 2000. The jokes are slightly more modern than earlier versions. There are Y2k jokes, early star wars, early gaming systems, Pokemon and boy bands. It made me remember my Jr high days were all of this was popular culture. I don't think teenagers these days would get it though.

[Jsrott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a lot to say about a collection of comics, but Fox Trot is one of the better ones. Never disappointed by these.

[Emily D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection had a lot of the panels I remember reading and liking back when they first came out. This'll always be one of my favorite comic strips since I loved it as a pre-teen and it speaks to my nerd side.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this comic strip!!!

[Luke I · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assembled with Care is so good!!!!!! The kids contained to amaze and I really think I love them.

[Kent Archie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much fun, lots of nerd humor

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgic bed time reading

[Chris Seltzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology steps Foxtrot into a new era, in my opinion. If the last one was peak Foxtrot we're now in the "late daily" era of the strip, fittingly around the turn of the millennium.

The comic is still clearly fixed in the zeitgeist, referencing the Pokémon cards craze, the Y2K bug, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The characters in FoxTrot are often seen trying new things, such as Roger making homemade wine and Peter getting a cell phone, making the family pretty cutting edge for the time.

Several of these storylines involve characters experiencing vivid dreams or indulging in their imagination, such as Jason's dream of becoming a miniature Paige and Paige's dream of being in The Nutcracker. These moments highlight the characters' inner lives and desires and offer a window into their personalities while also providing opportunities for creative and fantastical scenarios to be explored within the comic.

Apart from the family dynamics, FoxTrot also explores the characters' friendships and relationships with others outside their family. For example, Jason and Marcus interact with Phoebe and Eileen, and Peter tries out for Morton Goldthwait's "e-football team." These interactions demonstrate that the characters have social lives beyond their family, making them feel more well-rounded and relatable.

Several strips involve the Fox family participating in shared experiences, such as going to a "Caribbeanny" Resort or the kids cooking a romantic dinner for Andy and Roger on Valentine's Day. The humor often comes from juxtaposing different characters or situations, such as Peter playing golf with Roger during torrential rain or Jason going shopping with Paige for a report on "near-death experiences." The irony and incongruity of these situations create amusing and entertaining scenarios.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foxtrot is a great Sunday comic series, and I enjoy picking these up when I need a little pick me up. Sometimes though the selfishness of the characters really gets to me. It's a silly thing, like Peter eating all the food, or Paige using one of her mother's favorite books to squash a bug because she didn't want to ruin her latest cosmo. At first these things didn't bother me but since I read these all the time over and over it makes me upset. Totally silly but that's the only reason this doesn't get higher stars on my list. Otherwise the artwork and stories are great, lots of fun.

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 8th anthology contains plenty more laughs with the Fox clan. Covering Fall of 1999 to Summer of 2001, we get such great moments as Jason looking forward to the Lord of the Rings, Paige making high school flashcards, and Peter trying to get through Hamlet. This family always makes me laugh, and this book is no exception.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Unwisely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I stopped being anywhere with a newspaper about a decade ago, and everyone I know stopped buying Foxtrot books maybe 6 years ago, the only Foxtrot I see is when Bill Amend does a strip for a webcomic i read. This was a collection, so I'm sure I missed some, but the Fox clan is still fun to visit and hang out with. Which after however many years of syndication is good to see.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say, I have been on a Foxtrot binge lately, buying the collected volumes when I can get 20% or more off at local BAM store. Enjoy reading several pages at a time. Jason and his family cracks me up! Enjoy where mayhem is allowed.

[Mita · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's no other way of saying it except that FoxTrot is made of awesome. Amen!

[angrykitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

i always bought the collecitons since they would have teh reprinted sunday strips in color. loved those easter sunday chocolate bunny strips.

[Fatbaldguy60 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do all the good comics have to die?

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked that the charachters are star wars fans.

[Ubalstecha]

Another fun collection of Fox Trot comics. Amend hits a homerun with this contribution.

[Elevetha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy smokes, I giggle so much while I read these. By far, the best comics out there.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I usually do, I loved this book. FoxTrot is the best!

[Sarah Durkee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love foxtrot and have read all these books several times.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Foxtrot! Love everything except the stuff with Phoebe.

[Emma Wadsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

yay

[Abraham Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

nice collection of foxtrot comic strips!