Camp FoxTrot

FoxTrot Anthologies

by Bill Amend

*

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

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1998

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

[Remy]

jason fox is simultaneously too smart and too dumb to live

[Armando · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favorite Foxtrot collection, this one captures the spirit of summer and adds some crazy character developments for a serial comic series.

Plus plenty of laughs. Couldn't ask for more.

[Luke I · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foxtrot is the greatest comic book series ever to have graced the beautiful earth. Jason gives me great ideas to prank my friend James.

[Elevetha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading these only brings home how much I love Jason. And how much of a geek he is. And the dynamics of everyone. Best comic strip ever award.

These actually aren't in Camp Foxtrot but I felt like doing them anyways...

[Piper Gilkison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these comics! The cover illustrations give some of it away, Jason and Marcus are going to camp Borhmore over the summer, and once they get there, they see Eileen and her friend, Phoebe! Jason is mortified, he HATES girls,especially Eileen( or so it seems...)! They spend the summer together, and start a friendship club!
I admire Bill Amend, I love him( meaning his comics!)

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

More fun and insanity from the crazy Fox family.

[Mita · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Ian Bradford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camp Foxtrot was my favorite book when I was 10 years old. These comics bring me back to that. I went to the public library nearly every week with my parents or my school friends, and the "humor" section was always the first place I would go because I loved Jason, Paige, Peter, Andy, and Roger so much. For a time, I had read every Foxtrot that had been published, but I continued to reread them. Jason's character resonated with me the most, and it influenced my decision to pursue a career in technology.

Honestly, a lot of what I love about these books is nostalgia and not inherent quality. However, the jokes are still funny, the characters have depth, and I continue to enjoy the world of Foxtrot.

[Cait · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite and most well read of this comic series. The book has been on my shelf for decades and is almost disintegrating with how many times I have picked it up and moved it with me from place to place. Duct tape is holding it together. This truly just makes me feel better, a great mood booster, so many wonderful references that I related to growing up and still find funny as an adult. I just can't say enough about how much this comic series means to me.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

More classic FoxTrot, including Jason and Marcus going to camp and Grandma coming to visit for Christmas.

Bill Amend has included a section in the book about creating comic strips that may be dated but still gives the reader an informative over-view of the process

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a book I would have chosen, but my daughter thinks these cartoons are hysterical and wanted me to read this book. I like knowing about the references she makes all the time and it definitely brings me back to my childhood and how different things were then.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these comics as much as I remember. Sometimes things don't age well but even with the pop culture references these don't feel dated. I love the art style and just so much about these.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comic Strips all year long.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and reminds me of my brother

[Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good funny book.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading with my boys. It is perennially fun.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐. Reads just as good as when I was a kid.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Mattiesha Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Awesome! This book is the best book ever!

[Chris Seltzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before discussing the comics themselves, it's worth noting that this book contains a very interesting open letter to readers from Bill Amend about the business of making comics. It serves as both an interesting point-in-time reflection of a particular profession and a great example of what I wish more professionals would do. I wouldn't buy this book for that letter alone, but if you're choosing between FoxTrot anthologies, the letter definitely elevates this above previous books, in my opinion.

As for the strips themselves, we continue to see technology and pop culture references. Jason's fascination with technology, movies, and pop culture remains evident in this set of storylines. His desire for a new computer, interest in creating websites for comic strips, and writing a letter to George Lucas demonstrate his continued engagement with contemporary trends. Similarly, Paige received a beta copy of Riviablo, and Roger's annoyance with the computer in his workspace highlights the comic's connection to evolving technology.

The relationships between the family members continue to be central to the comic strip, with storylines depicting their interactions and shared experiences. Examples include Jason and Paige blowing bubbles with Super Gum, the family going camping at Skeeter Falls, and Andy's mother visiting for Christmas. These storylines help maintain the comic's focus on family and the everyday challenges they face together.

Several storylines emphasize the characters' attempts at personal growth or self-improvement. Roger tries to lose weight with the Ab-Crusher 2000, Peter takes on new responsibilities as the school's football team manager, and Jason and Marcus reinvent the Olympics. These storylines showcase the characters' ambitions and willingness to explore new activities or challenges.

The characters' involvement in school activities and events remains a recurring theme in this set of storylines. Paige plays Cleopatra in a school play, Peter gets a job at a movie theater, and Jason, Marcus, and Eileen attend a science camp. These scenarios offer a glimpse into the lives of the younger characters, making their experiences relatable to readers of various age groups.

A sense of humor and absurdity continues to be a staple of the FoxTrot comic strip. From Paige's nightmare about Jurassic Park to Roger's secret purchase of a new golf club, these storylines infuse the comic with a lighthearted and entertaining tone.

I also wanted to particularly shout out the "make a dragon" Sunday strip. That's the type of thing that made me love FoxTrot growing up, and I wish more cartoonists would embed fun experiments like this in their strips.

[Valerie]

Essentially a trilogy, with 'cartoons from Come Closer, Roger, There's A Mosquito on Your Nose and Welcome to Jassorassic Park'. Also includes an 'essay on cartooning' at the end, which is the only part I haven't finished.

As a voracious reader of cartoons, I was surprised to discover that I'd misattributed some cartoons. The one about why people get so excited about playing doctor is from this strip, and I think is in this collection. Amend may rarely make a major impression--but his whole body of work has staying power. I picked up a comics section yesterday, and he's still in it--though most other cartoonists who started about the same time have retired in the interim. Of course, none of the characters have aged. The oldest son was sixteen in 1989--and he's still 16.

[Vali · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the comic strips I read back in the day when I was still buying newspapers and I enjoyed it. Somebody gave me this book and I read it, and I just reread it. Perhaps I've changed in all these years, or perhaps it's just that I took in so much Foxtrot all at once, but it didn't really do it for me. I had no laugh out loud moments, it didn't hit that sweet spot like Calvin & Hobbes or The Far Side.
The premise is formulaic: a family consisting of a dimwit father, a straight-man mother, a goofy macho-wannabe older son, a confused middle daughter, and a nerdy youngest son. It reminds me of so many of those family sitcoms that I avoided in favor of shows like Cheers and Seinfeld.
I'll admit that it is a great comic strip but just not quite my thing.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a huge fan of Bill Amend for years. While I sympathize with Paige, I also have a pull towards Jason since I'm a geek at heart. I was thrilled to find a box of Amend's comic compilations when I was at a sale last summer and I have been working my way through them this year. This is one that I haven't read since my local library didn't have it and I'm more likely to buy a book over anything comics-related even though I love them. So I was happy to be able to read this compilation. I remembered quite a few of these from when they were in the daily paper.

[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.

[Duane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think there is a better cartoonist then Bill Amend when it comes to capturing the average American family and the joys, struggles, and day-to-day normalcy that they experience. Filled with wonderful characters, you'll go along with Jason to science camp and meet perfect Grandma. A great book for everyone to enjoy.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down the best of all the Foxtrot collections, and I own them all. Not only is it funny, but the chemistry between Jason and Eileen reached it's peak in this book. It also develops the friendship between Jason and Marcus. Whether you're a fan of Foxtrot or just comics in general, this book is worth reading.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am getting caught up on the comic strip anthologies I have been buying. This collection has some fun strips with Jason and Marcus as science camp which causes problems in later volumes. It also has a great sequence where Jason writes himself into the Star Wars universe with interesting results. Enjoy where Foxtrot is appreciated!

[Eclipse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really entertaining and funny. We need more pranks. Jason always is annoying his sister, why not his dad? Andy is perfect because in the halloween comic, it was really funny. I just think that the itching powder was really funny. Almost the best! Definitely a 5 star book. Reccomended for 12 and up.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Foxtot is great in genral but this one is so fun! I love comics like Calvin and Hobbes or PEANUTS but I never get tierd of this book even though I've read 5 times all the way through. Great book! Read it!!!!!!

[Pam Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a blast to read, on the dawning of the supposed new century, although, it didn't really start until the next year, but Jason and his antics were always a good read and thumbing through the books is still worth a chuckle. This is the sixth anthology.