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Trots and Bonnie
In the 1970s and 1980s, National Lampoon was home not only to some of the funniest humor writing in America but also to many of its best cartoons. One of the greatest was Trots and Bonnie by Shary Flenniken, a comic strip that followed the adventures and mishaps of the guileless teenager Bonnie and her wisecracking dog, Trots.
Bonnie stumbles through the mysteries of adulthood, as Flenniken—one of the few female contributors to National Lampoon—dissects the harsh realities of American life. Dating, sex, politics, and violence are all confronted with fearlessness and outrageous humor, rendered in Flenniken’s timeless, gorgeous artwork. After all these years, they have lost none of their power to shock and amuse.
This collection, handpicked by Flenniken and with an introduction by the New Yorker cartoonist Emily Flake, is the first book of Trots and Bonnie ever published in America, a long-overdue introduction to some of the most stunning and provocative comics of the twentieth century.
Bonnie stumbles through the mysteries of adulthood, as Flenniken—one of the few female contributors to National Lampoon—dissects the harsh realities of American life. Dating, sex, politics, and violence are all confronted with fearlessness and outrageous humor, rendered in Flenniken’s timeless, gorgeous artwork. After all these years, they have lost none of their power to shock and amuse.
This collection, handpicked by Flenniken and with an introduction by the New Yorker cartoonist Emily Flake, is the first book of Trots and Bonnie ever published in America, a long-overdue introduction to some of the most stunning and provocative comics of the twentieth century.
151 pages, Hardcover
First published April 27, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 16, 2021
Just what it says on the tin. This is a collection of Trots and Bonnie cartoons from the 1970-1990s. If you have never heard of this series, which was published in the National Lampoon, then you might be shocked by some of the very sexy, weird stories of two young girls that get into very compromising stories, along with their dog.
If you used to read these stories, as a teen, or adult, then this will be old home week. I can't say exactly where I was when I read any of these stories the first time, but the ones I remember, I remember quite well, such as where Pepsi, Bonnie's Friend, makes money after having boys look at one of her older classmates breasts. Or the time that Pepsi forces Bonnie to go to a free clinic for a pap smear, but she is told to come back when she starts having her period. They are weird little stories, and funny in an odd sort of way.
The really cool thing is that in the back, each of the stories has a little backstory about how the artist came to write them. Interesting how many are based on if not real life, nearly real life, such as the one where Bonnies mother follows her everywhere, so she can get no peace to do her homework.
Wonderful to have, if not the whole collection, a good collection of some of the best.
Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review.
If you used to read these stories, as a teen, or adult, then this will be old home week. I can't say exactly where I was when I read any of these stories the first time, but the ones I remember, I remember quite well, such as where Pepsi, Bonnie's Friend, makes money after having boys look at one of her older classmates breasts. Or the time that Pepsi forces Bonnie to go to a free clinic for a pap smear, but she is told to come back when she starts having her period. They are weird little stories, and funny in an odd sort of way.
The really cool thing is that in the back, each of the stories has a little backstory about how the artist came to write them. Interesting how many are based on if not real life, nearly real life, such as the one where Bonnies mother follows her everywhere, so she can get no peace to do her homework.
Wonderful to have, if not the whole collection, a good collection of some of the best.
Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review.
August 10, 2021
Transgressive humor from the pages of National Lampoon (and a few other sources) dating from the 1970s, '80s, and early '90s. Drawn in a style that echoes classic comic strip art from the 1930s, Flenniken's little waifs of only thirteen -- Bonnie McFarland and her friend Pepsi -- are raging feminists and sex positive explorers of their adolescence. (Trots is Bonnie's dog, who usually contributes little beyond a pithy and thematic last-panel punchline.)
Designed to be shocking, these strips of one to four pages succeed in a most unsettling way, with lots of adult language, nudity, and sexual situations. The author states she omitted some strips that did not age well, and seeing what she let through, I can only wonder what the hell could have possibly been in those.
The execution may not be for everyone, but there are still some very good points made and some funny jokes spun.
Designed to be shocking, these strips of one to four pages succeed in a most unsettling way, with lots of adult language, nudity, and sexual situations. The author states she omitted some strips that did not age well, and seeing what she let through, I can only wonder what the hell could have possibly been in those.
The execution may not be for everyone, but there are still some very good points made and some funny jokes spun.
May 16, 2021
You couldn't print a strip like this today, but fortunately you can REprint it.
I first encountered Bonnie and her talking dog Trots when I was pretty young, probably too young to fully understand what I was reading. I don't remember if it was in the one issue of National Lampoon we had in our house, or somewhere else. I think I found it kind of fascinating but like a lot of one-time things you experience as a kid it eventually got filed away in the recesses of my mind, until something reminded me of it many years later. Then I simply had to find it again, if only to verify my dim recollection. But there was nothing, even on the internet. I lamented the fact that no one had collected this comic. When they finally did, I ordered a copy immediately.
The book is laugh-out-loud funny but you may need to be a bit demented to enjoy it fully. No subject seems to be off limits, from rape and abortion to kiddy porn and the holocaust--which makes it all the more baffling to find that the author has withheld some strips because she thought they might hurt people's feelings. And yes, the particular one I remember is not here. (It was a little dirty but relatively innocuous.)
Disappointing, but I am still grateful a collection happened at all, and thankful to Flenniken and the New York Review of Comics for giving me what feel like the first real laughs I've had in months. Thanks.
I first encountered Bonnie and her talking dog Trots when I was pretty young, probably too young to fully understand what I was reading. I don't remember if it was in the one issue of National Lampoon we had in our house, or somewhere else. I think I found it kind of fascinating but like a lot of one-time things you experience as a kid it eventually got filed away in the recesses of my mind, until something reminded me of it many years later. Then I simply had to find it again, if only to verify my dim recollection. But there was nothing, even on the internet. I lamented the fact that no one had collected this comic. When they finally did, I ordered a copy immediately.
The book is laugh-out-loud funny but you may need to be a bit demented to enjoy it fully. No subject seems to be off limits, from rape and abortion to kiddy porn and the holocaust--which makes it all the more baffling to find that the author has withheld some strips because she thought they might hurt people's feelings. And yes, the particular one I remember is not here. (It was a little dirty but relatively innocuous.)
Disappointing, but I am still grateful a collection happened at all, and thankful to Flenniken and the New York Review of Comics for giving me what feel like the first real laughs I've had in months. Thanks.
May 17, 2021
I have to start by praising the artwork. In a world where stick figures are passed off as cartoon art, here we have beautiful, well crafted drawings in the best ink and pen traditions. The strips are delightful before one reads a word.
This is not to denigrate the writing. Her work is tight and concise, and the additional essays showcase her careful and creative use of words to propel a narrative.
Even when presented with ideas that you may not agree with, they are expressed with such insight and a POV that just might make you change how you look at things. This is in a great tradition of American humor.
This book is truly a treasure, as is Ms Flenniken.
This is not to denigrate the writing. Her work is tight and concise, and the additional essays showcase her careful and creative use of words to propel a narrative.
Even when presented with ideas that you may not agree with, they are expressed with such insight and a POV that just might make you change how you look at things. This is in a great tradition of American humor.
This book is truly a treasure, as is Ms Flenniken.
May 16, 2021
I loved this. These Trots & Bonnie comics appeared in the funny pages of National Lampoon magazine and offer a window into the times. Caution: it looks like a parent-friendly book, but if you're a parent, you'd better check it out before leaving it laying around for young eyes to find. I don't think it's harmful for kids to see, but many parents may have strong feelings of disagreement with me.
I really like the feature at the end where Shary Flenniken shares the backstory about each strip.
I really like the feature at the end where Shary Flenniken shares the backstory about each strip.
May 22, 2021
I loved this strip, and I forgot how much I had and how good it was. It’s that underground comics gestalt of dirty and real, but lacking the misogyny and misanthropy that makes a lot of those guys so unpleasant to read. And it’s beautifully drawn, with that strong nod to historical style that makes it almost a parody... but instead, it becomes an extension of that older work, an exploration of an abandoned city.
This collection is great and long overdue.
This collection is great and long overdue.
June 19, 2021
The material reprinted is wonderful and hilarious, but I docked it a star for not only the artist's self-censorship, but for the accompanying essays mentioning multiple strips that Ms. Fleniken chose not to reprint. Possibly the WORST sin any art related book can possibly commit.
February 27, 2024
Had never heard of Flenniken before, but I picked the collection up because NYCR tends to put out some interesting stuff. Anyway, I liked it. It's weird and transgressive and probably not for everyone but it does offer a look into the 70s/80s alt comics scene which I think is cool. Also the main character's best friend is a girl named Pepsi, which is a good creative decision.
I liked the section in the back where the author writes blurbs for each of the strips and goes into what things in her life inspired their creation.
I liked the section in the back where the author writes blurbs for each of the strips and goes into what things in her life inspired their creation.
May 15, 2021
A long overdue collection of this boundary-shoving underground comic strip, brilliant and scandalous stuff.
October 10, 2021
This has been a long time coming. I discovered Shary Flenniken's Trots and Bonnie comics in, I think, The Comics Journal some years back, and I wrote "Shary Flenniken - Trots and Bonnie" in my comics wantlist despite the fact that I knew they'd never been collected.
Feels great to be able to actually cross that one off!
Published mostly in National Lampoon in the '70s and '80s, Flenniken's half-page and full-page (and sometimes multi-page) comics draw from the underground comix she grew up on, but feel ahead of their time in their treatment of the subject matter of teenage girls growing up in a hostile world only just opening up to them needing to be taken seriously. Innocence is given short shrift; safe sex is a constant; bad & mediocre parenting, bad teaching, pyschology, etc are excoriated; and there's plenty of nudity but it's quite emphatically from the point of view of the female gaze, which is a delight. And 13yo Bonnie, her talking dog Trots and her best friend / bad influence Pepsi, are an absolute delight too.
Flenniken's line work is gorgeous and expressive. It's a shame that these comics and a few she neglected to include are all that exists of her work. But it's worth celebrating the fact that this lovely hardcover exists at all.
Feels great to be able to actually cross that one off!
Published mostly in National Lampoon in the '70s and '80s, Flenniken's half-page and full-page (and sometimes multi-page) comics draw from the underground comix she grew up on, but feel ahead of their time in their treatment of the subject matter of teenage girls growing up in a hostile world only just opening up to them needing to be taken seriously. Innocence is given short shrift; safe sex is a constant; bad & mediocre parenting, bad teaching, pyschology, etc are excoriated; and there's plenty of nudity but it's quite emphatically from the point of view of the female gaze, which is a delight. And 13yo Bonnie, her talking dog Trots and her best friend / bad influence Pepsi, are an absolute delight too.
Flenniken's line work is gorgeous and expressive. It's a shame that these comics and a few she neglected to include are all that exists of her work. But it's worth celebrating the fact that this lovely hardcover exists at all.
June 13, 2021
I so wanted to get this book as soon as I knew it was available. I remembered how relevant it was to the seventies, but I never saw all of these. So much fun to read. A bit horrifying to think that grade school-age females thought this way, about sex and their bodies and drugs and death. Grade-school age boys usually get all of the credit for being perverts, violent, and having bizarre sexual fantasies. There's a message in all of this, and Flenniken attempted to set the record straight back then about sex, rape, drugs, unsafe sex, and how both boys and girls had mostly made-up fantasies about these things and how to function as wannabe adults. The message was good for high schoolers and college students as well. Eventually, we all figured things out, but this compilation is not only good as reminiscence, but still relevant today, when kids are overloaded with information, and use technology more as entertainment than for answers.
August 9, 2025
The drawings are beautiful and show a great degree of realism, unlike many comic strips which are poorly drawn.
Although the situations are amusing, and sometimes more of a fantasy than something that could really happen, they also get into the minds and feelings of two 12 or 13 year old girls (Bonnie and her apparently younger friend Pepsi.) Trots is a speaking male dog who often comments on the situation.
It's the kind of comic that teenagers would enjoy and relate to, and most parents would disapprove of.
I only gave this 4 stars because it's an incomplete collection of what appeared in the National Lampoon. The author states that some comic strips were not reprinted because they did not age well, I think that ALL strips should have been included and not some left out because the collection was published in a more conservative era than the "everything goes" 1970s.
Although the situations are amusing, and sometimes more of a fantasy than something that could really happen, they also get into the minds and feelings of two 12 or 13 year old girls (Bonnie and her apparently younger friend Pepsi.) Trots is a speaking male dog who often comments on the situation.
It's the kind of comic that teenagers would enjoy and relate to, and most parents would disapprove of.
I only gave this 4 stars because it's an incomplete collection of what appeared in the National Lampoon. The author states that some comic strips were not reprinted because they did not age well, I think that ALL strips should have been included and not some left out because the collection was published in a more conservative era than the "everything goes" 1970s.
May 17, 2021
Without a doubt this is my favorite collection of comics to come out this year. I was first introduced to Shary’s comic through the documentary “Comic Book Confidential” (around 2009 or 2010 maybe, or whenever I first watched American Splendor and Crumb) and thought right away that her style, tone, and humor was incredible. I would have tracked down back issues of National Lampoon for her work, but I really wanted to get access to a nice collection of this comic strip. For fans of Shary’s comic who haven’t purchased this yet, I urge you to do so! It’s amazing, insightful (with commentary and an interview towards the end), and still just as funny as it was for audiences in the 70s or 80s. I still can hear Shary narrating the comic featured in “Comic Book Confidential” when I read it.
October 5, 2024
An interesting collection that shows just how different the 70s was, where you could make a comic strip featuring a 13 year old protagonist getting a facial and not be called in front of congress. Obviously, we know the transgressive edge of much of the art of this era was a double edged sword (think of Roman Polanski). But this is genuinely important work, trust me! Just read Jenny Flake's introduction if you don't want to take my word for it. It's political, sex positive, feminist, and still feels dangerous in 2024.
November 16, 2021
I first became aware of Shary Flenniken’s work via her section in Kramer’s Ergot 10. I’m glad NYRC was able to release this collection, complete with sketchbook drawings, Flenniken’s notes for each strip, and an interview with the artist. I was sorry to have missed her at Cartoon Crossroads Columbus this year because I was traveling. This book should be required reading for any aspiring cartoonist or anyone interested in the history of underground comics.
November 12, 2021
Ran across this new compilation book in the library a couple of weeks ago. I don't think I ever saw the original comic strips; too busy with adult life. It was definitely a look back on parts of the 60's/70's era.
Read
July 6, 2022I was not familiar with Flenniken's work, but at a time where female sexuality and body autonomy are under assault, I can't think of a better time to dive into this comic strip in all of its randy glory.
Want to read
March 25, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
May 16, 2021
Fantastic cartoons, excellent book design but left out too many of them.
July 28, 2021
This was a VERY funny collection. Also, it's pretty cool to read a collection of comics from a female creator from this time period. :)
September 18, 2021
Beautiful cartooning, hilarious stories and context for those that want it.
November 2, 2021
Delightful.
January 1, 2022
Not for everyone, but a fascinating and unexpected slice of feminist comics history.
February 3, 2022
Most of these strips are well over 30 years-old and still genuinely transgressive. Shary Flenniken is and important, and undervalued, talent in the history of underground comics.
February 15, 2023
Revolutionary for its time, and moreso now. A nice collection, with an interview and artist's notes on each comic strip included.
August 9, 2023
There is a lot here and it's definitely not for everyone. Transgressive for the time, some of it still works today, others don't quite hit the mark but still interesting.
May 28, 2021
Deeply, incorrectly, gracefully subversive collection of classic strips from a cartoonist whose always been at the fringes of my awareness but who is now receiving her due with this long-awaited reprint collection. Bonnie is a pre-adolescent female Candide; Trots is her world-weary dog; Pepsi is her far more experienced, no-nonsense best friend; and the world is that of the '70s, when the promise of the counterculture had begun to curdle (even though some of these strips, most of which appeared in National Lampoon, were printed well into the '90s). I wish there were more!
January 14, 2023
Uala! En sèrio?! Quin fart de riure, siusplau! Això ha de ser traduit ja
August 12, 2021
Bonnie and her talking dog Trots emerge from the shadows, to a world that hasn't changed much since these comics were published in the pages of National Lampoon. Like many, I read Trots & Bonnie when I was too young to quite "get it": back then, it seemed dull. Now, rereading it years later I detect a subtle satirical bent running through the comic strip. Bonnie is like a feminist Candide and her dog is a wise-cracking guide, (sort of), always ready to comment on the action. This is less of a graphic novel than a collection of the actual strips as they appeared in Nat. Lampoon and elsewhere (minus some that the author deemed too controversial to reprint). I heartily enjoyed Trots & Bonnie this time around.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews