Marele Nate. Un puști genial

Big Nate: Comics #1

by Lincoln Peirce, Teodora Terciu (Translator)

Marele Nate e un puști genial - genial la inventat năzdrăvănii! Mereu pus pe glume, mereu cu un răspuns isteț pe buze, Nate e băiețelul de 11 ani alături de care nu ai cum să te plictisești. Probleme cu școala, colegii sau temele de vacanță - el trece peste toate, cu mult umor și creativitate. O bandă desenată minunată, pentru toți fanii lui Nate, dar și pentru cei care acum îl descoperă pe eroul lui Lincoln Peirce.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Lincoln Peirce is a cartoon artist from Portland, Maine. He lives with his wife and two children, and occasionally gives lectures to students about cartoon creating. Peirce writes the comic strip "Big Nate". Peirce's comic strip, Big Nate, is featured as an island on the famous children's website, Poptropica. Big Nate appears as the first cartoon on The Maine Sunday Telegram in the comics section.

He studied art at Colby College in Maine were he began cartooning. He also studied at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture before teaching art and coaching basketball at a New York highschool for 3 years. He currently plays hockey with "an old men's league" and describes it as his best sport as a child. In an interview with the Washington Post, Peirce stated that his last name is pronounced "purse" and is not a misspelling of "pierce."

Lincoln Peirce was a member of the "Surviving as a Print Cartoonist" Panel at the Maine Comics Art Festival with fellow cartoonists Corey Pandolph (Barkeater Lake, Toby: Robot Satan, The Elderberries), Norm Feuri (Retail, Gill) and with Mike Lynch moderating. On the panel Lincoln revealed he is currently working with some animation and licensing projects including the addition of a Big Nate island to the online game Poptropica.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this last night. Several former students recommended this series. For the most part, it was funny and rather interesting. But there were two big glaring things that made me rather disappointed.
First, the thread of disrespect that permeated each comic: (and all of these go for vice versa as well) father/son, student/teacher, and child/child.
Second, there was a lot of questionable content involved--mentions of "sexy", and "shacking up", and a few others. I realize this is written about a middle school kid, but I wonder if people are aware of the reading level? For this one--2.5! The rest are between 2-3.5ish. So guess who is checking these out of the library, by and large, because of the sticker level? Second and third graders. NOT middle or almost middle schoolers. Maybe they wouldn't fully understand ALL of the innuendo, but I've learned to NEVER underestimate what I child can understand.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good. Although it was very confusing too. In this big Nate book, Nate skips around to different comics even though it has nothing to do with the one he already started. He tries to impress Jenny but she dosent like him the way he likes her. She keeps thinking whenever he is around "oh brother". He even called dibs on her becuase she was talking to Teddy and he doesnt want them to go out, so he says" I call dibs on Jenny" and then Jenny punches him in the face and walks away. Also Artur keeps wanting to be friends with Nate, but Nate cant stand him. Artur got him a snowglobe and Nate just gave him a pencil that he found in his school bag. Francis keeps on wondering how is Nate is so good in chess but not any thing else. He does some research and he finds out that people that are good in chess and very smart in ther subjects. When I read that part, I infered that Nate is probably smart in his other subjects, but he just doesnt show it because he wants to be cool and not like the nerdy kids in his class.

[Bernardo Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very good book, It was very funny. It starts when school is about to start, and through the school year he had funny and amazing adventures. He ran for student council and made co-student council. Whenever Nate hallucinated he saw Mrs. Godfrey's face! It was a great book, from a 1-10 I would rate it a 8.

[Alan]

it was funny

[Addy Orangutan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do you think it’s called “Big Nate”?

Not because Nate is cool.
Not because Nate is phat.
Because he’s downright BIG.

Love the kid. Props to the editor. Made him look slim. ❤️

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Take a look, kid! Everywhere around you, there are moments happening! They happen, and then they're gone!"

—Big Nate: From the Top, P. 205

I've long considered the Big Nate comic strip a spiritual descendant of Bill Watterson's classic Calvin and Hobbes; it's the closest thing we had to that boy and his stuffed tiger after Mr. Watterson retired the strip in 1995. Big Nate isn't as deep, emotional, or brilliantly funny as Calvin and Hobbes, but Nate is easy to like and root for, the humor is routinely excellent, and there's more substance than most newspaper comics. The Big Nate novels have their own equal appeal in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid tradition, but the comic strip is pure entertainment, a pick-me-up for readers craving a spritz of Nate's brand of comedy. There's never a time when I wouldn't gladly dive into a book of Big Nate comics.

The strips in Big Nate: From the Top originally ran in newspapers from August 28, 2006 to April 1, 2007, so they cover a large portion of the American year and its seasonal events. September starts with Nate anxious about going back to school, featuring a classic Big Nate gag on September 3 (page thirteen). As the fall session picks up speed, Nate thinks he's come up with the perfect facial expression for school picture day, considers running for student government, and avoids confrontations with Chester, a bully who remains always just out of readers' view. October 15 (page fifty-five) is one of the funniest Sunday strips of this collection, where Nate's seemingly innocent interview with Mr. Galvin turns into a different news story than Mr. Galvin intended. That one had me laughing out loud. An assignment to help first-graders improve their reading matches Nate with a lisping little foe from a storyline that predates this book, a kid named Peter who's a much more sophisticated student than Nate. But Nate works his magic (courtesy of provocative comic-book star Femme Fatality), and his influence over Peter becomes permanent. The October 25 (page sixty-five) comic involving Peter is a humorous surprise. Nate decides one day to become a "bad boy", which doesn't turn out as he envisioned, and Mrs. Godfrey's absence from school leads to cartoonish Coach John being named substitute teacher. Not even Gina, the perennial "teacher's pet", likes this. November 17 (page eighty-eight) is a great Coach John strip, when John tells Nate he reminds him of an incorrigible kid he had to teach in soccer camp...and Nate points out he was that kid. Coach John is a reliable fount of humor.

Thanksgiving passes, Nate obsesses over "dibs", and then has another laugh-out-loud encounter with Mr. Galvin on December 12 (page one hundred thirteen). Christmas comes and goes with no pet dog for Nate, but he's served a subtle reminder that Spitsy is as good as his, even if the neighbor's dog is a less-than-manly companion. Nate complains to weatherman Wink Summers about untimely snowfall, and an extended story featuring "Nate Wright, Private Eye!!" opens on January 8 (page one hundred forty). Several of Big Nate: From the Top's best strips are in this story arc, notably January 11 (page one hundred forty-three), Nate's questioning of Jenny on January 13 (page one hundred forty-five), and his interaction with school secretary Mrs. Shipulski on January 15 (page one hundred forty-seven). Nate's masquerade as Sherlock Holmes throughout the story is hysterically funny. Nate engages his friends in a "Yo Mama Smackdown" at January's end, and at home he and his dad quarrel over possession of the latest Femme Fatality comic book. Nate works hard to compose just the right Valentine's poem for Jenny (February 14, page one hundred seventy-seven), and it's surprisingly good: funny, effervescently flirtatious, with a sprinkling of winsome sentimentality. Why isn't Jenny interested in Nate? He's awesome. Nate enthusiastically creates clay sculpture in Mr. Rosa's art class, capped off by a madcap exchange with Jenny, who's flattered that Nate wants to sculpt her until she finds out what he has in mind (February 24, page one hundred eighty-seven). That one's terrific. Nate chills out from test stress by bopping himself in the head with an empty plastic drink bottle, Francis is at a loss to explain how Nate is so good at chess, and Nate learns from School Picture Guy the art of snapping candid photos so he'll know how to do it for the yearbook. The final extended story has Nate teaming up with Teddy on a Civil War project, and getting one over on Gina. All in all, it's a satisfying variety of Big Nate comics.

Calvin and Hobbes did well avoiding topical humor, which is key to originating material that stands the test of time. Big Nate is good at that, too, a comic that will be relevant as long as boys struggle in school, goof off with friends, and still manage to learn a little something from teachers. The strips in Big Nate: From the Top were written more than fifteen years into the series' newspaper run, but Nate's adventures feel fresh as ever, and I had lots of fun with this book. Thanks for the laughs, Nate. See you around the halls of P.S. 38.

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

A hilarious compilation of comic strips.

[Adam Martficki · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing and funny

[Eagle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Nate From the Top is a really good book. Lincoln Peirces Big Nate seires is hilarious. A 6th grade kid with his two friends do a lot of weird and funny stuff. He gets a lot of detentions for not getting homework done and messing around. He's always trying to get Jenny as his girlfriend but he never does. He makes her poems on Valentine's Day. He has really weird spiky hair. He doesn't like his dad so much because he thinks his dad is not that cool. He doesn't like his teacher Mrs. Godfray. That's where he gets in trouble themost. He gets hurt a lot when he's doing sports. He doesn't like his sister. He always fights with her. The thing that bugs him the most is Mrs. Godfrey her as a student. I think you should read this book. Joseph

[Joseph Alvarado · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know I get a lot of comments from other people that reading book like these is not mature, well what can I say I'm 11 and my Childhood hasn't been ruin. I don't care I love Big Nate and that all there is to it, it's funny it's sometimes relate able, and sometimes I don't get it. Any was it on my top 5 anime,comic book ish.

[Tal · Rating 2 out of 5]

not a book for my kids. the content is a little too old (talk about "shacking up"!) and the characters are disrespectful - well, the father and son are to each other. i was curious and now i know. i do not like this trend in children's literature.

[Matthew]

Hilarious!

[Alex Klaas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed out loud. It was funny.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nate Wright is eleven years old, four-and-a-half feet tall, and the all-time record holder for school detentions in school history. He's a self-described genius and sixth-grade Renaissance man.

[Salena He · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME! This book was really good. I also liked the gags a lot. Lincoln’s way of writing and drawing comic strips let me take an interest in other strips like Calvin & Hobbes and Garfield. I mean, it’s hard to believe that just one person can write a so many good comics in only like twenty-five years? I think it’s twenty-five. Yeah.
Anyway. The best comic strip in this whole book was the one on page one hundred thirty-four where that dude Chester are that entire chicken. It was ridiculously funny. :D. I like the ew face Nate, Francis and Teddy had in the last two panels of the comic strip. But still the others were good too.
I’m happy I found Big Nate because it’s part of my everyday life! :) (happy face yay!)

[Joe S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Nate From The Top is a book in a series of books about an 11 year old boy who shares moments of his life. In the book Big Nate From The Top, Nate loves to hang out wth his friends and read his comic books. Going to school is one of Nate's least favorite things in the world to do. He always gets detention for slacking and calling teachers names which is why he doesn't like school. When he enjoys himself something usually goes wrong and Nate gets mad. Will Nate and his friends survive the school year? Will they be on top or will they take a step back? You'll have to read the book to find out the end!

I enjoy reading the "Big Nate" series. What I liked best about Big Nate from the Top was that it was funny and outrageous. I often found myself re-reading certain parts of the book just to laugh again. At times, I felt as if I was getting in trouble with Nate and slacking off with Nate. I would recommend this book to people who have dyslexia because every page has illustrations to go with the text. Also, people who like to joke around and like simple, straight forward experiences will like this book.

I imagine if you liked Diary Of A Wimpy Kid then you'll love Big Nate . Both books are funny and about a boy in middle school who struggles with fitting in and staying out of trouble.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Big Nate: From the Top, Nate Wright is the main character, who is a comical sixth grader. He is the kind of kid in school who messes around and gets bad grades on tests and tries to get around stuff, but is still funny, and in Nate's case, is surprisingly good at chess. It is set in a modern time and city, and throughout the book the setting is mostly at school, but also a little at his house, and walking to school. There isn't really a main conflict throughout the book, but all the small conflicts revolve around Nate's life and him being a goof, and getting beat up by various people for being dumb.
I really like all the funny stuff Nate does in the book and how you want to read more every page. I also like how the book is a bunch of comic strips a page or two long each, but it still seems like a flowing book. One other thing that I liked about this book was how relatable Nate and his life is to myself or someone I know. One thing I didn't like was how weird and crazy Coach John is, and how uptight and random he is. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a funny quick read, and likes graphic novels or comics.

[Blake Scrugham · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books I read this quarter was Big Nate over the top by Lincoln Peirce. My opinion over this book is that the book had good phrases that really helps you understand what the main idea of this book is. And that sometimes you read a book and you realize that you get confused and think that a part was missing from the piece, but in this book there is no missing information anywhere throughout the entire thing. And i feel this way because the author sets up the story really well, and when you can understand what’s going on and almost being able to see what was going to happen next, it makes you realize that they wrote this book really well. The book is about a boy in middle school named Nate and ends up getting in a lot of trouble. I think that others should read this because as you read there is a point where you are dying to see what is going to happen next, and then once you find it then there is something going to happen after that. So it is a good book and anyone can read it if the want to read a interesting book.

[Marisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've got a migraine, so this is going to be a fully honest review because I don't have the spoons to filter. Pretty obvious from this first book that this series was originally written as an adult comic strip. I'm over the objectifying of women and drooling over Femme Fatality, and honestly, I'm over the trope of trouble-making "harmless" white boys. There, I said it. However, I think later books become actual stories rather than a bunch of vignettes, so maybe it gets better. Either way, I bought several in the series for my library because I kind of had to. If kids read it, that's cool - reading a crappy book is superior to not reading.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the book could have been a little better. It kept going from one subject to another. It starts off with Nate and his dad at the store trying to find a pair of pants for Nate. His dad picked a pair out and Nate said that they were terrible. The next day, he went off to school for the first day. His crush is jenny, a girl who is pretty popular and dosen't really like Nate.

[Dramapuppy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I reread this during an insomnia flare because I remembered loving it as a child, only to discover that it is actually terrible. Nate is so unlikable that it’s kind of impressive how effectively he manages to sidestep all potentially redeeming qualities.

[Jack Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good

This book was the best book I have ever read. It's funny an I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sooraya Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the second Big Nate book I read after 'Out Loud'.
I must say, there were too many gags where Nate disrespects friends, teachers and parent.
Not cool Nate... Not cool :(

[Goatllama]

I don't have a problem with mindless entertainment. But I do have a problem when it's as mean-spirited as "Big" Nate. 'The Big Bang Theory' is very similar in this regard; the characters are borderline cruel in their derisiveness, and it's very off-putting (amusingly, 'Young Sheldon' almost entirely mitigates this fault). Similarly, it's not necessarily overt (though at times it is), but to me there seems to be a continual thread of meanness throughout this series, at least so far as I've sampled. I'm sure there are moments later in the series where this is tempered in the attempt to transition Nate from newspapers to juvenile graphic novels, but again, from what I've seen the effort is rather token. Perhaps the biggest thing is that the characters don't even seem to like each other. It's not fun to read, and the jokes aren't good enough to justify.

Calvin could be mean. But Calvin also had a conscience. Comparing this to him and Hobbes makes me ick.

My review of another of Peirce's vapid series, which contains the same recommended series I'd include here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Owen]

this book was absolutely awful book from the series. The book just contains a kid whining about school and how ungrateful he is, the comics are funny but why on earth does his face look like hes the next flat Stanley. Chad carries the book he should be the main character. so yeah this book is a disgrace to the big nate series.

[Natalinek3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Czasem fajnie przypomnieć sobie, jakie problemy miało się w podstawówce.

[17shaikhh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s nice. And it’s a comic

[Coby · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really good The big nate book talks about him wanting to be popular

[Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

still as funny as I remember it

[yosann]

and if i said that big nate was and probs still is the funniest thing i ahve ever read. life peaked when i used to read this on epic