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Baby Blues Scrapbooks #38
Stink Eye: A Baby Blues Collection
One of the funniest and most relatable family comic strips in history, Baby Blues is guaranteed to entertain parents and comic strip fans of all ages.
In the newest Baby Blues scrapbook, cartoonists Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman have returned with another full year's worth of comics and commentary chronicling the family foibles of the MacPhersons and the mischievous antics of Zoe, Hammie, and Wren.
In the newest Baby Blues scrapbook, cartoonists Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman have returned with another full year's worth of comics and commentary chronicling the family foibles of the MacPhersons and the mischievous antics of Zoe, Hammie, and Wren.
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2021
206 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Rick Kirkman
110 books67 followersRick Kirkman is a cartoonist and co-creator of the comic strip Baby Blues. He received the National Cartoonist Society Newspaper Comic Strip Award in 1995, and the Reuben Award in 2012 for his work on the strip. He also served as co-executive producer of The WB animated television series of Baby Blues.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 3, 2023
This is an excellent Baby Blues compilation. I wasn’t expecting them to cover the pandemic or Black Lives Matter, but they do.
There’s an incredibly touching strip about Black Lives Matter with no dialogue, no white fragility, just sincerity, as the McPhersons arrive (masked) at a protest, see a Black family, and join them. Not only do the signs the McPhersons have brought explicitly say Black Lives Matter, one clearly says RIP. The strip doesn’t shy away from the reality and it holds space for grief, but it holds space for hope, too.
I was really impressed with the pandemic comics. Characters are always wearing masks correctly, with no comments made - it shows masking as the norm, just as expected as wearing clothes (actually, the kids fight clothes more than they do masks), quietly but clearly taking a stand on the side of protective measures even when doing so was (and sadly, remains) controversial.
Masking and distancing practices are modelled perfectly - in a strip where Zoe is holding her mask before putting it on, she’s doing so correctly (handling it by the ear loops only). In another strip, Hammie and Wanda are walking in a park, masks down, until they encounter another person, and each character pulls their mask up as they pass. In the BLM strip where they join the other family, the adults and older children are masked, but the baby is not (as children under two cannot wear masks). These are small details with huge impact. Normalizing and explaining correct masking practices is something even public health authorities struggled with (and still struggle with), but Baby Blues gets the message across without even using words or dialogue.
Darryl and Wanda are also shown talking about the pandemic problems everyone experienced (what to do about Halloween? Should they go see mall Santa? How do they get the kids to get their flu shots? Do they allow a sleepover?) with humour and creativity. The kids end up doing laps around the house and trick-or-treating at their own door, they see mall Santa over Zoom, they get their flu shots with the promise of gelato, and the sleepover happens once the kids are cleared with negative covid tests (which is mentioned as a single line offhand remark, again demonstrating how you can make a funny and entertaining comic strip while also dealing with big issues).
Baby Blues has always shown the humour in day-to-day existence, and they manage to continue to do so despite the challenges day-to-day life in 2020 presented. I really can’t emphasize enough how impressed I was with the 2020 strips. I highly recommend this collection.
Major props to the authors who took a stand for human rights and publicly supporting Black Lives Matter (without making it all about white fragility), as well as publicly supporting protective health measures and modelling it through the strip’s characters.
There’s an incredibly touching strip about Black Lives Matter with no dialogue, no white fragility, just sincerity, as the McPhersons arrive (masked) at a protest, see a Black family, and join them. Not only do the signs the McPhersons have brought explicitly say Black Lives Matter, one clearly says RIP. The strip doesn’t shy away from the reality and it holds space for grief, but it holds space for hope, too.
I was really impressed with the pandemic comics. Characters are always wearing masks correctly, with no comments made - it shows masking as the norm, just as expected as wearing clothes (actually, the kids fight clothes more than they do masks), quietly but clearly taking a stand on the side of protective measures even when doing so was (and sadly, remains) controversial.
Masking and distancing practices are modelled perfectly - in a strip where Zoe is holding her mask before putting it on, she’s doing so correctly (handling it by the ear loops only). In another strip, Hammie and Wanda are walking in a park, masks down, until they encounter another person, and each character pulls their mask up as they pass. In the BLM strip where they join the other family, the adults and older children are masked, but the baby is not (as children under two cannot wear masks). These are small details with huge impact. Normalizing and explaining correct masking practices is something even public health authorities struggled with (and still struggle with), but Baby Blues gets the message across without even using words or dialogue.
Darryl and Wanda are also shown talking about the pandemic problems everyone experienced (what to do about Halloween? Should they go see mall Santa? How do they get the kids to get their flu shots? Do they allow a sleepover?) with humour and creativity. The kids end up doing laps around the house and trick-or-treating at their own door, they see mall Santa over Zoom, they get their flu shots with the promise of gelato, and the sleepover happens once the kids are cleared with negative covid tests (which is mentioned as a single line offhand remark, again demonstrating how you can make a funny and entertaining comic strip while also dealing with big issues).
Baby Blues has always shown the humour in day-to-day existence, and they manage to continue to do so despite the challenges day-to-day life in 2020 presented. I really can’t emphasize enough how impressed I was with the 2020 strips. I highly recommend this collection.
Major props to the authors who took a stand for human rights and publicly supporting Black Lives Matter (without making it all about white fragility), as well as publicly supporting protective health measures and modelling it through the strip’s characters.
September 29, 2025
I did not have a high opinion of BABY BLUES until I read this collection. Reading the strip in the newspaper, and not every day, led me to think it another boring strip about family conflict but with younger children, and a badly designed father with a zeppelin instead of a nose.
Take out the "boring" and I was right!
It is a clever, well written strip about family conflict with younger children than the children in FOX TROT and unlike that strip, BABY BLUES is most often told from the perspective of the parents dealing with their children. The strip is very well done, even holding up well when many strips are read the same day instead of one a day in the newspaper.
Unlike FOX TROT, BABY BLUES is overall very well and fluidly drawn, though that zeppelin still drives me nuts.
Take out the "boring" and I was right!
It is a clever, well written strip about family conflict with younger children than the children in FOX TROT and unlike that strip, BABY BLUES is most often told from the perspective of the parents dealing with their children. The strip is very well done, even holding up well when many strips are read the same day instead of one a day in the newspaper.
Unlike FOX TROT, BABY BLUES is overall very well and fluidly drawn, though that zeppelin still drives me nuts.
May 5, 2024
I've enjoyed Baby Blues for years, and recently engaged on a project to read all the book in the series. Sometimes strips go stale as they age; but this is not true of Baby Blues at all! Book #38 is as funny as ever and any fan of the series will love it! The large oversize volume is both a plus and a minus-- a plus because the strips reproduce so well in a large size-- a minus because the book is so large it tends to flop a bit and can be hard to hold given its paperback cover. There's a smattering of color strips included that leave you wishing more had been in color. Almost every page will bring a smile and laugh, and this book was simply a joy to read!
October 15, 2025
Book 276 of 350 ~ 2025
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Wanda becomes an Internet sensation and the MacPhersons are dealing with the Pandemic.
Cue hilarious comic strips.
Except for a few truly meaningful ones.
Always a five from me. always
#book276of350 #amreading #tbrpile #instareads #readstagram #reading #bookreview #bookreviewer #booklover #booksAreLife #booksForTheWin #booknerds #thisbookfairyisreading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramfeature #bookshelf #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookworm #goodreads #booklovers #bookaddict #theSGbookfairyReads #theSGtrekkiereads #bookaholic #bookchallenge2025 #reviews #lovebooks
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Wanda becomes an Internet sensation and the MacPhersons are dealing with the Pandemic.
Cue hilarious comic strips.
Except for a few truly meaningful ones.
Always a five from me. always
#book276of350 #amreading #tbrpile #instareads #readstagram #reading #bookreview #bookreviewer #booklover #booksAreLife #booksForTheWin #booknerds #thisbookfairyisreading #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramfeature #bookshelf #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookworm #goodreads #booklovers #bookaddict #theSGbookfairyReads #theSGtrekkiereads #bookaholic #bookchallenge2025 #reviews #lovebooks
June 8, 2024
2024 bk 69. It had been awhile since I'd read a Baby Blued Collection and this one caught my eye as it included cartoons from the pre, duration, and post covid eras. Kirkman did an excellent job of portraying the the time period - and even was able to turn some of the somber moments into joyful mirth. Excellent collection.
October 23, 2024
Hilarious
The familiar young family situations never change and are never forgotten, despite the years past. Smiles became chuckles and erupted into laughter as I turned the pages. Scott and Kirkland deserve a Rueben—that Oscar statue for cartoonists—if they haven’t already earned one.
The familiar young family situations never change and are never forgotten, despite the years past. Smiles became chuckles and erupted into laughter as I turned the pages. Scott and Kirkland deserve a Rueben—that Oscar statue for cartoonists—if they haven’t already earned one.
March 28, 2024
Baby Blues 38
Comics, dailies for 2020
Parenting and life with young children. Several amusing strips and a few laugh out loud moments. Diverting, and good for a stroll down memory lane when I was doing it for real. Enjoyed.
Comics, dailies for 2020
Parenting and life with young children. Several amusing strips and a few laugh out loud moments. Diverting, and good for a stroll down memory lane when I was doing it for real. Enjoyed.
December 24, 2021
Charming stuff. I know newspapers have been in their death throes for a while but I hope comic strips don't vanish from the earth completely.
January 3, 2022
They never fail to amuse me! My favorite funny pages family!
January 16, 2022
Delightful as Always
I have loved these books for over 20 years! Not sure how they still come up with fresh ideas, but I really enjoy them! Keep 'em coming!
I have loved these books for over 20 years! Not sure how they still come up with fresh ideas, but I really enjoy them! Keep 'em coming!
January 19, 2022
Like all the Baby Blues collections this is a fun read
February 15, 2022
Baby Blues is a series I grew up with, so in a sense it's weird to see them talking about Covid and BLM. This was cute, though, and it was a lot of nostalgia to revisit this family.
May 27, 2022
One of the best. Love all of these. It takes me back to the times of my little ones.
June 2, 2022
So cute!!
June 19, 2022
Interesting to see a comic handle the pandemic
March 4, 2023
Lots of hilarious moments in this collection. Great read.
December 15, 2023
Love Baby Blues. This was written in 2020, so there are some pandemic references and some references to the unrest of that summer.
October 23, 2024
Kids are fun!
I gave birth to those kids. I think mine were worse. Funny, educational, knowing you can’t do better. Worth reading.
I gave birth to those kids. I think mine were worse. Funny, educational, knowing you can’t do better. Worth reading.
November 25, 2025
A fun and light-hearted comic compilation.
December 28, 2025
I enjoyed a few of the stories
July 9, 2022
Love this comic family
January 21, 2023
I laughed out loud. A lot!
August 12, 2022
Baby blues comics got me through when my kids were young, so I am always happy to read a new one.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews