Mr. Lovenstein Presents Failure

by J.L. Westover

Celebrate Failure

Comics for anyone who tried their best. Or didn't. Whatever.

In his (incredibly sweaty) new book, webcomics superstar J. L. Westover offers up painfully hilarious observations and cringeworthy situations, uniting us all through one of life’s most relatable experiences―failure.

All your favorite MR. LOVENSTEIN comics are right here, including brand new book exclusive comics that can’t be found online!

For fans of STRANGE PLANET, ADULTHOOD IS A MYTH: A “SARAH SCRIBBLES” COLLECTION, and DINOSAUR THERAPY!

Genres: Humor, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Adult, Comedy

248 pages, Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 2021

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

God, this book is sweaty. And I like it! It's the exact opposite of one of those books full of heartening, feelgood cartoons. Life is full of failure, and it's healthy to accept this fact, even better - to laugh at it. And I laughed a lot. It's also not necessarily that dark, which you'd might expect. This isn't edgelord humour. It's humour based on humanity's inherent squishiness, both physical and mentally.

Very nice.



(Picked up a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gutbuster! I laughed out loud so many times at these twisted toons!

This is me:

[Suhasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious!

[Diana Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

You need this book. I don't care who you are, you need this book. Being able to smile at the things we do that makes no sense is the key to enjoying the life we have.
Does it make sense? No. Is it helpful? Almost never. Is it a part of our personality? Hell yes it is!
Loved, loved, loved this!

[Fraser Simons · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this because of the Eisners and boy, this is not my humour. I would sum this up as Boomer humour.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some fun but dark web comics about anxiety and the struggle to try. I liked how they had a punchline and then you turned the page for a second punchline. They got better as they went along as well. Soon to be published by Image.

Received an advance copy from Image

[Phil Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.

[kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute lil read for something to do. It was nice that this was all centered around failure and comedy. This was entertaining but also just generally heartwarming in the way that failure can be a thing to laugh at. When you go through failure, it feels so crushing. This was a nice lil way to make light of the dumb mistakes and silly bad parts. The characters are simple and the art is blocky bubbly and colorful. You can read it quickly and probably yearly because most of these stories are also forgettable. They're basically just memes. I like that though.

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The creator definitely has a great comedy mind. I laughed quite a few times during this read. The art is simple and perfect.

This is much better in small doses. Unfortunately I read the entire book in one sitting. It was a fast read of under an hour. The topic itself is kind of depressing, but occasionally he has some excellent ideas. Other times it just feels bleh.

I’d recommend checking out some of these stories on Instagram first before purchasing this book so you’ll know what is included.

[Shana Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Francis Pellow · Rating 5 out of 5]

very astute and funny observations.

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5

Slightly funnier than Feelings, but just as fun overall!

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting to enjoy this book, but it fell a bit flat for me. There wasn't anything wrong with it, it just wasn't my sense of humour. I can see someone else liking it.

[Free ARC from Edelweiss+]

[mad mags · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss.)

I've been following @MrLovenstein on twitter and tapas.io for a while, and jumped on the ARC of MR LOVENSTEIN PRESENTS: FAILURE when it came up on Edelweiss. I've been feeling kind of down for the last few months (winter blues, I has 'em), but Mr. Lovenstein never fails to elicit a smile, if not an outright guffaw.

This is a pretty great collection of strips, all organized around the theme of (you guessed it) failure: procrastination, social awkwardness, the perils of trying to connect with others online and irl, swimming with sharks, and adulting in general, to name a few. There's so much I relate to it's not even funny (except when it is).

While superfans will no doubt recognize many of the strips from twitter or elsewhere, the book does contain eight never-seen-before bonus, book exclusive comics, and some of the strips are accompanied by their tapas-only "secret panels," which is pretty chill.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some days I wish I was Gabe.

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really relatable humor to someone with a lot of anxiety and self esteem issues.

[Babs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg so dark, so true.

[Jamie Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny, happy to have this in the collection

[Pedro Plassen Lopes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful little gem. Funny sketches, with an extra of special guest’s sketches, and a roll of Kickstarter backers’ names in the end, for a special thank you. I should have paid that extra dollar… 😞

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Erikka · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny collection of cartoons from a cartoonist I follow on instagram. Think Cyanide and Happiness with more color. Wish there had been more to it.

[Valéria. · Rating 5 out of 5]

FUCKING. AMAZING.
Seen most of the stuff before, but still giggled and laughed like mental through the whole book.
Existence is suffering. And suffering is funny.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are little comics with funny puns. In one, someone asks for a doctor for his dying, bleeding friend and then a plastic surgeon shows up. Well, at least he left a beautiful corpse.

Never mention the “G” word in front of the devil.

That male genital joke at the edge of a cliff was a riot.

“I’ll sleep when I’m dead. Oops, I ain’t got no eye lids. Okay, I’ll jerk. Oops, ain’t got that either.” Too funny!

This pretty much highlights all of life’s epic and vital failures. After all, without losers, we can’t have winners. Ha, ha! This was kind of a mix between Pearls Before Swine and Southpark. Cute, brazen, and funny! You’ll enjoy these comics! Let’s celebrate failure! Love it!

[Pug · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started promising, with a Lobster Is the Best Medicine: A Collection of Comics About Friendship vibe. For example, this semi-relatable dialog between a squirrel and koala:
"I failed."
"Well, at least you tried your best."
"I didn't."
"Well, there's always next time."
"Nah, I'm good."

As much as I enjoy oddball comic strips with cute yet ridiculous characters, this one was vulgar and nasty. A quick yet depressing read, short on actual humor.

[Norman Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023 Eisner Award finalist - Best Humor Publication

Failure is an everyday part of life, and if we can't laugh at it, we'll go insane. J.L. Westover succeeds in making failure funny. These strips, mostly previously published on Westover's web page, are fast reading, but contain insights into the human condition. Westover uses a technique whereby there is one punchline, then a second punchline on the following page. Some of the strips get pretty dark, but are still funny. The artwork is simple, but effective. I laughed a lot while reading this book.

[Richard Skolek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knižní výběr z internetového komiksu Mr. Lovenstein, který se nejčastěji zaměřuje na obyčejné lidské strachy a úzkosti, ale pojímá to velmi vtipně. Komiks je často na hraně, málokdy ji ovšem překročí, většinou si vystačí s tím, že rozehraje nějakou bizarní situaci a dovede ji k logickému vyústění. Od konkurence se liší jednak nevídaně konzistentní úrovní, jednak "tajnými" bonusovými panely, které hlavní děj posunou do absurdna.
Můžu jen doporučit a jako autorův "skorokolega" smekám a tiše závidím.

[Estibaliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

J.L. describes his humor as "sad and pathetic, but in a funny way"; and I, indeed, chuckled a couple times while reading this compilation.

And, of course, it's relatable as heck. And if it really isn't for you (because you think you are perfect; but then probably you are thinking of telling it does apply to you, so you are not seen as the arrogant jerk you are), I'm sure you know someone else you'll see reflected there.

Failure never has been more uplifting... or whatever.

[Alyka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh this was such a hilarious book! I found this gem from a coffee shop shelf and chuckled in every page 🤣. I'll definitely return to that shop to have a drink and check out the other book (Feelings).

P.S My fave was God reading the guy's manuscript of life and failed to be saved due to laughing at a certain video / meme 😭

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally enjoy reading Mr. Lovenstein comics online, but this was my firs time sitting down for a full book of them. They were fun, but the theme of failure made the book a bit of a downer. Still funny, although not my favorite read.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious! Probs one of my favourites for simple panel jokes. It ranges from 'wtf' turns to expected punchlines, and all are at least amusing if not hilarious. The art is simplistic and utterly charming, conveying exactly what it needs to. An all round perfect comedy book.