Love & Vermin

by Will McPhail

The long awaited first collection by Will McPhail, with over 150 cartoons, including his New Yorker classics and new gems.

With his shrewd eye for mundane absurdities and hysterically astute drawings of animals, Will McPhail is the New Yorker’s most distinctive cartoonist. His cartoons delight in the everyday anxieties of modern life, skewer contemporary politics, and cut to the core of the most bizarre human behaviors.

Now, in McPhail’s first collection, new cartoons mix with old favorites: mischievous mice and opportunistic pigeons offer portals into McPhail’s crackling curiosity, while Lady No-Kids’ adventures continue with high-flying glee. With chapters ranging from the contemporary to the universal, and a classic black and white interior that evokes the timelessness of the craft, Love & Vermin proves why Will McPhail is one of the most cherished cartoonists of his generation.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Humor, Fiction, Art, Bande Dessinée, Graphic Novels Comics

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2022

About the author

Will McPhail has been contributing cartoons, sketchbooks, and humor pieces to The New Yorker since 2014, and in 2017 and 2018, he won Reuben Awards for cartooning. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Reviews

[Andy Marr]

McPhail's artwork is, as always, incredible, and the humour, for the most part, is spot on. A few misses, but a great collection, and one I'm delighted to own.

[talia ♡]

after 5 starring IN last year, and have it haunt my every waking moment, i will read literally anything will mcphail creates.

[Rod Brown]

Amusing cartoons of The New Yorker variety.

I liked this much better than McPhail's graphic novel, In.. Since it's all humor and no drama, the way he draws everyone with googly-eyes isn't as distracting here as it was there.

[Bevany]

A great collection of comics from a very talented cartoonists

[Tom LA]

A delightful New Yorker cartoons collection. What a gorgeous drawing style. Love the big eyes, Love the soft lines and the way he draws animals.

He wisely gets the ideologically-charged cartoons out of his system in the first 20 pages (maybe an editor’s suggestion) so that people who disagree with his woke stuff can go on to read the rest and, hopefully, forget it.

[Stefan]

Fantastic collection of cartoon, strips, and sketches. Very funny, brilliantly observed. Highly recommended. (Also, check out IN, the author’s superb graphic novel.)

[Joachim Stoop]

Loved it!

[Rosemary Standeven]

A really enjoyable book of cartoons. My favourite chapters were:
‘My Brave Little Opinions’ which had some very witty observations
e.g. Mother to daughter:

“Listen to me. Gender is a construct. Society is a construct. Money is a construct. But, bedtime is very, very real”
…..Magician to audience: “Behold, as I transform this normal woman into a sexualised prop”

‘Vermin’ which contained some unique views of mice and pigeons
and
‘Nonsense’ weird but very funny cartoons about all sorts of non-categorizable topics. I especially liked the ones involving slinkies.

[Drew Canole]

Some really funny and insightful humour cartoons most of which appeared first in the New Yorker. Many deal with themes of gender. Some political hot topics, but nothing specifically political (like no jokes about the current president) so I think these comics will remain funny.

McPhail has a very distinctive art style. Realistic looking characters with just enough cartooning and expressive eyes.

I laughed out loud a few times and I had to restrain myself from spamming friends and family with pictures of each one I liked.

[Lea]

Ça passe le temps, c’est totalement absurde

[Courtney]

An adorable little funny book...lots of giggles from me.

[Catrina]

Lots of literal LOLs

[Rosa Sánchez López]

jo, qué bien me cae este chico

[Felicia]

This was a GoodReads giveaway win.

I enjoyed the depictions of our society played out in cartoon formats. I have the book out on the coffee table so guest can enjoy as well.

[Ronald]

These are cartoons from or made for the New Yorker Magazine.
They always make you think. Not all are great 4.5 stars. Seriously a nice read.

[rem]

<333333333

[Annele]

My favorite cartoonist in the whole world. Was smiling to myself and nose laughing throughout the compilation.

[Randi]

I love this artist so much. So clever, smart, funny, and real. I will read everything he puts out.

[Tara Schaafsma]

I thought this was funny! But as my son said, “It starts off funny and then gets kind of sad.”

[Bria]

How is he so good

[Whitney]

favorites include pg. 65 and 156 (very relatable with the fingers holding the position of your current place while simultaneously rereading parts of the beginning because it has been so long since you started reading the book that you forgot everything)

[Dave Schaafsma]

I loved Will McPhail's first book, In, one of my faves of that year, finding it very moving, and like very much this, his second book, a collection of his New Yorker cartoons (and some more stuff), where he has been published since 2014. He kind of has a perfect New Yorker cartoon sensibility, which is good for me, a subscriber. The book is divided into sections, one with vermin (pigeons and rats--he has a degree in zoology!), one on love, and so on. I laughed aloud a few times, and smiled a lot. He is often very funny.

Here he is being interviewed and talking about some of his cartoons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiKT2...

Here's just a few of his cartoons (but if you work at it you can find lots more of them on Instagram and at the New Yorker archive):

https://www.willmcphail.com/cartoons

I waited many weeks to get this book from my library system and three or four people in my house devoured it--almost 200 cartoons in the book--in one sitting! So read it! I haven't read many out-of-the-park graphic novels or comic series this year, so this--even at 4 stars--has emerged as a fave of 2023.

[Lucy]

I liked most of the cartoons in this book, apparently previously published in the New Yorker magazine. I like his modern take on things. Interestingly, he says in the first chapter "My Brave Little Opinions," he uses his art to figure out his opinion on things. Working out how to make a joke lets him know which side he's on.
A couple of things I see as small problems: he has one cartoon with two guitarists, both of whom are either badly drawn or both are left-handed. To my knowledge, this is unusual for guitarists. Another question I have is How many people do very private things in front of the window of their apartment so that the world can see them?
Rats and pigeons are vermin in his terminology and depictions, but they're funny too.
Drawings are organized into six chapters: My brave little opinions, Vermin, Lesser animals, Nonsense, Life, and Love.

[Mariana Mas Books]

You know a cartoon is funny when it makes you laugh at loud. (Actually laugh out loud). You know an author is funny when even the acknowledgment section of the book make you laugh out loud. (Actually laugh out loud) 😂

I first read Will McPhail’s graphic novel “In”, which is both funny and moving and is still one of my favorite books from this year, so I wanted to check out his collection of cartoons. I’m so glad I did. Some are funny because they’re relatable, some are funny because they’re silly in the best way and some are funny because they have great commentary about life. Also, there are tons of hilarious talking animals.

Anyway, I’m glad to have both his books on my bookshelf and I can’t wait for the next one 🤩

[Bruce]

An uproariously snarky look from a Scotsman at male chauvinism, life among the rats and pigeons of New York City, male and female relationships both romantic and otherwise, and humanity and its relationship with the natural environment. Two of my favorites is the young mother confronting a recalcitrant toddler with this ultimatum, “Listen to me. Gender is a construct. Society is a construct. Money is a construct. But bedtime is very, very, real.” The second is Dorothy followed by the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion down a forested section of the yellow brick road on the way to the Emerald City of Oz. The Scarecrow turns to his other two companions and remarks, “When I get a brain, I’m gonna figure out if it’s cool for three dudes to follow a little girl through the woods.”

[ツツ]

This style! The movements, gestures, and facial expressions are so dynamic. McPhail is my favourite cartoonist! And he's not drawing animals like simulacra of feminine ideals like long lashes and stuff that's in every animation.

I found his twist on some common things parents say to their children so insightful and fun.
"IF YOU KEEP PLAYING WITH THOSE DOLLS, YOU'LL GROW UP NOTHING LIKE ME. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?
"WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE, THINGS WERE HARD FOR MY DAD WHEN HE WAS MY AGE"

There's a few that have horror or potential horror element, I think he probably could create great work in the horror genre.

[Ramon]

Escribo esta reseña después de haber leído también su novela IN.
Una recopilación de chistes gráficos con mala uva muchos de ellos con un punto feminista en buena parte de ellos y una parte divertidísima sobre alimañas que en mi caso no soporto como las Palomas.

Aquí consigue que aun pareciendome un bicho de lo más asqueroso les cojas cariño. Porque al final se trata de eso, de esa repulsa y curiosidad que nos genera a muchos las jodidas Palomas.

De esos libros que podrás ojear en años y seguirá sacándole más de una sonrisa.

[Samantha Davis]

I won a giveaway so recieved a copy for free. I absolutely loved the book. All the art work was adorable and hilarious. I've already recommended it to all my friends and family. When you are feeling down it's super nice to be able to flip to a random page and have a cute little drawing to cheer you up. Highly recommend if you like cute little pigeons and mice interacting and giving you a cute little chuckle.

[Melissa Orth]

A collection of cartoons by Will McPhail he created for the New Yorker divided by themes: Vermin, Love, ones only he finds funny, et al.
I would have loved a bit more context or insights into what prompted some of the creations just to add something extra for the book but overall an amusing collection. His drawings are fluid yet realistic; I’d love to see him write and illustrate a children’s picture book.

[Donna Wetzel]

Thanks Goodreads for my copy of Love & Vermin by Will McPhail. The cartoons are clever and very well drawn. I must admit, there were definitely some cartoons that I just did not get the meaning of. But overall I thought they were very funny and topical. I enjoyed this book and finished it quickly. It is the type of book you would reread many times and always get more meaning from the cartoons.