Hogbook and Lazer Eyes

by Maria Bamford, Scott Marvel Cassidy

Fans of Maria Bamford’s acclaimed quasi-autobiographical Lady Dynamite  Netflix series already know of her romance with LA painter Scott Marvel Cassidy, as well as her droll pug sidekicks Blueberry and Bert. Now the story has been recounted in this graphic novella written by Bamford/Cassidy, drawn by Cassidy, and narrated by the rescue dogs they’ve adopted. Newly single fortysomethings Maria Bamford and Scott Cassidy each signed up on the dating site OkCupid, under the respective usernames “Hogbook” and “Lazer Eyes.” They went on a date, and then another, and soon, despite a history of Bipolar II disorder and unhealthy relationships for each of them, they fell in love and were married in 2015. We view all of this through the prism of their pug housemates, including Blueberry and Bert (who has an unnatural obsession with Michael Flatley of “Riverdance” fame), and the elderly bonded pair Betty and Arnold (who recount their star turn as interplanetary canine scientists in the second season of Lady Dynamite ). Cassidy’s fine art training translates with ease into graphic storytelling, with a naturalistic illustrative style that is a pitch-perfect match for Bamford’s comic timing, making Hogbook and Lazer Eyes a beautifully illustrated love story, told by some incredibly charming pugs. Full-color illustrations throughout

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Humor, Memoir, Animals, Nonfiction, Mental Health

64 pages, Hardcover

Published June 4, 2024

Reviews

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly moving (well, to me, at least) memoir of Maria Bamford and her husband's lives and dogs. The pages dealing with pugs passing on were especially touching. Loved it.

(Picked up a review copy through NetGalley)

[Zachary Dillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the earlier paperback edition of this book, and it's beautiful. Funny, honest, and moving. A short read, but I teared up at the end. Been a huge fan of Bamford for years, and it's wonderful to see this collaboration with Cassidy, who is a strong artist in his own right.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Are you a regular user of doesthedogdie.com? Well here's a book out to crash the server with its sheer number of doggy deaths as the authors adopt only elderly and sick dogs at the tail end of their lives.

I was seven pages in before I realized that co-author Maria Bamford is a sort-of-famous comedian. I think I watched maybe the first ten minutes of the first episode of her Lady Dynamite once before bailing on the series and another time saw her acting slightly bizarrely as a contestant on Taylor Tomlinson's After Midnight show. In addition to the history of their pets, Bamford and Scott Marvel Cassidy also recount their own romantic relationship.

The book consists of a lot of one- or two-page segments that skip around abruptly and are told with a sense of humor that didn't really vibe with my own. Frankly, the whole thing just sort of seemed self-indulgent. I'm sure her fans will get a bang out of it though, unless of course they can't handle the furry buddy body count.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been awaiting the release this graphic novel by Maria Bamford and Scott Cassidy. I am a fan of Maria's stand up comedy and Scott's paintings. Received it today and was not disappointed; except I do wish it was longer. Sweet story told from the perspectives of their senior rescue dogs.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maria Bamford and Scott Marvel Cassidy's relationship as narrated by their collection of aged small dogs (mostly pugs). It's exactly as goofy and out there as you'd expect from Maria Bamford. I'm a fan of her comedy, so I enjoyed my time with this quick read, but it's certainly not going to hit with anyone else.

Honestly, it felt a little bit more like a book where the authors wanted to create a psuedo-obituary for their dogs, and then shoehorned the relationship stuff in to sell it.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comedian Maria Bamford and artist Scott Marvel Cassidy met via the OKCupid dating app where they used the handles "Hogbook" and "Lazer Eyes", respectively. Though they were both not quite in the place emotionally to start dating, Bamford and Cassidy persisted by going on several dates until eventually a connection stuck. A very different kind of romantic story, Hogbook and Lazer Eyes is a fairly fresh take on modern romance, focusing heavily on the mundane qualities of contemporary courtship and really humanizes the situation. Told primarily from the perspective of Bamford's pugs, we follow their journey from tepid romantic partners to a fully blossoming couple. The story utilizes a bit of a vignette structure as various smaller segments are used to flesh out the romance, with light humor interjected throughout. I'd say the humor did little for me, but the overall artistry in Cassidy's layouts and the down to earth dialogue mostly sold me on this. It's a solid graphic novel with a unique enough premise to make it a worthwhile read.

[Thom · Rating 1 out of 5]

Note: I received access to read this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really like Maria Bamford, and the idea that she would have her pugs write a comic book sounds like just the type of whimsy that should work... but it doesn't. There isn't much of a story through line. Lines that would have landed if Maria Bamford said them out loud don't land when said by a realistic aging dog. It's also very short coming in around 60 pages that seem padded out. There's some cute stuff and the artwork is well-done but lacks personality.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this and wanted to say I thought it was great. Been a fan of Maria for years so I was eager to read this. Lost my dog at the end of May this year so this had me crying a lot but there's so many sweet and funny moments in this. Planning on a reread when I have my next furry buddy cuddled up next to me

[Kristin Hoyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful tribute to Bamford and Cassidy’s relationship and their string of elderly pugs/dogs. I loved the naps and the small moments shared within. I did cry a lot, though.

[Dave Whalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inconsistent throughout yet still had me shedding tears

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did enjoy this, it bounced around a bit, which I didn't love.

[Chris Brook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another 2024 graphic novel. This one published by Fantagraphics. Short and a little discombobulated at times but equally funny and touching; a bonus if you're a fan of pug content.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Savannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off, I was expecting to fall in love with this book based on four things: I love Maria Bamford, I love the paintings of Scott Marvel Cassidy, I love dogs, and I love books/authors/artists/etc. that confront difficult, often depressing, material. Based on that alone, this should have been a smash hit. I honestly feel guilty for giving it only two stars, as clearly both Maria and Scott put a lot of love into the project. There are definitely pages that took my breath away and specific panels that made me cry with their simple illustration of a particular feeling (some that come to mind are: Maria in black and white cradling Bert, the full spread page for Sheryl Hirsham, and Maria and Scott's first kiss illustrated with the two of them portraying the subjects of Rodin's sculpture "The Kiss").

Overall, however, I have to judge it on its quality as a standalone story. It is NOT a companion story to Maria's work, nor of Scott's own practice. If I were any other reader picking this book up, I would unfortunately be lost. It assumes that the reader knows intimate details of Maria's career. It also skips around in the timeline, making the flow disjointed and confusing - at one point, a story comes from a dog whose death was already written about on a previous page. The panel had an asterisk with a page number reference, but the copy I was reading from didn't even have page numbers. Of course, it's already short enough to recall without needing to reference, but it's definitely something that deserved to be noticed by an editor. I actually think the editor could have been more helpful with development of plot and overall cohesion/flow. It feels like the first attempt of a couple who have the bones of a good story, but who have little experience in creating an overarching message. Even a story without a concrete message can have a lot of meaning (see Here by Richard McGuire), however this one felt like it contained too many missteps resulting from lack of personal direction, as well as professional feedback. The panels discussing their own relationship were cohesive, moving, and I thought were a very good lead in to an overall story. The message never came, though. I honestly have no idea what the main point of this story is. This is often a critique of Maria Bamford's material - an issue I do not have any problem with in the format of stand up (as I enjoy following Maria's tangents wherever she would like to go), however I do not think it lends itself well to a book. Actually, a weekly comic panel a la "The Family Circus" (pug edition) would likely be a lot stronger. It seems like Maria and Scott are more anecdote people, rather than plot-driven people, which can make writing a cohesive story very difficult. Not a judgement, just an observation! I'm glad a lot of readers had a more positive experience with this book than I!

[Thurston Hunger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pugs rhymes with hugs?

Hopefully you know Maria Bamford, and if you do, I'm hoping you love her. A lot of comedians/comediennes have irritation/unhappiness as a seed to their comedic pearls, but Maria's approach is pretty unique and straight-on. Very funny to me, and very honest.

Anyways, this book has less of her unique and inspiring comedy. But I'm glad she found a person to love and raise pugs with, so here we get a good look at husband Scott Marvel Cassidy's art. Their human love is set up early on (with requisite ups ad downs), but the love they share for pugs is on vivid lasting display.

Dog owners know that their is much compassion (from the dogs, but hopefully to them as well), in their short lives. The pugs here are rescues and older rescues at that, so....even shorter, but still sweet. Well, plus they basically talk so, you know a cute kind of sweet.

Ultimately the book is sad and strange affair but still with plenty of wonder. And if it came out of the pandemic which was often sadder, stranger and very isolating, then that alone makes it a triumph.

Speaking of triumphs, hopefully Maria, Scott and their brood were watching recently as Vito won the National Dog Show.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a real treat for dog lovers!

Maria Bamford and her husband, Scott Marvel Cassidy, love their canine pals. Together they've adopted several elderly dogs, most of them appear to be of the pug variety. They don't shy away from blind or chronically ill dogs. I honestly don't know how they do it - adopting a creature knowing that its time with you will be very short. (Saying goodbye to a dog once every fifteen years is hard enough for me.) So, get your hankies ready, this one has many instances of dogs crossing the rainbow bridge where they can frolic unimpeded in meadows full of wildflowers and butterflies.

The book is a fun mix of graphic memoir and dog comics. I particularly loved the tale told by The Potato, a favorite dog bed, about all the canine nappers it has hosted. My only complaint is that the book should have been longer! (And, maybe not included the Michael Flatley bits.)

Many thanks to NetGalley and Fantagraphics for the read.

[John “Hoss” · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you Fantagraphics and NetGalley for the ARC. I was interested in reading this book for the perspective of the pugs, and while you certainly do get that in this book I really felt like I wanted more. The development with the couple starting their courtship and acquiring each furry friend was nice and welcoming, but for me at least, I really was expecting a personal narrative within these pups and what kind of life they would have. It’s there, but it’s just an implied canine perspective from their owners. After reading something like Watership Down a few months ago, I was almost expecting an animal driven perspective/story, and not just the owners talking about when they were rescued, lived, and died. The art is clever, and for people aware of this couple and their Netflix series will probably find something satisfying with this book. I went into this with no awareness of the Netflix series, and hoping I’d read an animal adventure comic. I’m thankful to read this, but it just wasn’t for me.

[Charlie]

I didn't love this when I first read it. Honestly, it was more of a "me" problem because I wanted something else than what was being presented to me--I wanted Maria Bamford to do her comedy about her mental illness-laced life.

Fortunately I had an opportunity to hear Maria and her husband/artist Scott speak about the book and I realized I'd been going into it with preconceived expectations rather than enjoying the book on its own merits. It's a deeply personal look at a relationship between two people with tons of baggage from the perspective of the pets in their lives.

Originally I was very turned off at the frequent deaths of the pets (there's like five dog deaths in this book) but Maria and Scott are really into fostering older dogs with health problems or physical limitations and, if you take it as a tribute to those lost friends, this is a very beautiful tribute.

[J Poolner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this after having watched about three-quarters of Maria Bamford's "Lady Dynamite" TV series, which I'd tapped out of—I liked the show and I like Maria's comedy, but she's a bit intense, so I had to stop following the series.

When I saw this book at the library, it didn't even register that Maria (and Scott) had written it until I brought it home and started reading. I liked the conceit of having the dogs narrate Maria & Scott's story, and it paralleled the TV show just enough so that I was familiar with the people—but the format being on-the-page instead of on-the-screen made it a lot more easy for me to digest Maria's delivery. I recommend the book whether or not you like Maria's comedy, or pugs; it's just a sweet slice-of-life.

[Ije the Devourer of Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I don’t know anything about the author and I had to find her shows on Netflix which I shall enjoy watching. This is just a great story of finding love, creating family and loving dogs. I think the artwork style is just perfect for the story and I loved how the different dogs also spoke in the story. I felt their loss as they passed away from old age and ill health but I loved the devotion of the author and her husband.

This is just a glimpse into the life of another person in a country miles away who I know nothing about, but it was such a beautiful and caring introduction and a moving graphic novel.

Copy provided via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Theediscerning · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oddball mixture of how a middle-aged couple got together, and the history of their shared dogs. There is so much mention of therapy you wonder if the dogs didn't get to partake at times, some of the design leaves the reading order really up in the air, floating beyond the cloud labelled "doesn't matter", and somewhere or other a TV show one of them is supposed to have made gets mentioned; it's on nutflux so no wonder I'd never ever heard of it. The biggest problem is you probably needed to have known that to have any connection with the humans here – no real attempt is made to show their personality and get them on your side before the cycle of shrink, dog, dog, shrink kicks in.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Maria Bamford’s comedy and enjoyed her autobiography. I also love dogs and have an elderly dog myself who I dote on. I also love graphic novels. This was lovely, a simple story about Maria and her husband falling in love through the eyes of their many ailing dogs. I love my old dog and there is a lot of benefits to adopting a senior even if your time with them is short. While LOTS of the dogs in this book pass, they are basically running a hospice home for pugs, so it wasn’t a drag. This is humorous, but it’s not lol-funny like watching Maria do stand up. The art is lovely. If you love Maria or you love dogs and art, then check this one out!

[Kony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received this as a gift from a dear friend shortly after I lost my sweet pup to chronic kidney disease. Although I’m not familiar with the authors, and their sense of humor is a bit different from mine, I found their little graphic memoir quirky and cute.

I related (unfortunately 😬) to the online dating anecdotes and appreciated the affectionate characterization of each canine family member. Somehow, in my grief, it felt comforting to read an illustrated narrative about someone else loving and losing their beloved fur babies. It helped me feel less alone in my doggie bereavement and more cognizant that loss is part of life, just as grief is part of love.

[Jonathan Schildbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is sad in a lot of ways, but also really endearing in that Bamford and Cassidy adopt older dogs and give them a comfortable 'end of life', even if that may last multiple years. Also, the story of Bamford and Cassidy meeting and getting together has just enough honesty and rawness to relay their individual 'issues' and a little taste of how that plays out in daily life. Depending on your tastes, the art may seem a little 'shaky' but I felt it was appropriate to the story, and quite entertaining. Smacked me in 'the feels' more than a few times.

[Lisa Davidson]

A love story told by pugs -- while I don't usually gravitate toward love stories, how could I resist a love story told by such charming narrators? And this story wasn't sappy, it was realistic to the point of being heartbreaking. The two main characters meet on a dating site and manage to get past a history of unsatisfying situations to create a beautiful relationship.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

[Lisa Gisèle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I enjoyed what I read in this autobiographical graphic novel. I did have to stop once Blueberry died. My Frankie just passed of a brain tumor and I can't stop crying about it. Obviously, you would not know that while writing your story, but it's been hard. I decided to rate what I read and I liked it. It Has a voyeur feel in it that's quite fun. Like reading a stranger's diary.

[Veronica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Fantagraphics, NetGalley, Maria Bamford, and Scott Marvel Cassidy for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

I like that this comic tackles issues centered around mental health, setting boundaries, getting therapy, and of course, rescuing dogs. A cute tale with beautiful illustrations throughout.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theoretically a book about Maria and her husband, it's told by her dogs, and it's really about her dogs. Normally when I'm reviewing books by certain people, for example really quirky people like Maria Bamford, I'd say "You probably need to be a fan of her already..." But, no. I adored this book so much. It was funny, but sad, but touching, but funny.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book randomly at an indie book shop and I'm so glad. It is so perfectly up my alley. Comic that is a kind of oddly told story? Check. OLD PUGS! Check. I found myself tearing up at some of the pages because of how perfectly captured some of the pug images were. It will not be for everyone, but it is 100% for me. I'm glad I bought a copy for my home library.

[Elisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐️ rounded up.

The cover made me think this was a story about pugs playing D&D. I have a bad habit of not reading the summary before I put books on hold at my library.

This was a cute read. As someone who was raised with dogs and knows how much of an impact they have on us, this brought me memories of my Boston Terriers.