Mister Boffo: Unclear on the Concept

by Joe Martin

The internationally syndicated Mister Boffo comic strip from the years 1986 to 89. Follow the eternally unclear-on-the-concept Boffo and his faithful companion, Weederman, the Wonder Dog, from "It only takes a little bit of greed to get a whole lot of stuff" to "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change... the courage to change the things I can... and a Red Ferrari..."

Genres: Humor, Cartoon, Comics

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1989

Reviews

[blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought of this book a lot while reading Midnight Sun, with Edward's constant obsessing over what Bella was thinking. There's a one panel comic with the into:

"The Best Deal The Devil Ever Made"

Followed by a guy checking out a hot chick at the bar. He's thinking, "I'd sell my soul to know what she's thinking."

And she's thinking "Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing!"

Less outré, perhaps, than the "Far Side" and without any pretensions to social relevancy, these strips are refreshingly odd with a rough, energetic style that reads very well while never feeling slick or polished. No narrative or character development to speak of, the strip is powered purely by jokes—which is, again, rather refreshing.

It's not quite fair to say there's no character development—the recurring characters of Mr. Boffo and his dog Weederman, frequent wife or girlfriend, barfly and hobo pals—they all seem to communicate just who they are in every panel, even when they're little more than a few scribbles and a nonplussed expression. I admire the sort of frantic economy Martin manages, and of course love the humor. I presume it's not for everyone but it almost makes me sad that it isn't.

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of absurdist, non-sequitur strips was the height of comedy to me back in high school in the early 90s. Turns out a lot of it holds up! It doesn't feel nearly as left-field as it used to, but it provided an hour of silly quarantine comfort.

[D Grommes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years since I read this

Omg I was spoil happy when I saw this on Kindle. One of my fav books I had when I was younger.

Just as funny as I remember. Also noticed the other books will have to get them.

[Valerie]

Like most collections, this one is uneven. Some are very funny (and influentially so--introducing new ways of looking at things). Others are frankly disturbing.

Some collections seem to have been put together by editors--this one was apparently mostly by the cartoonist himself. The introduction and the quotes on the back cover are clearly written by Martin himself.

This volume includes some classics, including "The dumbest man on the planet blows his cover" (not necessarily--maybe he's just arrived).

[Jude D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

It kinda hits you head on...the cover itself with Mr. Boffo trying to water ski of 'Noah's Ark' :D... Mr. Boffo along with his UNCLEAR family n friends never fails to crack you up...

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mister Boffo was my favorite ever comic strip.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that I picked out from the used books and enjoyed reading through.