(2011) is a collection of comics by Matthew Inman from his website, The Oatmeal (theoatmeal.com). It features a large number of comics from the site plus 27 new ones.
Inman’s comics, in both the art and captions, feature his offbeat and manic sense of humor. He is creative, vulgar, and frequently hilarious, and his work is usually better the more over the top it goes (if you don’t like this book, “I hope a large meteor finds its way across the universe and smashes directly into your crotch while you sleep,” Inman says in the introduction). It’s not for everyone, though; the faint of heart, the squeamish, and the uptight may want to stick with Garfield. For me, Inman’s one of the few comic authors whose work is still funny after multiple reads.
The book itself is pretty high quality, with thick, glossy pages. Not all the comics are in color, but most are. And they aren’t all gems, but the entertainment level here is quite high. If there’s a knock on this book, it’s that some of the best Oatmeal comics aren’t here. Where’s the Gayroller?
The Oatmeal definitely isn’t for everybody, but if you like Inman’s work and style, 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth is a great collection.
