Rating: 4.8/5
Synopsis: Just Act Normal is a compilation of Pie Comic strips that cartoonist John McNamee published on his Tumblr page.
My Thoughts: The book’s structure is divided into six sections: Coping with Childhood, Coping with Society, Coping with Work, Coping with Love, Coping with the World, and Coping with Yourself. Being a gag-a-day comic devoid of any continuity or recurring characters, the only commonalities the cartoons within each section share are their loosely-connected themes. Not unlike humor webcomics such as Berkley Mews and Jake Likes Onions, Pie Comics uses its simplistic childlike art style to its advantage to make astute observational and wryly humorous jokes regarding the human condition with a full-shot injection of absurdism, existential angst, and trope subversions, the perfect recipe to a bitter yet comforting meal. Here are a few of my favorites from each part of this collection which speak for themselves:
Coping with Childhood
These birdies are protective of their turf.
Why resolve world issues when you can leave to your children and their children and their…
Coping with Society
Misery doesn’t love any kind of company.
A few decades later: Son, I’d enjoy the fruits of my labor but I’m too feeble to even reach for the remote control without breaking me ol’ back.
HER: Hedonistic Exorbitances for Ratbags
Coping with Work
They say I’m a dreamer and I don’t care if I’m the only one. In all seriousness though, this one hit hard as a cruel reminder about how most of us will continually wallow in delusions of idealistic grandeur to some degree or another to escape the hardships of reality
To be fair, I guess the blood could be red with crimson shades and bubble steaming out to convey that our company’s cutting-edge technology will ‘boil your blood’.
Coping with Love
You know it’s true love when your partner isn’t afraid to fart and belch in front of you.
*Huff*, *huff*, did you even bother rehearsing for this meadow run?
YOU DAMN LIAR! What happened to the Hulu and HBO Max package promised in our vows.
Coping with the World
Says the previously homeless big-head.
You’d be shocked by how many people have kids to avoid confronting their personal issues which usually end up being vented onto the kid. Then again, most would tell they were just couldn’t help bringing these “bundles of joy” into this sorry excuse of a world.
It’s a Woefully Indifferent Life
Coping with Yourself
This metaphor applies well for some politicians and their blind supporters.
And this is why folks I limit my social media use.
Memory Loss is busy transporting the fifth horse Fragility.
Final Thoughts: Overall, Just Act Normal was a funny and relatable comic strip collection worth taking a look at if you’re in the mood for a quick read with a fistful of laughs and light existential dread.
Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.
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