Customer Reviews

The Big Book of Urban Legends (The Big book Series)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Did I ever tell you about what happened to my cousin's college roommate's best friend? No? Well ... Who out there can honestly say he's never fallen for an urban legend, told as true by some acquaintance? The maniac in the back seat? The Mexican pet? The doped-up babysitter who microwaved the baby? The spider in the hairdo? We've all been the victims of these stories at some point in our lives. People pass them around at cocktail parties and office water coolers, always claiming that they really happened to a friend of a friend (but never able to offer a name of the unfortunate victim). And Jan Harold Brunvand is the master collector and debunker of the stories. Paradox Press wisely got Brunvand to write its mega-comic, "The Big Book of Urban Legends." Even for UL aficionadoes, there are a few new ones here. And the irreverent comic format is perfect for these just-plausible-enough modern tall tales. It's also a great way to introduce friends to ULs (or to disprove the stories your friends try to pass off as true).

A babysitter realizes that threatening calls have been coming from inside the house. A roomate comes home in the dark and in the morning finds her roommate dead and the words "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" written on the wall. A girl dared to sit on a grave marks the spot with a knife, gets pinned there, and dies of fear. We've heard them all, they are a part of our culture, our history, and we swear they're true. "That happened to my cousin's best friend's neighbor's aunt, it was in the papers and everything!" Urban legends can be a lot of fun and this book captures the spirit of that! Each of the 200 stories is illustrated in comic strip style by different artists and each captures the humor (and sometimes horror) of these well-known tales. Think you've heard 'em all? Check out this excellent book and find yourself saying "oh yeah...I remember hearing that! But it really happened!" You'll also hear a few new ones along the way. A great rainy day book, coffee table addition, or means to survive a boring day. Like to read about urban legends? You'll love this book! I did!

This riviting and exciting book will keep you on the edge of your seat! I am 41 years old and I still get nightmares from this! The movie " Urban Legends " is a great example of what stories are in this full-with excitement book. So if you like to be scared, this is the book for you! I am also a horror screeenwriter, and I mostly get my main idea for a movie from "The Big Book of Urban Legends." For example 'the dog in the microwave' 'the killer upstairs with baby and the babysitter downstairs' and 'the killer's bloody hook in the car door.' These stories and more are what your going to find in this GREAT book!!! Hope you enjoy!

This is a pretty entertaining compilation of urban folklore. Please take note, however, anyone who might be expecting a scholarly tome -- THIS IS PRESENTED IN THE FORMAT OF A COMIC BOOK. Be aware of that. Still, it's a lot of fun. Every supposedly true story you've ever been told, that "honestly" happened to your brother-in-law's mechanic's bartender's plumber's girlfriend's babysitter's cousin's baseball coach's otolaryngologist's lawyer just last week... It's all in here. If you happened to catch the movie "Urban Legend," a lot of the story elements can be found in this book. I'd like to throw in one small note -- the urban legend called "Resurrection Mary" is one of the spookier ones, and I assumed it was an urban legend like all the rest of them, but that one actually is based on a true story. The History Channel has been running a series called "History's Mysteries," and they covered the true story it came from. Apart from that exception, I'm pretty sure all of these are authentic urban legends.

Anyway, this book is a lot of fun. Worth checking out.

I can't say enough about this book! This was the first Big Book by Paradox Press, and I loved the series ever since! I thought the idea of bringing so many artists together was a great idea. Once I got it, I had to have 'em all. And you will too.

It's amazing to me how the "READERS" who were expecting to read a "BOOK" didn't bother to READ the description which clearly states that it is presented in a "comic strip format by a stunning variety of artists drawn from the comics mainstream." And that's the best case scenario. I would hate to think they were in a book store and bought it RIGHT OFF THE SHELF WITHOUT FLIPPING THROUGH IT FIRST.

That being said, it's an excellent book for those who appreciate good storytelling through sequential art. Enjoy!

I've had this book for years and years, and it's dog-eared and stained from being read so many times. I can't count the number of times some gullible sucker has tried to pass off some urban legend as the truth; I just pull out this book and prove them wrong.

Unlike the popular urban legend website Snopes, this book makes no attempt to prove or disprove the legends, but just presents them in black-and-white comic form, drawn by many different artists in many different styles - some realistic, some cartoonish; some with dialogue and some without; some graphic in their depictions and some subtle. The variety is excellent and makes each new page a discovery.

This is a book I will enjoy for many years to come. I only wish there was a second volume, because there are more than enough urban legends out there to create one.

I have read a few similar books to this one such as the Darwin Awards trilogy and can say without doubt this is a lot better and funnier. This urban legend collection is also in a different format to the other collections in that every tale is presented as a one or two page comic book strip which adds imagery to the tale. To be honest the artist's imagery is not always as good as your imagination would have been without it though. There are two hundred stories in here, some you will have undoubtedly heard before or maybe slightly different versions of the same basic tale but there will also be a lot you will be unlikely to have come across in the past. Even the big multinational company urban myths are in here too which I thought would have been left out due to legal reasons but no they are here for you to read and laugh at. There are some myths not covered in this collection but how big would this book be if everything was in here? This is a great collection which will entertain you and probably leave you searching for similar books after. Enjoy!

If you love urban legends and comic books you will love this book. Everyone I have given it to loves it and everytime I buy it for myself it gets "borrowed" and I have to buy another copy. It is perfect for reading with friends, the one-page stories are great for starting conversations. I also loved the comic book format showcasing different illustrators.

BOOK REVIEW:

This book combines two of the things I really like--Urban Legends and Comic Books. This book features urban legends with illustrations in comic book format!

A lot of my favorite urban legends are in this movie like stories about the baby sitter ("The call is coming from inside the house!"), the exploding cactus, the microwaved poodle, the killer in the back seat, the hook, etc.

Even though this is practically a comic book, I wouldn't recommend letting minors read it, because there might be some things presented in the book that might scare them.