Customer Reviews

Go for It, Marmaduke

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"Go For It, Marmaduke" is the quintessential Marmaduke collection. Within these pages, M'duke finds the voice for which he has become famous the world over. All of the great themes are here: being in the wrong chair, eating people-food, even angering the neighbors!
Those who madly claim Anderson didn't nail down his comic canine until "Hams it Up" (1988) need to read this book right now. And then they need to have their heads examined.
"Go For It, Marmaduke" is hilarious, sometimes painfully true and, most importantly, good reading. The fact that it is (temporarily) out of print is a badge of shame for the publishing community.

Anyone who claims that this is one of Andersons stronger 'Duke tomes is hardly a Marmaduke fan at all. This book was written during what I consider a very week period in the history of the strip. Rather than the witty social commentary that Marmaduke was (and would be) known for, this book focuses mainly on such hackneyed comic devices as attempting to bury bones in the couch, waking Phil up early in the morning to go for a walk, and avoiding the dog catcher. I recommend any books from the early 80's (or the the late 90's revival) for a true taste of Brad Andersonion genius.

"Go For It, Marmaduke" worked on a lot of levels for me. But am I the only one who has noticed the changes in the character of "Phil"?

One the positive side of the ledger, the artwork was some of Anderson's best. In many of the cartoons, I could guess what the written caption would be, just by looking at Marmaduke's expression. It was almost as if I'd seen the exact same cartoon before!

Similary, I enjoyed the way that Anderson had made Marmaduke's interactions with other canines a little more "adult" (if one can use that work in referring to a dog). No longer does Marmaduke meet a cute poodle or Pomeranian, and signal his affection by slobbering on her. Now, Marmaduke backs off a little, and, through his eyes, we can finally see vulnerabilty, a vulnerabilty surprising, but all the more heart-warming, in dog that must weigh 350 lbs. or more.

But where Anderson failed was in the portrayal of Phil, Marmaduke's once hapless, long-suffering, but ultimately loyal, "owner". Over the years, I have watched, with mounting alarm, the shortening of Phil's mustache, until it has reached the point where it is uncomfortably similar to that of Germany's Fuehrer in the 1930-40s. In the same vein, Phil's increasingly totalitarian treatment of Marmaduke (and his own human family) causes me to wonder exactly what Anderson is doing here.

The next time Marmaduke misbehaves, will he be sent to a punishment K-9 battalion serving on the Eastern Front? Will Phil's kids soon be drafted into the Army, to be little more than cannon fodder against the rapidly advancing Allied armies? And will Phil himself soon be portrayed in uniform, living in a concrete-reinfored basement 30 feet below Marmaduke's dog house, muttering to himself about victories lost, and the betrayal of those to whom he was closest?

No, Mr. Anderson, we do not need to relive your destructive fantasies here. Give us back our old Phil, he of the good-old-days of shoveling snow off the top of Marmaduke's dog house, cooking for Marmaduke a secretive rasher of bacon, and shopping for doggie treats at the local K-Mart. Please Mr. Anderson, bring Phil back!

This Book was dumb. I give it just the one star because the cover was kind of cool. Otherwise it gets ZERO STARS. Marmaduke is too big to be a real dog. And I hate the way he looks. I don't understand how anyone could possible think this was a better book than Garfield Gets Cookin' or even Garfield Beefs Up.