Customer Reviews

I Have Tampered With the Divine Plan: An Agnes Collection

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Agnes: I Have Tampered With The Divine Plan is cutting-edge humor in the form of an Agnes comic strip collection. Agnes is a young girl with a name far older than she is; she is given to deep thoughts and lengthy ramblings, when she is not gluing Froot Loops on hats, or practicing a dance number in a vain attempt to impress a teacher asking her to multiply 14 x 13. As a strip, Agnes is a much-needed antidote to overly warm and fuzzy scenarios flooding the newspapers, as its young heroine does not enjoy the security of many of her comic strip peers - she lives in a trailer with her elderly grandmother, who tries to stretch diminutive family funds and enrich quality of life through culinary creations a la spam. Agnes' personal poverty, not to mention her biting insight into the world around her, limits her friends circle of friends to one person: the tomboyish Trout, named after one of her father's favorite hobbies (she was only a few numbers away from being named "Powerball"). Together, this duo of unlikely girlfriends produce a dynamic reminiscent of Calvin and Hobbes, particularly when one contrasts Agnes' contemplative albeit self-absorbed musings to Trout's more practical and simple realism-based approach to life. Yet Agnes is a unique formula all its own, one in which the quest for self-identity, rather than rampant misbehavior, is the central tenet of the main character's personal struggles. And it's sidesplitting, milk-snorting, feel-sorry-for-the-goldfish-drowned-in-tomato-sauce-but-can't-help- laughing-about-it funny. Highly recommended.

Agnes is everywoman, or at least the crazy little voice in us that we try to keep under wraps. With Agnes, though, it just spills out, and we are the lucky recipients of her insecurities, her ego, and her warped view of life. I don't know how Tony Cochran has managed to climb inside the head of a quirky young girl, but he's brilliant. Don't let the women in your life tell you that they've outgrown this awkward age - we've just learned how to hide it, sadly. This collection is delightful.

I bought this one never having read a single Agnes cartoon before, just because I liked her pointy little toes and frizzy hair...she just had to be wonderful. I was right. Agnes is smart and funny and kooky and this book is refreshing enough to read a second and third time.

Tony Cochran has his finger on the pulse of his heroine. He is witty, sardonic, wise and hilarious. In fact, I think he has a camera pointed at a friend, who I was sure had a unique personality. Now I find that the author knows her too. Agnes is charming and frustrating at the same time. Her view of life never wavers, unless it suits her needs. Her friend, Trout, has a hard row to hoe, but she is faithful to their friendship in spite of it all. Her comments always bring things back into focus. I find myself nodding my head and laughing at each page.

The second book of collections from the comic strip by Tony Cochran is just as brilliant as the last. I love his characters, especaily Agnes - a spunky young girl who makes best she can by using her resorces of wit and sarcasm. The best part of the comic is the writing. Sharp, realistic, and fun. Can by enjoyed by all ages.

Agnes greets me each and every day (she's on my toolbar)...what better way to share with my friends, then to get them a set of this special collection of the heart warming and fun adventures of Agnes and Trout and all the life's lessons they impart on us. Do yourself a favor...make this your coffee table book...your guests will thank you!