Last Laughs: Cartoons About Aging, Retirement...and the Great Beyond [Hardcover]

Mort Gerberg (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2007

At long last, here are cartoons about the truly important issues. Featuring twenty-six of The New Yorker's most talented cartoonists, Last Laughs is a provocative and exhilarating collection that will amuse, inspire, and occasionally unnerve everyone obsessed with the perennially compelling topics of old age, retirement, and, yes, death.

Longtime New Yorker cartoonist Mort Gerberg has assembled an all-star cast of gifted and popular greats such as George Booth, Roz Chast, Leo Cullum, Frank Modell, and Jack Ziegler to join him in this exclusive collection confronting, illuminating, and celebrating the inevitabilities of life. Everything from cloning to cryogenics is tackled with humor and pathos. It turns out the Grim Reaper can be funny.

Also included in this book are brief reflections from the contributors that give readers a glimpse into their unique personalities. These artists prove that they are just as funny with the written word as they are with the image. Last Laughs is a must-have for fans of literary cartoons and anyone interested in slightly off-kilter insights about life and death.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Twenty-six New Yorker cartoonists take on aging, retirement, death and the Great Beyond. George Booth, Edward Koren, Marisa Acocella Marchetto (creator of Cancer Vixen) and Gahan Wilson are among those confronting the Reaper. Some cartoons in the book have previously appeared in the New Yorker, but most are originals. Contributors range in age from their 30s to the 90-year-old Frank Modell. Various cartoons deal with the shock of baby boomers as their old age looms: Roz Chast depicts the body with a mind of its own, aging despite its owner's wishes; J.B. Handelsman draws an executive telling an older worker that the company encourages certain employees to die. But many of the cartoons celebrate the continuing vitality of seniors, such as Lee Lorenz's female astronaut who will be the first Gray Panther to walk on the moon. The hooded Grim Reaper is a continuing presence, but many cartoons are set in heaven or hell. In the back of the book, most of the contributors say who they would like to meet in the Great Beyond. In this life-affirming collection, even death can't halt the momentum of the human comedy. (Nov.)
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Review

"Be careful about taking this book on a long plane trip. From page to page you'll chuckle, you'll guffaw, you'll be seized with hysterical, uncontrollable laughter. Fellow passengers will be curious and you'll say (with tears streaming down your face) it's all about age and death. Fellow passengers might ask for a change of seats. You won't mind one bit as you become more and more helpless with laughter."

-- Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes and Teacher Man --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141655100X
• ISBN-13: 978-1416551003
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #570,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laughing to the end..., November 7, 2007

By 

lyman (New York City, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Laughs: Cartoons About Aging, Retirement...and the Great Beyond (Hardcover)

An unlikely topic for humor - hence - very fresh, clever, and funny cartoons. I almost died laughing and am very pleased that each contributing cartoonist was able to rise to the occasion.

Great laughs for the holiday season.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect gift!, November 5, 2007

By 

M. Boys "Law" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Laughs: Cartoons About Aging, Retirement...and the Great Beyond (Hardcover)

This book is smart, sophisticated and hilarious!
I bought it for a family member and they loved it. It makes the perfect gift for someone retiring!!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, January 27, 2008

By 

Nancy O. Pierce (Meadville, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Laughs: Cartoons About Aging, Retirement...and the Great Beyond (Hardcover)

I bought this for my husband and hoped he would not take it the wrong way. I had read several great reviews of this book. My husband loved it and wants to buy it for a friend who is retiring. He loved the humor.