Planet of the Hairless Beach Apes: The Eleventh Sherman's Lagoon Collection (Sherman's Lagoon Collections) [Paperback]

Jim Toomey (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sherman's Lagoon Collections | Publication Date: August 1, 2006

In an imaginary lagoon near the island of Kapupu in the South Pacific lives a group of nutty but sophisticated underwater creatures¿complete with neuroses that rival those of humans (also known as "hairless beach apes"). Somehow their wet world is oddly yet hilariously similar to our own.

Sherman, a great white shark, is a typical guy (well, except for that pesky dorsal fin), and Megan is his ruthless but nurturing wife. Rounding out the aquatic crew are Fillmore the turtle, geeky fish Ernest, and macho hermit crab Hawthorne. Salty old Captain Quigley, who lost his leg to Sherman years ago, is determined to exact his revenge.

Sherman and friends effectively reflect human behavior and occasionally must confront humans' encroachment on their unspoiled habitat. Environmental groups have applauded this comic strip with a social conscience for promoting marine conservation.

Sherman's Lagoon has been syndicated since 1991, currently by King Features, and has a circulation of more than 200 daily newspapers on five continents.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jim Toomey was born and raised in Alexandria, Va. Following family tradition, he studied mechanical engineering at Duke University, but he left that career to become a political cartoonist. Jim launched Sherman's Lagoon in 1991 and was picked up by Creators Syndicate later that year. A philosopher, surfer, scuba diver, and sailor, Jim lives in Maryland with his wife, daughter, and son.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740760564
• ISBN-13: 978-0740760563
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For the past 13 years Jim Toomey has been creating the daily comic strip Sherman's Lagoon, which appears in over 250 newspapers in North America, including the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the San Francisco Chronicle. It also appears in over 30 foreign countries, in French, Portugese, Spanish, Norwegian and Swedish. Jim has just completed his tenth book, entitled "A Day at the Beach," published by Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Sherman's Lagoon is a combination of his two life-long passions: drawing and the sea. Jim's been engaged in the former activity since he could hold a crayon, and his love affair with the sea dates back to his early childhood. The inspiration for the comic strip can be traced back to a family vacation in the Bahamas where he saw a real shark swimming in a remote lagoon. Jim became a certified diver at the age of twelve, and, as an adult, has logged dives all over the world, including Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean, Latin America, and extensively in the kelp forests of California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The underwater equivalent of a Freudian analysis text on human behavior, October 15, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Planet of the Hairless Beach Apes: The Eleventh Sherman's Lagoon Collection (Sherman's Lagoon Collections) (Paperback)

The Sherman's Lagoon cartoon strip is the underwater equivalent of a Freudian analysis text on human behavior - as seen from a shark's point of view. Sherman is an amiable great white shark who faces uncertain friendships, eats adversaries, and longingly eyes the appetizing 'hairless beach apes' above water. The cast of supporting characters are endearing and all familiar psychological figures, from a macho hermit crab to a turtle with a positive outlook on life. The strips in this 11th collection are presented in black and white, and while color would have made more of an impact, the end result of PLANET OF THE HAIRLESS BEACH APES is no less compelling.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

5.0 out of 5 stars Planet of Hairy Beach Apes, January 19, 2008

By 

M. King (Rohnert Park CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Planet of the Hairless Beach Apes: The Eleventh Sherman's Lagoon Collection (Sherman's Lagoon Collections) (Paperback)

Extremely clever cartoons -this parqdody on human life brings laughter from deep in the soul !

5.0 out of 5 stars Sherman's Lagoon, April 2, 2007

By 

J. Tschirn "Jessi" (Near Fredericksburg Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Planet of the Hairless Beach Apes: The Eleventh Sherman's Lagoon Collection (Sherman's Lagoon Collections) (Paperback)

This book is so cute. It is well drawn and funny, and of course true to the funny papers it comes from. I got the book as a gift for my dad because since he stared reading sherman's lagoon he calls all people at the beach "hairless beach apes" I think it would be better if it came in hardback, but other than that it's a great buy.