Customer Reviews

The Rejection Collection Vol. 2: The Cream of the Crap

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Barely a year after Matthew Diffee offered us "The Rejection Collection", (cartoons that never made it into the New Yorker) he's back with another load of hysterical rejects. After an engaging introduction describing the life of any given cartoonist, off we go into the nether world of cartoons that might have, could have or even should have been included in the magazine. Not to worry, this is like getting several free editions of the New Yorker, minus the editors' scissors.

Volume Two also includes a quirky questionnaire given to contributing cartoonists. What an odd lot! It's like the "Jeopardy!" interview portion of the game, but this time cartoonists are given more free time to reflect on topics like "what do you hate drawing?" or "have you mooned or been mooned more often in your life?" Hey, it beats having a real job anyday!

Diffee also gives ten reasons why certain cartoons are rejected...a plausible addition to this volume. (It may also be a guideline to those of us who have often contributed to the New Yorker's cartoon caption contest and found our own rejection many times over) All in all, it's the cartoons, themselves, which 'sell' "The Rejection Collection", Volume Two. It's nice to know that they've found a home in our home, if not in the magazine, itself. I highly recommend this latest contribution by author Diffee....published in time for the holidays, this would make a great present!

If you've gotten to this page, there's a good chance you've either seen or bought the first volume, The Rejection Collection: Cartoons You Never Saw, and Never Will See, in The New Yorker.

I thought the cartoonists' responses to the questionnaires in the first collection provided a fascinating look into the creative mind. In this volume, the questions seemed more convoluted and the answers more conventional.

The cartoons, however, struck me as being funnier in this volume. Two of my favorite cartoonists (Sam Gross and Gahan Wilson) are featured in both volumes.

If I could only buy one, I would buy the first volume, but both collections are enjoyable.

The other day I happened to hear the editor of this book interviewed on a local PBS radio airing of Fresh Air. The new collection was discussed and when the author described some of the examples in the book, I laughed so hard I almost choked. The people driving next to me must have wondered what on earth I was laughing about. The verbal descriptions of some of the cartoons created such visualizations I almost shudder to think what will happen when I view the entire content. For example, a description of Titantic action figures struck me so funny that, now as I type this review, I'm laughing again. That is effective cartooning - and I haven't seen the visual yet. Yup, still laughing ...sounds like the perfect gift for those pals who have everything else and could use a good laugh.

I have to admit at the outset that I don't laugh as easily as others I know. Too much so called humor seems predictable or formulaic these days. Not so, The Rejection Collection volumes. This book and its predecessor had me giggling, chuckling, laughing and occasionally guffawing from cover to cover. The cartoons are great. Many are twisted, a little sick, or iconoclastic, which tickles me no end. The questionnaires are a fun and valuable insight into the creative minds and personalities of the contributing cartoonists.

Don't miss Bob Mankoff's replies to their questions (found in the questionairre), also in the appendix! He easily holds his own in terms of wit.

Laughter is a great gift. The Rejection Collections I and II are the perfect choice for someone you care about, who has a slightly twisted sense of humor. I hope there will be many more volumes to come. I'll buy them all!

Diffee begins with a series of Venn diagrams demonstrating the small overlap between the cartoonists creative oeuvre and the amusement of New Yorker editors. Then, he allows a brief (alas, all too brief) view into the world of each of 38 eminent cartoonists. This is includes a collage of photographs, a brilliantly crafted- and usually more brilliantly executed - questionnaire, and a handful of cartoons. These brilliant gems are almost always hysterical (including many laugh out loud hysterical), and always obvious why they were not published in the New Yorker - too rude, sexual, political, etc. Although, I have not read the first volume, completing this volume spurs me to run out (errr, zip online to Amazon), and order the previous volume.

I love the original Rejection Collection. That collection contains many of my favorite cartoons of all time, and it still makes me laugh on my 15th, 16th ... etc. reading. Sadly, this second collection is just not as good. Despite the presence of a few real gems, as a whole this sequel is *not* the cream of the crap, but is instead the next layer down. Worth reading, but not worth owning.

Crimes against humor reveal the aspects of society which are rejected by people who never expect life to give them lemmings. Vulgar insults that are unacceptable as the comic routine of those who try to disguise themselves as normal people lurk in the literary life of people who want this book to find them. Anyone trying to argue about which of these cartoons is more real can join the lemmings in the blender.

Bought this as a gift for someone who was so amused with it that they loaned it back to me after finishing. The cartoons are hysterical, but the best part are the questionnaires completed by each of the cartoonists. Their answers, doodles, pictures of their fridges, feet and workspaces - such an awesome peek into the world and surprisingly sparse refrigerators of the creative minds I've been following for ages. A really clever presentation for a fun cartoon book.

The cartoons that were rejected (featured in this book) are often funnier than the ones I have seen in the New Yorker!
There is also a bio page for each of the cartoonist featured in the book which provides some hilarious insights.

After a day of discouragements, or traffic jams, after watching the news, it is important to find a time to laugh every day. This book is just what keeps me smiling and going. Not all the images will match the taste of all, but there should be something to make the most stern chortle.