Rudy Park: The People Must Be Wired [Paperback]

Darrin Bell (Author), Theron Heir (Author), Matt Richtel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

Rudy Park: The People Must Be Wired is the hilarious first collection of the technocentric comic strip Rudy Park. The strip lampoons the fast pace of our technology-driven world, our obsession with materialism, and the foibles of our cultural and political icons. Set at an Internet café, the strip follows the lives of a regular cast of characters, including Rudy, the café's manager, who believes in all things Internet, the healing powers of consumption, and the conviction that inner peace lies in having the latest technological gadget. At the cybercafé, Rudy must deal with his new station in life, his entrepreneurial boss, and an odd assortment of regular patrons, like Mrs. Cohen, an irascible octogenarian who challenges Rudy at every turn. The café is also a crossroads for contemporary issues and celebrity and political visitors, such as John Ashcroft (who monitors people from his home inside a pastry container at the cafe), and Senator Tom Daschle (who, afraid to draw too much attention to himself, lives under a table). The strip is currently syndicated in eighty newspapers and Web sites after bursting onto the comics page in 2001 with its unique brand of social and cultural commentary. Writer Theron Heir grew up in Boulder, Colorado, but currently lives in San Francisco. He is biding his time with cartooning until he finds a way to profit from his revolutionary theories on napping. Cartoonist Darrin Bell grew up in East L.A. before making his current home in the San Francisco Bay Area. His other comic strip, Candorville, is syndicated by the Washington Post Writer's Group. His editorial cartoons appear regularly in the L.A. Times and other major newspapers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Writer Theron Heir grew up in Boulder, Colo., but currently lives in San Francisco. He is biding his time with cartooning until he finds a way to profit from his revolutionary theories on napping. He is known in international circles for his guacamole. Cartoonist Darrin Bell grew up in the wilds of East L.A. and the San Fernando Valley before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. His strip Candorville is syndicated by the Washington Post Writer's Group. His editorial cartoons appear regularly in the L.A. Times and other major newspapers. He can be found in local cafes or parks drawing Rudy Park, feeding squirrels, and petting dogs (or vice versa).

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740738070
• ISBN-13: 978-0740738074
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,854,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, Gutsy, and Good Art, September 30, 2003

By 

"janinesheridan2003" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rudy Park: The People Must Be Wired (Paperback)

If you're looking for something that has funny characters, great writing, and great artwork, this is for you. I never read comics until my boyfriend got me hooked on "Rudy Park" and "Get Fuzzy." But while Get Fuzzy is a good escape from the world around us, Rudy Park is great because it lampoons the world around us.

It even manages to make the horrible job situation we're facing today funny in unexpected ways. If you're afraid of the direction our country's headed in, wary of terrorism and corporate scandals, and you're worried that your job may suddenly disappear, nothing will make you laugh like this.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget Boondocks, this is some great social satire!, September 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Rudy Park: The People Must Be Wired (Paperback)

I was surprised how on-point, hilarious, and gutsy the political and social commentary in this book is. I've been reading this comic strip since day one on the NY Times website, and later in my local paper. Long before the 'sixteen words' in the President's speech made such an uproar, and back when the only other voice critical of the Administration was 'The Boondocks,' 'Rudy Park' was calling it like they saw it. This strip has spoken out when so many others in our Media have wimped out. But unlike 'The Boondocks' which is rarely funny, and is too mean-spirited for my tastes, this satire really does 'poke fun' at its targets. It's in the same spirit as 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.' It's honest and unafraid, but it's also light-hearted and whimsical at times. Also unlike Boondocks, it devotes a LOT of time to the characters, including Mrs. Cohen, a cranky but wise old lady who reminds me of my grandma, and Monkey, an orangutan Rudy bought from a broke day-trader. This first book also shows how Rudy is a constant victim of unrequited love, how his boss Armstrong is a greedy 'George Jefferson' type, and introduces us to several other endearing characters who are each a little bit mysterious. One, Randy 'The Rock' Taylor, got a job in airport security after 9-11, and routinely checks to make sure people don't have guns, knives, or ugly polka-dot underwear. My favorite is Uncle Mort, the wild-eyed, Liberal conspiracy theorist with a bullhorn who can never get anyone to pay any attention to him, no matter how loud -or how right- he is. This book is a great start, and I can't wait until the next one comes out (the next one, if they're doing them in order, should have even more commentary on the War on Terror and more developments with Rudy's unrequited love of Darlene Desai.). The strip is a wild ride, and I recommend getting this book for anyone who likes cafes, cares about politics and social issues, or who likes looking at really cute Orangutans that dream about Taco Bell value meals. If you want social satire that's endearing instead of mean-spirited, buy this book!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too Apt a Reflection of Life, November 4, 2003

By 

A. Goben (Chicago, IL, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rudy Park: The People Must Be Wired (Paperback)

I've been reading this strip since it's debut and I was so pleased to have a book come out--I immediately had to purchase it! Bell and Heir are a fabulous team and have created a delightful group of characters that are an incredible mix of age, wisdom, thick headedness and fun. They poke fun at our obsession with coffee, computers, news stories, and the government. My favorite character has to be Sadie Cohen though---the cranky old lady who says everything we all think but that we're not always gutsy enough to express for ourselves. Go Xtreme Scrabble!!!!!