Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury [Paperback]

Stephan Pastis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

Rat, Pig, Zebra, and Goat, the central characters of Pearls Before Swine, are back in their new book, Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic, the first Pearls Before Swine treasury-supersized for your enjoyment.

But this is no ordinary cartoon treasury. Like the influential Beatles album that inspired the book's title, Sgt. Piggy is full of surprises. In addition to collecting in one volume all of the Pearls cartoons that appeared in BLTs Taste So Darn Good and This Little Piggy Stayed Home, cartoonist Stephan Pastis takes readers on a VIP backstage tour of one of the most successful new comic strips in newspapers today.

In Sgt. Piggy, Pastis explains the genesis of Pearls (hint: it didn't begin at an artist's easel), why he was initially reluctant to show it to newspaper syndicates (and the surprising reason he changed his mind), the unexpected responses from readers to his work (oh, the letters), which Pearls strips worked and which ones didn't (and how he would have corrected the ones that didn't). The result is a rare and revealing glimpse into the world of Rat and Pig, Goat and Zebra. Full of humor and insight, sardonic asides and unexpected truths, Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic is a book that comics fans everywhere can enjoy anytime-even when they're 64.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A lawyer by training, Stephan Pastis left practicing law to devote his energies to Pearls Before Swine, which began syndication in late 2001. Now appearing in more than 175 newspapers around the world, Pearls Before Swine has been nominated two years in a row as Best Comic Strip of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society. Pastis lives with his family in Northern California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740748076
• ISBN-13: 978-0740748073
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #50,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephan Pastis was once a "love me tender" lawyer who created Pearls Before Swine to relieve boredom. He lives in his own Graceland in northern California with his wife, two children, and his blue suede shoes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classics made better (and funnier - if that's possible), September 14, 2004

By 

Michael Goff "michael_goff" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury (Paperback)

I'm a huge fan of Pearls and eagerly pre-ordered Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic. Beyond rereading some of my favorite strips ("Dear Jesse Jackson, Every time you speak you say, 'Keep Hope alive.' Who is this 'Hope' guy and how sick is he?" - see page 36) - the best part of this collection is Stephan Pastis' introduction (including some early drawings/strips) and the comments he makes below many of the strips. I love the comics, and it's always great to hear the stories behind the strips or jokes. I highly recommend this to fans and recent converts of Pearls Before Swine!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a compilation with color, January 5, 2005

By 

John A. Dodds (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury (Paperback)

Often, comic strips issue smaller collections with black-and-white Sunday strips, then, later, compile two or three of these into a larger "treasury" which is no different except for color Sundays.

This treasury is different. It reprints strips from both of the two previous "Pearls Before Swine," but Stephan Pastis adds to this with both an unusually detailed introduction that explains how the strip got started and with comments on many individual strips. The individual comments range from detailed explanations of a problem with a strip to funny comments about a strip. I have not seen this type of thing in a "regular" treasury before; I have seen it in "greatest hits" strip collections. It's nice to see this kind of thing in a regular strip collection.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Pearls so far, great insight with "VIP backstage tour", November 26, 2004

By 

Dean S. Tripodes (Sierra Madre, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury (Paperback)

This is Stephan Pastis' best book so far. I sat down and read it from cover to cover in 2-1/2 hours on Thanksgiving. It was like having the author over for dinner! His witty comments on marriage, family, life (and of course, death), foolish people, and lawyers (his old profession) really makes you laugh.

The "VIP backstage tour" which the Amazon review talks about is very cool. He explains his "word jumble" cartoon in case you were curious. He talks about the Charlie Brown lamps and his tribute to Snoopy's creator. He tries to give you insight on some of his cartoons that you might have just glanced at -- like when he drew his first home in Albany, California.

Like Dilbert, this comic strip is smart and strong on humor. He brings a good punchline in 3 panels. If you like Dilbert, you'll probably like Pearls Before Swine.