Big Top (Paperback)

by Rob Harrell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Come one! Come all . . . to the exciting world of Big Top! Rob Harrell's three-ring comic strip has already packed the house with fans eager for his hilarious take on the circus and those who bring it to life.

The circus and its colorful cast-led by 10-year-old Pete and his happily reformed performing bear, Wink-are a perfect metaphor for life. It's not always what happens on the surface, Big Top reminds us, but what takes place backstage that delivers the lessons and the humor. Pete and Wink keep plenty of odd company, including Kingston, coolest king of the jungle; Stucco, a mute clown who still manages to make his point; Manfred, the bookish monkey; Dusty, the wisecracking tell-it-like-it-is trained poodle; Andrea, the new acrobat girl who's caught Pete's eye; and Hairy Mary the Bearded Lady, a mother figure to them all.

Take this crew on the road and you get an endless array of situations and relationships, care and impatience, honesty and intolerance. It's like one big Big Top family . . . one that welcomes all readers for the mere price of a ticket.

About the Author

Rob Harrell dreams of one day becoming a sideshow freak (Zothar the Human Tree Frog). He has attended the Ringling School of Art and Design and has created comic strips since his first one rolled off the page in the fourth grade. The commercial illustrator and accomplished fine artist has penned Big Top since April 2002, despite his ongoing and somewhat unhealthy fear of clowns.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740750046
• ISBN-13: 978-0740750045
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,084,183 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, whimsical stories, June 8, 2005

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

The comic storytelling artistry of cartoonist Rob Harrel as showcased in his 'Big Top' syndicated strip, will serve to introduce newcomers to the quality of his work and enable previous fans to again appreciate the fun cartoon story of a pre-teen circus boy's coming of age. The black and white strips comprising Big Top are presented in chronological order for clarity of adventure progression and are delightful, whimsical stories.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life isn't a cabaret, it's a circus, March 30, 2005

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

I'm a big fan of Big Top and was very excited to see the first volume of collected strips - especially since I had never seen the first few months and missed some of the origins of the story and character (not that you really need it, but I enjoy starting from the beginning).

Anyway, if you are a fan of strips like Get Fuzzy or Pearls Before Swine I think you'll enjoy the humor here. Great characters abound. From the main character Pete (an 11 year old boy who lives at the circus) to others like Dusty Poodle (a self-made teen idol), Wink Bear (who has a huge crush on Katie Couric), and Kingston Lion (who always has great dating advice for Pete like "bring a dead antelope") this is a comic strip that is often laugh-out-loud funny. On top of that the illustration is very well done, which just adds to the overall enjoyment of the strip.

If you aren't reading Big Top, you are missing out on valuable laughs!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i heart wink, May 11, 2005

By	Denese Young "bkwyrm" (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

this is a DELIGHTFUL strip. if it isn't in your paper, read it online at http://www.ucomics.com/bigtop/. the best thing about the book is that not only do you get the beginnings of one of the best new strips around, not only do you get to meet wink (who used to be cool), and dusty (who used to have different name), but you also get outtakes. that's right, at the end of this book are the first comic strip outtakes i've ever seen. definitely worth your money.