FAMILYFANS Books & Comics

Top Five Calendars for 2008

(Andrews McMeel Publishing)

Reader Appeal: All Ages

Genre: Calendars

With 2008 just around the corner, we at FAMILYFANS.com figured it was the perfect time to talk about...2008! As you are updating the family calendars that populate your home, study, dorm room, and/or workplace, we thought you might enjoy seeing some of the fun, family-friendly offerings from Andrews McMeel Publishing. So, without further ado, here are our Top Five Calendar picks from the 2008 batch...

#1: THE FAR SIDE SCARED SILLY 2008 SLIMLINE CALENDAR

First off, this one's just cool for three reasons: 1) It features the offbeat humor of Gary Larson's classic comic strip, The Far Side; 2) It delivers a stylish "slimline" format that maximizes minimum space - meaning this one will fit on your door on your refrigerator, in your locker, or draped over a narrow cubicle at work; and 3) did we mention Gary Larson was involved?

Of course, because Gary Larson is involved, that means your days in The Far Side Scared Silly 2008 Slimline Calendar are filled with absurdly funny things like spider mobsters, mad scientists, murderous bowling balls, and...well, you get the idea. In short, this one is a year's worth of Saturday Matinee spoofs with gut-busting results. Easily the number one choice in 2008 calendars.

FAMILYFANS RATING: A

#2: DILBERT 2008 WALL CALENDAR: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR EXCELLENT SUGGESTION

It's hard to beat a classic, and the Dilbert 2008 Wall Calendar: Tell Me About Your Excellent Suggestion is no exception. All of our favorites from Scott Adams' cubicle farm of a comic strip make their appearances here: Wally the hardworking slacker; Alice the overachiever with a fist of death; the scariest villain ever created, the Pointy-Haired Boss, and - of course - Dilbert, the everyday everyman caught in the throes of a hilariously frustrating career.

Oh, and did we mention it comes with free "Dilbert Temporary Tattoos"?

With that much going for it, it's easy to see why the Dilbert 2008 Wall Calendar is an excellent suggestion.

FAMILYFANS RATING: A-

#3: ZITS 2008 TEAR-OFF DAY-TO-DAY CALENDAR

The ZITS comic strip by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman appears daily in over 1500 newspapers worldwide, has twice been named the "Best Comic Strip of the Year" by the National Cartoonists Society, and sold more than a million copies of its sketchbook collections. So, are you surprised that a cartoon-a-day calendar of that strip would show up on the FAMILYFANS.com Top Five Calendars list? (If so, you obviously don't have teenagers in the family!)

Following the (mis)adventures of 15-year-old Jeremy Duncan and his quirky, annoying, and lovable parents and friends, this is one of the few comic strips that elicits genuine laughter from both teens and adults. In short, a ZITS a day keeps the gloomies away - and that's why we love the ZITS 2008 Tear-Off Day-to-Day Calendar!

FAMILYFANS RATING: A-

#4: BABY BLUES 2008 TEAR-OFF DAY-TO-PLAY CALENDAR

Like ZITS, Baby Blues is authored by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman. And like ZITS, it has had phenomenal success, running daily in over 1000 newspapers, publishing over two dozen book collections, and winning awards. The big attraction here is in the optimistically overwhelmed parents, Darryl and Wanda, and their warmly funny attempts at raising three active, curious, and thoroughly American children under the age of 10. 

Baby Blues 2008 Tear-Off Day-to-Play Calendar offers a uniquely humorous perspective on things like potty training, play dates, household chores, preschool, child development, and more. The great thing about getting a tear-off calendar like this one is that makes it easier to stick all those favorite Baby Blues cartoons onto the refrigerator (no more cutting these out of the newspaper folks!). Because it reminds us that even the frustrations of parenthood have their own special joys, this one is easily recommended.

FAMILYFANS RATING: B+

#5: WIZARD OF OZ 2008 WALL CALENDAR

The ad for this classic movie-themed calendar promises "Great fun for the movie buff in your life ... and her little dog too!" That may be stretching the truth just a bit, but this Wizard of Oz 2008 Wall Calendar does deliver on the promise of nostalgia and pop culture influence. Featuring full -color scenes and characters from the 1939 cinema masterpiece (still ranked in the Top 10 of the American Film Institute's "Top 100 Greatest Films from the Past 100 Years") , this one is actually more like "wall art" than simply a "wall calendar." As such, it's certain to be a winner to any fan of fiction, fantasy, and movie history.

FAMILYFANS RATING: B+