PEARLS BEFORE SWINE:

The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised

review by

Mike Nappa

PEARLS BEFORE SWINE: The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised

by Stephan Pastis

(Andrews McMeel Publishing)

BEST FOR: All Ages

READ:

First, in all fairness, I must tell you that I've been a fan of the Pearls Before Swine comic strip since the first collection, BLTs Taste So Darn Good, released in 2003. However, if I am honest, I must admit the following three things about this fourth Pearls Before Swine collection:

1) The story arcs that Rat, Pig, Zebra and the others go through in this book are too often repetitive in nature.

2) The characters and plotlines here are surprisingly derivative, and sometimes that comes across as lazy writing.

3) Despite those first two flaws, I still couldn't stop reading this funny book until I'd gotten all the way to the end. Go figure.

For those of you unfamiliar with the award-winning comic strip, Pearls Before Swine, the basic summary is this: Pig, Rat, Goat, and Zebra live in a viewer-conscious cartoon world where sarcasm and cool irony reign supreme. Pig is the optimist of the group, happily cherishing (and anthropomorphizing) everything from a bottle waffle syrup to fruit in the refrigerator. (OK, Pig's not the brightest character of the bunch, but such is the way of Pearls.) Rat is the resident cynic, out to rule the world and rid it of stupid and/or annoying people. (Some might say he's the poor man's Dogbert.) Goat is the smart one...but that also means he's the boring one, something Stephan Pastis must have realized early on because Goat doesn't appear as often as the others in the pages of this book. If Pig is the happy optimist, Zebra is the hapless realist. Forever plagued by predators that continually raid and eat the members of his herd, Zebra exists in a vicious cycle of Eeyore-like experiences that always end up in futility. (OK, that sounds bad, but actually turns out to be funny on most occasions.)

These four heroes in place, Stephan Pastis exercises a wicked (in a good way) sense of humor that cuts with humorous accuracy to the core of much of life's idiotic situations. Take Zebra, for instance. This peace-loving citizen is taken aback when a family of crocodiles moves in next door--and immediately tries to lure him into their kitchen so they can eat him. Local authorities are pathetically inept at helping our poor striped pal. The homeowners association declares nothing in their bylaws prevents natural selection of the animal kingdom and the police refuse to interfere in domestic problems between animal neighbors. What's a Zebra to do?

Additionally, Rat often provides entertaining moments with his zany schemes at world domination. His stint as a TV psychic who supposedly "talks to the dead" and his run for the presidency of the United States (so he can send troops to invade France) are worth the price of this book all by themselves.

The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised does fall short occasionally, though, when the author seems to recycle jokes, when he reaches to other comic strips to make his jokes, and when he too often incorporates himself into the strip.

For example, most of the jokes surrounding Pig plotlines are the same: Pig develops a deep friendship with an inanimate object (such as fruit, or a syrup bottle, fish bait, or an army of peas); Pig misunderstands something someone says, interpreting it literally instead of in its context; Pig writes letters to famous people and makes them cry...you get the idea.

As far as derivative elements from other comic strips, let's face it: If there were not Dobgert in Scott Adams' Dilbert comic, there would be no Rat in Pearls Before Swine. They are so similar that one wishes the author would stretch for something new in that vein. Additionally, the trope of having the Pearls characters "break out" of their own comic strip to deliver a joke based on Dilbert or Cathy or some other comic strip just seems like lazy writing, and happens too often to stay cute over time.

And, unfortunately, anytime the author draws himself into the strip or presents his characters as negotiating with "Pastis" on the telephone phone, the strip becomes indulgent, insular, and, well, not so funny.

STIILLLLL...as I mentioned earlier, in spite of the above flaws, I simply couldn't quit reading about the Pearls gang in The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised. J Something about Stephan Pastis' dry sarcasm and skewering viewpoint is just plain funny. ("Dumb Guys Convention" anyone?) So take my criticisms with a grain of salt. Chances are you are still going to get a few good guffaws out of this book, regardless of my opinions about its shortcomings.

Is this fourth collection of Pearls Before Swine as fresh and witty as previous Pearls books? Probably not.

Is it still a fun read for a relaxing moment or two during the day? Absolutely, so feel free to enjoy it as such.

THINK

Why do you suppose people are created with a desire for humor? Is that a God-given characteristic of all people, or a result of the environment a person lives in?
What makes a comic strip funny? What keeps it from being funny?
Does God laugh? Defend your answer.
Comics often function as a humorous commentary on society, and Pearls Before Swine is no exception. What do you think Rat, Pig, and the rest are saying to us about the way we live in modern America?

LIVE

If you were the comics editor of your local newspaper, which 10 strips would you include on your comics page? Make a list, and rank them from 1-10 (with one being your absolute favorite, #1 choice). What does your list reveal about your sense of humor? About your philosophies of life?