The Wizard of Id: Daily and Sunday Strips, 1973

Nearly ten years into their syndicated residency as the handlers of the comic strip page’s most infamous tiny tyrant and hapless wizard, Brant Parker and Johnny Hart were still going strong, keeping The Wizard of Id as shamelessly punny, as snarky, and as self-aware as ever before.

Every strip from 1973 is collected in their latest volume, offering every gag, putdown, playful aside, and fourth wall-breaking joke in their arsenal. The strips are crisply rendered, capturing the lackadaisical casual artistic feeling of the comics without sacrificing any clarity or legibility. Complete with a character breakdown for anyone unfamiliar with the small cast of Id denizens — the terrible lawyer has a NAME?! — this collection is both a perfect introduction to the strip and a solid compilation for any comic strip fan.

The book is sturdy and well-packaged, no doubt ready for a long life of bathroom reading for diehard fans and casual readers alike. You’ll get more than a few chuckles out of this one. (In fact, I surprised myself by laughing out loud a few times.)