Sharky Malarkey
by Megan Nicole Dong
Date: 2018
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Reading level: A
Book type: comic collection
Pages: 224
Format: e-book
Source: library
Sharky Malarkey follows the adventures of Bruce, a washed-up shark actor, and a colorful assortment of dysfunctional people, animals, and inanimate objects.
Bruce is equally outlandish and relatable—he’s vain but insecure; hotheaded but cowardly; craves attention but fears intimacy—his over-the-top antics are all too human. Based on Megan Nicole Dong’s popular webcomic, Sketchshark, her debut print collection mines the absurd in everyday life.
(synopsis from Goodreads)
This is, hands down, one of the stupidest things I've ever read. It's definitely not for kids, but it's so puerile that you might be confused at first glance.
If you enjoy looking at pictures of hastily sketched boobs and butts, then you'll love this. If you don't enjoy looking at such things, then you're in for a world of pain. The overall impression I got was of some kid who'd just discovered they could draw realistic body parts, so they went ahead and put them on everything. I am not kidding. The very last picture in this book was of our planet... with an ass.
As a result of all this tits-and-ass nonsense, the commentary on racial/societal issues in the last chapters was kind of lost, even though it was so heavy-handed as to be kind of insulting. And the synopsis? Well, that was a bunch of crap, too; the parts about Bruce the shark take up only a small portion of the book.
I probably shouldn't have read this so soon after one of Sarah Andersen's books, because this one paled miserably in comparison. I got the feeling that Dong was trying really hard to be like Andersen, but her obsession with drawing prehensile boobs and buttcracks on everything meant that her message was overshadowed by silly illustrations most of the time. There were a few gems in here, but the problem is they're hidden within the 90+ percent that's pretty much crap.
As a technical note, I found this really hard to read. It looks like all the text is written by hand (rather than done with a handwriting font), and it's not particularly neat. I had to zoom in (on a 21" computer screen) multiple times before I could make out what some of the words were. This book would be near impossible to read on a device like a Kindle!
If I never see another crappily drawn animal with a human butt, it'll be too soon. Where's the brain bleach when you need it?
Writing & Editing: 1/5
Illustration: 1/5
Originality: 1/5
Enjoyment: 1/5
Overall Rating: 1 out of 5 ladybugs
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