The Fun Never Stops!: An Anthology of Comic Art, 1991-2006

The Fun Never Stops is a comprehensive collection of premier
caricaturist Drew Friedman’s best comic strips, illustrations, and mug
shots dealing with all the familiar Friedman themes the world has come
to love: showbiz has-beens, ugly old white men, nefarious politicians,
debauched celebrities, the ubiquitous Lord of Eltingville, etc. Most of
the work is from the 1990s, and show Friedman’s gradual phasing out of
his famous (and amazing) black-and-white stipple look to his current
(and equally amazing) lush watercolor style. In addition to the works
written by Friedman, Fun includes many collaborations with his longtime partner K. Bidus, as well as Harvey Pekar (American Splendor), Mark Newgarden (We All Die Alone), and Bruce Handy, among others. Also included is artwork from the notorious Topps Bubble Gum Card series Toxic High, as well as art from the card sets Beauties and Cuties and Ed Wood Players. Comic strip highlights include “Everybody’s Buddy” (RAW), which examines the legendarily combustible temper of drummer Buddy Rich; “Where’s Johnny?” (Entertainment Weekly), a journey into what would have become of Johnny Carson’s career had he never hosted the “Tonight Show”; “Hey, Academy!” (NY Observer),
a demand from Friedman that Jerry Lewis be awarded a lifetime
achievement award by the Motion Picture Academy; “The 10 Least Powerful
People in Hollywood” (Details); “Howard Stern & Al Sharpton run for political office in NY” (The New Yorker); and “Kasablanca” (Esquire), which imagines Casablanca
as directed by Oliver Stone. The book is topped off with a detailed,
career-spanning biographical introduction by Ben Schwartz and a
foreword by Daniel Clowes.