I’d grouped my copy of Mark Heath‘s Spot the Frog with an older, harder-to-find book at Amazon and found myself in cartoon limbo. After many weeks of waiting, Amazon emailed to tell me they’d been unsuccessful at getting that second book from any of their sources, and that Spot was on its way.
Now that my wife and I have devoured it, I wish I’d ordered Spot by itself with next day shipping.
Listen, I’m not a great writer past a gag line or two, and folks on/in Mark’s book sing his well deserved praises better than I ever could (the comparison to Milne was especially accurate), but I’ll give it a shot.
Spot not only made me laugh, but root for him. The strips are gently funny, but far from simple or maudlin. So many comics (including all of my failed syndication attempts) brashly aim for the jugular every time, but Spot sneaks up and tickles you in a surprising way that you can’t help but fall in love with every line, written or drawn.
I think I’ve compared it to Watterson in the past, and it certainly well deserved, but Mark has birthed a wondrously silly and fresh voice all his own, and it’s something to behold.
Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy, and don’t skimp on the shipping.
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