Sad Animals by Adam Meuse
Categories: Reviews
Sad Animals
by Adam Meuse
Self-Published
Depending on your mood, you will either find Sad Animals mildly amusing or totally hilarious. When I bought it a few weeks ago I thought it was clever. Today though, it’s really entertaining me. I don’t know how the gags got funnier, but they did.
Sad Animals has been sitting near the register at Big Brain Comics in Minneapolis for over a year now. I took my sweet time buying it, for sure. I mean, it’s kind of a breezy read. You could easily finish the whole mini just waiting for Michael Drivas to bag your books. When I finally broke down and got it, Drivas was kind enough to tell me the history of Sad Animals and its legacy at his store.
Sad Animals was written by an artist in North Carolina named Adam Meuse. He doesn’t usually make comics. Meuse is a fine artist who makes a living on portraiture. I assumed his book was sitting at Big Brain for so long because nobody was buying it. Apparently though, it’s a local best-seller. Drivas can’t stock enough of these, and Meuse just sits around waiting for orders while rolling in cash (one assumes). I’m a little in awe, but that’s mostly the jealousy. Who wouldn’t kill to have one great mini that basically sold itself? I’ve since learned that it’s also a best-seller at Skylight Books in Los Angeles.
The idea of the book is simple. One gag per page, illustrating a wild animal introspecting. Take the fish who thinks ‘I’m one dumb motherfucker’ or the bulldog who realizes he’s fat. This is ridiculous shit. It’s good for a re-read, good for a gift, good for impressing your friends, good for the spirit.
The book is $4 and that’s money well-spent. You can order it online through Atomic Books or pressure your local store to stock it. Warn them though, it has a tendency to fly off the shelves.
– Sarah Morean
