5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth, by Matthew Inman

Caveat reader: The links contained in this review, possibly excepting the one for Zombie Harmony, lead to content that many will find offensive.

Dear Matthew Inman:

Hi, this is Jessica. I’m a librarian in Virginia, and I’m a longtime fan of your work. For years I’ve satisfied my social needs with your website Zombie Harmony (“One of the Best Free Dating Sites for Zombies”). More recently I’ve been following the comics you’ve posted at The Oatmeal; it’s not a good place for people offended by strong language, sophomoric humor, or sexual innuendos, but I personally have loved every single comic you’ve published online. (I did finally find a comic that was appropriate for all ages– that one you did about Seattle’s weather, remember?– but it took a lot of digging.)

So I was thrilled when you published 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth. It was just like reading your web comics, only with the added tactile pleasure of glossy pages! Some of the content was stuff I’d already seen before, but that’s okay. Your comics crack me up every single time.

But of course there was new material, too. That strip about Nikola Tesla was both entertaining and informative– sort of like Randall Munroe does things over at xkcd. Though, and I hope the internet gods don’t strike me down for my blasphemy, I’ve come to think that you’re even funnier than Randall. I think you’re funnier than The Onion, and way funnier than that guy who drew the picture of the spider. (I tried reading his book, The Internet Is a Playground: Irreverent Correspondences of an Evil Online Genius, but it couldn’t hold a candle to yours.)

Now that your comics are collected in convenient book form, my life is much easier, since I’m always foisting your work on other people. It’s nice to see them laughing to the point where it becomes physically painful. I also hold out faint hope that people will learn from your educational comics. If you can’t save the English language from the scourge of the comma splice, no one can.

Given that you’ve made me laugh harder than any other comic artist except Gary Larson (I think maybe you guys are tied), I’m just about ready to bear your children, especially since the people I’ve met through Zombie Harmony have turned out to be dead ends. I’ll see about getting a dowry prepared.

Cheers, and thanks for writing the book!

Check the WRL catalog for 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth