Rose is Rose has long garnered attention from fans across the country and around the world. When the National Cartoonists Society named Rose creator Pat Brady Outstanding Cartoonist of 2004 it only confirmed what those readers already knew in their hearts: Brady rolls out one of the best strips in the business.Red Carpet Rose is Brady's first book since he received the NCS honors. As the seven previous Rose is Rose books have done before, this one continues the tales of the hilarious Gumbo family: Rose, her husband, Jimbo, and their devilish, delightful, and demanding son, Pasquale. Brady deftly captures the innocent and ageless qualities of wonder and awe at the world's boundless experiences, as seen through the lives of his beloved characters.Whether the Gumbos are sharing a simple family moment in the park, Pasquale is pushing his little-boy limits, or Rose is morphing into her Biker Chic alter ego, this Rose is Rose compilation of daily and Sunday strips delivers all the fun, laughter, and family-loving moments that mark Brady's work. This is cartooning at its best!

Self-assured waitress Tina is the star of the strip Tina's Groove by cartoonist Rina Piccolo. Readers can follow the adventures-in her personal life and as she works at Pepper's restaurant-of this single, smart, attractive woman in her 30s.Supporting players include Tina's best friend, Suzanne, a fellow waitress with a busily buzzing social calendar and a penchant for offering unsolicited advice; Carlos, a man's man who talks a good game; Monica, a spacey, distracted hostess at the restaurant; Rob, the straitlaced restaurant manager; and Claud, the outlandish, storytelling, truck-driving Pepper's regular.Tina's Groove is sure to appeal to independent working women in their 30s who are hungry for a character to whom they can relate. In syndication for more than three years, the strip appears in such newspapers as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Arizona Republic, and the Toronto Star.

Spot the Frog is a wild and gentle strip, an oddball of modern comics. The humor springs from misadventure and friendship, where the characters are more likely to lend a hand than give a push. Spot the Frog hops from the page in high spirits, pleasant and good-natured, a refreshing alternative to the daily concerns of a cynical world. The change is like a cool breeze across a pond on a blistering summer day.Spot the Frog is the first collection of Mark Heath's charming new comic strip. Through its pages readers meet Spot, an amiable little amphibian; grandfatherly Karl, Spot's favorite two-legged mammal; and Buddy, a bespectacled fellow-frog who is Spot's best pal. This trio finds its way in and out of life's challenges and joys, never needing more than each other and their immediate surroundings to generate plenty of laughs and lighter views of the world at large.Spot the Frog is a tribute to Heath's originality, his beautifully rendered characters, and the artist-writer's ability to successfully swim against the stream.

'Even if you don't follow this delightful series in the paper (and you should, you know), you're in for a treat." More About How Come I'm Always Luigi? In 1988, a comic strip burst onto the funny pages of America's newspapers with attitude, wit, and a big dose of reality when it comes to family dynamics. Today, FoxTrot is one of the most popular and lauded strips around. How Come I'm Always Luigi? is the latest saga of the slightly off-center Fox family, parents Roger and Andy, teenagers Peter and Paige, 10-year-old brainiac Jason, and pet iguana Quincy. This new collection of cartoons continues their mishaps and misadventures as they battle with school, work, video games, and of course, each other. Anyone who's ever experienced the trying turmoil of family life will relish this latest collection of FoxTrot-a strip that inspires laughs and instant identification like few others.

Some believe that the key to humor is timing. Others think it lies in a slightly distorted presentation of the familiar. E. B. White thought that humor ceased to exist upon close examination. But if anyone has humor figured out, it's Stephan Pastis. His philosophy is written in black felt pen on the bulletin board in his home office. It reads: 'When in doubt, kill cute things.' Lock up your valuables. Stockpile your ammunition. Sandbag your bunker. The familiar foursome of Rat, Pig, Goat, and Zebra-joined now by the fraternity of Zeeba Zeeba Eata crocodiles are here to storm the ramparts of humor in The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised. In this fourth collection from the award-winning comic strip Pearls Before Swine, Stephan Pastis deploys all the weapons of his comic arsenal in an all-out attack on the animal (and human) imperfections he sees around him. The result is a collection jam-packed with the sharp-edged humor that has made Pearls Before Swine one of the most successful comic strips running in newspapers today. Just remember: As The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised makes clear, Pearls Before Swine takes no prisoners. We warned you.

It's been a decade since political cartoonist Tom Toles collected his panels in book form. He's had a busy decade and plenty of time to further sharpen both his wit, commentary, and pen. NOW Who Do We Blame? presents an editorial master at the top of his game, in all of his whimsical, sometimes scathing, and always insightful glory. Toles, editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post, includes his favorite frames from the past several years. His subjects include the 9/11 Commission, the 2004 presidential election, terrorism, the Middle East conflict, Yasser Arafat, Afghanistan, Iraq, and of course President George W. Bush. The collection title, in fact, comes from a panel showing Bush at his desk, covered with miniatures of the ''GOP White House,'' ''GOP Senate,'' ''GOP House,'' and ''GOP Supreme Court.'' ''Now who do we blame?'' asks the puzzled Commander in Chief. Such is the humor, satire, and intelligence of one of the most accomplished and widely read political cartoonists working today. Toles, who draws himself as the artist working in the lower right corner of his panels, takes on every issue and every powerbroker that crosses the national screen.

This breathtaking volume boldly, cheerfully, and blankly stares back across the stunningly mellow life and times of Zonker Harris. From his Californian-American roots to his legendary status as surfer, nanny, and former sun god, his career trajectory has unfailingly carried him ever deeper into the homegrown heart of the American daydream. A puddle-plumbing denizen of Walden Commune, Harris spent his formative years as a bodaciously freaked-out college student. His innovative decoding of the rites and rituals of the burgeoning counter-culture put him on the cover of Time . Forced by a strategic oversight to graduate from college, Harris blazed a path to glory on the pro tanning circuit. His triumph in the George Hamilton Cocoa-Butter Open set a high watermark for the sport. Family values led Harris to devote considerable time to helping his stunned parents refill their empty nest. Extended-family values propelled him into a career as a professional nanny, in which capacity he has indeed taught the children well - especially Sam, who was surfing the long board while still in diapers. Later, leveraging his political cluelessness, Zonker served on the disastrous Duke2000 presidential campaign. A devoted foot soldier in the war against AIDS suffering, Zonk is held in high regard among SoCal's medical marijuana community for the efficacious potency of his magic brownies. Unfazed by worldly success, he remains a true and gentle freak. After all, he humbly notes, I am but one dude.

Patrick McDonnell's MUTTS is up there with Peanuts, Pogo, Krazy Kat, and Calvin and Hobbes-cartoons that are smart and funny, brilliantly drawn and full of heart.'' -Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons Readers of all ages have a variety of reasons why they love the daily comic strip MUTTS. But for some readers, Sunday is the most special day of the week because it is the day that cartoonist Patrick McDonnell unleashes his full-color Sunday strips. Those Sunday-loving readers are in for a real treat with the release of Sunday Evenings. This new MUTTS treasury is the fourth in the ''Sunday'' series and stars Earl the dog and Mooch the cat, who despite their obvious differences prefer to tackle life as a mostly harmonious partnership. Under the skilled pen of cartoonist Patrick McDonnell, MUTTS is about far more than the simple, carefree world of pets. Underneath the banter of its endearing characters, the reader often faces the all-too-real concerns of animals and life on the planet Earth. It's what makes this book such a rich and enjoyable experience, one that readers will savor each time they page through the collection.

The worlds of hip-hop and suburbia couldn't seem further apart . . and that's just what makes Housebroken so doggone funny. Cartoonist Steve Watkins plunks down DJ Dog, his plucky ex-rap star canine, into the middle-class Watson family, and a whole lot of grumbling, growling, and cultural ''enlightenment'' takes place. Gangsta Yoga with DJ Dog is the second regular collection of Watkins's nationally syndicated strip, and this book promises the same successful combination of hilarious laughs and crossover sales as its predecessor. DJ Dog may be a warm and fuzzy puppy at heart, but his ''ruff'' edges leave something to be desired when it comes to harmonizing with Mya, the nine-year-old daughter of the Watson family and CEO wannabe. DJ often teams up with Mya's seven-year-old brother, Malik, to oppose her get-rich schemes, which include selling Girl Scout cookie-backed securities. Whether he's teaching yoga positions, such as ''Duck from Driveby,'' or taking over the elementary school orchestra and renaming them the ''Murderers Bows,'' this hip-hop pup is bound to be funny.

Never shy about commenting on sensitive and controversial political and social events, Prickly City is always timely yet humorous. This first collection of the conservative strip is sure to move right along with today's political current, while giving its readers plenty of reasons to laugh. Carmen, a straightforward, sensible kid, and her unlikely best friend, Winslow the innocent coyote pup, frolic and tussle in the American Southwest while discussing such hot-button issues as condoms in schools, violent video games, gay marriage, and highly contested presidential campaigns. As Carmen might say, "We may not be correct but we will always be right." Prickly City creator Scott Stantis has emerged as an up-and-coming conservative social and political voice. His strip is syndicated in more than 40 newspapers, in such big markets as Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Seattle, Denver, Detroit, San Antonio, and Atlanta.

It's different "over there." Everybody east of Washington, Oregon, and California knows it. But defining the West Coast as "not like the East Coast" leaves way too much of the story untold. No, far better to turn to Adrian Raeside's This Is Your First Rock Garden, Isn't It?, perhaps one of the most informative-and certainly funniest-explanations to ever depict the westernmost portion of our country. Raeside represents the perfect comic commentator on what makes "Other Coasters" tick. He was born a Kiwi, lived in England, and now resides in British Columbia-close enough for a good view without having to get mixed up in the muddle that passes for the West Coast lifestyle and its many subcultures. Instead, the cartoonist accurately sheds light and humor on residents who put their own unique spin on everything from cars and coffee to extreme sports and the latest out-there technology. This Is Your First Rock Garden, Isn't it?, Raeside's second Other Coast collection, captures all the quirks and comical traits that give these occasionally odd occupants their confidence, panache, and ability to ignore the rest of the country. Eccentric, fashionable, political, hysterical-This Is Your First Rock Garden, Isn't It? has it all.