Funny as Hell: On Hyperbole and a Half
By Ryan Joe
I was thrilled to read Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half because finally, finally, I found out where all those memes are coming from.
Though I go through a lot of comics, I rarely do so online. It’s hard for me to read for pleasure through a screen. Of course, I use apps like ComiXology because it’s a great way to stock up on single issues without having to find storage space later on.
In any event, I was aware of Brosh’s blog, but never made my way there. So this collection, part prose and part sequential storytelling, is a good entry point if you don’t want to go through her entire online archive. She writes and draws breezily about her sugar addiction, her slightly maladjusted dogs — as well as more serious matters, like her depression.
Her two blog posts on that subject — both collected in her book — are really compelling. Brosh uses her cartoons to punctuate or underscore her text, which is often more explanatory. Her strips bring levity to a really dark subject, and most importantly, makes it easier for non-sufferers to relate and understand.
I’m going to have to keep this entry short. I’m attending a wedding soon and need to figure out what tie to wear and then go to CVS to get some product for my hair, which right now looks like a pile of stringy shit (Not literally, but close enough).
And Hyperbole and a Half isn’t a book that needs unpacking (Hello, simple word that becomes pretentious when used by an English lit major!) like Edwin Mullhouse last week or The Argonauts next week.
Reading Brosh is like having a conversation with a close friend who’s also funny as hell.
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