{"product_id":"9781770463615","title":"The Follies of Richard Wadsworth","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eThe Follies of Richard Wadsworth\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Nick Maandag\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA dark, bizarre comedy where teachers push boundaries into preposterous places\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Follies of Richard Wadsworth\u003c\/i\u003e showcases Nick Maandag’s signature blend of deadpan satire and exceedingly unexpected plot twists. In “Night School,” a Modern Managerial Business Administration and Operational Leadership class goes awry when a fire alarm brings the Chief to school and he decides to stick around to teach the students a thing or two about leadership—and discipline. “The Follies of Richard Wadsworth” follows the title character, a professor of philosophy, as he begins work as a contract instructor at yet another university. When Wadsworth finds himself smoking reefer at his student’s party and discovers she works at a rub ’n’ tug, an off-kilter plan is hatched. And in “The Disciple,” a yarn about a coed Buddhist monastery, Brother Bananas, the resident gorilla, isn’t the only one having difficulty keeping his lust tucked safely under his robe. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Maandag’s hands—hands that love to toy with morally ambiguous characters and flirt with absurdity—troubled men make poor decisions, unlikable characters gain our sympathies through their very haplessness, and riotous laughs ensue.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaandag has achieved cult acclaim through his self-published and micro-published comics, and \u003ci\u003eThe Follies of Richard Wadsworth\u003c\/i\u003e is his debut book. His mechanical, affectless characters and economical artwork efficiently deliver cringes, heightening the awkward silence and stillness of his hilarious comics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“When this graphic novel arrived, I absent-mindedly picked it up and flipped through it, then started to laugh. Two hours later, I’d read it in a single sitting, without meaning to, and forgotten to eat. I can think of no higher accolade for a comical book.”—\u003ci\u003eThe Toronto Star\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A collection of comics that tell the stories of questionable protagonists with messy lives that showcase cartoonist Nick Maandag's absurdist sense of humour.”—\u003ci\u003eCBC books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Maandag showcases his excellent deadpan, cringe-inducing humor in this hilariously unsettling collection of three short stories. Using a spare line and a minimum of expressiveness, he repeatedly skewers the self-important, the self-righteous, and the self-absorbed.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A complete, riotous success.”—\u003ci\u003eBroken Pencil\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Expertly paced.”—\u003ci\u003eWinnipeg Free Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It’s tough to be actually funny – most books with pull quotes claiming “it had me crying with laughter” don’t usually raise more than a wry smile in practice. Follies bucks this trend, with genuine moments of deadpan comedy.”—\u003ci\u003eThe Quietus \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The subtle dialogue and absurd situational comedy will cause readers themselves to have to pause until the groaning chuckles fade. Long after they have finished the book, too, the thoughtful satire will return to make the readers think and laugh again.”—\u003ci\u003eBlogcritics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Maandag’s proper place in the canon is alongside creators like Daniel Clowes and Adrian Tomine.”—\u003ci\u003eThe London Free Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Deadpan humor that works in unison with the absurdity and surrealism that define the situations the characters are in.”—\u003ci\u003eComics Beat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Characters still flail and fail to hilarious ends, but for some (like the titular Wadsworth) he grants them a refreshing and unexpected stay, and with it the possibility of hope.”—\u003ci\u003eThe Comics Journal \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Nick Maandag offers us the most perfectly obnoxious characters—tortured by their own self importance, lecherous desire and profound idiocy. These stories are both entertaining and highly disturbing.”—Hartley Lin, \u003ci\u003eYoung Frances\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Dry comedy that will make you wet with laughter. This book is a treat for true connoisseurs of slow-burn, ribald gut-punches. Contains numerous Joke Of The Year contenders.\"—Simon Haneslmann, cartoonist of \u003ci\u003eMegg \u0026amp; Mogg\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781770463615\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Drawn and Quarterly","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":40706803138766,"sku":"9781770463615","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_c2beb069-e43f-40bb-b25e-484223cc3ec1.jpg?v=1640578395","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781770463615","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}