The Whirling Spinner Rack   Review: The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories By Kevin Agot Published: 2007-12-29

In The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories, readers get an eclectic array of mind-boggling humor for their twisted pleasure. Dark Horse Books was generous enough to gather together some of the best of these web-based comic strips and bound them together like a patient strapped in a straight jacket for our personal brainwash ... er ...enjoyment.

Nicholas Gurewitch is a genius at observing and transforming some of most mundane and common aspects of daily life (most of which would fly under our radar) and drowning them in his darkly coated wit. The end result is the cool, hip evil cousin (thrice-removed) of the sorely missed and fondly remembered, The Far Side. What amazed me about The Far Side back then and what amazes me now through Gurewitch’s The Perry Bible Fellowship, is the sheer comedic genius. When you laugh at his strips, you can’t help but feel the sting of guilty pleasure as you acknowledge that you “got it” and you’re not sure if that’s a good thing.

I am amazed at Gurewitch’s comedic timing and sequential presentation leading up to the strip’s punch line. Most of the strips’ story and punch line are contained in three panels or less. An amazing feat to capture such mad genius and corner it into a mere, three panels. Nicholas Gurewitch shows a deft and artistic hand as his artwork in chameleon-like adaptation adjusts to the period and content of the humor. If the scene takes place in the 19^th century or the 22^nd century, his artwork accordingly reflects it ranging from childlike simplicity to engaging detail.

The humor in The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories is invitingly fresh, wickedly cruel and divinely mad. I fear that all the wild imaginings that run around the author’s head and leak onto the web and print would expose him as a prime head case for the Arkham Asylum. But, thankfully, for us, he’s out and about blending amongst the rest of the human race to fill up his mind with more of the mundane only to pop out as something scrumptiously abnormal. I highly recommend this book! (Be careful! As playfully colorful as the cover may seem, this ain’t for the kiddies).