Courtesy of Beaverdale Books

Reviewed by Julie Goodrich

By The Oatmeal

Andrews McMeel Publishing

03/01/2011

160 pp

$8.98

The Internet provides so many riches. One of the most enjoyable results of this easy-access-to-every-person-with-a-computer is the ability to stumble across some of the funniest people in comics who will never appear in the Sunday paper.

The Oatmeal is one such web-comic, releasing dark, sometimes informative and always hilarious comics that cover everything from the author's travails as a Web developer to the five different types of crappy hugs. The wacky humor may not be for everybody (and is definitely not for kids) but for those who find subversive, slightly twisted observations funny, "5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth" is a comic collection you won't want to miss.

The drawings aren't too dramatic or artful, but they add considerably to the text — provoking the fits of giggles that mark really good comedy. This is a wild and eccentric collection that will appeal to many different types of people simply because the subject matter is so varied. Some favorite comics include: "Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling," "Why Nikola Tesla is the Most Awesome Geek Who Ever Lived" and the totally relatable, "How to Suck at Facebook."

Not really meant for cover-to-cover reading, "5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth" would make excellent coffee table reading, perfect for dipping in and out when you need a laugh. Plus, it also comes with a free poster, "Why I Believe Printers Were Sent From Hell To Make Us Miserable." How could you pass that up? CV