Sam & Max Surfin’ The Highway by Steve Purcell
Blurb for the back cover:
“Ingeniously drawn, helplessly immature, and a delight to read.”
Sam and Max freelance police originally appeared in comic form back in 1987. Since then the duo has appeared in many more comics, a television cartoon series, and computer games. Surfin’ The Highway was published in the ’90s but had since gone to that dreadful place known as “out of print”. Luckily, to capitalize on the recent increase in interest thanks to their newer computer adventures, Sam and Max Surfin’ The Highway has been republished for all to enjoy!
The due is made up of Sam, the suit wearing dog, and Max, a bunny-looking lagomorph. Together they fight crime and injustice (and pirates and a restless spirit that haunts the cereal aisle and rats and a fish named Mack Salmon, to name a few). Since they are freelance police, they get their assignments straight from the commissioner himself who is never seen. Since this is a collection of all the published Sam and Max cartoons so far, there is no story arch which keeps things moving at a fast pace and prevents any situation from getting stale.
Really the thing that stands out here is the humor in the dialog. Often times it is Max who will offer up a witty quip to break the tension. There are also instants when the fourth wall is broken and the humor is self referring such as the time Sam and Max go to the Philippines which is a cross between a tribal voodoo village with the pyramids in the background. Max points out that it was apparently drawn without reference material. Max will also point out when speech bubbles are blocking his vision. It’s this type of humor that makes Surfin’ The Highway worth reading. It’s ingeniously drawn, helplessly immature, and a delight to read.
Also, I recommend the cartoon series as well.
