ARE YOU GONNA EAT THAT? – THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION OF THEY CAN TALK COMICS/ Written and Drawn by JIMMY CRAIG/ Published by ULYSEES PRESS

If you’re on social media, there’s a fair to middling chance you’ve seen Jimmy Craig’s work. The talent behind the web comic They Can Talk, Craig is one of the many creators whose work may get more play being shared on Facebook than it does on his personal site. At least, that’s where I first encountered it.

As the title suggests, Craig’s comics are based around translating the conversations that animals have which we humans are incapable of understanding. Often times this is based around humorous observations, such as a dog’s barks of warning being translated as “Stay Calm!” Other times it is downright surreal, rivaling Gary Larson’s The Far Side at its weirdest.

Craig’s work is available on-line, but for those of you who enjoy analog books full of funny animal cartoons, there is now Are You Gonna Eat That? The first collected volume of essential They Can Talk comics, it is lightweight yet firm, capable of smacking annoying insects and will make a handsome addition to that collection of books you keep in the basket in the bathroom for, ahem, “difficult times”.

This critic should note, in the interest of transparency, that he was given a copy of this book for the purposes of reviewing it. This critic likes noting this, as he enjoys any opportunity to speak of himself in the third person. This critic should also note, however, that this is not as enjoyable as reading Jimmy Craig’s comics and that he suggests everyone check out Are You Gonna Eat That? and They Can Talk.