By the Writers of College Humor
Da Capo Press, $20.00, 266 pages
Sometimes something that works well in one form needs to adapt to another form to survive. College Humor The Website: The Book is an excellent example. A Mad Magazine style compilation, it has a number of different threads as well as stand-alone jokes. The threads are usually funny, such as the bear and shark versus swimmer, but the stand-alone jokes are somewhat hit and miss. The humor itself is best described as the love child between the Mad Magazine’s gross-out style and National Lampoon’s more urbane wit.
Overall the collection works. There are some weak areas, but the jokes in general hit their targets and sacred cows are definitely not off-limits. “Star Wars” jokes are plenty and jokes based off altered perceptions abound, such as the world as seen through a drunken person’s eyes. While best known for their quick, witty takes on pop culture icons, the authors have adopted to longer exposure of various targets with great effect. Although the humor does come off as a little mean-spirited in spots, overall it’s a fun read.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim
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