Book Review: Bizarro and Other Strange Manifestations of the Art of Dan Piraro

This book was so good I read it all in one seating.

The book is written in first person by Mr Dan Piraro himself. This book is about his life, career and comics. His write up is almost as hilarious as his comics. He seems to have a very interesting life, and the book tells it all.

Included are also some interesting and very unusual self portraits (photos). One is nude — with the shadows hiding the crucial parts of course! Another amusing photo is one with him spotting a lion's mane hairstyle with his dad's face saying,"I'm determined to be proud of this kid in spite of the fact that he's well on his way to looking like a transvestite."

He writes from his birth, to childhood and schooling, to his band playing days, then his art and cartooning career and his move to New York City. There are lots of juicy and funny experiences he share, such as him asking people to provide lodging and take him around while he's on book tours.

Towards the end of the book, he talks more about his beliefs, which led him to be a vegan (one that consumes no animal products of any kind including eggs and dairy products). He's a huge supporter of animal rights, which is why animal rights themes sometimes appear in his comics.

This book is filled with freelance illustrations, oil paintings, comics and several discarded ideas (those deemed too saucy for general readers). Every one is captioned to explain the inspiration and the message he's trying to bring across. Oh, his oil paintings are as weird as his cartoons.

This book is not just Bizzaro, it's the biography for Dan Piraro. It's wonderful and in depth. One that will constantly put a smile when read.

Visit the link beside to read more reviews on Amazon. If you buy from the link, I get a little commission that helps me get more art books for review.

Here are direct links to the book:
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