Chris (Simpsons artist) is beloved around the world (with over one million fans on Facebook) for his bizarre yet oddly wholesome cartoons Pictures That I Gone and Done, in which he depicts modern life and affairs through a series of often crude and undeniably unique drawings.
With such widespread adulation and a doting audience to satisfy, how was Chris to channel his viral success? The answer: a book, apparently. In Chris’s case he jumps into the deep end; The Story of Life details the “entirety” of human history and what it means to be alive in this day and age…
…sort of.
Admittedly, Chris’ take on the tale of our existence omits a few tidbits (OK, basically most information) and contains a few exaggerations (OK, outright lies) but the humour within is just as brilliant and nonsensical as in his many online comics, with arguably some of his funniest work yet featured in this book. From teens getting together to summon a cloth-based entity, interesting insights into hen parties, even detailing the cycle of life: from giving birth itself to the grim reaper’s eventual visit to the afterlife, beyond (Chris insists that there is life beyond death, but unsurprisingly, his is a somewhat different take to most conventional religions).
The Story of Life is retailing at £12.99, and while the price is perhaps a little steep, given it does only take 10-20 minutes to finish, there is a lot of hilarity within and some truly bizarre new concoctions from the mind of everyone’s favourite online illustrator. If you’re a big fan and have the cash, definitely pick this one up. If you have more of a middling interest, then it’s probably best to wait for a discount.
By Melissa Clifford
