Amazing! -Sammy Harkham Florent Ruppert (b. 1979) and Jerome Mulot (b. 1981) began their creative partnership as art students in Dijon, France. Their intensely collaborative comics are drawn by both artists in a shared visual style - simultaneously abstract and gestural - that obscures the individual contribution of either hand. Throughout their work, Ruppert and Mulot deftly interweave the naturalistic and the synthetic, playfully manipulating productive tensions in comics, cognition and social culture. Their complex and dazzling comics pages incorporate visual devices from related media, including film and optical toys. Their cinematic figure drawing enlivens mask-like, schematic faces that alienate even as they solicit involvement. Disorienting, bracing and darkly comedic, Barrel of Monkeys prismatically examines the human bestiary at its most surreal and transgressive. It is their first book to be published in an English-language edition. Rebus Books was founded by Bill Kartalopoulos to publish books of comics and other works of visual exposition that implicitly explore and reveal the expressive possibilities of the comics form. For additional information please visit rebusbooks.net When I’d get Ruppert and Mulot’s books in French, I was perplexed by comics that seemed largely informed by theatre, Eadweard Muybridge and proto-animation. Now that I can read it, I’m delighted by how evil and mean-spirited the work is. -Dash Shaw Ruppert and Mulot explore the dark edges of human behavior like no one else, making the disturbing feel elegant and the elegant feel disturbing. With a light hand, their vignettes tie together slapstick, violence, humor and horror, all while cleverly experimenting with different forms of representation and body language. Barrel of Monkeys is an enjoyable slap in the face from two of the most unique and exciting cartoonists I’ve come across yet. -Lilli Carre

We're all familiar with 'a flock of sheep' but what are the collective nouns for racehorses, pigs, zebras or giraffes? Drawing on a range of sources, from fifteenth-century hunting terms to more recent inventions that have now entered the language, this book collects over 100 examples of the most interesting collective nouns for animals, each illustrated with charming woodcuts by the renowned naturalist engraver of the eighteenth century, Thomas Bewick.Some describe a key characteristic of the animal in question: 'a shrewdness of apes', 'a busyness of ferrets'. Others are delightfully humorous: 'a piddle of puppies', 'a crash of rhinoceroses'.Featuring pets, farmyard animals, big cats and wild beasts, this beautifully presented book is the perfect gift for animal lovers and all those with an interest in this quirky linguistic tradition.

Judge Alvin Wong is a modern-day story with yesterday's lessons--all encompassed within a traditional Wild West setting. This all-American story typifies a struggle that exists everywhere: the battle between upper class and the so-called lower class. Matt Shea exemplifies this quirk in human nature by going a step further. He throws in a streetwise Chinese American judge, a crafty individual who uses his charm and common sense to dance around racial barriers while resolving issues. The pinnacle of this story is when a brash rancher named Blaine Wolf sets himself up to be sentenced by Judge Alvin--in a saloon. Blaine is pompous about his wealth and uses every opportunity to highlight it. In fact, he went as far as suing a humble ranch hand--only to disgrace him in court over a small debt. From there, more salt is poured when the plaintiff elects to drop the case midstream, thus denying the hired hand any dignity. Judge Alvin Wong tips the scales even when Blaine tries to save face. Foolishly, he grants Alvin permission to informally sentence him while others watch. The result? A harmless, yet poetic justice is set in motion --a soul-searching trek that has one rancher learn about life, and the goodness of our Lord.

One by one, seven monkeys who go out to have a good time wind up falling in love over the course of a week.

This illustrated guide compiles over 2,000 collective nouns and brings them to life in stunningly colorful, graphic artwork from the design dynamos at Woop Studios. Chock-full of treasures of the English language, the diversity of terms collected here covers topics from plants and animals (a parade of elephants, an embarrassment of pandas) to people and things (a pomposity of professors, an exultation of fireworks) and range from the familiar (a pride of lions) to the downright obscure (an ooze of amoebas). Pronunciations, definitions, etymologies, and historical anecdotes make this beautiful book an entertaining read, a standout reference, and a visual treat. Language lovers and art appreciators alike will be captivated by this gem, rich in word and image.

A collection of monkey lore, fables, and stories from around the world.