Sergio Aragones' Actions Speaks

Written by Sergio Aragones
Illustrated by Sergio Aragones
Dark Horse

I originally read these in single-issue form, back when I was getting more things in floppy version. (I probably would even today, because hey, it's Sergio!)

Aragones returns to his roots as a master of the one-page joke. Ranging all over the place, these cartoons use nothing but visuals to get their point across, whether it's a child trying to get one up on a parent, a hard pressed worker who is the victim of circumstance, or a husband with a wandering eye.

No matter what the situation, Aragones finds a way to make it funny. This is a man who spent a lot of time at Mad Magazine doing fill in fits but is also just as at home doing bits for horror comics. He has a strong grasp on timing across a comic page, which in this era of splash pages and cinematic artwork, is almost a lost art at this point.

Aragones is a severely underappareciated talent who I think can be dismissed at times for his cartoonish work. But if you look carefully, you'll find that Sergio's pencils are often far more intricate than those who draw "real" comic books. This is a pretty good place to start if you've never seen his work because there's no continuity, just gag strips. Once you get started with Aragones, you'll find that your action will be to read more of his stuff!