Crock Marches On

By Bill Rechin and Don Wilder

Crock comic strips, copyright 1984 and 1985. Crock is the cruel, selfish commandant of the Foreign Legion outpost in the blazing desert of some unnamed country. Although the locals are after their blood, the soldiers are more in danger from their own leader, Crock. He cares not if the soldiers are starving, thirsty, wounded or underpaid. All he cares about is himself.

What's the Joke, Beetle Bailey

By Mort Walker

Beetle Bailey comic strips, copyright 1984 & 1987. What the military would be like if everyone in the military were morons.

Heathcliff Kool Kat

By Geo Gately

Heathcliff cartoons, copyright 1974, 1975, 1981, 1985, 1986. Heathcliff is a tough cat who takes no prisoners and who has the local butchers and the local dogs all dreading his appearance in their neighborhoods. Kicking ass and stealing fish before Garfield ever came along.

MAD About Sports

By Frank Jacobs

Illustrated by Jack Rickard.

MAD contributor Frank Jacobs pokes fun at sports and sports fans. Featuring:

The MAD Sports Hero Primer
The MAD Hall of Fame for Minor Sports
You Can See She's Not a Baseball Fan
If TV Sports Covered a Family Quarrel
Announcements for Athletes
The Polar Bear Club Diving Competition (by Don Martin)
If Sports Editors Wrote Headlines for Great Historical Events
The Big-Time Athlete Yesterday and Today
Band Formations for Small Colleges
Sports for Better or Verse
You Can See She's Not a Football Fan
If Sports Editors Wrote Headlines for the Bible
When Women Take Part in Men's Professional Sports

The copyright is 1972 and the attitudes expressed in the  book are pretty dated. Also, it's about sports, a boring subject to begin with.

Hagar the Horrible : Born Leader

By Dik Browne

Hagar the Horrible comic strip copyright from 1978. Explaining Viking life to modern day humans.

Crock : Are Those Your Good Pants?

By Bill Rechin and Don Wilder

Crock comic strips, copyright 1978, 1979, 1981.

Life is hard for the soldiers of the Foreign Legion, stuck as they in the cruel desert and ruled by a harsh and selfish commander. But as written and drawn by the authors, it may be harsh and cruel but it is definitely hilarious.

At Ease, Beetle Bailey

By Mort Walker

Beetle Bailey comic strips, copyright 1970.

Even though these strips date from the Vietnam War era, that war is never mentioned. It is only hinted at as in this strip:

Beetle Bailey comic strip has been around for a long time and most of its jokes are pretty familiar but I still enjoyed reading this collection.

MAD's Al Jaffee Spews Out Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions

Author and illustrator Al Jaffee gives answers to thoughtless questions. Along with regular stupid questions, the book has sections dealing with:

• Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions Goes West
• A Snappy Answer to Some Stupid Questions that Backfired
• An Out of this World Snappy Answer to a Stupid Question
• A Romantic Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions Love Story
• A Snappy Answer to a Stupid Question Because It Is There
• Through History with Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions

And some sections have blanks for the reader to insert their own "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions."

You might not think that the "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" bit could be stretched out to fill an entire 192 page book, but Jaffee manages to do so and still be entertaining and funny.

Slide, Charlie Brown! Slide!

Peanuts / Charlie Brown comic strips, copyrighted 1960, 1961, 1962.

Charlie Brown once again suffers the anguish of being a crummy baseball manager/player, with no help from his "friends" or his dog, Snoopy, who surpasses Charlie Brown in talent and charisma.

The Unknown Ajax

By Georgette Heyer

When his son married against his father's wishes, the old lord cut him off. The boy wasn't the heir, his older brother was and the brother had a son of his own. So the succession was safely out of the hands of the disobedient son and his wife from a working-class family.
Then the unexpected happened: the heir and his son died in a boating accident. And now the "weaver's brat" has come to the manor to claim his inheritance, much to the shock and outrage of the old lord and the rest of his family.
But the lord has a plan. He will whip his heir into shape by marrying him off to his granddaughter, much to the granddaughter's dismay and disgust.
Poor "Ajax" doesn't stand a chance . . .

The unknown Ajax is not the "weaver's brat" his newly-found relatives all imagine. Instead he is a man of substance and standing and with a very lively sense of humor. He quickly understands just how they all view him, as a barely-literate bumpkin, and he goes along with the misperception, just for the hell of it. Which makes for a fun and engaging read, one of the author's best novels, in my opinion. Which is why I have read the book many times throughout my life, starting from when I was a teen. The story still grabs me, even now.

The "unknown ajax" of the title and the verses quoted in the story are from the Shakespeare play, Troilus and Cressida.

Heathcliff at Home

By George Gately

A collection of Heathcliff cartoons published in the 1980s. Heathcliff is one tough cat who gets what he wants by hook or by crook and who has all the neighborhood dogs cowed.