Thrashed: Zits Sketchbook No.9, Vol. 9

"Bottom line: Zits rocks."It's incredible to think that Zits was only launched in syndication in the summer of 1997. Since then, the strip's leading teenager, Jeremy Duncan, and his mom, dad, and assorted friends have become a part of the American fabric and, more important, a part of our own families. Who else but cocreators Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman could so quickly work this magic through the more than 1,200 newspapers that now carry Zits worldwide?

Now comes Thrashed, the 9th collection of this incredibly popular strip. All the usual suspects are here: Jeremy; his friends Hector, Sarah, and Pierce; and Jeremy's long-suffering mom and dad. The crew find themselves wrapped up in all the angst and anxiety that life can muster, from keeping the gas tank above "E" to understanding the meaning of life. Through it all, Zits maintains its focus on the adventurous-if-sometimes-pockmarked journey that teens take toward adulthood.

This Zits collection of the past year's daily and Sunday strips is perfect for both teenagers and those who share residences with them, or ever did. Its warm and sympathetic tone brings humor and insight, even though the terrain is often rocky.

It's incredible to think that Zits was only launched in syndication in the summer of 1997. Since then, the strip's leading teenager, Jeremy Duncan, and his mom, dad, and assorted friends have become a part of the American fabric and, more important, a part of our own families. Who else but cocreators Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman could so quickly work this magic through the more than 1,200 newspapers that now carry Zits worldwide?

Now comes Thrashed, the 9th collection of this incredibly popular strip. All the usual suspects are here: Jeremy; his friends Hector, Sarah, and Pierce; and Jeremy's long-suffering mom and dad. The crew find themselves wrapped up in all the angst and anxiety that life can muster, from keeping the gas tank above "E" to understanding the meaning of life. Through it all, Zits maintains its focus on the adventurous-if-sometimes-pockmarked journey that teens take toward adulthood.

This Zits collection of the past year's daily and Sunday strips is perfect for both teenagers and those who share residences with them, or ever did. Its warm and sympathetic tone brings humor and insight, even though the terrain is often rocky.

Paula Rohrlick - KLIATT

In this latest collection of daily comic strips chronicling the life of 15-year-old Jeremy, he must contend with his aging boomer parents (they're "abnormally normal," he complains), the pressure of buying just the right gift for his girlfriend, his sometimes less-than-supportive friends, and the general hilarious angst of being a modern suburban teenager. The prize-winning cartoonists specialize in cleverly depicting metaphors and fantasies as real: Jeremy's mother is shown literally talking her head off, for example, while Jeremy and his father are depicted as sumo wrestlers in a tussle to get Jeremy to put out the garbage. Most teens will find it all too easy to relate to Jeremy, and laugh out loud at how he deals with all the burdens he must bear. (Zits Sketchbook No. 9). KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2005, Andrews McMeel, 128p. illus., Ages 12 to 18.

Zits writer Jerry Scott also is co-creator of the award-winning strip Baby Blues. He won the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award in 2001 for his work on both strips. He lives in Malibu, Calif. Zits artist Jim Borgman won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning and the Reuben Award in 1993. Jim lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he is the editorial cartoonist for the Cincinnati Enquirer.