Official Review: On The Verge by Zane R Martin

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Twylla
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Official Review: On The Verge by Zane R Martin

Post by Twylla »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "On The Verge" by Zane R Martin.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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On the Verge by Zane R Martin is a color illustrated single-panel cartoon collection that pokes fun at human behavior. This book is a short 19 pages.

I believe this book could be successful with a little more work. First, there needs to be a cover with appropriate artwork that captures the spirit of the book, maybe a caricature of the author drawing the cartoons. The cover should include the title of the book and the author's name.

The book needs an introduction chapter to get the reader interested in the book. Explain what the book is about and how the reader will benefit from reading it. Share the inspiration that triggered the creation of these cartoons and the overall intended message of the book.

There should be a section called “About the Author.” We want to know who created these cartoons, and what moved the author to create this collection. If the author created the content and the illustrations, that is something to brag about. Not many people have the raw talent to do cartoon illustrations.

The cartoons should be organized in chapters by general topic. As it is, the 35 cartoons appear one after another in no particular order, two on a page. Each cartoon should be on a separate page. I think the cartoons would fall into five categories: Nature, The 2020 Pandemic, Sports, Generational Differences, and Other. Some of the cartoons could be modified to tell a better story. For example, the tigers in Reform School are saying something to each other, but there is no caption. They may be saying, “Forget it, man. He's a vegan. I would feel too guilty.”

I feel like the author is trying to mimic Gary Larson, the creator of the “The Far Side,” but Zane R. Martin is unique and funny in his own way. In my opinion, I don't think the cartoons in this collection are laugh-out-loud funny, but I also don't believe the author “missed the mark” just because people don't laugh out loud at them. They are humorous observations.

There are four cartoons I don't understand. The first is the little boy getting a haircut. He says, “Can you believe it, my people want to cut my hair?” The second is the blind woman standing by the plant exhibit for “Ocularis Inhabitus.” The third is the three dogs sitting around the swimming pool. “He's checking you out.” The fourth is the cartoon with the two woodpeckers. One says, “Shooting stars, all of them, burning out too soon. What does it mean? Pace yourself or you will end up like them.” I can't figure out what the message is in those four cartoons.

The illustrations in the cartoons are excellent. The author might consider putting the captions in word balloons inside the cartoon panel. That would allow the reader's eyes to remain on the illustration instead of looking away to figure out what is being said and who is saying it.

My favorite cartoon is the underwater scene with the sign, “DANGER: Toxic Red Tide Scallops.” The diver is quickly swimming away with his collection bag, and the scallops are congratulating their friend, Sal, on the brilliant sign he made. That cartoon tells a great story and it is funny.

This book needs professional editing. I found typos and punctuation errors in a third of the cartoon captions. I am giving this book, in its current state, a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. I think with the collaboration of a professional cartoonist or a professional editor who specializes in graphic novels, this collection of cartoons could be very good. A few of the cartoons have sexual innuendo, so the target audience for this collection would be adults.

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On The Verge
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Evelyn2415
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Post by Evelyn2415 »

This seems like an interesting concept. It's a shame about the editing and other problems. I quite enjoyed reading your review
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