You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack by Tom Gauld

If you haven’t yet stumbled upon Tom Gauld and his delightfully wistful cartoon musings on, well, everything, then prepare yourself—you’re in for a treat. The fine folks at Drawn & Quarterly are now releasing a paperback edition of some of his work, previously only available in hardcover. This means you can finally enjoy his sharp, literary wit without fear of accidentally bludgeoning yourself with a heavy tome while reading in bed.

Get ready to sport the biggest grin as Gauld’s signature delicate, etched lines and perfectly deadpan humor sneak up on you like a ninja librarian with a sarcasm problem. The inaugural collection that introduced Gauld’s genius to the world, You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack, is now ready for your bookshelf, nightstand, or “I’m reading during this Zoom meeting” stack.

“Precise and wryly hilarious… Gauld’s both a literature nerd and a science-fiction nerd whose deadpan mashups belong on the same shelf as Kate Beaton.” — NPR

Drawn from his wildly popular comics feature in The Guardian, this collection distills Gauld’s dark humor, impeccable timing, and understated brilliance into bite-sized panels of joy. You’ll cackle at classics like “The Brontë Sisters: The Videogame” (where literary icons jump chasms of despair) and “The Serious Rock Critic” (who’s penned 32 books on Led Zeppelin and still doesn’t think he’s captured their essence).

Gauld’s genius doesn’t stop at literary and pop culture parodies—he takes biting jabs at human nature with strips like “The Greedy Dog Stands on the Chair of Hope to Feast on the Sausage of Hubris”. And if you think you’re ready for the future, just wait until you witness “The Great Automaton Strike of 2029”, where robot protest songs take center stage. Move over, Woody Guthrie—the machines have the mic now.

Time and again, Gauld proves why he’s a master of the form, blending a deep reverence for both literature and cartoons with an absurdist edge that’s as comforting as it is cutting. Whether you’re a literary snob, a sci-fi geek, or simply someone who enjoys a perfectly executed visual pun, You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack will leave you laughing, nodding knowingly, and wondering why there isn’t a Brontë-themed RPG yet.