Richard Thompson is the creator of "Cul de Sac", the first comic strip since Bill Watterson retired that I felt surpassed "Calvin and Hobbes". As I've learned from this book, even had Richard never started that strip, he would have been respected and appreciated for his wide-ranging body of art, illustration, humor and writing. There is an incredible variety of cartoons, illustrations, ad artwork, just plain silliness, a selection of his humor page, "Richard's Poor Almanac", caricatures, interviews with colleagues, and to round things off, a selection of "Cul de Sac" strips accompanied by an interview with Bill Watterson. In everything he did, Richard Thompson showed a quiet quirky humor that occasionally burst out into sheer hilarity. The impression I get is that this is an apt description of Thompson himself, and I am very saddened that his career was cut short by the ravages of Parkinson's disease. At least after reading this book, I believe that he was not consumed by his work and career, but had a very satisfying and contented life outside of it that still continues. ( )