Originally published between 1988 and 1993, Marder's adorably mad Tales of Beanworld
are collected under the title “A Gift Comes!” but could have just as easily been called “Awww!” Marder introduces a new element to his tightly constructed clockwork universe, the aptly named Cuties. Small, round bundles of peapodlike sweetness, the Cuties live in the Pod'l'pool, where they must be constantly fed and watched by the stick-limbed adult Beans. Frequently this entails the world's designated hero, the impetuous Mr. Spook, leading raids on the Hoi-Polloi people to capture the Cutie-sustaining substance Chow. It's an exciting, packed volume, featuring heroic escapades with Mr. Spook, choreographed musical numbers and otherworldly adventures involving the cross-dimensional Goofy Service Jerks (not
to be confused with the Goofy Surveillance Jerks). Though Marder's surreal but compact b&w drawings have the anarchic feel of 1970s underground comix, nothing here is random or missing. It's a closed ecosystem, where each individual and element has its place, all laid out in a helpful foreword with map and glossary. An extraordinary world-builder, Marder is also a bright-eyed comic storyteller who doesn't mind sprinkling a little magic and cuteness amid the good citizenship lessons. (Aug.)
