ARC From Netgalley. Professionally reviewed for Diamond Bookshelf.

When Matt and Dillon come out to their roommate Gary that they are not only a couple, but getting their own place, Gary must find new roommates if he wants to keep his apartment. Two unlikely characters answer the ad: Zii, a female bisexual punk rock guitarist who loves Yaoi and is currently living in her van; and DiDi, a stereotypical buxom blonde who is very flirty but also loves to cook. Let the adult hijinks begin!

This collection gathers over 300 installments of the very successful webcomic and puts them together for your enjoyment. Strong ties to nerd culture are throughout, including t-shirt designs, cosplay outfits, and many shout outs to various comic and manga titles.

This book is absolutely adults only, and also not for the faint of heart. References to porn, LGBTQ lifestyle, described and implied sexual activity, as well as nudity from almost every character guarantees it won't be enjoyed by everyone, but the hijinks and comedy are top notch and had me holding my gut on more than one occasion.

I highly recommend MENAGE A 3 VOL. 1… if you think you can handle it. :)

This is threes company all grown up and on steroids. A little childish for the grown men who think like prepubescent teens. I didn't really enjoy it all that much since I'm not exactly a prepubescent teen male but the graphics reminded me of mad or Archie comics... Overall not bad and good to read to get you I. The mood

I enjoyed this collection far more than I originally thought I would. This series based in Montreal follows a group of friends, roommates, and coworkers as they get into, and I quote from the description, "sexy hijinks"--that really is the only way to put it. There's not much substance to the plot or characters; the entire point of this book is just to show a bunch of characters flirting, having sex, and pining after others. It's kind of like a NSFW slice-of-life series. This is the kind of comic to read when you don't want to think too much. It's simple and funny. That's pretty much it.

The art is very cartoonish, almost reminding me of the art typically found in Archie comics. The one aspect I didn't like was the overt male fetishization of two women being together. However, nearly every single character featured in this collection is queer, and that is a remarkable feat. I would be more than willing to read more of this series in print or online.

This comic is like watching a 60s or 70s "sex romp". A lot of jokes, innuendo and nudity, but not much substance. Nice that's it's inclusive in regards to sexual orientations though. It's fun enough for a short time, but not a comic you'll get vested in.

A modern day, mature version of Three's Company / Porky's for all sexual orientations. The art is good, reminds me of what a Manga version of Archie would look like.

Guy in Montreal comes home from work to find his two roommates doing each other, and more importantly about to move out, leaving him with no way to pay the rent alone. But don’t worry, they put out an ad for him, highlighting the need for applicants to have cute butts. That sets the tone for the shenanigans in the rest of this pretty huge volume.
Cute girl gets her face stuck in new girl’s cleavage. No better way to introduce a character. I don’t think it’s going to matter how cute her butt is.
“Less talk, more waffle.”
Generally I hate tats, but that Canadian beaver is awesome. So’s the anger thermometer.
Don’t hug a new desk until you know where it’s been.
It’s good to be bi. . .
Of the three in bed, the cat looks the most surprised to be caught.
“Don’t worry your tight little buns about that.” Not the character I expected to say that. . . no, never mind, just not the one I wanted to.
Zii’s makeout warmups are hilarious.
Smartest stripper ever!
Ah, that proctologist excuse. . .
Of all the musical acts in the world, Red Hot Chili Peppers having a wardrobe malfunction would be the last choice. . . except for maybe the Red Hot Chili Pipers.
Wow, that Charlie Brown parody. . . no words.
“Didi’s not in this? Bah, I’ll come back when you’re done.” Get out of my mind, dude.
Over three hundred pages, all those opportunities, all those girls. . . and he still can’t get laid. . .
4.5 pushed up to 5/5

Fun collection, but probably not something a lot of libraries will buy due to content.

It's dumb sex jokes and lots and lots of boobs. Basically, Three's Company if it aired very late at night on Cinemax.

In a good world this is smutty, silly, childish, peurile, and sexy in a teenager-with-their-hands-in-their-pants kind of way. Trust me, it fails to be any of that.

In many respects a very traditional sex comedy, with all the 'inadvertently naked with the wrong person' and 'cunning ruse to get someone into bed' that entails - so people who react badly to loose treatment of consent would be advised to steer clear. Hell, it even has a buxom Francophone with a far looser attitude to nudity than all the Anglos, because apparently the same stereotype which did for French girls in Carry On will serve for French Canadians too. But there are also significant differences from that template which stop it being a museum piece. Like, the lead creator is female*, and likewise the most unabashedly lecherous of the leads. So too, the way that pretty much all the significant characters are at least mildly bi, even if they don't necessarily realise it at first, not until they get into a suitably epiphanic scrape in the bedroom (or bathroom, or...you get the idea). I'm intrigued that this series is apparently a big deal in the webcomic world, a realm I don't really follow but clearly hold assumptions regarding. But it's certainly amiable enough, and underwritten by a firm grasp (fnarr fnarr) of farce mechanics.

*Also, one assumes from the name, French Canadian. Though somehow that feels less necessary to this not coming off badly.

So, Kurt Busiek’s intro describes this as a “sex farce”.

Appropriate.

Frankly, it’s a lot of fun. A collected webcomic, I’m sure it’s been described as a “Three’s Company for our generation.”

An enjoyable read - and definitely rated “R”.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Udon Comics for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

3.5 stars

Menage a 3 is the first volume of stories from the ongoing web comic of the same name. http://ma3comic.com Set in Montreal, it follows the adventures of Gary, a comic book artist, who has to find two new flat mates when his two male flat mates fall in love with each other and suddenly move out.

After much interviewing and weeding out potentially weird and dangerous flat mates, Gary finds two new flat mates who are both women and of course Gary, who lives a safe and mundane life, is bedazzled by both of them. Gary is 29 year old virgin and he thinks this is his chance to finally get a girlfriend or two.

Alas it doesn't work out that way because his two new flatmates have ideas and antics of their own. The book shows the ins and out of friendships, relationships and sexual antics of the three flat mates and their friends.

There is plenty of ribald and risque humor here which is brought to life by great graphics and some of it is very funny but it does get a bit wearisome after a while. This reminds me of the tv show Friends, but with a lot of nudity and some French.

I think fans and followers of the web comic will really enjoy having a volume of comic strips from the webcomic. Having this in book form will probably mean fans of the online comic can easily revisit their favorite stories. The web comic has been running for nearly 10 years and the authors (Gisèle Lagacé and David Lumsdon)have been nominated for various awards.

The art work is excellent with clear lines, black and white drawings and so I can see why it is a popular web comic, but if you don't like constant ribald humor this one will not be for you. I really enjoyed the artwork but the jokes, although really funny in some places got a bit boring after a while. I think I wanted more of a story.

Copy provided by Udon Entertainment via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I read Ménage à 3 online and love it there. It is even better gathered all in one place. This is a body-positive, sexuality-positive comic that is easy to read and has entertained people for years. Starting when Gary's roommates falling in love and moving out leaving room for Zii and Didi and a whole series of antics. We find out that Gary is a virgin and Zii starts to make it her life mission to get him laid.
I can't wait for the next volume.

Five stars
This book came out March 13
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

I've read this as a webcomic, but it was a while ago -- I was curious when I saw it was being released in hard copy. I think this can be a very enjoyable series if you go in with a clear expectation of what you're getting: a sexually explicit soap opera. There's no point to the plot and the humor manages to be both juvenile and overwhelmingly sexual. If you're not okay with about half of the punchlines being "guys think it's hot when girls make out", you're not going to like Menage A 3. But the art is consistently great and I do think as a mostly-loving send-up to the stereotype of the loser virgin comic book nerd it's pretty funny. It's definitely not going to appeal to all audiences, and it should definitely be in the adult section of the library or bookstore!

Quirky, funny, and utterly enjoyable, this comic is just what you want when looking for a mature comedy.

Ménage a 3 is a French-Canadian webcomic about the sexy hijinks of three roommates - Gary, the 29-year-old virgin, Zii, the bisexual punk rock chick, and Didi, the busty, Amazonian French-Canadian. It's essentially Three's Company but smutty.

This collection includes the first two years of the webcomic, reformatted in a vertical layout. Although the art by Gisèle Lagacé is far more polished and consistent than other nascent webcomics I've read, this volume can't escape its origins on the web. It's essentially plotless, with romantic entanglements and sexual confusion the only real driving force throughout.

The thing about webcomics, though, is that they can be strangely addictive. When I first discovered Questionable Content, I read at least a decade of strips over the course of a few days and I regret nothing.

The tendency in webcomics toward episodic storytelling coupled with ongoing but loosely defined story arcs means that it's all about the characters. Any individual strip is usually about pushing those characters closer together or further apart and changing the status quo so slowly (if ever) that you experience the narrative equivalent of boiling a frog.

I liked this volume enough that I'll probably keep reading even though not much happened besides a lot of nudity, innuendo and silliness. It helps that the art is pretty great and reading it isn't a terrible way to pass the time. Speaking of which, Lagacé has done the occasional work for Archie comics, which makes total sense because her style is perfect for those books.

Not my cup of tea. But I wasn't sure what I was getting when I asked for this comic, so it is my fault for being delusional.

Cute, simple, and humorous fun. Lots to love in this one.

Apparently this is a very popular web comic. If this is a web comic that you enjoyed, well, here it is all collected. Have fun.

For the rest of this, this is a bunch of tits and ass jokes, reminiscent of <em>Threes Company</em> but with more NSFW events added in.

If you enjoy look at Didi, the dumb, blonde, large breasted room mate, wander through the stories wondering about such things as if Gary needs sex (he is a 29 year old virgin), then you would love this series of stories.

I'm sure these are all very funny, for the right audiences, and I am not a prude, but how long can you make fun of Gary for being a virgin, before it gets old, very fast.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Boston Cream Donuts Were Never So Funny

If you know the webcomic "Menage a 3", then the most important, and maybe only, thing to know is that the just published Volume 1 consists of over 300 strips and a big bagful of extras. It appears that Volume 1 collects Round 1, 2, and 3, (a/k/a #1, #2, and #3), of the paperback series.

If you are new to "Menage a 3", then you're in for a treat. I was hesitant at first. After all I grew up with the American TV show "Three's Company". The premise was the same - shy but horny guy, superhot blonde, and smart pixie brunette share an apartment. But because this was American TV and this was the 70's the show was smarmy, voyeuristic, misogynistic, and creepy. It had a leering and uptight vibe, with a healthy side order of smirking double entendres.

Well, welcome to Canada, Montreal, French-Canadians, and the new century. This webcomic is funny, tender, frank, silly, honest, and often wildly inappropriate in all the right ways. Because this Volume 1 collects the first three years of the strip we start at the very beginning. We meet Gary, the two roommates who bailed on him, and his two new female roommates. Setup complete. But get this. Although all of the characters, main or supporting, develop and mature, (sort of), over the course of the strip's run, they hit the first pages already nicely formed. Getting to know Gary and bombshell Didi and devilish Zii is a hoot right from page one.

There's no point in trying to recap the plot. There are a few overarching storylines, (mostly involving getting Gary some sexual experience), and all sorts of medium length and short arcs that tie the characters together even as they set them at cross purposes. This isn't as frantic and tiring as farce, but it's fair to describe it as a sort of thinking man's slow-motion farce.

And like most great farce, sex is at the center of the action. But it isn't just the physical act, as hysterically funny as that can be. The characters here are straight, bi, pan, bicurious, conflicted, closeted, or some shifting combination of the above. They speak and act frankly and openly. The action and the dialogue make sense, and when things go off the rails they do so for a reason.

A word about the artwork. Everyone is delighted by the characters and the dialogue and the plotting and the jokes and so on, but none of that would work very well without the spot-on art. The work is black and white pencil. Inking is basic and subdued. Lettering is crisp. Backgrounds are minimal and just establish and support the action. The focus is on the characters, and they are remarkably expressive, (although some of the white males can be hard to distinguish). Zii's devilish smile is devilish. When Gary is confused he looks confused. Didi can pout for the page. And Lagace has a very well developed sense of when exaggeration, (say, spinning wheels for eyes), will really sell a gag or a situation.

So, this is witty, good-natured, generous, and light hearted stuff that's written and drawn with real affection for the characters and for whom and what they represent. A delightful find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)