Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes

I found this short little book very funny and relatable; I really enjoyed the author's sense of humour. Some of the comics deal with fairly dark subjects such as mental health problems, but the author does this with wit and levity. Several pages looked like they were heading for twee life advice but he did a great job of subverting this and delivering a very funny punchline.

I could definitely relate to these! Cheating internet with sleep? Coffee (tea in my case...) before life attacks you in the morning? NOUP. Sharing your hopes and dreams? NOUP. Crushed!

The book is about real issues, real feelings and things some people should be aware of (and being aware would lead to them treating others better... like knowing of us really really late birds), but it doesnt do it in a too serious way. It made me laugh and feel like I'm not alone with these things. It follows the path Sarah's scribbles started but does it in its own way and managed to surprise me pleasantly many times.

I had to show couple pages to my colleague and we now this one is on the list to be ordered when its officially published! Not only patrons of the library will enjoy this but I know it will be a huge hit among the staff.

If you loved Sarah’s Scribbles…

I hate to compare this to Sarah’s Scribbles, mostly because I compare everything to Sarah’s Scribbles. (What can I say? It’s my benchmark for socially awkward, relatable AF irreverent humor!) But Andrew Tsyaston feels like Sarah Andersen’s equally weird and self-conscious west coast guy cousin. Same unfortunate wavelength (thanks God’s broken salt shaker!), different genders. But in color!

So as you can probably gather, Tsyaston tackles a number of mental health issues through his cartoons (most prominently social anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem) as well as topics especially though not exclusively relevant to millennials (technology, student debt, the death of facts). The titular BUFF DUDES are a) totes nude but b) actually the antagonists of Tsyaston’s stories; see, e.g. Life. The result is both hilarious and crushing, and will leave you feeling marginally better about this effed up plane of existence we call the human experience. Shen might be a white dude (I mean, I think?), but you’ll see bits of yourself reflected back in the funhouse mirror that is his soul.

In summary, Owlturd Comix is great, and I look forward to devouring many more of them.

Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is not at all what I was expecting. I thought I was going to be reading a book that literally explained different emotions with hilarious-looking buff dudes. That is not what this book is.

It is, however, a rather amusing book filled with comics about a completely non-buff dude who fights the good fight against a life that seems determined to beat him down. I think I would have preferred to consume this in smaller doses instead of the one fell swoop that I did; a daily dose would be plenty for me. But I'm pretty sure just about everyone will find at least a few pages that hit home. There are a lot of common truths to be found in these pages.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with a DRC of this book.

A big shout out to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this advanced copy.
This tiny book is packed with giggles.
I don't think I have laughed so hard and so much at a picture book is ages!
This is certainly geared towards adults and is awesome!!!
Filled with so many weird and depressing things we deal with everyday, but delivered with such a fun tone that I can't wait to tell all my friends about it.

I'm beyond pleased to have been able to read this review copy. For some reason, I thought that this comic would skew much older, but it's really in the awkward "new adult"genre and I know that my library's teens will love it (especially the senpai joke and the Ouran High School Host Club anime theme song mention!).

Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is a very smart, fun collection of hilarious life instances involving our protagonist and his emotions. It is hilarious, smart, and very fun to read. It is so easy to relate to the writer's point of view, that you will absolutely love this quick read! Definitely recommended for everyone.

“Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes” is a hilarious comic collection. Andrew Tsyaston’s takes on early-risers, anxiety, student loans, and the ways that life sometimes seems to be actively working against you are often dark but consistently true. I can’t remember the last time that a book had me laughing out loud as hard or as long as this book did.

This little book is very funny and also quite relatable. Sometimes life truly is like some of the moments described in this book. Apparently the author has an Instagram where he sometimes post updates so I'm just going to follow him there to see more of his work and to laugh some more.
This book is a really funny read and would also make a perfect gift for someone.

This was hilarious.
I loved the "type - A", "type - B" drawings.
As a type A myself, I laughed out loud, and knew my fellow Type A's would appreciate the humor in it.

Aside from being funny, it was really clever.

A super quick, yet super fun read.
This is the kind of book I would buy for a friend, or buy for myself and pick up every now and then when I needed a laugh!

This is another case of, if you read this comic on the Internet, you might want to have a printed collection, and if you haven't, then you might want to have a collection, to read it all in one shot. The jokes are humorous, though not fall off your chair so. Here are two examples, below.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-869" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-18-at-11.23.30-PM.png" alt="" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-870" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Screen-Shot-2018-08-18-at-11.23.59-PM.png" alt="" />
It is a good collection. Some of the "jokes' are more sad than funny, which is sort of how humor is.

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

I found this book to be quite accurate with its humor. Some of the comics made me laugh so hard I cried. It is relatable and the comics are well created and thought out.

Young adults everywhere will easily relate to the protagonist in these comic strips, as he struggles with the challenges of life, self esteem, motivation, mental illness, mortality, and the path to success. I have definitely seen several of these comics posted on the internet but never knew the source behind them. I was not sure what to expect based on the title and cover, but I am glad I requested and downloaded this. These were absolutely hilarious and I would definitely recommend this collection to others.

This hit closer to home than a graphic novel is supposed to. I was not a follower of Owlturd Comix before I read this book, but now I am. Definitely buying this for friends, too.

I followed the artist on his social media accounts. I also so some of it being circulated by random pages with ot without credits. His comics are funny and relatable.

It's wonderful that these comics are now available in book form. Both sad and humorous and always insightful, they should be great for public library collections and for working with a YA population.

Cute little cartoons that are humorous and many times SO TRUE! I can identify with nearly all of them. Keep up the good work!

It's no secret how much I love Shen Comix. They're my daily dose of giggles but, more than that, I love how poignant a lot of them are. If you're a human being with thoughts and emotions, perhaps with a pinch of anxiety, you'll see yourself in a lot of what Shen does. That's why I was so excited to support this collection!

It's true that there's nothing necessarily new in here, but it does collect some of my favorite Shen pieces all in one place. If you're new to these, you'll get to meet characters like Type A and Type B personality and our lovely friend LIFE. Ha! I actually envy you if you're new to these comics. I guarantee you'll quickly find yourself in love with Shen's totally honest, yet somehow adorable, takes on our day to day lives.

There's not much else to say, other than that you should buy this! It's an excellent way to support an artist who gives us so much joy and brutal self-reflection.

Great, hilarious read that takes the edge off life. Brought out the realitys of life in light humour without mockery.

I absolutely loved this book! It is hilarious and totally relatable. Seeing 'Life' in a funny yet meaningful way - that is what this book portrays. Almost all of the instances mentioned in the book are my favorites. Fun fact and brain, problems and sleep, self-esteem and life, hope and dreams and life, winners v/s losers and optimistic-pessimistic approach to life were totally relatable. Bath bombs for men was hilarious! Dinosaur smashing sadness made me go aww! The ever-lasting fight between Type A and Type B steals the show!
Emotions explained with Buff Dudes is a tiny but complete package. Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC.

The book is filled with takes on different parts of life by a person who overthinks and has some form of anxiety at most times. Putting it in bland words like this seems to dull the feel, so I will try harder to describe it and why I enjoyed it so much. For those who have not seen any of the comics before, the drawings are simple, but the expressions are hilarious. Emotions and life have their own buff dude persona. These are comics that you would laugh and then nod inwardly and say that it made perfect sense!

I know there are many comics out there which focus on life and the difficulties involved in navigating it, but this book ( and the humour within) definitely deserves a seat at the winners table.

An interesting look at the inner saboteur that often plagues us all but somewhat tepid compared to the comedy that is presented by similar artists.

Andrew Tsyaston provides a top-notch collection on the challenges of life explained through the lens of an army of absurd metaphors. Even those who are unfamiliar with Tsyaston's "Owlturd Comix" will immediately fall in love with its immediately and wonderfully relatable subject matter. Meanwhile, those who are already fans will now have a great hands-on work they can easily grab off their bookshelves for whenever they need the ridiculous pick-me-up that only Tsyaston's humor and art can provide.

Emotions Explained With Buff Dudes is…exactly what it says it’s about. It’s a set of comics on life itself by Andrew Tsyaston, the person behind Owlturd Comix and Shen Comix. The main character in Tsyaston’s comics is Shen. I’ve been following Shen and his antics for a long time now. He’s the kind of fictional character you can’t help but relate to.

He stays up till the wee hours of dawn, has student loans, and a huge Netflix addiction. That’s like 75% of the human population right there. Every comic in this book is painfully relatable and has been beautifully created.

Read this book if you like graphic novels about day to day experiences. You can finish it in under 2 hours and snap out of any reading slump you may be in. This book will make you snort with laughter and relate to every single comic in it.

My review included mostly strips, but the text is this:
Do you know about Owl Turd Comix? Because you should.
It's … uber relatable?
And hilarious?
And topical?
A little bit too on the nose on occasion?
And other times, just 100% the plain honest truth.
So this is a collection of some of the best Owl Turd strips, and I highly recommend you check it out, if you could use a laugh as much as I could, right about now.

*This is available for pre-order on Amazon. My copy was given to me for review purposes through NetGalley.

In the debut collection of Owlturd Comix, we join Shen on his journey through life’s ups and downs with social anxiety, sleep deprivation and a wide range of other emotions.

Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is a quick read with cute animations and a funny insight into some of life’s less funny moments.

As a semi-regular reader of Owlturd Comix, I was a bit disappointed that there were no extras (like author comments, an introduction or even a chapter with sketches). While I understand it is a collection of the webcomics, in my mind Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes would be more value for people buying the book if there was more added to it.

Despite this, Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is a good collection of assorted comics that can make readers struggling with their own day-to-day battles against life feel a little less alone.

Rating: 3/5

Title: Emotions Explained With Buff Dudes



Author: Andrew Tsyaston



Genre: Fiction, Comics, Art, Humor, Millennial,



Plot: Once we reach adulthood in this day and age, everything is overwhelmingly overwhelming and many of us have a hard time coping with the realities of life on our own. Mondays suck, our job is grudgingly completed each day and someone forgot to buy milk this week. Coffee is our best friend and no one has a name for that weird emotion we're feeling right now.



But there is light at the end of the tunnel and along the way, little spots of humor and stress relief which help us get to the end goal. Enter this humorous and colorful outlook on life and emotions depicted as buff dudes who rule the life of the skinny protagonist. We'll all find something in here which we can clearly relate to.



Likes/Dislikes: I love reading these comics online whenever they show up in my feed so finding a whole book of them in one place was a treat. I'm thinking of buying a copy for my husband. Loved this book.



Rating: PG-13 and up, mainly for content (adult life but pretty clean all things considered).



Date Review Written: August 27th, 2018



I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Andrews McNeel for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest. I've been following Owl Turd Comix for years and I was over the moon when I had a chance to review this one.

Darkly relatable, Emotions Explained With Buff Dudes grabs you by the hand for a journey with Life, Type A personalities and brains that don't shut up.

Even though the depressing content, there's an optimistic sincerity to the comics that keep you from drowning in work.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting from this, but the results were surprisingly heartfelt. If you're having a tough time, this is a good book to keep you moving forward. It definitely won't fix your issues magically, nothing really does that, but it will at least give you the feeling that you aren't alone in your struggles. I want to print off every page of this book and just plaster it around my workplace, it's applicable to almost everyone.

I got an ARC of this book.

I have seen bits of pieces of comics by Tsyaston before, rarely would I see the whole thing when it came to the longer pieces about life. I appreciated that the topics were often very emotional and very series, while still being something I could relate to. Who doesn't like a physical manifestation of emotions? That is one of my favorite things in comics and graphic novels. Using buff dudes to explain emotions, especially big emotions was amusing. 

This collection of some of his comics was exactly what I needed to read. It was very much about feeling feelings and what they feel like. There were a few about things like toxic masculinity that made me laugh out loud, because it was approached in this unique way: bath bombs for men. That was hands down my favorite comic. 

Some of the comics I had seen recently as memes, like the plant "watering" the main character with cheeseburgers. I have not ever gone out of my way to find the comics, but it appears that there may be some overlap if you are a fan, which is common with a collection from a webcomic. There was a great deal of comics I hadn't seen though, which was awesome. I'm glad it wasn't just all the most popular comics that have been turned into memes and/or posted on meme sites. 

This is the sort of book that I would buy for a friend when they were having a hard time or for a friend that has a lot of emotions because it makes things seem less big, because it acknowledges how big emotions really can be and how painful in a way that is really simple to understand.

Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is quirky and hilarious. The style of humour reminded me of Sarah's Scribbles and The Oatmeal. My review appears on Weekendnotes.

I've always loved webcomics and Owlturd Comix is definitely one of my favorite webcomic creators! I had so much fun laughing aloud and shouting "RELATE" while reading through this one! I WANT MORE BOOKS PLEASE!
Definitely a book to check out :3

A cute little book, the drawings felt a little amateur. But, the meaning in the book was clear and I understood it. Comics about real life is always a little funny.

An exeptionally fun and light way of explaining the daily struggles of most people. I'd totally let my kids read this and feel a little bit more confident about them maybe talking to me about this?
I don't have kids though, but I connect with these comics as well. It's nice to see them drawn out as logically as that and to be able to basically point towards one of the comics and say '' I feel like that today.''

I love Owlturd comix. <3

I'm a big Shenpai fan, and was super excited to see his book on here. His comics are very cartoony and simple, but he really tackles some tough issues in a comedic way that I can easily relate to, like depression, self-esteem, and other touchy subjects. It's a quick read but super funny. Must read!

Review to be posted in October on all sources mentioned on my profile.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Eeep! I just love Owlturd/Shen/Andrew's comics. I have been reading them for quite some time, and I am delighted that he is finally getting a book filled with them.

This one didn't contain anything new, at least not that I could see, but I didn't mind. It has been some time ago since I read them, and while they are vaguely in my mind, I still laughed, still nodded along, still agreed.

This one is all about life. Life punching you in the face when you least expect it, Life with all his buffness. But also about logic and emotion (who should you fear more?), about surviving, about sleep deprived moments, about coffee.

The comics are generally one page, but there are a few that are 2 pages or longer.

I definitely agree with showing life/emotions with the use of buff guys, because seriously, life deals out some heavy punches, and those can only be done by some big buff guys.

Shen/Owlturd/Andrew's art is just fabulous, his style is fun.

All in all, I would highly recommend this one to everyone, perfect for people who never heard of this artist and his fans.

This book made me laugh out loud on page 2! It has a zesty, wicked humor that I love. Even better, I have several friends who would absolutely love this book right with me! I fully intend to buy at least two copies: one for me and one for K. Maybe one for my brother, too. So good.

I used to draw sassy little stick figures in all sorts of situations, and this is that idea to the nth level. Not only was it funny, but it was funny because it contained so much truth about life. At the same time, you are laughing, but you are also nodding along and recognizing yourself in these cartoon characters.

The squishy emotions though - those are my favorite!

An unconventionally drawn comic strip that’s more the thinking kind of humor than strictly LOL. For example, there’s a great one on how life gets better when you lower your standards. And speaking of that character, it’s not good when Life is the antagonist.
Some faves:
“Never again” was too poignant.
I love the Godzilla boop.
Pessimism is the new “Why are you hitting yourself?”
The internet does not like being cheated on.
Gee, I wonder if this author has student loans!
Emotion is scarier than logic. I’ve always said that too.
Brains, looks, or skinny?
Cup ramen is cute as well as patient.
Told you spiders were asses.
The art is simpler than most comic strips. The main character looks about eight years old. Neither of those facts is a bad thing here.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is full of comics from Owlturd Comix (aka Andrew Tsyaston). I’m sure you can find most, if not all of these comics on his website and Instagram, but it’s a lot of fun having them all together like this. Plus buying the book would support his art, which means he can make more, which sounds pretty great, right?
I’ve seen some of the Owlturd comics around online, but I’ve never read this many of them at once. I have to admit that I found the experience highly enjoyable. It also made me realize that I wasn’t following the artist on social media – something I felt compelled to fix right away.
This is a highly endearing and relatable series of comics. Tsyaston uses comic moments, like a personification of life, to show the hardships many face in day to day life. While the comics are sarcasm or have heavier subjects, the tone is still overall very light and welcoming.
There are so many of these comics, that I’m sure that there’s one for everybody to fall in love with. While I enjoyed every comic included, there were a couple that I was particularly fond of. I imagine that’ll be the same for everyone else as well. Sometimes you really can find a comic that resonates with you.

I have always loved Owlturd Comix so I was pretty excited to pick this up. Unfortunately, I apparently like them so much that I have already seen half of this book on the internet through the Owlturd Comix social media. But I have to give credit to the Type A/Type B comics. They are by far my favorite of this book. As a Type A, they describe how I am so competitive, it's hilarious to me! And I do appreciate the look on depression and anxiety as well. The Internet has been a fantastic outlet for comics to post their comics depicting mental illness and Owlturd Comix is one of the best. I often send these comics to friends and they are ones I have continuously saved on my phone to look back when I need a good laugh. So putting them into a book will be good for a collection for the non-Internet masses.

It's difficult to write a long review for this style of book, so I'll keep it short and sweet.

Owlturd comics, someone that most under 30's have seen at some point on social media, has released a compilation of the irreverent and very millennial humor that he is famous for.
It's funny, sweet, and oh-so-relatable.

Every page brings a 'yup, this is me!' moment, and his signature drawing style is cute and easy to enjoy.
I have no criticisms to make - it is a sweet and enjoyable collection to riffle through and chuckle at.

Very funny.

Great and original illustrations - Tsyaston actually has his own style which is refreshing.

Perfect counter book to hand-sell.

Everyone has those days when it feels like life's just got you down. Millennials in particular are feeling the pressure to pay off loans, get a job, and deal with crippling self-doubt (not everyone, but we all know someone who is struggling like this). That's what makes this book such a gem. It's short (for those with a busy schedule), it's funny (for those who need a pick-me-up), and it's relatable (for everyone out there who feels like life is just waiting around the corner to punch them in the face).

Would highly recommend for teens and readers in their 20s and 30s. Certainly, older adults can enjoy these stories, but I think it will resonate best with a slightly younger crowd. Based on the popular webcomic, "Owlturd"--so, it should already come to the library with a built-in fan base.

I saw myself in many parts of this books. The illustrations are simple but shows you exactly what is needed.

I've followed Owlturd Comix for a while and even if several of the comics in this book were not new to me because I've seen them on their social media, they were still fun to read again as well as reading the new ones for the first time!

If I had to describe this with only one word, it would definitley be #RELATABLE.

A hilarious story about life and all the things it can throw at you. Made me chuckle and I found parts of it very relatable.

Shen comics are your typical Tumblr fare, making jokes about life events and mental health. They're well drawn and almost never fail to make me laugh. There's nothing that perks up your morning like reading a comic where LIFE is a massively roid raged character who wakes you up with a studded baseball bat.

But along with the humor based on life problems, Andrew comes up with actual sweet adorableness, and those are sprinkled through the book like tiny rays of hope, and I LOVE IT.

I could relate to every comic on the book. It was so hilarious. In the book there is a guy who wants to be happy and he fights against life however it tries to let him down. We all sometime feel like that guy on the book, don't we? Seeing that formed in a book really made me laugh and liked Andrew Tsyaston's imagination. Recommend it.

This book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was a short read, but very good and hilarious! I have read some of the comics in social media before, but it was a new experience reading all of them at once.
Besides, I could relate to almost every comic in the book and even if the illustrations are simple, they are quite good and original.

I‘ve been a follower of Andrew, also known as Shen, on social media (Twitter and Tumblr) for a while. So I was really thrilled when I saw that his first comic book was up on NetGalley.

The Art:

While I can’t say that it’s cute or amazing, I do think it has a certain appeal to it. I really appreciate that it was colored. I especially like the green one which I suppose is a potato. A really cute potato.

The Story:

The topic of this comics is mostly life and it’s very relatable and funny. It was also, at times, inspirational. However, there were also times when the joke fell flat or I couldn’t get the punch line.

Overall, this was very entertaining. If you’re looking for a funny and relatable read that you can finish in one sitting, read this.

Unfortunately, the digital copy did not come through in the download. I am giving this book a rating based on my knowledge of the publisher's excellent work with graphic novels and poetry.

Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes by Andrew Tsyaston is hilarious, and also deep. The art went well with the concept and tone of the book. The only disappointing part was that the book ended.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely hilarious look at mental health and what we are feeling. Illustrations keep even the darkest anecdotes from being dismal and all in all anyone who has struggled with being depressed or an introvert will be able to laugh through this book.

This is one stunning collection of loud of loud/ cry internally jokes! I found the comics to be completely relatable, and beautifully illustrated. I certainly couldn't draw that good. This will be my new go to book for gifting to anyone whos having a bad day. Pure coffee inducing, life crushing, anxiety-fighting, too real to be anything but funny gold. We need more of this! Keep it coming! Write more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly appreciate it!

I've been following Andrew's social media for a long time so I was thrilled when I found he had written a book. Some of these comics I have seen as a long time follower and some are new to me. The comics can be equally poignant and hilarious and that's what makes them unique. I can't wait to see more books from him and I wish him success!

Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is hilarious and relatable. I had already seen some of the comics online, but the ones I hadn't seen fit well and can easily apply to anyone.

4/5

I love this! Owlturd always delivers a hearty dose of something inside his comic (I especially like the little firefighter one - it isn't in this book, bty) that makes you think.
We go through day to day issues and how he views the small to big problems.
Although most can be found in his web/ig, this definitely worth to buy.

Andrew Tsyaston has written a book that delightfully balances whimsy, weird and weariness with the world. These cartoons take turns being funny, and being depictions of the things that are in your heart making you sad. The number of pages you'll want to text to friends, or share on Facebook like a jerk is pretty high.

Also, as a teacher, there are definitely cartoons I'd put in front of students as catalysts for conversation or writing.

Thank you, NetGalley for the preview of this graphic novel.

I have been reading Andrew Tsyaston's - or better know as Shen - webcomics in Line Webtoon for years now. This is a collection of some of his best work. They are so relatable and funny...

Loved his comics on the internet and they're even better in book form. Laughed out loud in a restaurant reading it.

If you're a follower of Owlturd Comix, you've probably already read some (or maybe all) of these like I have, but don't let that stop you, because Andrew's comics are totally worth rereading, and having them all in a collection like this is lovely. If you're new to his comics, they're all basically about life and how difficult it can be, especially when you have anxiety! I relate so much to practically every single comic in this book, honestly, and sometimes, you just need someone who gets it to playfully poke fun at the messy parts of your brain.

Oh, and, uh... end morning culture.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely LOVED this book. I’ve seen a lot of the comics on the OwlTurd Tumblr page before, but they never get tiring. I always love to read them, and they make me feel good about life in general.

Reading this was a short and sweet delight. I found myself actually stifling laughter and wishing my best friend were in the same room with me, because I'd be stopping at almost every page to show her. Each comic was clear and easy to understand and insanely easy to relate to.

I have seen a few of Andrew Tsayaston's comics here and there. They were amusing, but it wasn't until I sat down with Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes that I was able to truly appreciate his world. HIs style is simple and not overdone but it has a cutesy element that gives the characters their own personality.
I loved the way these characters exporessed life and living in it. I loved the emotions put in and how the creator is able to make some of the most depressing things in life make us smile. I truly connected with the themes and loved reading this compilation.

Yes, yes, yes, yes! This was a quick but totally on the nose read for me. So many relatable ideas in one place. Emotions are hard, but they’re fun to read about when there are buff dudes around.

Emotions Explained by Buff Dudes is a fun and light way to begin a dialogue about emotions and what it means to be human. The internal feelings and experiences we have are manifested in a physical form. They are pitted against our protagonist who is just trying to cope with life, as we all are. I love these physical manifestations of feelings, personalities, and other intangibles. It's easy to see my own experiences wrapped up on this page. And that is a talent! It's hard to take something tangible and make it real.

On a personal level, I wish Tsyaston had labeled his comics so I could understand his own connection to these comics a bit more -- does he see this comic as sadness? Depression? What of his experiences are being tied into this space? Because of this lack of Tsyaston's perspective, I only had my own experiences to apply to these comics. While some are brilliantly clear and I could deeply relate to them, others felt just like silly memes.

In the end, Emotions Explained by Buff Dudes is a great collection of comics. It will make you laugh and feel some strong feels. It will make emotions and intangible experiences feel less big and overwhelming. After all, emotions are complicated and painful to unpack and understand. Put into comic form, they are shockingly simple to understand.

You know when something is so funny you make a laugh-like throat-thing and choke on a bit of saliva and end up coughing and dry-heaving for fifteen minutes and you actually see your life flash before you eyes and feel genuinely certain you're about to die? That happened to me while reading this. I live in mortal fear of the comic that caused this reaction. It is hilarious.

As is the rest of the book. It does tackle some slightly heavy subjects (mental health, society's expectations, the kind of thing that keeps millennials awake at night) but with a heavy dose of humour. Think Sarah's Scribbles (yes, I'm joining that choir because it's true) but with more buff dudes and less cats. Said lack of cats is unfortunate, but the buff dudes make up for it. And the above-mentioned deadly hilarious comic.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve occasionally chuckled and bothered my wife with a “come look at this!” when comics from Owlturd floated past on social media… but apparently I’m too lazy to actively go out looking for them, so having 100+ pages of them gathered in one place was awesome! As the title/cover suggests, this collection mostly features personifications of emotions, life, personality types, etc.

The humor is fairly cynical/pessimistic which appeals to me, even though it probably shouldn’t (as a pastor I may have seen human nature at its worst a little too often). I think that I laughed the hardest at the Type A / Type B personality comparisons as they were pretty spot on for my wife and me. I’ll leave you to guess which of us is which.

Overall, this was the funniest thing that I have read in a long time. If your sense of humor tends toward the cynical, you must read it!

This was just so good! I had the best time reading this one, and it's too bad it's such a fast read. I could read an entire encyclopedia of these little cartoons! They're incredibly relatable and funny. My favorite ones would perhaps be the Personality A and B type cartoons which are pretty accurate xD the whole book will take you probably only a half an hour or so to read, but you will probably be coming back to read it again and again. Something that should definitely be on your shelf, if you like cartoons like Sarah's Scribbles or The Oatmeal and similar stuff.

I had encountered a lot of Andrew Tsyaston's comics online without investigating who he was or the owlturd.com website, but always enjoyed the comics I ran across. It was nice to see such a consistently funny and insightful set of comics all together - very clever and enjoyable, and now I know who to credit anytime I want to post one of his great illustrations.

This book contains a collection of little comics that you're most likely familiar with if you frequent sites like Tumblr, Pinterest and co.

I had already seen some of these, but a lot were actually new for me. And practically all are very relatable. They tell the struggles of being introvert, having anxiety or just everyday adult life issues.
The art style is quirky and the idea of explaining everything with buff dudes is hilarious and you just wanna say: Yep, that's how it is to a lot of these little comics.

Also: #endmorningculture!

If you like to see your thoughts and struggles reflected in a fun way definitely check these out.

I follow this artist's webcomic so I knew already what to expect from this collection. A lot of the comic strips are quite relatable and based on the number of his followings online, we could surmise that it is probably true. In particular, he has the highest number of followers in millennials because of how some of the strips tackles issues such as self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. If only this is available here in the local bookstores in my country, I'm sure that graphic novel enthusiasts like me would be willing to get a physical copy even if it's already online.

From the back cover: "Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is your fully illustrated guide to the hyper-conflicted, tragicomic feelings of our age." I couldn't agree more. I've seen a handful of these sprinkled across the internet and they always get a laugh out of me, it's great to see more young illustrators publishing their collections of their work because their comics are all too relatable. The fatalism is a strong with this one.

This book was all around a big mood, and a big laugh. I found it hysterical and I'm definitely going to read it again someday. Andrew Tsyaston's humor and art fit perfectly together.

Tsyaston's Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is a collection of one shot comics focusing on important issues for people today. Mental health, scial anxiety, and scual awkwardness feature in many. Now, I admit, this wasn't what I was expecting at first. Emotions are not literally explained. Instead, they, and other aspects of existence (Life, Student Loans) are anthropomorphized as big buff nude dudes (no inappropriate dangly bits though! Perfectly PG). I really grokked many of these cartoons, especially the night owl ones. Haha, me to a T. I'm one of the weird ones geared to be awake at night. While I enjoyed the content, the artwork just wasn't my cuppa.

***Many thanks to the Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Shen's comics have justifiably found an audience who share his struggles with adult life and the feelings that come with trying to take care of yourself. What isn't so common is his ongoing optimism. Sure, he has trouble with student loans or depression or anxiety, but his avatar maintains in the face of these emotional challenges, which makes reading and re-reading this book encouraging.

Personally, I find the comics more powerful in smaller chunks. It's too easy to read a bunch of them all at once here, which means I'm not giving them the thought-space they deserve. For being small and simple (both in concept and graphically), they're still powerful in their universality and empathy. The shared experiences of daily life these days make this book extremely approachable.

I really like Andrew Tsyaston comics, is one my favs strips but I never was able to read this via NetGalley.
Awesone wor as always.

Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes is a brilliant and hilarious serious of comics. Extremely relatable on many levels.

I absolutely LOVE this book/these comics. This author is hilarious. I've seen some of them from time to time on the web but almost never directly linked to his website. There are some comics in here that legitimately made me laugh out loud from the punchline. The illustration style may not be for everyone but I think it perfectly suits his comics. Fantastic read!

Amusing and very relatable short-form comics about personified emotions from the creator of OwlTurd Comics.

This wonderful collection of comics made me laugh, made me think, and I completely related to many aspects of the work. Struggling to deal with anxiety, emotions, and everyday life
Is humorously addressed throughout the work. I will be recommending to all my friends and colleagues.

Had a bit of a late review on this book because after reading a bit into it, it turns out I have already read most of it! I've been a fan of Andrew "Shenpai" Tsyaston for a number of years now, and to anyone that enjoys some very relatable and sometimes touching humor, pick up this book! Shen's art style has gotten better and it shows, the personifications of every day emotions, motivations, or life itself are lovingly reproduced in a way that speaks to me on a very core level.

This book also gives a bit of insight into what goes on in the mind of an author who is trying to make comic making their bread and butter main job. Shen speaks about lack of motivation, lack of sleep, and overabundance of procrastination that anyone can related to. This book is great both in bursts or a full on binge, and is a great book for a laugh.

It's mentioned in the book, but Shen also runs multiple webcomics, with the two most popular being Owlturd (recently renamed) and Blue Chair. 5/5!