Fungus the Bogeyman

I hate kids and I hate it when adults read shit that was meant for kids.

So it's a bit odd for me to write this review. See, I loved being a kid. Don't get me wrong about that. Being a kid had its moments. As a youth I was particularly fond of this book, Fungus the Bogeyman. I poured over every panel on every page in meticulous detail as I absorbed what it meant to live the life of a "bogeyman."

Somehow I saw someone recommending this book in my RSS feed and I knew I had to re-buy the thing. So I did.

Raymond Briggs, the Author, is probably most famous for his Snowman animation. You know the, "I'm flying in the aiiiiiir" thing with the choir of little boys... Anyway, it was massive in Britain. Fungus the Bogeyman is the darker side of Briggs. No little boys in robes flying across rooftops with friendly snowmen here. This is all snot, pus, and gnarly shit that gives you boils on your neck in the middle of the night. It's the life of a bogeyman.

The book is a documentary of a bogeyman named Fungus. It follows him throughout his daily routine of scaring people, tapping on windows, being creepy, giving people pimples, and so forth. But Fungus is having a bit of an existential crisis. He's questioning why. Why does he exist, why is he scaring vicars in the dark, why does he do what he does? Why?

So, Briggs goes in depth explaining everything from bogey anatomy to bogey passtimes to just anything and everything bogey. We follow Fungus, get inside his head, and get a pretty good understanding of what it means to be a bogeyman.

The book employs subtle British wit and humor throughout. As a kid I really liked scrutinizing the panels and squeezing out every last detail I could. The illustrations are great and fit the scummy subject matter to a T.

This books is great for children. It'll have them turning to their dictionaries frequently as they learn new words that their classmates wont encounter for  years. It asks a lot from the reader, but you get a lot in return.

As an adult I definitely enjoyed this. If you're a parent then I'd highly recommend this book for you and your kids. Well, your male kids. I don't think chicks would dig this at all.

Fungus rules. Get this book.