200 pages; soft cover; B&W

This debut collection showcases Nick Maandag's signature blend of deadpan satire and exceedingly unexpected plot twists. In "Night School," a class goes awry when a fire alarm brings the Chief to school and he decides to stick around to teach the students a thing or two about leadership-and discipline. "The Disciple," is a yarn about a co-ed Buddhist monastery, where Brother Bananas, the resident gorilla, isn't the only one having difficulty keeping his lust tucked safely under his robe. In Maandag's hands-hands that love to toy with morally ambiguous characters and flirt with absurdity-troubled men make poor decisions, unlikable characters gain our sympathies through their very haplessness, and laughs ensue, riotously.