The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Omnibus

First rearing its shaggy head during the thick of the psychedelic era, Shelton’s classic series could be cited as the Big Bang of “stoner” humor as we now understand the genre, predating Cheech & Chong’s THC-based antics and stoner humor in general by a few years. Differing from much of the mean-spirited material found in the nascent underground genre by being legitimately funny, the Freak Brothers slacked their way from one misadventure to another, getting ripped off by dealers, avoiding work and staying as completely stoned as possible. Fat Freddy, Phineas and Freewheelin’ Franklin’s existence reads like a pothead sitcom, the characters’ world defined first in a series of short stories, and longer, even epic tales allow Shelton to run wild as the gags fly fast and furious. This massive 40th anniversary omnibus edition collects the entirety of the series, and as Shelton so famously observed, “Dope will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no dope,” so in these financially uncertain times it’s a downright steal for its price. (Oct.)