Where there is stress, humor is not far behind," holds Close to Home creator John McPherson. And thanks to his stressed-out cast of characters, readers everywhere find something laughable, hilarious, and oftentimes downright knee-slapping in McPherson's single-panel snapshots of a loony world.

Take the soberness of a former circus performer's funeral, the idea that a health club would have an Offensive Odor Alarm, or absurd hospital insurance policies. McPherson has the eye-and the twisted mind-to capture such scenes in ways that both shock and amuse his readers.

McPherson does it with The Close to Home Survival Guide, an aggregation of his lumpy figures, with their long faces, protruding noses, and bulging eyeballs, parading down that fine line between grotesque and certifiably goofy. Everything from family life and dating to car repair and medical emergencies provide fodder for the wackiness in this essential collection and guide.