Tales of Tongue Fu

By Paul Krassner, Illustrated by Trina Robbins and Pete Von Sholly. Published by Ronin.

Softcover, 128 pages, Prose with B&W illustrations, 2007 (originally published 1974)

Part fictional narrative, part send-up of the New Age movement, and part comedic triumph, Tales of Tongue Fu splits the reader's sides with hilarious misadventures and wicked social commentary. The book's hero, Tongue Fu, evolves from the humble son of a radioactive mother and a kamikaze pilot father to a guru — with an incredibly long tongue, which he uses for both romance and martial arts. Tongue Fu meets a cadre of riotous characters along his way, from Baba Blabla, who has been silent for 30 years, to Rosebud Zwaliyeh, an activist who joins a cult. At every turn, comedy legend Krassner skewers phony spiritualism with his formidable wit, and endlessly entertains with his razor-sharp satire and notorious sense of humor, as Trina Robbins delights with her singular artistic vision.