If you were to judge solely by this collection, you might think that the answer to "How to be Happy" was "Don't be Too Much Coffee Man." The overall lesson of How To Be Happy seems to be that most people are stupid, the institutions that form the backbone of our society are corrupt or equally stupid and life can be especially futile. With that message, I confess to being slightly puzzled as to how How to Be Happy is so uproariously funny. Perhaps it's because Wheeler's worldview, as imparted through Too Much Coffee Man's cast of characters, is pretty damn convincing in our modern world, but I think a lot of it has to do with Wheeler's deadpan comic timing and sharp sense of observation. His strips run the gamut from pokes at trivial day-to-day annoyances like crappy bands and television all the way to the disturbing implications of our current government and religious institutions, and there's always a recognizable kernel of truth amidst the dry wit.
I think part of what makes How to Be Happy work is that there's a self-deprecating element to the work. Oftentimes, Too Much Coffee Man begins with one premise (such as "Only stupid people are happy") and then, through twisted and funny applications of logic, completely subverts that premise. Too Much Coffee Man very often serves as the everyman, representative of our own self-destructive tendencies or laziness or compulsive behaviors. His behavior is a mirror to our own worst behaviors, and very often the reader will probably find themselves cringing a bit even as they laugh, recognizing behavior that they have engaged in, even if they know it's funny from an outside point of view.
How to be Happy is broken up into four chapters, and though there's a similar vibe to all of the work, there's definitely a division of sorts between the chapters. The first chapter covers everything from Too Much Coffee Man's battle against obesity, television and consumerism as well as the very funny G.W. Bush analogue "Fisticuffs." The second chapter goes much more deeply into political allegory, from the mockery of the "in your face" version of "patriotism" that swept the country after 9-11 to a variety of cartoons that examine the nature of war (both in general and in terms of Iraq war specifics) and politics. The third and fourth chapters bear some similarity to each other, basically being observations about life and mood, but the third chapter begins with a hilarious sequence on loving music you don't really want to and includes cartoons about the materialism of Christmas while the fourth is a bit more freewheeling, sending TMCM to the moon and another character to Hell and closing out with that popular favorite, the lawyer joke.
While some might call Too Much Coffee Man a liberal-leaning comic, and that's fair, Wheeler's comics are also an antidote to the touchy-feely crap that often masquerades as modern liberalism. The motivational speech, the "I'm OK, You're OK" thing and the hypocrisy often inherent in complaining about materialism are all showcased as much as poking fun at the insanities of what governments, corporations and other people in power get away with and at materialism run rampant. Wheeler's cartoons provide a healthy dose of ironic humor, often very dry but just as often outrageously funny. Too Much Coffee Man has a delivery style that is laid back and even intellectual, but it doesn't fail to generate the laugh out loud punchlines either.
If you're looking for long-term happiness that will relieve all those nagging doubts about the world going to hell in a handbasket, you're probably better off dropping your $13 on a self-help book and some Prozac. If, however, you want to be happy on a short-term basis while engaging (not sacrificing) your mental faculties, I'd suggest a dose of Too Much Coffee Man: How to Be Happy.
