Zapiro comes of age in this 21st annual.

Zuma once again takes centre stage for all the wrong reasons along with his cronies the Guptas and his nemesis Malema. It’s the year of the hashtag. #RhodesMustFall begat #FeesMustFall, also #Racism/#Sexism and #ZumaMustFall. With Nenegate and SARS wars, it’s the rand that’s really falling. Meanwhile, Pravin and Thuli fight the good fight.

Each cartoon is worth a thousand words and helps us make sense of our crazy, beautiful country where fact is indeed stranger than fiction.

No little thorn in the flesh or irritating fly in the ointment, Zapiro just cannot be ignored. It’s been one helluva year.

We’ve held our breath thinking Zuma may resign. We’ve seen Juju re-booted and Zille tweeted out. We’ve seen Trump’s megalomania, Bell Pottinger‘s spin and Pravin’s fightback, cadres captured and Cabinet’s relocation to Saxonwold Shebeen. GuptaLeaks threaten to drown us and as the flood rises the rodents scatter. And who better to make sense of this than Zapiro, political analyst, cartoonist and agent provocateur.

He has the ability to knock the air out of us, to rock us back in our seats, to force us bolt upright with a 1000-watt jolt of electrifying shock. He shines a light on the elephant in the room, presents the emperor in all his naked glory. When all around is crumbling, when fake news and zipped lips conceal the truth, Zapiro comes to the rescue.

No little thorn in the flesh or irritating fly in the ointment, Zapiro just cannot be ignored.

It’s been another helluva year, and who better to make sense of it than Zapiro, political analyst, cartoonist and agent provocateur. He has the ability to knock the air out of us, to rock us back in our seats, to force us bolt upright with a 1000-watt jolt of electrifying shock. He makes us angry, he makes us laugh and he makes us think. He shines a light on the elephant in the room, presents the emperor in all his naked glory.

Impossible to brush off, he is determined to provoke a response. When all around is crumbling, when fake news and zipped lips conceal the truth, Zapiro comes to the rescue. With the dissecting eye of a surgeon, the rapier-like point of his pen exposes flimflam, and reveals with a line what lies behind the action.

Tossary of Terms by Modern Toss is the first in an illustrated dictionary series. Produced by cartoonists Jon Link & Mick Bunnage, this book features new words such as: Scumcestor, Prioritit, Newmonia, Cock-bonnet, Screen-margarine and Attenborough's Trench. The fast changing modern scene chucks up stuff faster than we can nail it down and label it. The ear grease on a smart phone screen, wearing a hat that makes you look like even more of a tit, the DNA rich stew in the bogs hand dryer trough, paying extra money to sit in a plane before the rest of the passengers. This invaluable tool for navigating the 21st century shitscape is printed on paper, rendering it impervious to cyber attack.

The horror of the First World War brought out a characteristic response in a group of English artists, who resorted to black humour. Among these, John Hassall, a pioneering British illustrator and creator of the influential 'Skegness is so bracing' poster, holds a special place. Early in the war, he hit on the idea of drawing a parody of the Bayeux Tapestry to satirize German aggression and add to the growing genre of war propaganda. Taking the scheme of the famous tapestry which celebrates William the Conqueror's invasion of England, Hassall uses thirty pictorial panels to tell the story of Kaiser Wilhem II's invasion of Luxembourg and Belgium. In mock-archaic language he narrates the progress of the German army, never missing an opportunity to lampoon 'bad' behaviour: 'Wilhelm giveth orders for frightfulness.' The caricatured Germans loot homes, make gas from Limburg cheese and sauerkraut, drink copious amounts of wine and shamefully march through Luxembourg with 'women and children in front.' With comic inventiveness Hassall adapts the borders of the original to illustrate the stereotypical objects with which the English then associated their enemy: they are decorated with schnitzel, sausages, pilsner, wine corks and wild boar. Drawn with Hassall's distinctive flat colour and striking outlines, Ye Berlyn Tapestrie is a fascinating historical example of war-induced farce, produced by a highly talented artist who could not then have known that the war was set to last for another two years. Together with an introduction which sets out the historical background of its creation, every page of this rarely seen publication is reproduced here in a fold-out concertina, just like the original, to resemble the style of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Born into the litters of two rival families, star-cross'd lovers Romeo and Juliet fall tuft-over-paw for each other before learning that they are sworn enemies. 'O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?' squeaks Juliet from her balcony, before declarations of undying affection are made and a secret wedding is planned. But the path of true love does not run smooth, and Romeo soon finds himself banished from the city of Verona after playing his part in a fatal brawl with Juliet's family. In a desperate attempt to scurry away together, they devise a plan fraught with danger that eventually leads to heart-break...Discover Shakespeare's classic tale of romance and tragedy, retold in an entirely new way.

Like Twain -- or more contemporary humorists Dave Barry and Garrison Keillor -- Patrick McManus shares the belief that life's eternal verities exist primarily to be overturned. In McManus's world, all steaks should be chicken-fried, strong coffee is drunk by the light of a campfire, and fishing trips consist of men acting like boys and boys behaving like the small animals we've always assumed they were.

In this, the tenth hilarious collection of his adventures, wry observations, and curmudgeonly calls for bigger and bigger fish stories, McManus takes on everything from an Idaho crime wave to his friend Dolph's atomic-powered huckleberry picker to the uncertain joys of standing waist-deep in icy water, watching the fish go by.

From the wildly popular Instagram account, Disappointing Affirmations hilariously counters the culture of relentless toxic positivity with a realistic take on a disappointing world where failure is always an option, but that's okay.

Pairing lovely vacation photos taken by the author himself with sayings that are amusingly self-critical, encouraging, disillusioned, or all three at once, Tarnowski points to feelings commonly unacknowledged or hidden and spotlights them with humor, wit, and empathy. You can do it! But you probably won't. But also: Be kind to yourself, asshole. Transforming and re-envisioning the material for print while adding tons of new work, this is the funny-because-it's-true, sneaky self-help gift book for anyone who isn't happy all the time and doesn't feel seen in the whole positive mental attitude" culture. Unfollow your dreams!

IT REALLY IS OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY: People say, "It's okay to not be okay," but then it feels like they need you to be okay. This subversively funny book is the perfect way to remind ourselves, or anyone who needs it, that it's better to deal with our feelings honestly than fall into the "positive vibes only" self-help trap.

COMEDY FOR A NEW ERA: Wellness has been slowly taking a darker turn in popular culture, and comedy is no exception. From Inside by Bo Burnham to the absurdity of TV giant Succession, audiences are drawn to media that embraces discomfort rather than drowning it out. Disappointing Affirmations may not look very comforting, but not all self-care comes in the form of warm hugs and sunrise yoga.

FOR HUMOR BOOK FANS: Seeking a gift for the anti-optimist in your life? This one fits the bill for fans of satirical doom classics and self-help antidotes such as All My Friends Are Dead, Am I Overthinking This?, the Worst Case Scenario series, and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck .

THERE'S MORE: See also the Disappointing AffirmationsPencils and Disappointing Affirmations: 30 Postcards set. You won't be disappointed.

Perfect for:- College grads, people entering the workforce, people who wish they hadn't entered the workforce - Fans of the @disappointingaffirmations Instagram account - Anyone who isn't always cheerful and doesn't feel seen - Fans of satire and sarcastic humor - Anyone feeling burnout, empathy fatigue, positivity fatigue, or fatigue in general

Ask anyone who knows him: Paddy Pest is a real character.

Paddy is an Australian crime fighter with a dubious Irish background, an overwhelming abundance of confidence, and a handful of bad habits. His enthusiasm for finding trouble is only exceeded by his incompetence.

Fortunately, his pal and sometime sidekick, Stormy Weathers, is usually available to rescue him from his ill-advised forays into foolish and reckless situations-frequently involving the fairer sex. From Yvette Baguette, the delightfully French gendarme, to Paddy's nemesis, Nadia Nickoff-the minx from Minsk-Paddy is a lady's man all the way.

Murder and mayhem are all in a day's work for this Aussie crime fighter. He needs his wits to survive the onslaught of the disreputable rogues and villains who are out to get him. Paddy's life is one big, unbelievable adventure after another. And now, he's got a certain lady on a certain train who needs his help-or does she?

The world needs someone like Paddy Pest-and if you doubt that, just ask him