Herman comics by Jim Unger are legendary for their dry, absurd humor and awkward, laugh-out-loud moments. With his iconic one-panel format, Unger captured the ridiculous side of everyday life — from swollen noses to bizarre marriages.
Unger’s style is unmistakable lumpy characters, oversized features, and simple lines that make you laugh before you’ve even read the caption. But what really made Herman brilliant was his tone: dry, often sarcastic, always unexpected. Whether poking fun at relationships, medicine, office life, or the ridiculousness of human behavior, Unger’s panels always struck a bizarrely relatable chord.
Though Unger retired from cartooning in the early 1990s, Herman was revived with reprints and remains popular today. He passed away in 2012, but his work continues to entertain both old fans and new generations discovering his hilarious universe for the first time. If you’ve ever felt awkward in public, misunderstood your doctor, or questioned someone’s logic — there’s a Herman cartoon waiting to make you laugh about it.
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Credit Jim Unger
#1 The Nose Job No One Asked For
A man sits in the outpatient clinic with a massively swollen nose, obviously stung by a bee. His companion rolls her eyes and sarcastically tells him he’s not the only person in the world who’s ever had that happen. Classic Herman: exaggeration, pain, and dry wit all wrapped in one
#2 Boyfriend From Another Planet
A dad reading the paper glares at his daughter’s date — who appears to be from outer space. Hair spikes, tattoos, and an alien vibe bring out a deadpan dad joke: “Couldn’t you find a nice boyfriend from this planet?” It’s the classic generational clash, with Herman’s alien twist.
#3 Zoo Paint Job Gone Wrong
A new zoo worker, shirtless and disheveled, holds a paintbrush as his boss tells him from now on, only paint the empty cages. You can imagine what must’ve gone wrong. A darkly funny one-liner that leaves the worst parts to your imagination — that’s peak Herman.
#4 Affordable Healthcare… Not Quite
At a party, one man says he asked a doctor how to cure a stomachache — and the doctor replied, “About $85.” A hilarious dig at modern healthcare, through an old-school setup that’s all about the punchline.
#5 Marriage: The Ultimate Gamble
Two older men sit on a bench, one asking the other why he’s so against gambling — yet still in the marriage business. A cynical, sharp-edged joke about relationships, delivered with perfect Herman straight-face absurdity.
#6 Time to Quit Lion Taming
A bandaged man sits at a desk while his wife and a counselor discuss his career. The counselor says the good news is he wants to stop lion taming. The bad news is clearly written all over the bandages.
#7 The Toilet Seat Caper
Two old men read the paper: “$2 million in government toilet seats stolen… street value $1,200.” It’s a subtle jab at government spending, overpricing, and absurdity — told in Herman’s signature style.
#8 Watering Genius
One neighbor mocks another, saying, “The forecast says 50% chance of rain, so Genius is watering half the lawn.” A brilliantly stupid take on logic that makes this one of the cleverest Herman gags in the batch.
#9 Patent Pending… Please
A man shows off a bizarre bug-repelling contraption to a patent officer, who nervously asks him not to switch it on. The contraption is absurd, but the punchline — totally Herman.
#10 This Isn’t a Robbery, It’s a Grocery Run
A man with a mask and a gun hands a list to a terrified bank teller, saying, “Read it yourself! Dozen eggs, bread, milk…” It’s a robbery turned grocery trip — Herman’s criminally dumb humor at its best.
Summary
From swollen noses to genius-level lawn watering, Herman by Jim Unger delivers some of the most perfectly awkward humor in cartoon history. Each panel is a tiny moment of madness — the kind you didn’t see coming but can’t forget. Whether it’s family, health, marriage, or lion taming — nothing is safe from Herman’s brutally funny lens.
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