Lagoon have been clamoring for a collection that captures the rarely seen early material from the popular strip. Now, here surfaces Greetings From Sherman's Lagoon, the answer to the long-time pleas of loyal followers of Sherman the shark and his sea urchin pals. Those who regularly read the silly yet sophisticated strip will enjoy seeing how its art, humor, and characters have evolved.

Cartoonist Jim Toomey has mastered the look and personality of the creatures that his readers have come to love: Sherman and his significant-shark-other, Megan, Fillmore the turtle, Hawthorne the cranky hermit crab, and other coral critters. ""Just as early Snoopy drawings more closely resembled a beagle,"" says Toomey, ""the characters more closely resemble fish."" Toomey adds that his early strips adhered less to story lines and were more focused on delivering a ""gag-a-day."" Longtime fans and newer readers alike are sure to enjoy noting similarities and differences for themselves in this hilarious turn-back-the-clock collection.