Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot - by John Callahan & David Kelly (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Now a major motion picture directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, and Rooney Mara

Featuring more than 60 of Callahan's original cartoons

"When people laugh like hell and then say, 'That's not funny, ' you can be pretty sure they're talking about John Callahan."-- P.J. O'Rourke

In 1972, at the age of 21, John Callahan was involved in a car crash that severed his spine and made him a quadriplegic. A heavy drinker since the age of 12 (alcohol had played a role in his crash), the accident could have been the beginning of a downward spiral. Instead, it sparked a personal transformation. After extensive physical therapy, he was eventually able to grasp a pen in his right hand and make rudimentary drawings. By 1978, Callahan had sworn off drinking for good, and begun to draw cartoons.

Over the next three decades, until his death in 2010, Callahan would become one of the nation's most beloved--and at times polarizing--cartoonists. His work, which shows off a wacky and sometimes warped sense of humor, pokes fun at social conventions and pushes boundaries. One cartoon features Christ at the cross with a thought bubble reading "T.G.I.F." In another, three sheriffs on horseback approach an empty wheelchair in the desert. "Don't worry," one sheriff says to another, "He won't get far on foot."

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot recounts Callahan's life story, from the harrowing to the hilarious. Featuring more than 60 of Callahan's cartoons, it's a compelling look at art, addiction, disability, and fame. A film adaptation scheduled for 2018, starring Joaquin Phoenix as John Callahan, will bring fresh attention to this underappreciated classic.

From the Back Cover

The memoir of legendary cartoonist John Callahan--now a major motion picture Directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, and jack Black

In 1972, at the age of twenty-one, John Callahan was involved in a car crash that made him a quadriplegic. As Callahan had been a heavy drinker since the age of twelve (alcohol had played a role in his crash), the accident could have been the beginning of a downward spiral. Instead, it sparked a personal transformation. By 1978, Callahan had sworn off drinking for good, and begun to draw cartoons.

Over the next three decades, until his death in 2010, Callahan would become one of the nation's most beloved--and at times polarizing--cartoonists. His work, which shows off a wacky and sometimes warped sense of humor, pokes fun at social conventions and pushes boundaries. One cartoon features Christ at the cross with a thought bubble reading "T.G.I.F." In another, three sheriffs on horseback approach an empty wheelchair in the desert. "Don't worry," one sheriff says to another, "He won't get far on foot."

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot recounts Callahan's life story, from the harrowing to the hilarious. Featuring more than sixty of Callahan's cartoons, it's a compelling look at art, addiction, disability, and fame.

Review Quotes

"John Callahan doesn't need feet to go far. He does it with guts, brains, fingers, and a wonderful sick sense of humor." -- National Lampoon

"Actually Callahan goes too far, and he'll take you with him. ... He'll move muscles you don't know you have." -- Roy Blount, Jr.

"When people laugh like hell and then say, 'That's not funny, ' you can be pretty sure they're talking about John Callahan." -- P.J. O'Rourke