This is a list of collections and treasuries of the popular comic strip Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis.
Collections TitlePublication DateISBNContentsCover/title parodyPearls Before Swine: BLTs Taste So Darn GoodMarch 2, 2003Strips from December 31, 2001, to October 6, 2002.Title is taken from a line Pig said in the January 12, 2002 strip and cover features him eating a BLT.This Little Piggy Stayed HomeMarch 1, 2004Strips from October 7, 2002, to July 13, 2003.Title is taken from a line in the nursery rhyme "This Little Piggy"; cover shows Pig watching TV while everyone else leaves the house.NighthogsMarch 1, 2005Strips from July 14, 2003, to April 18, 2004.The title and cover are parodies of Edward Hopper painting "Nighthawks". Stephan Pastis stated that Hopper is one of his favorite artists, which may state why the parody is from "Nighthawks". Rat takes the place of the waiter behind the counter while Goat, Pig, and Zebra sit around it. The cover was originally one of Pastis' Sunday strip title panels.The Ratvolution Will Not Be TelevisedMarch 1, 2006Strips from April 19, 2004, to January 23, 2005.Title is a parody of Gil Scott-Heron's poem/song The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, cover features a Croc, Rat, Goat, Zebra, Pig, and Rat's cartoon character, Dickie the Cockroach, as a militant groupDa Brudderhood of Zeeba Zeeba EataMarch 1, 2007Strips from January 24, 2005, through October 30, 2005.The cover vaguely parodies the movie poster of Animal House (note the pirate costume on one of the crocodiles, similar to that worn by John Belushi in the film, and the toga worn by Rat and another Croc). Pig and Farina are seen on the house's balcony and Zebra is being chased by two of the Crocs.The SopratosSeptember 1, 2007Strips from October 31, 2005, to August 6, 2006.Title and cover are a parody of The Sopranos TV series; various characters that were killed off in prior strips appear buried in the dirtMacho Macho AnimalsSeptember 1, 2008Strips from August 7, 2006, to May 13, 2007.Title and cover parody the Village People; the title is a play on the song title "Macho Man" and Larry, Zebra, Guard Duck, Rat, Pig, and Goat are all dressed as members of the Village People. Bil Keane provides the foreword.The Saturday Evening PearlsMarch 17, 2009Contains strips from May 14, 2007, to February 16, 2008.Title and cover are a parody of The Saturday Evening Post. The cover setting parodies the painting "Freedom from Want" by Norman Rockwell, a regular illustrator for the Post. In this case, various crocodiles are sitting around a table while Patty (Larry the croc's wife) serves Zebra for dinner and Rat, Pig, and Guard Duck watch on in horror.50,000,000 Pearls Fans Can't Be WrongApril 6, 2010Contains strips from February 17, 2008, to November 16, 2008.Title and cover are a parody of the Elvis Presley album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong; Pastis is featured on the front cover by himself in various sizes while wearing an Elvis costume, and on the back he is confronted by Pig, Rat, Larry, and Goat – Rat calls it the "worst, most arrogant cover ever", Pig urges Pastis to get help, Larry says "me want keel you", and Goat demands to know when he gets a cover to himself. 50,000,000 Pearls Fans Can't Be Wrong is the first Pearls collection to feature full-color Sunday strips; publisher Andrews McMeel Publishing has begun to print Sunday strips in color in many of its regular-sized comic collections after strictly limiting them to treasury-sized books for years.When Pigs FlySeptember 7, 2010Contains strips from November 17, 2008, to August 22, 2009.Title is taken from the old saying "When pigs fly." Cover features Pig participating in a slam dunk contest while various Pearls characters and Stephan Pastis watch on. Features "The Unseen Pearls", eleven strips from the web-only days of Pearls that Stephan Pastis refused to publish in newspapers with annotations by the cartoonist (the first time Pastis provides annotations for a regular collection).Larry in WonderlandOctober 4, 2011Contains strips from August 23, 2009, to May 23, 2010.Title refers to, and cover art illustrates, a storyline from the comic strip that appears in the book. Both parody Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (or Alice in Wonderland).Because Sometimes You Just Gotta Draw a Cover with Your Left HandApril 10, 2012Contains strips from May 24, 2010, to February 27, 2011.Cover does not feature a parody. Title refers to a stunt Pastis pulled for this book where he drew the cover picture and hand wrote the intro, title, and blurbs entirely with his non-drawing hand (he draws Pearls with his right hand).Unsportsmanlike ConductFebruary 12, 2013Contains strips from February 28, 2011, to December 4, 2011.Cover depicts Stephan Pastis and Rat in a boxing match with Goat as the referee. Rat kicks Pastis in his "oompa loompas" (running joke word for testicles in the strip) while Goat tries to step in. Pig, Zebra, and Guard Duck work Pastis' corner while Larry and Snuffles work Rat's, and a poorly-drawn Dilbert is shown watching the fight.Rat's WarsOctober 1, 2013Contains strips from December 5, 2011, to September 2, 2012The cover parodies Star Wars, featuring numerous Pearls characters as characters in the space franchise. Particularly, Rat is depicted as Luke Skywalker, Pig as Princess Leia, Goat and Snuffles as C-3PO and R2-D2, the Crocs as X-wing Fighters, and Stephan Pastis as Darth Vader.Breaking StephanNovember 4, 2014Contains strips from September 3, 2012, to June 2, 2013The cover parodies the TV series Breaking Bad. The title artwork is styled like the show's, using symbols from the periodic table as the first letters of each word. The characters are standing in the middle of a desert with an RV issuing red smoke in the background. Pastis is depicted as Walter White from the show's pilot, holding a pencil and comic strip instead of a gun. Rat and Pig are dressed in yellow Hazmat suits similar to the ones worn by Walt and Jesse. Goat is dressed as Gus Fring holding a bucket of fried chicken with Guard Duck's picture on it. Snuffles is depicted as Hector Salamanca, sitting in a wheelchair ringing a bell. The words "Santa Rosa or Bust" can be read on the side of the RV, a nod to Pastis's home town, as can the name "Julia", while the name "Tom" can be seen in the background; these are nods to Pastis' two children.King of the ComicsMarch 17, 2015Contains strips from June 3, 2013, to March 2, 2014The cover and title roughly parody the film Titanic. Cartoon Pastis is standing on the bow railing of a large ocean liner—the S.S. Pearls—shouting with arms extended, much like Jack from the film when he shouts, "I'm the king of the world!". He has a rope tied around his chest, which Rat has attached to an anchor and is about to drop into the ocean. Pig is also standing on the railing, heaving violently into a seasickness bag. Goat stands by drinking a cup of coffee. The Lemmings are diving from the deck into the sea on one side of the ship, and the Crocs are wading in the surf on the other side. Zebra, Guard Duck, Elly Elephant, and Danny Donkey also appear as background characters. In the forward, Pastis talks about his trip to Muncie, Indiana to meet Garfield creator Jim Davis.I'm Only in This for MeMay 3, 2016Contains strips from March 3, 2014, to December 6, 2014The cover depicts a political rally with Rat running for President of the United States. Rat is standing at a podium, dressed in a suit and tie and an Uncle Sam hat, giving an impassioned speech. Goat, Larry the Croc, Guard Duck, Pig, and Zebra are standing around the podium wearing dark sunglasses, acting as Rat's security detail. In addition to several other Pearls characters attending the rally, characters from other strips are also shown, including Dilbert from the comic of the same name, Charlie Brown from Peanuts, and Jeffy from Family Circus. On the back cover, Rat is holding up a poster of himself, a parody of Shepard Fairey's Barack Obama "Hope" poster. Instead of "Hope", the poster reads "Despair." This collection features the strips where Pastis allowed Bill Watterson to draw the strip.Stephan's WebNovember 22, 2016Contains strips from December 7, 2014, to September 6, 2015The title parodies the classic children's novel Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, and the cover is itself a parody of Garth Williams' illustrated cover for White's book. Cartoon Stephan takes the place of Fern, complete with red dress and ponytail. Pig stands in for Wilbur. Goat stands in for the sheep, and Guard Duck stands in for the goose. Instead of Charlotte, Rat is seen strung upside down from the spider web. The words "of Lies" can be seen written into the web, making the full title appear to be "Stephan's Web of Lies". A silver medal with an image of Danny Donkey also appears on the cover, showing the words "Not an Honor Book", parodying the Newbery Medal that appears on Charlotte's Web and many other notable children's books.I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream Because Puns SuckSeptember 12, 2017Contains strips from September 7, 2015, to June 5, 2016The title parodies the popular phrase/song title, I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream. The cover parodies the Edvard Munch painting, The Scream. In place of the painting's central figure stands Pig, screaming in horror and disbelief while animated Pastis stands in the background saying, "Wait...I have more puns."Floundering FathersMarch 20, 2018Contains strips from June 6, 2016, to March 11, 2017The title parodies the founding fathers. The cover is a parody of the Emanuel Leutze painting, Washington Crossing the Delaware. Animated Pastis takes the place of George Washington in the painting, while the strip's main characters – including Jef the Cyclist and an inebriated Danny Donkey – serve as his shipmates and oarsmen. The Comic Strip Censor is seen in the water off the side of the boat being struck by an oar, and Jeffy from The Family Circus is floundering in the water nearby, pleading to be brought on board.
Treasuries Treasuries contain two books in one binding with Sunday strips in color, plus insight from Stephan Pastis. Starting with The Crass Menagerie, the covers feature live-action Stephan Pastis and backgrounds, with the comic's characters (in their usual drawn appearance) added in. While the shorter collections stopped after Floundering Fathers, the treasuries are still ongoing.