MR. BOFFO: UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT <i> by Joe Martin Little, Brown: $6.95</i>

Although the drawings are little more than doodles, Martin has developed “Mr. Boffo” into a highly entertaining comic strip. His befuddled characters remain stranded in a slightly skewed reality; they’d like to join the normal world, but they can’t seem to get the moves right. Glancing at the desiccated remains in a bird cage, Mr. Boffo explains: “At first we called him ‘Chirpy’ . . . then it was ‘Wheezy’ . . . then ‘Sleepy’ . . . then ‘Smelly’ . . . and now for the longest time it’s been ‘Bones.’ ” Martin’s favorite description of his characters, “People unclear on the concept,” is rapidly becoming a popular catch phrase.