'Oliver Taplin's imaginative approach to Greek drama amy change our perpsective on the fate of both classical tragedy and - more surprisingly - Old Comedy . His discussions of the "Choregoi" display scholarship as well as clever detective work . This incisive study will raise both cheers and hackles. But it will not be ignored.'Times Literary Supplement'Oliver Taplin is the doyen of Greek theatre studies . The appearance of a third book on Greek drama must be an important event. Comic Angels is modest in its scale and ambitions, but the achievement is significant. The core of the book is entirely convincing .

It is a mark of the book's concrete achievement that it opens up so many potential areas of investigation. The 48 black and white plates are a valuable resource.'Times Higher Education Supplement'the book is well written and interesting; the pictures are well chosen, situated conveniently in the text, and easy to consult as one reads . altogether this is a book that students will find easy reading . anyone who is interested in the history of drama must feel grateful to Taplin for bringing his thesis to public attention in such an interesting format and with sufficient illustration that even those not normally interested in vase painting willfeel the attraction of these fascinating vases'William J. Slater, McMaster University, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 4.4 (1993)'very worthwhile study . the book has some superb, well-chosen illustrations which demonstrate to good effect all of the feaures we have come to associate with comic characters .

This is an interesting and thought-provoking study, whih will encourage us to reappraise some long-held assumptions about the role of comedy beyond mainland Greece.'Richard Harrison, The Greek Gazette, November 1993.