Futch On Funnies

Christmas Music Streaming

2008-12-13T00:25:00.001-05:00

There's over 15 hours of holiday tunes on my Christmas playlist and it's cycling pretty much continuously on the laptop. The tracks are pretty varied, from your basic standards to really "out there" pieces. The first link below will key you into the live music stream, which I may manipulate and break into live depending on listener ship. The second link is a list of what tunes have been played recently, just to give you an idea of the range going on here.

http://97.100.112.166:8000/listen.m3u - Listen!

http://www.last.fm/user/bingfutch - Playlist

Tracks include tunes from my latest album "Christmas Each Day" and involve everyone from Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sting, U2, The Darkness, Slade, Disney Theme Park Tracks, Dolly Parton, Josh Groban, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Brian Setzer, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Wham!, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Adam Sandler and you won't believe who else. It's work-safe and full of fun - so pull it up and let it rip! Happy Holidays!

Loving Jae

2006-05-24T14:10:00.000-05:00

I married my fine and funny wife two years ago this coming weekend; we're really looking forward to revisiting the scene of the crime. We had the best wedding ever, a tropical week-long blast down in Key West with family and friends that was emblematic of our relationship. Wild, wacky, gorgeous, fun, surreal, joyful and intense. That's us in a nutshell.

She's in New York on business at the moment, so it's the cats, the dog, the snake and me, planted solidly in the studio with everything I need at arm's reach. I love you honey. But when you go - I dive headfirst into work in lieu of pining. Besides, we talk often enough during the day to make it better. The fact that we still act like newlyweds is both an endearing feature of our marriage and something that makes us infinitely hateable, to the point of scorn and derision. If we had a petrodollar for every time someone said to us "Geez, get a room", I could personally pay down the national trade deficit.

As we head back down to Key West (where we have family), it's a beautiful and amazing consideration, these past couple of years. Never could I have forseen the blessings of life at this stage in the big, crazy cycle. Never could I have imagined loving a woman the way that I love Jae - an all-encompassing, spiritually connected love that knows how to dodge sudden cracks in our Earth steps and fallen branches in our paths.

A love of dual abundance and sacrifice, of bright highs and dark lows, of balance and perpetuity. She is inspiration and salvation, little girl and all woman. She's my wife. And I really, really like her. And to paraphrase a certain musical "she lo-oves me, and I love her, and she lo-oves me for loving her and I lo-ove her for loving me and we love each other. Because neither of us got enough love in our childhoods. And that's showbiz. Kid."

Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Love,

Me

Shutting Down Until Another Time.....

2005-11-24T00:04:00.000-05:00

Of course, I realize that seemingly only Marisol really reads this blog (or at least is the only one who interacts) - and she understands what happens when life happens. You have to make adjustments.

So, no sentimental goodbyes - I'll pop in from time to time - but in the interest of streamlining my day-to-day, I've decided to chill with this particular blog. Of course, I'll still read the funnies - life would be simply unbearable without them!

I'll be focusing my efforts on writing, recording and performing music, chasing the almighty dollah, and maintaining my other blogs:

All Florida Indies - it's only updated once a week, but thousands of people, through Apple iTunes and other podcatchers, are tuning in to hear the music of Florida's unsigned bands.

What The Futch? - The voice of dissent and the occasional recipe. I'm just a torchbearer in the neo-revolution, passing along information to help sleepwalking people awaken.

Nowhere, Nevada - The official band blog of Mohave.

Thanksgiving is as good a day as any to hang it up for awhile, but the archives are still here, as well as the links to some of my favorite funnies. If something truly earth-moving comes along, I'll post it - but this is my official intention to stop maintaining FOF on a daily basis. Keep laughing out there....and if you want to be alerted to new posts - by all means, SUBSCRIBE!

From Toon Town,

Bing

Pooch Cafe

2005-11-21T00:33:00.000-05:00

As half of a household with mixed critters, this is pretty funny.

A Drop In The Polls

2005-11-16T14:14:00.000-05:00

The Story So Far

2005-11-11T12:26:00.000-05:00

So, Geoff and the faerie Pibgorn have been zipped back to the birthplace of Mozart while the composer is stuck in modern times as Drusilla the succubus does battle with a demon to reverse their places, have I got that straight now?

Love how Thorax is also a character in "9 Chickweed Lane." What a wonderfully nutty universe!

Three Mice With 20/20 Vision

2005-11-07T11:42:00.000-05:00

The Great Pump Kin

2005-11-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

Intro To A Story Thread

2005-11-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

"Luann" has kicked off a new story line that's got my attention. It started on Halloween with a pretty striking three-panel intro:

Which has now developed into this:

AWWWwwwww! And that's one of those "awww" noises that goes up at the end, too. How devastatingly cute is that?

I'm betting that Pud will have nothing to do with it (he's a nice dog, but your average dog has a thing about cats) and Brad will end up giving it to Toni Daytona. Where does it go from there? Who knows? I'm just betting this little mewing kitty is going to have more of an effect on this strip than the last stray cat that crept into one of our favorites. (Anyone remember which one that was? Hard to recall, because not much has been said about the cat since....)

Happy Samhain!

2005-10-31T13:46:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Cagle's Page.

I Hate Flying

2005-10-30T18:38:00.000-05:00

PC and Pixel

Excuse me while I geek out on "9 Chickweed Lane"

2005-10-23T11:27:00.000-05:00

Brooke McEldowney's pulling some kind of triple-threat. He not only writes the most compelling, hysterical and sexiest comic strip ever, but he also illustrates it with beautiful people, inside and out, who ring with an intimate truth.

And then he renders it all into levels of artistry, lines of whimsy, high-contrast hi-jinks that turn three and two panel worlds into exquisite portraits of design, graced with a mischievous wit and an unmistakable power. I love "9 Chickweed Lane"

Best comic strip about relationships. Ever. Brooke's a genius.

Okay, wiping myself off now and going back to work.

BWAAAAAA-HAAAAAA!

2005-10-23T11:05:00.000-05:00

Damn, I needed a good laugh. And I got two today:

God Bless the Spastis.

"Pooch Cafe" to the rescue!

Not The Time To Play Monopoly, Fer Sure!

2005-10-18T10:46:00.000-05:00

Bird-Brain

2005-10-14T14:08:00.000-05:00

Just Wild About Harriet

2005-10-13T18:02:00.000-05:00

Ain't it the truth, ain't it the truth?

F Minus

2005-10-12T11:13:00.000-05:00

Some mornings, you just feel like.....

So Funny, It's Sick (Or The Other Way Around)

2005-10-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

Read 'em all, they're the funniest and scariest series of political 'toons I've seen in a while.

Goats

2005-10-06T13:18:00.000-05:00

Goats, answering the question, "how do I feel today?"

Grok!

2005-10-03T08:13:00.000-05:00

"Brevity" cuts to the chase, don't it?

BOO!

2005-10-02T21:35:00.000-05:00

Throw horrible names at me, this is super-cool. I'm a geek.

Seattle

2005-09-30T17:19:00.000-05:00

Heh-heh, I guess I forgot to mention that I was going to be in Seattle all week, so I sort of dropped out of sight for a week - but the paper in Seattle sort of proved to me that I live in a very "safe" town for funnies.

Notable this week, however, is the running "Luann" thread about the various pairs of friends noticing how different they are. It's notable because they say that "opposites attract" ("they" also say that "familiarity breeds contempt", so what does that say about most relationships?) and it certainly seems as though every pair of friends are exactly that: opposites. Just when you think you've got a comic strip pegged, it goes and gets all profound on you.

9 Chickweed Lane: L.A. Gets It!

2005-09-22T10:17:00.000-05:00

As a person owned by cats ("cat owner" just doesn't seem to cut the catnip), this strip brought forth a babbling brook of laughter today; much needed!

Super-Baldo!

2005-09-21T09:23:00.000-05:00

We interrupt this string of political comics to bring you this special report. We LIKE Baldo as a superhero! We now return you to your regularly scheduled ambivalence.

Fudd-y Business

2005-09-20T12:05:00.000-05:00

Brown-Nosing

2005-09-19T11:16:00.000-05:00

Babs and Bubba

2005-09-17T11:14:00.000-05:00

Two For Hump Day

2005-09-14T14:57:00.000-05:00

Live

2005-09-12T12:56:00.000-05:00

Now THAT'S Funny! (Sorta)

2005-09-10T09:41:00.000-05:00

REAL

2005-09-09T11:48:00.000-05:00

The wife and I are heading to Seattle in two weeks. Not looking forward to running the gauntlet of TSA's at the airport because invariably I'M the guy with the funny hair that gets selected for "random" pat-down. I'm toying with the idea of just volunteering, or showing up naked.

Worn Out

2005-09-07T16:09:00.000-05:00

I'm sort of speechless and worn out lately (must've been all that "Blondie" watching, j/k), so a little "verbal vacation" is in order with simply some selections from the toon pool picked daily, diligently:

Happy Anniversary Dag and Blondie!

2005-09-04T12:08:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it, here's the behind-the-scenes story.

And today's one-panel celebration:

Looks a lot like the final pan of characters from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", doesn't it? We've seen nothing like it in the funny pages and this whole promotion was a delightful change of pace. I have to say, however, that the ending seems a little anti-climatic, like somehow I expected more.

First off, I hope they do put all of the participating comics into some kind of book - I didn't catch all of the cameos in the various strips. Looking at the number of characters standing around the pedestal, I have to wonder, "didn't they invite more?" And even still, "what happened to some of the people they invited?" Where's Ted Forth? Where's Helga? I see one Lockhorn, but where's the wife? Where's Mother Goose? Where's Fat Broad? Where's The Wizard of Id? Does Hi look wasted or what? Who is that just above Cathy?

Gaaah!

I'm glad Curtis is there - there are no other "toons of color" to be seen!

Good to see Dilbert there, along with Tiger, Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy (what, no Rex Morgan?), but it seems like many are missing. I was sort of expecting a panel that expanded and included so many darn characters that the other strips shrunk in size or something colossal like that. Well-phooey.

It is pretty cool though. So Happy Anniversary to you two - as far as I'm concerned, the torch has already been passed to the couple exchanging funny lines in the upper left hand corner!

There must be a toon celebrity green room just out of sight - yeah, that's it!

Down To The Wire

2005-09-03T15:19:00.000-05:00

Today's "Blondie"

Seems like Young and Lebrun are big fans of "The Wizard of Id", doesn't it? It appears that more characters from that strip have been featured throughout the ongoing "Blondie" anniversary plot than any other, with "Beetle Bailey" characters coming in a close second. Maybe they all went to school together. (The artists, not the characters - although it would make some sense.)

Snert attempting to pick up Daisy in "Hagar The Horrible" is pretty classic - I don't think I've ever seen Snert speak anything besides "voof!" (Nor did I know that he was a Viking Water Spaniel, whatever that is.)

Gotta love the subtle plug for tomorrow's big party on the back of Brad's Mad Magazine in today's "Luann."

Hank Ketcham did a really nice job with Dag, Blondie and Daisy in "Dennis The Menace" (and Dennis looks so nice in his little suit!)

I've gotta say - I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's paper!

In Other Comics

GASP! Hilary looks like Kurt Cobain now! Let's see if her mom, "Sally Forth", is going to be down with that program.

Over at Daryl Cagle's site, there are a bunch of Hurricane Katrina cartoons, some reverential and serious, some light-hearted. I picked one that had a certain heft to it.

Need To Laugh

2005-09-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

Today's "Blondie"

Is "Fat Broad" really the name of the snake-whacking character from "B.C."? Did I just see Blondie nearly naked in the bathtub? Is this a surreal week or what?

"Hagar The Horrible" simply wins the prize for theme, having paid homage to "Blondie" in every single strip this week. It appears that the party has started early in today's - and then Chris Browne goes a step further and adds in a few other characters in a nice touch. I'm wondering if he drew the other characters - because they all look just perfect. (I'm voting 'not'. Must be on loan from the Toon Union.)

In Other Comics

Usually, "Bound and Gagged" is a snicker for me, but today's one panel jobber was a much-needed laugh in the face of all the angst and heartbreak.

The Only Truly Funny Thing I Could Find

2005-08-31T16:16:00.000-05:00

Radical Toons

2005-08-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

Today's "Blondie"

"Frank and Ernest" make an appearance today, leaving me to wonder how Young and Lebrun went about choosing the top number of strip characters who would actually get space within "Blondie" panels? It's one of those situations where if you don't choose someone, they get their feelings hurt? (Forget about not getting invited to the party - all of that intense invite woolgathering that the couple went through was probably not far off from the actual truth of things.)

"Hagar The Horrible" has seemingly done what no other strip has done (that I know of), which is publish two strips in a row about the upcoming celebration. Two days of utter happiness for the viking couple? What ever will they do when this is all over? Depression sinks in.

In Other Comics"

Gotta love the rotten Apple logo on Mother Goose's laptop today.

This new character in "Baldo" just might emerge as a running commentary on the current state of affairs in America. "Baldo" has done a masterful job of balancing ethnicity with social awareness and just plain ol' funniness - but this kid with the glasses signals perhaps some more cutting edge satire in the funny pages.

Now, I've been a fan of Ward Sutton for quite some time - the man knows no bounds and no fear when it comes to America. Another great satirist is Tom Tomorrow of This Modern World. Both are edgy, alternative, not-ready-for-mainstream and absolutely on the mark. No apologies for getting all political on ya - but it's the life in which we live - hang on!

WHEW! We all feel better now?

Serials with your cereal?

2005-08-29T10:44:00.000-05:00

Today's "Blondie"

Well, it just keeps getting better, doesn't it? The longtime "Family Circus" running gag of dotted lines showing a child's path rears its head for the first time in "Blondie" as Dag and the former Miss Boopadoop realize that their house has truly been overrun. Billy looks swell in the "Blondie" universe.

Meanwhile, across the paper, Hagar and Helga officially recieve their invite - I honestly don't think I've ever seen her this wide-eyed and happy. Miracles never cease, do they?

And the rest of 'em

Long-running plotlines seem to be in vogue, and "Luann" is still trying to get out of having the school see her on Tif's blackmail videotape in Winnie the Pooh underwear. What's the big deal? Luann is keen on baring her midriff - she can only score BIG time with the boys in the altogether, right?

Speaking of scoring BIG time, "Hi and Lois" let loose with an uncharacteristic hint of sex today. Rawr. Who knew?

Ah, Hilary is just upset over being teased on her first day of fifth grade. "Sally Forth", for the first time, is absolutely speechless - speechless, I tell you. Ted's offering to turn the hose on the older kids is pretty classic; it's what passes as edgy for this family.

Ever notice how Dogbert in "Dilbert" always has a little tail wag going? He's perpetually happy, making him the perfect foil for Catbert, who is evil to the core.

and "Doonesbury" is back making fun of bloggers, or should I say "bloggers who lack substance" or maybe even "bloggers who blog about donuts." I've read some of those blogs - and I say everything has a place, but you won't find me subscribing to 'em!

I'm resisting the urge to peek at "9 Chickweed Lane" and "Pibgorn" - they move slowly, but they're so good, I like to let them build up and then read them in an orgasmic rush. Don't you?

Details, Details

2005-08-28T11:44:00.000-05:00

Today's "Blondie"

I'm glad that I didn't read the article on the "Blondie" page about the comic-crossover currently taking place - if I had, I wouldn't have been surprised by today's strip. Now, I'm not a fan of our current president or his policies, but in context, seeing George and Laura Bush on the other end of the line while Dagwood chortles "Har-Har! Woodley, you doofus!" has got to be one of the most classic moments in comic history. What's scary is that Laura looks a little like she and Blondie could be distantly related. (And George looks like, well - George.) The Orlando Sentinel clipped the first two panels of this strip, granted, not much to lose, but I wonder how often they do that?

"For Better Or For Worse" stands out as one of my favorite strips of all time, not only because it's funny, but it's well-written and very real in its portrayal of life's little quirks. Today's entry puts a foot forward into "Blondie" territory, yet again in a very real way (no Dagwood showing up at the door). Not only does Johnston pay homage to Dag and Blondie (and in a subtle way, "Peanuts" and "Cathy"), she also seems to be saying what we all seem to think about her strip, which is "I feel as though I know these people!" Kudos! Now, I'm wondering if we'll actually see a Patterson at the party next Sunday? (Actually, now that I review - Elly is already there - many characters already there haven't been shown since, so what are they doing? Crashing with neighbors?)

Ted and "Sally Forth" also got an invite today, in a funny bit that finds Ted asking "why do all the dorky-looking guys always score the hot-looking women?" (Sally's sly reply: "you tell me.")

In Other Comics

"The Boondocks" had me laughing out loud today as grandfather tries to impress upon Riley the importance of washing one's hands before supper. Riley is not-threatened and unmoved by gramps' insistence (and swinging belt) as he counters with logic such as "I know where my hands have been, and I'm not puttin' 'em all in your food. So why are you so worried about it?" Funny, Riley doesn't strike me as being the stubborn one.

The uneven "Opus" scores on the current events front with a funny strip about "intelligent design" and nipples on men. I can see one of the uses that Steve comes up with for nipples, the other one tho'. Ouch! (And this coming from a guy with a pierced nipple.)

Thanks to "Non-Sequitur" for adding yet another great tidbit to my phrase dictionary. "Le wump" seems like an all-occasion sort of commentary, don't it?

And finally, "Shortcuts" says "this is your brain" in an edition sponsored by Pinky and the Brain" ("are you pondering what I'm pondering?") - but what got me were some little details that I've not spotted before - a band-aid on the big lunky guy, the insignias on the bottom of Juanita's shoes (assuming that the redhead is not Juanita), and what's up with the kid with the glasses? No wonder he's always got the scared look on his face, he's a hapless critter (in this case, caught in mid-fall while dishing trivia.)

I'm really looking forward to next Sunday's anniversary party for Blondie and Dagwood and I'm hoping that they will release a book of all the artists' efforts to make this an unforgettable event! I'm sort of wishing now that I'd been clipping and collecting - but it's sort of like T.V. Guide (which I used to collect) - if you miss a few, it becomes maddening. I can't imagine the licensing effort involved with getting all of the different syndicates to dance together. That alone is cause for celebration!

Saturday Fun

2005-08-27T11:25:00.000-05:00

Today's "Blondie"

It's difficult to tell if Sarge and Beetle Bailey were drawn by their creators or by Young and Lebrun, they look pretty "on-key." But then again, these guys go way back and probably pals. (The cartoonists, maybe not the characters.)

Of course, there's no doubt that Dag and Blondie are being interpreted by The Walkers in "Hi and Lois" - it's easy to accept the appearance of either until you start seeing them drawn by other people, then it's "dude, what IS up with that haircut?"

In Other Comics...

"Sally Forth" DRAMA! What's the deal? Is Hilary simply upset or is she physically hurt? Does that jaw look swollen? It's rare for this strip to be so perfunctory in its presentation (and so rare to see Sally sort of speechless..)

In so many "Peanuts" strips, the mastery of Schulz was to make silence funny. In the past week, Snoopy's attempts to engage bugs with a smile were hysterical - and the ongoing theme of toasting marshmallows has been a treat, especially today as Linus and Charlie Brown observe the itinerant beagle placing his freshly cooked treats into an off-panel freezer. (Funny, I don't remember ever seeing this series either - I'm still of the mind that Schulz has probably years of unreleased strips just waiting to delight.)

I don't know the name of the poor angry pooch in "Mutts" who is always chained up in the yard (according to the "Mutts" official web site, it's simply "Guard Dog", poor fella) but when Mooch gives him a sea-shell as a gift from his vacation, the dog is at first insulting, and then grateful in a poignant panel that shows him holding the shell to his ear with a smile by the light of the moon. Did I mention how much I love "Mutts"?

Little fink rock, little pink sock, hey!

2005-08-26T11:13:00.000-05:00

Today's "Blondie"

I must be missing some appearances elsewhere, but have been too busy to seek them out online. If you're seeing some daily appearances of the ongoing "Blondie" anniversary, please dish them here!

Today, "The King Of Id" and Smithers bond. Natch.

I wonder if any strips who feel left out will attempt to do a little party-crashing? Can you see it? Fred Basset howling for Daisy to come outside with some scraps? The possibilities are endless....

In Other Comics...

What a huge laffer to see Crabby assuming the "little pink sock" pose in "Mutts"! We always knew he had a gentle $#%&! side.

Batman Down The Hatches

2005-08-25T16:21:00.000-05:00

Or, er, something like that. We're in Hurricane Preparedness Mode here in Florida, but I just have to say that the sight of Grimm drinking out of Dagwood Bumstead's toilet bowl is certainly a comic version of east-meets-west, the subdued humor of the olden days mixed with the in-your-face wit of today. Me like.

And on that note, speaking of mixing it up, a little religious/political punch to resonate, just in case we are mit out power.

I see new subscribers - aloha!

Potpourri

2005-08-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

I'm just gonna have to make a category here for "Blondie" - every day, there's something funny going on - like "Where's Waldo?", but not as annoying.

Hagar The Horrible meets up with Dagwood in "Blondie", and I gotta say this brings up a point about the different styles being applied to the characters in this multi-strip romp. It would seem that in some of the clips, the characters as drawn by their own artists are pasted into one of the "Blondie" stock backgrounds. However, when the "Blondie" characters wander into other strips, they are drawn as that strip's artist(s) would render them. So it was great to see Dagwood as envisioned by "The Family Circus" today as well as Hagar, who looked, well, rather good as drawn by another artist. I wonder if this will result in any stepping-on of toes? I wonder if I'm thinking about this too much? Nah!

Thanks to "Sherman's Lagoon", the phrase "very angry shiny toast" is now a part of my phrase dictionary. Hoo-hah!

And for some strips, you just gotta say "I grok."

Amen.

The Time Shift!

2005-08-23T07:22:00.000-05:00

The confusion has started for me with this "Blondie" timeline. Today, Mooch from "Mutts" mourns his little pink sock, before finding another one to love - while just across the way in today's Sentinel, he and Earl find a whole bunch of socks in Blondie's wash. It's like seeing Mickey Mouse in two different places at Disneyland!

Dagwood being caught playing poker with the cast of "Beetle Bailey" today was classic, but "Mother Goose and Grimm" upped the ante' with Grimm's rib-tickling (and fan-favoring) description of how to get to the Bumstead's (even though he already appears to be there - inconceivable!) Throwing "9 Chickweed Lane" into the mix was a knowing nod on the part of Peters - must be a fan!

Hah, they're early!

2005-08-22T23:04:00.000-05:00

I think this whole "Blondie" caper is going to end up like a toon version of "The Surreal Life." What ever will happen to the line for the bathroom?

The "Mutts" invite delivery today was very cute. But you know - this brings up a question regarding holes in the fabric of space and time. If Garfield is at the Bumstead's, but still smacking Odie around in another part of temporal reality, what will that do the vacuum that is the passageway between the worlds? Does this mean a "Cool World" sequel? (God, let's hope not!)

Now I have to look back and see how the "Get Fuzzy" delivery went.....

Happy Sunday To You

2005-08-21T13:09:00.000-05:00

On a personal note, I know of at least a couple of you out there who are die-hard and actually read this blog, Marisol being one of them, so thanks for that. Your cool meter is always rising.

My blogs have holes because I've been in Editing Hell, which is not to say that I don't enjoy the smell of my own flesh burning, but it makes for a tough surf; I've been hitting selectively, which could almost be mistaken for something close to resembling "time management". (A new thing, could be a fad. I'll let you know in a minute. Ha.)

So, I haven't even looked at the Sunday funnies, the best of the collection this week. I've let my online strips collect in the archives. I'm ready for a comic implosion perhaps tomorrow morning.

Until then, it's back to Medialand. Hoping that you're all having a beautiful and blessed Sunday!

Mahalo,

Bing

Spilling out of the box...

2005-08-20T11:19:00.000-05:00

Well, there it is, or at least the start of what has to be the most ingenious promotion ever to hit the funny pages. In today's Orlando Sentinel, the first part of a huge roll-out (brought to my attention by Marisol, one of our constant readers, as Stephen King might say) to celebrate the anniversary of Blondie and Dagwood. Just across from "Blondie" as the couple prepares for hairstyling, Jon and Garfield have just gotten an invitation to the party delivered by none other than Dagwood himself - while little boy Elmo delivers to Pasquale (What, Rose and Jimbo aren't invited? This stirs up the bluster amongst those who feared not getting an invitation). And though it would seem that the celebration isn't until next month, Pasquale's already set off with gifts (though Jon and Garfield's invitation states "no gifts.")

Obviously, this is already a lot of fun, and I'd rather not go looking for the official answers and instead wait more fun surprises like these two. I'm sure our little paper is missing out on some of the other "deliveries" today, so if you've spotted any - please hook a brother up here!

Just wondering if the kids from "Boondocks" got invited. 'Cause you know if they didn't, there's gonna be a press conference with Jesse Jackson, standing in solidarity with Baldo and other "Toons Of Color." Wouldn't that be something? It's times like these that I wish I was a skilled cartoonist!

Topper and other real people

2005-08-18T11:07:00.000-05:00

"Dilbert" is on a roll with this Topper character. He looks just like a few of the other Dilbert office-types, but Topper really reminds me of a few people, even down to his deprecating body language (the boastful arms, the "been-there-done-that" stoop) and it's only a matter of time before Catbert gets to him. Even the evil must fry in "Dilbert", which lends cred to the concept that there is, alas, justice on Earth.

Saw It Coming

2005-08-17T15:50:00.000-05:00

My wife actually saw it coming when Elizabeth was cruising around in Anthony's apartment and his wife wasn't present. "What's she doing there?" she asked, and I suppose many people wondered the same thing. Now, I guess Anthony's wondering too. "For Better Or For Worse" doesn't pull punches when it comes to matters of the heart, does it?

9 Chickweed Lane

2005-08-11T10:04:00.000-05:00

Man, I love this strip!

Busier Than A Chinese Acrobat

2005-08-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

Not that I haven't been reading the funnies - I just haven't been taking the time to analyze them - though some thoughts have been building up for awhile.

Like the dual stalker storylines of "Luann" and "For Better Or For Worse". Granted, Luann's infatuation with Aaron Hill is nowhere near as creepy as Howard's criminal attraction to Elizabeth. Somehow though, I figured that Liz would give it to Howard where it counted most, and today's strip at least shows him getting as good as he's been giving. However, given FBOFW's penchant for gulp-inducing twists, I'll have to admit that I'm hoping Elizabeth is more of a badass than we've all realized. To be worrying this much about a cartoon character is a testament to what Lynn Johnston has achieved through her work. Luann, on the other hand, isn't in any danger, except of being humiliated by that island cutie standing behind Aaron.

Comic-synchronicity in the Sentinel - as Linus continues to agonize over giving up his blanket while across the way, Jon, with a checkered tablecloth over his head, is told by Garfield that "Blankets don't eat." Light, I know - but there it is.

So when IS Blondie and Dagwood's anniversary? If they keep this run-up going any longer, it will surpass "Dick Tracy" as the strip with the most elongated serialization ever.

Hawai'i HA!

2005-08-08T10:15:00.000-05:00

"Luann" and her mom are in Hawai'i this week, pretty quick move considering a one-day comic convention was stretched out over the course of two weeks. They appear to be on the island of Oahu, judging by what looks like Diamondhead in the panel background - so they'd be frolicking on Waikiki Beach.

I know Luann is dying to see Aaron Hill while she's there - but I'm hoping that something more substantial comes out of this vacation. Hawai'i is currently roiling over the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that Kamehameha Schools' Hawaiians-only admissions policy as unlawful.

Keeping in mind that this was an autonomous kingdom until President William McKinley, citing Manifest Destiny, basically "conquered" the islands in 1998, annexing them as property of the United States. Thus began an ongoing trial of the Hawaiian people, who first endured their land being stolen from them, and then watched as anglo businessmen began to expand their interests on their island paradise. So this latest intrusion by the U.S. Government is particularly egregious, and has caused an uproar due to the fact that it treads on very iffy ground: you can take the people's land, but can you take the people's right to ethnic sovereignity?

I know - heavy for the funnies, but I'm still hoping that "Luann" rises to the challenge instead of portraying Hawai'i, once again, as just an idyllic island paradise with happy locals and no worries. Timing is everything...

Dogbert of Homeland Security

2005-08-04T13:00:00.000-05:00

"Dilbert" predicts the future. It's so funny that it hurts!

Put Up Or Shuttle Up

2005-08-02T23:31:00.000-05:00

I just hope the astronauts get safely back to the earth before something else falls off the motherf&$#%@! Billions of dollars spent on an unjust war in Iraq and they're fixing the space shuttle with a spatula and chewing gum. Meh.

They're adding weeks to daylight savings time

2005-08-01T13:37:00.000-05:00

Can we win some extra hours added to the day as well? Or would that be like hour inflation?

I'm slammed with work, so here's a giggler from a strip appropriately called "Brevity":

Sly humor RULES!

That's The Way (uh-huh, uh-huh)...

2005-07-31T07:12:00.000-05:00

...I LIKE it! The Sunday funnies are actually pretty good today, and not just in funny ways. I know it's too much to ask for the comics to be, you know, actually giggle-inducing, but with too many of them, you're lucky to deliver more than a semi-interested "huh."

"For Better Or For Worse" has made a habit of making its Sunday editions self-contained and mostly "silent", which usually results in a flow of laughter, which is a good thing, because the weekly serialized version is creeping ever closer to disturbing (not even gonna talk about it...)

The anniversary theme in "Blondie" has been going on for what seems like weeks now, leading me to believe that its creators (and the syndicate, sounds like the mafia, doesn't it? La Cosa Toonstra...) are planning a huge party, which means lots of merchandising tie-ins and maybe a prime-time special. In any case - today's strip is a multi-generational commentary on music that tickled my fancy and my eyeballs with its colorful looks at a jazz trio with senioritis, a stage-diving neo-punk band and a quartet of German folksters clad in lederhosen. Too bad Blondie and Dagwood weren't able to secure the talents of the lovely Pam (not far removed from Jessica Rabbit, slurp!) and her band, The Escorts (my! how racy the funnies can be!) - there's one anniversary party that I would've been eager to crash.

Somewhere in the archives, I've likened the style of Patrick McDonnell's "Mutts" to the lines of legendary "Popeye" creator Segar. Since the beginning, McDonnell's characters have possessed a sketchiness and certain squint-eyed affinity for the look made famous by the sailor, so it was both a surprise and no surprise whatsoever to find a loving homage to "Popeye" and the gang in today's strip. That the characters are drawn with such skill is no surprise either; I'm thinking that Segar, and later, animator Max Fleischer who brought "Popeye" to life as a cartoon, were probably huge influences. Crabby's final panel joke is a real gem.

What some comics do with the eyes of their characters is interesting to note. Some go with highly expressive and realistic peepers and others don't color the whites of the eyes in. Ease of drawing and economy of replication must come into play in some strips, where only dots are used for the eyes, such as in "Sally Forth", which has made a career out of using those dots, along with sarcastic lines, to get many of the wisecracks over. So it's a tad unsettling to see that Kitty, who seems to be recovering nicely from surgery, has more detailed eyes than her human counterparts. You could read a lot into that, but I'm just not gonna.

Lately, Garry Trudeau has come under fire for his potrayal of the Bush administration in "Doonesbury", so much so that at least twelve papers across the country either pulled or edited his Karl Rove strip that found Dubya calling Rove by the name "Turd Blossom." First off, many of the uneducated readers out there who singled Trudeau out for "name calling" are seemingly unaware that the moniker is actually Bush's pet name for the man who orchestrated his election and re-election campaigns. But what's incredible to me is the fact that the word "Turd Blossom" could be found so offensive. Let them get a goggle at "Dilbert" today and the phrase "I'm going to hell" and see if that causes any heartache.

Apparently, Berke Breathed's terms for bringing "Opus" back to the Sunday edition included giving him a full third of a page, no more, no less. Certainly, the tepid reaction of some folks has dulled the edge of said demands, as it looks like "Opus" is shrinking. Or is that just my eyesight taking a leave of absence?

"Non-Sequitur" is back doing what it does best! I was initially blown away and charmed by the tale of "Ordinary Basil", but it soon began to resemble a "Dick Tracy" strip, full of expository to catch up readers and slow plot developments. In the end, the story fell just short of the whimsy it was originally shooting for, but did manage to seed the proceedings with some jabs at modern government, something that Wiley is very good at. His inimitable drawing style and skewed humor are back on track today though; where else will you find baleful mommy-cats, bears, dinosaurs and polytheism wrapped in a technicolor five panel package?

Biggest Laugh Of The Morning: Bucky's attempt to sport a do-rag ("on you, I think it's called a 'don't' rag!") in "Get Fuzzy."

So, "Shortcuts" has names for the five "multicultural" characters (they are K, Roland, Junior, James and Juanita, the latter of which is the only one that seems to stand out as culturally different) but there's no name for the little hermit crab who's borrowed both his look and attitude from Disney's Sebastian. In any case, each strip is "sponsored" by a celebrity that takes on the look of whatever subject the half-page panel is presenting. These sponsorships, and the crab's usually disdainful commentary, are funny as well as they are sometimes groan-inducing. Today's subject, hair, gets a "I'm giving this cartoon the brush-off" (groan) while the sponsor is "Shaft" (the Samuel L. Jackson model) featuring Sam's tough goateed, sunglassed mug on a 'shaft' of hair exclaiming "right on." If that wasn't giggly enough, "This edition of Shortcuts is sponsored by Shaft. (They say that Shaft is a bad hair day.)" had me simultaneously laughing and saying "oh my GOD!" - do the kids get that sort of thing?

Double your funny

2005-07-29T18:12:00.000-05:00

One of the things that I like about certain splendid comics is that they don't just deliver a punchline; they often keep hitting you with comedy throughout the strip. "Dennis The Menace" is a good example, usually working with a rhythm that shoots a joke at you within the first couple of frames, then another, and then finally wraps it all up with one last jab. It's the strip that keeps on giving.

"Dilbert" is similar, though less obvious. It's usually funnier in its first frame than most comics are in general.

Shades of Swingers

2005-07-28T09:33:00.000-05:00

There's a scene in the movie "Swingers" where Jon Favreau's character (I was too lazy to look it up in the IMDB) comes home to an abusive answering machine, a scenario that popped into my head while looking at today's strip from "Candorville."

In our 21st century age where everything you do online is logged, spidered, searched and seized, one of the ultimate tests of relevancy is to Google yourself (I prefer to Yahoo, myself) to see how you fare in the eyes of the internet. C'mon. Admit it. You've done it, Narcissus!

Discovery!

2005-07-27T19:30:00.000-05:00

Well how cool is this? I stumbled across one of the most delightful strips I've seen in quite some time. It's colorful, it's cute, it's funny, it eerily resembles the comings and goings at my house. It's The Mows and, yes, it's all about cats.

One brisk run through the archives and I was hooked. This is great stuff!

The Cat's Meow! (and other vocalizations...)

2005-07-26T16:05:00.000-05:00

As a cat-owner, I look forward to the "Hallmarks Of Felinity" tidbits offered by "9 Chickweed Lane." There's a whole book of 'em, d'ya hear that Santa?

Comics From Afar/Catching Up

2005-07-25T06:36:00.000-05:00

My wife has been on what I call a "rock-star tour" for her job, traveling to major cities like New York, Seattle, etc. to train others. Knowing how much I like variety in my funnies, she brings back the comic pages from these locales, causing me to wonder what's wrong with Orlando that we only get ONE page while Denver gets TWO. Are we doing something wrong?

Well, not really, since most of the comics in the Denver Post are, in my opinion, sketchily drawn and too reliant on vague and snarky humor. Strips like "Agnes", "Overboard", "Nest Heads", "Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!" and "Adam" just failed to ignite any reasonable form of passion. However, it was nice to see some other strips that I forgot even existed, let alone persisted. Remember "Tiger"? (or maybe you never forgot.) Wow, what a classic! "The Amazing Spider-Man" serial, "The Wizard of Id" and a wickedly funny "B.C." - how I miss these strips! The Post also had a bunch of one-panel beauties that I'll have to look up like "Loose Parts", "Close To Home" and "Natural Selection" ("Marlene!! For the 800th time, it's not the clothes that make you look fat!! It's actually being fat that makes you look fat!") There's also the excellent "Sherman's Lagoon", a daily "Pearls Before Swine" (is it me or is it funnier on Sundays?), an interesting three-panel called "Preteena" that could be a precursor to "Zits" and a sharply drawn wit-fest called "The Meaning of Lila" that'll have me surfing for certain. But what got the biggest laugh out of me was "Boondocks" for July 18th, ("Steve Stoute says McDonald's is a lifestyle brand", "Sounds like somebody might be smoking a little McCrack.")

Sunday Sentinel - how brilliant a parody of "Gulliver's Travels" in "Zits" - how hilarious to see Snoopy expelled from a wading pool by Lucy, passing by Linus with a big cheesy grin on his face (Linus: "on a warm sunny day like today, in a neighborhood such as ours, it is not often that you'll see a beagle floating downstream..") Could Sunday have been the end of the "Ordinary Basil" serial in "Non-Sequitur"? (it was starting to lose something in the telling, I've forgotten what the quick wit of Danae and Lucy was like...) and the first huge guffaw for "Shortcuts", focusing on the topic of hermit crabs, with our host's declaration that "this cartoon is all about ME!" Nice.

And today's big puzzler - if "Beetle Bailey" could always distract Sarge from beating him up by lobbing a candy bar, why doesn't he just stock up on the damn things? It would probably save him (and us) from the brutality!

Tsk, tsk

2005-07-22T16:08:00.000-05:00

I'm very disappointed in "Luann." She's let money go to her head in the case of Elwood. First she calls him a greasy midget, then she sees how much cash he's got and gives him her phone number. *sigh* - this can't end well.

HAWWWW!

2005-07-21T13:04:00.000-05:00

Man, I love a good laugh out loud. Off-siting often does that for me.

- "Monty"

Off-Site and Onto Something

2005-07-21T12:28:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while, I zip through our daily comics section over a bowl of Total (with Splenda, a gallon of it) and find absolutely nothing that stirs me. I wouldn't go so far as to say "familiarity breeds contempt", but it's like living with family, you know their ways and means, their sense of humor, so sometimes they just don't shock you into living. So you have to go out and hang with some people you don't know as well, just to shake and awake yourself.

I've been merely glancing at "Toy Trunk Railroad", and finding it kind of quaint in a highly specialized way. It's obviously full of love for this particular form of transportation, and being fond of trains myself, I get a kick out of it. However, today's strip appears to hint at a serial nature that I was perhaps missing before. Just a wee bit of comical drama that may have me checking in more often.

Oh! Pibgorn!

2005-07-20T09:35:00.000-05:00

Faeries, demons, time-travel, Quantum Physics, love, sex and classical music. "Pibgorn" sure ain't your average comic. What papers syndicate this masterful, challenging strip?

The Inevitable: We All Must Go

2005-07-19T14:22:00.000-05:00

But before I get to that cryptic subject line, I gotta say it's simply a hoot when other cartoon characters (and other characters period) show up in a comic strip. "Luann" today chalked up a double-dose of fun with the unusual pairing of Homer Simpson and Darth Vader. Mm-hm. Weird.

There's no denying that life goes on, that we grow old and eventually die. For cartoonists, this fact is particularly poignant, since most of their lives are consumed by doing pretty much one thing, and a public grows very accustomed to that one thing being done, due to its regularity. So a movie actor or sports figure winks out like a shooting star, but they're rarely a part of day-to-day life like the men and women who ink the strips that greet us every morning. That's why many cartoonists take on apprentices to learn the craft, passing on the lines and curves and techniques, training family members or colleagues in the basics of their strip's nuances. And some artists are irreplaceable and would never dream of leaving a legacy to anyone else.

That said, you can usually tell if one of the older generation of ink and painters is starting to flag; their lines are not as graceful or the composition begins to look a little rough around the edges. Comics like "Dennis The Menace", "Family Circus", "Beetle Bailey" and "Hi and Lois" are prime examples of strips that have been around for awhile, but are starting to show little inconsistencies in their drawings. I'm not exactly sure what the contingency plan for each of these features is, but you'd be surprised how many comics in syndication today are re-runs by artists who have passed on. Is it that there aren't many new examples of daily hilarity to take their places? Or have we just grown to love them so much that we can't let them go?

Not Like Other Blogs

2005-07-18T14:27:00.000-05:00

That goes without saying, doesn't it? I sort of realized this while going back through some older posts. Unlike other blogs that link to articles via permalink (i.e., they're still there down the road apiece), here, most of the links go to a comic strip's "comic of the day" page, which changes, well, daily. In order to see a particular strip in most cases, you need to reference the date of the post and then search for that strip in the archives. In some cases, I'll actually post the strip, but I'm trying to avoid getting a lot of graphics on the blog. Also, I don't always link because I'm a lazy bastard (and also because the "link" function on blogger is possessed, spits out extra characters, erases some others and, well you know if you've tried to use it, sketchy, kvetchy bug-of-a-bear), but most of the toons mentioned here are featured in the blogroll down below. Now, having stated that:

DAMN! Tiffany's showing a little flesh in "Luann", is she not? I've noticed over the years (since the late 70's, gasp!) that Luann has slimmed down, wisened up and begun to show a little belly flesh herself; the whole strip has slowly changed with the times. But today's first panel is, er, fetching. I feel like I'm looking at a Playboy magazine.

God, I hate that "insert link" button. It's 100% "no-go" and "crotchety" today.

Synchro-comics in The Orlando Sentinel as "Hi and Lois" and "Hagar The Horrible", one on top of the other, both end their strips today with dangling commentary---dot-dot-dot. "On the other hand..." "however..." I guess three dots is the norm for such practices, huh?

And in the "That's So WRONG" department - "Mother Goose and Grimm" try to hang Gumby. What's even funnier is Pokey is the source horse. Cringing and laughing at the same time...

Dot-dot-dot.

Happy Birthday Disneyland

2005-07-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

July 17th, 1955 - Disneyland opens to the public on a day known as "Black Sunday" (due to all of the things that went horribly wrong at the park.)

Since Disney has given us many a-world of toons, I thought it appropriate to drop some props in this space. 50 years old! That's definitely "golden"!

Tech Funnies and Rampaging Felines

2005-07-17T12:26:00.000-05:00

Today's Sunday comics really hit home in a couple of ways, specifically in the technology department. My wife has been traveling the country teaching classes for Charles Schwab (she's a legal advisor) which involves her being away for the weekday (which sucks), back on the weekends (which I like) and they give her gifts for all the hard work that she does for them. Last year, they gave her a choice of some items and she chose an iPod mini, which has become one of her favorite possessions. This year, since she already had one, she elected to get another for me. Turns out that the edition they're currently giving away is an iPod Photo, which is sort of an upgrade (ya think?), but there is no iPod jealousy in our household. So, back from her first leg of the summer tour, she brings this crazy thing along with the news that she's lost her cel phone. Since we're on the same plan, when she got a replacement phone, I needed to as well. Now, I was happy with my old Sony dinosaur and had just figured out how to use it. So the past weekend, I've been up to my armpits in operating manuals trying to sludge through all of this new technology (however fun).

Which brings me to "Zits", where Jeremy is intensely following the status of his iPod as it is shipped from the manufacturers to his home. Anyone who has ever tracked a package via the internet can relate; it's the 21st century equivalent of "are we there yet?"

"Pearls Before Swine" hit upon something that I've considered lately: how technology has put up more borders between us as it also connects us in global fashion. Hell, with some folks you can't even send an e-mail without an auto-response that asks you to go through a registration in order to cut down on spam, a shameful necessity in this day and age. The opaque sphere that rat's talking about can't be far off!

And I've been meaning to give a shout-out for Jeff Harris' back panel kids comic called "Shortcuts". Besides being entertaining, it's also illuminating, which is a lot more than most strips can say. Its little quirks, such as the "sponsorship" by celebrities and the puns emitted by its Sebastian-like hermit crab, are groan-inspiring, but addictive as all get-out.

And with visions of cats, dogs and pecking birds fresh in my head from "For Better Or For Worse", it's time for me to go and give the cat a bath. If you don't see a posting tomorrow, pray for a speedy recovery. (For me, not the cat.)

A.W.O.L.

2005-07-15T21:49:00.000-05:00

Actually, Blogger was terminal for a while and it's been an out-and-about kind of day.

"Dilbert" this week has been hysterical. It's rare to see the pointy-haired one out of the office. It surprises me not, the man's a total pervert.

Cross-Cultural Jokes

2005-07-14T11:03:00.000-05:00

As proof that comics aren't just for kids anymore, look to "The Middletons", which features an age-old vaudevillian joke that I'm sure has many Gen X and D types goin' "huh?" Mareseatoatsanddoeseatoatsandlittlelambseativy......you know the rest, right?

The "Super Mutts" series of strips has the nifty effect of creating grand comedy and upholding basic, decent virtues at the same time. One of the nicest things about "Mutts", to me at least, is the warm-fuzzy you get afterwards and the worst violence is in the form of squirrels dropping acorns on the heads of others.

Okay, I know this is going to sound anal, but doesn't Jeremy have the sunburn from hell? What's his dad doing with his hand on his shoulder in today's "Zits"? Just wonderin'.

Comedy is a delicate thing. Take "Family Circus" today. Two little girls looking at a computer screen with one proclaiming "you just click on it and they put it in your shopping cart"; in and of itself, not really funny. Now, add a somewhat worried looking parent in the background. Screams volumes, doesn't it?

Pain

2005-07-13T13:18:00.000-05:00

This is the third day that Jeremy ("Zits") has been running around with the most Satanic of sunburns, which serves as a gentle-yet-funny reminder that you should be wearing sunscreen this summer if you don't want to end up looking like walking burnt toast. The puffs of smoke wafting off of his back are a nice comic touch.

A thought just struck me - since Jeremy is the center of this strip's universe, does that mean that he, like Luann and other comic teens, are doomed to spend the rest of their lives in high school? Oy. Must be comic karma - whatever you do in a past strip can come back and haunt you.

Funnily enough, in the strip directly above "Zits" (at least in the Sentinel), Miss Buxley ("Beetle Bailey") has just laid out after putting on some sunblock. Perhaps she learned from Jeremy's mistake two days ago?

Pain

2005-07-13T11:56:00.000-05:00

Back To The Home Paper

2005-07-12T09:08:00.000-05:00

I've been wandering so much, when our local rag is actually full of some good strips this week.

Something that's been bugging me about the "Paddy and Penrod" storyline are the costumes that Berniece and Luann are now wearing. There's just not room enough for the top of Luann's head in that Paddy costume. Where is the rest of her head? Her hair? It's very discomforting. That and Berniece looks like she's got a huge load in her pants; not flattering in the slightest.

The sight of Grimm on a Segway: worth the price of the paper (and I didn't even have to buy it.)

The turn of events in "For Better Or For Worse" is kinda close to home for me, for different reasons, but still close enough to warrant an "ouch." Though what Becky is going through in terms of her working with the band is an allegory for any relationships that we "grow out of", the musical aspect of her need for autonomy is something that happens to just about every group along the way.

The phrase "Hello? Anyone home? Death to you!" needs to be on a t-shirt. Thanks "Doonesbury."

Elegant. Sexy. Comic Strip.

2005-07-11T18:07:00.000-05:00

It just doesn't get much better than "9 Chickweed Lane".

Editorial Cartoons: The London Bombings

2005-07-08T10:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's bombings in London, as reflected by the pens of editorial cartoonists, are depictions of a people determined to remain unswayed by terror. Some are dark and brooding while others dare to skirt the edges of humor in an effort to deal with the pain. Terror In London is a collection of editorial cartoons that takes a variety of approaches to this tragic event.

Our prayers and thoughts are with the victims, their families, the British and everyone who stands to lose in the face of such barbarism.

Hey - This Is Fun!

2005-07-07T09:55:00.000-05:00

More off-site comic browsing - it's a big, wild world out there, and The Orlando Sentinel is just ONE PAGE (at least weekly). So this week, I've been cruising my blogroll heavily, in search of some different flavors and vibes.

Lawyer cartoons - they don't sound terribly funny until you get there (and having a lawyerly wife with lots of lawyerly friends, perhaps it's funnier in this universe), but they are at least funny. Quite a few comics out there are simply, well, kinda lame. Perhaps you just don't realize how good something is until you compare it with the other end of the spectrum, the syndicates do a pretty good job of maintaining quality levels to the nation's newspapers. Like a good editor in a film, you don't notice the editing if it's good. Which is why what passes for writing in some of these strips (I won't name names, but you can probably pick them out of a line-up) is not even as good as a textbook illustration. Sa la vie, you know boy, you never can tell.

Oxygen, please!

2005-07-06T09:17:00.000-05:00

First "Mutts" employs "Bing" as a sound effect this week and now "The Middletons" does the same thing. Now, I'm looking for messages between the lines of the funnies (what else is new?)

Laughing out loud til' I'm red-faced, sure doesn't happen often, but I decided to go "off-site" and check out some Linda Barry. It was a ritual of my California high-school days to catch a bus into Westwood, meet up with a friend or two, grab a copy of the L.A. Weekly with some grub and pore over the funny stuff while waiting for our movie to start. "Ernie Pook's Comeek" was guaranteed to make us laugh-til-we-farted, and Barry's lost none of her touch over the past couple of decades. (Feeling old-ish, right about now-ish.) Just reading the words, "Camp Lulu is tailored for the small, moody, vocal, insistent dog!" and "All cabins face each other for maximum window excited-barking!" laid me out this morning in a full-out roar of laughter. Of course, the familiar sketchy line illustrations just take it to the next level. Genius. And so #1! Hey!

On Bloggers and Blondie

2005-07-05T12:14:00.000-05:00

And yes, I did see the Sunday "Doonesbury" that poked fun at bloggers. Meh. I didn't feel insulted - it was probably appropriate at some level, right?

Did you see Blondie doing her impersonation of Sally Forth today? I don't think I've ever seen her usually-wide-open-eyes at snarky half-mast before. It's so, well, un-Blondie-like, that she actually looks a little stoned. What do you think?

The "Blondie" official site features the backstory of Dagwood and Blondie; a story that not only caught me unawares, but makes perfect sense and explains quite a lot. (No wonder he's always dressed like a big playboy. The strip just got ten times funnier to me.)

Where Are The Fireworks?

2005-07-04T11:50:00.000-05:00

You know, normally, holidays in the funny pages are a lot like television sitcoms. When a particular date on the calendar draws near, all the shows begin to show signs of appropriate decorum.

Which is why it's a little odd that The Orlando Sentinel has very little in the way of fireworks on this July 4th. Dagwood's wearing a patriotic shirt and cooking out in "Blondie", Dennis The Menace is in the corner with an American flag ("come on you guys, it's July 4th! I was just tryin' to show some INDEPENDENCE!") and Jeffy's got his fingers in his ears anticipating loud noises in "Family Circus".

Other than that - not even the armed services-friendly "Beetle Bailey" has anything to say on the subject. Ironically enough, the only visual fireworks in evidence can be found in "Doonesbury", as Duke and Honey witness the bombing of Al Amok in a stunning one-panel vista that perhaps sums up why there's less than the usual amount of flag-waving going on today.

It's not often that my name pops up in a strip either, as it does in "Mutts". Look! I'm the sound of a falling nut! (Surprise, surprise.....)

Happy Independence Day y'all ---

Dilbert, Simply, Dilbert

2005-07-01T11:56:00.000-05:00

I guess I've been so overstimulated that I'm finding humor where I don't normally expect to find it. Like today's "Dilbert" for example. Nothing deep, nothing too "techy" or "geeky." Just the universal feeling of wanting somebody to shut the #$%&@$ up. Of course, Dilbert would never be so mean as to actually say that. But a well-placed tumbler always does the trick, doesn't it?

I'm having "Pibgorn" withdrawals - where's the latest strip??

Same ol' same ol'

2005-06-30T10:22:00.000-05:00

Grrrr. Sometimes, there's just not a lot of pep in our own funny pages (correction, funny page and I like to go "out there" seeking some new and fresher angle by which to laugh at the world. But today, le internet is being le sluggish and I'm unable to surf for silly. Maybe my humor is still hitched to Spielberg's war wagon and there's nothing wrong with my funny page.

Okay, there was a smile there at Fred's annoyance at being referred to as a "still life." The world must certainly be changing if the highlight of my morning is "Fred Basset." Here's something I didn't know: this strip has been in reruns for over ten years!

Okay again - it's the details, Mr. Wilson appears to be reading a newspaper in Mandarin Chinese. I doubt that's how it was supposed to be construed, but funny in any case. Lordy-Smorgasbord, I'm looking for funny in the margins.

Goners!

2005-06-29T20:01:00.000-05:00

I played hooky from life today, went to a 10:45 a.m. showing of "War Of The Worlds" and have just now emerged from the strange, disturbed funk that settled over me during the course of the film. Not sure how I feel about that - but a little "Pibgorn" aided me in returning to something close to normality:

Things That Make You Go.......

2005-06-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

Have you ever given serious thought to the life of Hagar The Horrible? I mean, here is a guy who steals for a living, has an ogre for a wife and his best friend's a pipsqueak. I think he and Sarge should get together.

But besides the obvious, whenever you see Hagar, he's either on his way to a conquest, back from a conquest, arguing with Helga, drinking or eating himself silly or in the case of today's strip, hanging in manacles somewhere in a castle dungeon. How many times have we seen him hanging from some wall by rusty chains? How often have we seen the hooded executioner/jailer? How often have we actually seen him escape? We don't! In all of his rowdy, beer-soaked, overtaxed, rolling-pinned adventures, we never see the guy make a brilliant escape from those rotting prisons he's always landing in. That would make for some great material, wouldn't it, eh? I guess Chris Browne feels that seeing Hagar always on the verge of getting pummeled by some army is suitable enough, and what's up with THAT? He would seem to be a fairly stealthy viking, to bring home the loot that he does, but he never seems to be caught in the act of winning anything. What portion of the big picture, exactly, are we not getting?

Having a dog in the house, I'm quite familiar with the "sniff, snuff, snoof, snerf," routine that comes with any new odor into the abode. My wife and I contend that just the simple act of sniffing is like crack for dogs. Today's "For Better Or For Worse" illustrates this with such dead-on aim this week, it's been laugh-snort, chortle, snerf every day. John's groaner this morning was actually so funny that it wasn't a groaner.

"Sherman's Lagoon" is funny in a sick way today, considering that there have been two shark attacks in the past few days, in the same area of Florida. A little reisling, anyone?

The Reality Of Comic Strips

2005-06-27T10:21:00.000-05:00

So, when a human character talks to an animal character, typically, the human gets a dialogue balloon and the animal gets a thought balloon (except for "Get Fuzzy", "Pooch Cafe" and a few other outcasts, where apparently the humans and animals just outright talk to each other), something that always puzzled me. Can Jon actually hear what Garfield is saying? Sometimes it seems so, and sometimes, if you just block out Garfield altogether, Jon does seem to gibber on by himself quite often. He's a pretty lonely guy. For a cat owner.

Welcome back, Marisol!

Amen, Ted, Amen

2005-06-25T11:51:00.000-05:00

Ted from "Sally Forth" is a man after my own heart. Forget about this corporate-world crap; get a bus and form a band. Now that's honest work!

Snif, snuff, snoof! In "For Better Or For Worse" can you say "terminal velocity"? Elly is about to get bum-rushed.

Has anyone in the history of comics seen Beetle Bailey's eyes? If anyone knows of a startling instance where they were revealed, please let me know. I'm just wondering how he can get anywhere without tripping over stuff. Must be some new stealth-gadget that the army's working on.

There He Goes Again!

2005-06-24T10:18:00.000-05:00

Snoopy's Greatest Hits continues today with the appearance of the World War II Flying Ace. He is driving Lucy absolutely bonkers!

Is it a reflection upon our society that the funny papers have introduced more and more, er, reality? I don't remember there being so much strife in the ink, especially in the vocational realm. I guess the cartoonists really know where it's hurting most people these days.

There goes "For Better Or For Worse" with the hysterical sound effects again, "boof" is indeed a more appropriate onomatopoeia than "woof", since dogs don't have the lips required to produce a "wh" sound. I need to get a life.

It's Getting Hot In Here...

2005-06-23T11:04:00.000-05:00

Did someone turn the heat on? Can we win some air-conditioning? From "9 Chickweed Lane"

Lord, have mercy.

In other news: when Snoopy does the Suppertime Dance, the whole world sings. True laugh-out loud funny, so what's up with Snoopy's Greatist Hits recently? Vulture, World War II Fighting Ace, The Whole Lucy Stay has been like mug-city. Keep 'em comin'!

Rip-snortin' giggles for "Garfield" - for anyone who's suddenly walked into a spider web and started doing what Jon's doing in the second panel. HAH! The words "so out of here!" spring to mind.

I weep for Brad. I weep for Reddy.

I predicted chaos at the Patterson House and I'm just ready to pull up a chair and watch the fireworks. Have you ever just felt something stupid-funny was just around the corner? When I introduced my cats to my wife's dogs, it was an adventure of a different kind. Far as I can tell, Shiimsa hasn't been declawed and has no idea what a dog is. The sideshow is about to begin.....

Pibgorn Rocks!

2005-06-22T12:57:00.000-05:00

I. Love. This. COMIC!

The Peanuts Question

2005-06-22T12:46:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm firmly convinced that Charles Schulz, aware of his impending death, went into overtime and churned out countless "Peanuts" strips to be distributed and published after his passing. The reason I say this is because ever since he died, I've still not seen what appears to be a "rerun" and I know the strip pretty well, having followed it since the early 70's and have several collections from even before that. What else convinces me is that today's strip looks a bit "off-design", as if Chuck was having a hard time maintaining the smooth flow of line that has been a hallmark of the series.

Simul-comics at the bottom of the page for us Orlando Sentinel readers: Both Elizabeth ("For Better Or For Worse") and Zonker ("Doonesbury") are pictured in travel mode, sitting in those oh-so-not-comfy seats aboard some public transportation. I believe Liz is on a bus while Harris is in the air - but still - stacked right on top of each other there - I love it when that happens. Footnote - why does Elizabeth's comment to Shiimsa seem like a promise of chaos upon her return to the household? It's going to be one lively summer with the Pattersons!

Gettin' Silly Wit' It

2005-06-21T11:36:00.000-05:00

There are times when I dig down deep for a dissertation based on the funny pages. And then there are times when I just giggle, snort and get heap-happy jollies from the silliest little details.

Today is one of those days.

"For Better Or For Worse" has had me giggling as Elizabeth attempts to get her adopted cat into a cat carrier. The look of dismay on kitty's face in today's panel two was classic. Tittering away even as I type. On another note, The FBOFW website is the most extensive comic-strip website that I've ever seen. It's as deeply charming as the strip itself, complete with character insights that go much deeper than the daily action that we see. These are truly just glimpses into a fully realized universe that's just under the surface (and sometimes glaringly on top.) Check out Elizabeth's letters page to see what I'm talkin' 'bout.

Thanks Marisol!

2005-06-20T08:08:00.000-05:00

For turning me on to "Sherman's Lagoon" - I'm actually starting to see it in some papers as we travel around, but it's funny enough to seek out on the web while here at home.

One of the things that's endearing about "Mutts" is how it resembles old Segar "Popeye" cartoons. I wonder if that was an inspiration?

"9 Chickweed Lane" is absolutely brilliant - today's conversation is loaded to the gills. It seems like it's nothing, but when you consider that Amos and Emma are childhood friends contemplating the implications of being in love (and physically attracted to each other), it becomes clear that comedy is indeed just truth through a filter.

Poor Brad

2005-06-17T11:35:00.000-05:00

It's just gonna break his heart to find out that Toni Daytona's just not into him as more than a friend! At least that's what I'm expecting to happen in "Luann" (who'da thought that the strip I started reading in 1978 would still have me involved today?) but you never know - she just might see something in the boy.....

We're off to play a gig tonight in Lake Worth, Florida at The Bamboo Room - will be back on Sunday for those fabulous in-color funnies!

Acid Flashback?

2005-06-16T09:17:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or has "Doonesbury" re-run a few strips here dealing with the F.B.I.'s "torture training"? The sub-plot appeared some time ago and then abruptly vanished. Now, keeping pace with current events, it seems to have come back and reversed a bit - just in case any of us missed the opening monologue. I'll have to hand it to cartoonists like Trudeau and Lynn Johnston - they've got a lot of story to maintain, many threads to tie together, and they usually do it with style and imagination (not to mention wit.)

"...one Nation under God, invisible" goes the pledge in "Family Circus". Amen to that, sister! Invisible to the people in charge, I'm thinkin'!!

Comical Cahoots Part Deux

2005-06-15T09:32:00.000-05:00

Though not together on the page, this occurence seems remarkable for its visionary spectrum. "Bound and Gagged" features two dogs staring at a white picket line with one saying "this is so embarassing, I'm the last one with a visible fence!"

Down below in "The Middletons", an orange tabby walks out into air ala Wile E. Coyote and then plummets to the ground as a nearby cat says to another "he's still trying to walk on that invisible fence."

Maybe these two strips are juxtaposed somewhere, making this even more highly amusing and interesting, but for those of us on the lookout for comic collusion, this sort of thing sticks right out there.

The "Family Circus" take on the Pledge of Allegiance is rib-tickling, especially today's entry "and to the Republic for witches dance...." - guess that one's got some evangelicals freaking out today!

Is Miss Buxley from "Beetle Bailey" Toni Daytona's mom? Jes' wonderin'.

Comical Cahoots

2005-06-14T09:26:00.000-05:00

There it is, right smack dab in the middle of the Tuesday comics section - an interesting case of comic-synchronicity:

It starts on the left with "The Middletons" as Bumper the bulldog obeys the command to play "dead" and then waits for Morris to "throw some dirt on him." Right next door, "Hagar The Horrible" introduces Lucky Eddie to "Dirty Dirk" and his dog "Dirty Dog", who looks perhaps like Bumper would if Morris had gone ahead with the soil-tossing. Just below that in "Fred Basset", the hound exclaims about a diminuitive scotty that "the poor little chap has been taken to the cleaners..but he looks all the better for it!"

Not exactly all the same thing, but an interesting happenstance in any case.

Seeing Ourselves

2005-06-13T10:33:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but Sarge's anger at Beetle Bailey is damn near pathological. Besides his eating disorder, the guy likes nothing more than to beat this private to a pulp or harrass him in one way or another. Maybe that speaks more to today's army than previously thought!

Grand Slam Sunday

2005-06-12T10:32:00.000-05:00

The Orlando Sentinel knocked one out of the park with page three of today's funnies:

"Opus" and his anxiety closet is always vividly amusing, but today's edition carried a self-referential pot-shot (pun intended) that was cleverly and wickedly done. Though I don't normally subscribe to schadenfreude, Breathed's rendering of a sickly-white, pixie-ish Michael Jackson flying his standard "V" for victory was funny enough, but to lump him in with the "Pop-Culture Has-Beens From The '80s" (which included an unseen Bono and an ill-included Mick Jagger) was sheer genius. (I love how Darth Vader's helmet flies off as he retreats in a huff)

Now here's where the Comic Analyst in me comes screaming out from the depths. Considering that the violently suggestive final panel represents Bill The Cat's realization that Opus is, by nature of his publishing history, guilty by association and indeed one of the "Pop-Culture Has-Beens From The '80s", does that mean that Bill could very well turn the gun on himself, echoing certain journalistic practices of late? Was that a run-on sentence? Do I care? Non. I just really wanted to see Bono as drawn by Berke.

Call it one of those little things, but I dig how "Get Fuzzy" cartoonist Darby Conley sometimes renders Bucky as a diminished figure in the background as he delivers his lines. Always hanging around the edges of the frame, it somehow accents his acerbic take on the world. Not to mention that it also accents the fact that he is a very short and physically non-threatening cat.

I don't give "Dilbert" enough credit. It takes some kind of twisted brilliance (or obsession) to accurately portray the kind of day-to-day, textbook-ready, indignities that workers are meant to suffer at the hands of those in charge. Of course, take the dialogue out of the office and put it in the bedroom, exhange a few verbs and nouns -- voila! -- it's your current relationship, ever notice that?

Now, how many times have you driven down the street, seen those stickers of Calvin pissing on everything from Dodge logos to Republican elephants, and thought "man, I'll bet Bill Watterson is fit to be tied."? Leave it to "Pearls Before Swine" to not only illustrate that instance, but take it a step further and suggest that maybe, just maybe, we're going to see lots of stickers in the backs of truck windows featuring Pig doing something equally as noxious? Will Pastis like this development (or is it already happening somewhere?) or is he indeed attempting to encourage it in order to publicize the strip? Wouldn't that be like playing a concert and encouraging people to bootleg the recording? Does that mean that you can come back thirty years later like Metallica and condemn this kind of behavior?

Saw the coolest shirt yesterday at Disney's Polynesian Resort. It was Hawai'ian style, bright colors, with Jessica Rabbit taking up about half of the design as she stands holding a longboard emblazoned with her hubby Roger. The back is a reverse angle, which given her beach attire, is just as fetching as the front. A female friend said something to the effect of "nice coconuts." At $42, it's anti-cheap. I've already petitioned Santa.

Dick Clark, pay attention..

2005-06-10T09:19:00.000-05:00

"Mother Goose and Grimm" does it again, while asking questions that we've been asking for awhile now. How come some comic characters age and others don't? Geez, this one panel looks like that shot at the end of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" that pans across all of the toons. So who's the fella third from the left? Is he from "Gasoline Alley"? That's "Mary Worth" beside him, right?

The bits where "Garfield" is sitting in the chair watching a t.v. that we can't see; they remind me of "Pinky and the Brain" in their left-field, non-sequitur dalliances.

Brain: Pinky, are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Pinky: Yeah Brain, but burlap chafes me so.

Dabbling In Watercolors, Eddie?

2005-06-09T09:33:00.000-05:00

So, I've gotta admit, I have a new favorite strip. "9 Chickweed Lane" is a freakin' hoot. Probably a little too risque' for most newspapers. That Emma - she's somethin', isn't she?

All I can say about today's strip is: "nice save."