Tally Ho!

I don't know much about hunting, but I do know that there is a type of hunting dog called a pointer, which was enough to craft this gag:

Dan Piraro's finished art closely follows the staging in my sketch, which is always a nice bit of affirmation.

This is a gag that benefits from a realistic drawing of the animal character. A cartoonish dog using a laptop computer isn't very surprising, but a convincingly "real" dog in this absurd situation adds some logical contrast which gives the gag a little more punch.

Our many previous collaborations can all be viewed in this blog's Bizarro archive. Please drop by again for more of this kind of foolishness.

Start Me Up

Today's Bizarro is a gag that could almost be an actual occurrence for the caffeine-dependent among us (and I speak from experience).

Here's the sketch as submitted. In Dan's version, at least the fiend put a raincoat on over his pajamas, instead of showing up in a bathrobe.

Many of my cartoonist compatriots suffered from self-inflicted sleep deprivation over  Memorial Day weekend, when the National Cartoonists Society held its annual Reuben Awards here in my hometown. Pittsburghers Vince Dorse and John Manders received Divisional Awards for online comics (long form) and book illustration, respectively.

The event gave me a chance to catch up with many of my esteemed colleagues, including members of the Bizarro collective.

Clockwise from lower left: "Dangerous" Dan McConnell, Wayno, Jim Horwitz, Dan Piraro. Photo by Keith Robinson

At the Sunday night farewell party, attendees were entertained, or in some cases annoyed, by the musical stylings of the Chalk Outlines, my side project with fellow cartoonist (and powerhouse drummer) Dave Klug, and good friends Hank Lawhead, Jeff Stringer and B.G. Mozart. If there's one thing I've learned from this experience, it's that excellent musicians can carry a moderately-talented vocalist.

Ready to wash dishes after the gig: Hank Lawhead, Dave Klug, Wayno, Jeff Stringer, B.G. Mozart. Photo by Jill McGlothlin

Performing with these guys is a real privilege, and a lot of fun. We plan to keep it going on a casual basis for as long as we can convince someone to let us set up and bang away.

As always, you're invited to peruse the Bizarro archive to puzzle over our earlier collaborations. A new joint effort will appear on June 11.

An Endangered Species Walks Into a Bar...

Today's Bizarro cartoon tweaks a familiar cinematic trope, seen in countless westerns and film noirs.

When a director wants to tell the audience that a character is at the end of his rope, and is planning to get stinking drunk, the standard scenario is to show him ordering a whiskey, adding, "leave the bottle."

Here's the sketch I submitted to Dan Piraro for consideration.

This was one of those rare gags that hit me immediately, and I was pretty sure it would be a winner, so instead of doing a proper scan and cleaning up the image, I simply snapped a photo of the sketchbook page with my phone and sent it as-is, with visible pencil lines and poor lighting. Dan liked it as much as I did, but we thought the word "pot" could create some confusion. We didn't want readers on either side of that issue to think there was some secret message about marijuana in the cartoon. We have no agenda here other than producing a laugh. We agreed that the word "vase" didn't quite work, and finally settled on "planter," which maintains the syllabic rhythm of the word "bottle."

Dan added a nice little detail, showing the individual serving in a little terra cotta pot.

We do realize that bamboo isn't an intoxicant for pandas, so the transference doesn't hold one hundred percent. However, it is a fact that since bamboo has very few nutrients, pandas who live on it have to eat it in large quantities, so there is a scientific basis for the cartoon.

This gag marks a new milestone: it's the 125th collaboration between Dan and me to appear in Bizarro. You can see all of our previous joint efforts in this blog's archive.

They Might Be Gigantic

This Sunday's Bizarro is another fine example of Dan Piraro's wonderful comic art.

As I've noted before, Dan pulls out all the stops on his Sunday panels. Just check out this Dan McConnell Sunday gag.

My submission sketch was laid out for the "portrait" orientation of a daily panel.

In a ploy to make the gag more appealing to Dan, I intentionally drew the animals in a static, posed arrangement, rather than depicting them onstage. He's mentioned to me in the past (and I know from firsthand experience) what a pain it can be to draw cartoon musical instruments. especially guitars. I guess his enjoyment in drawing hippos, rhinos, elephants and whales won out, resulting in a spectacular cartoon image. You can almost hear the ultra-low frequency riffs coming from the steel-reinforced stage. 

As always, every one of our joint efforts is viewable in the Bizarro Archive. Have fun browsing, and don't bang your head. 

•••

Speaking of cartoons and music, exactly three weeks from today, my musical group, The Chalk Outlines, will perform at the closing party for the National Cartoonists Society's 67th annual Reuben Awards Weekend. 

Our drummer, cartoonist Dave Klug, describes the band as "alt R&B," which is as good a description as any. We'd originally planned this group as a one-off, just for the NCS party, but we're having so much fun, we're going to keep it going, and are planning additional local gigs over the coming months.

The NCS has never held their big blowout in Pittsburgh before, so the local cartoonists are all abuzz. Several Pittsburghers are nominated for Divisional Awards this year: Mark Brewer, George Schill, Michael McParlane, Vince Dorse, Pat Lewis and John Manders, along with yours truly. It's going to be worth the conference fee of admission to see this gang wearing tuxedos.

•••

The Chalk Outlines
B.G. Mozart, Wayno, Dave Klug, Hank Lawhead, Jeff Stringer
Photo © Jill McGlothlin, 2013

Waiting in the Wings

Today's Bizarro comic looks in on network television's latest must-see talent contest.

 

Some critics say it's just an imitation of Avian Idol, but a lot of peeps seem to love it.

Dan Piraro's finished art followed my sketch very closely, with the only major change being an electric guitar in place of the acoustic. That was an oversight on my part. I'd forgotten that owls are well-known Gibson fans.

Although this is mainly just an absurd, slightly surreal cartoon, I can't deny that there's an element of commentary on the overblown melismatic singing style that's so popular on programs of this ilk.

As always, you are invited to stroll through the scores of Bizarro gags that Dan and I have cooked up together over the past few years.

• • •

In other tuneful news... It's well-known that nearly all musicians are frustrated artists, and that many artists, especially cartoonists, imagine themselves as musicians. This weekend I'll offer further proof as I perform with a musical side project at a (very indulgent) coffee shop in my neighborhood. 

This band brings together a group of like-minded friends, including Dave Klug, a fantastic cartoonist who's also a very talented drummer, plus some other excellent players who will lend legitimacy to the proceedings. If you're the Pittsburgh area, please drop by. There's no cover charge, you can bring in alcohol (in fact that's encouraged), and the proprietors offer very nice coffee, tea, and freshly-made, tasty foodstuffs.

Form 1040-DOA

Today is the deadline for US citizens to file their tax returns, so we present an appropriate Bizarro cartoon on the subject.

The gag refers to the famous quote, "[I]n this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes," which Benjamin Franklin used in a letter in 1789, although he was paraphrasing a line from a play which first appeared in 1716. It's also often attributed to Mark Twain. In any case, it seems that even the hooded one himself is no match for the taxman.

The submission sketch is flipped horizontally compared to the final version. I chose this view to show the tax form in the auditor's hand, though it may not be necessary with the lettering on the office door. Showing two characters seated on opposite sides of a desk is a reliable staging for any number of cartoon situations.

Special credit for this gag is due my wonderful spouse Kimberly, who has a great ear for dialog, an art director's discerning eye, and a real flair for crafting a gag. Very often she'll say, "I have an idea for you," and will describe a perfect cartoon, as she did in this case.

April is turning out to be a fairly prolific month for my funny-paper appearances. So far, this is my third collaboration with Bizarro poo-bah Dan Piraro, and another one will pop up on Thursday.

Our previous joint efforts can be viewed in this blog's archive. And please do check back on the 18th for the latest offering.

Your Call Is Important

In the spirit of full disclosure, I freely admit that today's Bizarro cartoon pokes fun at a movie I've never seen.

I have, however, seen the trailer several times. With each viewing I found it to be more ridiculous. To be fair, though, it seemed quite risible the very first time. 

As tough-guy cinematic catch-phrases go, Neeson's speech doesn't approach the efficiency of "Go ahead, punk. Make my day," or "Hasta la vista, baby." Still, enough people found it appealing to push its box office to over $145 million, and prompt a sequel that was also a moneymaking monster.

This is sort of an update of the "action hero gets revenge" genre, since Neeson delivers his threats via iPhone. Maybe in "Taken 3" he'll text the bad guys and will have to limit himself to 140 characters, and use a frowning emoticon to emphasize his seriousness. (Nuts! I probably could have squeezed another gag out of it using that angle.)

Here's my submission sketch, which employed a wider view than Dan Piraro's zoomed-in shot.

 

The text in my first sketch was an abbreviated version of the movie's dialog. After looking up the original soliloquy from the film, Dan and I agreed that making our version more like the long-winded movie quote made for a funnier gag. Usually, it's better to pare down a cartoon's text, but sometimes verbosity is part of the joke.

I just hope the big galoot doesn't call me to complain about this cartoon. Who has time for that?

By the way, of millions of fans who saw Taken, nobody enjoyed it more than these guys. Like the Taken trailer, the Key and Peele clip always makes me laugh.

If you'd like to see other examples of the way we combine our "particular set of skills," please check out the previous Piraro/Wayno duets at your leisure.

The Three Arrrs

My latest collaboration with Dan Piraro offers a peek into a very specialized trade school.

It's kind of a neat little gag, in that there's a simple pun involved, but the joke is delivered without actually stating the sound-alike word. This adds a slight delay while the reader first notices the carrot, and then realizes that the young student ought to instead have a parrot on his shoulder. Adding that little beat before the joke clicks is more satisfying for the reader than if it had been spelled out explicitly.

Here's the original submission sketch for comparison.

This joke is only the tip of the comedic iceberg possible in this setting. One can easily imagine a classroom full of arrr-chetypes: the Nerd, the Prankster, the Jock, the Stud, the Airhead Cheerleader, the Secretly Sexy Bespectacled Bookworm, the Drunken Slob, the Stoner, Teacher's Pet, the Rich Kid, and the Crazy Sound Effects Guy, all in fashionable buccaneer garb. In fact, when Hollywood launches a Pirate Academy movie franchise, remember that you read it here first.

A few people have asked me about the number "42" next to Dan's signature.

As many regular readers know, Bizarro panels are often sprinkled with an assortment of secret symbols. He indicates how many appear in each panel with a small number by his name. Readers are saying that they can only find an eyeball and a stick of dynamite, and want to know how he came up with a total of forty-two. You may recall that April first is sort of a special day. Of course, it's Pirate Appreciation Day, when seafaring students give gifts to their teachers. The professor's desk drawer contains 27 flying saucers and 13 slices of pie, provided by his thoughtful students.

As always, you are invited to browse our many previous collaborations in this blog's Bizarro archive, and to visit in the future to see new gags, sketches, art, and miscellaneous thoughts posted here.

Measure of Success

For the past year and a half, I've been providing spot illustrations for PittGirl's Last Laugh, a column in Pittsburgh Magazine. Each month, the Art Director sends me the column, and we work up an idea for an image featuring my cartoon version of the writer.

In April's column, she details her efforts to recreate lost family recipes, and urges readers to document them while their relatives are still around to share.

My usual process is to print out the column, read it over a few times and let it percolate in my head, then scribble out some thumbnails on the back as they occur to me. Normally, I'll rough out two or three. This time, I tried a half-dozen ideas before settling on the eventual choice.

The Ouija board and crystal ball/seance sketches seemed a little too busy. The devil's spatula was an amusing image, but didn't really capture the gist of the column. I liked the look of the writer inside a giant measuring cup, and tried two versions of that.

For the final art, rather than showing her as sad or frustrated, we decided on a tired but happy cook who, after some hard work and missteps, successfully revived a family favorite. She's a little disheveled, and her apron sports a few stains, but she's brought back a little souvenir of her grandmother and is savoring the memory. The measuring cup, which resembled a trap or obstacle in the sketches, is now a comforting resting spot after her hard work has paid off.

Compact Car

Today, we present the latest in a continuing series of clown cartoons.

Landing a Sunday¹ gag is always an extra kick for this writer. My good buddy Dan Piraro takes full advantage of the larger space, and goes all-out on the art². The reflections in the highly-polished floor are particularly nice, as are the outfits on the cast.

Here's my submission sketch, which employed a more straightforward viewing angle.

In addition to snagging a Sunday spot, it's also quite satisfying to come up with a wordless gag from time to time.

If you enjoyed this cartoon, perhaps you'd like to view our earlier collaborations, in preparation for our next joint effort, which will appear on April Fools' Day. 

There are currently about a dozen more of our diabolical co-creations in the hopper, to be parceled out over the coming weeks.

---

^{1 Yes, this post is up on Saturday, March 23, a day before the publication date noted in the panel. Since many newspapers distribute their Sunday supplements on Saturday, we consider it fair game to distribute Sunday comics digitally on Saturday, too.
2} Although I assist as Bizarro's colorist Monday through Saturday, Dan does everything on the Sunday comics, including the astounding color. His Sunday panels emphasize what a truly great cartoon artist he is.