Designated Dummy

Autumn has arrived, and here in Hollywood Gardens, PA, we're wondering what fresh hell the season will bring, thanks to a significant segment of the citizenry who don't care about their own well-being, let alone those of their fellow humans. This cloud of pessimism may be seasonally influenced, but today, I stand by it. 

The beyond-foolish behavior of certain knuckleheads can at least serve to remind us that many kind and thoughtful people are also around us, but at times, hope for the future of Homo sapiens is difficult to muster.

Please excuse the gloomy intro. Serves me right for following current events.

However, my mood lifted considerably when I happened upon this elegant and striking pipe pic of Eva Green, in a still from Tim Burton's 2016 film, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

In fact, the smile this image brought to my face prompted me to share this week's Bizarro comics, in hopes that you might experience a moment or two of levity as a result of our artistic labors.

Monday's gag utilized the fictional Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Since its debut in the 1984 film Ghostbusters, the character has become recognized as the preeminent marshmallow creature, displacing Campy, the disturbing mascot of Campfire brand marshmallows.

 

Coincidentally, Monday was the birthday of Bill Bryan, a special effects character designer and performer who built the original Stay Puft costume, and wore it in the movie. A reader pointed this out to me, and I had to admit that I wasn't familiar with Mr. Bryan, but enjoyed the synchronicity of this gag appearing on his birthday.

Oddly enough, the customer was headed to Wall Street.

 

Sometimes it's all about the optics. Or should that be cycloptics?

 

Dad jokes exist in every species.

 

Potatofolk can be deep, which shouldn't be a surprise, as they grow underground. 

This one required some creative rearrangement to convert to the horizontal strip layout. I even had to change one of the secret symbols to maintain the total of four in the art.

 

Transitioning from the melancholy to the ridiculous, we present our final gag of the week. This attitude deserves a name, but I haven't come up with one. It would have to be the opposite of a "sweet spot." The panel was based on that maddening phenomenon of online queries from people whose Google has apparently stopped working.

Thanks for joining us for another comic roundup. You know, I feel a lot better now than I did when writing that opening paragraph. Your readership and support are greatly appreciated, and keep us coming back to the drawing table every day.

Don't forget to visit Dan Piraro's blog, for his take on the week's cartoons (along with other topics of interest) and to gaze in wonder at his latest Sunday Bizarro page.

Also, a new episode of Dan/Diego's graphic novel Peyote Cowboy appeared this week, and it's absolutely stunning. The whole story is available to read for free. If you enjoy it, I encourage you to support his work via the Peyote Cowboy Patreon page. This project is epic, and the art and writing are masterful.

Bonus Track

I chose this song for one reason alone: My outlook always improves when I listen to NRBQ, and the record they made with Skeeter Davis puts me over the moon. Here's a favorite selection. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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