This is the weekly dispatch from Bizarro Studios North, where I have been writing and drawing the Monday through Saturday Bizarro comics since 2018. My partner and friend Dan Piraro created Bizarro in the late twentieth century and continues to do the Sunday comic from Rancho Bizarro in Mexico.
Wayno
In all my work, the writing as well, I try to make it look as if it just
appeared seamlessly on the page. That it wasn’t even crafted. It just
happened. That’s what I was looking for. Eventually, if it’s on your
mind, you stumble on it. You need a certain amount of luck and
persistence.
Jules Feiffer (1929-2025)
It's been a rough month for losing artistic heroes. The last couple of weeks brought news of the passing of filmmaker David Lynch, musician Garth Hudson, and the great cartoonist Jules Feiffer.
In addition to working as a cartoonist, Feiffer was an author, playwright, screenwriter, and educator. His brilliant comic strip Feiffer ran in The Village Voice from 1956 to 1997. I looked forward to it every week when a bit of New York was delivered to my mail slot.
The quote above is from a 2008 AV Club interview. It's part of a much longer answer to the question, "Did you have a sense of what you were trying to achieve in terms of the drawing?"
I met Feiffer briefly at San Diego Comic-Con around 1993 (give or take a year or two), but I was too awestruck to say anything other than what I hope sounded like, "It's an honor."
His description of the hard work of trying to make something that looks effortless resonates with most cartoonists. This August 1974 Feiffer strip about Richard Nixon has been popping up online this week. It shows him to have been a keen observer and a visionary.
Author and historian Michael Tisserand wrote a wonderful appreciation of Jules Feiffer discussing ten ways he changed comics and culture. I recommend it.
Bizarro reader Patrick G. shared this dashing photo of actor and director Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997).
Mifune is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors of all time. He is best known for collaborating with director Akira Kurosawa on sixteen films. Over his long career, he appeared in over 170 movies.
Thanks to Patrick G. for the photo (and some enjoyable discussion of music we love).
Now, we shall see whether I had any luck and was persistent enough in creating this week's cartoons.
One should be thankful for finding common ground with others.
The caption came from a typo, and I devised the gag to set it up. I like the drawing and dialog, and now I wonder if the caption could have been eliminated.
In fairness to the unnamed sailor, the prosthetic probably looks like a leg to him, and besides, it would provide better stability on board a ship.
Nobody likes a know-it-all.
In an earlier sketch version, the text was, "This is why I wear cardigans," but the skewed reference to a turtleneck felt more satisfying.
We're reasonably certain that we used the correct spelling of "BEE-yoop."
These ghost cartoons take a bit less time to draw than my usual panels. Maybe I should do a whole week of them.
Or not.
This animated short won an Academy Award in 1960. It was directed by Gene Deitch (1924-2020) and features the voice of comedian Howard Morris. Munro's voice was provided by the director's son, Seth Deitch. Seth and his brothers Simon and Kim are well known for their work in underground comics.
Bizarro Bonanza
If you like what we do and appreciate that it's free of charge, we encourage you to explore the following links.
Copyright© 2025 by Wayno®
"test tub" reminds me of the scene in Woody Allen's "Take the Money and Run" in which would-be bank robber Allen's penmanship is so shoddy on the note he hands a teller that everyone thinks he has written "I have a GUB."
ReplyDeleteHa! I hadn't thought of that, but yes!
DeleteHoward Morris was also Ernest T. Bass on the Andy Griffith show
ReplyDeleteYes, and he was also great as a regular cast member on Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows." One of my favorite bits was Morris, along with Sid Caesar and Carl Reiner as the Three Haircuts. (Yes, I have their record!)
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N-sgihJlD0
Here's Sid & Howard in another great one:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFe15-rBk-w
Thank you for posting the Jules Feiffer cartoon. Sometimes, we need to look back to see where we are heading. I was not aware of his passing. I always admired his sardonic wit both in his cartoons and writing. The play "Little Murders" still haunts me to this day.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good fight against reality and I hope to celebrate the eightieth anniversary of Bizarro with you and Dan.
I seem to remember a Feiffer cartoon about the Middle East situation, featuring first a baby in front of the TV as peace negotiations are announced, then on as the baby becomes a kid, then a young man, then a middle-aged man, then an old man.
ReplyDeleteI have not been able to find this cartoon online. Do you remember it? Do you know of online resources where I can search for Feiffer cartoons?
test tub brought back the idi amin hot tub ad for me
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/TGHFgW88dJU?si=kVrCfQRZp-mo_8y2