Black Tie & Tails 2010

Billboard on Bigelow Boulevard in Pittsburgh

October 27, 2010

Idiocy, Explained

Today's Bizarro is the latest collaboration between Dan Piraro and yours truly. I usually post Dan's published cartoon followed by my sketch, but I'm switching it around this time to show how the gag evolved.

While working with the radio on, I heard cliche "blithering idiot" used in an interview (probably an in-depth political story). It occurred to me that the word "blithering" has a rather funny sound to it, but that it's rarely seen on its own, and is always associated with the word "idiot." 

I came up with this sketch, separating the conjoined terms:

 

Not bad for a tarted-up pencil sketch, and worth a giggle, although it's a little on the broad side.

After I sent it to Mister P, the following dialog took place over the course of a week. It provides a peek at our joint process of developing and refining a joke -- if it's possible to use the word "refining" in this context.

Wayno: Did you make a decision on the blithering idiot gag yet?

Piraro: I think I'll make something of the idiot cartoon, yes. I just had a thought that I wish I could use but I can't: I'd love to draw it as an audition, with the idiot standing in front of a panel of three judges, drooling, pants around his ankles. One judge says, "Your fucking is good but your blithering needs work." A boxed caption at bottom is "American Idiot Auditions." Hahahaha! Oh well.

W: I like your take on it! That would have been a great one! I also considered showing the goofy character talking with a career counselor, who says something like "I think you have the makings of a successful idiot, but you need to work on your blithering."

P: Your career counselor version works well, too. I'm really wanting to put another reference in there along with blithering, though. Is there another adjective that goes with idiot besides "fucking" and "blithering"? I can't think of one. If it were a British comic I could use "bloody" but I think in this case it would seem weird and gruesome. Does "Your drooling is good but you need to work on your blithering" work? Let me know if you come up with anything.

W: How about we move away from the adjective form, since I can't think of another adjective to place before the word "idiot" that would work. Maybe "Your wardrobe is just about perfect, but you need to work on your blithering." 

It's possible that we're starting to over-think it! The directness of the original sketch could be the way to go. This is great... a deep, scholarly discussion of the fine points of a cartoon about an idiot! Ha!

P: Probably over-thinking it, you're right. Perhaps we are the idiots. Come to think of it, I have been blithering a bit lately. I'll sit on it for a week and see what I think then. A fresh look often changes everything.

One week later...

W: I think I have the idiot thing pretty close: The caption says "Idiot Career Counseling." The idiot is sitting in front of a serious-looking guy's desk. The guy behind the desk is looking at his resume and says "Overall, this looks good. How much blithering experience do you have?"

P: Love the idiot gag, you nailed it.

W: This has been a lot of fun. A real collaboration!

About a week later, I got a peek at today's masterpiece. Among other improvements, Dan toned down the wackiness of the character, providing more of a surprise when the reader gets to the caption. A sillier looking character would probably have been a distraction. 

In Dan's version,  the reader's eye starts at the word balloon, then drops down to the caption, and finally gets a little reward as it trails upward to see the slack-jawed applicant. A brilliant execution, as always.

 

And that, boys and girls, is how cartoon sausage is made.

Our previous joint efforts are viewable by searching for the Bizarro label, and there are more to come.

A Little Toast

Today's Bizarro comic is another food-related joke written by yours truly, and drawn by Dan Piraro, the Most Meticulous Brush in the West:

There's nothing deep or intellectual this time around; I have no axe to grind or indignation to vent, just a bit of silliness to share. A package of Melba toast spotted in the grocery store led me to an image of workers on an assembly line placing tiny slices of bread into itty-bitty toasters, which I found to be absurdly amusing.

Here's the original submission:

I love the background details that Dan added, particularly the chute delivering bread to the guy loading the toasters. In my sketch, the conveyor belt travels right-to-left, which Dan reversed. I think left-to-right works better for readers in the Western world.

I must say, however, that I think the smaller props make this gag funnier, so I'll award myself a few points for the scale of the bread and toasters in my rough. Otherwise, Dan's finished work is--as usual--a marked improvement over the concept piece.

Click here to view our previous collaborations. Once we complete a few more, I think a gallery show is in order!

Step Right Up!

Here's my latest gag for Dan Piraro's comic, Bizarro: 

I'd been kicking this idea around for months, revising the names of the three freaks, and writing the descriptions over and over. Finally, I sat down to sketch out several submissions for Dan, and ended up with this:

The word "freakshow" works much better than "sideshow." I wasn't sure whether "freakshow" would fly with the syndicate, so I was happy to see that change in Dan's final version.

There's no question in my mind that the phrase "high-fructose corn syrup" sounds a lot funner than "genetically modified fruit." Say each one out loud. I think you'll agree.

The talented Mister P also creates a special header panel for each of his Sunday strips, although some newspapers don't use them. Here's the header for this one:

Knowing about the headers, I submitted the idea (below), which Dan completely outdid with his wild barker. My sketch was intended to look like him.

As always, I'm thrilled to see one of my ideas brought to life by my friend Mister Piraro.

• • •

All of our previous collaborations are viewable by searching this blog for the Bizarro label.

Please consider joining my Facebook Artist's Page, and check out my prints of musical performers currently available from Portland's RockPop Gallery.

And, since you're already wasting time at work, I recommend reading Dan's blog, which gives insight into his creative process, documents comments from angry readers, and always has funny links sprinkled throughout. He also sells his original art at very reasonable prices. Dan's original black and white art is astoundingly beautiful.

• • •

September 17 update: Dan's comments on this same strip.

Peel Slowly and See

Once again, I have the privilege of seeing one of my gags drawn by Dan Piraro for his Reuben-winning daily comic, Bizarro. It's a spin on the long-standing comic cliche of a guy slipping on a banana peel.

I've read various accounts tracing this to the early days of music-hall comedy at the turn of the 20th century. One site I came across claims it's rooted in an actual urban hazard, and that rotting banana peels were all over city sidewalks before anti-littering laws became commonplace. Whatever its origins, it's become visual shorthand for a simple joke.

In a neat little Hitchcockian stroke, Dan depicted himself in the cartoonist's role. 

Here's the sketch I submitted to Mister P:

Dan chose a rather elegant way of using three people indicate a crowd, rather than drawing the dozen figures suggested by my sketch. Now that I look at it, I think I was drawing myself as the cartoonist in this version.

My original showed the victim as a high-hatted dandy, which I imagined as a cross between Ebenezer Scrooge, the Monopoly game's Rich Uncle Pennybags and The New Yorker's Eustace Tilley. This is the traditional motif, where a confident, pompous character gets his comeuppance by slipping on the peel, and is cut down to size in front of onlookers. Dan shows a working stiff in overalls (perhaps the driver of the nearby delivery van) as the unfortunate victim of the stray banana.

As usual, Dan's changes streamline and improve the cartoon. In my sketch, the stuffed-shirt in the top hat distracts the reader, taking attention away from the cartoonist muscling through the crowd. The crux of my gag is that the guy busting his way in isn't offering medical or legal help, but instead wants to document the other fellow's misfortune as a drawing. The cartoonist is the real butt of the joke.

Thank as always to the gracious Mister Piraro, for exposing his audience to another of my gags. All of our previous collaborations are viewable by searching this blog for the Bizarro label. There will be a few more in the coming weeks. Watch this space!

If you're a Facebook user, please consider joining my Artist's Page. Also, please check out my prints of musical performers, which are available from Portland's RockPop Gallery.

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September 15 Update:

At the risk of creating an infinite loop, here's a link to Dan's blog, with his comments on this comic.

Tap This!

Sunday Buzz

Here's my latest gag for Dan Piraro's comic, Bizarro: 

It's an extra kick to see it as a Sunday page.

It seems that people have been doing this bee-beard thing since the early 1800s. It doesn't require any talent other than the ability to stand very still without passing out from fear. I figure that someone should have changed it up a bit after 200 years, and it leads to an absurd and amusing visual. That's really all there is to the joke.

My original was conceived as a magazine cartoon, in a squarish format, which Dan didn't change all that much, other than streamlining the punchline and adding some lovely background detail.

All of our previous collaborations are viewable by searching this blog for the Bizarro label.

If you're a Facebook user, please consider joining my Artist's Page, and also, please check out my prints of musical performers currently available from Portland's RockPop Gallery.

NEWS FLASH: Last night, Dan Piraro was named Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society, and received the prestigious Reuben Award.

Congratulations to the very talented Mister Piraro on this well-deserved honor!

Quiet, Please!

Here's my latest gag for Dan Piraro's great daily comic panel Bizarro:

 

Without taking sides, it's a bit of commentary on the competing noise pollution we're often forced to endure. 

In the spirit of fairness, however, I do believe that infants should come equipped with an "airplane mode" setting, and that it should be enforced.

For comparison, here's the idea as submitted:

All of our previous collaborations are viewable by searching the blog for the Bizarro label.

By the way, Mister P has been nominated for 2010 Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society. The winner will be announced at the end of the month. Best of luck, Dan!

If you're a Facebook user, please consider joining my Artist's Page.

Room for Cream

At the risk of wearing out my welcome on the comics page, here's another of my Bizarro gags:


I'd forgotten about this one, and had to do some searching to find the original submission.

This joke was inspired by frustration, anger and caffeine withdrawal. A couple of months back, I attended a conference at a hotel/convention center. I intended to start my day with an espresso or three, and was astounded to note that every little diner, coffee shop and concession stand sported a sign saying that they "proudly" serve Starbucks coffee.

After covering several blocks, I finally found an independent shop without the ubiquitous green rubber-stamp logo. As I sipped my drink, I scrawled this nearly-illegible sketch and photographed it with my phone:


The t-shirt in the sketch says "I begrudgingly drink Starbucks coffee." "Reluctantly" works just fine, too.

A funny gag can overcome weak art, but I think I pushed the limits with this submission. As always, Dan Piraro's finished comic is a true work of art.

Stay tuned for a couple more in the near future...

Unsafe at any Speed

For the third time this week, here's a Bizarro cartoon written by yours truly:


There's not a lot to say about my submission. I wouldn't even call it a sketch. It's more like an item on a to-do list. I wasn't trying to compose a scene, but rather to jot down an idea so I would't forget it later, and dashing off the two figures was quicker than if I'd written a verbal description of the scene.

Dan's addition of the word "Dude" makes it funnier. I've used it to humorous effect myself in an earlier comic.

At the moment, there are a couple more Piraro/Wayno collaborations in the pipeline, so keep checking the funny pages.