Saturday, October 12, 2024

Recombinant Literature

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

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
Oscar Wilde

This quote popped up as a fun reminder that Halloween is coming soon, but it can also be read as a prediction about virtual communications. People can be guarded in face-to-face conversation, with their words being more performative than informative. 

Behind the mask of online anonymity, many people are more likely to reveal themselves, which I believe is Wilde's truth—showing their true nature instead of speaking the truth.

Masks can be literal physical disguises, but they're usually less obvious, if more intentional facades. The phrase "putting up a front" comes to mind.

A "front" can be as simple as a business suit and a lapel pin. When encountering this type of mask, it's wise to pay attention to the person who's behind it.


Today's mysterious pipe pic comes from Bizarro reader Stuart V.



The only information we have about it is that Stuart spotted it "on the backside of a garage, looking out over the countryside in Redmond, Oregon."


I can't decide whether it's whimsical, menacing, or both. Perhaps it was meant to protect the garage it's attached to. 


Whatever its origin or purpose, I thank Stuart for the photo, and for not taking offense when I recently did a comic about someone named Stu.


Now, let's look at the cartoons I've been hiding behind for the past week.



Isn't their matching climbing gear adorable?


When I turned in this batch of comics, I spelled the chimp's name as "Cheetah." JB, my tireless editor asked me if it should be spelled without the final "h," and we both spent a fair amount of time researching the correct spelling.


The character never appeared in the Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan books, so that was a dead end.


Credits for the 1932 film Tarzan the Ape Man used Cheeta, who was played by a chimp named Jiggs. Articles in The Washington Post and People Magazine referred to the animal character as Cheetah, as did The New York Times, in the animal's 2012 obituary.


A photo from the funeral only muddied the waters.



The box of ashes is marked Cheetah, and the memorial card says Cheeta.


We decided to go with Cheeta, as credited in the 1932 film. I think that variant looks more like a name anyway.



The poor fellow's only half-awake.



I shuffled more than two dozen titles while working out this gag.



The seersucker jumpsuits are for the summer months, of course. You can tell it's summertime by the sheriff's mint julep.


These two are known associates of the Roget Gang.


The strip layout is aesthetically satisfying in its own way.


I wrote this gag in August after a certain despicable political figure tried to downplay outrageous undemocratic comments he made as mere "thought experiments." It sounded like something a lazy high schooler might try to pull.

Since then, that same character has spouted countless repugnant ideas and proposals.

Sometimes a "mask" is just a beard and eyeliner.

This Week's Spokesmodel


Daria S., who received a Bizarro tee as a birthday gift from her husband Richard says, "On a gorgeous autumn day, my jazz pickle and I take in the sights of Saint John, New Brunswick on the shores of the Bay of Fundy."



Bizarro Jazz Pickle, Pipe of Ambiguity, and Irön Bunnies öf Dööm shirts are available in assorted colors from the Comics Kingdom Bizarro Collection.


Thanks to Daria and Richard for sharing this delightful photo. If you’d like to be a Bizarro fashion model, send your picture and a comment to WaynoCartoons(at)gmail(dot)com.


By sending your photo, you permit us to share it online. Readers will be identified by first name only. Whether or not you send a picture, we truly appreciate your purchase of Bizarrowear!



Thank you for reading Bizarro and supporting the art of cartooning.


See you next week.


Bonus Track

The Ran-Dells: "Martian Hop"
Chairman Records, 1963




A Halloween hit from the archives of Bizarro Studios North. I don't think I've ever played the the B-side, but apparently it reveals the Martian hop story as a fabrication.

Lots of Bizarro Links 


  

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Saturday, October 05, 2024

Wrap Battle

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


My drawing hand got a workout early this week when I signed and numbered two hundred posters, so I'll keep today's blog concise to preserve my strength for making comics.

The poster project will be revealed in a few weeks.


Today's pipe pic from Kevin G. shows Bing Crosby with First Nations people at the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede grounds in Calgary, Alberta.


Photo from the Glenbow Archives


Left to right are Chief Eddy One Spot (Stoney First Nation); Chief Jim Simeon (Tsuut’iina First Nation); Bing Crosby; and Maurice Hartnett (Calgary Stampede President). 


Bing struck a rather stern pose for this shot, but we don't know exactly what he was looking at.


A tip of the Bizarro chapeau to Kevin G. for this historic image.


On a less serious note, we'll now review this week's cartoons.


We ended September with a Bizarro take on Greek mythology.



It helps to read this with a Scottish accent.


My first attempt at building a gag around the caption was wordy and weird. 


The number of Bizarro cartoons using inanimate objects as cartoon protagonists may soon equal the totals for cowboy or clown gags. 


The art called for an extremely vertical strip layout.


Thursday's panel could have fit in with a series from 2022 where I played with cartoon representations of thought and speech.


One of these competitors, if victorious, has nefarious plans for the loser.


Never trust the cute ones.

Real-Life Jazz Pickle 


Los Angeles musician Jay Work sent us a photo of his saxophone case, which he decorated with a quartet of Jazz Pickle stickers.



Jay has named this group Tower of Sour.


A respectful bow and a tip of the fedora to Jay for his creative use of Bizarro products.


An impressive assortment of Secret Symbol stickers is available at Dan Piraro's Official Bizarro Shop.



This Week's Spokesmodel


Here's a scholarly photo of Beej from New York City wearing his Bizarro shirt.



Will a Pipe of Ambiguity t-shirt give anyone an aura of knowing serenity like Beej? Possibly. It's worth a shot.


All three Bizarro tees are available from the Comics Kingdom Bizarro Collection.


If you’d like to be a Bizarro spokesmodel, send your picture and a comment to WaynoCartoons(at)gmail(dot)com.


By sending your photo, you permit us to share it online. Readers will be identified by first name only. Whether or not you send a picture, we truly appreciate your purchase of Bizarrowear!



As always, I thank you for reading Bizarro and supporting the art of cartooning.


See you next week.


Bonus Track/Small World Dept.

Skip Heller's Voodoo 5: "Miserlou"
From the LP, The Exotic Sounds of Skip Heller
Black Fez Records, 2024




It turned out that before receiving Jay Work's jazz Pickle photo, I had already heard his musicianship. Jay plays flute with Skip Heller's Voodoo 5, and he can be heard on this track from their recent LP. Skip is a stellar musician, arranger, composer, historian, and a longtime friend of your cartoonist.

Voodoo 5 has a fantastic new album coming out soon that includes a back cover blurb written by yours truly. 

More Bizarro Booty 


  

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