Un Fumetto Controverso

Today's contentious Bizarro comic, the latest to feature one of my gags, exploits the potentially confusing result of foreign words entering the language.

There's not a lot to discuss regarding the structure of this joke. It's quite straightforward and satisfying, even if it does make me hungry. Dan Piraro's finished art is very similar to my sketch, although he refined it by deleting the caption at the bottom:

 

Mister Piraro and I are both of Italian descent, but we agreed that (in addition to giving the joke more punch) removing the caption might prevent negative responses to perceived insensitivity. As I recall it, Dan opened the conversation by saying,"Mediterranean, please!"

One could possibly read it as a comment on the way people can become agitated about things they don't understand, or the creation of bogus issues designed to distract an uneducated populace, but I really wasn't thinking that deeply at the time. However, if someone makes that case in a term paper, I'll certainly take credit for it.

Another food-related gag will appear next Friday.

My earlier collaborations with Dan can be viewed in the blog archive. We're approaching a bit of a milestone appearance, and of course I'll make a big deal out of that.

In other news, after a gap of a few months, I have more gags are coming up in Hilary Price's comic, Rhymes With Orange, and I'm working on a PowerPoint presentation for an appearance as guest lecturer in an illustration class at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. I've been assured that tuition is non-refundable.