Cost of Doing Business

This spot illustration appears in the latest issue of the Pittsburgh City Paper, and describes the practices of some club owners that result in musicians paying for the privilege of performing in their venues.

CP's Art Director, Lisa Cunningham, and I bounced around several ideas involving parking meters, instruments with coin slots, bouncers holding musicians' gear hostage, and feeding money into a vending machine to retrieve an instrument.

I thought that an upright bass would work well, offering a nice expanse of space to add a large, readable coin slot, and a natural-looking way to show the player inserting a coin. At first glance, it just looks like a guy playing bass, and then those details emerge.

Even when doing illustration work, I am, for the most part, a cartoonist.

Preferred Seating

Today's Bizarro comic is set in the lobby of a famous establishment, and plays with a familiar expression.

As is our practice here in Squaresville, we present the original submission sketch for comparison.

There's not a lot to say about the genesis (sorry) of this gag. It was one of those rare ideas that presented itself in fairly complete form. I'd heard somebody use the expression "There's a special place in Hell reserved for..." in reference to some group or wrongdoers. Applying it to a former spouse seemed a natural fit.

You are welcome, as always, to view all of my previous collaborations with Bizarro Grand Poobah Dan Piraro, in this blog's Bizarro Cellar.