Overture, Curtain, Lights

When I was a youngster, my brothers and I spent Saturday mornings in a sugar stupor, flipping channels as we melted our brains with a barrage of TV cartoons.

Here at Bizarro Studios North, we try to recreate those bleary-eyed mornings by re-running the week's comics on Saturday, along with plenty of interstitial chatter to remind us of the commercials we had to endure between scenes of animated mayhem. Before reading any further, eat a few bowls of any breakfast cereal with a cartoon mascot on the box to further simulate the experience.

We tread with caution when considering a pun-based comic. If it's one we haven't heard before, we work to develop a surprising setup. We were pleased with the ordinariness of this scene (with the exception of the parking attendant's lower half) and decided to run with it.

The original sketch made a reference to AvtoVAZ, Russia's largest car manufacturer. We prize authenticity in Bizarro, but the name AvtoVAZ is unknown here in the US, and is probably impossible to pronounce. We felt it distracted from the simplicity of the gag. Having the customer describe the vehicle seemed more natural, and contributed to the deadpan delivery we love.

Tuesday's gag features a medical specialist who's well suited for the job at hand.

This cartoon is not a comment on any generation or group. It's just a drawing from my imagination, suggested by the caption.
 
Unlike the characters depicted in this cartoon, we've been privileged to witness the emergence of a great number of activist citizens challenging the status quo over the past year and a half. We generally keep things light and funny here, but feel we must mention the inspiring young activists making their voices heard and speaking truth to power after the recent horrific crime in Florida. The brave, articulate, smart, and passionate student survivors give us hope for real change in the future. I was proud to make a monetary contribution supporting March For Our Lives, even though Amal & George Clooney's donation clobbered mine. I encourage you to chip in and help them if you are able.

The owners of this establishment are obviously considerate toward their customers' preferences.

In competitive sports, psychology is often as important as athletic ability. Don't let your opponent rattle you.

This guy again? We ran a gag spoofing the popular Where's Waldo character a couple weeks ago. Sometimes, when riffing on ideas for gags, we concoct multiple approaches to a theme or character, and we'll use them if they're not repetitions of the same joke. I think we've exhausted commentary on Waldo, but you never know, a cartoonist's brain keeps churning even when we sleep. Must be all the cereal we eat.

For even more commentary on the week's gags, plus a new Sunday panel, check out Dan Piraro's report from Rancho Bizarro.