The Good, The Bad, & The Creamy

Howdy, pardners. It's time for the weekly cartoon recap from Bizarro Studios North, so let's jump right in.

Monday's gag indulges my fondness for spaghetti westerns, which initially drew me in with their peculiar and haunting soundtrack music. The best-known composer in this genre (probably the greatest living composer in any category) is Ennio Morricone. Even if you don't know his name, it's a safe bet that you'd recognize his iconic theme from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. 

The explanation above is, of course, more than you need to know to get a laugh out of the gag, but any time I see an opportunity to go on about Morricone's music, I grab it.

Tuesday's comic is a simple and straightforward riff on a culinary trend that's mostly quite sensible. The art includes a rare appearance by the Bunny of Exuberance. Among Bizarro's Secret Symbols, the bunny is the trickiest one to draw. I try to avoid him, but sometimes he insists. If I balk at putting him into a comic, he hovers over me and threatens to overturn my ink bottle until I relent.

Goldilocks was incredibly picky, considering she'd broken into a house, helped herself to everything, and expected woodland creatures to anticipate her preferences. Baby Bear makes a valid point. You are free to find layers of commentary in this cartoon, if you're so inclined.

Today's offering reproduces a cave painting discovered in a grotto beneath a location that we now know as 4 Times Square.

Readers who count the Secret Symbols in Bizarro cartoons may see a discrepancy in this one. The number five appears by the signatures, but some people will count six. One of the characters in the cave painting is in fact pierced by the Arrow of Vulnerability, but we chose not to count it in the Secret Symbol total, since that detail would probably be impossible to spot in the ever-shrinking newsprint version of the cartoon. 

If you came up with a total of six symbols, give yourself extra credit for excellent eyesight.

Friday's gag is completely absurd, yet somehow strangely, believable. I've never been able to grow much of a beard, so I just might get a troll doll to see it it improves my concentration. But not this one.

This pun only works if you use the American pronunciation of Tintin's name, so I offer preemptive apologies to readers around the world for whom it makes no sense.

Thank you for reading and commenting, and for sharing Bizarro on your social media platforms, bulletin boards, and refrigerator doors. Every Sunday, Dan Piraro posts his own comments on the week's cartoons from our world HQ in Rancho Bizarro, Mexico, and shares his latest glorious Sunday panel.

Dan has also started a new Instagram feed where he shares his ultra-fine art. There are some early works, as well as amazing new pieces he's creating for an upcoming art exhibit. I highly recommend surfing over to IG and following @DiegoPiraro.

Earworm for the Week

Ennio Morricone's Main Title theme from A Fistful of Dollars (1964)