Myths and Monsters

It's been a busy a week at Bizarro Studios North. In addition to our normal daily routine, we've been reviewing last year's output to assemble an entry package for the National Cartoonists Society's annual "Silver Reuben" awards, which will be presented in May at the group's annual meeting.

We'll be entering the newspaper panels division. Wish us luck! We don't expect to win an award, but look forward to seeing many of our esteemed colleagues.

Now, on to the current batch of ink-splatters...

Sometimes, it's difficult to trust your own senses. This might also have been titled "magical smelling," but I chose this caption since the phrase "wishful thinking" is much more common.

When writing this gag, I failed to consider how long it would take to draw and color the toys spread throughout the image, but I did give myself a little reward to keep going. Among the scattered items, I included Hedorah, aka the Smog Monster, my favorite Toho Studios creature (after Godzilla, of course).

Wikipedia says the character was named for Hedoro (へどろ), the Japanese word for sludge, slime, vomit or chemical ooze. What's not to love?

Hedorah (under the nickname Smoggo) has made multiple appearances in the comics and fine art of the ever-amazing Gary Panter.

The spa gave this client a discount, since his treatment only required one cucumber slice.

I occasionally get comments that some of my cartoons reference "old things," and that (other) people won't get the joke. I reject that argument, as Bizarro's readers are well-educated and knowledgeable. However, Thursday's gag is a concession to contemporary parlance. 

By the way, can you believe that stupid fish actually said the word "hashtag?"

The finest restaurants offer their customers choices. This establishment's specialty dessert specialty is tarte volante.

We ended the week with a Greek mythology mashup. This portmanteau name might be applicable to a current world leader, since Narcissus was in love with himself, and Sisyphus was a cruel tyrant. Both mythological figures got their comeuppance, which offers us some hope.

Thanks as always for reading the comic, and for following up with the blog. Dan Piraro posts his own weekly roundup over at Bizarro.com, where you can view his latest widescreen Sunday page. 

You also owe it to yourself to check DiegoPiraro.com, where Dan exhibits and sells his fine art, now that he's semi-retired from cartooning. His watercolors, oils, and mixed media drawings are surreal and beautiful, showing the strong influence of his current home in Mexico.

Bonus Track

This week's musical number is "Save the Earth," the theme from the English language release of Godzilla vs the Smog Monster, performed by Adryan Russ, who also wrote the lyrics. It's still timely.