Bizarro Studios is closed for the long holiday weekend, so we'll keep this week's post brief.
Reference Photo of the Week
Cards on the Drawing Table
As we do every Saturday, we are pleased to offer a recap of our latest cartoon laffs.
A friend noted that this gag ran on the birthday of Boris Karloff. This was an unplanned but welcome coincidence.
I offer apologies to the continent of Australia for the use of a stereotype of their citizenry. As a youth, I was indoctrinated by Monty Python.
Isn't Bonsai & Barrel a mall store?
Thursday's panel offered a nod to a peculiar American tradition: the fad diet.
Our hero actually decided to take the pill making himself smaller before tackling this treat, for a more fulfilling experience.
This one was inspired by a friend's speculation about the origins of BMX after attending a rally. I enjoyed drawing the penny-farthing bicycle, and channeling the influences of both Edward Gorey and Chuck Jones.
We found the strip version of this gag to be a pleasing visual composition.
Thanks, as always, for checking out the blog. We'll return next week with a wordier offering. Meanwhile, please drop by Dan Piraro's blog, for his insights and a brand new Sunday Bizarro page.
Bonus Track
An Elvis-inspired performance by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.
Today, November 21, is the 122nd birthday of the Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte, celebrated in some circles as National Surrealism Day. Bizarro CEO Dan Piraro sent me a reminder of the rule of the day: If you see something strange, say something strange.
Earlier this week, we brought a bag of donuts to the lunchroom to celebrate a milestone at Bizarro Studios North.
This is a peek at the thousandth cartoon to roll off our production line. We're pleased to say that we accomplished this without a single lost time accident, and no employee grievances filed.
I find it hard to believe that I'm about to finish my third year of creating the Bizarro dailies. It continues to be the best job I've ever had, and I'm going to keep at it as long as I can grip an inking brush.
For trivia fans, the finished version of this gag will run on March 10, 2021. Who knows what the state of the world will be by then? Let's hope for the best.
And, yes, I number every original and stamp it with the date it was completed. The left side of my brain won't be denied.
Meanwhile, here's a look at our most recent published work.
We started the week with an incendiary performance by a revolutionary dancer.
He may take frequent breaks to surreptitiously eat flies, but he's still more credible than Giuliani.
We brought a bit of art history to the funny pages on Wednesday, with a nod to the aforementioned René Magritte. The gag references his famous 1929 painting, The Treachery of Images, popularly known as This is Not a Pipe. The dialog is of course a direct adaptation of the painting's text, and a pipe appears on the teacher's desk. Or does it?
I based the drawing of the future artist on a photo of him with his brothers. I mixed features and clothing from all three of them, and it ended up looking more like Paul than René. Paul was known as the relatively cute Magritte Brother.
Like most of us, Old Man 2020 has had enough. Some readers didn't recognize the character as the outgoing year without showing him wearing the traditional sash. I may have missed an opportunity by not drawing a singed, threadbare 2020 ribbon as a hatband. However, with the universally-acknowledged suckiness of this year, the vast majority of people did get it.
Hey, it could be worse.
Another art history gag, featuring Auguste Rodin doing some unintended editing.
Photo research confirms that Rodin was an artist who actually wore a beret. I couldn't find any information regarding his height, but I believe he was taller than I've drawn him.
Thanks for reading the comics for yet another week. Your comments and social media posts are appreciated. If you'd like to read more about how the cartoon sausage is made, pop on over to Dan Piraro's blog, where you can also admire his newest panoramic Bizarro Sunday page.
Bonus Track
This is Not a Disco Song Snakefinger, 1986
Note: Some YouTube videos are not available outside the USA. If you're reading the blog on your phone, you may have to select "view web version" to see the video link. Damn technology!
Shortly after last week's blog went live, the winner of America's 2020 presidential election was announced. Across the country, people danced in the streets, except for those humoring a pouting toddler who's still screaming "No Fair!" in futile hopes of altering reality.
Reference image of the week1
While we anxiously await the gracious concession speech, let's review our most recent comics.
Monday's panel had quite a few readers drawing parallels to current events, but of course the timing was entirely coincidental (this comic was drawn in late July). Obnoxious behavior is apparently timeless.
After I've finished drawing a comic panel, I add a Photoshop layer to make sure I've counted the Bizarro Secret Symbols correctly. I began doing this after a couple of comics were printed with incorrect numbers. Occasionally an error will get past me, but this review usually helps. My dear friend and musical bandmate Tom always reminds me to go back and do an "idiot check" when we pack up our gear after a gig. I now apply the idiot check to my comics work.
Since we've been avoiding unnecessary excursions, more and more cardboard boxes pass through our home. Anyone residing with feline family members will recognize this character's behavior.
If he misses any more rehearsals, they'll have to postpone recording their new cylinder.
A scene from the Nature Valley Courthouse.
My drawing of the skeleton falls about midway between accuracy and fabrication.
A sad but familiar story, with a linty aftertaste.
That's the roundup for this week. Thanks for following our shenanigans. Be sure to visit Dan Piraro's weekly blog, which updates on Sunday or Monday. If you haven't started reading his surreal western graphic novel, Peyote Cowboy, now is a good day to jump in for a brief escape from the whirlwind news cycle.
More Lemming Stuff
I was delighted to see last week's lemming cartoon reposted by the National Cartoonists' Society, with a forceful response from our president, Jason Chatfield: "We refuse!"
Also, a helpful web citizen took time to explain the joke.
Bonus Track
The Wizard of Menlo Park/Get the Phone D. Beaver, from the 1973 LP Combinations TMI Records, Memphis
Rather than subject you to the Chipmunks, here's a forgotten pop gem about Thomas Edison, with a coda for Alexander Graham Bell.
Last week I received an email from an old friend who years ago ran Pittsburgh's first all-used record store, where I spent many hours when I was supposed to be in classrooms. While writing this post, I remembered that he recommended this record to me, knowing of my fondness for quirky, smart performers like Sparks, Todd Rundgren, and Roxy Music, among others. Since we ran an Edison-themed comic it was the perfect week to share this tune.
Notes
1 As part of the artistic process, cartoonists and illustrators often refer to photos in order to make their drawings recognizable, if not wholly accurate. The image at the top of this post is a reference image I used this week while working on a batch of comics to be published next year. It was useful as a drawing tool, and makes for an intriguing preview thumbnail on social media links to the blog.
What a week it's been. We had a full moon on Halloween, a record election turnout, and a pathetic executive meltdown.
If that wasn't exciting enough, there was also a fresh batch of cartoons from the Bizarro Studios North Fun Factory.
Lawns are okay for digging and defecating, but you should only consume the best.
An exercise in autocomicography, although I'm more inclusive, and don't limit my celebrations to sweets.
Wednesday's cartoon is a lighter variation on the folkloric hero, John Henry.
The strip layout provided a dramatic widescreen perspective on the bout.
Jimmy's theme song was "I Fought the Law (of Gravity)"
I took advantage of the strip layout for this gag. Print readers had to rotate their newspaper by ninety degrees, but you can read it in its proper vertical orientation on this blog.
While I can't vouch for the existence of the World Lemming Council, I know for a fact that the National Cartoonists Society is real, and I'm a proud member.
Google's helpful suggestion
For the record, we're not going to stop doing gags about lemmings jumping off cliffs. We know it's a myth, but it serves as a useful metaphor for human behavior, including, apparently, a significant portion of the American voting public.
My mental image of an artist was formed by the original television art instructor, Jon Gnagy, so I'll probably always draw male artists with a goatee and mustache. I don't recall him wearing a beret, but a cartoon about a painter requires one.
Gnagy's art lessons were broadcast by NBC well before my time, but I probably saw reruns as a child.
Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that this "Learn to Draw Outfit" did not in fact included a plaid flannel shirt and high-waisted tweed pants; just art supplies and a book.
Thanks for coming by the old blog, friends. Be sure to visit Dan Piraro's Bizarro blog, too. His Sunday pages are always worth the trip.
Bonus Track
In times of uncertainty, stress, anxiety, or self-doubt, music can be comforting and reassuring. I often listen to Alice Coltrane's music while drawing, to encourage a calm mood and stay focused on the work.
Over the past couple of days, I've been returning to her records to remind myself to slow down and breathe.
