Saturday, October 15, 2022

Hardly Davidson

This is the regular dispatch from Bizarro Studios North, where I have been writing and drawing the Monday through Saturday Bizarro comics since 2018. My partner and friend, Dan Piraro, who created Bizarro in the late twentieth century, continues to do the Sunday comic from Rancho Bizarro in Mexico.

Wayno



Greetings from spooky Hollywood Gardens, PA. As Halloween nears, we look forward to celebrating with a household tradition: rewatching the 1983 film Something Wicked This Way Comes. It's a kid's movie that's a little too scary for kids, and boasts a fantastic cast, including Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd, Pam Grier, and Royal Dano, a great character actor with an equally great name.

My spouse and I are horror fans, and Halloween season is as good a reason as any to indulge in some cinematic scares. If you have a favorite, you're welcome to leave a recommendation in the comments.


  
I rediscovered this week's pipe pic in a zine I published in 1985. I was showing some work in a local arts festival, and printed a small catalog to sell at the table.

I can't recall the title of this drawing, but I know I based the image on my compulsion to checking and recheck lights, appliances, etc. before going out of the house.

I'll still occasionally drive back to the house minutes after leaving to assure myself that the garage door is closed. As compulsions (or is it neuroses?) go, I'm grateful that mine don't unduly interfere with normal activities.

However, I haven't kicked the habit of revisiting my latest recent cartoons every Saturday, so let's get to it.

Unfortunately, some people's irrational fears cause them to behave in horrible ways, like the torch-bearing figure above.

The subject of René Magritte's painting The Son of Man makes another appearance in Tuesday's panel.

The artist himself was my model for the therapist.

Sadly, it seems that Mrs. Meyer chose a fictional character over Dr. Emanuel Bronner, a real character.

The Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap company shared this cartoon on their social media platforms, and a company representative exchanged several friendly messages with me. 

Thanks to the Dr. Bronner team for having a sense of humor and being good sports about our tweaking of their founder.

 
At some point, all electric vehicles will probably be required to intentionally make some type of sound as a safety feature to alert pedestrians who might not hear them coming, but these dudes are missing that subtlety.

In my youth, I had a toy that attached to a bike or tricycle and simulated to sound of a noisy motor. I won it as a prize in a contest on the back of a cereal box. I'd forgotten about the TV ad, which is pretty hilarious.

Also, I must offer thanks and a tip of the porkpie to faithful Bizarro reader and accomplished punster Timothy P for the title of this week's blog.

If you're reading aloud, the "Meh" balloons should be drawn out to sound like cattle.

My message to teens whose parents embarrass them: It could be worse.

That's this week's cartoon dump from Bizarro Studios North. If you like what we're doing here, please consider visiting these affiliated sites:

Dan Piraro's Bizarro Blog

Wayno's Bizarro Newsletter

Thanks for stopping by. See you next week.

Bonus Track

Michael Hurley: "Werewolf Song"
from First Songs (folkways Records, 1964)


22 comments:

  1. Yikes! We share some of the same compulsions!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:36 PM

      My wife is in the OCD club with you guys. At a certain point, it's not just a quirk.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous5:44 PM

    'Let Me In' from 2010 doubles as a love story, a vampyre tale with a twist.

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    1. I haven't seen the American remake, but I remember enjoying the original Swedish film. I'll have to add that to my list!

      Delete
  3. Anonymous5:50 PM

    My favorite Halloween double feature: The original "Nosferatu," & the faux making of it, "Shadow of the Vampire."
    Scariest nightmare-inducer: "Don't Look Now."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All excellent recommendations.

      My friend & bandmate Tom Roberts composed an original piano score for "Nosferatu," and does live performances to accompany the film.

      Delete
  4. John C6:08 PM

    The Mist. One of the most bummer endings ever.

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    Replies
    1. I'll check that out! Looks like an interesting cast.

      Delete
  5. Gunnar7:17 PM

    Now I’m wondering what kind of song Serge Gainsbourg might have written for an electric Harley…

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    Replies
    1. Ha! That requires a vivid imagination for sure.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous8:04 PM

    Omigosh. Can’t find all 8 on the bidet cartoon!!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous6:20 PM

      Are you counting the crown on the skull?

      Delete
    2. is the 8 just under the ampersand at upper right?

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    3. Dynamite, crown, O2 on/near the boy. Spaceship, eyeball, K2, bird on/near the man. Pipe on the napkin.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:33 AM

      Did you see the Tshirt skull?

      Delete
  7. Anonymous5:22 PM

    The cows made me COL (chortle out loud).

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  8. Anonymous6:10 PM

    The Haunting (1963, based on Shirley Jackson's 1959 Novel, The Haunting of Hill House), with Julie Harris. The scariest movie ever IMHO. Not to be confused with the 1999 fizzling CGI remake.

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  9. Melise Gerber11:35 AM

    Check out The Changeling from 1980. It stars George C. Scott, and it is truly creepy. The solution of the mystery always strikes me as quintessentially 1970's Hollywood, but the spooky, scary stuff means that even after watching it 7,000 times (or so), I still can't watch the movie if I am by myself.

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  10. Not sure if my first comment went through. Check out The Changeling from 1980, starring George C. Scott. I find it really scary (although the classic 1970s Hollywood movie trope makes me laugh every time).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Melise, I will check that out!

      Comments have to be approved before they're published on the blog, so when you leave one, you won't see it immediately. I try to log in daily to review comments, and usually have to delete one or two per week.

      Delete
  11. If had a walker -which I don't (yet) - I would want a Vroooom to attach to that. And that might be the most creative ad ever.

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    Replies
    1. I admire your sense of humor, and think that your "motorized" walker would be a hit.

      Yes, that ad is a good one, isn't it!

      Delete