Overstuffed With Gratitude

This is the weekly 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 created Bizarro in the late twentieth century and continues to do the Sunday comic from Rancho Bizarro in Mexico.

Wayno

---

Hello to all from Bizarro Studios North in scenic Hollywood Gardens, PA.

This is Thanksgiving weekend, when Americans celebrate a holiday whose origins are popularly associated with myths more than facts.

Dubious history aside, expressing thanks for the good people and things in one's life is never a bad idea, so that's what I'll try to focus on.

Since it's a holiday weekend, I'll keep today's post as brief as I can, but not so short as to neglect sharing a pipe pic.

This is a photo of a Brütsch Mopetta, a 1950s German single-seat car. According to the Silodrome Gasoline Culture site, only fourteen were produced, and fewer than five are thought to exist today.

Thanks to Bizarro reader Peter S for bringing the Mopetta to my attention.

Speaking of gratitude, I'd like to mention how thankful I am for the privilege of creating six Bizarro comics every week since 2018. I'm beyond fortunate to work with Dan Piraro and to be part of the community of Bizarro readers. 

Thanks to each of you for the part you play.

The other day, my Facebook "Memories" page featured this photo of Dan and me from October 2010, attending a Festival of Cartoons at Ohio State University. At that time we may have started the discussions which led to my eventual role as the feature's daily cartoonist. It's hard to say for sure though, as our memories are clouded by swirls of cigar smoke and Scotch whisky.

I'm happy to say that Dan has long since given up smoking. I was an infrequent partaker in the past. I've probably had a dozen cigars in my entire life, and each time, immediately wondered what I was thinking. I think my personal record was lasting through the first twenty percent of any cigar I ever tried.

Regarding the photo, I have no recollection as to why I was wearing some sort of paper hat.

---

Let's review my offerings of the past week and see if they rate a "thanks" or "no thanks."

The Washington Post recently ran a column on current phone etiquette, mentioning that in most cases it's polite to text first to see if a person is free for a call, as calls are considered to be somewhat intrusive.

I know that I feel a twinge of anxiety when I hear a ringtone, and speaking with a human in real time is the least used feature of my phone.

When Dan Piraro shared Tuesday's panel, he observed that holiday humor is always the darkest. 

Holidays can also provide fodder for multiple jokes, as evidenced by the next two panels, which are also turkey-based.

The turducken could only have been invented here in America.

On Thanksgiving morning, my brother informed me that in bowling, scoring three consecutive strikes is called a turkey. I wasn't aware of that term, but I'm now declaring that three consecutive turkey gags shall be called a strike.

Actually, he works for Western Electric.

Here I employed a workaround I sometimes rely on when a panel is crowded and the text needs "air space." Tucking part of a word balloon behind a character is a handy trick I discovered a couple of years back. 

That's the latest output from your cartoonist. 

Thank you for checking in. See you next week.

---

Bonus Track 

The Kinks: "Days"
Pye Records (UK) single, June 1968

A beautiful song about gratitude by the mighty Kinks. 

---

More Bizarro Stuff

If you like what we do, and appreciate that it comes to you free of charge, we encourage you to explore any or all of the following links. 

With newspapers dropping comics or disappearing completely, your encouragement and support means more than ever. 

Thanks!

 Wayno's Weekly Bizarro Newsletter

 Dan Piraro's Weekly Bizarro Blog

Dan's Tip Jar

Dan "Diego" Piraro's Peyote Cowboy Graphic Novel

Official Bizarro Shop

King Features Subscription & Archive Access

Support Your Local Humorist

Copyright© 2023 by Wayno®