Reply Hazy, Try Again

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

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Music improves the human condition.

Tim Wolfson

Today's quote is from a good friend of mine who loves music. It's a simple but profound sentiment that I think of often. I have nothing to add to it, except to thank him for all the music he shares with everyone he knows.

I'll follow Tim's lead and post some music I made with friends at the end of this entry.

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Our rather blurry pipe pic is a YouTube screen grab from Rare Exports: Safety Instructions, a 2005 short that was the basis for the 2010 feature Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. Pictured are actors Onni and Jorma Tormilla, who are son and father in real life. I've touted this Finnish Christmas film in the past and just watched it again this week.

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Like music, laughter is also good for your well-being. Let's see if this week's Bizarro comics offer any beneficial effects.

I'll leave it up to the individual reader to decide if the dummy is sentient, or if the ventriloquist has learned to throw his thoughts.

Several folks who enjoy finding the Secret Symbols in Bizarro argued that the auction paddle labeled "3.14" should have counted toward the total in this panel, making it six instead of five.

I've consulted with Bizarro's Council of Elders who ruled that a word describing a Secret Symbol is not the same as an actual Symbol, and, although not a word per se, the number representing pi doesn't count as pie. That's just irrational.

With or without the helmet, Junior can do impressive headstands.

I wish I hadn't seen Thursday's comic as printed in the local paper. As I described in last week's post, they squeeze the image horizontally, which is painfully obvious when the main part of the drawing is two circular objects.

Sometimes a whistle just doesn't cut it.

The strip version of this gag works rather well and both layouts were designed for the path a reader's eye takes. When we read a vertical panel, our eye travels in a "Z" shaped course, and when reading a strip, it's more of a straight upper left to lower right trajectory. In both cases, the last two elements we process are the image of the dog and the caption.

I was pleased with Saturday's gag because, in a rare instance of advance planning, my original drawing worked in both the strip and panel layouts with almost no shuffling.

The strip version:

And the original art:

I only had to add a few small digital drawings When creating the print files. Can you spot them?

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Art Unknowingly Imitates Life

We received a photo of a handsome musician from Bizarro reader Amy E, of Indianapolis. 

Amy works at a music store specializing in string instruments. When Paul, their banjo instructor saw our comic of October 2, he said, "I've got a hat just like that!"

Thanks to Paul for being a good sport. I explained to Amy that although I've joked about banjos being annoying, I don't feel that way myself, and in fact empathize since I play ukulele.

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Out and About

I'm almost always at home working on comics, but since our last post, I spent some time in the outside world, and enjoyed it!

Last Saturday my spouse and I went to see the film Married to Comics, a documentary about the cartoonist couple Carol Tyler and her late husband Justin Green. Carol (shown above with your own ink monkey) was here for the screening and was interviewed onstage afterward. Director John Kinhart is peeking above Carol's left shoulder.

I never had the chance to meet Justin, but have known Carol since the late 1980s. Justin's underground comic, Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary totally rewired my teenage brain.

The film is being shopped to festivals and distributors, and if you have the opportunity to see it, do NOT miss it. Also, I highly recommend all of  Carol's comics. Her work keeps getting better and better.

On Sunday afternoon, The Red Beans & Rice Combo performed at an event sponsored by the nonprofit organization Autism Pittsburgh. We had an energetic and engaged audience, which made the show great fun for us.

That wraps up another report from your cartoonist. We'll be back next week with more words and pictures for you.

This week, why not turn a friend on to some music you love? It'll make you both feel good.

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Bonus Track 

The Red Beans & Rice Combo: "Tico-Tico"

Bonedog Records, 2023

You probably guessed this was coming. It's one of twelve selections from our new album, Breaking Up the House. Performing with my partners Tom Roberts (piano, vocals, whistling, kazoo) and Dave Klug (drums, percussion, vocals) has pushed me to work at being an instrumentalist as well as a vocalist. Singing comes easier to me, so I'm rather proud of being able to (almost) keep up with them on this purely instrumental number.

The album is now available on all of the usual streaming and download platforms. I hope you like it.

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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. 

Thanks!

 Wayno's Weekly Bizarro Newsletter

 Dan Piraro's Weekly Bizarro Blog

Dan's Tip Jar (One-time or recurring)

Dan "Diego" Piraro's Peyote Cowboy Graphic Novel

Official Bizarro Shop

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