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
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
The wise words of jazz bassist Charles "Baron" Mingus were on my mind after I returned from Nancy Fest last weekend. The celebration of the art of Ernie Bushmiller was by far the best comics event and exhibit I've ever attended.
Among the many highlights were a performance of Tom Gammill's play, "A Morning with Ernie Bushmiller"; the first-ever public meeting of the Bushmiller Society, moderated by underground comix legend Denis Kitchen; Bill Griffith discussing his Ernie bio Three Rocks, and reading the touching epilog; Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden's How to Read Nancy lecture, and closing words from Bushmiller's neighbor, assistant, and best friend Jim Carlsson.
The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum also mounted The Nancy Show, an ambitious exhibit of Bushmiller art and artifacts, along with the work of other artists, including yours truly.
Bushmiller's comics have been dismissed as childish or worse, but his art was carefully crafted to be as effective as possible. One might say it was awesomely simple. His advice to aspiring cartoonists and his assistants was, "Dumb it down!" It was his shorthand for avoiding overcomplicated art or gags.
I'm sure I'm not the only cartoonist who looked at their own work with different eyes after being immersed in Ernie's classic, iconic comic art.
I'll share photos and more thoughts on Nancy Fest in this week's newsletter.
Naturally, today's pipe pic features Nancy.
I snapped this from a projector screen, so the quality isn't great, but it brings back fond memories of the day spent among my tribe.
I believe this is the first syndicated comic to use the line, "Mom always barfs in your mouth first."
Anyone can be fooled by deceptive advertising. It's a shame about the locks because this customer was interested in a hundred-year lease.
Our ballsiest gag of the week offers a quiet nod to Jim Horwitz's Watson comic strip. JimmyHo has written many gags for Dan Piraro, and I highly recommend his solo strip.
As I've said in the past, Watson can be sweet and sentimental or dark and strange, sometimes all at once; much like Jim himself.
There are plenty of rock songs about being in a rock band and songs about music itself. The Iron Bunnies of Dööm take it to another level.
Side note: We're considering offering new Bizarro t-shirts through the Comics Kingdom shop, including an Iron Bünnies shirt, so stay tuned for updates. Yes, their umlauts are fungible.
Brevity is the soul of wit and the key to moral support.
That wraps up this week's comical output. Drop by next week for more words combined with pictures.
All hail Bushmiller!
Bonus Tracks
They Might Be Giants: "We're the Replacements"
from the Don't Let's Start EP
Bar/None Records, 1987
from the Don't Let's Start EP
Bar/None Records, 1987
A Boatload of Bizarro
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.
Many thanks!
Dan Piraro's Weekly Bizarro Blog
Subscribe to The Naked Cartoonist
Dan's Tip Jar (One-time or recurring)
Dan "Diego" Piraro's Peyote Cowboy Graphic Novel
King Features Subscription & Archive Access
I would wear an Iron Bünnies shirt! I love confusing people.
ReplyDeleteThe wheels are in motion, Kurt!
DeleteI read that as "Iron Boonies shirt," then reminded myself that in America, umlauts are cosmetic, not functional. But now I want an ironic boonies shirt. (and it's even more ironic that I couldn't submit this comment with umlauts.)
ReplyDeleteHa! That's a fun misreading. "Iron Boonies of Dumb" could be the comedic tribute band...
DeleteBünny, Böönie—whätëvër ït täkës!
ReplyDeleteWe're working on it, Mick!
DeleteCan't wait to get an Iron Bunnies of Dööm shirt!!
ReplyDeleteAs soon as they're available, Dan and I will both turn on our hype machines!
DeleteI remember the Nancy comics, but they must have ended quite a while ago because I don’t remember when they ended. Or when the local newspaper stopped publishing them. It was about 20 years ago when our paper started cutting back on everything and I was about 50 then. So I’ve lived through the “golden age” of newspapers when it was a full, big, heavy pile of news plus separate comics and other smaller publications regarding gardening, homes, etc. Re: Nancy, I don’t know what the average age of comic readers is, but I suspect that it’s mostly adults now. So you can’t ‘dumb it down’ anymore. My opinion of course. I’ve always loved Bizarro because there is usually a great comic, great drawing and puzzles to keep you occupied. One last thing, I haven’t seen the upside down bird as often as I used to. In one older cartoon the roofs were loaded with them.
ReplyDeleteNancy continued after Ernie's death in 1982 by a succession of cartoonists. It's currently being written and drawn by Olivia Jaimes, the first woman cartoonist to draw Nancy. With all due respect, nobody could compete with Ernie, in my opinion.
DeleteI'll make sure I don't neglect the Inverted Bird in the future!
On the lookout for more pictorial pipe fodder? If cartoons count, here ya go: https://www.gocomics.com/strangebrew/2024/06/03?ct=v&cti=1645695.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Doc Atomic