Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Accusez-Moi

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 

Disillusioned words like bullets bark
As human gods aim for their mark
Make everything from toy guns that spark
To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark
It’s easy to see without looking too far
That not much is really sacred

While preachers preach of evil fates
Teachers teach that knowledge waits
Can lead to hundred-dollar plates
Goodness hides behind its gates
But even the president of the United States
Sometimes must have to stand naked

Bob Dylan

Yes, I'm quoting the Bard of Hibbing again, with an excerpt from his 1964 composition, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)."

These lyrics from a record released sixty years ago are still relevant, probably more than when they were originally committed to tape.

I can't add anything to such righteous poetry, so I'll close out this intro to the Labor Day weekend post to express 1) appreciation for all the workers who are the foundation of our economy, and 2) hope that it doesn't crash around us because of the actions of needy, greedy accumulators of obscene, unearned wealth who never engaged in honest work.


Bizarro reader Scot G. of Upland, CA, sent today's atmospheric pipe pic, which he shot earlier this year.



Scot's notes from the field:
I was in Miami Beach a week ago to see my favorite band, moe, play at the outdoor arena known as the Band Shell just off the beach. While watching the band perform, the percussionist, who is known for vaping during a concert, pulled out the famous Wayno symbol. Despite my attempts to take the perfect picture, the best I could do was a foggy image of percussionist Jim Loughlin. Even if you never use this picture, I thought you would enjoy the intersection. 

How could I not use this image, Scot? I love its unretouched rawness. It certainly has the feel of being at a live show. 


We'll never get rich making comics, but we're going to keep doing it as long as we're able, because the connection to our community of readers is a reward we treasure.


Drawing the antlers (mutantlers?) was an oddly relaxing experience. I first drew them using a wide highlighter to maintain a relatively consistent thickness, then inked around the guideline. 

Drawing anything by hand is a healthy activity for the brain. You should do it too, even if you never show your drawings to anyone.

I may have gone overboard with the art for the strip version, but I felt great when I finished it.

I couldn't resist the idea of doing a gag about a nineteenth-century French novelist as a child. Unsurprisingly, online comments were divided. Take these two, for example:

1) A modern internet joke without historical basis. Too erudite for me. 
2) I frequently learn new things when reading Bizarro!
As a cartoonist, I'm grateful for readers who pay attention and care enough to have opinions.

A wise pig can see parallels in the lives of others.

Your obsessive artist experienced much satisfaction drawing and coloring the damaged picture frame in the background of this panel.

I probably spent more time than necessary, but it was nearly as calming as the antler drawing.

Surely there must be one nearby.

Not an understatement.

The strip layout required significant shuffling, but we got there!

That's the latest from Bizarro Studios North. See you in September. 

Bonus Track

The Coasters: "I'm a Hog For You"
Atco Records 45, 1959


There was so much more to the Coasters than "Yakety Yak." This song was the B-side of their "Poison Ivy" single. Both sides were written by Lieber & Stoller, who found a perfect vehicle for their compositions in the Coasters.


Much More Bizarro Mayhem

If you like what we do and appreciate that it's free, we encourage you to explore the following links.


    

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Saturday, August 23, 2025

The Spy Who Came In From the Shell

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 

Let us encourage one another with visions of a shared future. And let us bring all the grit and openheartedness and creative spirit we can muster to gather together and build that future.

Norman Lear (1922-2023)


Last week, I spent a few days in Boston attending the National Cartoonists Society's annual meeting and the Reuben Awards. This was the 79th Reuben Awards (I've only attended ten or eleven, all in the current century).

The awards themselves are, of course, very nice (I received one last year), but they serve as a way of celebrating fellow artists rather than competing against them.

The real value of the two-day-plus-breakfast event is being among other people who typically spend all day hunched over a drawing table or squinting at a computer screen. It's a gathering of colleagues who are actually collegial, and so much more. New attendees wear a "first timer" ribbon attached to their name tag, and they're soon overwhelmed by an outpouring of welcoming and good cheer from regular attendees.

There are only about 500 NCS members worldwide, and nearly every one I know is supportive of their peers and accepting of each other, regardless of differences. We were all glad to catch up on each other's lives and accomplishments, and immerse ourselves in nerdy shop talk.

The organization also has a charitable arm, the NCS Foundation, which awards scholarships to young cartoonists and provides financial assistance to cartoonists in need, quietly and anonymously. (Very few members of our profession achieve Garfield-level financial independence.)

I've made many friends through the organization, some of whom were already longtime heroes. 

I returned home this week energized and inspired, though with a touch of laryngitis from many hours of gabbing and laughing. 

The event was a welcome change from the rancor and divisiveness consuming the country, and a reminder that kindness and goodwill still exist, as corny as that may sound. We experienced a bit of what Norman Lear was advocating for, and I hope you encounter it often as well.


Today's pipe pic model is William A. Rhodes (1916-2007), an inventor and astronomer who claimed to have photographed UFOs in 1947 and 1950.


I saw this photo of Rhoads in a documentary about UFO researchers and poked around online until I found a usable image for the blog. I wonder if either of the objects Rhoads sighted resembled Bizarro's Flying Saucer of Possibility.

Speaking of which, may I remind you that our new "Eye Heart" T-shirts are available in the Comics Kingdom Bizarro Shop?

Apologies for the commercial message, but with newspapers drying up and blowing away, we have to pan for pyrite wherever we can, so we're able to keep making comics for you all.


As a public service, we now present the latest sextet of humorous quadrilaterals to emerge from Bizarro Studios.

Secret Slug does what it takes to fight organized slime.


Who doesn't enjoy dining at a four %#$@ restaurant?

Since attending these meetings, he's become hooked on decaf coffee and artificial sweeteners.

One wrong click can spell disaster.

Here's a peek at an early draft, which I decided not to use.

A well-placed accent mark can turn a familiar name into a cartoon caption.
The visual composition called for a vertical strip layout.

A few would-be editors pointed out that "peso" isn't Spanish for "cash." The Spanish word "efectivo" isn't widely known to English speakers, and using it would have sidetracked the gag. Sometimes one takes linguistic license to make a cartoon work effectively.

Of course, I knew we weren't using a literal translation. I also knew not to engage with pedants looking for an argument. I have plenty of arguments with myself, thank you very much.

The patient also has recurring nightmares about Saint Patrick.

That's the latest comical output from Bizarro Studios North. Your next delivery will arrive in one week.

Be sure to peruse current and upcoming gags anytime at Comics Kingdom.

Bonus Track

Graham Parker & the Rumour:
Waiting for the UFOs
From Squeezing Out Sparks
Arista Records LP, 1979


Graham Parker's Squeezing Out Sparks is one of those albums I always play from start to finish without skipping any tracks. At the time of its release, Arista also issued a promotional-only album called Live Sparks, which featured live versions of every song on the album plus "Mercury Poisoning," an indictment of his former label in the US, and a cover of the Jackson Five's "I Want You Back."

The 1996 compact disc release includes both the original studio album and Live Sparks.


Great Gobs of Bizarro Goodness

If you enjoy what we do and appreciate that it's free, we encourage you to explore the following links.


   

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Saturday, August 16, 2025

Hats and Horns in Space

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 


Greetings from your nose-to-the-grindstone cartoonist.

I'm planning to escape the studio for a bit, so I've been doing extra work to put more distance between myself and our deadlines. Subsequently, I'm too tired for a lengthy, clever intro today. Consider it my gift to you for the week!

Thanks to all of you who responded to the Igor Stravinsky quote about imposing constraints as a way to spark creativity. My appreciation for our readers has increased yet again.


Let's jump directly to this week's pipe pic. It's a terrific shot of a fisherman, taken in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, somewhere around 1906.


This comes to us from the website of the Library of Congress, where the original glass negative is archived (assuming it hasn't been destroyed for being a legitimate historic image).


Although my art may never end up at the Library of Congress, I'm preserving it to the best of my ability. Here's your look into my archive for Week 33 of 2025.

Not to mention plenty of overhead storage.

I think I worked there at one time.

The doomsayer carrying an ominous warning is a stock gag cartoon character, and this guy turned up on the drawing board a while back. He's not fully committed to the bit.

I opted for a vertical strip layout, positioning the Secret Symbols closer to the protagonist. I dropped one symbol from the strip, which only has four, while the panel has five. I'll do something like that very occasionally, figuring that nobody is likely to see both versions. Oh, wait a minute...

If Spotify's A.I. disc jockey were choosing the music for a drive, I'd consider steering into a fire hydrant to escape.

The strip layout required some serious rearrangement, but it works rather well.

Full disclosure: I drew the character once and made a reversed duplicate in the digital realm. The theme is carried through to the identical pairs of Secret Symbols.

The strip layout has a slightly different rhythm, with two word balloons instead of one with two tails.

That's the current batch of quirky quadrilaterals from Bizarro Studios. We'll deliver another six-pack one week from today. Thanks for checking them out.

In addition to the blog, I send out a free weekly newsletter, which always includes a peek at an upcoming gag, along with some old art or design from the files. You can read it here, and if you choose to subscribe, it'll arrive in your digital mailbox every week.

Bonus Track

Maynard Ferguson: Theme from Star Trek
From Conquistador
Columbia Records LP, 1977


Maynard Ferguson (1928-2006) was one of the most popular trumpeters of his time, and his performance style was often as hammy and over-the-top as William Shatner's. Ferguson was known for playing in the trumpet's highest register, and no doubt was hated by dogs.

When I was in high school, the band nerds were crazy about him and often referred to him by his first name only. This recording, with a gigantic band, is representative of his output in the late 1970s.


Scads of Bizarro Stuff

If you enjoy what we do and appreciate that it's free, we encourage you to explore the following links.


   

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Saturday, August 09, 2025

Freed by Limitations

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 

The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees oneself. And the arbitrariness of the constraint serves only to obtain precision of execution.
Igor Stravinsky

I don't know a lot about classical music, but I can recognize Igor's insight about the creative process and the challenges faced by artists of all types. It definitely applies to cartoonists who do standalone gags, or "drawings" as The New Yorker refers to them.

Every time we create a cartoon, we begin with a blank page (or screen) and an infinite number of options. Defining a structure that can be applied to a series of comics can inspire a productive bout of writing, which sometimes spills over into developing additional material unrelated to the original framework. Maybe that's what I have found appealing about the occasional "theme weeks" I've done.

When I started to seriously pursue being a daily cartoonist, my default writing strategy involved searching for a joke. That's a simplistic approach, and it can work for a while. However, setting up a premise or situation, or even randomly choosing an object and drawing it, narrows things down. 

Focused exploration truly frees oneself much more than staring at a universe of possibilities or waiting for the gods to drop something into one's hands.

I'm interested in hearing from others about how Igor's observation applies to your own creative work. Whether you're a cartoonist, painter, illustrator, songwriter, cook, coder, scientist, comedian, or anyone who makes something from nothing, drop a comment about how you relate to the idea of constraints.


Today's pipe pic is American playwright Moss Hart (1904-1961).



I found this one myself, but forgot to document where. I did save a short description, but no source:
Moss Hart was one of Broadway’s most successful creators, penning such hits as You Can't Take It With You and The Man Who Came to Dinner, and directing Camelot.
I usually provide some background with these images, and apologize for the scant info on Mr. Harts's photo. Still, it's so snazzy I had to share it.


Let's see what resulted from my self-imposed constraint over the past six days.

Sometimes, an interesting turn of phrase can impose constraints that result in a gag.


When doing a crossword puzzle on the phone, all ten of my fingers feel like they're this size.

This poor character was hoping to relax in his recliner. The mind was willing, but the flesh was overactive. The most challenging aspect of this panel was placing the word balloons.

The strip layout required some serious rearrangement, but it works pretty well.

Thursday's gag can be read as ennui or tragedy. The expressionless protagonists lend themselves to multiple interpretations.

How would the child of a magician rebel against their parents?

Reversing a familiar situation can sometimes result in a workable gag.

Random observations of the week: 

1) I've noticed that my comics feature a higher percentage of redheaded people than the actual world population.

2) The same goes for bow ties.

That's the latest from my Little Shop of Humor. Please visit again in a week for another batch of rectangular risibility.

Commercial Break

This is a quick reminder that we have a fresh batch of Bizarro tees and baseball caps available in the Comics Kingdom Bizarro Shop.


If you get a shirt and like it, feel free to send a photo we can share with the Jazz Pickle Army.

Bonus Tracks

Eddie Harris: Freedom Jazz Dance
From The In Sound
Atlantic Records LP, 1965


This is the first recording of Eddie Harris's composition, "Freedom Jazz Dance.”

Miles Davis: Freedom Jazz Dance
From Miles Smiles
Columbia LP, 1967


Miles Davis made the composition a standard when he recorded it for his 1967 album, Miles Smiles. Harris's original had a relaxed, loping groove; Davis reconfigured it as a tightened-up, angular tour de force.


Buckets of Bizarro Blatherings

If you enjoy what we do and appreciate that it's free, we encourage you to explore the following links.


   

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