WaynoBlog: I Am Just a Po' Boy

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

Be witty. Be nasty. Be silly. Don’t be boring.

Bunny Matthews

Will Bunn "Bunny" Matthews III (1951–2021) was a cartoonist, musician, and writer based in New Orleans. I discovered his work the first time we visited the city, when I bought his paperback cartoon books F'Sure!: Actual Dialogue Heard on the Streets of New Orleans and Vic and Nat'ly.

As a journalist, Matthews interviewed many celebrities and legendary New Orleans musicians.

I mention him today to recommend a new book, Bunny Matthews: His Life, Art, and Obsessions, by Alison Fensterstock and Michael Tisserand. It's the first monograph of his work, includes a generous selection of art going back to his childhood, and is the fullest biography I've seen.

Alison Fensterstock is a New Orleans writer who contributes to NPR Music, and she has DJed for WWOZ FM.

Michael Tisserand is the award-winning author of Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White, about the cartoonist behind Krazy Kat.

The Bunny Matthews book will be released on September 18, and can be pre-ordered now from the Historic New Orleans Collection. I highly recommend it.

Photo by Wayno, New Orleans, 2009

Today's historical pipe pic features two icons of slapstick comedy.

Aspiring Vaudevillians Moe and Shemp Howard, as part of the Marguerite Bryant Players, circa 1919, from A Tour de Farce: The Complete History of the Three Stooges on the Road by Gary Lassin; a comprehensive, 765-page book documenting the live, on-the-road performances of the Three Stooges from the 1920s to the 1970s.

I found the photo and caption on Farcebook, which goes to show that it's not a completely useless platform.

Please do let me know if the latest Bizarro panels are witty, nasty, silly, boring, or otherwise.

Monday's gag had a few readers scratching their heads, and I think it's because of the way I drew it. Some thought the character on the right was stuck to the wall, and I can see how it could be read that way. He's supposed to be waiting to submit a patent application for whatever he invented that enables levitation.

Apologies for any confusion.

If owls had lips and teeth, the question might be "WTF?"

Cartoonists don't draw walls like this out of laziness. It's because of strict regulations.

I suppose this one lands in the "silly" category. Once I thought of it, I simply had to draw it. I tried not to. Honest!

In this literary crossover, we're reminded that Goldilocks has strong, centrist opinions on everything.

We finish off with a back-to-school scene, since it's that time of year.

Thanks for following along with the weekly recap.

Communications Consolidation Coming Soon

Every Saturday, I publish a cartoon recap/commentary here on Blogger in addition to a Substack newsletter. In the coming weeks, I'll start using Substack for both. The cartoon review will be sent on Saturday or Sunday, and all other stuff (previews, old art, etc.) will arrive separately.

Substack isn’t perfect, but Blogger behaves unpredictably and it randomly changes text formatting. Also, it has no blocking feature, so I spend time every week deleting spam comments from persistent bots.

I want to focus my creative energy on making comics while staying in touch with our community of readers, and this change should help. It will certainly cut down on time spent on cross-posting and linking.

If you enjoy the blog, please subscribe to the newsletter here. When I make the transition, the newsletter will be delivered to your inbox every weekend.

I haven't turned on paid Substack subscriptions, but when I eventually do, free subscribers will always get the weekly recap and comments, just like they do now in the blog.

Thanks for your indulgence.

Bonus Track

James Booker: "Goodnight Irene"

from Junco Partner

Island Records LP, 1976