Showing posts with label Streptonyms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Streptonyms. Show all posts

Saturday, June 06, 2026

Where To Begin?

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 creative process doesn't begin with humor.
It begins with subject matter.
Dave Coverly

Dave Coverly is the brilliant cartoonist behind Speed Bump, a single-panel daily comic he launched in 1994. He's also an admired colleague and friend.

I was delighted to find this quote in the excellent book Funny Stuff: How Great Cartoonists Make Great Cartoons by Phil Witte & Rex Hesner.

Dave describes a cartoonist's process more eloquently than I can, though I've tried. When I began seriously working on being a single-panel cartoonist, I was trying to write funny punchlines or captions, which worked all right for a while. One day, something switched in my brain, and I started thinking of topics I wanted to write about and working to find the humor in them.

Another important skill for a cartoonist is being economical with words. Briefer is usually better, as evidenced by Mr. Coverly's concise description.

Our pipe pic this time around is a meerschaum masterpiece carved by Sadik Yanik, a renowned Turkish pipe maker. 

The bowl end of the pipe is a Star Wars character named Maz Kanata, which, I admit, I had to look up.

Bizarro reader Stuart VR spotted the item in a Craigslist ad.

If you're interested, the same listing is now active on eBay, at the price of only $1,895.

A round of applause to Stuart for contributing to my overstuffed pipe pic folder.

Let's review this week's Bizarro panels for unnecessary verbiage.

Not only were the ribs bruised, but the artichoke hearts were broken.

My favorite detail is easy to miss. I was trying to do a comedic riff on the Morton Salt girl. After coming up with the name "Martian Salt," I drew an alien version of the famous logo, but it was much too small. I finally realized I could put the Flying Saucer secret symbol on the box.

Many Benedictine monks still produce beers, wines, and baked goods. I conceived the gag as a reference to the trade name Benedictine liqueur, which I recently learned was developed by a 19th-century wine merchant who made up a story that it was originally made by French monks. The story was a fabrication, but it made for great marketing.

There was, however, a real monk named Dom Pérignon who helped improve Champagne-making methods, and that historical fact may have made the Benedictine story easier to believe.

None of that background is necessary to get the joke, but I found it interesting.

The student hopes to eventually earn a black lumbar support belt.

Here's some etymological context, from Blatt Billiards of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey:
The term “foosball” comes from the German word “Fußball,” which translates to “football” (or “soccer” in American English). The game mimics soccer, with players controlling miniature figures on rods to kick a ball into the opponent's goal.

The phonetic pronunciation of "Fußball" evolved into "foosball," making it easier for English speakers to adopt. Over time, this unique name became synonymous with the tabletop game, distinguishing it from traditional soccer. German immigrants in the U.S. popularized the term, giving us the name “foosball” as we know it today.
As an old Monty Python fan, I laughed at this one, even if nobody else does.

I've done a couple like this before, but this is the first time I've done one in Bizarro. I haven't figured out what to call this type of gag. 

Suggestions are welcome.

In a weird cosmic coincidence, this one was published on Merle Haggard's 78th birthday. Compounding the oddity, he died exactly a year later, on his 79th birthday.

Howard Stern is still with us, dispelling any cartoon curse theories.

Fifteen years ago, I coined the term "streptonym" to describe this type of wordplay, and I'm still waiting for it to catch on.

Thanks for checking out the blog. I'll crack open another six-pack of chuckleboxes next week to examine what's inside (or behind) them. You're welcome to join in.

If you crave more in-depth geekery and behind-the-scenes trivia, please consider subscribing to my free Substack newsletter.

Bonus Track

Sonny Rollins with orchestra conducted by Oliver Nelson: 
"Alfie's Theme"
from Original Music From The Score "Alfie."
Impulse! Records (1996)


Jazz giant Sonny Rollins, "the Saxophone Colossus," died on May 25 at age 95. The music from "Alfie" isn't his most challenging material, but it's hard to discount its appeal. 


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Saturday, June 21, 2025

The Terrible Fives

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 real composer thinks about his work the whole time; he is not always conscious of this, but he is aware of it later when he suddenly knows what he will do.

Igor Stravinsky


During a recent presentation I gave about the day-to-day work of producing six cartoons a week for the past seven-plus years, someone asked how long it takes to write and draw a gag. 

That's tricky. Drawing time can be estimated, as it's accomplished physically, but I can't quantify how long it takes to write a gag. I said something like, "In a way, the writing happens all the time." Not as elegantly as Stravinsky might have put it.

Each weekly batch begins with a "writing day," when I make rough sketches of at least six gags to draw as finished panels. In reality, I had been scribbling words, phrases, or doodles in my sketchbook for days or even weeks before tightening them up into usable material. Any number of things can be the seed of a cartoon: a bit of overheard conversation, a word that pops up in a puzzle, an unconscious scribble made during a phone call, even a typo in an email. 

Long before I begin the sketching phase, my brain tinkers with those kernels of ideas in the background. It's as if the conscious mind did some initial sorting and told the unconscious, "Here are a few that have possibilities. See what you can do with them."

No doubt this is more the result of skills gained through practice rather than anything mystical, but it's fascinating to step back and think about how humans create.

Igor could have been referring to any type of creative work. I'd love to know what seeds led to him composing The Rite of Spring, which reportedly set off a riot among the audience when it premiered in 1913.


Today's pipe pic is a jaunty nutcracker fisherman (or is it a fisherman nutcracker?) sent to us by Bizarro reader Larry B. of Beverly Farms, MA.


Larry wrote:

Just a little nutcracker from my ever-burgeoning collection. It’s displayed every Xmas in our home.

Thanks to Larry for sharing this charming photo.


To the best of my knowledge, none of the latest Bizarro panels sparked a riot.


My beloved Italian grandma had plastic slipcovers on the furniture in her living room, along with plastic floor runners so you didn't have to step on the carpeting. She also had a plastic-free "front room," where we played games, watched TV, and enjoyed the wonderful aromas of the food she prepared in the nearby kitchen. I'm sure many friends have similar fond memories of their immigrant elders.

It works every time. They just can't resist turning that crank.

Wednesday's panel was the rare gag that was fully formed when I first thought of it. Each successive "Z" should be read a little quieter than its predecessor.

The strip version presents the image to the reader first, followed by the nested balloons. Both layouts work, but in slightly different ways.

Wolfie was ready to retire before he turned six.

I often search for reference images when drawing specific items or people, and this one was no exception. Here are the pictures I studied when drawing the panel:

Oil painting (1767) of young Mozart by Pietro Antonio Lorenzoni 

A 1775 portrait of Anna Maria Mozart by Rosa Hagenauer

Mozart's childhood home in Salzburg

An 18th-century child's wagon
I overdid the homework on this one, but it's my idea of fun.

Friday's panel is the latest example of a verbal construction I refer to as a streptonym. After fourteen years, I'm still waiting for the term to catch on.

This caption might have been inspired by a typo or an errant autocorrection.


That's our blog for Week 25 of 2025. Drop by next Saturday for another six-pack of cartoon fun.

Bonus Track

Jane Aire & the Belvederes: "Yankee Wheels"
Stiff Records 45 BUY26, 1978


"Yankee Wheels," which was recorded by Akron's Jane Aire and written by Akron's Liam Sternberg. It doesn't feel like summer until I spin this old favorite.


Alternate Bizarro Outposts

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, June 29, 2024

Facial Hair Funnies

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

Wit and puns aren't just decor in the mind; they're essential signs that the mind knows it's on, recognizes its own software, can spot the bugs in its own program.
Adam Gopnik

Someone recently shared this quote from New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik, which spoke to me as someone who works and plays with words. I scrutinize words in every way I can imagine, turn them upside down, and overanalyze them as part of my writing process.

I don't have much to add to this, and I probably grabbed it to remind (or reassure) myself that puns and wordplay are legitimate ingredients for a single-panel gag, as long as they're surprising rather than lazy.


Today's pipe pic was scanned from my current reading material.


The groovy image was created by illustrator Oscar Liebman for the paperback edition of The Boss Is Crazy, Too, a 1963 novel by cartoonist Mell Lazarus (1927-2016).


Liebman's drawing is a prime example of 1960s paperback art. The central character reminds me a little of Rockford Files actor James Garner.

Liebman was a prolific artist who created quite a few paperback book covers, some classics, and some "classics."


This is one of Liebman's milder sexploitation novel covers.

Mell Lazarus was a Mensa member who created two long-running daily comic strips, Miss Peach and Momma. I only recently became aware of his comic novel, via a Facebook post by fellow cartoonist Scott Shaw.

Scott's description was more than enough to send me off in search of a copy:
If you've ever worked for a comic book publisher, I guarantee that you'll laugh your ass off if you read Mell Lazarus' THE BOSS IS CRAZY, TOO (1963.) Before Mell was doing his comic strip MISS PEACH and long before he created MOMMA, Mell's first job as a cartoonist was working for Toby Press, a comic book publishing outfit that was owned by Al Capp. THE BOSS IS CRAZY, TOO has a plot that many feel was stolen for THE PRODUCERS, set in the world of 1950s comics, with stories inspired by Mell's experiences in the field and tons of non-existent Oddball Comics titles. 
Of course, the "Broadway Play and major motion picture" never happened and that's why I have to explain all of this to you.

Thanks to Scott for turning me on to this hilarious book. Speaking of hilarious books, Scott is the undisputed champion at unearthing and sharing weird comic book covers. Check out his collection of Oddball Comics, as well as his own fantastic artwork at his site, but be prepared to spend a lot of time there.


Now, it's time to see how crazy we got at Bizarro Studios North over the past six days.


We jumped right in with a bit of wordplay that we hope would meet with Adam Gopnik's approval.


The human farmer was based on character actor Hank Patterson, who played Fred Ziffel on Green Acres.


A cotton swab is the Nerf Bat of hexing.


How did that guy end up with my sketchbook?
 

I just noticed that this batch of gags is beard-heavy. Maybe the patient from Thursday's panel found work as this help desk operator who has achieved the elusive work/entertainment balance.


Speaking of wordplay as we were, this caption employs a construction that I refer to as a streptonym. I coined the term in 2011 and I'm still waiting for it to catch on among linguists.

Thanks for lending me your eyeballs for a while. I appreciate you for reading the blog and the daily comics. See you in a week.

Bonus Track

Ben Vaughn: "Growin' a Beard"


This ode to whiskers from my old pal Ben Vaughn seemed appropriate for today's post.

Mucho Mucho Bizarro



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Saturday, January 02, 2021

The Pipes Are Calling

Happy New Year from Bizarro Studios. Congratulations for making it through what felt like the longest twelve months of the 21st Century. Let's hope things improve this year.

Scan courtesy of the B. London Archives

For your amusement, we present a review of our final gags of 2020.


It's clearly time to replace that mattress.


Although this gag was built on a simple pun, the layout, requiring four word balloons and a caption box, proved to be a little tricky. I also discovered that I have a lot of difficulty typing the word "eucalyptus." Fortunately, it doesn't come up often, only when I text my koala friends.

The latest example of the streptonym, a favorite form of worldplay at Bizarro Studios North.


The final comic of December included two sticks of dynamite tucked into the art, including the rarely-seen peppermint twist variant.
 
We kicked off 2021 with the official debut of Bizarro's new Secret Symbol: The Pipe of Ambiguity. I'm enjoying placing it into the art, but we probably won't add any more symbols in the foreseeable future. We have enough to keep track of as it is.

Perhaps the blowhard who spent the last four years promising a "phenomenal" replacement for the ACA was expecting extraterrestrials to miraculously deliver it. It wouldn't be the most outlandish idea he's floated.

Thanks for sticking with us as we send our words and pictures out into the world. We hope they provide a daily distraction and an occasional laugh. Please check out Dan Piraro's blog for his always-pithy commentary, and his newest Sunday Bizarro page. 

Also, if you enjoy beautifully-drawn, surreal western adventures (and who doesn't?), you going to love Dan's graphic novel, Peyote Cowboy.

Photo Credit: A tip of the old porkpie to my good pal (and longtime comics hero) Bobby London, for the photo at the top of the post.

Bobby recently shared this scan of a TV Junior magazine from his childhood. It's his personal copy, ink stains and all, which he's held onto since 1959. When I saw it on Bobby's Facebook page, I immediately stole downloaded it. 

The upside-down image of Heckle & Jeckle caught my eye, showing them to be ancestors of Bizarro's own Inverted Bird.

Bobby is currently hard at work on The Essential DIRTY DUCK, to be published by IDW. 

In addition to collecting his long-running strip from the pages of National Lampoon and Playboy, the book will include a biography of the artist and some other surprises. It's already on my wish list. Bobby is one of the giants, and it's gratifying to know Dirty Duck is getting a proper book collection.

Bonus Track

Our closing tune has no connection to any of the week's comics. It's just a goofy record that I love.


This 1968 single is the only known release by the Family Frog. I've never located any information as to who's responsible for this oddball gem. It may simply have been a bunch of studio players having fun between takes, imitating Bob Dylan singing a Beatles song.

Courtesy of the Bizarro Studios North Vinyl Archive

 
I first encountered this humorous version of "Help!" on a Bonzo Dog Band bootleg LP released in 1976. For years I thought it was a rare Bonzos outtake, but it was only a bit of mischief perpetrated by whoever issued the bootleg album.

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