Way Out West

Happy Saturday, friends. I hope you've navigated safely through another week in the hellishly awful year MMXX.

Here's a look at what kept us busy at Bizarro Studios North:

We kicked off the week with a metaphor for any number of daily struggles we all face. Which reminds me, it's time to reorder a case of Tasty.

Frankie hates commuting as much as anybody.

Terminology note: We know that the character isn't named "Frankenstein," and is in fact properly called "Frankenstein's Monster," but there's nothing wrong with affectionately referring to him as "Frankie."

I asked for this model kit as a birthday gift many times over the years, and never got one, but I'm composing a persuasive letter to Santa this year.

This gag features two characters, but only one I had to draw. Since the patient is unseen, I hoped it would make them relatable to every reader.

It was surprisingly difficult for me to leave that empty space in the upper right. I had to remind myself that it's not necessary to fill every square inch of a panel. This is a visual application of a lesson I've learned (and continue to learn) from making music in a trio. My bandmate, Tom, has taught us that with fewer instruments, it's important to leave space in the arrangements, and not make them too "crowded."

The decision not to show the patient was also helpful in configuring the strip version of this gag. It would have been nearly impossible to include another character in the drawing and deliver the joke in the same way. Both the panel and strip imply more content outside of the frame.

Sometimes less truly is more. Thanks, Tom!

Additional research note: I've found references online to "furniturephobia" as an actual condition, but that doesn't sound convincing. However, a friend informed me that fear of couches is known as lechophobia.

I'm not a parent, but I'm reasonably certain this would keep a child quiet, not to mention entertaining the family with the classic "crawling against the wind" routine.

For this cartoonist, cowboys are as much fun to draw as clowns or the Grim Reaper, which is part of the reason they turn up often in my work. Friday's gag was unintentionally timely, given the recent passing of composer Ennio Morricone, whose many musical achievements include defining the sound of so-called Spaghetti Western films. This scene takes place in an imagined Eastern European production.

We wrapped up the week with a Saturday Switcheroo. Inside that tiny human dwelling, there's a microscopic mouse-hole. Inside of that, there's a subatomic human door, and on and on, in an infinitely recursive series.

For additional "inside comics" talk, please visit Dan Piraro's weekly blog, which usually pops up on Monday. While you're there, you can admire his newest Bizarro Sunday page, and check out the Bizarro Merch Table, where you still have a chance to snag some Secret Symbol enamel pins, and other stylish accessories. 

A portion of your purchase will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice, which shows yet another reason I'm honored to work with Dan.

Bonus Track
Here at Bizarro Studios North, we not only like to draw cowboys. We also enjoy cowboy music. One of the most durable cowboy tunes is "Ghost Riders in the Sky," first recorded in 1948 by the composer, one Stan Jones. Many dozens of cover versions followed over the decades.

This recording is one of our favorites, by Benjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers (May 23, 1910 – November 22, 1986), released in 1956 by Tops Records.



Tops was a budget label that issued soundalikes to cash in on other labels' hit songs. Their album covers were often more interesting than the music they contained, like this 1959 LP featuring a photo of a young Mary Tyler Moore.

The Scatman album, however, is a gem. The image used on the above video was taken from a 2006 CD compilation. Here's the 1956 cover design, in its original typographical and sartorial glory.

Courtesy of the Bizarro Studios North Archive

Rooftop Serenade

Who'd like a few moments' escape from the horror and chaos that's filled our screens these many months? You could do worse than reading a few cartoons, and maybe having a healthy laugh in the process.

Here's the batch I put out this past week.

Your cartoonist could almost participate in this group. I'm not worried about literally being chewed up, but I'm unnerved by the sound of a person eating or chewing. Those TV and radio programs where a colorful host talks about a restaurant's food while eating it are more horrifying to me than any slasher film. 

The finished art is pretty close to my initial sketch, with a slight change to the caption. "Fear of mastication" sounds slightly more scientific.

Here at Bizarro Studios, we rarely make direct comments on current events or specifically address politics in our cartoons. We're working many weeks ahead of publication, and any timely commentary would most likely be stale by the time the gag's been printed. This idea seemed a little more universal, and more about human interaction than trying to be newsy.

Predictably, some of the online comments turned into virtual shouting matches. I'll just say that arguments against a simple courtesy that shows concern for others strike me as having been reverse-engineered to justify unfounded pronouncements made by a nincompoop with a huge megaphone.

Wednesday's offering was built on a nearly-invisible pun. When I submitted the sketch to my esteemed editor/partner, he told me that he read the gag three times before noticing that the last word wasn't "mignon." Sometimes our brains run an auto-correct algorithm that cartoonists can use to their advantage.

We got a few questions asking how the server's bow tie was attached. I believe that the pelt came from a nearly-forgotten animal known as the mastodandy, which evolved that unique marking.

There's no denying the End Times are closer than they've ever been. In my fantasy, if the angel Gabriel existed, he'd definitely be a jazz player.

The Four Sidemen here are all based on musician friends of mine. That information isn't required to understand the gag, but it made it more fun to draw.

We may have lost count, but we still aren't out of clown gags.

This should be read in that double-speed semi-whisper that accompanies ads for pharmaceuticals.

If you can't get enough of this behind-the-scenes comics talk, check out Dan Piraro's weekly blog, where you can also view his latest magnificent Bizarro Sunday page.

Bonus Track

The sax player in Thursday's gag is the late Ralph Carney. Ralph was a talented multi-instrumentalist and composer, in addition to being a generous and wonderfully silly gent, who cared deeply about his fellow humans. When the cartoon was published, I received quite a few heartfelt comments from friends who loved our Ralphie and miss him. 

I first heard Ralph's music in 1977, when I picked up the debut record by Tin Huey. Many years later, we became close friends when he had me design a CD cover for his Serious Jass Project band.

After releasing a couple of independent EPs, Tin Huey were signed to Warner Brothers Records, and released their brilliant LP, Contents Dislodged During Shipment, in 1979. This selection highlights Ralph's musicianship and humor.

Magic and Ecstasy

As the days of weirdness and distancing blur together, we're trying to maintain our sanity by sticking to a regular schedule. That includes faithfully composing a weekly blog post review of the latest Bizarro cartoons. Here's a look back at the week of July 6.

Outside the office, he's pleasant enough.

A few friends mentioned that the off-duty Reaper dressed like yours truly. I'll concede a resemblance from the neck up, but I haven't worn aloha shirts in many years. Still, that one looks comfy. 

We can't see beneath the bar, but if he's wearing a pair of Chuck Taylors, maybe I was in fact drawing myself.

Nothing a little fabric softener won't fix.

I thought it would be quick and easy to draw a gag featuring two ghosts, and while it didn't take as long as some more elaborate panels, I spent a fair amount of time on the burlap texture and shading.

Readers, do you remember baseball?

When I was a youngster, I was forced to join Little League. One team (not mine) developed a chatter method that was eventually banned. In place of the usual cries of "Hey, batter batter," the entire team counted down from five, and then simultaneously yelled, "Swing!" It was surprisingly effective, and started many fights among players, parents, and coaches. That's some fine character building right there, my friends.

Only one of them is wearing the electronic collar.

This is a pre-pandemic drawing of a typical corporate Help Desk. Overheated battery packs are a hazard of the profession.

If you found this image disturbing, just imagine drawing it. I had to take frequent breaks, but it's my duty to deliver the comics for you, dear Jazz Pickles.

I've done quite a few gags involving mall information kiosks, and this one may be my favorite. In recent months, however, we all may feel like we're stranded in the Kierkegaard Galleria.

We at Bizarro Studios hope that our daily comic provides a momentary distraction from troubling realities, and occasionally lets us laugh at them together, even while isolated.

Don't forget to pop on over to Dan Piraro's blog, where he shares his latest Sunday Bizarro page, and offers commentary on these gags, along with other opinions and insights. His thoughts are always worth reading.

Bonus Track

Ennio Morricone
Marcia degli Accattoni (March of the Beggars)
from Giu' la Testa (aka Duck, You Sucker)



On Monday, July 6, Ennio Morricone died in Rome at age 91. Morricone was one of my all-time favorite composers, as I've mentioned in this blog a few times.

While working on comics this week, I've been revisiting the Morricone recordings in my music collection, and have been filled with joy while marveling at his many works of genius.

Instrumentalist/composer John Zorn wrote a moving tribute to Morricone in the New York Times earlier this week. 

The title of today's post, Magic and Ecstasy, was taken from another great Morricone composition.

Thanks for stopping by. Keep yourselves and your families safe and healthy.

See you next week. 

On Deck Circle

Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans. As we grill our hot dogs in isolation, and listen to neighbors risk bodily harm to set off amateur fireworks, let's look at the week's Bizarro cartoons.

Monday's gag ran the risk of angering my colleagues for revealing a trade secret, but everyone was cool. 

 

Before I do any work in Photoshop, I take a few practice swings with an IMSAI 8080 computer.

 

Insert celebrity parent name here.

This panel raises a question: What do porcine bikers call their motorcycles?

This stone age driver has just updated his automotive decorations. When he was younger and wilder, it sported a drawing of a mischievous cartoon kid peeing on a neighbor's wheel.

As soon as I sketched this shriveled-up character, I knew I wanted to feature him in a gag.

My sketchbook drawings are usually quite messy, and there are a few that even I can't decipher.

Saturday's drawing is loosely modeled on my friend Teresa Roberts Logan, who's a standup comic as well as a very funny cartoonist. I highly recommend her comic, Laughing Redhead. She has a unique humorous voice, and I enjoy the organic look of her artwork. I don't actually know how she feels about feng shui. That part, I made up.

For additional graphical merriment and pithy commentary, please visit Dan Piraro's blog, where you can also admire his latest widescreen Bizarro Sunday page.

Dan often opens his blog posts with well-reasoned and entertaining commentary on current ridiculous events, but the intro to last week's entry was a change of pace. Dan discussed some ideas that he formed, in part, as a result of reading The Ascent of Humanity by Charles Eisenstein. That post aligns with thoughts I've articulated (much less eloquently) regarding the way that mass-media entertainment, and technologies like radio and television, replaced self-made entertainment, and in some ways made people less social.

At one time, most homes had a piano and other musical instruments, and family members were able to play together for fun. Making music with other people is one of life's great joys, and at its best it's a social activity that relies on cooperation, listening, and empathy. When mass-marketed recording came along, I believe that people who made music for the pure enjoyment of it, began to compare themselves unfavorably to professional entertainers, felt that their efforts weren't worthwhile, and gave up on music, except as passive listeners.

Something similar happens with visual art. Just about all kids love to draw and color. Drawing is a form of communication that predates written language. It seems that at some crucial point in childhood, many kids become discouraged, whether it's because of parents, teachers, or peers. They decide that they can't draw, and give up, never developing artistic skills, and that's a shame.

 

Of course, some kids are wonderful, special, obsessed weirdos, who never take "no" for an answer, and pursue their creative passions despite forces that would discourage them. These are the people who create great stuff, and I'm glad to know quite a few of them.

 

A surprising number of cartoonists also enjoy making music, including Robert Crumb.

The tagline at the bottom of this 1972 Crumb record is a profound statement:

"Music self-played is happiness self-made."

 

Thanks for following Bizarro.

 

Bonus Track

Pilfering in Place

Saturday has rolled around again, marking the completion of another week in These Weird and Uncertain Times.

We're still sequestered in the offices of Bizarro Studios North, trying to get further ahead of our publication schedule. We've been a lot more productive of late, since we're not doing anything that involves leaving home base. 

Of course, I realize that I'm extremely lucky to be able to continue working, and we're doing our best to support local businesses and help our neighbors as much as we can. Let's cross our fingers in the hope that, at the other side of "all this," society emerges with renewed empathy and charity.

Speaking of the job of cartooning, here's a look back at this week's gags.
 

Another profession adapts to the pandemic. Mask are required, pants are optional.

We were surprised to learn that Fisher-Price is still selling the "Chatter Telephone" pull toy, although they're now probably used to monitor the economic habits of toddlers.

The face looks friendly, but those eyes never close...

Old MacDonald had some complaints.

Above is a rejected preliminary gag using the familiar nursery rhyme character. We're not above punning here art Bizarro Studios, but this one failed to meet our minimum humor requirements.

He's doing field research on statistics and supposedly-random numbers.

We received a couple of comments correctly pointing out that homeschooled kids do no worse than those attending traditional schools, and are equally successful at gaining admittance to universities. Our comic refers to economists--college graduates who usually hold advanced degrees. Instead of "homeschooled," we should have said something like "self-taught" or "intuitive." It's a lesson learned for us.  

Friday's cartoon features two stereotypical characters with more in common that they care to admit. In addition to a fondness for boutique beverages, they both enjoy haberdashery, chin whiskers, and rustic garb.

The horizontal strip layout allowed me to have the connoisseurs facing each other at eye level.

While kicking around ideas based on the phrase "break a leg," as an expression of good luck, we wondered if pirates might tell one another to break a peg. I'd considered just having a pirate saying that to a shipmate, but it seemed so simple, I figured someone must have used it in a comic already. I wasn't able to find a cartoon based on that line, but I still thought it was likely. Eventually, I hit on the idea of making the dialog about the soundalike line. The extra bit of conceptual distance felt like be a more satisfying approach direct substitution.

Plus, I enjoy drawing pirates.

My partner-in-humor, Dan Piraro, also offers a weekly review of my output, along with his latest panoramic Bizarro Sunday page. He also usually includes some thoughtful commentary, and this week's is especially resonant. Check out his blog, and tell him Wayno sent you.

Bonus Track
Inspired by the craft spirits cartoon, I had planned to close this post with "Whiskey, Do Your Stuff" by Louis Jordan and his Tympani Five. However, while browsing through YouTube, I found this 1974 performance of "There Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens," and decided to go with it instead.

Jordan is one of our all-time favorites here at BSN. He was a pioneer, and a hugely influential performer. Chuck Berry cited him as a major inspiration. He's sometimes referred to as "The Last Swinger, and the First Rocker," whose music was indeed a bridge between the old and the new from the 1930s up until his death in 1975 at age 66.

Here's a treasured item from the Bizarro Studios North archives, which we love for the music it contains, as well as the wonderful 1950s graphic design.

This French TV appearance was filmed within a year of his passing, but it shows that he never lost his musical chops. His music always makes me smile and marvel at his skills.

Enjoy

A Biscuit, a Bell, and a Boom

Happy Summer Solstice, Jazz Pickles. In keeping with ancient Midsummer tradition, let's look at some funny pictures together.

I once wrote a story outline for a long form comic about a voodoo doll made of Silly Putty. Fortunately, it never went beyond the preliminary stage, but the premise was enough to work a single panel gag.

This cartoon prompted my favorite Instagram comment of the week:

“COMICS” should have been “SCIMOC”. (Everything is backwards with a silly putty copy. Other than that, great humor)

I guess some people just don't understand how magic works.

An all-American mutt working on the Great American Novel.

My original art showed F. Spot without the saliva. What was I thinking? One should never pass up the opportunity to draw a drooping, drooling tongue.

Wednesday found us back at the mall directory kiosk, a favorite cartoon setting. This time, the sign was confounded by a children's book character.

If you've ever attended a Q&A session, you'll understand this one. 

I'm considering selling this as a t-shirt.

Two classic movie characters met in Friday's gag, which was set in the old Hollywood Arcade. I was pleased with the brief but indignant line of text.

My first sketch showed the scarecrow being pestered by a hungry zombie. We liked the setting, and thought it would be better with Dr.Frankenstein's assistant eagerly elbowing his way to the claw machine.

Saturday's panel probably looks better in print, and will achieve its best presentation if it's cut from the paper and allowed to oxidize for a decade or so. Here's how I imagine the alternate layout looking a few years from now.

Assembling this was enjoyable, since it was a little different from a normal Bizarro panel.

The layout was modeled after an old art instruction ad, and the customer was based on Sam Elliott's character in The Big Lebowski.

There was no compelling reason to use Elliott as a reference, other than an urge to draw that spectacular mustache.

If you can't get enough behind-the-scenes banter, drop by Dan Piraro's blog, where you can also check out his latest Bizarro Sunday page.

Bonus Track

The aforementioned Big Lebowski, a favorite here at Bizarro Studios North, boasts a interesting and eclectic soundtrack. Instead of an original score, the film uses an wide-ranging selection of existing music to complement the action.

Bob Dylan, Captain Beefheart, Nina Simone, Esquivel, Elvis Costello, Debbie Reynolds, and Dean Martin are just a few of the artists whose recordings are included in the film, along with a some well-chosen classical selections.

It also includes this piece, "Traffic Boom," by the Piero Piccioni. "Traffic Boom" was originally recorded for the 1974 film All Screwed Up, directed by Lina Wertmüller.

Piccioni was a prolific film composer, whose credits include such cool 1960s classics as The Tenth Victim and Fumo di Londra.