Bug Martini on the requirements of public mourning, which throws me into the depths of a conundrum. And please, no “Lumpy Gravy” references of “Did you ever live in a conundrum?” because I’m focusing more on Pancho Pillow from “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” to whom Kesey delivered the oft-quoted-here line, “Why should I take […]
Stone Soup has been addressing the issue of civilized behavior this week, as Val attempts to take her daughters to a restaurant at which food is served on plates instead of wrapped in paper.This sets off one of my pet rants, which (A) is that we are allowing our children to be raised Tarzan-like, by […]
No heavy lifting today. Tank McNamara on the topic of college sports and amateurism. I’m not sure where Bill Hinds is taking this, but it’s a worthwhile issue, particularly as we prepare for a round of (yawn) Winter Olympics.The Olympics once had an elitist, often racist, amateurism requirement that needed to go. But the combination […]
Okay, it’s always stuff I like. That’s the format.But here’s #4000 for Prince Valiant, which is not only an impressive record for a Sunday-only strip but a good example of a re-invigorated zombie strip as well as a strip that happens to be a foundation for my love of comics and a very fine piece […]
One of my favorite sources of stupid humor is Monty, who continues to make the tired old “hapless guy looks just like the killer” gag even more ridiculous than usual, and thus justifies dragging it out in the first place.It either takes a lot of confidence or a lot of gall. Today’s installment speaks for […]
This gig would be a lot easier at the moment if I weren’t constrained by the Prime Directive, which is to feature good work and not snark at the bad. Without stooping to examples, there are a lot of commentaries on the current shutdown that range from clueless to contemptible, and I’m not sure which […]
Here’s today’s Candorville, in honor of the fact that it’s been five years since I took on a job that lasted about six months. Before I accepted the job, I asked my prospective boss how the then-new recession was hitting the paper and he assured me that things were just fine, that a community with […]
This is like being stuck at the airport. Not like being stuck in an elevator. We’ve got access to bathrooms. That makes a big difference, but we’re still not going anywhere for awhile. And I’d rather sit here than have Capt. Obama feel pressured to take off into a blizzard so I could be part of a […]
Kal sums it up.We’re beyond discussion now. The classic question, “Is he a fool, or a knave?” is no longer operable. There is no “fool” option anymore because nobody that dumb could possibly have risen that far.And I’m not big on conspiracy theories, but I’m running out of innocent explanations. The only question still on […]
As it happens, this rerun of The Big Picture, by Lennie “No Relation” Peterson, ran at GoComics yesterday and I snagged it as a fitting illustration for reporting back on the results of the non-poll poll.I say “non-poll poll” because it’s ironic that someone who hates those bogus, short-sighted “comics polls” in newspapers is using […]
Timing is everything in comedy, and today’s Foxtrot (which is reruns Mon-Sat but new on Sundays) hits at the right moment.I called my granddaughter yesterday to ask about a seemingly ridiculous situation at a neighboring high school, in which the guys from the football team got together at a kid’s house and did stupid, sexist, […]
I don’t feature David Horsey’s cartoons as often as I enjoy them, and that’s largely because, while his draftsmanship is among the best in the business, his cartoons don’t always stand alone terribly well, for reasons I can’t quite explain, since many of them absolutely do.But that makes his gig at the LA Times perfect, […]
Rina Piccolo has posted an excellent two-part blog entry about creating a sales kit for a syndicated comic, in her case, “Tina’s Groove.” (Part One and Part Two)This is something that comes up after the strip has been accepted at the syndicate and after the cartoonist has been through the development process, which is when […]
Lots of little things today, starting with Non Sequitur. Wiley has bailed out of Facebook, but apparently has not managed to duck knowing about all the selfies on the Internet.If only every selfie had such a happy ending!I’ll admit that it’s kind of pointless to expect something called “Facebook” not to contain a lot of […]
Starting, for a change, with the Juxtaposition of the Day: (The New Adventures of Queen Victoria) (Blondie)Normally, I save the Juxtaposition of the Day for the end, sort of a “Moment of Zen” thing (don’t worry, you’ll get one), but these two strips tie into my recent theme of unscrupulous efforts to capitalize on people’s […]