Saturday Specials

by Hal Bent

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! It's 45 degrees and rainy, so any cookout, lawn mowing, or driving up to Boston and strolling around the city this weekend is not looking like its in the cards. Oh well, more time for me to read comics! 

Daddy's Home by Tony Rubino and Gary Markstein:

I fixed the toilet once.  I think this scene played out exactly...except I used more creative language (I like to create swears out of words used in odd sequences and non-sense words like I was Lewis Carroll), and my son wears glasses and isn't a smug shmuck like this kid, and my wife is much more attractive than this character.  Hmm, maybe it was nothing like this. 


Animal Crackers by Fred Wagner:

What the heck is this?  A grazing animal is approached with a bad pickup line? That's the comic strip? That's the joke? Where is the humor?  This comic wasn't funny 30 years ago when I was a kid, and here it is taking the place of some decent comic by a young talent.  


Luann by Greg Evans:

I love TJ's hands-on-hips fabulous pose in the first panel. The stank line coming from the engine in panels one and two.  The plastered on smile on TJ's face not changing in all three panels...doesn't change that I have no interest if he cons Brad into fixing his truck, I just want to see the menu!  Is it crepes? I bet it's crepes. 

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Very Bored Fish

Animal Crackers

I think there is supposed to be a joke in here somewhere...


Baldo

Or just wait here another few minutes while we continue with the wisecracks; when you collapse from whatever is ailing you somebody will call an ambulance probably.

Big Nate

Sigh. Another cartoonist's fantasy of relevance/coolness.  "Really? Are you famous?" is a reaction I don't think anyone would have to discovering doodles in someone's notebook.

The Born Loser

"Mathlete" is a term that already exists.  This kid is not being clever at all.  I guess that's just another example of Born Loserdom.

The Grizzwells

So not only can these bears speak, they're training themselves to be multilingual.  My head hurts.

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Ack-Ackbar!

Hey all.  My apologies not posting last Wednesday.  The was a little parade I attended in the morning, and then that night there were celebrations for some obscure holiday.

Now on to the comics review for this very boring Wednesday, November 7th.

Adam@Home

Adam@Home takes on the serious subject of bullying.  Notice, however, that the goatee drawing, hair ruffling, shirt wrinkling, glasses breaking punishment is reserved for a minor character.  Now, if Clayton, or anyone else we cared about, got "roughed up" that would be just a little too real for us sensitive readers.

Animal Crackers

And the little fish is soon devoured by an opportunistic predator.  The end.

The Argyle Sweater

"You won't even feel it when the ravenous women rips into your corn-flesh and eats you alive."

Barkeater Lake

Ah, the nerve of this guy's wife—going into labor when he's at a bar.  She's always cause some sort of trouble.

Brevity

Very weird Cathy/Star Wars crossover.  I don't have much to say about it; I just thought I'd share.

Cornered

Worst med students ever !

Diamond Lil

Whoa. Anyone still use Mapquest?

Free Range

Lemmings have nightmares about their inability to end their horrible, miserable lives.

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It's a Griffin!

Adam@Home

Eagle//lion hybrid?  That's just a Griffin.  Surely Clayton is smart enough to know what one is.

Animal Crackers

The joke doesn't work here because there is no misdirection.  What other number could the trampled moose/deer thing have given?  A DMV license number branded on the asses of the herd?

Candorville

The skid mark will haunt Lemont's dreams for months to come.

Pickles

It means you piss your pants, Nelson.  Old people have very poor bladder control.

The Grizzwells

Quick question:  why does the lady bear wear clothes but no one else in this strip does?  Perhaps she is the only character with any sense of shame.

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Wednesday Roundup

Animal Crackers

You can't go home again because your home has been ruthlessly destroyed by loggers.

Baldo

I love this little girl's positive attitude, but dirt sprinkles are pretty gross.

Cornered

Wow.  This is kind of dark for the comics page.  I guess it's funny because this guy is very stubborn,  even after death.

Freshly Squeezed

Nate gets trapped in his fantasy world and starves to death.

The Grizzwells

It's already well established that these two are rather lazy, so it's nice to see a strip that focuses on their stupidity.

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It Doesn't Matter If You're Black and White

Animal Crackers

Well, everything in your world IS in black and white, Mr. Unidentifiable-Animal-Thing.  Also, I wouldn't worry too much about the coloring book "industry"—I'm sure the publishing companies that spit out those toddler scribble pages have varied enough projects that they'll survive the Color Apocalypse.  Now, the Crayon Industry on the other hand...

Ballard Street

I shudder to think of what horrid mound of white flesh is disturbing enough to freak out that poor dog.

Betty

Whoa!  Did Betty's friend just give her a not-so-subtle jab there at the end? "Surprise, surprise.  I'm intelligent and well-spoken, unlike some people *cough*you*cough*. 'Funny friend' my ass!"

The Flying McCoys

Yes, this was a Superman diarrhea joke.  Fun times.

The Grizzwells

I guess it should come as no surprise that the bear's laziness extends to his parenting as well.  "The little tyke has been so annoying lately, I think I'll just avoid him altogether.  Ah... I feel better. I must be doing a good job!"

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Alien Invasion Presented by Nike

Animal Crackers

And a happy day after Valentine's to you too!

Birdbrains

Um. Why do the aliens have the Nike swoosh on their shirts? Okay, it is backwards, but still...

F Minus

Is that an expresso cup? That wouldn't be my beverage of choice upon learning that my child is a moron. Beer would be better, or perhaps even something stronger.

Momma

It's not the house that's falling apart, just Momma.

The Grizzwells

This strip anthropomorphizes its characters so much (the bear is married and has an office job supposedly) that it is refreshing to be reminded that they are wild animals and still crave the decomposing flesh of other creatures.

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Passing Stones

Peter here again. Today was a busy day, but on to the comics review!

Adam@Home

So Adam's injury turns out to be a kidney stone. I'm glad it's not some lingering back injury or something like that. Adam whining like a baby while his family waits on him would have been played out in maybe a day or two. Now we'll all be treated to the how-can-it-miss? comedy gold of Adam passing his stone.

Animal Crackers

News flash: you're the only tortoise with a sunroof because no one else wants to drill a hole right into his spine just so that he can stick his head out like some ridiculous sock puppet.

Alley Oop

I'm certain the different colored dresses will make figuring out who is who easy enough. Now as for figuring out Alley Oop's ridiculous plot? Not so much.

Break of Day

Uh... yeah it does. At least try to.

F Minus

Wow. That little girl must be really dumb if she's sticking fries in her eye instead of her mouth.

Tank McNamara

No name? I'd call it "Whiny Little Twit disease."

Okay, that's all for today. See you next week!

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The Good.....and the sad.....now on Thursday!

Matt here. My day switched as Sundays were just too crazy with travel and home life. Just couldn't make it work so, thankfully, Thursday opened up and here I am. So, on with today's installment:

The Good

Rubes

Two decent sight gags in one comic. I like the kangaroo stuck in the ceiling but, even better, is the kangaroo talking. Something about his earnestness in the question he is asking made me chuckle out loud. Oh, and I also love the hats.

Off the Mark

Love the combo of the sight gag and the pun. Not much else to say but this strip really works today.

The Sad

Animal Crackers

I know. Expecting Animal Crackers to be even remotely funny is a fools' errand. However, it would be nice to have something better than this. "Hey-pass the salt". Wow. Just, wow. I mean, I get that they are vultures and munching on carrion but (a) haven't seen this joke before in other strips and (b) haven't we seen it done better? Moving on.....

Daddy's Home

This, to me, is a classic way to ruin a perfectly good joke. I actually love the second panel. Brilliantly delivered. But why does he have to turn to us in the third panel and talk right to us? And "Ain't I a stinker" isn't clever or funny. There was no need to do that, IMHO, and it completely ruins the strip.

Edited to add: Anonymous was correct that I should have gotten the Bugs Bunny reference. However, it just doesn't work in this context and really throws off the strip. At least, that's what I think.

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Tissues Don't Have Brains.....

It's Friday. Read my blog. Here are some comics from today.

Animal Crackers

Why do these talking socks care so much about why people hate snakes?

The Doozies

Yes, it took one tree to make that one tissue.

You couldn't add the words "part of a" before the word "tree?"

Frank and Ernest

We live in the greatest country with the greatest military in the world. We have a whole system set up to keep people like Frank and Ernest out of the army.

No matter how desperate the army is.

Love Is...

Better keep those candles away from your junk naked Love Is manchild.

Wee Pals

Today, Wee Pals reminded me that they are part of the Rainbow Club which made me realize that despite being a very diverse group, they do not have a child who is effeminate. Black, Jew, nerd, ginger, they are all welcome in the Rainbow Club but those damn queerosexuals need not apply.

Nancy

LOL! Kittehs.

I don't really have anything to say about this strip. It just gave me an excuse to post a picture of my cat, Katy, who is an awful cat. Don't worry, it's a mutual hatred.

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