Odds and Ends

Happy Monday everyone. Hope all had a great Super Bowl weekend and looking forward to the start of another week. Winter has been balmy here in the Midwest so far and hoping it stays that way for a while.

Bizarro

Kind of a cute idea but the first line really bothers me with "Those Cuban dudes sat on me all day again". Since this is supposed to be Che Guevara's motorcycle, why are multiple people sitting on it? Do they take turns riding it? I have this image of the revolutionaries in the jungle going "Pick me! Pick me! My turn to ride it.".

Hi and Lois

.....and what your mom has to do to make money, we won't even discuss with you.

Mary Worth

Behold! The magic color changing walls of Mary Worth's apartment! First it's black and then it is a rather odd off-gray. Amazing! And what is on that bookshelf behind Nola? Is it a tomato, a pin cushion or some new tv set with an old fashioned atenna?

Hazel

Has the creator of Hazel ever actually owned or seen a cat? Good luck (a) trying to get them to wait at a line for some pre-determined start and (b) have them actually race at once for anything. And I love it's the second annual cat race, 'cause the first one was such a success.

Andy Capp

It's an old joke, but this one made me chuckle.

Have a great week, everyone!

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Monday Free for All......

Matt back after a week in New Orleans where I can barely remember some of what happened (but am sure that my bank and credit card company will be very happy to remind me). Anyways, on with the Monday comics:

Six Chix

Wait, so the waitress is also the dishwasher at this place? And why is the woman at the table just staring at the cover of a book and reading it out loud? And why does the waitress equate success with winning a non-existent Nobel prize? And why am I over-analyzing this comic? Next....

Mary Worth

Wait, what kind of M.C.Escher house does Mary Worth live in. In panel 1, her chair has a back and it is up against a bookshelf. In panel 2, she places her book on the table to her left but all of a sudden the back of her chair is gone and the room opens up to have a couch and the bookshelf disappears. Can't wait to see who her visitors are. Maybe it's the "hippie thieves" from two story lines ago returning her purse.

Crankshaft

Nobody does smugness like Batiuk.

Rhymes with Orange

A little overly complicated and long but I like this one. Anyone who has put together anything from IKEA will instantly get it.

That's all for today. Have a great week!

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S.L.O.W. P.A.C.I.N.G.

Last week I made a crack about the pacing in Mary Worth, not realizing that that very week would be a especially apt, and painful, example of just how hapless the strip can be.

Take a look at last Sunday through Saturday:

Mary Worth, 3/13/2011


Mary Worth, 3/14/2011


Mary Worth, 3/15/2011


Mary Worth, 3/16/2011


Mary Worth, 3/17/2011


Mary Worth, 3/18/2011


Mary Worth, 3/19/2011


Placed side-by-side (or end to end?) like this, the strip is almost readable, in a cold-molasses-running-uphill-in-Jupiter's-gravity-and-Pluto's-climate kind of way. The dialogue even flows from one strip to the other quite naturally. Almost as if someone writes and draws the strip and just cuts it up into 2 panel chunks without regard to the final product.

Interestingly enough, the current writer, Karen Moy, expressed a desire to pick up the pace in a 2007 interview. She states her goal as 3 stories a year. Egad.

I find the pencils on Mary Worth to be especially painful, more because of the fact that the penciler, Joe Giella, has a fascinating resume than because of how they look. Giella worked with greats like Alex Toth, C.C. Beck, Carmine Infantino, and Gil Kane on comic books during the Silver and Golden Ages. It's great that he's still working....but the layouts and especially the faces are really just terrible at times.

Meanwhile, Dick Tracy is cooking, at least comparatively speaking.

Dick Tracy, 3/20/2011


In a week we've see the return of 3 supporting characters, including a personnel change in the police force, a very Tracy-like disgusting villain arriving on the scene, some casual scenes from around the police station and cafeteria, and even an offhand mention of another bust. That's at least 4 months of most legacy strips! I'm pretty pleased.

Have a great week.

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Watch Out for Kite-Eating Trees

I know I've been pretty flaky with the Sunday posts but hopefully from this point on there will be a regular stream of Sunday comics.

Ronaldinho Gaucho

Unless eating your vegetables also turns you into a man, this is veering awful close to child pornography.  I guess not drawing the nipples make it okay.

That's Life

Wouldn't this work better with Batman considering the 1960s Batman TV show had all the "POW!" and "ZOW!" and "BORT!" graphics?  Also considering Superman would be impervious to being stabbed by an action bubble makes this comic not work.

Funky Winkerbean

"Yeah, that Class of '11 just isn't as good as the Class of '10.  I hope they all die."

"Well, considering this is 'Funky Winkerbean' that is a plausible storyline."

Blondie

I love how Dithers hit Dagwood so hard with a pillow that it knocked Dag's shoe off.  Now that's a wallop.

Mary Worth

Sweet Jesus.  First Wilbur takes his fake son fishing and then takes his real daughter kite flying?  Does Wilbur not know how to have a good time?

Zits

I love Bazooka Joe comics.  I kind of wish there a book that reprinted the thousands of strips that have been produced.  I also hope somewhere in those strips is the story of why Joe wears that eyepatch.  Some horrible marble accident I assume.

Gasoline Alley

Hmm, considering birds could give a flying fig about our timekeeping methods I don't think they really notice our time change because they still wake up at the crack of dawn.

Now you all need to go over to my site and follow me on Twitter.

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It Was the Best of Comics. It Was the Worst of Comics

Let's get going on today's (and a couple from last week) comics.

Mallard Fillmore

Mallard has been yammering on about this stupid study for a week--possibly more.  Mallard also apparently doesn't know how this study works.  This is an article about the study and it says that only 2,300 college students were followed at two dozens universities.  45% of those 2,300 students “demonstrated no significant gains in critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and written communications during the first two years of college.”  How many people are in college?  Why does Mallard hate education?

Mary Worth 2/20/11

I have been loving this recent Mary Worth storyline where it's Wilbur vs. Dawn vs. Mary vs. technology. Only one will win!

Mary Worth 2/27/11

"How dare Sarah 'like' my relationship status. I'll show her. I will untag her in all of my pictures and write a Twitter diatribe about how much of a bitch she is."

Here are couple strips that I just found really funny.

Pickles

In the Sticks

Brewster Rockit: Space Guy

Momma

In Francis' defense, he did read "A Tale of Two Cities" and anyone from my generation and younger that can read an entire book by Charles Dickens deserves praise.

Blondie 2/20/11

Twitter has really been making the rounds in the comics lately (psst.  you can follow the DCR and it's authors on Twitter as well) so of course it has to make its way into the Bumstead's lives as well.  Whereas Mary Worth just seemed skeptical about the Internet and all of it's shiny flashy ads, Dagwood is overreacting and is afraid that if he says or does something stupid that a pair of Internet goons will drag him away to be "rehabilitated".

Gasoline Alley

That's not how 3D TVs work. Also, is 3DTV really going to become the next big thing? Somehow I doubt that because there is not enough stuff being broadcast in 3D--ESPN has an entire channel dedicated to 3D but I'm already paying enough for ESPN through my cable bill.

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What Will Mary Choose? Twitter or Suicide?

Social networking sites have been making the rounds in the comics lately with jokes about tweeting and poking and flickring.  Mary Worth is about to get a lesson about tweeting from Wilbur which will no doubt take something already kind of boring to learn about into new realms of boredom.

Mary Worth

What's with the angle in the last panel?  Is Mary about to have an accident or is she going to kill herself rather than subject herself to an online she may not be able to escape.  Also, follow me on Twitter.

Speaking of social networking...

Sherman's Lagoon

Sherman is learning just how dangerous Facebook can be--without even being contacted by prisoners and child rapists.

Beetle Bailey

You would think Beetle would know by now that Sarge is not swayed by beautiful sunsets overlooking gorgeous vistas.  Beetle could've just led Sarge up the mountain and dropped his pants to get about the same reaction.

Ziggy

Poor Ziggy.  He's just minding his own business watching the latest "The Biggest Loser" with a rare smile on his face and now some mouse, who has somehow obtained experience in interior decorating, says he has to go.  It's one thing when waiters, dry cleaners and vending machines insult Ziggy but it's crossing the line when actually insulting Ziggy when he's happy.

Birdbrains

This comic frightens me.  It frightens me a lot.

The Flying McCoys

Nothing wrong with this.  I just liked it.

That's it for today, now go read my site.

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Peanut Butter and Death

Mary Worth

"Oh, yeah? At least I'm addicted to being popular online unlike you, Dad, who is addicted to ham sandwiches! Ham sandwiches don't love you, Dad. Random people you meet through other random people online do love you though!"

Marmaduke

This is, by far, the most disgusting Marmaduke I have seen a very long time. Now instead of Marm's breath smelling like death, it also smells like peanut butter. And peanut butter smells worse than death.

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End of the Week Catch-Up

Sorry for the lack of post yesterday. To make it up to you, here's some comics from the past two days.

Thursday
Birdbrains

It looks like the Birdbrains revolution that supposedly began last week has ended as quickly as it began.

Frank and Ernest

This is really stupid, unless a house being under water has a second meaning I'm unfamiliar with. Perhaps something to do with mortgages? Even so, it's pretty lame to put such a phrase into your comic. Now, if it is the first meaning, they could have just shown the roofs of the houses jutting out of the water, or perhaps put the pigs and wolf in scuba helmets. Also, the pigs are out of the house. The wolf could just snatch them up.

Ziggy

I'm pretty sure this is an actual thing.

Friday
Mary Worth

I usually avoid commenting on the soap strips, since Josh Fruhlinger does a much better job, but I fear for Jeff's life now that he's decided to openly mock Mary. She'll meddle you to your grave now!

Tom the Dancing Bug

I like this comic sometimes, when it's being more absurd than political. Like today. The stand-out strip in this installment of the semi-regular Super-Fun-Pak Comix is Darthfield, though I like how the punchlines to all the dog comics are just the owners of the dogs saying their canine's name. And the Idiot Time Traveler continues to amuse me.

Spider-Man


I'm actually quite sad that the marriage didn't go through. Not surprised by any stretch of the imagination, as I did do a blog about this strip for several years and learned that the status quo will always revert.

Well, that's it for me this week. For more of my stuff, check out the Meekrat Entertainment Group.

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As I was going through the comics today, I noticed FoxTrot was a little different. First of all, it was in Spanish so I couldn't understand it but I powered through it thinking there was going to be a great joke at the end...

But there wasn't so I went to foxtrot.com and saw that GoComics sent the email with the Spanish version. They also did this with Stone Soup but I didn't look at the English version of that.


Lockhorns 12/5/10

I don't know what happened to Loretta in the first panel but it's good to know a case of amnesia isn't clouding her hatred of Leroy.

It's good that Leroy beat her so hard that she forgot what happened so now she won't be able to press charges against him.

Close to Home 12/5/10

I don't get this. What's going on?

Wee Pals 12/5/10

I hate Wee Pals.

Bizarro 12/5/10

Won't somebody think of the children!?!

Hey, let's go see what going on over in Heathcliff

OH, DEAR GOD!! WHAT IS GOING ON?! BURN IT! SEND IT TO HELL!!

Ink Pen 12/5/10

P.J. got tall. And speaking of Family Circus...


I love all the looks on the kids' faces. It looks like they are all doing it for retribution and revenge. "How dare you drool on my pillow" (Mar), "How dare you be born therefore becoming the youngest." (Apr), "How dare Daddy spend more time in the garden than with me." (May), "I'm sick of brown dogs, white is better!" (July), "Qing Dynasty vases pale in comparison to Ming." (Oct), "This ponytail does not pass muster." (Nov)

Birdbrains 12/5/10

Ha! Bailout jokes are just as topical now as they were back in 2008.

Mary Worth 12/5/10

Who else reading Mary Worth is tired of Jill badmouthing marriage? Look, Jill, just because your marriage failed and you soften the pain with meaningless sex and booze doesn't mean everybody's marriage will fail. Have you ever thought that maybe your marriage failed because you are a bitch? No? Well, I suggest you think about that.

Born Loser 12/5/10

And Brutus is the master nitwit. Oh, yeah. I went there.

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