Metapost: Comments of the week matter
Your comments of the week momentarily, but first, a few items to amuse you! Occasionally, people all across America find horrifying things in their closets, like Ziggy posters. In times gone by, they probably would have just burned them in the dead of night, but now they mail them to me instead. Take, for instance, this gem from faithful reader firebus, who did in fact find it in his closet (he claims to “only have a very vague idea of how it got there”):
While the content of the cartoon portion of this image is not worthy of much comment (though I am not entirely pleased by the addition of “…in the name of love” to Ziggy’s STOP sign), I admit to being fascinated/puzzled/angered by the caption/title/whatever at the top of the thing, “Ziggy’s® Character Matters.” Are we to understand that it’s Ziggy’s character that matters, or that Ziggy has laid claimed to the phrase, and the concept that underlies it? Was there a whole series of “Character Matters” posters, each of which took a controversial stand like this one, which dares to say that those of good character would not allow adorable kittens to be run over by a truck? Did the Ziggy juggernaut’s failure to trademark the “Character Matters” phrase result in a sad plethora of political candidates deploying it as their campaign slogans?
Anyway, after spending some time contemplating all this, I burned it in the dead of night.
Also! Thanks to faithful reader name in the comments who linked to this awesome story about the filming of the Marmaduke movie in Vancouver. Seems the auteurs behind this film (already being spoken of as “The Citizen Kane of cartoon dog movies”) set up a kennel for their animal actors near some pricey condos, whose residents did not appreciate the constant barking, and who quickly discovered that the film crew had not secured any sort of permit. There was no talk of anybody being devoured by the canines, which says to me that this will be yet another film that shies away from the raw intensity of its source material.
Finally, here is a thing I wrote, about how sometimes the workplace doesn’t have to be a living hell! Perhaps you will enjoy it?
And now, ladies and gents, your comment of the week!
“Wait, Margo only noticed cows in the street from her hotel room window? How did she get to the hotel without seeing them? By transporter beam? Blindfolded? Being so completely self-absorbed that she was oblivious to the world around her? Oh, okay.” –BRWombat
And your runners up! Very funny!
“A great day for Trail, as we begin with a view of their hive home. Then, we move to a preview of what it’s like to kiss Mark. Finally, we see Mark’s great reaction: ‘She’s attacking me with her face!’” –migellito
“Isn’t that the guy from Monopoly, without his hat? The recession hit him surprisingly hard.” –Jaime Weinman
“The best we can say for Margo’s turquoise turtleneck is that it is alliterative.” –Fashion Police
“Re: Mark and Cherry’s liplock: there is a direct correlation between ‘how unsexy a kiss is’ and ‘how long a conversation you can hold while performing said kiss.’” –Francis
“I’m worried about what will happen to Carpool Denizen #3 if Archie can’t get that car started and Jughead uses up all his cellphone minutes trading lame banter with Rich Uncle Pennybags. They’ll have to eat … and soon. Jughead’s appetite is, as we all know, enormous. ‘Okay, to make it fair, we won’t eat anybody who has his own digest-sized comic available at supermarket checkout lines everywhere! Oh, sorry, new guy … you lose again. Maybe you shoulda tried wearing a funny hat or having a catchprase or something.’” –Joe Blevins
“Luann: In keeping with federal law, Quill the Australian is required to say ‘fair dinkum’ at least once while he appears in the comic strip. Furthermore, Evans is required to include the term ‘G’Day’ to avoid a hefty fine. Source: Foster’s Unlimited Comic Koalas Act of 1987.” –Harry Pothead
“Mark and Cherry spend an intimate moment with Cherry attempting a kiss, and Mark stubbornly maintains his ‘romantic grimace.’ They are then crushed to death by the flopping of a monstrous fish. I think they would have wanted to go out that way.” –sak
“I think all comic strips should adopt today’s Judge Parker format of having the punchline be ‘Surprise! We’ve used a giant hydraulic press to flatten your face into a giant rectangle!’ I’d pay to see that happen in Dennis The Menace.” –Kibo
“I don’t buy this ‘reformed’ shtick of Weirdley’s at all. He’s probably just a ghost that has taken his form. He took Slylock and Max back to the very first Christmas to show them what the holiday spirit is truly about. When that plesiosaur gave his favorite icthyosaur to the tyrannosaur, it changed Slylock forever. He vowed to stop being so greedy and payed for Miniscule Max’s ADD treatment in full. Either that, or Weirdly is trying to set up some ridiculous alibi for when he’ll attempt to steal an orange from a fruit stand. It’s possible that this will also involve ghosts.” –It’s time to pay the price
“I think Count Weirdley’s time travel experiment has disrupted the timeline. When the trio return to the 21st century, they will find a horrible world dominated by humans instead of numerous species of talking, shoeless animals. All three freaks will eventually be killed and dissected by the authorities or angry teenage furries.” –Naked Bunny with a Whip
“I thought the text box in Slylock Fox was somehow leading up to telling us Count Weirdly was responsible for the death of the dinosaurs. ‘Weirdly insists an asteroid blocked out the sunlight, but Slylock thinks differently. What evidence is there to suggest Weirdly is lying?’” –Chromium
“The most exciting thing about this Mary Worth story line is that Mary didn’t savagely beat Delilah to death yesterday when she failed to use a coaster for her beverage.” –Sheila Sternwell
“Bumblers! Nothing can overcome my agility! Now prepare to die from my Octo-fart!” –sully
“What kind of employment do Archie and Jughead have that requires them to dig random holes? Could it be that they are actually working for the gopher?” –the good ship thetis
“I can see why Elton John might want to attach four mechanical arms to his body. Imagine his range on the piano! But why’s Spiderman after him?” –Duke of Earl Grey
“‘Endings have to be earned,’ Les says, distracting her with pithy faux-wisdom as he leans in to rip her earring off with his teeth and swallow it. I’m … not really certain I entirely understand FW any more.” –Dragon of Life
“Today’s Family Circus magnifies Billy’s growing sense of existential ennui, as he begins to question the unseen social forces that shape behavior: If our notions of how an eight-year-old ‘should’ act are nothing more than a combination of traditional inherited behavior types and social conditioning from his immediate environment, then whence comes the moral authority of society to impose these values on Billy? Who can really say what the proper way to act is for someone his age? Billy will have a long time to ponder these questions as he spends the next two weeks hunched over in the dark of the Keane house’s rat-infested crawlspace.” –Doug Wykstra
“Oh, evil Billy! You knocked over a houseplant, thereby spilling a little bit of dirt on the floor! Worse, you did it by playing! Don’t you know that boys your age should be toiling in an athletic-shoe sweatshop by now? Well, don’t worry, you’ll find out all about it soon enough.” –BigTed
“There is something deeply upsetting and altogether creepy about the look that Cayla gives Les in the last panel of today’s strip. I’m guessing that Batuik was trying to draw an expression that communicated ‘lovingly supportive and patient, yet appealingly seductive at the same time,’ but it came out more like, ‘calmly, but hungrily appraising the subject’s weight gain before harvest.’” –Alan’s Addiction
“The whole cloth diaper thing isn’t that unusual, at least with the folks I know. However, it’s usually something practiced by eco-conscious hippie types, with big concerns about the fate of humanity, etc. I wouldn’t think Marvin’s parents fit the bill, though, considering they doomed humanity when they failed to mercy-kill Marvin on his first day out of the womb.” –Jilliterate
“If I was PJ, I would be more worried about Dolly’s fat little fist, probably R rated for graphic violence.” –The Restless Mouse
“The plugger may feel stimulated after ingesting the bran flakes. But he will immediately become depressed upon realizing that his dining room table is a desk next to a refrigerator.” –survivor
“Mary’s pose in panel two was cribbed from one of those ‘hip’ late ’80s PSAs — you know, the ones that had systemically arhythmic people rapping about stuff like checking your smoke detector regularly. Delilah’s pose in the same panel was cribbed from a poster found in an orthopedic surgeon’s waiting room, entitled ‘Your Right Elbow: Things You Shouldn’t Make It Do.’” –One-eyed Wolfdog
I give prodigious thanks to those who put some money in my tip jar — you know who you are! I’d also thank our advertisers … if there were any who bought BlogAds ads, and who thus get thanked every week! Sadly, there aren’t any this week — maybe next week I’ll be thanking you! To find out more about advertising on this site, click here.
Canaduck
June 29th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Oo! I’m in Vancouver. I’ll have to keep an eye out for stupid, giant dogs.
Congrats to all the winners this week!
True Fable
June 29th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Being absent most of the week certainly did not help matters for me, but then I doubt I could have contended with such a rich selection of snark anyway.
Congratulations BR Wombat and all the Float Riders!
Joe Blevins
June 29th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Oh, crud! The one comment of mine that makes the list this week is the one I posted anonymously on my lunch break. Crud, I say again. Darn, drat, and shucks.
sugarpie
June 29th, 2009 at 11:56 pm
Hooray for all the winners!
Josh
June 29th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
#3 — I’ve added your name in — I thought it sounded kind of Blevins-y.
Josh
Ben Carlsen
June 30th, 2009 at 12:02 am
Hang on and wait a second. There’s going to be a Marmaduke movie? Wow. Now I’ll have a movie to hate even more than the Garfield ones. Those throttle my brain every time I try to comprehend how more than one of them got made.
Charterstoned
June 30th, 2009 at 12:26 am
Congrats to all the winners–this past week offered up some really hilarious threads (and by that I don’t mean the clothes we’re seeing in MW–although, when I think about it…)!
Rainbird
June 30th, 2009 at 12:29 am
What surprised me the most about the article about Marmaduke was they describe it as the
Perhaps it another comic strip that we are unaware of, that is actually funny and popular. That sounds like a great movie if that is the case.
True Fable
June 30th, 2009 at 12:31 am
Alternate Titles for the Marmaduke movie:
The Dogfather
Old Monster
The Good, the Bad, and the Slobbery
The Anderson Horror
There Will Be Bloodbath
9 1/2 Feet
Dane Day Afternoon
The Canine Mutiny
Last Dingo in Paris
True Fable
June 30th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Margo 3-D Meanwhile, Tom Bland comes to visit a barely recognizable brown haired Nora. Of course, Tom Bland looks like every other man in the greater New York area so thank God Nora called him by name. But wait – she “can’t deal with his kindness now”? Is “kindness” the new term for “fucking my brains out”?
Alison
June 30th, 2009 at 12:41 am
Unlike the Ziggy comic strips, that Ziggy poster is surprisingly cute and uncynical. If it was a comic strip all the cats would come back and bite Ziggy or something.
A Marmaduke movie seems so pointless. Movies about cartoon dogs are pretty much automatically for kids, and no kids even know who Marmaduke is.
Birthmark Hal
June 30th, 2009 at 12:47 am
Marmaduke harasses neighbors, lowers property values and puts owners in potential financial jeopardy.
Sounds like it’s true to the plot so far.
As for the devouring I heard Rob Bottin, the special effects gore master behind The Thing, Robocop and Total Recall is coming out of retirement just for the Marmaduke movie.
Okay… I didn’t. I only wish it were so.
True Fable
June 30th, 2009 at 12:58 am
Fist O Justice Theater WHY WHAT HAD WHY! I think I see a pattern emerging, and it will all end in fisticuffs.
Look, even the herons are questioning his motives.
Sophie Spencer, everyone’s poster gal Okay, far be it from me to question Woody’s plots (ha, yeah right, Fable) but I could have bought this story with better grace if we didn’t have Rocky Outcropping and Godiva Diva showing up. It would have been right up to the limit for the rest of the school to be out with picket signs yet, but the addition of Mr. and Mrs. Fancy Superstars just puts it right over the top and into…dare I say… brownieland?
I mean i’m all for school regulars ganging up against a bunch of prissy flunkable snobleaders, but piling on the MarySue is putting the tuxedo on the cat here. It’s going to be interesting to see how Woody explains how Sophie is a champion of the people when she’s got a wealthy mother, a high powered chick magnet/attorney father and RockDiva to buy her way into things, or at least appear to do so.
But hey – it’s got us reading it to find out, so go Woody.
RMMW Speaking of Woody, guess we won’t be a witness to the Attempt to Copulate. At least, not between Rex and June. Apparently our boy Guest Star Doctor has been checking out his hot friend Estelle. Dig the dirty look Guest Star Blonde is giving her. Oh boy, I can’t wait for Dr. McDreamy and Intern Hotpants to show up as guest stars and join the picket-sign wielding hospital staff in support for Guest Star Blonde!
rhymes with puck
June 30th, 2009 at 1:01 am
I wonder if this blog has “discovered” Curtis yet. http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/
left of the pyle
June 30th, 2009 at 1:06 am
I’ve got a Wowie Weenie for you Luann, but if you want an “extra pickle,” you’ll have to bring your own vibrator.
True Fable
June 30th, 2009 at 1:07 am
Meddle House I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I want to just smack Delilah up side of the head. Why talk to Mary when she could just stay home and I dunno, talk things over with her husband?
I mean what is this girl’s damage; she’s actually requesting Mary to meddle? She’s encouraging the old girl to get all up in her biznatch? And for what reason? Because she’s got it too good, things are just too right? She’s got to suffer for her art, so she comes to get Mary to meddle and therefore earn her good fortune?!
It would serve her right if Mary smacked her upside the head.
BenG
June 30th, 2009 at 1:10 am
SM: If Wolverine ends up boning Mary Jane I will take back ever bad thing I’ve ever said about this comic.
name
June 30th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Other great things about the Marmaduke movie
1) It begins shooting on July 6 even though seemingly no cast has been announced. Perhaps the movie will be nothing but dogs. Or maybe some kind of Borat style thing, where they just release a great dane into public, and film its interactions with unsuspecting passers-by.
2) Even though the movie begins shooting in a week, it isn’t slated to come out for three years. Perhaps the producers want to make sure to allow themselves enough time to capture the complexity of the source material. Perhaps the movie is being stockpiled in anticipation of an Hollywood strike in 2011. Or maybe they’re just hoping that Marmaduke creator Brad Anderson will die sometime between now and then, thrusting Marmaduke firmly into the public eye, and creating a wave of Marmaduke fever that this movie can ride all the way to the bank.
Also I found this film starring America’s fist fictional great dane here Teddy from 1917 (seven years before Brad Anderson was born). So the idea of centering a movie around a great dane is not a new one.
Artist formerly known as Ben
June 30th, 2009 at 1:20 am
What we’re missing here is what happened in the next half-hour, when Ziggy was hauled away for impersonating a crossing guard. Anyway, three points.
1) Congratulations to the floatees. Again I caught some good zingers I missed the first time. (Good’n Sheila Sternwell.)
2) y14 Niall,
You know, I thought I might be speaking for a few ‘mudges.
3) So apparently Steve Martin and Diane Keaton are working on a movie called “One Big Happy”? Dare we hope it’s the same one, and that Martin will be growing a bushy mustache to play Grandpa Joe? Although I’m not sure the big screen is ready for Ruthie.
Artist formerly known as Ben
June 30th, 2009 at 1:24 am
Myself #19,
I meant Grandpa Nick, of course.
True Fable
June 30th, 2009 at 1:33 am
SFx Fish Skeleton! Ahhh I have been waiting for a sighting!
# 17 BenG – I concur, that would be excellent.
commodorejohn
June 30th, 2009 at 1:33 am
From the way Ziggy’s staring, I think the “in the name of love” thing is referring to some altogether unwholesome interests of his. (Hey, it’s not the first time we’ve realized this about Ziggy.) But at least we can fantasize that he’ll get run over by that bus for his sins.
Poteet
June 30th, 2009 at 1:33 am
All hail to BRWombat and the other quotees! A very funny lineup this week. Enjoy your week on the float!
Poteet
June 30th, 2009 at 1:40 am
6/30 Crankshaft — I hate to tell you, Crank, but corn has changed from when you first came to know it (twenty-three skidoo!) Nowadays, corn that is merely knee-high by the Fourth of July is corn that is doing badly.
I walked through a field of corn two days ago on the way to a prairie, and most of it was about five feet tall. A couple of patches were only knee-high because they were on bad soil. Those plants are doomed to an anemic sex life in the future, while their brethen throw a pollen orgy.
gnome de blog
June 30th, 2009 at 1:44 am
What Poteet said! An exceptional lineup. BRWombat and the Floatriders brought so much funny this week I’ll be up all night laughing. And I live on the West Coast so the night is longer for me.
Poteet
June 30th, 2009 at 1:45 am
6/30
MT — Wow, I’ve never seen sweat like that in MT. I’m hoping for a blackmail scenario involving black lace undies and sex with cattle. But probably it will be something totally dull like gambling and the Mob.
Stone Soup — I say again that Max is the most obnoxious child in all of comicdom, and I wish a very large boulder would fall on him.
gnome de blog
June 30th, 2009 at 1:48 am
25 – me: I mean, what Poteet said in #23.
24 Poteet: You mean Iowa corn isn’t as high as and elephant’s eye? Don’t you wish you lived in Oklahoma? Or as least Rodgers and Hammerstein? Oh, well. You can be cold as a falling barometer in December if we talk about your weather in July.
But that was Meredith Willson.
Mibbitmaker
June 30th, 2009 at 1:51 am
Since the late night talk shows are all in reruns this week, I get to mock the new strips slightly early:
666CL: In this strip’s world, called “Insatiable Lustland”, thoughts of other peoples’ sex lives leads one (esp. Burber women) to feats of superhuman strength in the persuit of nookie (which is also the name for Insatiable Lustland’s base currency). Complaining about the resultant state of one’s wardrobe is expressly forbidden.
A3G: “Kindness! AAAUUGHH!! Sic ‘im, manipulated decapitated dog head! SIC ‘im!!” Looks like it isn’t just Rex Morgan saddled with 2nd string players in the driver’s seat this week.
Archie: Are you kidding, Arch’? You aren’t even sitting corrected!
FOOB: Soon, “Nizzie” was spotted in the garden, eating the flowers. She was calling them “cookies”. Sad.
FW: In this strip, “to the death” really means death.
GF: Does he look like the governor of South Carolina to you, Satch?
GT: And Shep’s problem is called “Howie Mandel’s Disease”.
JP: The really?? — um, I mean, the rally continues…
“Luann” IS “9 Chickweed Lane”! May God have mercy on us all!
MC: Well worth the wait, Ed!
Popeye: “Dat sea ghosk over there is named Michael O’Donoghue, fer example…”
KarMann
June 30th, 2009 at 1:55 am
Archie: No, Archie, you lie corrected! Liar!
Better Half: I’ll be damned. Yesterday, I asked which would be the next comic to do an apparent Pluggers crossover, after Shoe on Sunday and Marvin on Monday. Looks like Better Half came through for me!
Buckles: I’m not much familiar with this comic, but it looks like it’s getting kinky! With role-play! Works for me! Maybe that’s where they get the strip title from.
Cleats: I thought yesterday’s Spider-Man promised mutants in Manhattan, not on wherever that beach is?
FC: Oh, dear. I bet Billy’s planning on “doing” Ida Know today. Les, eat your heart out! And speaking of which…
FW: Gee, who could’ve possibly seen that coming? :eyeroll:
Marmaduke: I believe we were discussing dogs’ “scootching” behaviour yesterday? Well, there you go.
MC: No! Don’t do it, Norman! Stay away from the Batiuk! Look away from the Hart!
S4th: Whatever do you mean, Hillary? You were 12 when Debbie Gibson was popular back in…. Oh, yeah, right.
Poteet
June 30th, 2009 at 1:57 am
# 27 gnome — Oklahoma is further south, so I suppose the corn there is taller now. All hail, Oklahoma. I was grateful it wasn’t any taller here two days ago, or it would have been slapping me in the face.
And how nice to hear a quote from MUSIC MAN. Thank you I played the Mayor’s wife in high school (ChattyGenes played my daughter), and one of my favorite exchanges was when someone said “Good morning, Mayor Shinn!” and he snarled “It is if you want to go around in your drawers all day!”
Poteet
June 30th, 2009 at 1:58 am
I guess I can sort of stand most things about that Ziggy poster, but not what they’ve done to the mother cat’s feet. Cats. Do. Not. Have. Feet. Like. That.
Poteet
June 30th, 2009 at 2:01 am
9CL — I’m starting to miss the times when Brooke thought about something else occasionally. When I picture what he’s doing in his spare time these days, it isn’t pretty.
Frank Parsnip
June 30th, 2009 at 2:07 am
MW: Mary: “Just remember that there are two people who are part of that equation. And nobody gets to subtract themselves out. Remember your damn vows, woman!” (stops to readjust face). Delilah: “Lawrence, is that you wearing a Mary Worth mask?”
MT: One of the characteristics of the Backstabber Heron is its ability to mimic human voices and deliver entire conversations to exactly the person you didn’t want hearing it. In Panel 2, you can see them taking off to alert Mark Trail. More information about the Backstabber Heron can be found on the internet.
A3G: Tom!? Yes, having looked through the peephole on her apartment door, Nora was fooled yet again by the nondescript blonde men who filled her life. Oh, sure, it could’ve been Eric, Tim, Gary, or any number of men… except Blaze, the one brunet peopling her fair city.
Barney Google: TV? What the hell is that?!?
BB
June 30th, 2009 at 3:57 am
It seems “Character Matters, LLC” is the Ziggy artist’s side project. They have a website: http://www.charactermatters.net/
Sheila Sternwell
June 30th, 2009 at 4:16 am
Congrats to all, especially to top of the heap BRWombat!
Also, hi Kibo. Not to be confused with hi-keeba.
ChattyGenes
June 30th, 2009 at 4:27 am
#30 Poteet. (but this info is for anyone interested, really)
Her younger daughter, Gracie Shinn. Not Zaneeta. Gracie has two or three lines. I got to squeal on Tommy Djilas when he threw the firecracker, and I got to announce that the Wells Fargo Wagon was coming(!!) (and sing the first lines? don’t remember, but that’s how it was in the movie.)
As for Rogers and Hammerstein, I just LOVE their music and am hoping for a certain CD of my own to arrive soon!:-)
Kibo
June 30th, 2009 at 4:49 am
And hi to you too, Sheila!
gleeb
June 30th, 2009 at 6:38 am
A3-G: Nora is caught in a love nest with a large shepherd.
A&J: Even when it’s about e-mail forwards, it’s about screwing.
Dick: Normally, by this time, Tracy would be executing people left and right.
Cage: NEWSPAPERS. Better done than most, but still, NEWSPAPERS.
Other Coast: NEWSPAPERS.
Little Guy
June 30th, 2009 at 6:49 am
YY187: In the words of David E. Kelley’s vanity card….” Yooooooooou STINKER!”
Josh: To Boston drivers, kittens are worth 50 points each. 75 if they’re being carried by a nun.
Congrats to the CoTWer and the Floaters, but Chromium’s Weirdly rap on the extinction of the dinosaurs is my favorite.
MT: Later, Miss Williams finds out that her brother is a replicant.
GT: “Remember, tattling for stupid pranks and forced heat exhaustion is okay.” Bah. You deserve to lose, Milford.
PC: It’s not Cockpit Material. It’s also how my flatscreen reacts when link to CC. All Hail Pope Josh!
Old School Allie Cat
June 30th, 2009 at 7:00 am
MW – Mary and Delilah are eating food that is recognizable as something one might actually eat for breakfast? Cue the four horsemen, because the end is near, my friends.
John C Fremont
June 30th, 2009 at 7:02 am
Congrats, all! I hate it when work keeps me from reading all the comments. Thank goodness for COTW! I feel whole again!
SF – OMG! I thought Ces was just making up the name, “Mega-Shark vs. Giant Octopus,” because no one would ever actually make a movie like that. But the mere mention of Debbie Gibson was enough to make me go to the never-wrong IMDB. I must now witness this thing. This ought to be even better than “Ice Spiders,” the movie in which writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell stands out as the best actor of the bunch. I’ll bet Debbie Gibson is even better! Man, oh, Manischewitz, this ought to be good! That is, not good at all. I’ve got to get me a couple of robots to watch this with me…
BTW, hard to keep your concentration when there’s a cat sitting in the chair next to you snoring. Not just snoring, but snoring in exactly the same way I’d imagine the Muppet Labs’ Beaker as snoring. I should probably wake her up or something, ’cause it’s really, really weird.
No Stupid Bear
June 30th, 2009 at 7:03 am
I’m shocked to learn, on close inspection, that part of Wolverine’s beard is just blue dots he’s drawn on his chin with a Flair pen.
DebiDawg
June 30th, 2009 at 7:59 am
#40 Old School – I thought the overused phrase “What’s wrong with this picture?” actually applied for MW
Vince M
June 30th, 2009 at 8:14 am
9: How about:
They Saved Hitler’s Dog
Vince M
June 30th, 2009 at 8:18 am
45, re. 44: D’oh, They Saved Hitler’s Dane would’ve been better. This is why I never got that cushy MAD magazine job.
Little Guy
June 30th, 2009 at 8:18 am
41: Wait… is that a Sci-Fi Creature Feature of the Week or a Direct-to-Video?
mojo
June 30th, 2009 at 8:27 am
As usual, congrats to the float riders!
All this talk of musical theater and Mary Worth got my brain going in all the wrong directions. And then somebody mentioned Sondheim and that was the final nail in the coffin. Sondheim fans may hopefully appreciate this; others may find it even more rarer and otherworldly than R&H:
Attend the tale of Mary Worth
A med’ling crone of WASP-y birth
No one could claim his life his own
When she roamed the gardens of Charterstone
She lived a life of joyless mirth
Did Mary Worth
The demon meddler of newsprint…..
Uncle Ritzy Fritz
June 30th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Congrats to the winners – all funny this week, not a weakling in the bunch.
And speaking of accolades – let’s give some props to DM and FC today. How difficult it must have been to come up with two utterly interchangable exchanges in which it makes no difference which characters are involved. It easily could have been Mrs. Mitchell making the same unfunny inquiry of Dennis while the tyke assumes the slacker pose against the wall. Or it could have been, say, Dolly invoking the folksy -and similarly unfunny- wisdom of her Grandpa to a rapt PJ while huddled around a globe. I guess you could distinguish between the two by pointing out that Dolly’s Grandpa is dead, but still. In either case no one would have been the wiser, or the more entertained. Blandness rules the day.
One-eyed Wolfdog
June 30th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Hey, who’s the cutie in A3G today? I don’t remember seeing that face around before.
Vince M
June 30th, 2009 at 8:50 am
18: Man, three years, really? Are they channeling Stanley Kubrick for this project? I guess they’re putting in extra effort to clear the bar set by ‘The Ugly Dachshund’.
buckyswife
June 30th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Congrats to all the float-riders—great stuff!
You know you might be thinking about the comics too much when you actually dream about Beetle Bailey. Yup, I had a dream last night in which I was reading the strip, which became increasingly direct in its depiction of Sarge and Beetle’s erotic relationship. The finale was a silhouette drawing of Beetle on his knees in front of Sarge (on his new kneepads?), but with dialogue boxes that provided some ostensible non-sexual justification for what was going on.
I woke up disturbed—by myself more than anything.
buckyswife
June 30th, 2009 at 8:58 am
JP: “Rocky Ledge, what are you doing here? I haven’t seen you since that wild night after the show in Tulsa!”
“Um…. you told me you were 18…..”
SM: Spiderman has the proportionate theater-reviewing powers of a spider.
MT: The fact that the geese are getting into the accusatory act raises the question: Is that flop sweat on Joey’s face, or bird crap?
buckyswife
June 30th, 2009 at 9:01 am
MW: Why is Delilah’s food so tiny? Do the child’s plate-portions symbolize the fact that she’s acting like a baby, or that Mary is infantilizing her?
One-eyed Wolfdog
June 30th, 2009 at 9:02 am
If you look at the soft drink cups in Luann, you’ll notice the logo consists of a pair of goat udders. Rather outré. Maybe they’re milkshakes.
Carrie
June 30th, 2009 at 9:14 am
What changes everything about the Ziggy poster is that he’s holding the stop sign so it faces AWAY from traffic. Anyone who’s seen those stop sign guys in construction zones knows that it doesn’t say “stop” on both sides. So we’re seeing the dark side of Ziggy here, motioning cute kitties across the road while smiling innocently and holding up a “GO” sign to a line of vehicles led by a giant truck.
Amateur
June 30th, 2009 at 9:36 am
S-M: Okay, I love theater, and even I’m weirded out by this. Spidey’s in the wrong strip. He ought to be discussing the otherworldliness of Rodgers and Hammerstein with Mary Worth.
MT: Poor Mullethead, even the geese are mad at him.
Bootsy
June 30th, 2009 at 9:51 am
# 55, Carrie, actually, that makes it so much better.
Artist formerly known as Ben
June 30th, 2009 at 10:06 am
6/30
FW: The other kids at Westview High may be jealous when Keisha takes every available athletic scholarship. Less so when she collapses and dies of dehydration on commencement day.
M-Dawg: Herr Marmaduke has opened the Lost Hotpoint of the Covenant. They’re all done for, now.
9CL: Are Elliot’s nipples part of his wardrobe? From this vantage point it looks like they went flying off.
A3G: Nora is looking less like a long-haired Margo and more like a really bummed out Jennifer Garner. Tom looks like… Well, if you’ve ever seen a man in 3G, you know what Tom looks like.
Agnes: Deep Space Nine marathon?
SSmith: “They said they wuz doin’ a special report on organ harvestin’.”
RMMD: Why the glare of death? Is “Mrs Hanson” some kind of soul-deep insult? Or are they just scheduled to have a catfight over a real uninteresting dude?
Momma: You can save time by just saying “Whore!”
Phantom: Lucky for Kit that his prey didn’t take any crazy precautions. Like, you know, turning around before he called security.
Marvin: Come on, Jenny. What kind of response did you think your little hellspawn would thought-balloon at you.
HtH:
Lucky Eddie: Okay, next question. Why did we have that first panel?
Hagar: We had to telegraph the punchline, or else the readers would have hemorrhaged with laughter.
Deathbysalmon
June 30th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Maybe Ziggy’s sign is double sided, but it seems to me that he’s holding it the wrong way and the absurdly tall truck is about to destroy him and the kittens he is so selflessly protecting in a sudden cloud of fur and bits of vest.That seems to be more in line with the general tone of the strip itself.
TheDiva
June 30th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Luann: “…But you are!”
Marvin: What’s with mom’s expression in panel 3? Did Marvin’s pee-saturated diaper leak onto her back? Or did she just realize that she can hear her son’s thoughts, and is now confronting the knowledge that she’s given birth to the Antichrist?
Pluggers: Either way, it’s still badly sung and only amusing with large quantities of alcohol.
True Fable
June 30th, 2009 at 10:27 am
#44 & 45 Vince M – Springtime for Hitler’s Dog!
Kibo
June 30th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Re #59: I call dibs on “Sudden Cloud Of Fur” as a band name. All their songs will be about Ziggy exploding. Now, I must be off to my first guitar lesson! (I’m sure I’ll be great!)
Skullturf Q. Beavispants
June 30th, 2009 at 10:30 am
I used to live a five-minute drive from that industrial park in greater Vancouver with the Marmaduke movie dogs.
Islamorada Girl
June 30th, 2009 at 11:05 am
3G: What in the name of all that is holy is that thing clinging to the top of Martin Magee’s head? By no universally accepted defintion could it even come close to being called “hair”. I suggested a wad of hot buttered yak wool, but perhaps a live weasel or a dead polecat is glued to his bald pate. Maybe his toupee is cut from a bathroom shag carpet, or faux fur, created from the upholstery of an abandoned ‘79 Camero low rider. Whatever it is, I’m amazed Margo hasn’t pulled it off his head in a fit of pique and shame. The only ugly Margo tolerates is her own diva fits.
commodorejohn
June 30th, 2009 at 11:07 am
A3G – Okay, exactly how many Nora Millses are there? This one is back to the Marilyn Quayle ‘do, but has apparently lightened in hair color from black to brown, and has obtained an enormous and unsettling nose. Also, she’s dating Alan Lange, who has been placed into witness protection after causing Margo inconvenience with that whole “shooting in the gallery” thing.
A.D. – Poor spiders. They get no respect. (Also, is anybody else seeing the Pringles logo on that planet in panel three?)
BrS – Well, I’d say showing half of your bra is a pretty good start on geting the man’s attention…
FC – Billy’s ennui is really reaching Winkerbeanian proportions here; he can’t even will himself to do anything. How long before we simply see him sitting on the floor, arms slack at his sides, staring dead-eyed into empty space? And how can it be worked into a horrible malapropism?
GA – You only get to make light of psychological disorders if you’re actually funny, Scancarelli.
GT – Are they shooting a music video in panel one? And why, exactly, does Shep share a hairstyle with Tomo of Azumanga Daioh, anyway?
HOTC – Heart of the City: making the only good part of 9 Chickweed Lane superfluous.
H&L – I can’t decide which of these two is the Plugger. Mounting a kiddie-car body on a self-propelled lawnmower seems like an extremely Pluggerish thing to do, but on the other hand, Lois has the air of quiet, martyr-complex condescension down pat.
Love Is… – accidentally pointing out his complete lack of genitalia.
Luann – Bernice likes to watch people watch? Alfred E. Neuman should have a field day with this.
MW – OH MY GOD, RECOGNISABLE FOOD IN MARY WORTH!?
MC – If the rest of the week is this awesome, I think Ed and Melissa will have outdone themselves.
NS – There aren’t too many days where I agree with Wiley’s anti-Internet views, but boy did he nail it today.
PBS – But does he have his potato with him?
Pluggers – I can hear this. I wish my auditory center could just shrivel up and die right now. I can hear it.
RMMD – Here’s a rare treat: two females attempt to determine dominance with a breast-thrusting contest. The brunette, the clear loser, yields and scuttles off to find something else to do, but the blonde is nonetheless unsettled by this attempted challenge of her rule.
SM – Not another of these stupid plots. It’d be nice if he’d get unmasked just so this could be over with.
Edison Lee – Edison Lee: fucking imagination-stunted killjoy.
Uncle Lumpy
June 30th, 2009 at 11:20 am
So, this Marmaduke movie is a Valkyrie sequel, right?
Darkefang
June 30th, 2009 at 11:26 am
A3G: What is it about the Mills brothers that attracts women who despise kindness?
GT: So now Shep’s going to be attending Prankster’s Anonymous meetings? Is it possible that this isn’t an addiction and that Shep is just a dick?
JP: I don’t really have anything funny to say about Judge Parker. I’d just like to note what a huge bunch of crap this plot is.
Marvin: Hooray! Marvin peed his pants! Dare we hope for a poop joke tomorrow?
MW: I don’t know exactly what problems Delilah and her husband have in their marriage, but it’s bound to look like heaven in comparison to an entire summer of being bombarded with half-baked advice and garbled philosophical quotes for 16 hours a day.
Darkefang
June 30th, 2009 at 11:31 am
S-M: Yeah, this is why me and millions of other comic book nerds spent years following Spider-Man and the X-Men: It all led up to this scintillating discussion between Spidey and Wolverine about musical theatre.
mollificent
June 30th, 2009 at 11:43 am
#47 mojo: A Mary Worth/Sweeney Todd crossover parody? I think I love you. :D
(Can’t you just see her singing “The Worst Pies In London”?)
Re: today’s comics: My Cage FTW!!
Chyron HR
June 30th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Baby Blues – Fantasy: “If I recycle the same gag and 50% of the artwork all week, nobody will notice!” Reality: “Gee, Baby Blues is even lamer than usual.”
Edge City – Fantasy: “You know what’s interesting? Facebook!” Reality: “You know what’s not interesting anymore? Facebook!”
For Better or For Worse – Fantasy: “I can perfectly imitate my art style from 25 years ago, thereby seamlessly integrating 10% new material into 90% reruns for 100% of the money!” Reality: “Syndicated in five newspapers worldwide.”
Funky Winkerbean – Fantasy: “Endings must be earned.” Reality: “This Summer and Keisha play softball story is totally different from that Summer and Keisha play basketball story!”
Herb & Jamaal – Fantasy: “People love my strips where I spend four panels quoting Langston Hughes!” Reality: “What a lazy bastard.”
9 Chickweed Lane – Fantasy: “Ohoho, I have integrated my myriad perversions into this graphic novelette so subtly that none of the beefwits even suspect!” Reality: “I’m Chris Hanson, live at the home of Brooke McEldowney…”
Non Sequitur – Fantasy: “I sure put the so-called “internet” in its place.” Reality: “You kids get off my lawn!”
Muffaroo
June 30th, 2009 at 11:49 am
9CL – Yes, it’s always time for a character to make an unwieldy speech. Could be less elegant and more awkward, though. How about, “Much as I appreciate the sentiment behind your nonverbal utterances, I do sometimes wish you would spend a bit more time thinking about my shirt, which often requires mending and replacement of buttons, which, incidentally, date back to ancient Egypt, according to new evidence found in the tomb of Thutmose II and FOR GOD’S SAKE, DON’T TOUCH ME! DO I HAVE TO SPELL IT OUT?”
Archie – Being rich means you can have a special pipe installed that dumps Archie out into the moat.
C2Home – Why do they have an Invisible Fence along with the wooden picket fence? Whoops. Three seconds are up. Time to think about something else.
DTracy – Note to Spadenose: the ‘throat-cutting’ gesture is most effective three or so inches below the mouth.
Mduke – “Did that exorcist have a money-back guarantee?”
R=R – Yeah, that’s how hog bloggers are, all right. You sure did nail those hog bloggers. Got them pegged to a T. Hog bloggers. Psssh.
This is, what? Tuesday? God help us.
Id – Hmm. Carrying a noose on a rope so short it couldn’t possibly be tied to anything. Obviously, these are Genius Huns.
Zig – Yeah, these days. Man, that’s how these days are, all right! Truly, these are the End Times, just as it was when the joke was introduced in AD 32.
Zits – Jeremy’s mom still knows how to spin a coccoon, even though her egg-laying years are (sadly) behind her.
JC Lisbon
June 30th, 2009 at 11:50 am
After doing a bit of research on that poster, I have found that it is actually a book of Ziggy cartoons, the full text of which can be viewed here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=0AkI7MhRCYIC&dq=ziggy’s+character+matters&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=eUAlpGp1yK&sig=gqPVcF7FpzS6sdBpa1Act9mWXvk&hl=en&ei=WDBKSrHPCoacMPXF7LQC&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1
It does offer a bit of insight into Ziggy, it seems he used to actually smile and have a much more positive outlook on life, but we can also see that he was desperately trying to justify his views with such comments as “I’d rather be a loser with an optimistic attitude than a winner who’s pessimistic”. Somewhere along the line, however, he seems to have lost that eternal hope. Any insight into what may have caused this would be greatly appreciated.
Muffaroo
June 30th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Red Greenback @y119 – I’ve got a recording of Howard Menger’s “From Outer Space” LP, which contains the music that inspired Gas Music from Jupiter. If Mary’s critical chops are sufficiently advanced, she might note that it sounds like a kid diddling away on a keyboard with two fingers, twiddling C-E-C-E-C-E for a while, going up and noodling D-F-D-F-D-F, then repeating until the recording is over. Gas Music was a large improvement. All must learn to play the piano!
Ms Avery @y126 – Delilah was happy with Lawrence when he was just gay, but when he suddenly reverted to childhood and wanted to hang out with her all the time, that was Too Much.
commodorejohn @22 – “STOP in the name of Love is a reference to the Caped Madman in J-Men Forever. Who knew that Ziggy had noticed Proctor & Bergman?
KarMann @29 – I dreamed of our dog Annie once, years after she passed on. I was so happy to see her I didn’t even mind a moment later when she started dragging her butt around on the carpet.
Poteet @30 – I still regret that I didn’t get to try out for CNU’s “The Music Man” three years ago — schedule problem. I’m sure I could have been the Mayor, and it was my last chance to be on stage again with my theater pals (on a brand new stage, no less).
CoTW – Actually, I’ll re-read all of these when I get back in. I’m kind of racing through the comments in a hurry because I, uh, gotta go somewhere…
Hogenmogen
June 30th, 2009 at 11:53 am
MW: You asked for it, Del. You practically begged for the meddlesome biddy to enter your life. You went out of your way to get there. You’re staying at her godforsaken house! YOU CAN NOT SIMPLY REFUSE HER ADVICE. YOU WILL GET BACK TOGETHER WITH YOUR LETCHEROUS HUSBAND AND YOUR PERFECT LITTLE, SUFFOCATING WONDER BREAD LIFE WHETHER YOU WANT IT OR NOT. GOT THAT, DEL??
Luann: Luann and her friends must act quickly to prevent these two attractive teenagers from comingling. If those two have sex, it would imply that everyone else in the strip is a frustrated loser! And, yeah, they are.
Look at the beads of sweat streaming down Joey’s face. He doesn’t know if he should answer the stork’s question or the one from his sister.
HaroldB
June 30th, 2009 at 11:55 am
The Ziggy poster uses a nice giant rainbow for the letters there. Perhaps Ziggy is helping out in the annual Feline Gay & Lesbian Pride Parade. That also explains his stairing, as he has never seen so many lesbian felines in a row before.
UncleJeff
June 30th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Love Is: Not saying anything as he exposes himself to the neighbors.
Annie: Let’s see…you’re on a ship…the guy you work for approaches…you call him ‘foreign commander.’ Yup. Where’s Annie?
Gil Thorp: “Just remind yourself that Shep is not the same guy you were friends with.”
Lackey: “You mean….”
Gil: “Yes. He tried to be funny. That’s not allowed in Milford.”
AMC
June 30th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
MW: Mary – “Just remember that there are two people who are part of that equation. You and me. The meddlor and the meddlee. And don’t you forget it.”
Hogenmogen
June 30th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Zig: So in addition to thanking for the meal that you have, Zig insists that you must put in a prayer in advance of your next meal? Zig acts like he’s in some kind of postnuclear fend-for-yourself wasteland. And on the dog-eat-dog topic, where are his pets?
Curtis: Maybe it wouldn’t seem so hot if you didn’t wear a long sleeve shirt AND a sweater AND a hat, you stupid fool.
Spiderman: Yeah, you shouldn’t have said that. If Wolverine actually sees the play, he’ll realize how shitty MJ really is. That may result in getting gutted by four adamantium blades, Bub.
“With Doc Ock outta da way, I gotta find me somethin’ to do.” May I suggest doing whatever the hell you were going to do a month ago.
But Parker almost divulging his secret identity is old hat. Other recycled tropes dragged out today:
Marvin shat himself.
A Big Dog does normal dog stuff, and humans make some type of comment that explains what the Big Dog is doing.
The Lockhorns hate each other and the TV.
Cathy involves a list, a cloud of dust, shouting and harpy woman illogic.
H&J: Langston Hughes quote.
Coach Thorp makes a beef about an act of dubious but not illegal nature that occurred entirely independently of school.
At least a little surprising: Billy Keane: Child amputee. Or handcuffed? Sad, really, that his dad won’t help the poor kid go potty. But since when does Bil get to give the punchline?
Crank said something nice only to be stomped on by his kid, who is wearing a shirt that could be Kansas State or Kentucky State, but is not Ohio. He’s a traitor and a jackass.
Will
June 30th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
A3G: Sammy is being played by ALF. Hide your cats!
RMMD: Bad blood between Estelle and Mrs. Hanson?
bats :[
June 30th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I guess we HAVE seen Delilah’s husband, haven’t we? (Yeah, you can tell if we have that he made a major impression on me.) He isn’t the same Lau/wrence who was Michael Patterson’s childhood friend, was he?
I’m just sayin’ it would be a cool coincidence.
Bryan
June 30th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Spiderman: Wolverine’s going to write a really snarky review of Picture Perfect for The New Yorker. By the way, prior to the aborted reboot, Mary Jane’s career was in free fall when her movie tanked. Is this still so? Now I want to see a whole week of Wolverine going to the theater. Being polite to the usher, perusing his Playbill, maybe a glass of overpiced wine during the intermission.
Sally Forth: Well, Mega Shark v Giant Octopus has just made my Netflix queue. Ces, you magnificent bastard!
Hogenmogen
June 30th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Does GA stand for “Gratuitus Ass”? It should.
Gil: You can’t “sell out” your friend unless you actually get financial renumeration for it. Robb ratted out Shep for nothing. I’d have asked for 30 pieces of silver, at least. Going into the witness protection program is easy, as Coach Thorp is the only one who seems to remember his name to begin with, and his face bears an uncanny likeness to everyone else.
“Hey, Rocky, where’s Godiva?”
“Hmm… Isn’t that a city in Switzerland? Hey, Sugarplum! Glad you got here so fast!”
Red Greenback
June 30th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Josh@#5: I thought anonymous’ comment sounded kind of rare and other-worldly.
Congrats, COTWeekers! Josh is going to have to buy new shocks for the float, what with all the heavyweight talent riding on it this week!
Hogenmogen
June 30th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
MT: Why did you change companies?
“My friend Dennis needed to get his Menacing qotient in for the month. I told him that dumping toxins into the water supply should set him up for a year.”
queek
June 30th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
TrueFable: http://ihasahotdog.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/funny-dog-pictures-problem-kid.jpg?w=450&h=500
Hammertime
June 30th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Only in Funky Winkerbean and Schwarzenegger movies is death “no biggie”.
Artist formerly known as Ben
June 30th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
#78 hogenmogen,
I think Jeff or whateer Crank’s son-in-law is called is wearing a Kent State shirt. It’s in Ohio, and it’s associated with students getting gunned down. You can’t get more Batiuk-y.
Mibbitmaker
June 30th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
#31 (Poteet): And yet, they still look more like a cat’s feet than Garfield’s do.
Mibbitmaker
June 30th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
A3G: Looks like Nora got her dog from the
Peace Through Dramatization Players (founded 1982).
Joe Blevins
June 30th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Re: #5 Josh.
Thanks! ‘preciate it.
Uncle Lumpy
June 30th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
#78 Hogenmogen –
Kent State (Tom Batiuk, B.F.A. ‘69).
Niall
June 30th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
65. commodorejohn: If My Cage continues like this all week, there must be an Ashley appearance… don’t get my hopes up like this!
75. HaroldB: I’d say something to that comment, but I don’t want to ruin another of mollificent’s keyboards. :)
mojo
June 30th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
#69 mollificent: Heh. I knew there had to be at least ONE serious Sondheim fan in this group!
Since you’ve suggested it, I’d so LOVE to see a cookoff between Mary Worth and Mrs. Lovett. “Salmon Squares” might just beat both “The Worst Pies in London” AND Mrs. Lovett’s other nearest competitor, the catmeat purveyor Mrs. Mooney (”Wouldn’t do in my shop/ Just the thought of it’s enough to make you sick/ …And I’m telling you, them pussycats is quick…”).
Now every time I see Mary Worth look at Delilah she’ll be singing “Nothing’s gonna harm you, not while I’m around” with that creepy minor-key violin in the background. Which is pretty much how I imagined her anyway.
mojo
June 30th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
#77 AMC: Your MW meddling equation sounds similar to Homer Simpson’s lying equation—it goes something like: “It takes TWO people to lie, Marge! One to lie and one to listen!”
Calico
June 30th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
#72 – I do believe it’s all the Oxycontin that Ziggy takes.
Chip
June 30th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Trying to follow the current Dick Tracy storyline- but I don’t get it in the Sunday paper. On Monday I was treated to “You cheated” after Dick pulled ** the 4 of Diamonds!?! ** What the Hell? I had to scour the internet to read Sunday’s strip, only to find that Dick did, in fact, cheat. I hope they DO kill him…
Cyranetta
June 30th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
MW — The food may be recognizable, but I suspect that it was stolen from Alice in Wonderland. The final panel makes it look like they and the dining set have been shrinking.
Chromium
June 30th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Wow.. I believe this is the first time one of my comments has appeared in the lineup since 2006 (though I am not a prolific commenter, and when I do leave a comment, I’m not trying to say funny things so much as work out the deranged logic in a given strip… a fool’s errand). So, yay!
The good ship thetis’s comment made me laugh, a lot.
Niall
June 30th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
96. Chip: Despair no longer upon Sunday comics if you follow fellow Curmudgeon Dean Booth’s handy Sunday Comics Linkapalloza! Most Sunday comics available easily!
Niall
June 30th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Slylock: Usually the Six Differences witness the carnage of the revolt of the animals against their human masters, with all kinds of food-snatchings and dive-bombings and shenanigans; they even war upon each other for various morsels or even for fun, lamentably imitating the very oppressors they rise against. But lo! ’tis a scene of attempted reconciliation today, as a lone denizen tries to stem the tide of violence, to the shock of all. Will this singular gesture be accepted in the spirit of truce it is intended, or will it lead to naught but a few tufts of fur in a red pool?
…or is the proposition that of one leading to unspeakable filth?
Ah, Mr Weber leaves us hanging but again!
Jesse C
June 30th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
too bad Ziggy is holding the sign backwards. He thinks he is signaling “STOP”, but he is really just reflecting the evening sun into the eyes of that panicky, methed out truck driver.
Poteet
June 30th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
# 73 Muffaroo — I hope life will give you another opportunity. And you’ll be more and more age-appropriate for the Mayor as time goes on:-).
# 88 Mibbitmaker — My gawd. You’re right.
Mr. O'Malley
June 30th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Pluggers’ attempts at spontaneous activities can only be validated by reference to multinational corporations!
(Pluggers cooks own dinner) Plugger MacDonald’s
(Plugger tells story to child) Plugger Disney Channel
(Plugger looks at photo album) Plugger Comcast Digital Cable
(Plugger talks to neighbor) Plugger Verizon Freedom Unlimited Plan
Mountain Mama
June 30th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Hello!
Once again, I am very behind, but trying mightily to catch up.
Some of you may remember me posting a few months ago about going to New Orleans and asking for advice.
Someone even mentioned a possible meet-up.
Well, the time is nigh!
I will be in NO, arriving on July 9th and leaving on the 14th. I would love to meet up with any ‘Mudges available.
Based on my schedule, the best time for me would be Friday before 6pm, Saturday after 6 pm, Sunday after 5 pm, or any time Monday.
Assuming everyone works would Saturday night be best? I’m staying in the Garden District, but I will have a rental car. Suggestions for where to meet would be gladly accepted.
If interested, please shoot me an e-mail at dsj6424 at hotmail.com. Also if interested, trying Googling the “National Community Band,” since that is why I’m going to be there!
Thanks, Josh! And, um, I still hate Mary Worth.
Gold-Digging Nanny
June 30th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Hooray, COTWers!
A3G — The art in today’s A3G momentarily had me thinking it was a different strip. Nora doesn’t look a thing like Margo. Her hair has a texture we rarely see in this feature. The dog is well-rendered, and even of a recognizable breed. And then we come to panel three, where the artist has whipped out Eric/Alan Template #1 (Facing Right). Ah … there’s no place like home.
BB — What is on Sarge’s head? A tube of polenta studded with dried cranberries? The scalp of a Mushroom Retainer from Super Mario Bros.? Mothra, in the larval stage?
SM — WIN. There’s something absolutely hilarious about Wolverine, reduced to the level of appearing in the Spider-Man comic strip, going to an off-Broadway play. Paging through the program while he waits for the curtain to open. Spending intermission chatting with the lady in the seat next to him about Mary Jane’s character development, and critiquing her uninspired chemistry with the male lead. Perhaps he will keep his ticket stub as a memento.
Gold-Digging Nanny
June 30th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Niall @ 100 — Ah, Niall. I think you have stumbled on some of the *true* differences between today’s panels. (May I shamelessly plug today’s Audience Participation Tuesday contest? Your comment would make an excellent entry.)
Poteet
June 30th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
S-M — Wolverine is in NYC and he’s having trouble finding something to do??? This is so far beyond pathetic that it’s off the map.
gnome de blog
June 30th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
30 Poteet: Ah yes, Mrs. Shinn. A juicy if underappreciated role.
36 ChattyGenes: I never knew that Gracie Shinn got to announce the Wells Fargo Wagon was a comin’. However, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the movie.
I’ve seen the play a couple of times, and my folks had the original sound track album, which I think I had memorized by age 12.
commodorejohn
June 30th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
#108 gnome de blog – I can’t say how the movie is as an adaptation, but it’s definitely worth seeing; out of the 50s-60s spate of musical adaptations, it’s probably the one that’s held up the best, and Robert Preston is an absolute treat to watch, as always.
Uncle Lumpy
June 30th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Wasn’t it Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn?
Paul1963
June 30th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Spider-Man: Wolverine sits and watches the first act of Mary Jane’s off-Broadway play. At intermission, he goes out to the lobby with most of the rest of the audience. He’s a little put-out that his favorite beer isn’t being served and settles for “anything with alcohol in it, Bub.” He overhears a couple discussing the show so far.
Woman: I think the playwright has constructed some fascinating characters and an interesting conflict.
Man: And the cast is superb. And what a nice set.
Wolverine: Speakin’ of nice sets, didja check out the rack on that redhead?
The couple stare at him, slack-jawed with dismay.
Wolverine: What?
dreadedcandiru2
June 30th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Canadian Zombie: You’ll find Day Three of Lynn’s Travel Journal useful if you need to induce vomiting.
Al of the Christian Singles Jungle Patrol
June 30th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
SF — Someone tell Ces that it is Deborah Gibson, not Debbie.
Tell ya the truth, though — I think Ted’s choice of movies is just awesome. Deborah Gibson and Lorenzo Lamas? That’s quality television that Peter Parker could only dream about.
KarMann
June 30th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Luann: Interesting. It looks like Bernice has the binoculars Leroy Lockhorn was using on Sunday. Now we know both what Leroy’s been up to on the side that makes Loretta so angry, and how desperate for nookie these teenage losers are, in the sexless hellscape of Luann.
If the play they saw together was a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, we’ll have hit the trifecta!
wagmore barkless
June 30th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
#107 Poteet: No, actually, NYC doesn’t really have much nightlife, and the only art gallery just has some lousy flower paintings. The men all look alike, too. I haven’t actually been there but I know a lot about it because I read A3G.
True Fable
June 30th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
#115 wagmore barkless – if you’re looking to make the COTW for this week, that post is the way to do it! XD
Fashion Police
June 30th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
#115, wagmore barkless:
It’s such a fashion backwater too; not nearly as sophisticated as places like Westview, Ohio, Lost Forest, and Sally Forth’s closet.
Joe Blevins
June 30th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
I think it would improve this poster tremendously if Ziggy were dressed as Diana Ross. Actually, I think it would improve every Ziggy cartoon if he were dressed as Diana Ross, especially if it went unexplained and un-commented-upon. The cartoons would remain pretty much the same. Ziggy would still be passively absorbing the world’s hostility — as dished out by waiters, computers, inanimate objects on the beach, etc. — but through it all, Ziggy would wear a placid smile. Because in his mind, he’s no longer that short, panstless gnome. Nope, he’s the crown princess of Motown, singing “Love Child” on the hallowed stage of the Sullivan show. That’s Ziggy’s happy place. No ATMs, car mechanics, or sass-talking birds in sight.
8th Man Fan
June 30th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
#115 wagmore barkless: To illustrate your points, only one-and-a-half years ago, NY had only one place open after midnight (on New Year’s!) and the art gallery was doing so well, the owner felt free to leave it in the care of junkie drug dealer and a failed party planner and fly off to China on the first plane he could book.
Uncle Lumpy
June 30th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I miss junkie Alan (sniff).
wagmore barkless
June 30th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
#117 Fashion Police: You are so right! The only fashion-forward New Yorker I know of is Blaze, and he just copied Miss Williams’ kicky neckwear style. And even bald Lisa wouldn’t be caught dead–oops, I mean would never be seen–in one of those hideous dust bonnets so many New Yorkers wear.
#116 True Fable: You are too kind, but I’m pretty sure my 15 minutes of fame were stretched to the breaking point last week!
Jamus The Bartender
June 30th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Spider-Man: Damn straight you shouldn’t have said that, Peter. Logan LOVES red-headed women. Just ask Jean Grey. He spent fifteen years chasing her off and on, and her boyfriend has power blasts that shoot out of his eyes. The only time she got a break was when she died as Phoenix that first time. Your only hope is to suggest any Kabuki play performing in town, and that way he’ll fall for the lead actress, fight for her honor, get attacked by ninjas and possibly marry her.
Jamus The Bartender
June 30th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
My Cage: Cool. A Watchmen riff. NOW we’re havin’ fun.
MT
June 30th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Wait… You burned the Ziggy poster in the middle of the NIGHT!? Arghhh… that’s when his dark powers are strongest. Certainly that poster has now ‘mysteriously’ appeared in closets and dresser drawers all across this hemisphere, if not beyond. Indeed, you may have doomed us all.
SandyH
June 30th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
#31 Poteet Until I saw your post it never even occurred to me that those are CATS. I thought they were some weird squirrely-rodent-type thing, so low are my expectations for the artwork in this comic.
gnome de blog
June 30th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
118 Joe Blevins: You may be onto something. But why stop with Ziggy? What about Mark Trail as Carol Channing? Funky Winkerbean as Posh Spice? Sally Forth as Michael Jackson? The possibilities are endless…
mollificent
June 30th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
#93 mojo: WAIT A MINUTE! “Nothing’s gonna harm you, Toby…not while i’m around…” Mary Worth IS Mrs. Lovett!!
Though I’d like to see that cookoff too…
Sheila Sternwell
July 1st, 2009 at 4:56 am
#62 Kibo – Oh come on, it’s not like we don’t ALL know you’re famous for your one-man kazoo and washing board band. Playing the guitar is just showing off.
DoodleMAX3000
July 1st, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Concerning the poster – I guess your character matters if that character is one of a bald headed moron who wanders amilessly into the street with a stop/slow paddle showing the “SLOW” side of the paddle along with his backside to oncoming traffic. At least the “..in the name of love” makes sence as Ziggy asks us to stop just burning all images of him and instead please shred and recycle for the love of mother earth or kittens or what the fuck ever.
kurtthecomicreader
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:15 am
JP .vs. GA: It’s the battle of the butts:
In the GA corner we have the attractive hot pants lady bending over to display her assets.
But wait, in the JP corner the famous actress bulges her buttocks in response!
Sheesh, the whole thing’s getting pretty cheeky.
KK
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:48 am
Re: this week’s Comment of the Week:
Margo probably took a cab from the airport to the hotel without seeing a single cow, because she probably arrived in India in the middle of the night, when cow traffic is minimal.
Having just returned from a trip to India (Delhi) myself, I’ve learned that most flights arrive and depart in the middle of the night or the very early morning. (I was told that this is because during the day the airport tarmac and runway surfaces become too hot and melty in the Indian heat.)