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Panels from Blondie, 2/6/11

These are the throwaway panels from a dumb Blondie about stores being sold out of snack food on Super Bowl Sunday, but I think on their own they constitute a pleasing vignette about two men who are grocery shopping together, and have gone a little insane. I’m sort of intrigued that, despite “corn flakes” almost certainly being a generic and untrademarkable term at this point, the artist has lovingly rendered a Kellogg’s Corn Flakes box in Dagwood’s hands, in contrast with the unidentifiable stuff around it (note that the pinkish box to the right of Herb is literally just “cereal”). I’d speculate about paid placement, but if Kellogg’s spent real money on this, any ending other than the whole neighborhood eating Corn Flakes in front of the big game and remarking on how delicious and appropriate they are would be unacceptable.

Panel from The Lockhorns, 2/6/11

You know, in real life or narrative it generally doesn’t pay to overload your metaphors; most people don’t use “straight from the horse’s mouth” to discuss situations that involve actual horses, as it just makes for confusion. That doesn’t mean we should ignore the punchline here, though, in which Loretta implies that a horse farted and/or pooped on her husband.

Gasoline Alley, 2/6/11

Ha ha, it’s funny because a dying Walt is afraid of being tortured forever by the Devil, in hell! Of course, he might not have such worries if he didn’t hold his pastor in such obvious contempt.

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Luann, 1/15/10

Toni is happy now to leave Shannon with Luann and “Billy the Bookworm,” but will she be prepared to deal with the inevitable PTSD that will result when Shannon actually sees Billy in all his worm-cocked glory?

The Lockhorns, 1/15/10

The Lockhorns are spending the weekend indulging in the one pastime for which they still share an abiding passion: huffing paint thinner.

Blondie, 1/15/10

Ha ha! It’s funny because Dagwood’s dream was crushed!

Ziggy, 1/15/10

Ziggy is racist against squirrels.

(Psst! I’m off on a trip for the long weekend — Sunday and Monday strips will go up Monday evening.)

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Mark Trail, 12/23/10

Mark Trail’s superhuman power of punching is often remarked on in this blog, but what about his other, less violent talents? For instance, I feel strongly that we don’t lavish enough attention on his amazing bellowing ability. In panel two, for instance, we can see that he can achieve extreme levels of bolding and large font size without even opening his mouth.

Meanwhile, in panel three, I fear that Kelly is going to become an cautionary example in an imminent lesson on boating safely, possibly in combination with an abrupt and vicious seagull attack.

Lockhorns, 12/23/10

Loretta has reason to be angry at Leroy’s constant belittling of her cooking, but to be fair to him, it is kind of weird that she’s only brought out one portion of her blood-red chili. Presumably it’s been poisoned, and she’s going to force him to eat it so that she’s finally rid of him; Leroy will acquiesce, out of spite, but not before he gets in a few last punny, dead-eyed witticisms at her expense.