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Baldo, 6/21/06

Hey, Baldo, not everybody who objects to improper use of quotation marks is a humorless pedant, OK? We know how to have a good time! We know how to cut loose! We do that by dressing up as characters from a soap opera comic strip!

I wouldn’t expect you to understand.

Folks, I need to say that I am totally awestruck by your response to this project. As if I wasn’t already feeling all warm and fuzzy that several thousand people a day come visit to share my obsession with all things comical, I’ve apparently convinced 15 otherwise sane individuals to dress up like a character from soap opera comic strip and send me their pictures. I’m about to cry a single majestic tear myself.

In the most important sense, you are all winners. But since this is America and we’re not commie pinkos, only one of you will actually be the winner and appear on a mug. Which one of you that will be, I cannot say at this time. I will probably dedicate a lot of thought on the subject this weekend and come to my Solomonic decision on Monday, though I guarantee nothing about that schedule. Meanwhile, though, let’s all look at and appreciate the truly amazing folks who sent me their wacky pictures.

Let’s start with the pics I posted last week. First there’s AirForbes:

RetroVirus:

Bria:

Lucy Van Pelt (including a pic she sent that I didn’t run before, altered with the magic of Photoshop filters):

And Dr. Jeff Cory, the only male type with the cojones to enter:

Now, the new batch! First off is a contestant who didn’t respond to my question about what name she’d like to be known as … I’ll just call her “Contestant #1”:

Here’s JennyFromDaBuck:

Margaret, who served as the model portion of a team that also included Justin and Dji:

Miss Molly:

A couple from mon-ma-tron, the first naturalistic, the second Photoshoppified:

Rem Koolhaas:

Talia:

tanya2s (note subtle Photoshoppery):

And, last but certainly not least, here’s an entry from a dynamic duo of sisters, tracibub and jenners (it’s not clear to me which one was behind the camera and which one was in front of it):

Then there are the drawings. Dave Willis’ Margo à la Warhol is bound for glory:

Then we have this offering from the Baldwin Gallery:

Pantsman offers this exercize in mashups/copyright violation (“This will likely make a lot more sense if you’ve actually seen the Family Guy episode in which crazy Margot Kidder has dinner with the Griffins,” he says):

Finally, there’s this compelling yet terrifying drawing from CulturePulp artist Mike Russell:

Enjoy! While I figure out how the hell I’m going to pick just one. What have I gotten myself into?

Meanwhile, don’t forget the golden rule of commenting on these pictures, which is that they are your fellow community members so BE NICE. This rule can be broken down into two categories: DON’T BE MEAN and DON’T BE CREEPY! Don’t mess up my warm and fuzzy love for you all by breaking the rules, people!

UPDATE: It’s been pointed out to me, quite rightly, that we ought to have the original for comparison. Here she is, in all her glory:

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Hi everybody! This is my monthly post introducing new readers with all the stuff that this site has to offer. If you’re totally familiar with all the doodads and hoohahs along the left side of your screen, you can just skip all this; but if you’re not, you might want to read on. Even if you’re a regular, some of this stuff may surprise you! And this month, there’s some updates to information about out forums.

Anyway, here’s some of the features of this site that go beyond the front page!

Archives. This site has been publishing for nearly two years now, and every single post is still available for your amusement. Check out the archives menu just below all the advertising (or click here to jump there). You can see all the posts that deal with a particular comic; see all the posts from a particular month; or search on a keyword or phrase. If you’re feeling reckless, you can also click on the Randomly Selected Post O’ Mystery and enjoy an arbitrary entry from the past; this post will change every time you reload the page.

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If the idea of getting Comics Curmudgeon updates automatically appeals to you but you have no idea what the hell anything in that last paragraph means, feel free to e-mail me and I’ll try to help you out.

Josh’s other comics projects. I do a bit of Comics Curmudgeoning on other sites as well. I write a weekly column called Cartoon Violence on Wonkette, a snarky political blog; it’s pretty much the same schtick as I do here, only with political cartoons, and lots more swearing, and it’s updated every Friday. I also write a short blurb called the Geek Comic of the Week for ITworld.com, a site that focuses on computers and IT; it focuses on Web comics and other cartoons outside of your daily paper with a geeky twist to them, and it’s updated every Sunday night.

Merchandising. Those smiling faces at the bottom of the ad bar aren’t just for show. They’re modeling delightful Comics Curmudgeon gear, which is available for purchase on CafePress! Yes, you can wear and/or drink out of merchandise reminding you of classic Comics Curmudgeon moments, such as “More zippers, mule!”, “In the absence of weights, I am employing isometrics”, Milford’s big gambling bust, “Roadside”, and Fence Post Frank. Um, and I realize that some of these catchphrases are pretty old by now. New ones coming soon, once we wrap up the Finger Quotin’ Margo lookalike contest.

Advertising. Comics Curmudgeon readers are collectively the best people in the entire world, it goes without saying. Therefore, you’d be wise to market your product or service to them. And you can, by advertising on this site. Thanks to BlogAds, you can do so pretty easily. Just click here to get started. I think you’ll find the rates quite reasonable!

Tipping. “Gosh,” you may very well be saying, “Josh does all this for me; what I can do to make his life a little easier?” Well, you can always put a bit of scratch in my virtual tip jar through the magic of PayPal. Rest assured that every dollar I get allows me to spend less time on my boring real job and more time putting hilarious stuff on my site. Click here to start!

Anyway, thanks to all of you for your support, readership, and hilarious commentary. I’m way too narcissistic to keep doing this without knowing that you’re all out there reading this, so keep it up!

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The Finger Quotin’ Margo lookalike contest has been in full swing for a week now, and we’ve already received a host of entries! I’d sure like to get more though, because I’m greedy like that. So, I’m going to share the entries I’ve received so far with you all now in the hopes that they will inspire more of you to go for the gold.

(Remember, kids, these entrants are your fellow readers, commentors, and community members, and they’ve shown more guts than you in entering, so BE NICE. By “nice” I mean both “not mean” and “not creepy.” You’ve been warned.)

Let’s start by taking a look at the finger quotin’ original:

And now the contestants, in no particular order. Some of their handles may be familiar to those of you who haunt the forums or the comments. First off is Air Forbes:

Next is RetroVirus:

Then comes Bria:

And finally comes a wife-husband team that wishes to be known as “Lucy Ven Pelt” and “Dr. Jeff Cory”, respectively:

So! Will one of these brave contestants grace the face of a future Comics Curmudgeon product, available for purchase from the good people at CafePress? Or will YOU bust that fuchsia turtleneck sweater out of the closet and claim the crown yourself? The only way to find out is to reach for the brass ring and e-mail me those pictures! The deadline is Monday, June 19 (that’s a week from today), and I’ll figure out the winner by the end of that week.

Oh, and our contest inspired David Willis, the totally awesome cartoonist behind the totally awesome Shortpacked! and Joyce and Walky, to produce this totally awesome Warholified Margo:

Because David is totally awesome, he’s given me permission to use it on a product of some sort, which will be ready by the time the contest winners are announced. So go read his strips, already!