Yahweh, Mon.

This Bizarro is brought to you by Lowest Common Denominator Productions.

I particularly like this cartoon because it deals with two of my pet peeves: "reality" game shows, and Bible nuts. (By "nuts," I don't mean everyone who finds good in the Bible. I'm talking about the ones who take it literally, think Harry Potter is Satanic training for children, and believe God sent Hurricane Katrina to kill the homos in New Orleans.)

Leaving the "Bible nut" issue aside for the moment, honestly, I completely do not get the attraction for these game shows. On the other hand, several of my coolest friends are seriously into them. (Al and Pat in Pittsburgh, Oliver in Kansas City, to name three.) Obviously, I'm missing something.

Given the rising national mania for both "reality" game shows (what could be less like real life than these shows?) and NASCAR, I am beginning to feel like another species, living among humans clandestinely. Is there something cool that I'm missing about rednecks in logo-saturated jumpsuits and cars, driving in circles?

I'm not saying it isn't difficult, I'm sure it is. I can barely drive more than six blocks without falling asleep and ending up in a ditch, so I'm sure I wouldn't last in 200mph, bumper-to-bumper traffic. But just because something is difficult doesn't mean I want to watch it happening. Solving Fermat's Last Theorum was difficult, but the mathematicians working on it didn't gather millions of viewers – and theme hotels, apparel shops, restaurants, posters, calendars, seat covers, toys, colognes, hygiene products, religious gifts, etc.

I sometimes wonder if I'm the lunatic, that millions of Americans can't be wrong. But then millions watch Fox News and voted for Bush, so there goes that theory.

I suppose a lot of people are mystified by pop culture from time to time and even more are mystified by the things that I like. If you're a big fan of these kinds of TV shows or that circular-car-driving sport, I hope you aren't offended. It's all in good fun. But seriously, stop watching Fox News – except for the camp value.

Five to Read for Friday, May 2

* Detroit Free Press: POW! Comics still pack a punch

* Topless Robot: The 5 Best and Worst Comics Blatantly Designed to Sell Toys (via Kevin Melrose)

* Rome News-Tribune: A comic-book hero (also via Kevin Melrose)

* Newsarama: Faith Erin Hicks on Zombies Calling

* Salon: Comic relief

FCBM4 Day 2

It's day two of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our next selected entry is from Asif Badar. The five comics that Asif listed are:

1. Hellboy
2. X-Men
3. Legion of Super-Heroes
4. Batman
5. Perhapanauts

For this Legion of Super-Heroes fan we go way back into the 1980s for:

The first issue of the Cosmic Boy mini-series, in which writer Paul Levitz and artists Keith Giffen, Ernie Colon & Bob Smith bring the titular Legionnaire back to the 20th Century.

For Asif's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Asif's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
27 entries
4 free comics sent so far
29 days remaining

Creepy Bedtime

Today's Bizarro is brought to you by the Internal Revenue Service. "Your fear is our living."

I usually post cartoons one week later, but somehow I got out of order earlier this week so this one is from the day I missed. Does anyone care? Me thinks not.

Little Danny Piraro was a big proponent of the not-hanging-anything-over-the-edge-of-your-bed-lest-something-
grab-it theory of childhood bed behavior. More than once, I was certain I heard something under the bed. I wasn't the sort to believe in monsters (my parents always taught me there were no such things as monsters and ghosts, but there was a devil in Hell and millions of flying people with halos in Heaven – mixed message?) but I was concerned about murderers who might sneak into the house and wait for me to go to bed. Without my hanging a hand or foot over the edge, they'd be powerless, of course, and have to sneak out of the house in defeat.

Danny 1 Murderer 0

Gimp Goat Gets Gift!

My good friends and cohorts at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary are on the front page of the Metro section of today's New York Times! Here is the more legible online article.

What they didn't mention is that we have over a hundred animals under our care, we offer fun and friendly tours all Spring and Summer (are those words supposed to be capitalized? I think not, but it always seems to me that they deserve it. Winter, no, but Spring and Summer? HELL yes!) and that we are raising money to build a small medical facility for our critters. At present, Doug and Jenny are treating these guys in the foyer of their home. What a drag. Click here for info on how to toss a couple dollars at a good cause. I can personally guarantee that every penny of your dough will go to the critters. No misappropriation of funds here, I assure you!

Here's a dandy picture of the original board members who built the farm, along with many valuable and saintly volunteers. From left to right, Sergio La Vaca (star of Spanish children's TV show, "El Mono Loco!"), CHNW, Jenny Brown with Robin the chicken, Dawn Ladd with Brandy the rooster, Doug Abel with Elmo the pitchfork, and Haley is the shy goat in the back.

Come visit us this year and meet the critters. You won't be sorry and you'll have a little less bad karma to burn off when you die.

Four to Read for Thursday, May 1

* Sara Ryan: Stumptown 2008

* The Comics Reporter: CR Newsmaker Interview: Charles Brownstein of the CBLDF

* SpaceWesterns.com: The Battlestar Galactica Code: The Last Cylon

* Rivkah: When to Start. When to Quit. (via Chris Mautner)

FCBM4 Day 1

It's day one of the fourth annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Our first selected entry is from Dexter Roberts. The five comics that Dexter listed are:

1. 100 Bullets
2. Scalped
3. Criminal
4. Jack Staff
5. Locke & Key

Dexter seems to be a fan of crime comics, so for Dexter's free comic I'm choosing:

The first issue of Steven Grant & Mat Santolouco's 2 Guns, a cops & robbers comic with a twist.

For Dexter's bonus comic, I'm sending him the Iron Man ashcan.

Dexter's comics should be in the mail within a week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
8 entries
2 free comics sent so far
30 days remaining