Sunday, 26 September 2010

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover!

Beppo the Super Monkey leads the rest of the Super-Pets on Art Baltazar's cover to Tiny Titans #28 (2010).


Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Saturday, 25 September 2010

Tommy Can You Hear Me?











(click image for biggerer view)

Bizarro is brought to you today by
Trios.

I was pleased when I came up with this take on the famous "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" adage, but didn't think much of it beyond that. I didn't predict that it would be as popular as it turned out to be; I got quite a lot of emails about it. I guess many of us are weary of seeing everyone buried in electronic devices constantly. Cops say that a person wearing headphones is more likely to be victimized by a robber or pickpocket, which makes good sense I suppose. You're less likely to see or hear them coming when involved in whatever is going on in your ears. Do I sound like the proverbial Jewish mother, yet? How about this: Ear buds are more likely to cause hearing damage than large headphones. This actually does concern me because I've already got a permanent ringing in my ears and have lost of bit of hearing, presumably from being in a band years ago. Now I sound like a Jewish grandfather.

In truth, I don't care if you lose your hearing or get mugged. Do what you want, you're going to anyway. I'll just sit here talking to myself and wait to die.

Speaking of three chimps, here is another gag about electronics, this one about texting. It was a collaboration with a friend of mine who was a regular writer on Seinfeld, Andy Cowan. You'll occasionally see his name on my cartoons as I've been enjoying working with him.

Lastly, is this cartoon about the odd ways of the Amish. They're famous for raising barns but not razing them. Is there another example in the English language of homonyms that are antonyms? (For those readers not familiar with these grammatical terms, a "homonym" is a word that describes gay people in some way, an "antonym" is, you guessed it, one that describes ants.)

I'm off to Woodstock Sanctuary for the Moby concert tonight, which, I'm thrilled to say, is sold out. Have a great weekend and use plenty of TNT.

Friday, 24 September 2010

Friday Night Fights: Krypto vs. Alien Invaders


From Superman #670 (2007). Artists: Rick Leonardi & Dan Green. Writer: Kurt Busiek. Letters: Comicraft. Colors: Alex Sinclair.

Super-powered pets? It's a Free-for-All, dog-gone it!

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.


1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth *
2 (+3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
3 (-). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 3: Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
4 (+2). Scott Pilgrim Volume 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour
5 (-3). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World
6 (-2). Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
7 (N). B.P.R.D. Volume 1: The Plague of Frogs *
8 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
9 (+3). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
10 (-2). The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future
11 (+5). Odd Is on Our Side *
12 (+20). Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale *
13 (+8). Walking Dead Volume 12
14 (-1). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
15 (+9). The Cloud Searchers (Amulet)
16 (-1). Troublemaker Book 1: Alex Barnaby Series 3
17 (-3). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
18 (+15). Dork Diaries 2: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
19 (-2). Kick-Ass
20 (R). Hetalia Axis Powers Volume 1
21 (-1). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1975-1978 (Vol. 13-14) *
22 (-11). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
23 (+12). Lost at Sea
24 (+1). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
25 (+1). Watchmen
26 (-19). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
27 (-8). Dark Tower: The Battle of Jericho Hill
28 (R). Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert
29 (+8). Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight Volume 7: Twilight *
30 (+17). Empowered Volume 6 *
31 (-8). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
32 (N). Naruto, Vol. 49 *
33 (N). The Walking Dead, Book 6 *
34 (+10). Batman: Hush
35 (-8). Batman: The Killing Joke
36 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters
37 (-19). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
38 (-). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
39 (R). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
40 (R). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life
41 (-19). Blackest Night
42 (R). Tall Tales (Bone Prequel)
43 (-13). The Complete Peanuts 1977-1978 (Vol. 14) *
44 (N). Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland *
45 (R). American Born Chinese
46 (R). No Future For You (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 2)
47 (R). V for Vendetta
48 (-12). The Walking Dead Book 5
49 (R). All Star Superman, Vol. 1
50 (-7). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)


Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* Even the new deep discounts are not enough to push Scott Pilgrim ahead of the new Wimpy Kid at #1 (#8 overall). It does however push them up on the overall list to #17, #19, #20, #24 & #25.

* A surprise debut, with a highly discounted pre-order for a BPRD hardcover compendium coming in at #7 on the list and #85 overall. The other debuts this week belong to pre-orders for a new Naruto volume, a new Walking Dead hardcover, and a new Witch & Wizard graphic novel from James Patterson.

* The final item on the list clocks in at #3,293 overall, more-or-less on par with last week (okay, slightly less).

Wednesday, 22 September 2010

Eternal Life?

Bizarro is brought to you today by Reclaimed Souls.

To my surprise, there were quite a few readers who didn't understand this cartoon. I didn't get into a lengthy discussion with them so I don't know if it was because they are so unfamiliar with recycling that they don't recognize the triangle symbol, or if their minds were so anthropocentric that they could not make the leap between reincarnation/eternal life and recycling.

This cartoon idea came from my dandy buddy, Richard Cabeza, who has contributed some dandy ideas to Bizarro before. As I've mentioned on this blog in the past, my work is also offered in a strip format and since they usually don't entail much extra art – just a reconfiguration of the panel version – I don't bother posting them. This one, however, adds some punch to the church atmosphere, so I'm sharing it with you. Click it for a better view.

Of course, I particularly like the "Mountain Pie" soda bottle.

I've never quite thought of it this way, but our species' persistence in religious beliefs can be thought of as a desire to be recycled. Most people cannot bring themselves to believe that they will end when their body gives out. The way our brains work, it is difficult not to feel there is a difference between "us" and our bodies. I do not believe in any such difference and think that those feelings are a brain function, like everything else we think and experience. And that when I die, I die; that's it, no more me, no afterlife, no purpose. In contrast to the panic that most people seem to feel about an exclusively biological life with no divine purpose or destination, I find it comforting. I no longer fear dying except for whatever pain or fear might occur during the process; I won't exist to care. Much the way I cannot care what happens in another apartment across town when I'm asleep.

Sounds kind of nice, in a way. Not that I'm in any hurry.


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Tuesday, 21 September 2010

Thank You...

...for sticking with MYTHFITS during this pause in programming.

Woodstock Concert

It's a day of SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS. Apparently.

We have another of our stellar, outdoor, under the sky, above the ground, on the lawn, intimate concerts coming up this weekend at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary. CHNW and I hope to see you there!

Yo, check it. Word to your mother.













All proceeds go to feed and care for the sanctuary animals.

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