Happy New Year 2010!

Yet Another Comics Blog, Angel & Spike, along with goth girl Nemi and her friend, all wish you a prosperous New Year!

(covers to Angel #28 & Nemi #76).

Winter Covers - December 31

Batman and The Joker make a dangerous New Year's Eve toast on Tim Sale's cover for Batman: The Long Halloween #4 (1997).

We've hope you've enjoyed our month-long celebration of comic book covers!

Holiday Contest Hiatus

My usual Thursday Contest Game Puzzle Thing has been postponed for the holidays. I'll kick it off again next Thursday, Jan 7, 2010, so look for it then!

In the meantime, I will be posting hilarious cartoons and commentary on an almost daily basis, so check back each day for the horseplay and monkeyshines.

Gargrantuan Glutes

Bizarro is brought to you today by Fashion Concerns.

I have to admit that this is one of my favorite cartoons in a while. The sheer ridiculousness of it still tickles me after all these weeks. (I write/draw cartoons about 6 weeks before they are published.)

Women have long been worried about the size of their butts and since that is where many women gain the most weight, it makes sense. When I was a teen and young adult (sounds like a church pamphlet) women regularly worried about their butts being too big. But around the turn of the century, along comes this fashion craze for big butts, with the likes of Kim Kardashian and J-Lo, and all of a sudden an ample amount of junk in the trunk is desirable.

Everyone has their own wiring and mine does not happen to include a circuit for attraction to ample booties, but I can't help but wonder if this latest rambunctious rump craze is truly new or if lots of men have always been attracted to large buttocks but have stayed in the closet about it. (Black guys have always been open about it, but the stereotype was that white men preferred smaller cabooses.) Clearly, I just don't have enough honest discussions with my guy friends about what turns them on.

Just as in yesterday's blog, again I say, "Hmmm".

Countdown to Catastrophe

Bizarro is brought to you today by The End Of The World.

A lot of people wrote to "high five" me about this cartoon. It seems there is no shortage of folks annoyed by the gullibility of their family and friends regarding this latest threat to our survival. We humans are always looking for secret clues to the ultimate catastrophic ending, as though the universe were controlled by Dan Brown.

But it is an irresistible part of our nature as apes with huge, mutant brains: we take our natural instincts to spot patterns and guard against injury, and extend them to ludicrous degrees. My apologies to those readers who don't like hearing this, but in my opinion it is the very reason humans have always invented gods to explain the things we don't understand or can't comprehend. We live in a world with natural rules and order and when the facts of our existence fall outside of our understanding, a make-believe answer is more comforting than no answer at all. Most of us need to know that there is a Purpose to our existence and a destination beyond death.

So get ready for 2012, only two years to go unless The Rapture happens first. I can guarantee that 2012 will be every bit as catastrophic as the years 2000 & 1000, both of which caused widespread panic (among cultures who happened to use that arbitrary calendar.)

Of course, it would be especially cool if the catastrophe started at the stroke of midnight on 12/31/11, but in which of the planet's 24 time zones would that occur? Maybe the Mayan's time zone! But even they spanned two or three. Hmmm.

NOTE: This cartoon is based on a fairly obvious idea and I have no doubt it has been done before and will be done again. This is a prime example of one of those ideas that lots of cartoonists will arrive at individually.

Blackest Night Hardcovers

If you're a wait-for-the-trade type, even for big event crossover comics, here are the upcoming Blackest Night hardcover collections (according to Amazon):

• Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps - Presumably the Tales of the Corps miniseries #1-3. (June)

• Blackest Night - The main miniseries. Presumably #0-8. (July)

• Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns - The return-from-the-dead canceled comics: Power of Shazam #48, Catwoman #83, Suicide Squad #67, Question #37, Phantom Stranger #42, Weird Western Tales #71, Atom & Hawkman #46, Starman #81. (July)

• Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Vol. 1 - Blackest Night: Batman #1-3, Blackest Night: Superman #1-3 and Blackest Night: Titans #1-3. (July)

• Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps Vol. 2 - Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #1-3, Blackest Night: JSA #1-3 and Blackest Night: Flash #1-3. (July)

• Green Lantern: Blackest Night - Presumably the Green Lantern issues. (August)

• Blackest Night: Green Lantern Corps - Presumably the Green Lantern Corps issues. (August)

Each is listed at $24.99, except for the main Blackest Night hardcover which is $29.99.

Winter Covers - December 30

Homer avalanches down the side of a hill on the cover to The Simpsons Winter Wing Ding #1 (2006) by Bill Morrison & Mike Rote.

Christmas may be over, but we're filling out December with winter-themed comics covers!

Winter Covers - December 29

Calvin & Hobbes are oblivious to the wacky snowmen that surround them on the cover of Tommy og Tigern #13 (2006).

Christmas may be over, but we're filling out December with winter-themed comics covers!

Golden Girl Gaiety

Bizarro is brought to you today by Good Advice.

Here it is a few days after Xmas and I'm back at Bizarro International Headquarters overseeing production meetings, taking conference calls from Asia and beyond, scheduling power lunches with bigshots, and refusing to take Larry King's calls. It's great to be home.

Winter Covers - December 28

Super-Heroes play with kids in the snow on Dustin Nguyen's cover to the DC Universe Holiday Special '09.

Christmas may be over, but we're filling out December with winter-themed comics covers!

Winter Monkey Covers - December 27

That's a cold, gold monkey on Will Eisner's cover for P.S. Magazine: The Preventive Maintenance Monthly #11 (1952).

Christmas may be over, but we're filling out December with winter-themed comics covers!

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

Winter Covers - December 26

Brandy puts the finishing touches on a snowman on Frank Cho's cover for Liberty Meadows #7 (2000).

Christmas may be over, but we're filling out December with winter-themed comics covers!

Christmas Covers - December 25

Baby Jesus lies in a manger while wise men & shepherds visit on the cover of Topix vol. 9 #12 (1950).

We hope you've enjoyed twenty-five days of Christmas-themed covers this year. Stay tuned as we finish out December with more appropriately-themed comics covers...

(2008: Junior Partners #5)
(2007: Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact #194)
(2006: Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact #35)
(2005: Dell Four Color #1274)
(2004: Treasure Chest vol. 2 #9)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)
(Jon K's Christmas Comics Countdown)

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: Dog Days
2 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
3 (+2). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
4 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
5 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
6 (-). Dilbert: 2010 Day-to-Day Calendar
7 (-). Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth
8 (-). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
9 (+2). Watchmen
10 (-). Asterios Polyp
11 (-2). The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks
12 (-). Marvel Encyclopedia
13 (R). Tumor Chapter 1
14 (+18). The Complete Persepolis
15 (R). The Walking Dead Volume 11: Fear The Hunters *
16 (+10). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
17 (+1). Stitches: A Memoir
18 (-3). Simon's Cat
19 (+5). V for Vendetta
20 (-6). Bloom County Complete Library Volume 1
21 (+15). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
22 (-6). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1974 (Box Set) (Vol. 11-12)
23 (-6). Wolverine: Old Man Logan
24 (+19). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
25 (-12). Celebrating Peanuts: 60 Years
26 (N). Footnotes in Gaza: A Graphic Novel
27 (+3). The Complete Far Side 1980-1994
28 (-). Batman: The Killing Joke
29 (N). Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft
30 (-9). KISS Kompendium
31 (+11). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
32 (+3). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5)
33 (R). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
34 (-12). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
35 (R). Batman: Battle for the Cowl
36 (+1). Batman: Year One
37 (-6). Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert
38 (-9). Masterpiece Comics
39 (N). The Rocketeer: The Complete Deluxe Edition
40 (R). Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
41 (R). Dilbert: 2010 Wall Calendar
42 (N). The Gashlycrumb Tinies
43 (R). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
44 (R). Pride and Prejudice (Graphic Novel)
45 (N). Star Wars: Legacy Volume 7 - Storms
46 (R). Blankets
47 (R). R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz, & Country
48 (-21). The Arrival
49 (N). The Boys Volume 5: Herogasm



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:

* It's Christmas morning as we're looking at the charts, so take them with a large grain of salt than usual.

* Crumb's Genesis inches up to surpass a couple of the Wimpy Kid volumes (it's at #39 on the overall chart).

* The highest debut is a new volume of The Walking Dead at #15, while Joe Sacco's Footnotes in Gaza shows up at #27. The Deluxe edition of The Rocketeer hops on as well, sporting a hefty discount off its $75 price tag.

* A new college semester starts soon, so we're starting to see items like Maus, Persepolis and Blankets move back up the list.

Seasons Serpents

One of my cherished readers sent this holiday card of her border collie and Burmese python in Santa garb. It didn't seem right not to share it with my e-pals. Here's the original page.

See you next week, have a good one.

Christmas Covers - December 24

The gang from Quagmire High fill in for Santa Claus on Ben Dunn's cover for Ninja High School #156 (2007).

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.

Just 1 more 'get-up' until Santa!

(2008: Tommy og Tigern Julehefte 2007)
(2007: Action Comics #105)
(2006: Dell Four Color #666)
(2005: Dell Four Color #1274)
(2004: Captain Marvel Adventures #19)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)
(Jon K's Christmas Comics Countdown)

Cracker Leverage

Bizarro is brought to you today by Scary Parrots.


I likely won't be posting much over the next few days during the holidays, so I'm leaving you with what I think is a good one. I confess that this idea came to me while looking at a cartoon in New Yorker by the legendary and brilliant Sam Gross. It isn't a case of plagiarizing since I completely changed the gist of the gag, but it is a direct inspiration.

Even though I don't like or celebrate Xmas, the wife and I spend a few days with friends in the country. It's way fun and nobody plays Bing Crosby's Xmas album.

Hope all of you have a nice holiday, whatever that means to you. I'll post again next week.

Christmas Covers - December 23

Marvelman waves hello to a passing Santa Claus on the cover of Marvelman #71 (1954).

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Just 2 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: The Original Black Cat #8)
(2007: Dennis the Menace Pocket Full of Fun #22)
(2006: Girls Bravo vol. 6)
(2005: All-New Collectors' Edition #C-53)
(2004: Impulse #34)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)
(Jon K's Christmas Comics Countdown)

Fire in the Hole

Bizarro is brought to you today by Heartburn.

Here's a cartoon that's kind of lame, really. I guess I thought the drawing was fun because the idea is a little trite. It happens. One of my regular readers emailed me and said he particularly loved this one, though, so I'm guessing it appealed to others, too.

Our Internet is still out so we're looking forward to tomorrow and the rare honor of hosting a Time Warner Cable repair technician in our home. He or she is due between 10am and 2pm, so we're cleaning all day today (and probably tonight) and the caterer is scheduled to show up at 9 in the morning to get things set up. We're so excited!

Christmas Covers - December 22

Betty and Veronica remind Archie (and you!) that there are only 3 more shopping (and kissing) days until Christmas on Stan Goldberg's cover for Archie Giant Series Magazine #501 (1980)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.

Just 3 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: Harvey Hits Comics #3)
(2007: Marge's Little Lulu #90)
(2006: Dell Giant #26)
(2005: Man-Thing #3)
(2004: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer #9)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)
(Jon K's Christmas Comics Countdown)

Baby Head Syndrome

Bizarro is brought to you today by Big Babies.

I like putting baby heads on adults. I did it in a cartoon a few years ago (which if I had any kind of modern filing system I'd be able to find and link to now) about a woman who had asked her plastic surgeon to make her look as young as possible. I like both of those cartoons.

But as funny as I think it is in cartoon form, what if that were an actual syndrome that people could have? Their bodies would grow normally but their heads would remain like an infant's. No matter how cute that baby head was, it would not be funny. Just creepy.

Or maybe our instinctive attraction to babies would pull us toward them and the large body attached would simultaneously push us away. Freaky.

If this syndrome does exist and I'm not aware of it, my apologies to anyone reading this who may have or know someone who has a baby head.

Christmas Covers - December 21

Green Hulk and Red Hulk celebrate Christmas on Ed McGuinness's variant covers to Hulk #9 (2009).

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.

Just 4 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: Teen Beam #2)
(2007: Bugs Bunny #46)
(2006: Wacky Squirrel #2)
(2005: Archie Giant Series Magazine #15)
(2004: DC Comics Presents #67)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)
(Jon K's Christmas Comics Countdown)

Blue Santa

Bizarro is brought to you today by The Magic of Christmas.

Bummer of all bummers, my Internet is out again. It's a constant problem in our building and Time Warner won't be out to fix it until next Wednesday. Uggh. I'm posting this from my laptop and a weak, stolen signal from a neighbor. It makes it slower and more difficult, so there may not be as many posts in the coming days. And please, don't even think about emailing me.

Here is a little Xmas cartoon for the season. Being a department store Santa has got to be tough. I don't think I'd be very good at it and I know I wouldn't like it. I'm not the sort of person who is good with the public in this kind of situation. I've never worked retail, but I'm guessing I'd last a couple of hours at the most before punching someone and getting fired. Good thing I can draw funny.

Christmas Monkey Covers - December 20

Monkeys frolic in the snow while in the background a gorilla cradles a bunny rabbit, all on the cover of Bamses Julehefte 1998.

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.

Just 5 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: Larry Marder's Beanworld Holiday Special)
(2007: Archie Giant Series Magazine #218)
(2006: 52 week 33)
(2005: Strangers in Paradise #70)
(2004: The Amazing Spider-Man #314)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)
(Jon K's Christmas Comics Countdown)

Christmas Covers - December 19

Nothing says Merry Christmas like getting punched in the face by a robot, as illustrated by Jim Calafiore on the cover of Magnus Robot Fighter #34 (1994).

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.


Just 6 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: DCU Holiday Special 2008)
(2007: Walter Lantz New Funnies #167)
(2006: Omaha the Cat Dancer vol. 2 #1)
(2005: Marvel Comics Super Special #39)
(2004: The Spirit #12)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)
(Jon K's Christmas Comics Countdown)

Amazon Top 50

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


1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
2 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
3 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
4 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
5 (-). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
6 (-). Dilbert: 2010 Day-to-Day Calendar
7 (+1). Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth
8 (+1). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
9 (-2). The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks
10 (+1). Asterios Polyp
11 (+2). Watchmen
12 (-2). Marvel Encyclopedia
13 (+1). Celebrating Peanuts: 60 Years
14 (-2). Bloom County Complete Library Volume 1
15 (+3). Simon's Cat
16 (-1). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1974 (Box Set) (Vol. 11-12)
17 (R). Wolverine: Old Man Logan
18 (-1). Stitches: A Memoir
19 (+5). Tales from the Crypt #8: Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid
20 (-1). Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume
21 (N). KISS Kompendium
22 (-1). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
23 (+14). The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
24 (+1). V for Vendetta
25 (-9). Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink': A Calvin and Hobbes Collection
26 (-). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
27 (+17). The Arrival
28 (+5). Batman: The Killing Joke
29 (+1). Masterpiece Comics
30 (+5). The Complete Far Side 1980-1994
31 (-8). Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert
32 (R). The Complete Persepolis
33 (+13). The Best American Comics 2009
34 (-12). The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book
35 (-6). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5)
36 (-2). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
37 (+5). Batman: Year One
38 (-18). Warriors: Ravenpaw's Path #1: Shattered Peace
39 (-7). My Bad: A Zits Treasury
40 (-4). The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics
41 (-3). The DC Comics Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition
42 (+7). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
43 (R). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
44 (-17). Wrapped-Up FoxTrot: A Treasury with the Final Daily Strips
45 (R). Time of Your Life (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 4)
46 (+2). Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons
47 (R). The Long Way Home (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Vol. 1)
48 (-17). 14 Years of Loyal Service in a Fabric-Covered Box: A Dilbert Book
49 (N). The Far Side Gallery
50 (N). Something Under the Bed Is Drooling



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:

* A good deal of stability this week, especially at the top of the chart where books move by no more than a couple of slots.

* The highest debut this week is for the KISS Kompendium, no doubt helped by the hefty discount granted by Amazon off of the books hefty $75 list price.

* It appears that the best-selling book featuring a Marvel property this holiday season will be a book not published by Marvel itself (DK's Marvel Encyclopedia).

Twofer Friday!

Bizarro is brought to you today by Twofers and Grelcoes.

Since my Internet was mysteriously missing yesterday and I could not post the weekly Thursday contest thing, I am offering you TWO cartoons today. That's just how I roll.

The first is about an actual clinically tested therapeutic technique called "make believe." It has been proven that many people with low self esteem can experience relief just by pretending to be somebody or something that they consider desirable. Some experts say this is why renaissance faires exist.




The next cartoon is about the wonders of Botox. Nicole Kidman has had wads of it shot into her forehead and now most of her face doesn't move when she smiles. It's creepy as hell, but in a youthful, attractive way.

That's all for today Bizarro Rangers. Enjoy this Friday and that weekend.

Christmas Covers - December 18

Rudolph lends a hand in Santa's workshop on Rube Grossman's cover to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer #4 (1953)

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.

Just 7 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #364)
(2007: Guy Garder: Warrior #39)
(2006: Impulse #45)
(2005: Adventures of Superman #487)
(2004: Mutt & Jeff #32)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)

Out of Bidness

Sorry, boys and girls, but there will be no contest or posting of any kind today (other than this one) because my Internet is out. This is the best I can do from my phone. They're supposed to come tomorrow morning to fix it, hope to be back to normal then. Thanks for checking in on me (sniff) it's so lonely and and cold here in internet limbo. (cough, cough)

Christmas Covers - December 17

They're making snow angels on Fred Perry's cover to the Gold Digger X-Mas Special #2 (2008).

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.

Just 8 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: Little Dot #29)
(2007: Classics Illustrated #53)
(2006: Patrick The Wolf Boy Christmas Special)
(2005: A Patty Cake Christmas)
(2004: Superman #165)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)

Christmas Covers - December 16

The Autobots have a yuletide party on the cover of The Transformers #250 (1989).

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.

Just 9 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: Tantalizing Stories #2)
(2007: Funny Pages vol. 2 #43)
(2006: Katy Keene #33)
(2005: Bone Holiday Special)
(2004: Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #76)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)

Sporky the Pig

Bizarro is brought to you today by Holiday Crafts.

This is a cute gag with a fun picture that I'm sure some of my readers enjoyed. Pretty much anything featuring a "spork" is humorous on some level: Mr. Spork of the Starship Enterprise, born with a silver spork in your mouth, etc. But it wasn't until the day after the cartoon ran in papers and a reader emailed me that I realized my grievous error.

When I wrote this cartoon I confused the term "spoonbill," which normally refers to certain birds, with "duck-billed," which refers to platypuses. I knew the difference but because my brain is overworked and underpaid, I made a mental error in the beginning of the joke writing process and never gave it a second thought.

The next day another reader wrote to correct me, as well. I thanked both of these kind folks, both of whom were gentle, polite and informative, and told them that the kind of lunks that typically read Bizarro wouldn't know the difference anyway.

Readers of this blog are excepted, of course. I'm sure all of you caught my error and am quite certain that none of you are lunks.

Doldrums

Bizarro is brought to you today by Everyday Super Heroes.

I don't have much to say about this cartoon, so let's talk about winter. It depresses me. Unless I'm going skiing or snowboarding, which I've not done in years. Got to move south. Why can't New York City be in Southern California?

Soon there should be a Bizarro iPhone app. I hope you like it.

Christmas Covers - December 15

It's time to rock around the Christmas Tree on Torbjørn Lien's cover for Kollektivet Julealbum 2007.

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.

Just 10 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer #7)
(2007: Donald Duck & Co. #49/1964)
(2006: 2000 A.D. #763)
(2005: Incredible Hulk #378)
(2004: Batman #45)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)

Christmas Covers - December 14

The tiny tots' eyes are all a-glow with a surprise for Santa on Sheldon Mayer's cover for Sugar & Spike #50.

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.


Just 11 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: Tom-Tom, The Jungle Boy #3)
(2007: Sugar & Spike #68)
(2006: Sugar & Spike #38)
(2005: Sugar & Spike #26)
(2004: Sugar & Spike #32)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)

Igloo Skyscrapers

Bizarro is brought to you today by Frosty's Santa Killing Spree.

I drew this cartoon because I liked the visual. As well as I can remember, I've never seen a congested, high-rise igloo city before and i was intrigued with the idea of creating one.

Some jokes lie entirely within the caption and so the drawing doesn't really matter. In fact, most cartoons these days are like that, which is why cartoonists with extremely limited drawing skills can still be successful. Since I can draw, however, my mind naturally thinks in visual terms and I often come up with jokes wherein the drawing is essential. Though I find ego to be unattractive, I have to admit that I get a secret glee from creating a cartoon that lesser-skilled draftsmen would not be able to tackle. Don't tell anyone.

Christmas Monkey Covers - December 13

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover.

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

So today we combine the two as Santa faces down a mad mommy ape on the cover of Robbedoes #2436 (1984).

(Standard disclaimer about giant snowbound gorillas and their crying kids not really being monkeys applies.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.


Just 12 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: Sugar and Spike #44)
(2007: Love Hina vol. 6)
(2006: Green Lantern: Mosaic #9)
(2005: Jonah Hex #34)
(2004: Starman #27)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)

Christmas Music Mix 2009

It's time once again for our incredibly awesome 2009 Christmas Mix!

If you're reading this on the blog, you should be able to use the embedded players below.

If you're reading this on a feed or Facebook or somesuch, use these links: Christmas 2009 (part 1), Christmas 2009 (part 2)

Civil War

(To make it a bigger picture, click the right femur of the character in the red shirt.)

Bizarro is brought to you today by Smatmobile.

I loved the Smart car the very first time I saw one in Europe in the late 90s. I tend to like small, unusual vehicles of any kind , so it's pretty much made for people like me. I haven't owned a car since I moved to NYC, but if I did, this would be one I would consider. Although I should say I know nothing about the quality of the car, I just like the size and look of it. It may be crap, for all I know. (And in any case, I prefer motorcycles and scooters over cars.)

I think one of the most interesting things about the Smart car is, however, that it evokes anger in certain people. I have personally heard several say they would like to crush them or flip them over. I have felt similar hatred for SUVs, but it is because they are a kind of blight on the earth. They use more gas than necessary and so help to keep us dependent on Middle East oil, they tear the roads up faster because of their weight, they are a traffic hazard because you can't see around them, they contribute to traffic congestion because they take up so much more space, same with parking. Hating Smart cars, on the other hand, seems to be simply a symptom of the growing culture war in the U.S.

I think about this culture war all the time and can think of no reasonable end to it. Could be we are headed for another civil war. Progressives wouldn't have a chance in such a war, we don't already have stockpiles of weapons and we are less brutal by nature. If it comes to that, I guess we'll all move to a more civilized place and leave the country to the Glenn Becks. Perish the thought.

Christmas Covers - December 12

Jay & Silent Bob get in the holiday spirit on Art Adams's cover to the Clerks Holiday Special (1998).

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.

Just 13 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: Eternal Romance #3)
(2007: Liberty Meadows #24)
(2006: Veronica #6)
(2005: Dell Movie Classic #725)
(2004: Treasure Chest vol. 23 #8)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)

Creating a Kids' Comic Section the Simple & Easy Way

Over at Blog@Newsarama, Egg Embry posts:

Yesterday I spoke to Galactic Quest store owner Kyle Puttkammer... and he laid a little comic shop science on me: How can retailers be expected to have a Kid’s Comic Section in their store if Diamond will not put a Kid’s Section in Previews? It is a point I had not considered before…

My response:

1. Look for the ‘Kid Friendly’ logo next to items in Previews; order those things.

2. Order Archie stuff.

3. Order One Piece & Naruto.

4. Order Bone collections.

5. Order Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.

6. Order the items listed on School Library Journal’s Best Comics for Kids: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/540000654/post/1340051134.html

7. Order the Johnny DC & Marvel Adventures titles.

Rack all of the above together on the shelf. Enjoy sales to kids & their parents!

Amazon Top 50

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


1 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
2 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
3 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
4 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid
5 (+1). The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
6 (-1). Dilbert: 2010 Day-to-Day Calendar
7 (+2). The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks
8 (-). Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth
9 (-2). The Complete Calvin and Hobbes
10 (+1). Marvel Encyclopedia
11 (+4). Asterios Polyp
12 (+1). Bloom County Complete Library Volume 1
13 (-1). Watchmen
14 (+4). Celebrating Peanuts: 60 Years
15 (-1). The Complete Peanuts 1971-1974 (Box Set) (Vol. 11-12)
16 (+6). Scientific Progress Goes 'Boink': A Calvin and Hobbes Collection
17 (+3). Stitches: A Memoir
18 (+1). Simon's Cat
19 (+9). Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume
20 (-4). Warriors: Ravenpaw's Path #1: Shattered Peace
21 (+4). The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
22 (+9). The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book
23 (-13). Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert
24 (R). Tales from the Crypt #8: Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid
25 (-1). V for Vendetta
26 (+7). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
27 (R). Wrapped-Up FoxTrot: A Treasury with the Final Daily Strips
28 (+17). The Indispensable Calvin And Hobbes
29 (-8). Predators and Prey (Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Vol. 5)
30 (R). Masterpiece Comics
31 (+7). 14 Years of Loyal Service in a Fabric-Covered Box: A Dilbert Book
32 (+18). My Bad: A Zits Treasury
33 (+1). Batman: The Killing Joke
34 (+7). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
35 (-18). The Complete Far Side 1980-1994
36 (+13). The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics
37 (-7). The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
38 (-3). The DC Comics Encyclopedia, Updated and Expanded Edition
39 (+8). It's A Magical World: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection
40 (+2). Garfield Will Eat for Food: His 48th Book
41 (N). The Calvin and Hobbes Lazy Sunday Book
42 (-5). Batman: Year One
43 (R). Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation
44 (R). The Arrival
45 (R). R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz, & Country
46 (R). The Best American Comics 2009
47 (R). Dilbert: 2010 Wall Calendar
48 (-22). Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons
49 (R). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
50 (R). Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 2


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:

* Comic strip collections continue to dominate for the holiday season.

* Only one new title on the list this week, and that's actually a C&H strip collectino that is many years old.

* For those who like to keep track of such things: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is at #6 on the overall bestsellers list, with the other WK volumes at 14, 27 & 32. Crumb's Genesis is at #63

The God Box

Bizarro is brought to you today by Circular Thinking.

I recently saw Julia Sweeney's ("Pat" on SNL years ago) one-woman show "Letting Go of God," and was very impressed. Like me, she was raised Catholic in a pretty seriously Catholic family. Being indoctrinated from infancy into any religion is a powerful thing and can affect the rest of your life. Julia's show is about how seriously she takes matters of spirituality and her journey to discover the meaning of it all. I recommend it if the subject interests you. It got rave reviews, which are well deserved.

I met Julia once in the greenroom of a small theater in NYC in which we were both performing in the same variety/comedy show. I think we are about the same age and I now know that our spiritual journeys have been remarkably similar. We both were raised to take religion seriously, which we did, then spent years of our adulthood educating ourselves in an attempt to make sense of it all.

This cartoon has nothing to do with her show or that journey, I just wanted to mention it. This cartoon is simply a humorous take on confessional booths, which, for those unfamiliar with the peculiarities of Catholicism, are small wooden booths in which you speak to a priest through a tiny window. The idea is that you tell him your sins and he gets god to forgive you.

My first trip to one of these booths was in the first grade. We were taught what to say and do and led into the booth to kneel before a screened window and tell a stranger (the priest on the other side of the wall) our "sins." Most six-year-olds have very few sins, of course, so the exercise is primarily meant to teach you submission and instill in you a deep-seated sense of guilt and self loathing. This sort of ritualistic Big Brother mentality can screw up a person for life. And it does, as I can attest and Julia explains so articulately in her show.

The good news is that you can find release from these ghosts if you work at it. Eventually, you can get out of the box.

Christmas Covers - December 11

Santa's elves go on strike on Will Eisner's cover to P.S. Magazine: The Preventive Maintenance Monthly #157 (1965).

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Holiday-related comic book cover. (Click on the image to get a larger version.)

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.


Just 14 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2008: More Fun Comics #39)
(2007: The Tick: Big Red-N-Green Christmas Spectacle #1)
(2006: The Best of DC #58)
(2005: Batman #27)
(2004: The Brave and the Bold #148)

(Polite Dissent's 2009 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
(2009 Comics Should Be Good Advent Calendar)
(Brendan McKillip's Comic Advent Calendar 2009)