Comic Con

Don't come by my house this weekend looking for me, I'll be in San Diego at the world's biggest comics convention. If you've never been, you should go. And no need to take recreational drugs ahead of time, the tens of thousands of attendees are beyond the strangest mushroom trip anyone's ever experienced.

If you're going, come by the NCS (National Cartoonists Society) booth and say hello. I'll be selling and signing books, trading cards, prints, and some of my old T-shirts, the ones that are too stained to wear or don't fit me anymore since I've been taking steroids. Since I'm not a spoiled professional athlete with way more money than couth, autographs and pictures with me are completely free. I will be charging for sketches, however, but they're well worth it since I draw not with ink, but with my own blood from a self-inflicted bullet wound in my leg. You don't get that kind of dedication from your average cartoonist.

Don't come to my house this weekend looking to rob it, either. CHNW will be there and she's currently fostering two rescued pit bulls. They love her and they won't like you.

Free Valium

This Bizarro is brought to you by the struggling executives of America's oil companies. "We don't want your pity, just your firstborn, an arm, a leg, your soul, and another Republican in the White House."

Since I live in NYC, the only city in America where you can not own a car and still get anywhere, anytime, any day of the year, the price of gas isn't on my mind all that much.

I drive a Vespa scooter, which used to cost me about $4 to fill up, now nearly $8. If I drive it a lot every day, which I rarely do unless I'm smuggling illegals in from Canada, I fill up once a week. More typically, I fill up once a month.

I do feel the crunch when I fly, however, airline prices are out of sight, and the cost of cabs and car services in NYC keep going up.

What is the best thing we can do to alleviate the gas crisis? Elect a president who isn't butt buddies with the Saudis. (The ones who blew up the towers. Remember?)

Am I a genius, or could a box turtle to figure this out?

Bubble Court

Bizarro is brought to you today by Where The Hell? Industries. "Answering the question, 'Where the Hell did THAT come from?' since 1985."

In all modesty, let me say that I love this gag. I have no idea where it came from or why, it just fell out of my head when I leaned over my drawing table to write gags one morning , and I giggled.

It features one of my favorite cartoon tricks, to draw a picture that at first glance looks like something familiar, and at closer inspection is something entirely different. I didn't invent this trick, of course, I've just always loved it.

Below is perhaps my favorite example of it of my entire career. Tonto points at smoke signals in the distance. Or does he?












Click on the image to biggerize it and get the full effect.

I included this cartoon in the retrospective-of-my-career-so-far book, Bizarro and Other Strange Manifestations of the Art of Dan Piraro. If you like me or my work, it's a must-have book. I'm not saying that just because I want to sell the books (without decent sales numbers, you can't keep publshing), but because it honestly is a great book for people who like my work. Lots of unpublished paintings, sketches, photos, as well as my favorite cartoons from over the years, a humorous autobiography (that I wrote myself!), stories from my comedy show tours, controversial opinions about everything from tofu to our ravaged nation, you name it.

Order a case or two here. You and your descendants will thank me.

Fruity Fun For Free

Bizarro is brought to you today by the Teresa Heinz Foundation for Condiment Awareness.

How often do you think to put fruit on your hamburger or hot dog? Or have pasta with fruit sauce? What about dipping your french fries in a fruit salsa?

Well even if you think you would never do such a thing, I am here to tell you that you would too! You do it all the time! For the plain scientific truth is, the tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable!!!

For eight more little-known facts, one of which has to do with handcuffs, go here.

New This Week Mini Edition: July 23, 2008

I'm still on a semi-break from blogging, but I couldn't let this new comics day go by without mentioning:

The American Flagg hardcover finally comes out (how many years late is it?)

Marvel Adventures Super-Heroes #1, the new Paul Tobin-written comic in the MA line. Hulk, Spider-Man & Iron Man: what more do you want from your super-hero comics?

Ambush Bug: Year None #1, the highly-anticipated return of Keith Giffen & Robert Loren Fleming's DCU skewering.

Uncanny X-Men #500, the big round anniversary issue sees Matt Fraction joining his Iron Fist writing partner Ed Brubaker on Marvel's Merry Mutants.

Girl Genius Volume 7, 'nuff said.

And if it didn't arrive at your friendly local comic store last week, the sizable Zot! Complete Black & White Stories collection should arrive.

New Library Comics: Week of July 14, 2008

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Bagge, Peter. Hate annual no. 7. / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books.

Barr, Donna, 1952- Afterdead no. 1.2 / Callam Bay, Wash. : A Fine Line Press, 2007-

Blab! (Princeton, Wis.) Blab! no. 18 / [Chicago, IL : Monte Comix Productions, c1986-

Bolton, Andrew, 1966- Superheroes : fashion and fantasy / New York : The Metropolitan Museum of Art ; New Haven : Yale University Press, c2008.

Braddock, Paige. Jane's world vol. 8 / [Sebastopol, Calif.] : Girl Twirl Comics, 2003-

Breeden, Jennie. The devil's panties vol. 1 / [Fairfax, Va.] : Silent Devil Inc., 2007-

Broersma, Matt. Insomnia no. 3 / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books ; [Bologna, Italy?] : Coconino Press, c2005-

C'est bon anthology. vol. 4 no. 9 / Malmö, Sweden : C'est Bon Kultur, 2004-

Campbell, Ross. Wet moon. Book 3, Further realms of fright / Portland, Or. : Oni Press, 2004-

Crilley, Mark. Miki falls vol. 4 : winter / [New York] : HarperTeen, c2007-

Darcy, Dame. Meat cake no. 16 / [Seattle, WA] : Fantagraphics Books, 1993-

Fetch, Toc. The lost and found season of the most Pope Joey, vol. 6 : Kids of Lower Utopia, no. 1 : Of Softdoor Scout Finnagain and Daffodil Dash Eleven / Woodstock, N.Y. : Abanne Ink, [1998]-

Fraction, Matt. Casanova vol. 1 : Luxuria / Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, c2007-

Herriman, George, 1880-1944. Krazy & Ignatz : "a ragout of raspberries" : culling together the complete full-page comic strips, with addanda, 1941-42 / Seattle : Fantagraphics, 2007.

Huizenga, Kevin, 1977- Ganges no. 2 / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics, c2006-

Juicy mother 2 : how they met / New York, N.Y. : Soft Skull : Distributed by Publisher's Group West, 2005-

Kibuishi, Kazu, 1978- Amulet / New York : Graphix, 2008.

Mineshaft. nos. 20-21 / Brattleboro, VT : Mineshaft, c1999-

Mome. vol. 10 / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2005-

Nilsen, Anders, 1973- Big questions no. 10. / Montreal, Quebec : Drawn and Quarterly

Popgun vol. 1 / Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, 2007-

Prism Comics : your LGBT guide to comics. 2004, 2007 / Atlanta, GA : Prism Comics, 2003-

Pulp (San Francisco, Calif.) Pulp : manga for grownups. vol. 3 nos. 9-10 / San Francisco, CA : VIZ Communications, c1997-

Robot : super color comic vol. 4 / Carson, CA : Digital Manga Pub., 2005-

Sakuragi, Yukiya. Inubaka : crazy for dogs vol. 1 / San Francisco, CA : Viz Media, c2007-

Schulz, Charles M. (Charles Monroe), 1922-2000. The complete Peanuts vol. 9 : 1967 to 1968 / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, c2004-

Seth, 1962- Palooka-Ville no. 19 / Montreal, Quebec : Drawn & Quarterly, 1994-

Sfar, Joann. Dungeon. Parade vols. 1-2. / New York : NBM, c2006-<2007>

Takahashi, Rumiko, 1957- InuYasha vol. 32 / San Francisco, CA : Viz, LLC, c2003-

Tanaka, Masashi, 1962- Gon vols. 2-3 / La Jolla, CA : WildStorm Productions, c2007-

Tobe, Keiko. With the light : raising an autistic child vol. 1 / New York : Yen Press, 2007-

Toriyama, Akira, 1955- Dr. Slump vols. 1-2 / San Francisco : Viz, 2005-

Trondheim, Lewis. Little nothings vol. 1 : The curse of the umbrella / New York : NBM, 2008-

Van Lente, Fred. Action philosophers! : the lives and thoughts of history's A-list brain trust told in a hip and humorous fashion vol. 3 / Brooklyn, NY : Evil Twin Comics, 2006-

Van Lente, Fred. Comic book comics no. 1 / Brooklyn, N.Y. : Evil Twin Comics, 2008-

Ware, Chris, 1967- The Acme novelty library. Number 18 / Chicago, Ill. : Acme Novelty Library : distributed in the U.S. by Drawn and Quarterly Books and Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2007.

Ware, Chris, 1967- The acme novelty datebook : sketches and diary pages in facsimile v. 2. 1995-2002 / Montréal : Drawn and Quarterly ; Amsterdam : Oog & Blik, 2005.

World war three illustrated. no. 38 / N.Y.C. : S. Tobocman, P. Kuper, C. Kohlhofer, 1980-


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Still Not Dead

Many of you who read this blog have wished me well regarding the personal struggles I have mentioned lately. (shown, at left, singing the blues)

I really appreciate it, it means a lot to know you're thinking of me. Some have suggested chemical solutions – from anti-depressants to pot – thanks for those, too. I am on anti-depressants, have been since '96, and repeated efforts to live without them have failed. I'm not a big believer in pharmaceuticals and hate the industry, but it looks as if I'm a customer for life. Could be worse.

The problems I am experiencing are of a nature that I won't share in detail here, although I'd love to because I'm a real blabbermouth when it comes to my emotions (I have a strong feminine side in that way, and I'm Italian, known for our sentimentality.) But for all involved, it would be best if I leave it vague.

But whatever the cause, suffice to say that things are looking up and I'm feeling better. Life is a series of peaks and valleys and I'm happy to have this particular valley mostly behind me.
If the automobile of my heart runs out of gas on the way up the next peak and begins to roll back toward that valley, I'll hurl myself from the car and crawl.
If the pants leg of my insecurity gets caught on the side mirror, I'll rip my pants off and crawl bare-assed.
If an avalanche of childhood memories comes my way, I'll hop up and down like a Mario Brothers' character and dodge the boulders.
If the grizzly bear of self doubt grabs me and starts dragging me back toward the valley, I'll shove my anti-depressants into his mouth until he chills.

I'm not going back to that damned valley, do you understand?!

Thanks for reading.