This is the weekly dispatch from Bizarro Studios North, where I have been writing and drawing the Monday through Saturday Bizarro comics since 2018. My partner and friend, Dan Piraro, created Bizarro in the late twentieth century and continues to do the Sunday comic from Rancho Bizarro in Mexico.
Wayno
Friendship is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.
Muhammad Ali
My spouse often reminds me that I don't get out into the world often enough, and spend too much time at the drawing board or computer, and she's absolutely right. I do drag myself away from time to time, and early this week I had a long lunch with a friend I haven't seen in months (and that was at the funeral of a mutual friend).
My pal Marcel and I have been trying to coordinate our schedules since the spring, and we finally picked a day and put it on our calendars. We met up at a barbecue place with outdoor seating and sweated in the sun for more than two hours. It was the best break I've had in a long time. We talked about everything and nothing; milestones in our lives, complaints about jobs we've had, and why it took so long to get together.
After returning to my workspace, I felt so energized that I accomplished as much as I would have if I hadn't taken some time out for social interaction.
After returning to my workspace, I felt so energized that I accomplished as much as I would have if I hadn't taken some time out for social interaction.
On Sunday, my spouse and I took a long hike through a nature preserve, and I wondered why we didn't do that more often.
These respites from self-imposed workaholism not only renewed me as a human, but they also improved the quality of my work over the following days, which I hope will benefit all of you later in the year.
It's a lesson I intend to remember.
Bizarro correspondent Andrèa D. sent me today's nautical/feline pipe pic, which is a bit of a mystery.
The image appears frequently on the web, but I haven't found a definitive source or reliable information on it. Every occurrence is from the same scan with that red smear on the photo. Sometimes it's captioned as "Dutch sailor with kitten, 1912," but who can say for sure.
A band or performer called Elysian Shelter used the photo for their 2024 digital single, "The Sailor's Life," which is just an extended instrumental version of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home."
Whatever its origin, it's a pleasant diversion to look at this photo, so I'll simply tip my hat to Andrèa for sharing it with us. We can all use a sweet picture of a cat now and then.
A band or performer called Elysian Shelter used the photo for their 2024 digital single, "The Sailor's Life," which is just an extended instrumental version of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home."
Whatever its origin, it's a pleasant diversion to look at this photo, so I'll simply tip my hat to Andrèa for sharing it with us. We can all use a sweet picture of a cat now and then.
Now, for you friends of Bizarro, here's the latest batch of pictorial humor from Hollywood Gardens, PA.
One of my all-time favorite artists and cartoonists, the prolific yet mysterious Bruce Carleton, snapped back at this gag with the name Parental Guidance Wodehouse, which would make a great band name.
I should do more of these "laundry list" panels, as they are relatively easy to convert to strips.
This therapist/matryoshka mashup was probably inevitable.
A certain cartoonist in the Pittsburgh area once said something very much like the above after a visit with a new PCP. No names, of course.
The character is known to exclaim, "Hulk dote!"
Seems like a sound business model.
I refuse to apologize for this caption.
Thanks for visiting the blog. Feel free to add your comments. I love hearing from you.
I have some extra-studio activities scheduled for the coming week, so I plan to compose and schedule next Saturday's blog entry early. It might be shorter than usual, which could come as a relief to some readers, but all six of the week's gags will be included.
Bonus Track
Michael Hurley: "The Abominable Snowman"
from Broken Homes and Gardens
No Quarter Records, 2025
No Quarter Records, 2025
Michael Hurley was a unique American musician and cartoonist who often did the cover art for his "outsider folk" records. He died at age 83 on April Fools' Day, 2025, but had completed his final album, Broken Homes and Gardens, in March.
Hurley sometimes reworked and rerecorded his songs, such as "The Abominable Snowman," which also appeared on his 1995 album, Parsnip Snips. It's similar in style and content to his classic "Werewolf Song," which he also recorded more than once. Both are sympathetic musings about feared mythical creatures. "The Werewolf Song" was originally recorded for his 1964 LP First Songs, and in a bit of satisfying symmetry, the Werewolf and the Snowman are featured on the LPs that bookend his life and career.
RIP, Doc Snock.
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