(If you’re feeling a hankering for embiggenation, click a cartoon.)
I had a wonderful time concocting the above cartoon in spite of the fact that I knew it would doubtless be at the expense of at least a few of my readers. Sorry about that male bun wearers! As a person who has embraced some unusual fashion choices over the years, I have no right to poke fun at the fashion choices of others but what fun would that be? Then again, if you’re going to go with a man bun, you should probably have a good sense of humor about it as I always have with my Dali mustache.
Some readers thought that the character in the Man Croissant is supposed to be me––I suppose because he has glasses and a Dali mustache––but it isn’t. I have a much more grande nose than his, plus a full, pointy beard and not nearly enough hair to manage a bun, much less a croissant. If I let it grow for a good long while I might be able to raise a Man Crouton. Maybe.
I decided not to make this one political but I could easily have included the Cheeto Mussolini and called his abominable hairdo a “Man Pancake with Dust Ruffle,” as seen here.
On a weird side note, no sooner had I submitted this cartoon some weeks ago, my good friend and cartoonist colleague, Wayno, published a simpler version of the same gag in his feature, “WaynoVision” on GoComics. Here are his cartoon and brief blog post about the coincidence. Wayno and I have collaborated on many dozens of gags over the years but none lately. We’re going to start doing that again soon because we both really enjoy the process and the results, as have our readers.
It occurs to me that this might be a good Halloween costume if you could figure out how to build the stairway. It’s hard enough just to draw one of these damn things, so good luck with that.
I’ve done around a dozen Escher cartoons in my all-too-long career. Here’s one of my favorites from 2003.
There are plenty of books on parenting but the folks who need them most aren’t likely to read them. So many areas of life are like that. (sigh) (weep)
I just heard there are some holidays coming up during which people often purchase gifts. One might be able to find appropriate choices for this use at my new store.
I posted this cartoon on Instagram and was surprised by how many people left comments earnestly defending the medical profession. For those tempted to do that here, let me remind you this is a cartoon, not a public service announcement.
This cartoon is meant as a heartfelt tribute to Tom Petty, who died far too soon. It is rare for a musician to remain popular as long as he has, write as many hits as he did, and maintain his artistic integrity throughout such a long career in an industry that chews people up and spits them out faster than Trump goes through White House staff. Only the good die young, as they say.
Many have asked for an unabridged version of the above menu so here it is:
Something Hot, Balls of Stuff, Slow-Cooked Chewables, Cooked Substance, Looks Like Food, Entirely Edible, Real Food Flavor, FDA-Declared Foodlike, Edible Hot Slabs, Fried Calories, Food-Flavored Lumps, Hot Wing-Shaped Morsels, Easily-Chewed Consumables, Some Food Content, Food-Like Flavor, Food Facsimile.
Of course, I wanted the last phrase in the above cartoon to be “WTF?!” but those three letters standing alone in that order are not allowed on the funny pages. Even if the headlines are entirely in the sewer, the funny pages are valiantly being kept clean and polite. (At least something in America isn’t going to Hell in a handbasket.)
Thanks for reading this far, Jazz Pickles. This is the time of year that I like to remind you that many of my cartoons can be ordered as greeting cards at this place. I’ve no doubt you’ll like some of these.
Until next time, be smart, be nice, and resist fascism and stupidity.
Here’s something that would make a great gift and costs almost nothing.
Do you realise that burger buns are made from all the socks that go missing in the wash? There’s an idea for a cartoon 😀
Yikes!
So it’s some sort of wormhole thing?
Well in this case it’s a case of the seldom talked about toe-hole thing. It literally stretches the fabric of time and space.
Um, actually all those socks are the larval form of wire coat hangers.
I was thinking the burger king customer should have been a flamboyantly dressed red headed/bearded character. But then again, maybe best to avoid the trademark infringement.
Or how about a clown with a crown and a pointy beard?
Ronald McKing? King McBurger?
And caption numero deux is, “So did you want flies with the spatula gig?”
Or he could include the name of the joint on the sign. A friend of mine referred to the place as “Burger Thing” — another friend called it “Booger King.”
I made a portmanteau word, or maybe it’s a portmanteau title of these two: “Booger Thing”
I wonder if that would violate some sort of trademark thingy?
If I ever go insane I’m going to run the streets choping off manbuns with a machete. That’s the plan anyway.
The spatula one is genius.
Thanks so much!
I had to share it as soon as I saw it. It’s brilliant!
Especially enjoyed the sign in the burger joint !
Love the bald eagle with a toupee…I wonder how it might have been with the Orange Oligarch’s hairstyle…
Hi Dan,
This week’s batch were especially good! Thanks for the laughs!
BTW, the spatula one is very similar to an episode of Spongebob (who is a fry cook), with a spatula embedded in fossilized grease. The episode is called “Neptune’s Spatula”. Check it out sometime.
I was thinking you could make a quiz-like Bizarro book with those cartoons that have upset unexpected groups of people. Something like a “guess who got real mad about this one?” multiple choice question, and then you turn the page and read some of those wonderfully ridiculous emails/tweets/comments that I’m sure you’ve kept around 🙂
Not a bad idea!
I’d buy that.
≈ I was rocking a man-bagel before it was cool. Of course, in those days, we just called it male-pattern baldness.
Are you kidding? That man-bagel requires a great deal of hair, at least as much as is required for one Princess Leia bun.
“May contain food”.
Dan, Dan, Dan,
Referring to the scientific press conference: one occurrence of something is an incident. Two or more are incidents.
Doh! Of course.
The McRib sandwich is the absentee dad of fast food. It shows up every 7 months and your supposed to be glad its back.
LOL
I always get at least a giggle, if not a guffaw, from one or more of your weekly panels. This time was a laugh fest!
Loving the flipper who would be king (brings back memories of studying the Arthurian legend in 10th grade English class) — and then the extended menu!
Usually I’m pretty laidback about how people look, however, there is something about man buns (and those “compensation pony tails” certain balding men insist on wearing) that sets my teeth on edge. As for the simultaneous idea between you & your colleague, I agree with “great minds” and also think that certain “stuff” is just out (t)here, floating in the ether for any number of people to pick up on whenever. I was going to call it “collective consciousness” but just looked that up……
That might have leant the Trumpster some unearned legitimacy — an eagle he ain’t!
So true. That’s actually the art from an old cartoon that had nothing to do with Trump. It was just a “bald” eagle in a toupee. :^}
To offset criticism, I loved the doctor cartoon. A classic Dan visual double take.
Imagine two worlds – 1. doctors are trained at society’s expense and are always paid the average worker’s wage by society 2. doctors are trained at their own enormous expense and must get in the habit of aggressive fundraising to pay that back.
Which world has more doctors motivated by genuine concern for patients than by greed?
And we’re not even considering that the guy could be a pharma executive.
I gotta stand up and say “I like man-buns!” On the right guy, it looks great. In fact, I think it’s a great time to be a guy! Men’s styles change every 100 years and now finally, they have a choice! Long hair, short hair, bun, no bun, shaggy, buzz-cut, beards, no beards, half-beards, scruffy…the possibilities are endless and men, you are lookin’ good! Mr. Bizarro, go rock your pointy beard and Dali moustache – that one is still a bit obscure but you’re allowed and you’re rockin’ it..
Above you said — “I’ve done around a dozen Escher cartoons in my all-too-long career. Here’s one of my favorites from 2003.”
Well, I clicked on it.
And 1 item there baffles me a bit–
In the window we see a sign across the street that says —
“PIECUPUNCTURE”
Does this refer to your icon of the piece of pie?
Was that icon in existence yet in 2003?
Perhaps it is a precursor?
Or — is it a cross-eyed reference to “acupuncture”?
Gaaaah!
Help!
Thanks for the note, Scotty. Yes, the pie has been around for longer than 2003, though I don’t remember when I started it. In many of my comics, I will put a “Bunny’s Pie Repair” sign in the background and on occasion will use “Bunny’s Piecupuncture”. I was not using “piecupuncture” in 2003, BUT, a couple of years ago I retooled this Escher’s Pub cartoon for a print project (the ones I sell through QART, which is linked at the end of each post these days) and added the “piecupuncture”.
26 years in emergency medicine here and I just completely lost it reading the “checking the pulse” one. Now THAT’S funny stuff
Oh, the Grocery Shopper with findable keys… That is mighty subtle if Secret Symbol #6 is the X in an O sauce that could be squeezed out as O2 with mirroring numerals?? Otherwise I get nada but the 5 other symbols.
Meanwhile, I just wanna say I don’t know when I’ve ever found such consistently *interesting* and talented visual art paired with get-you laughing and even thinking cartoon commentary, as yours. Bravo on your career choice, with many thanks for converting despair or observable nonsense into something showing a lot of care and beauty. I vote your Bizarro over today’s Reality Show any day.
Among the nicest reviews I’ve ever received. Made my day, thanks so much, Laura!
the best of germany and the worst of germany
Today’s accordion comic is pretty good, but I’ve long wondered about the invention of the clarinet and, later, saxophone. All those keys seem pretty Rube Goldberg-y.
madeleine albright owns a weasel?
Haha!