A Few Good Men Times Two
Film aficionados will get this cartoon instantly but many others won’t. In a moment, I’ll provide a link to an article that will explain it but see if you can get there on your own first. One helpful hint might be the number seven.
If you’re a fan of films about the Old West, you’re likely familiar with the somewhat cliche scene where someone goes into a bar and asks for volunteers for a difficult task. To my knowledge, that cliche started with the film I am parodying in the above cartoon, but it may have even started with the Japanese film the cartoon references. I can’t recall. Nonetheless, here’s a New Yorker cartoon by Joe Dator that uses the same cliche as a launching point.
If you’re ready to look at the answer, here it is.
As you regular Jazz Pickles know, I love doing cartoons about the Old West. I can’t count how many I’ve done on that topic. My latest project, however, is a much deeper dive than I’ve ever done before. It’s a graphic novel called Peyote Cowboy and it is a story of magical realism in the Old West. I am SO looking forward to sharing it but it will be a while yet, I’m afraid. The story keeps getting longer and while I’m on the verge of completing the writing stage and can see the ending coming, I still don’t know how it will conclude. This is one of those stories you may have heard about that “writes itself,” so in a very real way, I’m waiting to find out how it ends. It sounds very “woo-woo” to say the characters will lead me there, but that’s literally what I’m experiencing.
Once the story is finished, I’ll start doing the final drawings and posting the story online in serial form. In the meantime, here is a super-sneak preview of one of my production sketches. This is the result of the first time I attempted to sketch two of my main characters. It will be interesting to see how much like this they end up looking in the final art.
Lastly, don’t miss the fun of searching for the Secret Symbols (there are 9 in this one!) and the other sight gags I’ve hidden around the drawing.
Now let’s kick off our boots and spurs and see what hombres Wayno was filling Bizarro with last week…
This cartoon reminds me how much I’m looking forward to the carpet awards next month.
They went there for head but got kicked in the balls. (Yes, that’s much more racy than I usually go on these captions but I couldn’t resist TWO juvenile puns in one.)
I’m sorry but if Bunny Cola is ever going to catch up to Coke and Pepsi, we need to advertise more.
What’s the big deal? At the beach, ghosts wear little more than a handkerchief.
I love this gag because I love film noir. I even used to have a car noir.
Over on Wayno’s weekly cartoons post, he recommends a bit of film noir he saw last week. Pop over for a read and come right back real quick like!
Gender inequality is something that bothers both Wayno and me a lot. In fact, injustice of any kind bothers us a lot, be it sexism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, you name it. I don’t mean to preach; I assume that the overwhelming majority of Jazz Pickles are on the same page.
Another thing the bar above could use, aside from integrity and fairness, is a bottle of Lil’ Nitwit whiskey. (See Old West saloon scene above.)
That’s the end of this week’s cartoon cattle drive, Jazz Pickles. Thanks for riding along with us in spite of the dust. If you like what we do and that we do it for free—without a paywall or ads—please consider tossing us a crumb via one of the links below. Every little bit helps keep the horses in apples and carrots at Rancho Bizarro.
Until next time, be smart, be nice, be happy, and resist ignorance and Trumpism.
BIZARRO SHOP (Probably closing for good soon so grab something before it’s too late!)
DIEGO PIRARO FINE ART…where you can buy my paintings or prints of them from me personally!
…Daily Bizarro IN YOUR EMAIL + archive access
…Signed, numbered, limited edition prints and original Bizarro panels