Bolt From the Blue
I’m Dan Piraro, the creator of the Bizarro newspaper comic. Each week, I post my Sunday Bizarro comic, then a short essay, then the past week’s Monday-Saturday Bizarro comics written and drawn by my partner, Wayno whose weekly blog post I recommend highly.
Here’s the ANSWER KEY to this week’s Secret Symbols in the Sunday comic, above.
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We’ve been in Rome for one week as of today and have been having a wonderful time. I’ve been here a few times before and have always loved this city but this is Olive Oyl’s first time and she is as smitten as a teenager meeting her favorite movie star. I may not be able to get her to leave.
I’ll regale you with more touristy photos later but today I offer a few quick shots of interesting graffiti and wall art. I’m not a fan of people scribbling their names in public spaces. I know the philosophy behind compassion for this habit, but I can’t agree. There are far better ways to make your mark on the world than writing your name over and over like a chimp with OCD. On occasion, however, there are some interesting tidbits of art wedged in between the mindless signatures, so rather than curse the darkness, I decided to light a candle by photographing a few of the ones that interested me.
Graffiti started with cave art but the ancient Greeks and Romans used it for political messages and protests, bringing it more into the modern context. This one is from the catacombs, though it is no longer underground. I love this little bird.
The black and white face at the top reminds me of the art of the Middle Ages and the other “contour drawing” faces like the one at the bottom seem to take just a few steps into the modern. I didn’t have the courage to see what was in that round box thing on the windowsill. Perhaps an actual human head? I hope not.
It seems that no matter where you go these days, you cannot escape Frida Khalo. Because of her omnipresence, I’ve begun calling her the Mickey Mouse of Mexico. This isn’t the only version of her image that I’ve seen here. I did not spot Mickey in any of the wall art, however, so that’s a step in the right direction as far as I’m concerned.
I should mention that in the main parts of Rome, there is no trash on the streets and very little graffiti of any kind. It’s a beautiful, clean, safe city to walk in until pretty late at night. But if you cross the Tiber to one of the adjacent neighborhoods, graffiti suddenly abounds. (But still no trash and still very safe.) I’m not sure why, but I’m guessing they keep the touristy areas more clean somehow. Maybe there are crews that work all night to remove it?
I saw this face in lots of places. No idea who it is.
The woman is coy and the fish is koi.
Thematically, this is my favorite image. The caveman carrying an Internet map marker instead of a club speaks to me.
I like this guy, too. Except for the style of hat, it reminds me of me. I injured my right eye back in the 90s and when it get’s irritated, I sometimes have to wear a patch around for a day or two until it calms down.
This Picasso-inspired bull is my favorite bit of art from the batch. I didn’t have the courage to move this cafe’s menu tripod to get a better shot.
Here is the inimitable Olive Oyl and a seagull we met at the Roman Forum. We didn’t catch is name so we’re calling him Octavius.
This is a guy whom we happened to meet on the street one day. I was mesmerized by his face and wanted to share it with you. I’ll likely be using him as a character in a Bizarro cartoon or in Peyote Cowboy so keep your eyes peeled. (As painful as that sounds.)
Lastly, (and least) is this portrait of me in my new hat. I stupidly left my favorite hat in a restaurant in Mexico some months back and have been looking to replace it. I spotted this one in a little hat shop very close to our apartment in Campo de Fiori and it spoke to me. I’m pretty excited about it!
Now let’s see what we can get excited about in Wayno’s Bizarro cartoons from the week!…
When it comes to languages I don’t speak, I prefer phonetic ones like Spanish and Italian. French is Greek to me.
It seems even castaways compete.
If Pinocchio were a real Hollywood personality, he might eventually end up here. (cringe)
Ants are fascinating creatures and we do not advocate their torture or execution. I would, however, love to know where you can get tiny ant hats.
When will we learn? Every time horses try to help put giant eggs back together it’s a catastrophe.
That concludes this short post from Rome. We’re heading to Firenze tomorrow so next week I’ll have something from there if I’m not too jacked up on espresso to type. Until then, ciao!
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