Today's Bizarro is brought to you by the fine people at Styx Limousine Service. "We'll see you across the river in style." (previous, less popular motto: "Just shut up and get back in the box, you stiff.")
The Grim Reaper is a popular cartoon subject for good reason. A lot can be said about the human condition by the way we are escorted to the "other side."
This cartoon doesn't say anything about that, however, it's just a simple twist on the Bergman motif of playing chess with Death. (Or was it Pictionary? It's been a long time since I've seen that film.)
A reader emailed me when this ran and asked, "Why is the guy worried? The Grim Reaper is going to chop himself in the back as soon as he shoots."
Good point. But GR is already dead, so the worst that could happen is he rips his nightgown and maybe whacks his neck out of joint a bit. Nothing a chiropractor and a tailor couldn't fix.
Check out my fancy coloring job on the human's face as it fades behind the table light. It gives a sense of depth, right? These are the little extras you get from Bizarro that most features don't bother with. I spare no expense to pamper and entertain you, my precious reader.
All I really want in life is the approval of strangers.
Your devoted cartoonist pal,
P
You might expect the Grim Reaper to dress a little... snappier. But if he's running a limo service that charges 2¢ a ride, he probably can't afford to buy a modern wardrobe. The operating costs must be killing him.
ReplyDeleteYou'd think with inflation the way it is we'd start putting larger denominations on the eyes of the dead. A pair of fifties ought to keep Styx Limo in the black.
IM NOTHING IF NOT CIVILIZED...HEY MAN I SENT YOU A LETTER THE DAY THIS FIRST CAME OUT, I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY THE WAY HE WAS HOLDING THE STICK...THATS ACTUALLY WHAT I FOUND APPEALING ...IT WAS COOL
ReplyDeleteyour replacement sucks...and yah i think you could advance the field some by giving death a sweet look. why not put him in a hoody and some sneakers. maybe do a series where he trys different outfits in a store till yah get the one you want.
ReplyDeleteLaughed out loud at the Larry King references!
ReplyDeletereplacement sucks is an understatement ....what was Dan thinking calling this guy a genius?....Its fools like this weeks guy however you pronounce his name that makes Jim Davis look like a genius
ReplyDeleteDY-NO-MITE!
ReplyDeleteThis gave me a smile as I have been watching Dead Like Me episodes and the beginning credits are rampant with grim reapers doing daily things. :)
Hey guys, be gentle on the replacement cartoonist. It's actually a lot harder than it looks. Not subscribing to dead tree media, I'll have to wait to see...
ReplyDeletejulie: go to www.sfgate.com and click on the comics section. No trees involved.
ReplyDeleteHI JULIE....JULIE THIS IS A LINK TO MY MYSPACE..http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=29387458
ReplyDeleteunder the pics area i have uploaded 2217 of my cartoons so far and in the next two months i plan on adding the remaining 6000..i guarantee if you read my work you will have more respect for the unprinted cartoonist....i go on runs where i can whip out 50 ideas in a day then none for a week..i understand what you mean by harder than it looks but given a weeks time i can at least give 7 of them worth talking about and not bashing...Dans work itself is great ...I put him up there with john callahan and maybe one or two others ..the problem is theres only one Dan in print which is th e reason why people have problems seeing other peoples material in print if you catch my drift ....so when others bash replacements... is it because of who they are replacing or just their work themselves ...not til i met dan on line did i ever get any praise outside of friends who liked my work because its never been in view....some days i think cartoonist work is easy to come across other days its hard but no... on a one joke a day basis its not hard sorry ...but thats my opnion...the problem i have when it comes to other guys comics in print outside of piraro is the NATIONAL CARTOONIST SOCIETY thinking they are all the best...not really these guys were just found at the right time when the syndicate was hurting meaning when i see piraro winning best comic panel i say damn right...when i see him losing best panel i say impossible...meaning i could stomach losing best comic panel to a guy like piraro..but how could piraro stand losing to say cornered or off the mark or others..what im saying is id rather be incognito then compared to those guys
Thanks, lysergicasset... I also found Cez's Blog: http://francescoexplainsitall.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteI can see why Dan picked him. He has a sublime sense of humor. Some cartoons are better than others, but every cartoonist has ups and downs. :)
derekamalo: your profile is set to private. Can't see anything.
Also, about the National Cartoonists Society, Dan is a beloved member there, and they are the warmest, nicest bunch of people you could ever meet. It's also a bigger organization than you might think, and isn't limited to strip cartoonists - illustrators, animators, and other cartoon professionals belong.
Keep doing your thing, and keep making cartoonist friends. :)
Are you a cartoonist, Julie?
ReplyDeleteWe got the approval of strangers thing, Danny. Every masturbatory post about your superior talent pretty much spells that out.
ReplyDeleteThere are some crazy ass comments to this post. Wow. And looks like you haz a stalkerz... yay!
ReplyDeleteIn the past 24 hours, THREE different blogs I follow have posted some Reaper/Death type cartoon. How freakin' weird is that!?
I started reading the below blog about the same time I found yours. I'll be passing a link to your blog onto the recently come out of retirement for part time work, Death.
http://death-sentences.blogspot.com/
Man answers phone.
ReplyDelete"City Morgue! You stab 'em, we slab 'em."
I remember in art school when the prof listed off the half dozen or so officially recognized pictorial depth cues. I piped up and was proud to proclaim one important one that I figured he'd left out.
ReplyDeleteNice use of overlap here, Dan Piraro.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but I love Marciuliano's cartoons and I approved all the ones that ran this week before they were submitted. Some folks like them, some don't – that's about par for the course, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThe NCS is full of many of the nicest people you'll ever meet, as Julie said. Like any organization, some are more talented than others. You really find very little ego-strutting among them, though. Pretty much all of them feel lucky to have the job they do. Myself included.
Thanks for all the feedback.
Derek - take an art and a writing class, then add a dash of humility. Stir very, very well.
ReplyDeleteI normally use my scythe to play pool.
ReplyDeletehttp://death-sentences.blogspot.com/
Hi anonymous....How are you on this fine early evening? Still enjoying the Ny suburb of White plains
ReplyDeleteWell, as a long-time fan of both Bizarro and Medium Large, I really appreciate being able to see Ces's work on the comics page, where it belongs. And I think it ups your awesomeness big time. Thanks, Mr. Piraro.
ReplyDeleteboy francesco your taking these attacks rather personally going through all the trouble of creating julie and now this clown dimestore lipstick..lol.
ReplyDeleteBe nice to Chez, guys. There's not enough nice in the world. ;-)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed our little talk about cigars at Comic-Con. In fact, afterward I went down to my favorite tobacconist (a couple blocks away) to pick you up a La Flor Coronado. Unfortunately, you had left by the time I'd got back. Fortunately, I got to smoke it.
ReplyDeleteway to find the positive in your situation, jordon! as penny, said, there's not enough nice in the world.. too bad piraro was unable to share that cigar with you.. and i'm jealous you both got to go to comic-con. rats!
ReplyDeletei don't know how you feel about the word "cute" when describing your comics, piraro, but....
and i would like to apologize on behalf of some of the comments left on your blog as of late... it's a shame that commenting on blogs has turned into (yet) another immasculating sport rather than a way to bring us together in a mature, adult fashion. but i will still visit and comment because i read your blog for personal enjoyment, not some petty competition to see who's comment is the most passive aggressive.
I'm so not getting involved. I just have to say the second photo of Larry King makes my neck hurt. A lot.
ReplyDeleteSo thanks for that.
Derek, do tell - was that an attempt at funny or merely an attempt to guess where I'm posting from? Please regale us all with more.
ReplyDeleteOkay guys,i just called up king features and even they cant believe the they ran the three pigs cartoons and they printed it.
ReplyDeleteNow com on that three pigs gag has been done 7300 times and the first 4567349 times it ran it wasnt funny. So adding a little Franceso accent ta - gu suppose to make it happen. Im sorry I know this guy has a couple more days but I've quit Bizarro.
JIMBOJONES: Hello, King Features? Yeah, I'm calling about the three pigs comic in today's Bizarro. Can you believe they actually ran that gag again? I mean, I must have seen it done already 7300 times...
ReplyDeleteKING FEATURES: Yes sir, I'm sure. Is there anything else?
jimbojones--
ReplyDeleteSince I'm a 44-year-old married woman of German descent who lives in Wisconsin and works in technical support, I'm pretty sure I'm not Francesco Marciuliano. or a clown.
But thanks for the compliments!
You know what? That Francesco Marciuliano guy can go get fucked. By me. In fact, that sounds like an excellent idea. I think I am going to do that repeatedly.
ReplyDeleteYou are an officer and a gentleman, Mr. Piraro.
I got the twist on Bergman immediately. The minimalism of the panel fits the subject well--and eventual conclusion.
ReplyDeleteIt is perfectly plausible to play a decent rack of pool using a Scythe.
ReplyDeleteAnd give the guest artist a break, his work was good its not his problem that certain people need to use the internet to make themselves feel superior by ragging on others.