Thursday, February 19, 2009

Me and Sheila

Bizarro is brought to you today by Aesthetic Assassinations.

Here's another one of those editing screw ups on my part. The cartoon shown here is as it was when I sent it in to King Features. Shortly thereafter, I received a call from my editor explaining that they'd had a lot of complaints about the word "freakin" in other comic strips lately and that it would be wise to change it. Apparently, there are numerous newspaper readers across the country who are offended by even a euphemism of a "bad" word and are willing to make their local editor's life miserable if they see one in their paper.

So the fine folks at King changed the word to "stupid" or something and I was to change it on the color version I sent in later. Both this editing discussion and the one I mentioned a couple of posts ago happened while I was out of town and by the time I got back to the Command Center at Bizarro Global Headquarters, I'd forgotten about them and didn't make the changes.

So x number of newspapers and web sites published the cartoon above one week ago yesterday, with it's magical, taboo, "evil" letter order in tact, but I've not heard of any complaints. Which is good.

On the subject of the GPS, I think this is the coolest invention since Scotch. But I can't say I'm fond of the voice that tells you what to do. I've gotten into shouting matches with that person before, whom I call "Sheila," and even though I always win, she remains smug and unflappable, which annoys me even more. Nowadays, I use the one on my iPhone, which is silent. I miss more turns, but at least Sheila isn't there to point it out.

21 comments:

Jeremy said...

I was playing with my iPhone last night testing the GPs as I drove. It was surprisingly up to date and snappy. It was only about 300 ft behind where I actually was when I was driving and spot on when I stopped.

I LOVE MY iPHONE!

Pneumatic Death said...

It's interesting that these bossy synthetic voices are given female monikers, even by women. My wife and her sister drove through eastern Canada on vacation in a rented car with a GPS. They named their insistent digital navigator "Christina" after Sandra Oh's character on "Grey's Anatomy".

Anonymous said...

Ahh, yes. Cartoons ripe with tired cliches never fail to give us all a laugh. Or moan.

john75half said...

I bought special voices for my GPS - Eddie Izzard and John Cleese. Eddie Izzard actually shouts "Keep left! Left, you fool, left!" It's great. And it took me a little while to catch what John Cleese was saying when I should bear right: "Bear right, beaver left."

isee3dtoo said...

I love the term "wanker", in fact we have a couple of wankers who visit this blog from time to time. But that is off today's topic cause they know who they are.

If you don't know what a wanker is here is a definition with graphics from Wikipedia.

In the British press I read about an MP (Member of Parliament) who was a "wanker from Northern England" and I had good laugh. I wondered if you could call a US Senator a wanker in the American press and get away with it.

On that same note, the show "Married with Children" got away with it for years. Peggy was from "Wanker County" and Al used to talk about "those Wankers" all the time.

Anonymous said...

If you laughed at this comic, there's no way around it - you are an idiot.

bbonds44 said...

Jeremy is Fran,Julie and Fido

guy who trapped monkey girl said...

When I have to go to LA area, I always rent the GPS (and get the car added on) but I love to change its spoken language to the European French female voice. So when she yells at me for daydreaming and missing my turn... it sounds oh so romantic.

Karl said...

What the; h-e double hockey sticks is wrong with these "freakin" people who think freakin is a freakin dirty word. Freakin freaks!

Sorry; just lost it for a freakin minute. My freakin apolgoies to those freakin elitists and their freakin morality. They're all pansy pants (oops that's crossing the line isn't it?)

Anonymous said...

Yep, that's us!

Our name is Legion, for we are many.

Anonymous said...

Do you have drink a lot, Dan? As a heavy drinker myself, I see a few subtle signs in your mannerisms. are you perhaps a Scotch drinker?

Anonymous said...

helllo felow blogers, i luv reeding bizaro. i was wundering if yu culd help me out. i startd a google adesens accont and i need more cliks, can yu clik my name an get me som trafik?

Anonymous said...

No Susie, we cannot.

Brian said...

I love my Garmin, but I especially love the snarkiness in Jill's voice (if you have one, you know who/what I mean) when I've strayed from the pre-destined route and she informs me she is "Recalculating..." God, what a bitch.

bbonds44 said...

For the record:

1)Mary Worth is as bad as sally forth

2)Dan, yesterday and today's comic, great

3)Jeremy may possibly be 7 blog names.

4)Pneumatic death, that name ain't even close to being funny.

5)Iseedto3000 has found a life and didn't blog th first day in 6 years.

6)Friend ginnit ginab, wasn't that a phrase from meatballs 2.

7)Rumor has it the original isee has a gambling problem . I also noticed he lives near jeremy which leads me to believe possible cahoot.

8)Without a doubt, anonymous is Fran, only posting back to back on same blogs.

Anonymous said...

Yes, guilty as charged - I am Jeremy and Anonymous. And Fido. Hell, throw in Shortcake too.

doug nicodemus said...

freakin cool

isee3dtoo said...

I admit it --

I am everyone, I am Jeremy, Malo, Anonymous, BBond, Doug, Fran, Fido, I am even my impostor. At times I am Dan himself.

My real name is Jim Davis, that is right I draw Garfield. However at night I channel Charles Schultz and sometimes Sergeant Schultz.

Where are my meds!

GET OVER IT! WHO CARES WHO ANYONE IS!

But only a twit will post under someone else's name.

isee3dtoo said...

DerekAMalo: Today's 2/20/2009 Bizarro Comic

Very funny, that is probably one of your best ones (in my opinion) though I don't remember all of your contributions. It you watch COPS enough though you see the answer which is just freaking great!

Dan: Here is a cartoon idea, though it has probably been done somewhere.

Have some idiot sitting in front of two or three computer screens arguing with his many screen names. Needs to be someone about 14 years old though and probably in Military School.

derekamalo said...

i see check out my last post under pics well newest post today was my idea dan changed it to bizarro version

GAlcidesS said...

Ha ha, nice work.