Saturday, March 27, 2010

Gag Trance












(You want to view this bigger, you can click it)
Bizarro is brought to you today by Wedding Tragedy.

Here is a weird little idea that came from who-knows-where. I like this kind of gag because it is unconventional, affords some interesting visuals, touches on a modern social issue, and makes me smile. It's hard to write cartoons that do all of those things at once, so when I am blessed with one, I'm happy.

Writing cartoons is an odd activity. Since I don't have regular characters or story lines, I start with a completely blank page each time and nothing to build on. I search the web for pictures or info or ideas that spark something in me, then let my mind wander. To the casual observer, I'm doing nothing, just sitting at my desk staring into space like a cat. It resembles catalepsy. But inside my head, an entire road crew is shoveling, digging, hammering, rearranging, paving, destroying, building, and sweating like wrestlers in the hot sun.

On another topic, does anyone know how to build a disintegrator ray? There is a car parked across the street from my building whose car alarm has been going off every thirty minutes since last night. Nothing will wake you from a catatonic cartoon-writing state like a car alarm.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The closest thing to a disintegrator ray I can come up with for your situation is this: Walk over to the car with the alarm. Note the make, color, and license plate. Call the police and give them this information. At the very least they can call the registered owner to tell him he'd better get there before the tow truck does. It works where I live, anyway.

ANDROID said...

Love your work! Thanks for the insight on your process!

said...

How come I'm forbidden to view certain pictures? Why me? What did I do? I don't have an iphone, so I can't buy your ap. What else can it be?! I feel so left out....

Linda said...

Sorry, my disintegrator ray is on the blink. It keeps creating stuff randomly when I push the button.

ojeano said...

Dan: I'm truly curious: What was your creative process like before you used the internet?

I knew how to make a disintigrator ray. It involved an LED flashlight, microwave oven parts, and a magnifying glass. I stayed up all night til I was delirious devising the thing but the glare of the first rays of sunrise disintigrated the thing - and my coffee table.

PD said...

Disintegrator Ray: http://www.instructables.com/id/CO2-laser-that-cuts-sheet-metal/

LaLaOrange said...

Yeah, I would call the police too. I live on a busy street where car alarms go off every day. When they go on for a really long time I call the non-emergency police...they come take care of it right away. I heard there cities nowadays where car alarms are illegal. That sounds pretty awesome.

Jodie said...

Very clever!

Anonymous said...

This cartoon actually made me pee myself :D