Saturday, February 14, 2009

Lynching, Polling


Bizarro is brought to you today by Cowboys of the Future.

I like this cartoon, but it isn't the way I originally wrote it. My first version, which appears below, was considered too violent, especially at a time when talk of "lynching" has been used in very offensive ways against our president. So I changed the image in a way that removed the potentially offending imagery but kept the joke.

I'm glad I changed it. It's one thing to do a joke about a controversial subject like gay marriage and risk angering homophobics and bigots. That's a calculated risk I'm often willing to take. But to do a joke about one thing and risk upsetting people for reasons that have nothing to do with the message of the cartoon is quite another. In this economic climate, as newspapers are looking for ways to save money, we cartoonists cannot afford to cause unnecessary trouble for editors.

Here's a question to you, the blog reader. Or, the "bloader," as I like to call you. Since my book of Bizarro pirate cartoons sold moderately well (and given the New Depression, that's great!) I've been thinking of doing a book of either Bizarro western cartoons, or super hero cartoons. Which do you think would sell better? Would you be more likely to buy a small book of Bizarro cartoons about cowboys, indians, Old West stuff, or one about super heroes?

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

super hereos !!!!

derekamalo said...

dan,


not for nothing but yur comment answer to jeremy in last segment was great, it made me rethink a few things i spoke myself


however your editor today is a punk for w malo withdrawal

Anonymous said...

super heros, more fun needs to be made of them!

Unknown said...

I vote for super heroes!

Unknown said...

Super heroes, definitely.

Nothing said...

Superheroes

Eben said...

Supa Hiro, kudasai! :D

KiltBear said...

How about both... fun odd mix... speaks to your eclecticism... hold it one way you get the superheroes, hold it the other way, you get the cowboys.

Bill it as the New Depression special, two topics for the price of one.

Anonymous said...

I say cowboys and the old west. You already have it sorta on your mind from the museum visit, so it'll be easier to compile at the moment. I think your next book should be like "Life is strange and so are you" with the little comments on the bottom, sorta like a more portable and corporeal version of this blog.

Jezzka said...

superheros, hands down. need i remind you that men in tights are hot hot hot? your hetro female demographic will skyrocket!

btw, my word verification to publish this comment is schlong. glüten tag (vegan german for good day)!

bbonds44 said...

Perhaps a book of Francesco inspired bizarros with Jeremy doing an opinion on each. I'd buy this book immediately.

Dan, you have quite a folllowing. I almost passed out laughing at this left on Ces unfunny youtube video.

1000th comment!

This is the dumbest piece of shit ever. Medium Large eats pieces of shit for breakfast.

THANKS FOR RUINING BIZARRO FOR A WEEK, JERK!

Pneumatic Death said...

Superheros can be a ripe target for jokes, but I think the strength of this comic has always been it's absurd side, and I think cowboys offer much riper fodder for absurdity.

derekamalo said...

great point pneumatic death

Where as the superhero character points to a full defeat or questionable conquest..

you can count on more ample situations for cowboys...more of the unknown and mixes with the stupidity of all man kind

if thats what you meant

another words seeing a super hero in a situation outside of a srarbucks talking to a crew outside..would be more well known and obvious than a cowboy brooming the same area with his horse

the superhero of course looking fully outa place...where as the cowboy may have the slight chance of being politically correct in that situation..therefore heightening the suspence of the punchline

good call...cowboys

ldisme said...

Are you the bloadee?

I vote for cowboys and indians, but would probably not buy either, for what that's worth.

derekamalo said...

one more for the road..

i dont mind jeremy included me in his thoughts i told you as an avid reader of this blog i noticed jeremy being one of the more honest bloggers..

if you go back in your blog history you will discover that each dan jeremy had a post and backed it up, not necessarily a hate post at all but a reason to his thoughts ..

jeremy,

mal-o however has a sharp o at then end of it a complete o sound so i dont rhyme with shallow..

dan and ces backers

im not a fan of ces works to and admitted it on posts..
NO ONE LIKES SALLY FORTH ..NO ONE!!!!!!!!!!

im not a people pleaser either and stand by what i have to say

all i know is when you have to make a blog asking people to praise someone like you did for ces then i say dan my friend please recount your letters again

like ive stated before in a world full of struggling cartoonists you shouldnt have to defend anyone or even stick up for anyome who helped you that week..he should of been honored to have done it which im sure he was..but a savior no...a bizarro mistake yes

but wasnt this all like last year

and if ces work is the bomb then grab me a match cause i want to lite it and blow it out of existance.

by the way capazellos cartoon with the hand papae mache nows that funny

the past 5 or 6 no..

Unknown said...

Do one of those double sided books where it's cowboys and indians from one end and super heroes from the other. Throw a few gags in the middle where the subjects are combined. The Lone Ranger wore a mask and skin tight clothes and had a sidekick. He was as close to a super hero as you could get without actual super powers.

Courtney said...

Super heroes but the double sided book idea is cool.

Karl said...

One of my favourite comedy movies is "Mystery Men." I think superheroes working (or trying to work) together with their egos getting in the way and causing friction among the team is funny stuff.

Brad Reid said...

Superheros, of course. Many of your fans are probably cartoon fans in a more general sense as well. Thereby, an interest in superheros is the most likely of the two.

Jeremy said...

I vote for super heroes mostly because it is geekier and that's how I roll

As far as derek, sorry that I didn't get your name pronounced right.

Anonymous said...

Super heroes

Daniel Joseph Sardella said...

cowboys.

FIDO said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jym said...

=v= Tough call, seriously. My votes goes for superheroes, but mostly because I don't have a copy of that strip with Superman and the Kryptonite lock. Also, maybe you could cash in on all the Watchmen publicity -- or maybe not.

The black president/gay cowboy strip is pretty timely, though.

edjusted said...

I vote for cowboys!

Anonymous said...

i am so confused...

derek said.."mal-o however has a sharp o at then end of it a complete o sound so i dont rhyme with shallow.."

a complete "o" sound or a long OH in Malo, I get that. a short o in Malo would be more ma-lowe like.

but how does Malo not rhyme with shallow which phonetically has a long OH at the of it as well?

shallow does not rhyme with a short "o", the o sound in cow, maybe it does in boston where cuba rhymes with tuber -- my head hurts....

i am so so confused.

FIDO said...

LOL ANOYMOUS

Anonymous said...

superheroes rule:)

Amyranth said...

I have always loved your Super Hero cartoons. Especially "Bird of Paradise" and "Spiderman walks the family dog". They both had a place on my fridge until we moved and they vanished.

Unknown said...

Suuuuuper Heeeeeroes.

Yes yes. Please please please.

Sorry. Super heroes make me act dorky.

But please do a book of them anyway. Many dorks have disposable income.

isee3dtoo said...

Super heros with mythology as well. I think the sunday strip for 2/15/2009 was incredible and it has a little super hero in it.

Nashe^ said...

SUPER HEROES. hands down.

Brian said...

Superheroes.

Anonymous said...

definitely cowboys for me, but if you feel like a compromise, maybe you could do one about cowboy-superheroes!

Anonymous said...

Ooh, I love my Bizarro Pirate book, but I'd love one concerning super heroes even more!

Jason said...

Cowboys and Indians, pardner.

isee3dtoo said...

Since I recommended a super hero book in the 2/8/2009 blog, do I get a royalty? :)

Idisme said above that she wouldn't buy either a super hero book or a cowboy book and that is a good comment to add. I voted for the super hero book over the cowboy because I prefer that topic but when it comes to buying the book I might buy both if I liked them. I haven't bought the pirate book because I want to look through it in person first instead of just ordering it blind.

Unknown said...

Certainly a half-and-half flip book - you know, you read the first half on superheroes - turn the book over and read the 2nd half on westerns (or vice versa). Gives you more material to work with too :-)

derekamalo said...

Anonymous,


my last name is pronounced may-LO...which does not rhyme with shallow..

oh wait i think it does..

Dan,

feb 15th comic very funny

derekamalo said...

speaking of rhymes with ...anyone notice hilary going house on malo ideas..in rhymes with orange

i thought we were done when i hadnt heard from her then i got my list :)

Anonymous said...

super heroes / western flipbook, as others have said

CrazyVeganMom said...

I am voting for cowboys and indians.
FYI, I did buy the pirate book, great work.

michel said...

definitely cowboys

Anonymous said...

Super heroes...no, cowboys...NO SUPER HEROES. Um. Voting for one doesn't mean the other will never exist, right? Ok. In that case, super heroes.

How dare you ask us to make such a difficult decision! :)

MathEpiNet said...

I think that superheroes will have more room for you to stretch out and play on more jokes. You automatically get about 20 or so jokes about various costumes or super hero names. Then there are the villains, the alter egos, and of coarse the over-the-hill superhero. It would be lots of fun.

cabeza said...

Cowboys rule! Superheroes drool...usually excessively large amounts at that.

munchy365 said...

I think your old west jokes are funnier than your super hero jokes.

Anonymous said...

A new 'Far Side' book would be awesome. A new Bizzaro book... not so much.

Anonymous said...

^ Hey. I like this guy!

LaLaOrange said...

Old West!

Kim said...

Your readers would prefer super heroes. Question: what sells more, sci fi/fantasy or western paperbacks?

Unknown said...

Old west, Indian cartoons especially!

Godel Fishbreath said...

You seem to have a new symbol, a lit stick of dynamite. Care to up date your symbol directory or am I just not seeing things properly?