Hanging Out

Over the last few months I have noticed some stylistic changes slowly emerging in my cartoons. This must be the influence of art school training and I am pleased.

Bats are one of the most misunderstood creatures on Earth. They are not scary or dangerous. They are quite beneficial as they consume mass quantities of pesky bugs, and aid in plant pollination. Learn more here at Bat Conservation International http://www.batcon.org/  

Consider this my annual Public Service Announcement. It should make my parole officer very happy indeed.

Evasive

Godzilla has made a prior appearance on this blog but with a different opponent here. What you are privileged to witness today is the rise of "Octa-Mega-Puss". This is the second time I've worked with octopi and I do enjoy drawing them for some reason. So much so that I will make excuses to draw more in the future.

There were a number of different titles I had been considering like, "Poor Godzilla", or "Meeting Your Match". But I realized as interesting as they are, the fighting monsters are not the point of this toon. Its more a statement about how government representatives so often refuse to speak the truth to us. They need to buy time in order to fabricate the proper lies.

A Gift from Above

A Brief Pause...

It is that time of year again and students like myself are working hard in the closing weeks of the Fall semester. The race is on to execute final projects in a rapidly diminishing time frame. It is in the best interest of my GPA and future portfolio that BuckToonz goes on a brief hiatus until Saturday, December 8th. Thank you for your patience and I will see you then.

Natural Forces

Coming to a lap near you.

The Truth & "The Truth"

Transition

I often wonder about these types of things.

Punch Line

I found this stray cartoon wandering around by itself in my archives recently. I thought it might be fun for it to see the light of day just one more time, before becoming too outdated. 

When this cartoon was originally published in the mid 90's the wheel of nostalgia had cycled around and there was a renewed interest in certain childrens' shows from the early days of Television. The idea of putting two iconic puppets in conflict with each other, and then incorporating some memes of the day was too good to pass up. 

 

Amenities

No Respect

In The Can

The Wise One returns this week to bring us more of his wit and wisdom. This is the best pun I've ever written, or the worst. You decide.

Hand Job

Poor Kitty

Gifted

Yes, I know. Very tasteless.

As of this week, we now have some new readers from the Northern Mariana Islands. Welcome everyone! That brings the BuckToonz Country Count up to an even 80.

First...and Last Date

Disclaimer Integrity & Silence

When I was just a wee lad I our family TV set was a huge, black & white, with “Rabbit Ear” antennas. Back then TVs didn’t just snap on like they do today. Vacuum tubes were used and they needed a chance to “warm up” before the picture would appear. (Wow, I'm really dating myself with these references but I don't care). In fact “warming up the TV” was all a part of the TV watching ritual. This process must have taken 30 seconds or so.

I have a strong distaste for TV commercials. I don’t enjoy being shouted at, treated like an idiot, or forced to listen to moronic jingles. My favorite button on any remote control is "Mute" and I use it often. I come to this anti-commercial stance honestly by way of my maternal grandfather, Harry. My grandfather had zero tolerance for commercials. But back in the the 1960's remote controls were very expensive, rare, and primitive. So what does a guy do when he detests all TV advertising? Grandpa, being a do-it-yourself kind of guy, built his own "Mute" button. The device consisted of a small metal box, with a large button on top, and a cord that connected it to the TV. (Nothing was wireless back then kids). The button made a loud “KAH-Clunk” sound when engaged, and it cut off the offending audio. This worked perfectly and my brothers and I enjoyed taking turns muting the TV at every commercial break.

Un-United Nations

The King is Dead, Long Earn the King!

This week marks the 35th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. While Elvis rests-in-peace he continues to make around $50 million annually. According to Forbes magazine, since 1977 Elvis has been The King of all dead celebrity earners. While other dead celebrities may come and go, Forbes says that Elvis has always been in the top three when it comes to afterlife earning power. This is due to a combination of his music publishing royalties and merchandising. Elvis merchandising was unparalleled during his lifetime, and it continues to go on almost four decades after his death.

Today's cartoon is by no means an anti-Elvis statement. What I’m baffled by is the excessive merchandising, and the people who embrace it.

Summer School Pt. 3 - Typical Gag Types

Over the last two weeks we’ve been having a discussion about the hows and whys of cartooning. We have covered subjects such as; the creative process, idea generation, method, personal style, and content.  Today we’ll wrap up our three weeks of cartoon appreciation with a look at common types of gags. To be honest, I’ve never really been quite comfortable with the term “gag”.  It makes me think of cats expelling hairballs and so forth. Anyway, we will briefly cover some typical gag types using examples from this blog.

In the early days, I had no clue as to how one creates a gag or writes a punch line. I had learned the basics of cartooning but the gag writing process was a mystery. So I made it a point to carefully observe the construction of gags in primarily single panel cartoons that are found in newspapers, magazines, and anthologies. I studied many of my favorite cartoonists like Gary Larsen (The Far Side) for example. Over time I noticed patterns starting to emerge. Some of these basic gag/joke patterns are listed below. This is by no means all of the possible variations, and a given cartoon can easily be a combination of two or three types of gags. I don’t know how other cartoonists classify their joke material, but here is my personal list. Many of these are self-evident by their names.

Substitution- Most "Far Side" cartoons are of the Substitution variety. Substituting something for what is normally expected. The Octopi Movement  In this case we have a typical domestic situation but with eight-legged sea creatures.

Reversal- This is self-explanatory. Herring Houdini  Harry Houdini was famous for performing underwater escapes among other things. This cartoon also works as a Substitution, or even a Parallel see below.

Extreme- taking something to an illogical extreme, or an unexpected extrapolation. Self-Portrait

Oversimplification- reducing something to an illogical extreme. Virtual


Literal- taking a situation or something too literally. The B-Word  In this case using the “b-word” as it was originally intended.

Surreal- an off the wall scenario.  Hoax  Need I say more? This one raises many questions.

Pun/Wordplay-  Clown Fish A pun based upon an old saying. This one would also qualify as a Cliche.

Cliche- taking a cliched scenario or saying and giving it a new twist. The idea of castaways on a deserted island has been done so many times as to have become a cartoon cliche. Marooned  I do one of these "island" cartoons each year as a challenge to myself.

Anticipation- anticipating what will happen next. Beware This toon also has an Extreme element.

Incongruous- placing unrelated things together.  Foundling This also works as a Parallel.

Parallel- I think that Parallels are easier to show than to explain.  His, Hers, It's 
 
I hope you have found this series of posts to be fun and informative. Perhaps now you'll see cartoons in a different way. I look forward to your comments.

Summer School Pt. 2: Method, Style & Content in Cartooning

Simplicity: Unlike most other things in life, cartooning has very few rules. Those rules however, must be obeyed. In this case that's easy because the main one to remember is simplicity. A famous Bard once said something like; “Brevity is the soul of wit”. Extraneous detail is distracting and counter-productive. In cartooning, every line must have a purpose and every word counts. Cartooning is an art form that is the very definition of  less-is-more. Cartooning is a visual language that relies heavily upon symbols. One must make it a point to study icons and symbols. Study how they are used and what it is that makes them universally recognizable. Part of the fun and challenge for me is to distill a drawing or gag down to the least amount of information possible, while still effectively conveying the message. In my work I strive for a bold, uncluttered look that will reproduce well no matter what the size or format.

Style: Developing a personal style takes time and it is a process that cannot be rushed. To develop your individual style, the first thing to do is to study and copy (for practice -- not plagiarism) the artists you enjoy the most. This is true for any artistic endeavor. Over time your own style, voice and sensibility will emerge. Your style will be defined by the sum of your skills and limitations. If you are passionate about what you create, then your style will continue to evolve.

Content:  Generally there are two basic choices in regard to content. Those choices being topical and timeless. Within topicality there are two types; cultural and political. Political cartoons have the shortest shelf life, and they can (sadly) become irrelevant within weeks. Culturally topical subjects have a longer life that can extend for months, and even years. The timeless subjects are related to the human condition, those things that have been and always will be true about people. This is the type of content I prefer. Some of the best advice I ever got was to read the classics of literature in order to understand the human condition. It was also suggested to me that I make an effort to be controversial. What that means is finding a way to disturb people simply in order to get attention. Angering and upsetting people is easy, and any idiot can do that. We see this everyday. I believe it takes more talent and skill to amuse large numbers of people, and to perhaps get them thinking. At this point in my career I don’t care to alienate. Maybe after I’m famous I can piss people off...and I'll still probably be rewarded for it.

Next week will be our last installment of Summer School where we'll discuss the different types of cartoon gags, and how to recognize them.

Summer School Part 1: The Creative Process

This week and next, we’ll be taking a little departure from the usual cartoon-a-week format. Today I’d like to have a brief discussion about [cue the voice of James Earl Jones with lots of reverb] The Creative Process.  I’ll be referencing my own process for cartooning here, but it probably isn’t too different from that of other creative people. Generating ideas for cartoons and such is a lot like building and training a muscle. It is a little weak at first, but with regular usage it will grow bigger and stronger.

The first thing is to become a sharp observer. Many years ago when I was teaching myself the basics of cartooning, I made it a point to become more observant. In my art school classes we are constantly training and developing our observational skills. However, anyone can become more observant if they make it a habit to notice things.

The sources of humor are all around us. Look for humor in everyday situations. People watching is essential. Everywhere you go notice how people stand, walk, and gesture. Pay attention to speech patterns, expressions, style, and dress. Look for uniqueness and little quirks. People say and do the most peculiar things.

Gathering information from a wide variety of sources is a valuable habit. Books, magazines, TV, radio, the internet, and conversations with intelligent people are all worthwhile each in their own way. For this artist, 95% of what I read is non-fiction. I believe in the old adage that, “Truth will always be stranger (and more interesting) than fiction”. The weirder the truth, the more I like it!

The subconscious mind has a wonderful capacity to assemble information in new and interesting ways. Feed yourself a wide variety of information and then allow that 3lb. computer between your ears to go to work.  The subconscious will make connections for you that would not normally occur through conscious thought. When these new associations are ready, they will bubble up to the surface of the conscious mind. Newly formed ideas will enter into conscious thought often while one is engaged in the most mundane and routine activities. Things like shaving, showering, walking, exercising, cleaning house, and driving are good times for ideas to show up. So be ready. It is important to document your "idea bubbles" because just like actual bubbles, once they "pop" they're gone, and you may never have that idea again. It is for this reason that I carry a large index card and a pen with me at all times, so I can scribble down ideas and thumbnail sketches. Soon I'll purchase a hand-held digital recorder for those times when sketching is not possible or the ideas are highly detailed.

Cartooning essentially is seeing things in new ways and then presenting them graphically in a fashion that others will find amusing. It comes down to having a different perception or slant on life. Finally, it is important to not only understand your own creative process but to honor it as well. And you do that by putting your ideas into action.

The Octopi Movement

Today BuckToonz celebrates its 2nd anniversary--Yay! On behalf of all of us here at the BuckToonz World Headquarters & Proving Grounds we want to thank you for your loyalty and continued interest. Without an audience a blog is indeed a pointless pursuit. I'm very pleased with the continued growth of the blog, and I have learned much along the way. A tip-of-the-hat goes to the two blogs that have informed and inspired me the most: gapingvoid and Guitarz  Please check them out when you have some time.

In our third year together you can expect the following things;  Posting will continue to be once each week on Saturdays. There will be a big increase in the number of new cartoons as my inventory of pre-existing work has been almost exhausted. There will be an online store opening before the end of 2012. The store will have a variety of BuckToonz related merchandise as well as other desirable art creations by yours truly. More about this later.

I expect it will be a great year.

Redneck Employment Program

Traditionally, Country & Western is an uncomplicated, and uncluttered style of music that requires only a few instruments. One of the signature attributes of C&W is the use of space within the song composition. This being true it has always puzzled me that in many C&W bands there are a plethora of guitar players. Far more than necessary. Multitudes and minimalism are in opposition to each other and yet there is a strong tendency to fill the stage with guys holding "ghee-tarz". This idea may be a holdover from back in the days when playing music was a big social activity, so the more participants the better. The fun and challenging part about drawing this cartoon was creating a different look for each one of the extraneous guitarists. 

The Rock, Metal, and Pop genres have their own set of quirks as well and literally beg for parody. This has been brilliantly accomplished by the likes of: Frank Zappa, Spinal Tap, Weird Al, Tenacious D, and most recently Steel Panthers.

The approaching 2nd anniversary of BuckToonz blog has me feeling a bit magnanimous today-- so here is a bonus cartoon. This toon was originally created in the 90s for submission to a music magazine. The editors enjoyed my effort but there was no room for unsolicited work. I have left it unaltered in it's original, glorious, black & white. Enjoy.

The Reflex

Recently, a hidden sub-basement in the deepest depths of my archives has been discovered. The result of my spelunking is today's cartoon. This one is special because it is the earliest example of my attempt at creating a single-panel cartoon feature. The other aspect that makes this cartoon special is that as far as I know, it has never been published before. So for whatever it's worth, you're seeing this cartoon for the first time anywhere. Feel lucky? Of course you do. The usual clean up and colorizing has taken place in addition to a re-working of the original caption. 

The Antarctic Challenge

BuckToonz currently spans the globe with an active readership in seventy-seven countries that stretch their way across six continents. One can assume then that there are at least seventy-six people outside of the U.S. who enjoy this blog! As much as it pleasures me to be aware of all this, I'm not someone who is content to rest upon his laurels. I will not truly be satisfied until BuckToonz has reached the shores of our seventh continent. That's right, I'm referring to the mighty, the frozen, the awe inspiring beauty that is... Antarctica! 

In order to accomplish this lofty goal I'm prepared to offer a prize of $50 tax free USD, to the first person who can prove to me that they (or someone they know) have read this blog at least once while in Antarctica. Photographic evidence would be very convincing. Now granted, the US dollar is not quite worth what it used to be but--this is easy money! And, did I mention the tax free part? So contact your globetrotting friends, or get on down there yourself. Then hang out with the penguins, read my blog, and collect $50 to help defer some of the cost of your extravagant trip to the South Pole region. The longer this contest goes on, the more likely the prize money will increase. There will be periodic reminders over time to keep you all inspired and motivated.

That's enough blathering about the contest. If you have any further questions just post them here, or shoot me an email. One last thing. As much as I like penguins, they are not eligible. Why not? Because I heard from a very reliable source that penguins not only lack opposable thumbs, but they do not read very well either. Furthermore, what would a penguin do with $50? (Now that sounds like the beginning of a joke or an idea for a cartoon!)

Send In the....Yikes!

It fascinates me that there is such a great variety of things that people fear, and that we have names for most of them. This toon is from my secret archives and at the time of it's original publication, there was no name for the fear of clowns. Well, none that I was aware of anyway. So I decided to coin my own term for this particular phobia. This cartoon features the image of my beloved first wife who was a well-known "Bozophobe", and an influence on much of my early work.

Bringing one of these toonz out into the daylight again is not merely a simple regurgitation of an existing cartoon. In addition to adding color, there are other upgrades and alterations. One of these days I'll post an example of a cartoon showing the "Before & After" so you can see the difference.

Not the Nobel Prize

It used to be that pain and suffering was the price for stupidity. It used be that scandal and poor behavior ruined careers, and made people unemployable. However in today's society stupidity is not only celebrated, but encouraged, and rewarded. Now all one needs to do to jump start a career is release a sex tape. Speaking of which, my sex tape is currently in the editing phase and is scheduled for release a little later this year. I appreciate your patience in this matter.

Hearing Is Believing

Technology will change, but thankfully dogs remain the same.

See more of Rudy and his pals here , here, once again, and most likely here.

Duck Unlimited

Are you considered to be that one in the family? While you may not be the "Black Sheep", you are certainly an interesting shade of gray.

Today's post is #100.  Another milestone on the journey. Thank you for your continued interest in what I do.

Contagious

Benefits

Political Science

We find ourselves in the midst of yet another national election cycle. Election Day won't come fast enough for most of us to avoid burn out. While we don't have royalty in this country, we certainly have people who think, and act like they are.

Pick Up the Pieces

Leading the Way

It is good to be back with you all once again. My Spring semester has ended, and it ended well. I hope the hiatus was not too excruciating. If I may paraphrase Friedrich Niche and say: “That which does not kill you, offers you the opportunity to grow stronger”.  As I now ease my way back into cartooning mode, I bring you something from my secret archives/bunker complex. This is one of my earliest b&w cartoons, lovingly colorized, and tweaked for your enjoyment.

You gotta love cheerleaders; with all that smiling, wiggling, and pep! However, too much of that kind of thing can be annoying. Well, not the wiggling part anyway. Having said that, wouldn’t it be just grand to have your own personal cheer leaders? Why should professional sports teams have all the fun? A personal cheer squad would be so handy on those days when we are not at our best. But they would also be there to help celebrate our triumphs as well. I think it would also be very cool to have my own theme music that would play when ever I entered a room. The President of the United States has “Hail to the Chief”, right? I’d like a little something too. Just a brief instrumental would be fine. Something jazzy, similar to music you might hear in a 60’s spy flick. Too grandiose? I dunno. After all, presentation is everything.

A Brief Pause.....

Two attributes of a good blog are consistency and longevity. BuckToonz will celebrate its second anniversary this July. In the last two years I’m proud to say that I have never missed a week of posting, despite several major upheavals in my personal life. Posting regularly each week is something I do as an artistic goal for myself but it is also done out of respect for you, my audience. Without you dear readers, all of this is pretty meaningless.  

Now having said that,  I’m announcing that BuckToonz will go on a brief hiatus starting today and continuing until May 5.  This short break is needed in order for me to meet the demands of my school work as the semester draws to a close. Not to worry-- the usual hilarity shall resume soon enough.  Thank you for your patience and understanding.  Now go mark your calendars and I'll see you in three weeks!

Captive Audience

It's time again for what may become our annual "shipwrecked" cartoon. You can see last year's effort here. Yes, this type of thing is a cartoon classic and every cartoonist ends up creating at least one during their career. My challenge is to find a way to make what has become a rather cliched scenario into something interesting again, if only for once a year. Your feedback will indicate if I have succeeded. This is my homage to all the great cartoon talents who have inspired me over the years, and continue to do so today.

Our annoying singer above is excessively cheerful and overly optimistic. These type of people bother me. They don't seem to have a firm grasp on reality. Speaking for myself, while I am aware of the challenges within my reality I remain (in general) a positive thinker, and consider myself a pragmatic optimist. Possibilities and solutions are endless if one is open to them. There is always at least one answer to a given challenge. That's what makes me feel optimistic.

Today BuckToonz has reached another milestone. This blog is now seen and read each week in 70 countries around the world. I am humbled and grateful for your continued loyalty and interest in what I do. Thank you all! 

Lions & Lambs

Time again for another visit with his baldness, The Wise One. Our favorite truth seeker and his yet to be named rodent pal, are occasional visitors here at BuckToonz. If you find yourself in need of further insight, wit, or wisdom you can see him here , and here.  

Pie Charts Are Passe

Recently in one of my art classes, we have been exploring the world of informational graphics. Informational graphics are visual interpretations of data. The simplest and most common types being pie charts and graphs. However informational graphics can be much more than just that, and I have come to the conclusion that its time to retire the Pie Chart.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a big advocate of pie in all its various forms, but it's time for a change. We're all about progress here at BuckToonz.

My brilliant alternative can be seen in the illustration above which I have aptly named "The Cheese Chart".  This may take a little getting used to but switching from a fruit-filled pastery graphic, to one of dairy origin should not be a huge adjustment. This is not like trying to convince Americans to accept the Metric system. And we all know how well that worked out.

No Nada Naut Zero Ziltch

Today we're having a bit of fun with the idea that not everything that's good for you tastes bad, or is otherwise lacking in the taste department. However sometimes there are products that list so many ingredients that are not included, that it makes one wonder is there anything left? The American palette has been strongly programmed to expect high amounts of sugar, salt, fat, artificial and refined ingredients that when we do eat something in its natural state or close to it-- our taste buds rebel. We're getting better about this, but there is still room for improvement.

Fearless or Fear This?

I’m goin to just put this one out there and let my insightful audience members come to their own conclusion. Feel free to post your comments here, or Facebook, or contact me directly buckdawson62@gmail.com 

Stuck

This cartoon was inspired by a warning that most parents give to their kids, "Stop making that face or it will get stuck that way!" It's a pretty ridiculous threat when you think about it. What our parents were really trying to say was "You're annoying me when you make that face-- stop doing that". When I was a kid I always wondered how many times I could make the forbidden face before I got stuck that way. Ten times? A hundred times? What if no one saw me making the forbidden face, did that still count?

Cat Nipped

There have been quite a few toonz here lately that have featured or included dogs. As I've said before, dogs are very emotive and that makes them great subjects or additions to a cartoon. So I admit that I have been a bit remiss and have not satisfied the cat lovers in the audience. I love cats too and actually favor them slightly over dogs. To me what makes cats so interesting is that they are the intersection of where "cool" and "weird" meet. Its aways entertaining to have one or two around the house.

As far as catnip goes; it seems that cats either absolutely love it, or don't care at all. There's no middle ground. See yet another cat toon  here

Calamari on a Mission

This week’s episode: How a Cartoon Was Inspired by a True Story and A Children’s Book. My regular readers know that I fancy a bit of wordplay now and again. Admittedly this week's pun is a "groaner", but perhaps you'll forgive me when you hear the story behind it.

I was at one time a regular contributor to a dandy little comic news monthly called the Fish Wrapper, located in the Seattle area. The publishers were a husband and wife team who were very involved with the local boating and sailing community in the Puget Sound area. An acquaintance made them a lucrative offer to deliver a new sailboat to Hawaii for him.  Nice work if you can get it, right? One day while on their voyage, my friends were lowering the main sail and they noticed a small squid had attached itself to the canvas. The squid was found at the very top of the sail which stands at least 20 feet in the air when fully deployed. Squids have been known to jump a bit, but not that high. There had been no storm activity that could have possibly tossed the squid way up there either. It was a complete mystery as to how this little guy managed to get to the very top a sail that reaches over 20 ft. above the water line. When I heard of this super cephalodic feat it reminded me of the classic American children’s story “The Little Engine That Could”. Its a tale about a plucky little train that pulls an over sized load up a mountain side, all the while affirming to itself,  “I think I can, I think I can!” It's a nice lesson about the power of positive thinking, how to believe in oneself, and overcoming obstacles.

So there you have it--a cartoon is born. Am I forgiven?

The B-Word

This is one of the few times in life when I can make proper use of the word bitch, and not get into trouble for it. Well....that's my theory anyway. I will now go and check my inbox for any unwarranted hate mail.

If you enjoyed this cartoon (and get the point I'm making with it)--then you are a prime candidate to become a Follower of this blog. It's easy to do and will make all of your friends jealous. Now wouldn't that be fun?

Vacant

There was a time that if you went a day without thinking anything of importance, nobody would know it but you. Not anymore. Social media allows for a torrent of useless information to be at our fingertips every hour of every day. Why people feel compelled to update the world on the banal minutiae of their day is beyond me. As a society are we that self-absorbed? Is every single thought that passes through your head really worth sharing? Do you actually need the constant approval of others? Do you live to be "Liked"? I think  that within a certain age demographic, we turned into a nation of "insecure puppies".

Ok, so we're more connected than ever before. We talk, text, tweet, and post constantly. But are we saying anything meaningful?  Don't get me wrong, I think social media is a terrific thing but I'm just disappointed with how most people choose to use it. A large percentage of Social Media is a wasteland of insignificant blathering. Why not share something that's truly fun and interesting instead? Why not promote something positive and useful? Spark a meaningful dialog? Offer people something? Try to add some value to the lives of others with your commentary. Go for quality and not quantity in your posts and tweets. Posting, Tweeting and Friending is not a competition. Make an effort to unplug every now and then. I dare you. Your world will not end. Trust me. 

We have had visits with Bob & Al before. You can see them here and here again.

The Struggle

While preparing this week's post I noticed for the first time how our starring character resembles action hero Vin Diesel,  however this toon was originally published before he became famous. And it was during that time a number of years ago we were also having difficulties with our economy. Although what was happening back then was quite tame in comparison to where we are now. I don’t want anyone in the audience to get the wrong idea about this week’s cartoon. In no way am I making light of people who have been negatively affected by America’s poor economy. God knows I’ve been unemployed for extended periods of time myself, and have had my own struggles with survival. My aim with today’s post is to encourage people in these harsh times to be patient, resourceful, and to make creative use of their entire skill set.

There are thousands of blogs out there filled with political rantings and BuckToonz is not one of them. But if it was, you might hear me say something like this; these down turns in the economy are usually cyclical, and historically our capitalist system always corrects itself within a few years. Now that's true unless the government starts monkeying around with the economy. Government  interference prolongs the problem and increases our pain. The bottom line is this--if you’re not happy with the economy or anything else, then you must hold your elected officials accountable. Remember-- they work for us, and we can and should "fire" them for incompetence and poor performance.

On a lighter note, I want to welcome our new readers in Iceland. You have a beautiful country that holds a particular fascination for me. Visiting Iceland is item #7 on my "Bucket List". 



Imagineering

Have you ever heard of an adult being described as having "a very active imagination"? Why not? That comment is normally used in reference to a child. Albert Einstein said once, "Imagination is more important than knowledge". Now that really says something, because old Einstein was a pretty sharp guy. If your particular "reality" falls short of your expectations, then use your imagination (plus consistent directed action) to alter the landscape. Imagination is also wonderful cure for boredom.

Easy Pickings

Extraterrestrials have appeared several times on this blog because it's a fun subject that offers many comedic possibilities. See past posts here, there, here again, and once more.  In this week's post we see that these off-planet visitors/trespassers/invaders have come up with a better method to obtain subjects for their experiments. Perhaps they are feeling a bit guilty about the whole "abduction" thing and see this new protocol as being a bit more like having "volunteers".

This cartoon first saw the light of day a number of years ago. I have a cousin who saw it in print somewhere and promptly displayed it upon her kitchen refrigerator door, unaware that I was the creator. While visiting her a few months later I noticed the toon, solved the mystery as to its authorship, and thanked her for the compliment.

For my international readers; here in the States the kitchen refrigerator door is a place of honor for displaying children's art works, and favored cartoons. It is high praise indeed to make it onto the old 'fridge door.

If you enjoyed this week's cartoon then please share the link with other folks. Your feedback and comments are always welcome.

Futility