The Return of Stickman #1488

Have you ever noticed that the stuff that is suppose to taste like watermelon, aside from watermelon, doesn't taste like watermelon. What you have instead is this chemical concoction that was developed during the space race as some sort of Tang failure that some guy with a pocket protector thought tasted like watermelon and labeled it the same. This is the same guy who thought that Folger's instant coffee tasted like real coffee and that Carob tasted just like chocolate. Anyway, this sickly 'watermelon' flavor has been imposed on us for decades and it's time we took a stand against further advancement of this non-real flavor. Send it back into the realm bubblegum where it belongs. Watermelon flavored Oreos, bleh!

What I'm curious about is what 'other' flavors were on the docket. Just how awful did they have to be in order for 'watermelon' to come out on top? As soon as I heard this news story this strip instantly formed in my mind. I just wanted to let you know where I was coming from.

The Comic Critic Reviews Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

I’m absolutely convinced I saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in the theater with my family. But I was only six years old (going on seven) when the movie was released. I know my parents would never take me to an adult feature at such a tender age. So I did some research and found that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was rereleased in 1974. No doubt the studio did this to take advantage of the success of Paul Newman and Robert Redford starring in The Sting the previous year. Slap a PG rating on it and make it fun for the whole family. But had no doubts that I saw it with the whole family. My sister Brenda assures me that she didn’t see it in the theater. My mother doesn’t know what the movie is about. My father is confident that he and I saw it, and probably the rest of the boys. My brother Stan says, “If you were there, I was there.” My brother Randy is fairly confident that it was a Boys' Night Out. I didn’t bother calling my other two brothers, Cliff and Scott. That’s the problem with having so many siblings: it can take you a couple of hours just to make all the phone calls. How am I so convinced that I saw the movie in the theater? Because I can still hear my dad sucking in his breath with an empathetic wince during the knife fight scene. I remember the troop of us walking across the spotlighted parking lot with a light, cool evening breeze. I remember how we were laughing and commenting to each other about the excellent final scene as the frame faded to sepia while the soundtrack continued.

The Return of Stickman #1487

It makes you wonder if you should call the police if you find yourself sitting on an Indian Burial Ground, or maybe you should just put up a tent and sell some tickets first to cover the expense.

The Return of Stickman #1486

Good luck finding the right source article that inspired this strip. It turns out that dogs eating their owners infected toes is nearly was widespread as people with infected toes. Here's a tip: Don't ignore your toes, you dog won't.

The Return of Stickman #1485

It's not just me is it? Other people have thought this through too?

The Return of Stickman #1484

Just in case you missed this viral video.

The Comic Critic Reviews Ghostbusters

It’s very difficult for me to review a movie I love. My desire to share the film has to be tempered with the responsibility I feel is necessary for every reviewer not to give away spoilers. This becomes increasingly difficult when the movie in question not only became a huge box office success, but then launches into a multi-decade franchise that embeds its quotes, characters, and props into pop culture. I was a college student back in 1984 and the perfect target demographic for Ghostbusters. And I confess, it was one of those rare films I saw in the theater more than once, usually with a group of friends, half of whom had already seen it as well. I finally settled on a tack for doing this review when I started thinking about the unabashed silly joy of the film and searched my memory for other movies I’ve seen that shared with the audience that same joy.

The titles that jumped up and bit me were:
Topper (1937)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)

The Return of Stickman #1482 and #1483

I've been away on vacation for the last couple of weeks. The wife and I went on a road trip to Denver. Along the way we saw national parks, seldom seen members of the family, and sold out of books at the Denver Comic Con. Well, sold out of the books I had packed in the trunk. The family in Denver might be seeing me again next year, that was a darn good comic convention. Anyway, I'm back in the saddle. Here are a couple of new stickman strips to warm your hearts.