The Return of Stickman #1468

I'm informed that bird's nest soup might be endangered.

The Return of Stickman #1466 & 1467

I've neglected my The Return of Stickman strip the last few weeks. That happens whenever I have looming deadlines that need attending. I know you folks have missed them. So I will do my best to keep a steady stream of them coming.

The Comic Critic Reviews Monty Python's Life of Brian

I drew this strip in honor of the late Judy Burnett. Judy was a supporter of Cartoonists Northwest, a group in Seattle I’ve belonged to for a number of years. Aside from the group’s annual awards ceremony we hardly ever ran into each other. She was a fan of my work, and Life of Brian was one of her favorite movies. When I heard of her death, I was saddened that I would never again be warmed by her charming, vivacious personality. I was also bummed that I never got around to reviewing Life of Brian for her. I had delayed working on it because it’s difficult to review what many see as one of the best comedies ever made, one that I found only fairly amusing. I also felt a little awkward talking about Life of Brian because the one scene that did manage to shock the little Puritan in me was the full frontal of the character Judith’s overgrown muff. (Somebody please tell me that thatch was purposely choreographed. If it wasn’t, my embarrassment is going to know no bounds.)

Judy Burnett was a friend, and she’s going to get her review, however belatedly and how uncomfortable doing the review makes me.

The Comic Critic Reviews Seeking A Friend for the End of the World

I’m a big fan of dark comedies. In the very first minute of Seeking A Friend for the End of the World the viewer is embedded with the understanding that humanity’s last hope has been squelched and the existence of everything is coming to an end. Where this movie succeeds is in accepting what the end of everything means and laughing in its face. The everyday illusion that life will go on and on, that existence will go on and on, is just that, an illusion. The various ways we choose to confront that, from denial to acceptance, all have their foibles. And it’s hard not to laugh at that merry little dance. The movie also has a fantastic soundtrack. Sure, you might know what twenty songs you would like to take with you to a desert island. But what if you could only listen to twenty songs once more? What would those songs be?

The Comic Critic Reviews Warm Bodies

 I saw the preview of Warm Bodies online long before my wife saw the trailer in the theater. I whispered to her, “Do you want to go see that with me?” Her quick answer was, “No.” Several weeks went by, and the trailer went into regular rotation on television. It was immediately after one of these commercials, a few days before the movie was to open, that my wife looked over at me and said, “Okay, I’ll go see it with you.” You might think that my wife is as huge a movie buff as I am, but you’d be wrong. I enjoy going to the movies with her a great deal, but you’re just as likely to find me alone (or with a friend) as escorting the love of my life. She’s not a big fan of horror movies or zombie movies, either. Our previous trips to the theater had been to see “Wreck-it Ralph” and “Moonlight Kingdom,” so it was a great delight to go with her to see a Zombie movie. When I started to work on my script for the strip, I was fumbling around for a solid direction. It was my wife who stated the obvious connection with Romeo and Juliet. It was so glaringly obvious that I missed it altogether.

The Comic Critic Reviews A Town Called Panic

A Town Called Panic was a fan recommendation and request. It’s a stop-motion animation using as its characters a variety of generic plastic molded toys of various sizes. And while you might think that the stereotypes involved would be offensive, the lack of distinct facial features combined with the lively voices dismiss any derogatory implications. The artists also take the toys and remold them into various positions for the occasional placement when their static, yet highly animated bodies don’t fit the scene. The randomness of events, locals, and interactions with each other are always playful, as if conducted by a child. This fantastic world mirrors all the activities of the real world, with squabbles, annoyances, and friendships—but it’s filled with creative, delightful and absurd settings and tools. Watching A Town Called Panic sent me all the way back to my childhood, when play consisted of no-boundary, guilt-free associations with simple objects full of personality and adventure. I penciled and inked this cartoon while watching Superbowl XLVII.

The Return of Stickmnan #1462

I was wondering if donkey cheese was truly the rarest cheese there was and went searching on the Internet for the truth. I did not expect to find this. I'm let wondering if the three different varieties of cheese offered are something like soft, firm and hard or if the varieties are named after the individual cows.