Lio by Mark Tatulli for November 18, 2019

my father’s birthday isn’t until next month and he’s still kicking

Points of view!

Me and my cousin have one coming up next month, and he’s not on the guest list! (and never will be).

I’ve been looking for a particular Lio comic strip and so yesterday went as far back as Gocomics would allow, May 2006. I was shocked as can be when Dad was very young looking then and how he resembled Wally Cleaver from “Leave It to Beaver”. Just a year later the Strips showed Dad much older, tired, and beaten down as he appears nowadays. Guess Lio IS quite a handful …

Optimist vs. realist?

“You’re older than you’ve ever been, and now you’re even older; and now you’re even older; and now you’re even older. You’re older than you’ve ever been, and now you’re even older; and now you’re older still.” – They Might Be Giants

Lio may be friends with some of these guys. But their thoughts aren’t always the same.

Death, nobody likes a smartass.

That is one grim Reaper.

Ah, but I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.

The Grim Reaper first appeared in the art concerning the Black Death. Also Father Time with the scythe.

That’s truly not funny to those out there who have experienced major losses. But such concerns have never seemed to be a priority in this strip.

Yikes! That’s got to be disconcerting! Oh, Dad, poor Dad, Lio’s seen the Reaper, and it seems so sad!

Gee, if you have seen this comic strip before then you know what it’s about. Sorry for your recent loss but if you know the morbid humor that it contains, why did you come here in the first place. This strip can’t be tailor-made for not offending everyone or there would be no Lio. Oops, Lauren’s lobster just passed away from old age, can’t do lobster humor today. And Brian’s mum just went peacefully in her sleep so no mattress jokes on the menu for two weeks. Just saw a lion catch a zebra on a National Geographic special so that leaves out lions, zebras, and references to Africa so as not to offend animal lovers. When you’re barefoot, you don’t knowingly walk in the north 40 where the cow pies are then complain about getting your feet dirty. I lost my mother, dad, favorite (retired) boss and brother within an 18 month period. It was rough but you need the downs to appreciate the highs. Maybe you need a short vacation from Lio to recover yourself.

That’s dark……..