Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for January 16, 2012
Transcript:
Rat: You ever notice how some of the older comic strips always have a wide-eyed open-mouthed guy in the last panel? Pastis: Yeah. It's a visual cue so the reader knows he's just read the punchline. Rat: Why don't your strips have that? Pastis: I don't know... I guess I hope the joke is well written enough that the reader doesn't need an obvious cue like that. ... Get rid of him. Rat: Whoa... now I get this stupid strip. Man: Zoinks!
zero over 12 years ago
I hate laugh tracks. And background music.-especially over use of musical montages. I’m talking to you Sutter-Son of Hackarchy.
fatjimi over 12 years ago
Wouldn’t work if his hair wasn’t standing up. Or would it?
bahramthered over 12 years ago
Feed him to the crocs. He has to die and they need a yearly meal. Everybody but him wins, and well he’s gonna be ripped apart by overgrown reptiles… Wait can we sell tickets to this?
Sisyphos over 12 years ago
Zoinks? Too pitiful, cartoon-Pastis. Trying to get by on cartooned litotes will not do! But, as your evil alter ego, Rat always gets the blame!
slopok over 12 years ago
More visual cues! More visual cues! .
finale over 12 years ago
Is this yet another character to join the Tortoise and Buffalo Head?
chris_weaver over 12 years ago
And – Great Googly-Moogly!
The Old Wolf over 12 years ago
Stephan, how in the world do you put up with your characters constantly talking smack to you? Sheesh. Have you no white-out?
walruscarver2000 over 12 years ago
Notary Sojack.
dhammonds over 12 years ago
Why is he smoking? That is a bad example for our kids!
soupygeorge over 12 years ago
I won’t look at Munch’s “The Scream” in the same way again.
jpsomebody over 12 years ago
If he marks the punch line, then why doesn’t Rat punch him?
Chibi-robo64 over 12 years ago
I always look forward to this strip’s fourth wall breaking!
Number Three over 12 years ago
Escort him to the exit!
LOL xxx
lattewoman over 12 years ago
Personally, I rely on the comments. We don’t need that guy.
finale over 12 years ago
Yeah, especially since the closest I get to camping is going to a Motel without a reservation. BTW: The pic is from Mallory Square in Key West. I was surprised at how well it turned out since I had been on Duvall St. for about 5 hours at that point.
samvimes over 12 years ago
So in other words… exactly what Pig does in at least half of the strips?
3hourtour Premium Member over 12 years ago
..the laughs on supposed live audiences are even worse….
Popeyesforearm over 12 years ago
BaZinga!
fugcheese over 12 years ago
I am guilty of using the wide-eyed, open-mouthed guy in most of my Charmy’s Army strips… but that is because my strip is REALLY bad……..
ishannon5289 over 12 years ago
I think the main reason they used to do that was to remind you that it is a comedy strip. Back than a LOT of the dailies were serious comics like Superman and Dick Tracey.
moeman23187 about 9 years ago
funny real… funny
PBS1! about 4 years ago
I hate to say it, but having such a reaction only seems to boost comedic effect.
Guard duck is cool over 2 years ago
this comic was the day I was born