Application Rejected

Well, I seem to be in a grim looking face phase here -- anyway, another quick pic.

I'm guessing this fellow was a candidate for Robin Hood's Merry Men, but didn't quite make the final cut.

Obsolescence Cheer

Holiday Spirit

That's Class

Now, I could call this " Just another quick doodle"...

...but I think I'll call it: The Barefoot Ballerina Awaits The Final Dance.

Yeah -- that sounds classy!

Strings Attached

Marie Marionette says: "We can only be our true selves through our puppets." Hey, maybe that's just plain creepy...

Life in the Flatline

Social Facade

To build our place in society, we create an illusion of who we are that we present to our friends, associates, co-workers etc. -- in many cases, different faces to different groups. Would society be improved if the absolute truth about each of us was known to everybody? Or is society built on what we all pretend to be, and would crumble without the multitude of carefully maintained lies?

Hack Track

On Friday, I was at the downtown Metra station, and figured it would be a good idea to add some cash to my CTA card, just in case I need to use a bus or Rapid Transit train. Just ahead of me at the CTA fare card machine, there was a rather scuzzy looking individual who, while stuffing bills in the pay slot, was literally coughing up a lung all over the machine (though he did seem to give special attention to the money slot). I got the impression that covering his mouth or redirecting his germs to a less public area were ideas completely alien to him.

I left the station without using (or getting near) the fare card machine.

Heavy Rolling

I often see heavy equipment rolling along with yellow & black diagonal stripe markings on various parts. Made me think about a machine that's only function was to be diagonal stripes.

Now that I'm thinking about heavy and rolling, my mind naturally veers off the tracks and thinks of Rock & Roll. And Rolls -- how about a bakery clearance shop called Rock Hard Rolls? Just a thought

Social Costs

Doodles On A Train

While sitting on the Metra train, drew these. Usually I would use a fine or Ultra-fine marker, but these were done using a gel pen.

Another Face

Just doodlin' away!

Face of Worry

Why, this fellow looks rather worried...

What can we guess, just by looking at his face? Well, I'd say he's the tie salesman in a mid-sized city's big department store. His name has to be Adelbert. He's worried that he will not make a sale today. He lives in a not too neatly kept studio apartment. When the middle-aged spinster across the hall goes on vacation, he feeds her cat.

When he was a kid, he had a pet frog named Edward; Edward had the habit of jumping out of his tank at night, and Adelbert would have to find him in the morning and put him back in his tank. One day instead of looking for Edward, who, as usual, escaped his enclosure, Adelbert decided to go out and play at the park with his friends. Edward wasn't found till three days later -- under the kitchen stove and dried up like a green raisin. Adelbert still feels guilty about it.

Tentacles For All Occasions

A quick little item I call The Man WithThe Cephalopod Ascot

More Buttons

When I was a kid, I'd get harassed by other students at school because I insisted on having my shirt buttoned all the way to the top!

Trash Clown

According to my calculations, this should be my 400th post here at The Meander Box ( Eh -- Les Quatre Cents Poteaux -- take that Truffaut!!).

Why not celebrate with a Disturbing Clown drawing??

Glue Tooth

I had this strange urge to draw a robot with teeth.

Hmmm -- lots of people have false teeth -- how about a person who has false everything except teeth?

CARING

Incredible Potato-Hulk

A quick drawing here...

As my potato adventures continue, various preparation suggestions have been proffered; one such was microwaving. I wondered just what effect would all that microwave radiation have on Mr. Potato Head??

Butterflies are Free (with 12oz beverage)

Low Cal Visuals

Hmmm, for some reason, images are not uploading ... Is the Secret Conspiracy Government trying to stop me from getting The Word out??? Boy, do I feel important! Then again, maybe that's just what They want me to think!!

Anyway, I was pondering the implications of photographically documenting every banana/banana peel I don't slip on...

Anyway, without images on this post, one won't be loading up one's brains with my sweet, yummy cartoons, so you won't have to worry about becoming a fat head!

Calling Mr. Potato Head

An almost instantaneously produced drawing -- Inspired by Real Life!!

Yes, until last week, I had never purchased a raw potato before. But do I need some imaginary fat-pantsed crumudgeon belittling me because of it?? NO!! Anyway, last week I did buy a bag of friendly tubers, with the intent of producing a perfectly baked potato. So far my experiments have resulted in several unsatisfactory specimens and one exploded spud.

Leftovers

Here's something I call Out of Work Horror Comicbook Host

Poor guy -- should have been around in the 1950s...

While I was thinking about turtles earlier this week, I came up with this

Shell Game

Felt like drawing something in color -- here we go: a BusinessTurtle

Non-Sitcom Life

Home Cookin'

Frankenbilly

Another quick idea...

I call this Frankenstein Meets the Hillybilly Kings of Royale Mountain

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I was just thinking -- There are illiterates, so can there be an artform called illiterature specifically intended for this group??

Literature Illustrated

Just a couple of quick drawings.

This one could be a scene from a new Great American Novel - The Rat Dude's Wife

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Here we have Stick Lincoln Running

Fabric of Sanity

Just a Doodle -- I think I'll call this Mad Abbot in Burlap

Keep at it Till You Get it Right

A discussion on the possible remake of the YELLOW SUBMARINE movie made me think of this bit of silliness:

Sell the Fizzle, Not the Fake

At the hight of the cold war, there was a secret government laboratory experimenting with genetic modification of human beings, the goal being to create an society of supermen. One department would concentrate on developing physically superior soldiers, another mental geniuses, another super-moms.

One particularly strange attempt was the Super-Salesman, who's aim was to sell the idea of capitalism throughout the world.

A secret formula was created for this purpose, and a young, slovenly, socially inept dweeb by the name of Charles "Spaz" Rodgers was recruited to test the effectiveness of the treatment

As it turned out, the experiment was a success, and Rodgers became...

Unfortunately, the parallel experiment with the super soldier had gone horribly wrong (or perhaps worked all too well...), and the newly created Super-Soldier went on a wild spree of death and destruction. Ironically, the only survivor of this tragedy was Rodgers, who used his super-affability to talk his way out of the compound before it and everybody in it were blown to bits.

Due to the tragic results of this expriment, the government deemed the program a failure, and closed it down. Rodgers was the first and last of the scientifically created super-beings. He eventually changed his name to "Wink" and became a game show host.

Modern Communication

A quick Doodle

Melting Pot of Lunacy

Lock a blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter, a Long-Haired Freak, and a resurrected 4,000 year old Egyptian mummy in a room and make them come up with a new heroic comic book duo, and what do you get?

SPACE-HIPPY & BIG ANKH!

Window Pain

As there is a new world of "social networking" through the interenet, there has also evolved a new a new kind of social reject -- Someone who is allowed to be an Internet "friend", but one who would not be invited to an actual real-world social gathering. In the olden days, those who did not make the A, B,C or even D List could be quite unaware of the various gatherings they'd not been invited to, and thus be spared the feelings of being snubbed; But today, multiple pics of these friendly gatherings can be shared by all in a particular "social network". Now, with their noses pressed against the Electronic Window Pane, the Ethernerds can see yet another world they will not be a part of.

Vox Calamitas

A "What's with this Guy?" Doodle...

Pod Cat

Pampered, spoiled, bored...

I guess if Morris the (Finicky) Cat of the 9 Lives cat food commercials had been a human, they probably would have gotten George Sanders to play him. Above even the much publicized "finickiness", Morris seemed to emminate and aura of "anti-energy" an attitude of "... I've already done everything that is worth doing in life, so you can't show me anything that could possibley excite my interest"; even blinking his eyes seemed a been-there-done-that chore.

Some time in the late 70s (I think), I'd noticed a change in Morris - The voice was the same, and he vocalized the same attitude and all, but his actions weren't right -- something was just off-- he seemed too energetic -- the look of perpetual ennui in his eyes had been replaced with something almost perky. Was this the real Morris in these commercials, or was this some kind of "pod cat" like something out of Invasion of the Body Snatchers??

Well, I eventually found out that the original "Morris" had passed away, and had been replaced by an understudy or something. That explained the change.

Funny how they found a replacement who had the exact same voice!

Go Global!

Tell me sir, just what does the term "Global Economy" really mean?

History Lesson

When I was a kid in school, I was assigned to a Secret History class -- this was a class that only certain kids were allowed in to, and no one else knew what was being taught except those involved (once a week, as far as the rest of the school knew, the select students would go to "speach class"). The above semi-competent drawing was an illustration I did for a class report on the Martian invasion of 1889. Yes, we were found out what really happened...

Search for Anxiety

I get the feeling there is some research facility totally dedicated to finding ways to make us live in trepidation of the future.

Hmmm, I guess The Sword of Damocles could be their official emblem.

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When I was a kid, I'd read that the sun was supposed to burn out (or go Nova, perhaps) in something like EIGHT BILLIION YEARS. I got very worried.

Romantic Story!

COUPLE REUNITED AFTER FIVE YEARS

Independent News Service

"We had a big fight, and broke up five years ago" says Sybil Denton. "My family didn't approve of Sebastian (Linqvist)"

"I thought I'd never see him again, even though he never left my heart"

"Then one day as I was in the shower, and I noticed a little peep-hole in the cealing -- It was Sebastian!! -- He NEVER left, he'd been hiding in the crawlspace above my apartment for FIVE YEARS!! He'd been keeping watch on me all that time -- you know, making sure I was OK, and all..."

"It's so romantic, like something out of a movie!"

The happy couple will be exchanging vows this weekend in a special ceremony at the Higginbotham mortuary.

Laugh While You Can

Laugh Riots are great -- until the Fuzz show up with their billy clubs and teargas...

Life is Cheap

Not mere words, but a way of life!!

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Remember Fauntleroy Squad!, that action/adventure show from the sixties featuring fancy-dressed kiddies smashing the crime syndicate? -- hmmmm... I didn't think so....

Press the Button

A while back (June 12th, 2008), a cartoon was posted touching on the the subject of the odd thoughts of a particular elevator rider. Here, we visit yet another frustrated traveler of the mobile cubicle

The Horror of Normal

About time for some Frankenstein variations!

FRANKENSTEIN: The Joe Six-Pack Years

Frankenstein the Paralegal
"...that's the biggest paralegal I've ever seen!!!"

Seasquirrel

A quick sketch.

Seasquirrels!! Yes, everyone loves to see these charming critters gambolling about under the waves and chasing peanuts tossed by delighted children! But I guess things aren't all carefree frolicks for our strange little friends: There are the Aquabillies, who view these nature's clowns only as Neptune's Varmints and "good eatin' ", often they'll squirm out of their briny shacks, armed with their Civil War era weapons (no doubt retrieved from the CSS Tuscaloosa) to take pot-shots at these adorable denizens of the deep.

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Interesting, these days, running 26 miles in a marathon earns one the admiration of others, yet, if one chooses to walk 20 blocks instead of ride a bus, ones sanity is questioned...

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In the old days, while talking on the phone, if you wanted (or needed) to give the impression that you hadn't shaved and had stubble on your face, you had to resort to using some sort of equipment specifically designed for that purpose (or in emergencies, a lint brush or fine sandpaper); I'm sure these days, one can spend 99 cents and purchase some sort of "ap" for your mobile communication device

View From the Bell Tower

Quasimodo has read the gossip tabloids, and now cries for all the beautiful people who must carry the burden of attractiveness, wealth and fame.