From Brian in STL, successfully using the Suggest-a-CIDU form. His message starts from puzzlement, but arrives at a theory your CIDU editors are also happy with: It’s not entirely clear to me what’s going on. In a way, the first panels look like the preliminary sketches a cartoonist does. So is the coffee affecting him? Or is Jane now able to “focus” since she’s had coffee?
What actual painting is this scene based on?
I think it’s a famous one I can’t bring to mind.
But I can’t help thinking of Poussin’s A Dance to the Music of Time (banner to this post), which in turn I’m aware of mostly from its use in Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time.
The Poussin has four figures (they could be the Seasons, or in Powell’s treatment the Kindly Ones, i.e. Furies), facing outward; while this scene has five, facing inward. The Poussin dates from 1634-1636, while this other scene with its contorted nudes surely is showing an influence of Impressionism or later.
Later: okay, I have been informed. It’s La Danse by Henri Matisse with versions from 1909 and 1910.
The questions keep branching out. What is the drawing meant to show? Empty spaces on the shelves? So then the geezer is being sarcastic about “I wouldn’t have any of that stuff in my library”? Or they really are audiobooks, on physical CDs with shiny plastic cases? And then Zack is dumbfounded because he has never heard of audiobooks? Or instead, Zack is dumbfounded because he is quite familiar with audiobooks, but always in electronic or virtual form and never before this in a physical recording?
A CIDU from Dirk the Daring.
The BOB MANKOFF PRESENTS: SHOW ME THE FUNNY (ANIMAL EDITION) feed on Comics Kingdom seems to stick with some kind of animal for a week or two, then move on to a series with another kind. After a good run of ostriches, they have moved on to snails. I’m hoping for a visual to go with “Look at that S-Car go!”.
From Andréa, who points out for the synchronicity inspectors that although the Knight Life is a rerun or classic, its appearance on GoComics was 2022/11/08, same as the Candorville. The Candorville is a pretty good LOL at the end, too, despite edging up kinda near to partisan politics.
(Post-posting edit: As noted in comments, the following was the intended Knight Life, which actually uses the phrase “I can’t believe”.)
And for some additional fun on the “Can’t believe it” topic, Andréa also sends a link for this scene from The Vicar of Dibley. Impressive memory and facility from Emma Chambers, playing Alice.
It’s very confusing how to take these Throwback comics. There is indeed a substantial history of the actual Working Daze comic strip, with different artists, and how they changed the look and how the public reacted to it. So sometimes the Throwback will realistically review some part of that.
But other directions for the Throwback feature sometimes strike me as sheer fabulism. They trace it back to different writers as well as artists, different publishers or syndicators, also even different titles for predecessor strips. And with a straight face go back to very early 20th Century. .. And yet try to say “This was what Roy was like then” or “This guy became Jay at this point” with the oddest of non-resemblances.
So I was really sus, but think we can tentatively credit the story about Zany Zoo.
I understand in general terms the idea of one or two “throwaway” panels for syndicated Sunday comics. This DSOH seems to have two separate ones. Then goes on to a main comic, which to me looks like two more disconnected jokes — first a typical short-form Horace meta joke (and pretty good!), then finally an extended narrative joke (complete CIDU!). So … what’s up with these?
Just to be clear:
A word play OY:
A one-step pun:
A typical-for-Horace signifier/reality meta joke:
And a “Huh? Wha?” narrative:
Would you cut it up differently? Or see it as more unified? Or have better explanations?
Two challenging comics from “Cat and Girl”.
Is this too directly just a political-economy message? If so, it’s a little hard to work out clearly what it’s saying.
Glad to see the little hearts streaming up in the last panel.
Are they together? Or she is warning this stranger — because generated static will disturb his listening? Or unlikely but disturbing, is she flirting by talking about the factors of her clothes going on or off?
Is it just Arlo wanting to get gripey about the work that goes into Halloween? But how does he come up with Easter for the contrasting example?
Comics I Don't Understand 