Can it count as a CIDU? Or just striking or absurd imagery? Part 2

(Part 1 can be found at this link.)

Some comics for which we could not answer “What is the joke here?” but OTOH could not in good conscience call a clear CIDU and devote a full daily standalone to.


No, we haven’t any idea, at least not if it’s supposed to be clever or a punch line. And does that mean the joke here is just … “What if there were traffic cops in outer space!”?


Shoehorning in a lovely Macanudo, not meant as funny but it claims to not be surreal either!


This one also may not perfectly fit the premise: I sort of see a joke, and it’s sort of funny. But mostly the point seems to be just contemplating the sad aspects of the absurdist situation.


Here’s one that Grawlix says showed up in his Facebook feed; apparently posted by the cartoonist, asking his public whether the cartoon makes sense. It probably does — there are good suggestions in the Facebook comments — but for some the main impression is just how strange it must be to meet this locomotive guy!


This one qualifies, not for absurdism precisely, but for startling incongruous backstory imagery. She’s going out, and her parents say “Don’t be late [getting back]”, all of which is perfectly normal — except she’s in a battle tank!

A GoComics commenter adds “Pero pasatelo bien” (“But have a good time”) — reminding me of my high school girlfriend’s mother, who would usually say “Be good! And have fun!”.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween — a good excuse to post some monster-themed cartoons. Here’s a couple that might fit into a Halloween-themed library.



This man isn’t worried that he’s out of candy, because he’s planned ahead.


If there is something left, it might not be the good stuff.

Andréa sent in this ThatABaby, and reminded me of an earlier CIDU discussion of Candy Corn: https://cidu.info/2020/09/07/ot-candy-corn/#comments

One measure of how influential Peanuts was is how familiar the Great Pumpkin is to us all.


First mention of the Great Pumpkin, October 26, 1959. You can follow this arc at https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1959/10/26


Some veggie substitutes work out well. Others …

So, Monty Python’s science was right!


If you’re partying tonight, party responsibly!

Andréa sends in this synchronicity. Cartoonists are always looking for a new angle, but sometimes push it too far.


Finally, like that house at the end of the night that gives out multiple candy bars so they won’t eat them all themselves, there’s this bonanza from John Atkinson — some cartoonists would have spread these out one at a time, and gotten a whole month out of this idea.


It’s a CID-Ewww, dammit!

gumby bacon

Targuman: I do not understand what is going on here. At all. I get that Gumby and Pokey are made of clay. So, did Gumby go to the bathroom and realize it was all just more clay? If so, why is Pokey with him in the bathroom? And why is he looking at Gumby with angry eyes? If it is not Gumby’s poo/pee why is it green (colorist error)?

So many questions…