Tim Harrod sends this one in. “So… now he’s sitting on a giraffe. And kings rarely do that, and that’s the joke? The whole joke? No dialogue to nudge us in the right direction?”
The previous day doesn’t seem helpful here.
Giraffes aren’t ridable due to both structure (sloped back) and attitude. They are kissable, though.
Kilby writes: This “Wizard of Id” strip was taken from an unnamed draft post that CIDU Bill created in 2019. I initially thought that it was supposed to be a reference to the song “Circle of Life” (from Disney’s “The Lion King”), but comparing the guard’s dialog with the song’s lyrics did not produce a satisfactory match.
Am I missing something, or does anyone have a better suggestion?
Dirk the Daring sent this one in. Lots of choices: Bat masks? A covid reference a couple of years late? White nose disease?
Is this trying to protect us from the bats, or protect the bats from us?
Thanks to timharrod for this Wizard of Id CIDU!
Tim sez “Those are two separate thoughts. There is no punchline. What is going on?”
Tim Harrod sent:
Not one clue here
Saturday, July 8th, 2023 would have been Bill Bickel’s 68th birthday; therefore: in his absence, and in his honor: Mazel tov! (מזל טוב)
Bill’s own tradition for the occasion was to create an elaborate “24-Hour Project”, with a new CIDU post timed to appear every hour throughout the day. Partly because these birthday comics are not CIDUs, but mostly because it would have been far too much effort just for a little structural nostalgia, this entire collection has been gathered into a single list (but is divided into appropriate categories).
If you have a favorite birthday comic, please feel free to add it in a comment!
The “featured image” at the top of this post shows Albert, Porky Pine, Beauregard Bugleboy, Bun Rab, Pogo, and Howland Owl doing a “Birthday Dance”, but the anonymous bug appended to the right isn’t actually singing: he appeared in a series of memorial tributes that Walt Kelly drew in the 1950s for his daughter Kathryn Barbara, who died shortly before she would have had a chance to enjoy her first birthday cake. Given that we are celebrating the birthday of a dearly beloved, but departed friend, I thought the image was very appropriate. For more information, see the Daily Cartoonist’s article about the Day of the Little Angels.
P.S. I would like to thank all of the CIDU Editors for their input, assistance, and constructive suggestions, but especially Phil, who took my rough template and laid the foundation for a much better design (and he also documented all the author and strip names in the tags).
The first Peanuts strip in this collection doesn’t fit into any category, because it has a singular “birthday” significance; it was originally published on Friday, July 8th, 1955 (the day that Bill Bickel was born):
Schulz never depicted any adults (and only very rarely mentioned any of the parents) in Peanuts.
With a few notable exceptions, this 1971 strip predates almost everything in this collection by more than two decades.
…even if he did rip the flower right out of her own garden. (Note: other than Stahler’s “pickleball” comic from 2023, this 2018 Marmaduke is the newest item in this entire collection.)
He should be comforted to learn just how much Rat thinks of him.
That cake must have been pretty tough to hold together like that.
Snoopy suffered a whole series of cat attacks in the 1970s, but this was one of the best.
For Bill we would need a pair of 34s, or (more likely) a 50 and an 18.
Only the Peanuts and Doonesbury strips are older than this Calvin & Hobbes strip.
Does this mean that they would rather celebrate the day he got laid?
This Peanuts strip (from 1951) is the only one in this collection that predates Bill’s birth.
Apparently Andy had already quit smoking 20 years ago, but he and Flo were still indulging in violent spouse abuse.
Bill had trouble understanding feline behavior, so this might have been a CIDU for him.
Garfield only rarely acts like a real cat, so Bill wouldn’t have any trouble here.
After all that trouble to escape, even his visit is no longer a surprise.
Color might have made this “Liō” strip easier to understand (each stack should be a different pastel shade), but Tatulli may have been going for the “dawning realization” effect.
If you cannot move the ball, just change the position of the goal posts.
One of the many running gags in Garfield is that he hates birthdays.
This appeared just in time to be included here; it’s also the only comic in this memorial collection that was published within the last three years (in other words: since Bill passed away).
This category seems more tragic than funny.
Mobile telephones can generate automatic reminders, so nobody really has to bother remembering birthdays any more.
This is the only Sunday strip in this collection.
This 2007 strip predates the widespread availability of 3D printing technology.
These three comics complement the previous memorial post (September 16th, 2022).
See also: https://cidu.info/2023/09/16/in-memoriam-bill-bickel/
P.P.S. Remember: if you have a favorite comic to help celebrate Bill’s birthday, please feel free to include it in a comment!
Usual John sent this in, noting “Attic cleaning month? It looks like five minutes to sweep away the cobwebs and he’s done. What in the world is the Wizard talking about?”
So, is this just poor execution, which would be cleared up by drawing more stuff in that attic (so it looks more like mine)? Or is there something specific about the objects up here, either the wheel or the box circled in red in the second picture?
Brian in STL sent this, commenting:
There is dispute in comments as to whether the Wiz is angry because his wife corrected him and he is going to “zap” her or whether he’s mad because he hates geese and is going to do something about that. People having personal experience with geese (including me) tend towards the latter.
Anyone who has had Canada Geese (not “Canadian” Geese!) in their neighborhood can well imagine it’s the birds he’s mad at, but it sure seems unclear.
Dirk the Daring sends in this one — a particularly curious barbecue grill.
There’s also the well-known saying, “An army travels on its stomach.”
A veritable CIDU, sent in by Brian in STL. Is this how forecasting works?
Comics I Don't Understand 