Reinforcements

Well, looks like the next wave has arrived, though now it's getting tricky. Looks like the Avian air support is working with Mark. Hm, perhaps these geese aren't on the Avian's side after all. Perhaps they're here to help the wise, old Owl. You've got to keep an eye on the upstart little birds calling the shots, and goodness knows Owl would rather sleep during the day, so maybe they'll be his eyes for now. But the real question is, where is Rabbit?
On another note, it looks like progress is coming to the empty field. Madeline's got some neighbors now. They sure build quickly here.

The Makings of a Desktop

One of the greatest desktops I have ever had looks like this.
I'd like to thank Jack Elrod for it because had it not appeared in his Mark Trail comic, I, and the world, would have been deprived of the experience of wondering just where on the Internet I'm supposed to look to find that information about licorice. I guess it's all good no matter where you look. Thanks Jack.
And if you want to know where this little gem came from, here's the comic:
Notice how the little tidbit about where to find licorice is in a completely different script than everything else. Of course, this discovery wouldn't have been possible without the Comics Curmudgeon (joshreads.com), which was the site that pointed the little gem out to me. I am so tempted to buy the coffee mug even though I don't drink coffee, just to have this phrase.

Another player enters the game.

Has another side entered the race? Have the animals of the forest seen what the Avians are planning? Is this part of the wise, old owl's plan to stop the revolution? It looks like Rabbit is taking the initiative and actually going and searching for the dog while everyone else just sort of stands around. Although, I'm not sure exactly where Rabbit is because the last I knew, little Madeline and her mom lived in a neighborhood, and not a house in the middle of a field by a wood. Also, is it just me, or does it look like Rabbit is not alone in his quest. Perhaps there is also a tiny flea of his back that took the time to put their telephone number on the missing dog, but for that to be true, you would have to believe that rabbits and fleas can use telephones. I think we'll just call it an errant speech bubble, accidentally hovering in the wrong place and leave it at that. Still, we'll just have to wait and see how this plays out. Will Rabbit save the day? Will he bring Bill back home? Or is it just a random animal panel, and we'll never see Rabbit again? Only time will tell.

Dubuque, the land of...corn?

For no apparent reason, I started watching the Stihl Timersports Series on television, well, not the whole thing, just the introduction, but it was enough. I especially loved it when the announcer said, when describing the area around Dubuque, Iowa, that it was a city surrounded by endless cornfields, and they showed...a hayfield. There was really no mistaking it either since there was a great big round bale sitting in the middle of the field. Nope, no corn here. Considering the show, I wouldn't be at all surprised if I wasn't the only one who noticed that too.

Give a hoot, Mark.

The wise, old owl knows what's going on here, little girl. He's speaking to us telepathically. But whose side is he on? Where does he stand with the Avian Empire? Questions. Questions.

Sometimes you just have to cartwheel...

And sometimes you have to do five or six.

Hold the phone, Mary!

All the Earth Day goodness aside, I'm having a hard time understanding how Mary Worth is holding her phone in panel two without dropping it. Frankly, Manimal from the Dick Tracy comic seemed to have a better grip on his phone, and I wasn't even sure he had a thumb. In fact, I tried to hold my phone like Mary is, with two fingers on the side and the thumb propping it up or lightly held against the other side, and I was only able to hold it for a second or two before I dropped it and it bounced off of my desk fell on the floor. Maybe there's some velcro or crazy glue holding it in place that I'm seeing, or maybe gravity doesn't work as well in that universe, it could happen.

Rex "Crazy Legs" Morgan

Well, I was going to let this one go, and I really tried to reason it out, but there is something weird going on in this crowd. In panel three, if you look at the guy sitting in the front row, one in from the right, you'll see that there might be more going on in this comic than they want to admit.
(To see a larger image, see image below.)
Now, I assume that the guy is just supposed to be sitting there with his legs crossed, but the way that it was drawn, it looks like he's defending himself from who knows what, but not trying too hard from the casual way his arms are folded. That, or he's taking the opportunity to practice his martial arts and kick somebody. All in all, I think he's taking the MRSA scare a little too seriously because looked at another way, it almost seems like he thinks he can kick the little buggers away. Sorry pal, doesn't work that way.

Kazoo.

I heard a song with a chorus of kazoos in it today as I was driving home.
There aren't enough songs with kazoos in them these days.
So sad.

If ever I was to save a book, it would be this one.

My favorite book growing up was "The Tall Book of Make Believe." I think I got it for my birthday one year from my grandparents or some other relative. All I know is that it has always been my favorite book and if I could only take one book from my collection, it would have to be this one. After doing a little searching, I found that I'm not alone in my love for this book. I also discovered that it is no longer in print and that getting your hands on a copy can easily set a person back $100+. Glad I've still got mine, even if it is in storage. This was the greatest book. It had all sorts of stories and poems in it, and I can still remember large chunks of the "The Duel" by Eugene Field and many of the other stories. It was just a great book, and it's really a shame that it's not in print anymore. So if you can get your hands on it for a reasonable price, I'd go for it.

The revolution begins at dawn!

Lately, on Mark Trail (yes, I read Mark Trail too), it seems like the birds are up to something. From the look of things, they're definitely conspiring to do something big. Yep, this isn't just a mere plot to kidnap a puppy from a little girl and hold it for ransom, it's the beginning of the revolution that will lead to the rise of the Avian Empire (or not. It could just be a nice little nature scene in the middle panel of the comic so we don't have to see Jake's mutton chops again, but it could be something much darker. I'm just saying...)

Give the man a hand.

Saw this little gem in the Dick Tracy comic yesterday and thought I'd share it. It's not important that you have no idea what's happening here. What's important is that you look at the hand of the guy in the third panel, or lack thereof. To me, it looks like he's got a foot for a hand and he's missing the big toe (either that, or it's a paw and he's a manimal. Either way, there's something wrong). Anyway, I thought it was funny, so I thought I'd share it.

Far Out Fables

Anyone remember that show? It was a segment on Toonsylvania set in the 1950's. I always liked it. Just about everything could be solved by a nuclear missile, which was fine because it was the 1950's, so it was safe. I just remember that they battled a giant snowman once. I also loved the alien invasion one where they got rid of the aliens by flooding the city because the aliens had no pool toys in their ships and therefore could not swim. Does anyone else remember this show, or is it another one of those shows where I'm one of three people on the planet who took joy in it?
(I'm guessing I'm one of the only ones since I cannot find any pictures from it anywhere.)

I miss it already.

The History Channel is gone. Stupid Comcast moved it over to digital, so now I can only get it on one television in the place, and that's if I remember. The thing is, most of the time I'd stumble upon things by accident. This almost makes me want to go get a box for my little television.
Cartoon Network is gone too, but the quality of that has gone down to the extent that I don't really miss it. If it were Boomerang, however...
I think I might actually miss G4 more than Cartoon Network. Never thought I'd say that.