“By the way, no, I’ve never actually met Bizarro*, but I love his pies.” -Captain Jack Sparrow at the end of At World’s End.
“And by the way, I HAVE met Piraro, and I offered him a pie. However, he’s vegan and pie crust contains eggs.” -Garrett Williams
*Lots of people quote this as “Pizaro”, since there’s definitely a “z” sound in there. I’m sure my transcription is accurate.

Ah, Bizarro, that non-sequiturial comic with hidden bunnies and dynamite. Dan Piraro, the artist, says he writes the comics as soon as he wakes up, to prevent the day’s activities from messing with his ideas, and I must say, it often looks like stuff inspired from dreams. I’d classify these as “a different take on…” comics, a type of comic I often strive to have. There was a comic several years ago with “The New York Sock Exchange”, with all these suited guys removing their dress shoes & socks and frantically trading them in a stock exchange type setting. Also, pirates. Dan Piraro loooooves drawing pirates. I have an original drawing from him of a pirate sitting on a parrot’s shoulder. It was also a blindfolded sketch. No, he wasn’t the one blindfolded. Click here to see it.

Yes, I’ve met him. He’s funny. Chris Browne, the cartoonist of Hägar The Horrible and stepfather of Dan’s wife, was there at Toonfest as well. I drew myself in Hägar style, had Chris draw Hägar’s reaction to me, and Dan added his symbols. I never settle for a generic sketch.

The big news recently with Bizarro, well, besides being 25 years old this year, is the new iPhone app! Yes, for a tiny $1.99, you get a FULL YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to Bizarro comics straight to your iPhone. I know you have an iPhone and $1.99. If you have kids, I know they have one, too! The iPhone was made specifically for vertical one-panel comics, don’cha know!

If you don’t have an iPhone, like me, you can read Bizarro in various newspapers(online or on dead trees), or if you turn your head, you can see the address of Dan’s blog in the comic, which shows comics a week later(syndicate’s decision) and with a little extra insight. Bit of a warning, though, Dan often gets into politics, religion and animal rights… so if you just want the funny, and not a week later, I recommend reading it on a site such as Seattle P-I. If you want an rss feed, however, the blog is the way to go. All things considered, the iPhone app is the best way to read it, if you aren’t subscribed to a newspaper. If Bizarro isn’t in your paper, I recommend asking your local newspaper to add it. Most likely they won’t want to change their lineup, but if they ever decide it’s time for a change, I’d like to see Bizarro get in your paper. If you live in my area, the Carthage Press probably still carries it.

Also, if you’re into listening to cartoonists talk about their work for an hour, check out this recent interview with Dan on Tall Tale Features.

Also also also… BOOKS! Wonderful books!

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