Pickles (7/31/09)

I have this problem all the time when eating a bowl of Cheerios. First I pour the cereal, then I pour the milk, then I grab the bowl and make for the table with a glass of juice or napkin in the other hand. But no sooner do I start walking away than I notice a stray Cheerio sitting on the floor. Should I pick it up? That would give my cereal time to get soggy. Should I leave it on the floor? That would be messy. Invariably, I decide that a single Cheerio is not a big deal and invariably I step on it a short time later when milling about the kitchen. The same holds true for pretzels, although I have even less of an excuse for not picking those up off the floor.

Wizard of Id (7/30/09)

I got a light chuckle out of this strip’s “heavyset man makes for an easy target” punchline, but what really grabbed my attention was the reference to the ancient art of archery. That’s undoubtedly because I’m itching to play the recently released video game, Wii Sports Resort, which includes archery among its dozen contests. I’ve played the original Wii Sports almost nonstop since Christmas and have developed some serious skills in tennis, golf, bowling and baseball. But I’m also burned out on those sports and am eager to try my hand at a few others, particularly archery.

Pearls Before Swine (7/29/09)

There’s not much going on visually in this strip – two animals sitting at a table talking cynical philosophy is all – but the language is so evocative that it paints a vivid picture in my head. Unfortunately, that picture is of an angry fat man rolling out of bed, grabbing a sledgehammer and yelling, “die, crackers, die!” On the other hand, the picture is pretty funny.

Pooch Cafe (7/28/09)

One of my favorite things about Pooch Cafe is just how undoglike its main character, Poncho, can be. I’ve always found pooches to be friendly, loyal and seemingly apologetic if a human expresses any type of anger or disappointment. That’s a far cry from Poncho’s belligerent stance in this strip, which is probably why the punchline made me laugh out loud.

One Big Happy (7/27/09)

It looks as if the girl in this strip is becoming too old for the types of fairy tales that trick her into dusting and other light chores. While that’s a good thing in some respects, it also might behove her to come up with some motivational tools to replace those grand stories. Otherwise she’ll have nothing but bitter disillusionment to keep her company as she trudges through teen tasks like mowing the grass, washing the dishes and emptying the garbage. After all, there’s nothing like bags full of ripe refuse to make you long for the teeny-tiny elves of your youth.

Pearls Before Swine (7/26/09)

Despite its shocking punchline, today’s Pearls Before Swine owes at least as much to its build-up as it does to its penultimate panel. I’m especially fond of the small details that show just how dysfunctional this marriage of over-sized mammals has become. Some panels show Elly Elephant straining to perform delicate tasks with her enormous feet, like cutting fruit or typing. But what really gets me is Henry Hippo’s peace offering of a single corn chip. Given that his bag was big enough to suffocate a hippopotamus, he could could have at least offered his wife a handful of chips.

Get Fuzzy (7/25/09)

Poor Satchel Pooch. He looks pretty pathetic in panel three, but manages to look even more pathetic in panel four (thanks to his mumbling). I’m no expert in courtroom procedure, but if I were a judge I would definitely allow houndsay as admissible testimony. In fact, I’d consider it to be one of the most reliable sources of testimony available. Unless, of course, the hound in question was distracted by the magnetic forces of kibble and was rendered powerless to do anything but drool. In that case, the parties would have to build their arguments using other, less adorable means.