Broom Hilda (9/9/09)

As a fan of comics, I’ve come to appreciate the subtle nuances of the freak-out panel. For decades, cartoonists have used the medium to create all sorts of exaggerated gestures and over-the-top reactions. But today’s Broom Hilda may feature the freakiest freak-out of them all. The wrinkled nose, the realistic eyeballs attached to coils, the flames and hair and lightning bolts; they all add up to one deliriously jolting image. I was so shocked by it, in fact, that I forgot all about the vile vinegar and jalapeno pepper mix that inspired such lunacy in the first place.

Broom Hilda (9/6/09)

As a resident of Illinois, I’ve see more tributes to Abraham Lincoln in the last six months than most people will see in their lifetimes. And while I fully appreciate his contributions, I don’t think of him as America’s greatest president. I would reserve that title for George Washington, who is most often though of as a general but whose decision to resign after two terms in office reverberates to this day. Washington could have been a de facto king (something many rulers of newly independent nations fall prey to) but his willingness to step aside sent a powerful signal to his countrymen that democracy was about more than personal ambition.

Broom Hilda (7/7/09)

When I was a boy, I used to write improbable adventure stories inspired by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I figured if Douglas Adams could write a story that veered off in a million different directions for the sheer thrill of it, then so could I. Never mind that I tended to write these stories in school while my teachers were reviewing spelling words and multiplication tables. The primary lesson I took from Adams’ book was that I could make the facts up as I went along. And while I have a much healthier respect for knowledge as an adult, I still believe it’s more important to write what you can imagine than to limit yourself to only those things you know.

Broom Hilda (6/19/09)

This kid (or troll, as the case may be) has a hell of a future as a writer. I envy his ability to spin an engaging yarn using only the barest threads of information. It’s a skill that will come in handy, seeing that real life tends to supply us with vague non-answers to our most important questions. It takes a master storyteller to reinterpret those vagaries as mysteries to be relished rather than dead-ends to be scorned. This beanie-wearing troll seems to be following in the footsteps of writers like Mark Twain, and not only because they share a preoccupation with the Mississippi River.

Broom Hilda (6/9/09)

I’ve seen a number of firing squads do their gruesome business on television and in the movies (most notably in the Stanley Kubrick classic, Paths of Glory), but never against a backdrop as harrowing as this. At first glance, I thought the specks floating about Broom Hilda’s head were gnats, which would be curious but appropriate given the outdoor setting. Then I realized that they were in face bullet holes, which added a whole new level of grit to the environment. Apparently, these three gunmen have been busy shooting prisoners, which makes the bound witch’s grin seems desperate rather than sly and the punchline seem sad rather than funny.

Broom Hilda (3/10/09)

It took me a minute to realize that the dark object obscured by the squirrels in this strip was, in fact, a tree. At first, I thought it might be a beached octopus or a twisted hunk of metal, but neither of those options made sense. What’s unsettling about this tree, though, is the appearance it gives of having been uprooted and dragged across untold distances by an army of squirrels desperate to satisfy their hunger. If they were going to go to that much trouble, they should have looked for a vendor who was selling almonds or pistachios…or at the very least, honey roasted peanuts.

Broom Hilda (2/14/09)

Even though the characters in this strip are drawn against a large background, their hair manages to be wonderfully expressive. The troll in the cage is the most obvious example, but I wouldn’t discount the gawking classmate whose Afro is larger than his torso, nor would I ignore the sadistic teacher whose seemingly pedestrian hair is curled up at the edges making her look like a devil. Her mischievous grin only heightens the effect.