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Dan Piraro’s 40 Silly And Funny Single-Panel Comics With Unexpectedly Absurd Situations
Comic artists nowadays compete to find a new angle or a style of narration that's unique to everyone else's. Nobody knows the real reason why this trend persists, but my guess is that the key reason for this is the surge in the amount of comics that are out there on the internet, and, naturally, they're forced to compete for the attention of comic fans. But as trends come and go, certain styles of comic remain perennially relevant. The newspaper-style cartoon came long before the internet, but its style is one the most preferred mediums of comics among readers. They stick to the point, they're short, and they're amusing, and require almost no context to understand them, making them an easy read. For today's post, the "Bizarro" comics by Dan Piraro are just as described, and in case you've missed the previous two parts, you may find them here (I, II). Goes to show that one doesn't need to chase after novelties to be appreciated as a comic artist; sometimes the old way is the way.
More info: bizarro.com | Instagram
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Perhaps the summation of the author and his work should best be done by the artist himself (though, strangely, still in third person). "If you have ever seen Dan Piraro’s critically acclaimed comic Bizarro (and you have: It is published daily in over 360 papers), you know that he doesn’t see the world like the rest of us do. His single-panel gems are a unique concoction of surrealistic imagery, social commentary, and witty plays on words. Indeed, if Salvador Dali, Garry Trudeau, and Oscar Wilde had an illegitimate child, that child would be Dan Piraro."
Dan is quite a persona. "Dan has been a cigar-smoking vegan, animal rights activist, atheist, NRA hater, ex-husband, father, stand-up comedian, painter, former host of FOX TV’s Utopia, and philosophizing cartoonist who makes his living writing and drawing a new cartoon every day, 365 days a year. But he’s not necessarily all of those things now."
Dan's "humor is inspired partly by his own real-life situations and partly by the eccentric thoughts that pop into his overly active mind. Dan has a rare talent for ruffling feathers with scathing commentary on the mindlessness of modern life, then smoothing them down with his disarming humor, charm, and self-deprecating humility. (His permission to post this bio notwithstanding.) His intriguing perspective on life easily flows beyond the boundaries of one-panel cartoons and into an interesting, comedic conversation about a plethora of topics. He stirs up controversy, inspires revelations, and pokes fun at everyone along the way, including himself."
Mr. Piraro has been critically acclaimed by fans and critics alike, two fields of opinions that rarely overlap. "His fans love him, with a social reach of over 100,000 and engagement with almost 1 million fans a month. His blogs and social media sites receive tens of thousands of visitors each day. King Features distributes Bizarro on their online portal, comicskingdom.com. He has also sold a respectable number of books and won numerous awards. Bizarro won 'Best Panel Feature' from the National Cartoonists Society an unprecedented three consecutive years in 2002, 2003, and 2004. And he won again in 2016. Dan Piraro won 'Cartoonist of the Year' from the National Cartoonists Society in 2009. Bizarro has won multiple 'Genesis Awards from the Humane Society of the United States. Dan lives somewhere in Mexico with the love of his life, Christy, whom he affectionately calls 'Olive Oyl.'"
Dan's been into art ever since he was little. "I have been doing some form of art virtually every day since before I can remember. Even as a 3-year-old, art was my favorite thing to do. I also played sports, explored outdoors, etc., but art was always my go-to if given a choice. Now in my 60s, I still do it every day, whether I’m being paid for it or not."
Here's why he started the cartoon in the first place. "I got into cartooning in hopes of finding a way to make a living that didn’t make me want to jump out of a window. My cartoons are meant to make people laugh and occasionally make them think."
🎶 cause I wouldn't be standing here killing you if it weren't for the almost maybes 🎶
I found An alien, An Eye, K2, A Slice of pie, A firecracker, A smoking pipe in these comics. Did you found anything else? Adding O2, Fish tail, Crown and bird with the hat to the list.
A fish tail, an upside-down parrot, a slipper, a crown, a stick of dynamite, a pink rabbit!
Load More Replies...It’d be nice to get paid for doing nothing but compile lists of other, more talented people’s work.
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Load More Replies...I found An alien, An Eye, K2, A Slice of pie, A firecracker, A smoking pipe in these comics. Did you found anything else? Adding O2, Fish tail, Crown and bird with the hat to the list.
A fish tail, an upside-down parrot, a slipper, a crown, a stick of dynamite, a pink rabbit!
Load More Replies...It’d be nice to get paid for doing nothing but compile lists of other, more talented people’s work.
Bored Panda is hiring! You can do exactly what you said and get paid for "nothing".
Load More Replies...