The Upside Down
I’m Dan Piraro, the creator of the Bizarro newspaper comic, and this is my weekly blog post. The large Sunday Bizarro comic above is mine, as are the comments below. The past week’s Monday-Saturday Bizarro comics that follow were written and drawn by my partner Wayno. For more fun, check out Wayno’s weekly blog post.
And here’s this week’s ANSWER KEY to my Sunday comic’s Secret Symbols.
Bienvenidos, Jazz Pickles. Happy Día de los Muertos.
Before we talk about the Day of the Dead, a few thoughts about my Sunday comic above. It’s a real favorite of mine because of its simple illustration of what cartooning is all about: Seeing things from a different perspective. Turn a guy on his head, flip the image, and he’s wearing an actual-size replica of the Earth hat. Encouraging an audience to see common things a little differently is what comedy is made of.
If you want to dig deeper, you may also spot a political metaphor. The red hat, the crown on the T-shirt, and the upside-down orientation of what is normally considered reality all point in a certain direction.
Enough said. On to today’s holiday in Mexico.
Día de los Muertos is the holiday that the US’s Halloween grew from, more or less, though here in Mexico, it is traditionally a much more serious occasion. Today, Mexicans remember their deceased loved ones with traditions that recall their lives, personalities, and preferences. With roots in the pre-Hispanic religion of the Aztecs, it is today mixed with the Catholicism mandated by the Spanish over the past 500 years.
Signs of it begin to appear at the end of October, as people erect in their homes and on sidewalks in front of their houses and businesses, small altars—ofrendas—to their deceased friends and relatives. They typically include photos, bouquets and garlands of large, bright orange marigolds, and examples of their favorite food, drink, music, hobbies, etc.
On November 2nd, the cemeteries are crowded with people, and the music of mariachi bands hired by individuals or families can be heard coming from all corners. Olive Oyl and I will be visiting our town’s largest cemetery to pay our respects later today, as we do almost every year.
People visit the graves of their friends and family, and decorate the gravesite with bright flowers and various elements from the departed’s life. It is common to bring blankets and chairs to sit on while they share a meal around the grave, play music, and generally hang out for anywhere from an hour to all day. The atmosphere is respectful but also joyous, and not at all like a funeral. This is not an occasion to mourn as much as a celebration and remembrance of their lives.
As darkness descends, throngs of people will join a procession through the streets to the town square in front of the main cathedral. Most are costumed, but these aren’t the sort of outfits Americans are used to seeing at Halloween. There are no ghouls, monsters, superheroes, witches, fantasy, or comedy costumes. Instead, people traditionally dress as skeletons wearing clothing from the past, to represent the dead who have on. Below are a few photos from previous years.
That’s me on the left, my daughters and son-in-law are in the middle, and O2 is on the right.
A couple of examples of grave adornment.
Our Día de los Muertos altar at our house last year.
Some folks we don’t know in a Day of the Dead salon along the parade route.
Olive and I have come to deeply appreciate the Mexican attitude towards death. They are not as leery of it as Americans tend to be, nor is it as much of a taboo subject as can be the case in the US. Mexicans do not find celebrations of this kind depressing or morbid, as some of our native countrymen might, and it has become our favorite holiday of the year in Mexico.
Let’s liven up the mood a bit with Wayno’s Bizarro cartoons from the week…
Museum guards have recently added to their responsibilities protecting history from the whitewashing minions of the Orange Menace.
This cartoon makes me wish I hadn’t tattooed my junior high mascot on my chest.
Criminals who are not wealthy enough to avoid prosecution, that is.
Important art history note: Warhol and Wayno are both from Pittsburgh. Just sayin’.
The curse of the poltergeist.
Hell hath no fury like your ex’s attorney.
That concludes our Day of the Comics for now. If you appreciate that we offer these yucks for free, please consider helping us keep it that way via the links below. We’ll send you our heartfelt appreciation via more funny pictures and words in the future.
The Naked Cartoonist…My every-other-week subscription creative writing and comics service.
Bizarro TIP JAR …One-time or repeating. Your choice!
WAYNO’S TIP JAR …One-time or repeating. Your choice!
My (free) graphic novel in progress, PEYOTE COWBOY
Watch my pitch video and become a supporter of Peyote Cowboy here.
A bunch of fun Bizarro swag from ComicsKingdom. (If you’re outside the US, don’t even bother browsing. Because greedy capitalist assholes have taken over the world, international shipping costs are absurd.)
