I’m Dan Piraro, the creator of the Bizarro newspaper comic, and this is my weekly blog post. The large Sunday comic above is mine, as are all of the comments below.
Since January 2018, the Monday-Saturday Bizarro comics have been written and drawn by my comics partner, Wayno. They follow this commentary. For more fun, check out Wayno’s weekly blog post.
And here’s this week’s ANSWER KEY to the Secret Symbols in my Sunday comic.
Hola, Jazz Pickles. Happy Hallowyesterday!
Yesterday was Halloween, but here in Mexico, the bigger deal is Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is officially today and tomorrow: November 1st (for children and infants who’ve passed) and the 2nd (for adults).
Mexico has no shortage of holidays, so there are plenty to choose from, but this one is Olive Oyl’s and my favorite. As in the US on Halloween, people wear costumes, but that isn’t the purpose of the celebration, nor are candy or parties. The intention of Día de Muertos is to remember joyfully and respectfully those we’ve lost.
It isn’t a day to mourn and lament their passing, but to celebrate their lives and to be thankful for the time we shared. Remembering that all forms of life on earth are temporary, including ours, can make us grateful for the time we have and more likely to use it mindfully and meaningfully.
Of the Día de Muertos traditions, our favorite is the assemblage of an altar, or ofrenda, as we say in Mexicano. It’s a collection of flowers, candles, and photos of the loved ones who’ve moved on before us, as well as some of their favorite food or drink. The photos below are of the one O2 put together for us this year.
The two photos at top are this year’s altar, inhabiting our entire dining room table, turned at an angle for this purpose. It includes dozens of photos of relatives, friends, and pets we’ve known and loved. The bottom two photos are details from our ofrenda: At left is my mother (sitting between her parents back in the 1940s), who left this go-around last April, and at right is our good friend Mitchell Kahan, who moved on about one year ago.
The costumes in Mexico on DdM are not about monsters, superheroes, or myriad other themes, but are instead representations of the dead with skeleton makeup and (usually) fashions from days gone by. Below are some shots of O2 and me back in 2017, and some of our family who were visiting that year.
During these two days, cemeteries are bustling with families holding vigils or parties at the gravesites of their families, with music, flowers, decorations, and favorite foods. It’s quite a scene and looks, sounds, and feels more like an outdoor music festival than a cemetery.
Olive Oyl and I love this festival each year, and have come to appreciate the Mexican relationship to death as an integral part of life to be celebrated rather than feared, dreaded, and lamented. Mexicans mourn just like anyone else, but they do not avoid the topic as a taboo the way US culture generally tends to. “Es la vida” (that’s life) is a common expression in Mexico.
Let’s see what chuckles Wayno had for us on the week of Halloween…
Any good clown hit-man is packing bananas.
I can think of one family that didn’t wait.
But this is a cartoon. Who’s the fool now, talky fish?
It’s not too late to start, but it might be too late to finish.
May as well retire before diesel goes any higher.
And don’t get handsy.
Our credits are rolling, and it’s time to fade to black, Jazz Pickles. Thanks for your eye-time. If you’re enjoying that we do this for free, please consider helping us keep it that way via the links below. We’ll blow you a kiss across the Ethernet.
The Naked Cartoonist…My every-other-week creative-writing subscription service.
Limited edition, signed & numbered prints of BIZARRO CARTOONS, and some ORIGINALS!
Bizarro TIP JAR …One-time or repeating. Your choice!
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My (free) graphic novel in progress, PEYOTE COWBOY.
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Super fun BIZARRO SWAG from ComicsKingdom, including women’s V-neck styles! (IF ORDERING FROM CANADA or anywhere outside the US, CHECK SHIPPING COSTS CAREFULLY!)