When I started drawing a comic strip, two of the most influential strips out there were “Doonesbury” and “Bloom County.” One of the more minor distinctions shared by these two innovative features was the abandonment of the traditional “speech balloon” for the style displayed in the strip above. Yes, I dabbled with this “new” look now and then, as in this strip from 1999. Drawing speech balloons is tedious and not at all easy as it appears. Still, I have stuck with the balloon, because it’s such an integral part of what a comic strip is to me. Sometimes, if the design seems to dictate, if a balloon seems unnecessary such as in a close-up talking-head shot, I will dispose of it.
38 responses to ““Ennui having fun?””
I never really give a great deal of thought behind talk “ballons”. Some strips are so wordy that you almost need them to keep track of who is talking.
In regards to Arlo always making a “production” out of everything, I think that it is because he has a great imagination. As does JJ.
Balloon or no balloon…I like them all…I honestly don’t know that I would have noticed if you had not pointed it out.
I do things like Arlo is doing in this retro with my kids years ago and now with my grandkids…and Arlo is correct…no imagination anymore!
As usual, TIP is a rerun [but good], but the blogspot is a hoot: http://thatispriceless.blogspot.com/
As a little boy, I discovered the hard way that it’s better to write the words and then draw the balloon, rather than the other way round. I expect most of us have …
Incidentally (a pedant writes), the words (in Lottie Collin’s English version) go: ‘Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay’; although the original published version had ‘…de-ray’. Lottie Collins: now THERE’S a subject for a cartoon strip!
To balloon or not to balloon, Tis the artists choice.
When is a balloon not a balloon? Or, a balloon by any other name would be just as ballooney? Or is that balogna? I quit.
Debbe, saw this, thought of you: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/04/08/punching-poultry-louisiana-lawmaker-claims-chicken-boxing-is-sport/?intcmp=latestnews Forgive me. I saw a couple of illegal cock fights in Lousy Anna — every bit as vicious as the illegal dog fights, believe it or not — and even with leather spur covers rather than sharpened metal spurs, the Day-Lewis movie comes to mind, There Will Be Blood! I’m surprised PETA hasn’t put in as many hours complaining about the fights as they have fur coats and leather belts and shoes.
Am I in trouble again for stirring…I mean, making waves? Oops! Waves is a nautical analogy. I am in trouble again. 😀
I’m gonna weigh in on the Children on the Boat issue and side with Mindy. Using proper safety features such as life preservers and close parental observation, sailing is no more irresponsible than having kids in automobiles with safety features such as seat belts and close parental observation. Kids were sailing long before they were riding in cars. I’m with you on this one, Mindy.
No balloon is just fine. Interesting how after all these years that Doonesbury is on another break and Bloom is gone (but not forgotten) but you still indure. Good On Ya!
While on the subject of boats. How about cats onboard?
sandcastler (I cannot get used to the lower case first letter!), cats on board sailing vessels were once considered good luck as well as mobile rat killers. Otto66, A&J remains my favorite with Bloom County running a close second and Frazz in third. (Pogo is in there somewhere.) But didn’t Bloom go away twice before this? GoComics has Bloom reruns.
No, Mr. Johnson, I’m not hyping your competition. I really don’t think this Village would even be faintly susceptible to that anyway. I know certain people under this roof and a neighbor’s who almost fight over whom (like that, Ghost?) is to get first shot at A&J in the morning. Ginger, I’m told, once sent Mindy into screaming fits by cutting A&J from the comics section with scissors and then leaving the mutilated page for Mindy. John had enough sense to leave the house as soon as he heard what Ginger had done.
Shelly, the lower case start to my nickname is a reminder to me to be humble. Fifteen years with the Francicans taught me humility, piety, and a few other things.
Kids get bored because they lack inner resources, When I get bored I think of something fun to do, and, boom, no more boredom.
Shelly, according to Patrick O’Brian, during the Napoleonic period, in the British Navy at any rate, cats, along with Parsons and sailing on a Friday wee bad luck,
I like balloons but I prefer kites – much more interactive.
Jerry in FL, and Llee, I could not get to A&J at all yesterday–it would not load. I kept trying and it drove me crazy!! Lily, I was ecstatic when I learned to read, because I realized VERY quickly that I never had to be bored again ever–as long as I had something to read with me. Which is one reason I really like all kinds of e-readers.
NK,
I, too had much trouble getting onto this site yesterday. When it finally loaded, it wouldn’t take my comment I loved my Kindle till my router quit working 🙁
Mindy et al.: At least I didn’t tell you what an Air Force detachment commander once told me…”If you want me to respect your opinions, get better opinions!” I thought that was unnecessarily harsh. Especially since I was right and he was wrong. 🙂
(Very good, Shelly.)
Jimmy must be WordPressing again. This blog was unavailable from here most of the morning.
WordPressing…hmmmm…..what kind of wine will evolve?
Yup, I figured he was messing with the site
A naked chick dancing on a table top? Doesn’t Gene know he’s supposed to tuck a dollar bill, ah, under her wing?
Now I’ll have “Tah-rah-rah-boom-de-ay” as an earworm. Thanks, I guess/
Better than Rossini’s “Lone Ranger” thingie, Mary in Ohio? For general information, I really don’t think Mindy’s evil twin sister is all that evil. And a dollar bill? Ghost, is all the air force that cheap?
Mary:
Tah-rah-rah-boom-de-ay / We have no school today. / Our teacher’s passed away; / She died of tooth decay.
They threw her in the Bay; / It scared the fish away. / She’s never coming out; / She smells like sauerkraut.
May have posted that before. I may have even found it here, but think MPR Writer’s Almanac is more likely. Sang that to our ministerial coordinator in the church office after our pastor had offered something equally gross. “You’re both awful.”
Go in Thursday mornings to copy-edit the weekly church bulletin for our sterling secretary. Among other things, I like the 1:3 ratio.
I love these “silly Arlo” strips- I guess I see a bit of me in him we he does such things.
Everyone:
Rejoice.
This site is not infected with the Heartbleed virus.
OK, Shelly, then what do you do when a naked chick dances on your table top?
An article I read about the Heartbleed virus advises you should protect your accounts by…
1. Using only very long, very complicated passwords
2. Using different ones for every account
3. Changing them every 30 days
4. Never writing them down
Sure. No problem.