Pity the Goat Herder

Over the past year I've had some experiences with goats. Last summer my son took a job cleaning out the muck at a little goat farm. Six days a week he'll clean up the goat's pens for an hour. While he's done the vast majority of the work (which is quite impressive for a 14-year-old), from time to time he needs extra hands. That's were I come in. If nothing else, the experience inspired today's gag.

Failure to Communicate

Frankenstein's Family History

I read Frankenstein for the first time a couple of years ago. The Monsters* was much more articulate than he's portrayed in other media. He also has no problem murdering pretty much anyone who crosses his path.

*Frankenstein is the name of the man who created the Monster.

Christmas Dear John

The mission curse doesn't take holidays off.

Time Traveling Pinewood Derby Car

Join me in the Wayback Machine as we visit the early days of this blog. (Back when blogs were still a thing.) During the early days of this website, I used to joke all the time about my cartooning white whale of getting the New Era to publish a Pinewood Derby gag. I submitted a half-dozen jokes before the editors finally relented and published one. (Probably because they were tired of seeing so many submitted.)

A lot has changed in the 12 years since I last published a pinewood derby gag. Hard to believe I have anything left to say about this particular Mormon* cultural relic, yet here we are.

*I figure I can say Mormon here since 12 years ago that's how we referred to ourselves.

Caroling No More

It used to be that when Latter-day Saint missionaries would congregate and sing on the street, people would ask if they were part of the Tabernacle Choir. Now days, they are as likely to be asked if their part of a touring company of The Book of Mormon: The Musical.

Mother's Day Treat

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Make It Stop

Perhaps, dear reader, you are as tired of this particular storyline as this shopper is of the missionary carolers. If so, don't worry. It will all be over soon.

2024 Summer Movie Preview

So the whole superhero movie thing seems to be dying out. Just five years after Avengers: Endgame made all the money ($2.7 billion!), Marvel is only releasing once movie this year (the very R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine. Something none of my readers are going to see, right?). Superhero fatigue is real. There is a reason a movie about a doll was the number one movie of 2023 instead of another edition of Ant-Man.

These things happen. Just look at the history of comics themself for a helpful example. In the 1960s Marvel Comics was firing on all cylinders with Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Stan Lee creating dozens of classic characters. Yet by the 1990s Marvel Comics were overrun with ridiculous shoulder pads, far too many pouches, and tiny, tiny feet. (Click on these links for some examples, you won't be sorry.)

Or look at Hollywood Westerns. From 1945 to 1965 Westerns were big business making up roughly a quarter of studio output (per Wikipedia). Today, the only person who seems to care about Westerns is Kevin Costner.

Genres wax and wane. Superhero movies had an incredible run. Maybe they are dying or maybe these past couple of years have just been a lull and they'll rebound stronger than ever. Whatever happens, I'll be there to post a Summer Movie Preview that doesn't actually talk about summer movies.