Archive Category: Cartoon & Comic
Paranormal Pluralizations

Image: David Malki!
Precise language is the hallmark of intellectual refinement, which is why it’s important to know how to phrase the pluralizations of the supernatural creatures that you encounter on a regular basis. For example, a multitude of yetis is a “flurry of yetis” and more than one nymph is a “delectation of nymphs”. David Malki! (his name is spelled with an exclamation point) of the webcomic Wondermark has a comprehensive guide.
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When Monsters Change Sides: 10 Horror Icons Who Turned Good
The way to get more mileage out of a monster is to make him/her the hero. It’s been done quite a few times, sometimes resulting in more confusion than entertainment.
We’d love to say that we can’t blame Dell Comics for trying to cash in on the Batmania of the 1960s by turning Dracula into a superhero, but… Well, it’s Dracula as a superhero. Even worse, it’s a modern-day Count Dracula as a scientist who accidentally swallows some formula that allows him to transform into a bat and then decides to fight crime in a purple jumpsuit. Seriously, in what world is that a good idea?
I thought for sure this list would include Godzilla and The Terminator, but it is limited to classic Halloween-type horror monsters. Link -via Digg
Stop! Hammerhead Time!

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What do you get when you combine a certain 80s fad and sharks? Here’s a T-shirt designed by the always awesome Nathan Mazur of Scared of Bees and brought to you by MC Hammerhead, the hippest of all sharks. From the Neatorama Shop: Link
Stephen King's New Comic: American Vampire
Having done novels, short stories, and web-serials, Stephen King is branching out to … comics. He’s agreed to co-write the first five issues of American Vampire by Scott Snyder, a new series for DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint:
So what lured the master of horror to comics after all this time? He certainly hasn’t been lacking for work, with a new novel, Under the Dome, due out November 10. He also released a novella, Ur, exclusively for the Amazon Kindle in February. But apparently, the promise of a fresh take on vampires was enough to entice King to make the jump.
Link (Illustration by Rafael Albuquerque) – Thanks Brian Ries!
10 Neat Facts About SpongeBob SquarePants
Are ya ready kids?
Aye, aye captain!
I can’t heeeeaaaar yoooouuu!
AYE, AYE CAPTAIN!
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
Sponge Bob Square Pants!
Absorbent and yellow and porous is he.
Sponge Bob Square Pants!
If nautical nonsense be somethin’ ya wish …
… then read on ahead for Neatorama’s 10 Neat Facts About SpongeBob SquarePants!
1. We can thank Jacques Cousteau for the invention of SpongeBob. Sort of. After finding inspiration in Cousteau films, SpongeBob creator Stephen Hillenburg got a degree in natural resource-planning with an emphasis in marine resources specifically. He taught marine biology at the Orange County Marine Institute for several years before pursuing his second love: animation. You wouldn’t think that marine biology and animation necessarily go together, but Hillenburg married his two careers and came up with the squishy yellow guy that made him famous. Hillenburg knows the combination is a strange one … in 2002, he said, “When you set out to do a show about a sponge, you don’t expect the kind of appeal that he’s had.” Another Hillenburg/SpongeBob similarity: Hillenburg was also a cook at a quick-service restaurant (seafood, actually). Picture from MyMommaMadeMeDoThis.
2. SpongeBob’s name was originally supposed to be SpongeBoy, but bizarrely, the name was already copyrighted … for a mop. I think it’s safe to assume that SpongeBoy hasn’t reached the household-name status that SpongeBob has. Hillenburg wanted to make sure that the word “Sponge” was retained in Mr. SquarePants’ name so children wouldn’t mistake him for a large chunk of cheese living under the sea.
3. If the theme song has ever planted itself firmly in your brain for days on end, you’re not alone. The catchy tune has been covered many a time, presumably by musicians who decided the only way to get their song out of their skulls was to create a more grown-up version. Based on an old sea shanty called “Blow the Man Down” the song you hear in the cartoon’s intro is sung by Painty the Pirate (AKA Patrick Pinney in real life, who has also provided voices for Mighty Mouse, The Fraggles and Robot Chicken). But Avril Lavigne did a punk-pop version for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, and the Violent Femmes tried their hand at the ditty for a commercial. Although they haven’t covered the theme song specifically, musicians who have appeared on the show or have loaned their music to a Spongy Soundtrack or two include Twisted Sister, Wilco, The Shins, Pantera, The Flaming Lips, and Motorhead. Seriously.
4. Similarly, celebrities are clamoring to do guest spots on the show. To date, stars who have done a stint under the sea include Alec Baldwin (he played a hitman), Alton Brown, Amy Poehler, Christopher Guest, David Bowie, David Hasselhoff, Davy Jones (Davy Jones’ locker, duh), Gene Simmons, Johnny Depp, Mark Hamill, Pat Morita, Scarlett Johansson, and Ray Liotta. Picture from Yahoo Movies.
5. Another famous fan? President Obama. He told T.V. Guide in 2007 that his favorite cartoon character is”SpongeBob SquarePants, because SpongeBob is the show I watch with my daughters.” Hillenburg was shocked and please to hear that, telling the Washington Post, “That leaves me kind of speechless. There have been some administrations I wouldn’t have been happy to hear that from.”
6. So why in the heck does SpongeBob live in a pineapple, of all places? If you pay attention to the show, not only do nautical and sailing motifs come up on a regular basis, Polynesian references are often thrown into the mix as well (surely you’ve noticed Squidward’s Easter Island Head home). Pineapples are used commonly in tropical decor, but Stephen Hillenburg also imagines that SpongeBob would just like the way living in a pineapple would smell. Picture from TinyPineapple.
7. That laugh. You know the one I’m talking about. If you think it’s grating, imagine having to make that sound as part of your job. Tom Kenny, the voice of Mr. Squarepants, says he makes the distinctive laugh by saying “Ahhhhh” in SpongeBob’s voice while hitting himself in the throat repeatedly. Ouch. Kenny says it’s supposed to make viewers think of a dolphin with a touch of seagull shriek thrown in for good measure.
[YouTube Clip]
8. If you’ve ever paid close attention, you have probably noticed that Squidward lacks the proper number of tentacles to be a squid or an octopus (the show has referred to him as both over the years). The animators believed that giving Squidward more than six legs would just weigh him down too much visually, so they chose to go with inaccuracy over bad aesthetics. But that makes sense – SpongeBob is clearly a kitchen sponge, not a sea sponge. This was also done for aesthetic reasons – Hillenburg said his drawings of sea sponges looked like nothing more than blobs, and when he substituted a kitchen sponge, it just clicked. Plus, it’s funny.
9. SpongeBong HempPants? Yup. Several years ago, a company called Camp Chaos made a cartoon based on SpongeBob and his oceanic friends, except they were all based on drugs and drug paraphernalia. It was never actually released (you know, advocating drug use and all), but the cartoons did turn up on YouTube (doesn’t everything?)
[YouTube Clip]
10. SpongeBob is not gay. According to Entertainment Weekly, SpongeBob seems to have a loyal following in the gay community because of his “flamboyant attitude and tolerant attitude.” Hillenburg has denied that SpongeBob (or any) of the characters on the show are gay. SpongeBob came under fire when two Christian activist groups singled him out for holding hands with his best friend, Patrick, and for appearing in a video promoting diversity and tolerance. Evangelist James Dobson claimed the video was a “pro-homosexual” video. “I always think of [the characters] as being somewhat asexual,” he said, adding, ”I do think that the attitude of the show is about tolerance. Everybody is different, and the show embraces that,” he says. ”No one is shut out.”
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Comic Strip/Sci-Fi Mashups

Image: Ryan Dunlavey
Artist Ryan Dunlavey has created several comic strips mixing science fiction franchises with classic comics, such as the above mashup of Family Circus with The Fantastic Four. Others include He-Man with Garfield, Peanuts with X-Men, and Alien vs. Predator with Spy vs. Spy.
Previously on Neatorama: Dunlavey’s Action Philosophers comic book series.
Link via io9 | Artist’s Website
Parody of Glengarry Glen Ross for the Harvey Awards
(Video Link)
The Harvey Awards are given annually by the comic book industry. This promotional video for them is a parody of Alec Baldwin’s sales rant from the movie Glengarry Glen Ross. The corporate office sends Val down to talk to the dregs in the sales department: Garfield, Heathcliff, Dagwood, Charlie Brown, and that guy from B.C. The message is simple: sell newspapers or you’re fired.
First prize is a Harvey Award. Anybody want to see Second prize? A can of spinach. Third prize is you’re fired. You get the picture? … You’ve got a readership. The syndicates paid good money. Get them to buy the newspaper!
Here’s the original scene from Glengarry Glen Ross. Content warning: adult language in both videos.
via Popped Culture | Harvey Awards
42 Essential 3rd Act Twists

Image: Aaron Diaz
In this issue of the webcomic Dresden Codak, Aaron Diaz pokes fun at the contrived plot devices of movie makers, such as the Reverse MacGuffin and the Double Shyamalan. My favorite is the Unreliable Reader — a counterpart to the Unreliable Narrator. Click on the link for a larger image.
Link via Popped Culture | Interview with the Artist
I Love xkcd
(YouTube Link)
Animator Noam Raby expressed his love for the webcomic xkcd and the many interests of its artist, Randall Munroe, in this one minute music video. Raby and Munroe have previously collaborated on another animated video entitled “Letting Go.”
Art by Randall Munroe and singing by Olga Nunes.
via io9 | xkcd.com | Raby’s Website | Olga Nunes’ Website | Interview with Randall Munroe
Forensic Reconstruction of Fictional Skulls

If scientists and police investigators can reconstruct a face from a skull, why can’t we figure out what Skeletor looked like before he was a skeleton? David at Ironic Sans went to work, or to be accurate, his wife did, and recreated faces for Skeletor, Manuel Calavera, and Jack Skellington. Link -via Laughing Squid
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Batman, The Musical

How can you make the Dark Knight just that much more awesome? Simply
add a little Neil Patrick Harris – that’s right, in the new TV cartoon, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, NPH plays the Music Meister, who can control people by singing.
The result is a whimsical Batman musical, titled Mayhem of the Music Meister (series producer James Tucker described that the "plot itself is just a framework, an excuse to have everybody sing!" Every Batman episode should be like this! Link [embedded YouTube clips]
The History of the Chipmunks

In some cases, no one will get behind a wacky idea until there’s nothing left to lose. Such is the case with Ross Bagdasarian Sr. who recorded a novelty song called “The Witch Doctor”. As his record company was close to bankruptcy, three executives went along with recording a chorus of three sped-up voices he called The Chipmunks.
Production commenced and in just a few months leading up to Christmas of 1958, the record shot to the top of the charts, becoming one of the best selling singles of all time. Bagdasarian won two Grammy Awards, Liberty Records was saved from bankruptcy, and the Chipmunks became a household name with children all over the world.
And that’s just the beginning of the story of Simon, Theodore, and Alvin. Link -via Boing Boing
The Mysterious Disappearance of Four Comic Book Characters
Comic strips – they’re usually happy, fun, lighthearted places (unless you prefer the likes of Rex Morgan. But behind the smiles sometimes lie sinister
secrets – the mysterious and questionable disappearance of characters! OK, I’m being a bit dramatic – just consider me in the Halloween spirit, and enjoy these four characters whose faces you might spot on a comic strip milk carton.
Charlotte Braun
Who knew Charles Schulz had a Charles Addams sense of humor? He may not have exhibited it often, but it definitely came out when he killed off one of his Peanuts characters – literally.
Charlotte Braun was Charlie Brown’s counterpart in the early days and was kind of a mix in personality of Charlie’s little sister, Sally, and his nemesis, Lucy. She only made about 10 appearances in Peanuts before Schulz decided to get rid of her undeveloped character, but when a young Miss Elizabeth Swaim wrote him suggesting that he erase Charlotte from the comic, he decided to have a little fun with her. He responded and agreed to do it, but said, “Remember… that you and your friends will have the death of an innocent child on your conscience. Are you prepared to accept such responsibility?” He finished it off with a drawing of Charlotte Braun with an ax in her head. Comic from Jim Hill Media.
Lyman
For about five years from the late ‘70s to the early ‘80s, Jon Arbuckle had a roommate by the name of Lyman. In fact, Lyman was the original owner of slobbery mutt Odie. Before Garfield evolved into the companion he is portrayed as today, Lyman was there so Jon consistently had someone to have conversations with that would escalate the storyline. As Garfield grew up and he and Jon seemed to sort of understand each other, Lyman wasn’t really needed anymore. Instead of writing him out of the comic strip and giving him some sort of send off, Jim Davis just simply stopped drawing Lyman in the cartoons and offered no explanation. He showed up a couple more times – once in the 10th anniversary strip in the title panel, and once in a flashback.
Eagle-eyed fans also spotted him in Garfield’s Halloween games Scary Scavenger Hunt and Scary Scavenger Hunt 2 – in the first one, Lyman can be found chained to a wall in the basement and in the sequel his head turns up in an oven. Jim Davis hinted at Lyman’s untimely demise once – when asked what happened to Jon’s roommate, Davis replied, “Don’t look in Jon’s basement.” He later said he was kidding and that Lyman’s official plot line, even if it didn’t appear in the cartoon, is that he joined the Peace Corps and was never heard from again. Comic from Garfield Et Cie Blog.
Uncle Max
Remember Calvin’s Uncle Max? You know, from Calvin and Hobbes? No? Well, you’re in good company. He was only around for about a week’s worth of comic strips, just long enough for a visit to Calvin’s house.
Apparently Calvin and his uncle had never met before (or perhaps they met when Calvin was an infant) because Calvin couldn’t recall meeting him and speculated that he had most likely been serving time in jail. Uncle Max ended his visit by telling Calvin that he was welcome to visit anytime he wanted, but we never saw or heard from Uncle Max again.
Why the permanent departure? Bill Watterson later explained that because Calvin’s parents were never given any names other than “Mom” and “Dad,” it was getting increasingly difficult for Uncle Max to have conversations with his brother and his sister-in-law. He had to go – so, he went. Comic from Calvin and Hobbes Info.
Denise
Denise was the girlfriend of Peter Fox from FoxTrot. If you’re a fan, you undoubtedly remember her – she was one of the only blind characters in comic strips at the time (not that there are that many today). Peter started dating Denise in the strip’s very first year – 1988 – and they only broke up once in 13-14 years (that’s real time, not comic strip-time).
For some reason, though, Denise disappeared from Peter’s life in the early ‘00s with no explanation at all. Maybe Bill Amend just wanted Peter to be free to play the field. Comic from The Unofficial FoxTrot Site.
The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology
There’s a lot of fascinating things about molecular biology (I should know, I have a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology) – but a lot of students get discouraged from learning it because it is taught poorly in school. To be fair, the topic is rather complex – if you don’t get the basics right, it’s easy to get confused and lost later on – and many of the textbooks of biochemistry, cell biology and molecular bio are b-o-r-i-n-g. Heck, I’ve read phone books more interesting than some of ‘em.
Enter The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology. Written by Dr. Masaharu Takemura, a lecturer of biology, molecular biology, and life sciences at the Tokyo University of Science, the book uses manga-style cartoons drawn by Sakura and produced by Becom Co., Ltd. It is released in the United States by No Starch Press (a publishing company that aims to be "the finest in geek entertainment").
The book is ostensibly about the adventures of Rin and Ami, two students that have been skipping their molecular biology class. They were summoned by Professor Moro for a special summer school on his private island (complete with a virtual reality machine, a hunky TA … and a terrible secret. What is it? Oh, I’m not going to tell you). But amidst all that fun, there’s actual learning.
Take, for instance, the explanation about how the liver enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase works in breaking down alcohol:

Read more after the jump: more …
Postmodern Vacation Graph

We go on vacation to unwind, and relieve stress. Well, at least that used to be the case. I hear and see this phenomenon more and more often, although I’m relatively good at avoiding it. PHD Comics has a great assortment of funnies, for the cubicle minded.
Simon's Cat in "Hot Spot"
A brand new animated short by Simon Tofield.
More videos of Simon’s Cat featured here on Neatorama: Fly Guy, TV Dinner, Let Me In!, and Wake Up!
Hipsters of the Universe

What would He-Man and the rest of the Masters of the Universe look like if they were into fashion? No need to imagine, as artist Adrian Riemann had re-drawn them as if they were Hipsters of the Universe:
What would He-Man look like if he was really into fashion and indie rock? What if Skeletor was an American Apparel model living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn? What if She-Ra was an art school dropout that spent her time bar-hopping in the Lower East Side?
For the past few months artists Adrian Riemann has been creating a master work that answers these questions. Essentially, Riemann has remixed the characters of the popular 1980s "Masters of the Universe" cartoon series as highfalutin, Justice and Kid Cudi listening, circa 2009 hipsters. On top of that, he styled the characters in designer clothing as if this was a fashion spread in a magazine.
By the way, He-Man wears Dior Homme Jacket, April 77 Jeans, and Pierre Hardy shoes; Skeletor was no slouch himself with Loopwheeler Hoody, Cheap Monday Jeans, and YSL Shoes. I can safely say I’ve never even heard of such brands …
Link | More at Adrian’s portfolio on Behance
Infotoons by Lunchbreath

Image: Lunchbreath [Flickr]
Lunchbreath’s Infotoons are one of my favorite things about the web. They’re simply brilliant. This one above uese a Gantt chart to illustrate the various stages of a doomed relationship.
Check out Tobias Lunchbreath’s Flickr sets today and be prepared to lose hours: Link
Pokémon Maxi Pad

Wha…? Is that …? Really? Yes, it is. Behold the reusable Pokémon-themed maxi pad, made by Etsy seller NaturallyHip.
I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere. And while we’re at it, this product certainly does add a twist to the Pokemon motto of "gotta catch ‘em all," doesn’t it?
Link – via The Zeray Gazette
The 20 Greatest Cartoons Of The 1990's
A look back at what should be viewed as the second golden age of cartoons, the 90’s, including TaleSpin:
Using characters adapted from the 1967 movie The Jungle Book, Talespin was set in the town of Cape Suzette. The show featured a main character named Baloo the Bear who is out of work until he lands a job as a pilot. An orphan boy and former air pirate, Kit Cloudkicker, attaches to Baloo and becomes his navigator. The pair share their adventures as Baloo becomes a permanent fixture in the child’s life.
From the Upcoming
ueue, submitted by redsfaithful.
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Spider-Lizard: The Spiderman Copycat
Lizards in the shades of Spiderman’s superhero outfit are turning out to be the latest craze in pets. Rock agamas (Agama mwanzae) are high maintenance animals, in need of special diets and strict temperature settings. So if you were thinking of running out to the store to claim your own, you might want to think twice.
The vivid red-and-blue colouring is almost uncannily like that of the Marvel superhero, and comic book fans have been flocking to exotic pet shops to snap them up. Agamas like the Spider-Lizard, as it has become known make good pets, as they become tame and docile if handled regularly. However, they require specialist equipment in the UK to maintain their temperature.
From the Upcoming
ueue, submitted by dontyoukeep.
Distraxion
Distraction is a film by Mike Stern, who probably didn’t have to listen to the boss’ favorite music while creating this. Still, you know he’s been through it at one time or another! Link -via YesButNoButYes
PhD Comics: Peak Productivity

One of my favorite science comic artists, Jorge Cham of PhD Comics, nailed yet another one with this panel. Incidentally, it is 2AM on the West Coast when I post this one up.
Link | If you’re new to PhD Comics, go here for the good stuff
The Cat Piano
A short film by The People’s Republic of Animation. The musical instrument featured is a Katzenklavier (previously at Neatorama). -via Metafilter
This is part of Neatorama’s “A Day Without Cats Counter Protest” inspired by A Day Without Cats on the Internet.
Disney and Marvel Character Mashups

John of Super Punch Blog has a really neat post showing mashed up characters
from Disney and Marvel to mark the recent purchase of the comic book publisher by The Mouse.
The Galactus/Goofy (Gooflactus) is by our pal Adam Koford, Venom/Mickey is by Serge Kliavaing, and MODUCK by Chris Samnee.
Link – Thanks John!
Previously on Neatorama: Disney to Acquire Marvel Comics
Saved from The Cutting Room Floor

Rambo, Mr. Spock, The Joker. One thing they all have in common is that the characters were almost discarded before they had a chance. Read the stories of 7 Iconic Characters They Saved from The Cutting Room Floor and the people who believed in them. This article from Cracked is worth a read just for the early concept drawing of Batman, but all the stories are interesting. Link -via Gorilla Mask
Disney to Acquire Marvel Comics
The Walt Disney Company has agreed to buy Marvel Entertainment, which includes 5,000 comic book characters, including Spiderman, Captain America, the X-men, and the Fantastic Four.
Under the terms of the agreement and based on last week’s closing price of Disney, Marvel shareholders would receive a total of $30 per share in cash plus approximately 0.745 Disney shares for each Marvel share they own.Based on the closing price of Disney stock on Friday, August 28, the total transaction value is $50 per Marvel share or approximately $4 billion.
Get ready for plenty of speculation on what this will mean for the comics. Link -via Fark
Medical Afflictions of the Cartoon World

What would you add to this cartoon character list of medical afflictions? I’d add Donald Duck (anger or social anxiety disorder) …
Does anyone know who originally created the image above so we can credit it properly? – via Accordion Guy
See also: Presidential Diseases
Flintstones Wedding
Two couples from Norfolk, England got married in a double wedding dressed as characters from the TV show The Flintstones!
Andrea and Simon Bean, aka Fred and Wilma Flinstone, and Richard and Jill Noble, aka Barney and Betty Rubble, celebrated their double wedding at Weston Park Golf Club on Saturday by taking a quick trip to the next door dinosaur park for some spectacular wedding photographs sure to raise eyebrows on any mantelpiece.
With 165 guests dressed as cavemen and women, two best men dressed as dinosaurs, and a spectacular tiered wedding rock cake, both Wilma and Betty entered the ceremony to the traditional organ sound of Wagner’s Bridal March.
However, this was quickly replaced by an organ version of The Flintstones theme tune.
All of the participants had been married before and felt no need for a tradition wedding. In lieu of gifts, the couples received donations for the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation. Link -via Arbroath
(image credit: James Bass)
Filter Heroes

Have you ever wondered where comic books writers get their ideas for super heroes? In this t-shirt by Chop Shop, they are named after Photoshop effects! The results are at least as believable as anything DC or Marvel has. Link -via Laughing Squid
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