Bizarro

A one-panel gag Newspaper Comic drawn by Dan Piraro since 1986.

It is a little like The Far Side in its scope, but with more conventional jokes and less absurdity. That being said, the occasional Non Sequitur is not unheard of. The comic has no recurring characters or ongoing plot, though Piraro sometimes draws characters looking like himself or his wife. There are however a set of recurring symbols that are inserted into strips Just for Fun. Their origins are explained (or not) here.

Dan Piraro ran a blog that is more or less regularly updated with new strips. There is also a website.


 * Creepy Doll: Used with a sidealong reference. A lady notes that there is a point where ventriloquism becomes unsettling while a man with a dummy in a baby carriage walks by.
 * Faux Symbolism: The recurring symbols. Probably. Impenetrable enough that a lot of people will think so at least.
 * Follow the Leader: Of The Far Side. Literally following that is. It was the replacement for The Far Side for Chronicle features when The Far Side moved to Universal Press Syndicate. Then when Larson retired from The Far Side Bizarro moved... to the Universal Press Syndicate.
 * Once Per Episode: Most strips contain at least one or two of the recurring symbols. The larger Sunday strips are filled with them.
 * A Worldwide Punomenon: "I'm afraid you have an enlarged vowel in your hEart"