Snark It Up, FuzzBall!

Okay,  Shrek’s not in here anywhere, but the shrike (a real bird!) was the guest wildlife in Sunday’s Mark Trail.  It’s a pretty cool little creature, the size of a medium songbird with the ‘tude of a pterodactyl.  Yeah! Kill that vermin! Impale it, like some avian kind of Vlad Tepes! Yeah!

Wow.  Just like Tennyson said, “Nature, red in sharp little beak and weak little toes.”  (That might be a paraphrase, come to think of it.)  Even in black-and-white, the little shrike’s reputation is pretty colossal:

There seems to have been a lot of the latter recently…

And we can only hope that it’s Adrian trilling this.

Of course, all indicators point to Dr. Jeff planning to open his heart to Scott.

Or do they?

I must admit, the October 16 strip is rather poignant. Jeff is indeed having a heart-to-heart tête-à-tête mano a mano with Scott.  I think what’s most moving is how absolutely stark Scott’s hospital room — it’s a pity Santa Royale’s medical system hasn’t upgraded its patient facilities since 1943!

Still, does a shabby environment condone bad behavior?!?

And, of course, the disgusting climax (ahem):

It started out innocently enough:

Which gave rise to the “Garfield Without Garfield” treatment:

Which began to spiral downward when CC’s MolyBendum speculated on “Garfield Without Purse” (only to be placated by the twin efforts of commodorejohn and AeroSquid):

Which completely crashed and burned when MolyBendum further speculated on *other* things, and a turkey leg fit the bill:

Ew.

The main story in Dick Tracy plods excitingly ahead.  Dick and the FBI agent are now in the tiger’s cage! The tiger is growling! Mr. Pops is still laughing! Tune in November…

Anyway, today’s Crimestoppers Textbook advises against leaving pets outdoors unattended, as they could be stolen.  It’s good advice, of course, only the pet-napper (I think that who he is), looks like an extra from an old “Lone Ranger and Tonto” show.   Or “Rawhide.”  Or “Bonanza.”

I’m sure that wasn’t the intent of the artistsm — maybe it’s just the autumnal coloring that makes me think of harvest time and falling leaves and Thanksgiving and Pilgrims and Indians…

Okay.  So I’m changing the message.  No stealing anything. Just the usual “Don’t do this or die!” admonition from our favorite Dick:

THIS is what happens when Josh, the Comics Curmudgeon himself, mentions that he’s off on his annual week of Hanuchrismwaanza celebration.  No mention of Uncle Lumpy tending the store (or minding the asylum), so there are rumors that Sneaky, the Klepto Raccoon an’ Andy’s (the Saint Bernard, not Rex Morgan’s pal) buddy, will be keeping us in line.

One raccoon vs. a horde of Curminions?  One word: rabies.

We’ll be good, Josh.

UPDATE: This was originally published on 23 December 2008.  But at last Sneaky has his very own song!

“The Ballad of Sneaky Raccoon”

Now somewhere in the green tree-filled land of Lost Forest
There lived a procyon named Sneaky Raccoon
One day his crawdads were stolen by another guy
Young Sneaky was hungry,  Sneaky didn’t like that
He said I’m gonna get that boy
One day he walked to the cabin
And slipped himself into an open window

Sneaky Raccoon checked out the main room
Only to find old Mark Trail
Sneaky was mad, lots of sharp teeth he had
That dumb kid he was gonna assail
That kid and his pup on his crawdads did sup
Which made Sneaky very contrary
Mrs. Trail was there with nice black-and-blue hair
And everyone knew her as Cherry

She was sort of busty, her son’s name was Rusty
(He was smart as a bowl of squirrel stew)
Sneaky burst in and growling like sin
He said Rusty boy I’m gonna bite you
But that Rusty was weird – he cried “I’m askeered!”
And Mark Trail grabbed Sneaky’s ringed tail

Cherry’s dad wandered by, thought it best not to pry
But then he spied pancakes on the table
He said, Sneaky you met your match
And Sneaky said, This is just a rough patch
I’ll take down that boy as soon as I’m able

Sneaky — poor sod!– he was chained to a log
So much for his try at reprisal
Andy rescued him (the one not totally dim)
And helped with young Sneaky’s survival

Doot doodly doo doot doodly dee…

Sentient ones, in particular.

At last word of Scott being shot! makes its way out of the hospital:

And things might be a wee bit more critical than we first thought:

And Jeff is hounded by the idea of an old-maid daughter:

Marshmallows courtesy of Pearls Before Swine (just in case you might wonder where sentient marshmallows come from):

“Dick Tracy:  Ten Decades Years Months with the Circus”.

There’s a building of suspense thing.  And then there’s just ennui, even if the clown is holding the gun.