Comments on: One Final New Year’s CIDU

By: MWGallaher

MWGallaher — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:48:27 +0000

Maybe it has to do with this being a “grandfather” clock–reflecting the venerable cartoon incarnation of Grandfather Time being replaced by Baby New Year, the Grandfather clock expires on January 1 to be replaced by, oh, a Baby Ben clock?

By: Todd

Todd — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 08:51:13 +0000

I think the author thought he had a great joke mixing a stopped clock and midnight New Years Eve, so much so that he didn’t stop to think it all the way out.

By: GP

GP — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:25:40 +0000

I see. I guess I had taken it as right after New Year’s Day starts, but that’s not a very good way to take it. I think the better way to take it is that it’s not a particularly funny comic.

I’m now thinking it might be purely absurdist.

By: Dyfsunctional

Dyfsunctional — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:43:35 +0000

Granted. But “right after New Year’s Day” is January 2.

By: GP

GP — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:38:01 +0000

Dyfsunctional, he says, “right before New Year’s day,” which is indeed New Year’s Eve. Midnight December 31 is “right before New Year’s day.”

By: Mark in Boston

Mark in Boston — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:21:47 +0000

There’s too many rights in the sentence. Makes me think of the song:

And it doesn’t really matter
If I’m wrong I’m right
Where I belong I’m right
Where I belong.

Anyway, how do you know whether the clock is wrong or right? That’s what always bothered me about Charles Dickens’ “Master Humphrey’s Clock”. Master Humphrey’s clock is the most accurate clock in the village; everybody knows it’s always perfectly right. How do they know? Is it more accurate than a sundial?

By: John Small Berries

John Small Berries — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:23:42 +0000

“Jesuit fryer” and “pigeon English”? Did Stephan Pastis write that bio?

By: Rammy M

Rammy M — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:56:53 +0000

Clearly it’s the fryer’s fault again:

[The artist] in a flash of inspired stupidity created the cartoon… BIRDBRAINS… so readers everywhere could be given the bird.

Thom’s drawing ability is limited only by his lack of training, talent, and lack of hand and one-eyed coordination. Raised by chickens, Thom’s writing is translated from chicken scratches by a Jesuit fryer - into the pigeon English found here. If you don’t “get” BIRDBRAINS, it’s because that monk fryer screwed up again - it’s NOT Thom’s fault - he’s as well-spoken as any chicken.

from http://www.comicssherpa.com/site/feature-bio?uc_comic=csbac

By: Elyrest

Elyrest — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:23:20 +0000

“The failure on the part of the cartoonist is way more interesting than the strip itself.”

Dyfsunctional - this comic is a raving success when you put it that way. Even reading all the explanations and looking at the original online (Jan 2) to see if there was anything there it still fails as a comic. I looked at a number of other ones there and scratched my head at them too. As you said the discussion is nice.

By: Dyfsunctional

Dyfsunctional — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:04:19 +0000

It should also be pointed out that he refers to New Year’s Day, not New Year’s Eve, and not midnight on December 31. I assume he’s asking the question on January 2 or later. I still think it’s a really lame word play with “right right” and “wrong right.”

One of the things I love about CIDU is when precisely this happens. It’s one thing when there’s a reference or something that’s figured out in the first few responses; CIDU gold is when the posts get into the 30s and we still haven’t got it. The failure on the part of the cartoonist is way more interesting than the strip itself.