tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post8978492560439654790..comments2024-03-16T20:56:55.956-04:00Comments on Satisfactory Comics: Animal Alphabet: X is for Xenopsylla cheopisMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16718383312170645138noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-20390604440872913092011-09-12T18:34:15.800-04:002011-09-12T18:34:15.800-04:00Lupi -- I do indeed teach literature; so does Mike...Lupi -- I do indeed teach literature; so does Mike, my erstwhile (and, I hope, future) collaborator. <br /><br />That's why the Donne poem was on the tip of my tongue while drawing this flea. (But that doesn't very well explain why <i>Xylocoris maculipennis</i> leapt to my mind...)<br /><br />I'm glad you like the cartoon and/or the post! Only two letters left!Isaachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06529618611083147320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-54859504835097608902011-09-12T17:31:16.698-04:002011-09-12T17:31:16.698-04:00p.s. What do you teach? Literature?p.s. What do you teach? Literature?Loops O'Furyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09649156614568088702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-25012740312191861852011-09-12T17:30:42.650-04:002011-09-12T17:30:42.650-04:00Dang, you really outdid yourself on this one! Nice...Dang, you really outdid yourself on this one! Nice work!Loops O'Furyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09649156614568088702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-23189547637273475282011-09-12T15:36:54.103-04:002011-09-12T15:36:54.103-04:00But Isaac, there was no "cheating" invol...But Isaac, there was no "cheating" involved in Tom O'Donnell's rendition of ZZ Top Monocle Cactus: his drawing looked <i>exactly like</i> the genuine article. (Tom's just that good, is all!)Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16718383312170645138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-81578557790929078962011-09-12T14:56:59.058-04:002011-09-12T14:56:59.058-04:00(Yes, "anthropomorphic pencil" was an Ea...(Yes, "anthropomorphic pencil" was an Easter-egg for hardcore <i>SatCom</i> / <i>ECJ</i> fans. Maybe I should have said "bearded monocle-wearing guitar-playing cactus.")Isaachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06529618611083147320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-69927596435934525222011-09-12T14:45:50.013-04:002011-09-12T14:45:50.013-04:00Would you feel guilty, Isaac, if you didn't pu...Would you feel guilty, Isaac, if you didn't put a pair of pants (or diapers) on that anthropomorphic pencil? "For decency"?*<br /><br />*See <i>Elm City Jams</i> #1, possibly still available from this website...Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16718383312170645138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-90009344201193301762011-09-12T10:51:33.128-04:002011-09-12T10:51:33.128-04:00Probably there's no way to cartoon anything wi...Probably there's no way to cartoon <i>anything</i> without a little bit of cheating — shifting proportions and so forth.<br /><br />And I'm sure I wouldn't feel guilty about putting eyeballs on the face of an anthropomorphic pencil, or whatever.Isaachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06529618611083147320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-83670363650918102922011-09-12T10:37:26.181-04:002011-09-12T10:37:26.181-04:00Oh, I almost forgot to comment on the cheating par...Oh, I almost forgot to comment on the cheating part. I do that all the time for various reasons... aesthetic, poetic, comedic, or purely self-indulgent. It does sometimes make me feel a little guilty, but hey, I'm not technically a scientific illustrator after all. (On the rare occasions when I have been, I stick strictly to reality.)Curious Arthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01180271950246123614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-2469873864849487212011-09-12T10:33:47.206-04:002011-09-12T10:33:47.206-04:00Fleas certainly do pack a vicious punch for their ...Fleas certainly do pack a vicious punch for their size! Even the non-plague-carriers can feel like a plague when they reach critical mass in one's house. Another really creepy thing about them-- they go after sickly animals on purpose. We had a major infestation once when one of our cats was ill. So miserable for all concerned except the foul fleas!Curious Arthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01180271950246123614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-2159284839144384982011-09-12T09:59:02.196-04:002011-09-12T09:59:02.196-04:00The thing is, you know, fleas don't really hav...The thing is, you know, fleas don't really have faces!<br /><br />(I wonder if that means vegetarians would eat them. Of course, it's not as if the vegetarians would have a choice; I'm sure they eat loads of mites and springtails and so forth by accident if not fleas... Where was I?)<br /><br />... But if you're going to cartoon a flea "looking menacing" -- or having any expression at all -- you have to cheat. <br /><br />My whole post this week is about reasons why you have to cheat. And the question of which animal is actually the most lethal.Isaachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06529618611083147320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3290662109425559453.post-78212190199256385552011-09-12T09:55:22.407-04:002011-09-12T09:55:22.407-04:00Speaking as someone whose on-its-side flea didn...Speaking as someone whose <a href="http://wanderlane.com/content/?p=348" rel="nofollow">on-its-side flea</a> didn't turn out as great as he wanted, you made the right decision.A. Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09819987656550060262noreply@blogger.com