Archive for August, 2009
Postcard From P-Dog
Monday, August 31st, 2009I got this postcard from Poncho today, on the road with current host “Mailman”:
Can’t wait to see the latest pics.
Thanks to all who have ordered so far at the Pooch store. A few clarifications: we’ve set up online orders to go through PayPal, in order to purchase through PayPal you do alas need to sign up for a PayPal account if you don’t have one. If for some reason you’d like to avoid that, a personal check will also suffice, just contact us by e-mail to sort it out. And drop us a line as well for personalizations of signatures on prints. Also, for any who thought they might wait till the Poncho plush doll is available and then order items together, the plush doll will be coming through a reputable but separate third-party vendor, so hanging tight for plush Poncho shan’t yield any benefits. We are working away to ensure he arrives in time for gift season, e.t.a. at the moment looks like about 6 weeks. Paws crossed.
The Pooch Cafe Store Is Open!
Saturday, August 29th, 2009You heard right! I’ve been going on about it for months now, (and in the end decided that coal mining probably is still more difficult than starting an on-line store) but the first items in the Pooch Cafe Store are finally available.
Currently up for grabs are two full color Sundays, printed on excellent quality card and suitable for framing and with personalized autograph of your choosing (click each one below for nicer view).
Also, there’s a set of six static cling decals of the gang - they’ll stick to any smooth, non-porous surface and are reusable. (Again, click image for sweeter view).
Thanks to NoCats Wendy for being our first patron! All prices are in US funds, shipping to the U.S. and Canada is 5 bucks, and anywhere else slightly higher. The operation is new, so if you find any glitches or have any feedback, give us a woof.
Bugaboos
Thursday, August 27th, 2009More snafus and bagaboos delaying the launch of the Pooch store. Man, headache central for all involved. Do not open stores. Go into coal mining. It’s easier.
In the meantime, here’s a very early Pooch Sunday for historical purposes.
News!
Monday, August 24th, 2009
Okay, that title was sort of misleading. But in upcoming news, the Pooch Cafe online store should be opening in just a few more days (starting of with prints and static decals), and as well I will have the latest update on the Pooch movie treatment. Right now I’m enjoying the mountain view on Canada’s west coast to recharge the mind jets. Back in a few days!
Awesome Dog Shot of the Day
Saturday, August 22nd, 2009
This… Is… Pooch Cafe!
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
Looks like I wasn’t the only one who thought that loud-mouthed Persian ambassador could have chosen his pit-proximity a touch more cautiously.
Colorful Language
Monday, August 17th, 2009I’ve often referred to the comics page as the last bastion of Victorian thought, but even I am still baffled from time to time at what you can NOT say on the comics page. In the strip below, what I really wanted Poncho’s line to be was “Crazy sonnava bitch.”
It worked especially well within the context of the faux war-era setting surrounding it. But I knew of course that I couldn’t get away with that line on the comics page. So I made it “crazy som’ beech.” Euphemizing an already mild curse. My editor warned me it might cause a problem, but I truly believed in this day and age who would really care about a passing substitute for a mild cuss like that? Well, one paper refused to print it straight away. I got word of that and we agreed to change it to “crazy fool.” Nice and boring.
After getting that news I sat down and ate some food watching an old ep of The Simpsons. Ironically it had to do with Homer having a “potty mouth” and Flanders calling him on it. When Flanders confronts him he says he understands Homer’s position, asking who among us doesn’t sometimes “pull a boner, go off half-cocked, make an ass of one’s self.” Wow. I couldn’t say “boner,” “cocked”, or “ass”, no matter what the context. Here is a prime time show that ran 15 years ago and has run hundreds of times since (and just for fun happens to be about a man of church trying to make a point about the use of bad language), and it’s miles more lenient than the medium of free press. How sorry am I for attempting to corrupt the fragile young minds of the world with my sailor talk. (This is, of course, assuming anyone under the age of 20 is still reading newspapers.) I do apologize if anyone’s child has stumbled upon my little blog here, and has had their eyes burned by the word “beech” and embarked forthwith on a life of irredemption and bad fashion choices. Lord deliver us all from H E double hockey sticks. (Can I say that?).
The Real Straight Poop
Saturday, August 15th, 2009Dear Poncho,
My owners are trying to house-train me. How will they ever realize that nobody wants to “do their business” while stepping on awful, crinkly newspapers? THEN, if you could imagine, they want me to go OUTSIDE to do it. In the winter, my paws get freezing cold, and when it has rained, they get soaking wet! When I come in from outside all freezing cold and wet, I try to get in the blankets on the couch and they yell at me for getting them dirty! How am I supposed to win? What should I do? I’ve tried hiding my “business” behind the couch– that doesn’t work.
Thanks for the advice,
– George
PONCHO:
Thank you for including the “mark of shame” photo with your question. Doing “business” behind a couch is never the answer and we here at the P-caf do not endorse that type of behavior unless you’ve been left longer than 8 hours or you lost a bet. Aside from that, you have my complete and utter sympathy regarding the unpleasantness of papers and icy exteriors. Rough on the ol’ pads, to say nothing of the complete lack of privacy. Seriously, if it wasn’t for the joy of watching them have to pick it up afterward the whole experience would be a complete wash-out. If you make enough of a fuss in rainy weather (threats to squat right at the doorstep are effective) you might be able to instigate some umbrella action, but on cold winter days you’ll invariably find yourself on your own again trying to squeeze it out to grumbles of “just go already!”, etc. When they say “it’s a dog’s life”, this is what they’re talkin’ ’bout.
Advance Panel
Thursday, August 13th, 2009
Poo Poo loses it!
Plankie Offered as Sacrifice to Island Gods
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009Sarah sent in this photo of Ken making an offering of Plankie to the Hermit Island (Phippsberg, Maine) Gods in the hopes that they can claim another prime camping spot next summer. Is there nothing Plankie cannot do?
Very Nice Pooch Review from “Parcbench”
Sunday, August 9th, 2009Yeah, this is sort of like patting myself on the back — or I guess more like somebody patting me on the back and then me taking their hand and putting it back on my back again — but Sid Bridge, the Senior Editor of a pop culture website called “Parcbench” wrote Pooch Cafe this blush-inducing review that I just couldn’t help posting about here. Man, when the goings-on in the strip of the last while are all encapsulated in a few paragraphs I do really sound quite mad (harmlessly so, one hopes).
Breakin’
Friday, August 7th, 2009While I was hunting around last month in the Pooch archives for strips featuring “break ins” the search function lit me upon this little series of “breakin’” strips as well. Anybody besides me remember those break-dancing movies from 80’s, Breakin‘ and Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (featuring the awesomly monikered “Shabba-Doo” and “Boogaloo Shrimp”)? Seems like every time a new fad came out some shady capatalists wanted to interfere in the fun and the “kids” have to roller skate or snowboard (like they’ve never roller skated or snowboarded before) to the sound of bangin’ beats and raise money to save the (insert venue). Shady capatalists never seem to dig hard beats.
Awesome Dog Shot of the Day
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
Arroo?
Hasta La Vista
Monday, August 3rd, 2009
The latest cartoon I did for MAD mag.
Apologies for the relatively sparse postings of late, it’s due in large part to the amount of work I’m putting into the Pooch Cafe movie treatment. Fun, but it’s really a full tournament of mental gymnastics to juggle an entire movie’s worth of scenes and have everything land in the right place. We’re also getting ready to launch a few Pooch Cafe products. More on both in the days to come.
The Poochorcist
Saturday, August 1st, 2009
Looks like this has become a fun little sub-genre of Pooch Cafe guest art, the creating of Pooch movie posters! This one come courtesy of Wendy “NoCats” Loreti (also responsible for the Poncho pipe-cleaner from a few months back.) Wendy spent her weekend “doing this instead of stuff I should have been doing”. Awesome, and creepy! (Love the little meow coming from the clearly infected victim within).