Hmm. A tough choice! In an economy like this would you rather have a Pee You job or a Pee H Dee?
If today* is your birthday then here’s your horoscope — guaranteed** true:
You are a sensitive, wonderful, caring person. But your habit of screaming and spitting at people gives some folks the wrong impression. They think you’re a bitch.
They don’t understand that you’re really just acting out because you’re shy. They don’t know that — deep down inside — you’re just asking for love when you fire those warning shots!
What to do?
This is your year to find true love and happiness. Be confident and positive in all your dealings. Try not to shoot anyone — unless they really deserve it. (Everyone who doesn’t believe in horoscopes — particularly Last Kiss horoscopes — deserves it!)
Invest your money wisely. When in doubt, flip a coin. Or better yet, send me your money and I’ll invest it for you. Send cash. Don’t tell me your name. I’ll already know who you are!
* “today” is defined as whichever day you read this. Fate will ensure that you read this on your actual birthday. If you think this isn’t your birthday then you’re probably wrong. Talk to your parents and check your birth certificate for signs of tampering.
** By “guaranteed” I mean, of course, “possibly.”
Just in case there’s any doubt, we’re back to stand-alone gags for now. Totally random. No plan. No grand scheme…
Or so it would appear.
My readers often surprise me. You find ideas and themes that I didn’t know were there. You folks are wildly creative. (And you’re much too smart and sophisticated to be taken in by mere flattery!) So, maybe you’ll find a way to connect all the comics in the coming weeks. Maybe they’ll make sense to you as part of a single storyline.
If so, let me–and probably a qualified therapist–know!
Click on image above to see spectacularly larger view of today’s comic.”
Well, there you have it. The end of the story and…possibly the end of Mitzi.
Looking back, I think it was a mistake to break the story into such small episodes. Showing just two-panels an episode — for most of the story — created some weird breaks in the action and dialog.
Of course, now that it’s all on the web, you can read the entire story from the start in a single, fun sitting!
Dick Giordano Tribute Wrap Up:
We’ve also reached the end of my memorials for “Widow” artist Dick Giordano.
In retrospect, was it absolutely nuts to stretch these tributes out over three weeks and 17 different episodes? Absolutely! By the end of the first week, I felt like I was running the world’s longest online wake.
In the future, nobody–no matter who they are–gets 17 tributes on this site. Heck, even when I die–I’m only giving myself 16!
On the other hand, if anyone deserves 17 tributes, it’s Dick Giordano. In the course of researching Dick’s life I found myself truly inspired by the graceful, balanced way he lived his life. He didn’t just accomplish great things. He had fun doing it.
I’m going to close with a few words from Dick’s former assistant, Michael Eury whose entertaining biography of Dick Giordano is well worth the space on your bookshelf:
“Dick Giordano is a mutant. He was born with the power of unbridled optimism. He’s always smiling, and…just about everyone in the comic business likes him. This has led to his ability–as an artist, an editor, a teacher, and an editorial administrator—to encourage the best from creators, guiding innovative series…
“Some comic folks are known as much for their self-promotion as for their published product, but rarely has Dick Giordano beaten his own drum. His career can, however, be best assessed by his relationships with his collaborators and coworkers, and with the characters to whom he’s helped breathe life. By those measures, Dick is one of the industry’s giants…”
–Michael Eury, April 2003
from Eury’s introduction to Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time
Click on image above to see spectacularly larger view of today’s comic.
“I know of no way I can begin to pay the debt of gratitude I owe Dick Giordano. Dick is responsible for much, if not most, of what’s been good in what I’ve done for the past quarter-century…Dick hired me…when I was one of the worst prospects in publishing…and he did so against the advice…of his managerial colleagues. No one has ever believed in me like that. Such faith is a gift beyond valuing…
“He’s not good at everything, however. He has little gift for self-promotion, which may be why he is not as renowned as he ought to be. That’s a shame because it means that young artists and editors don’t profit from his good example.
“Somebody ought to do something about that.”
–Dennis O’Neil, Feb. 2003
from Michael Eury’s Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? To read “Widow Miss Muffet” and other Last Kiss comics in German click here.
