Happy Thanksgiving, However You May Observe It!

Protect your keyboard, and enjoy some Cover Snark!

Cover Snark: A Possible Bathroom Emergency

by Amanda · Nov 25, 2024 at 4:00 am · View all 18 comments

Welcome back to Cover Snark!

Star Crossed Captive by J.E. McDonald. A scruffy shirtless man in space. He is turned away from us and looking of his shoulder. It looks like he's wearing black dress slacks and has a big ol' juicy booty. The background is space with a big glowing space station in the back.

From Jen: Maybe it’s me but this head does not look natural on this body.

Sarah: Definitely not the head that body came with. Also, is that the dude from Downton Abbey?

Elyse: Looks like Sebastian Stan to me.

Maya: It looks like BBL Spaceman had one too many surgeries.

…

I think we need some input from all of you! Does this cover say:

Stain-Crossed
Stair-Crossed
Stan-Crossed
Other

(See on the page.)

His Darkest Desire by Tiffany Roberts. A green glowing forest. A greenish gray man with long dark hair and dark green, translucent, veiny wings has his arms wrapped about a curvy woman. She has wavy, light brown hair and is wearing a light blue bikini top and matching, gauzy skirt. Glowing blue jellyfish are floating around them.

Sneezy: Why is his left hand in a different plane of existence than the rest of everything? Are push-up bras in fashion again? Where did her legs go? Are those flying jellyfish? Inquiring minds want to know

Shana: I wish more covers incorporated flying jellyfish.

Sarah: I too am most curious about the glowy flying jellyfish! Like, are they buddies? Do they follow the Cursed One around like little night lights?

The Balance of Fates by Raquel Raelynn. An illustrated cover. The background is a full moon behind a multicolored fall of water. One woman has a blonde bob. She has on a red dress with thin straps and a long chain necklace. Her arms are around the woman in front. That woman is Black with afro style hair with a gilded headband. She has on a blue and silver long-sleeved dress. Her hair is producing swirling streams of light.

Shana: Something is wrong with their bodies but I can’t put my finger on what…

Elyse: They look like mannequins.

Sarah: The one on the right has a very very long sternum.

And the hand on the shoulder seems detached? Not touching anything?

Katee Roberts quoted someone when I interviewed her saying that looking for AI in a cover is like trying to see the fae.

That’s how this feels.

One is Never Enough by Kali Noir. A very red and smoky cover. There's just a headless and shirtless man, but he's positioned upside down, as if he's lying on his back and lifting his hips up at an angle. He appears to be struggling to pull his pants off. He's also covered in water droplets.

From Kareni: Here is a cover to consider for cover snark. Frankly, I have a difficult time figuring out what I am looking at.

Sarah: WHEEEEEEEE!

Elyse: Does he have to pee? Is that why he’s pulling on his pants?

(snip)

Enjoy!

Happy T-Day Eve to All Who Come to Playtime!

Broom Hilda by Russell Myers for November 27, 2024

Broom Hilda Comic Strip for November 27, 2024

https://www.gocomics.com/broomhilda/2024/11/27

Wichita’s turkey traffic enforcer causes fowl play at busy intersection

by FOX Kansas NewsTue, November 26th 2024 at 9:24 AM

(I saw this on the news last night and thought it would be fun for us here. It’s actually our local/Wichita ABC affiliate news, on the Simpsons’s channel here. If you click through, you can watch just this story, or our whole little nighttime newscast, if you like. I can’t find the link to embed the video, which I recommend. -A)

An unexpected but welcome visitor is getting a lot of attention at an east Wichita intersection, whether he’s stopping traffic or trying to attack cars.

In a world of too much distracted driving, all of the drivers and passengers near Central and Greenwhich are paying attention to G.G. the Eastside Turkey.

Nancy Withers owns Kitchen Wow, one of several places the famous Eastside Turkey likes to hang out. She says he’s been around for almost a year now.

FOX Kansas News reporter Jocelyn Schifferdecker has more on the road warrior in the video posted above.

Thanksgiving by Nancy Beiman

(I love this toon on GoComics. The artist/author writes on Substack, and this one is especially nice. -A)

It should be every day. Read on Substack

American Thanksgiving is on Thursday, November 28. Grandma Heckel is visiting the FurBabies. This is only fair since she hosted the dinner last year and had the Buffet family visit for Canadian Thanksgiving this year. Grandma likes turkey.

Kate wasn’t allowed to make the pies last year. She was just an influencer.

FurBabies, November 19, 2023

Grandma did like it.

The Dog Family had a Friendsgiving with Mrs. Oldman and Buster.

FurBabies, November 21, 2023

Since Grandma is visiting, Mrs. Oldman is celebrating the holiday elswhere this year, possibly in Mexico. (I like to think that all of the off camera characters are living ordinary lives when I don’t have the ‘camera’ on them; we get glimpses when they do something funny.)

FurBabies is seen from the point of view of the Dog Family and Kate. The parents and Grandma never appear in the strip, so I had to find a situation that would allow us to guess their reactions to an unanticipated event. Luckily I found a great ‘human interest’ story about a dog and an Item that was perfect for the occasion.

Plans for the formal dinner began on Monday, November 25. Grandma likes dressing up. We see Shawm and Stella ‘suit up’ for a rehearsal, then cut to a night scene. Grandma Heckel is staying in Kate’s bedroom, which she shares with Sirius and Floof. Everyone has to find a new place to sleep. Sirius is not happy with his options. Sirius finds the Item on November 27, so I won’t reveal it here. I was happy with the results. We also see where Shawm and Stella sleep every night.

https://www.gocomics.com/furbabies/2024/11/26

The situation resolves on November 30, which then conveniently transitions into the Holiday strips. There’s a bit of repetition with variation when Kate once again tries to send a text to Santa. Things do not work out as planned.

Real life is like that, except it isn’t usually funny. (snip)

Double-Dip Monday Poetry

Seeing things in Pictures

While Elon Musk is channeling Fonzi,

The withered husk of Trump

is a played out Ponzi.

His expression wry,

his head seems bare

as if worry at last has

worn off his hair.

Behold the stylite, who would eschew

the seed oil, the highly-processed,

the inferior fuel.

He is taking communion

in the body of Trump.

See this face now kissing

such poisonous rump.

Here’s Moses Mike, barely in the frame.

Happy to be here, a man without shame.

No weaker speaker would ever rest on such laurels,

Enabling, dissembling, religious, with no morals.

Dominionist, insurrectionist–

How in this mixture?

A key cog, not insignificant,

not the focus of the picture.

And poor Don. Jr. the first born second place

will wonder when he was erased,

But I think younger sibling Barron

is the heir to all this wayward carrion.

The pictures tell a tale most bizarre–

Is this how future folk will see who we are?

at November 18, 2024

I Did A Thing, Again

Sometimes Josh’s toon-writing is irresistable; I’m so tickled I have to try to draw it. My work, well; but the writing makes it good. Which reminds me, if anyone likes to draw, give one of Josh’s toons a try! It’s fun!

Cartoon Nine Three Oh by Josh Lieb

Overlooked Read on Substack

SCHRODINGER’S DOG. One dog complains to another: “Sure, I’m alive. I’m disgustingly alive. Not that anyone cares, one way or the other.”

It’s hard to live in the cat’s shadow.

No one drew a cartoon this week — until today! Here’s Ali Redford with a wonderful nine two eight:

I think this is Ali’s best yet, though she disagrees. There’s a delightful array of alien disbelief going on around the room — from smirks to snickers to outright banging on the table. Plus the aliens look a lot like sea monkeys. Not real sea monkeys, the ones from the comic book ads. Thank you, Ali! I love it.

Come back next week. Me too (I’ll try). Draw my cartoons. Draw. (snip)

Cover Snark: Yet Another Terrible Wolf Placement

by Amanda · Nov 11, 2024 at 3:00 am

Welcome back to Cover Snark!

One Kiss by Traci Hall. A brunette man and woman are lying on a striped towel on a beach. Their proportions look off with big heads and tiny shoulders and arms. A scraggly terrier that also looks both too big and too small is looking at us the reader while the two people go in for a kiss.

From Mabry: This guy is suffering from sliding bicep syndrome, plus his forearm seems to be stolen from a 7 foot tall basketball player. And then there’s the nipple that’s trying to leave the scene altogether.

He also looks like one of the Property Brothers.

Sarah: Ok the proportions and perspective here are really weird to the point I feel like I should give everyone a warning. Like, uncanny valley vaguely nauseous proportions.

The ARM. the size of the head! his neck! I’m queasy now.

Lara: They must have used a funhouse mirror filter of some kind.

Sarah: Did he get stung by something?

Wolf Instinct by S.R. Griffith. A shirtless man is putting on a camo colored baseball camp. A white wolf his howling at his crotch while full moon rises in the background.

From Jen: Awkward wolf placement. Is he a wolf shifter? Or is he banging this wolf? The wolf appears to be complaining about the dude behind him.

Lara: Oh that is some champion poor placement! Worst/best I’ve seen!

Sarah: Please stop making covers where it looks like some indifferent dude is about to hump an animal.

Amanda: Isn’t the saying, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes and bad animal placement on shifter romance covers”?

Jacked by Dixie Painter. Two headless figures of a man and woman are most of the cover. He is shirtless and she has on a blank tank and leather jacket. A jaguar prowls between them, but the bottom third of the cover is just a stack of logs.

From Susan: Blow it up for best effect. Lots here to play with.

Sarah: Wood.

Elyse: WHAT COULD ALL THE WOOD REPRESENT.

Sarah: Honestly I have no idea. What could it be?

Burning for Love by Evangeline Anderson. A shirtless bearded man is surrounded by a lot of lens flare. His arms are crossed. His right arm is made of metal and he appears to have a metal lens around his right eye.

From lils: Well “something” is burning! Is it love or an effect of the mess hall?

Sarah: This is a visual representation of what some of my headaches feel like!

Amanda: What in the J.J. Abrams is with all the lens flare?

Have Some Friday Comics

Also, a question. On Kids Baking Championship, one of the items required is a chocolate-dipped item. One young baker decided to use butterscotch instead of chocolate. They tempered it, they dipped their item, and presented it. When asked about it, since it wasn’t chocolate, they stated that their technique was the same, and the item was dipped; also, that the butterscotch right there among the chocolate in the same area of the pantry.

So. While chocolate is not butterscotch and vice-versa, does this item count as a chocolate-dipped item? Discuss in comments.