Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1139

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1139, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1138 and a recollection

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1138, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I grew up spending too much time at the library. I'd mostly peruse illustration annuals or books of collected cartoons.
Once, while flipping through a copy of the Best of H.T. Webster, this drawing caught my eye. At first I thought the final line of the caption said something about Chewbacca. Then I wondered if somehow this was where George Lucas got the name for everyone's favorite wookiee. I had heard Lucas was a fan of comics and illustration (somewhere there's a picture of him in his office with an original Leyendecker hanging on the wall behind his desk), so to my young mind it seemed entirely plausible.
This notion of a nearly forgotten comic strip influencing contemporary culture stuck in the back of my mind, and likely played a part in the nonsense you see here everyday.
It's probably worth noting the pencil-necked fellow in the above linked panel is Caspar Milquetoast, whose last name has since been adopted into our vernacular even though he's largely forgotten.
And speaking of George Lucas: yes, tonight's comic is a reference to THX-1138, albeit extremely oblique.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1137

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1137, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1136

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1136, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1135

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1135, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I didn't discuss this with Jesse in advance, but this drawing is currently up for auction on ebay. The winner receives the drawing and a signed copy of the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out. All proceeds will go to support the Sound of Young America. Learn more here.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1134

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1134, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1133

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1133, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Cake madness is real.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1132

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1132, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1131

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1131, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1701-A

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1701-A, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1130

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1130, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1129

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1129, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1128

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1128, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1127

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1127, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Neatorama Mystery Sale

sale window, originally uploaded by The Consumerist.

Check it out, Neatorama (where my work is featured quite often, and where there are a few t-shirts I've designed for sale), is having a mystery sale for a limited time. Read all about it here.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1126

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1126, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Sales of original comics have been put on hold for now. Thanks to everyone who has ordered!

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1125

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1125, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1124

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1124, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1123

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1123, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Thanks to everyone who has ordered a comic! There are some real pips coming up (for lack of a better term).

A note regarding an end of an era of sorts: from now on the comics I send will be drawn on white paper. The colored paper stock they've been drawn on all this time (well, most of the time) is now impossible to find. They'll still appear nice and old-timey looking here, but not in person.

Original drawings are now on sale, as promised

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #716, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I said I'd be selling comics again before the end of the month, and here we are. They can be purchased via the paypal button on the right. If it's not there, I have been overwhelmed and the sale is already over. I don't foresee that happening though.
As an added bonus, if you've purchased my book (also available at right, or wherever fine books are sold) and can prove it, I'll throw in a surprise if you buy an original comic during this sale.
How can I prove it, you ask? Simple: tell me what's on page 101. Don't tell me here, though: tell me in the "additional information" spot on paypal where you buy the comics. I realize this validation method is not airtight, but that's okay.
As always, if you'd like to see something in particular in the comic I draw for you, please note it on paypal. It's not necessary, especially if you prefer to live life on the edge. I'm perfectly happy if you leave it up to me.
You may notice the new price of $21. The additional dollar helps cover paypal transaction fees and mailing.
Thank you for your kind support. This menagerie of nonsense would be whatever a step down from menagerie is if it weren't for people just like you.
Finally, there won't be a new comic tonight, because of something else coming up that I can't really talk about yet. I'll be sure to link to it when it's up though.
Also finally, since I've got you here: sorry about the problems with the igoogle theme. They should be rectified soon, and once they are I will shout it from the rooftops, by which I mean blog it.
And in conclusion, thanks to those who have decoded veryoldman's most recent post on twitter. Watch the mail.
Good night.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1122

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1122, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1121

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1121, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1120

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1120, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1119

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1119, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1118

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1118, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Tweets from a Very Old Man

It's official. Everyone is on twitter., originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Here's a repost of a previously transmitted message regarding a (no longer difficult to locate) twitter account wherein you can win original art and other things from my possibly non-existent Great-Grandfather:
---
Greetings from Pitcairn Island.
In order to combat the loneliness inherent to manning this desolate numbers station, I've started using twitter.com, as I'm sure many of you have (though I hope for better reasons than mine).
If you would like to find and follow me on Twitter, please refer to the first video featuring me on BoingBoing tv.
My Fark handle is the same as my Twitter handle, with no spaces.
Be the first to find me on Twitter and my no good great-grandson will send you something. [Congratulations @sgnp]
But wait, there's more: from time to time, I will post updates on Twitter that will begin and end with 3 stars. Like so: ***blah blah blah***
Be the very first to properly translate these starred tweets and you will receive one of many possible surprises:
Original art from "the laugh-out-loud cats sell out", signed postcards, or something else.
In order to win, simply be the first to reply with an "at" symbol, followed by my Twitter name, then the decoded message.
If you are the first, I will contact you in due time: there's no need to pester me. I am very old.
You will need to sign up with Twitter in order to win (you were going to anyway), and you can only win something once.

Good night. May the calming hiss of the ocean be your lullaby.
---

So far I've given away several pages of original art from the book, a poster, some postcards, a sticker or two, and other things. Will you be the next winner? WILL YOU?!

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1117

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1117, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1116

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1116, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

As seen in Chicago, next to Colbert

Thank you, Noah.

An abbreviated preview of John Hodgman's introduction to the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out

, originally uploaded by soundfromwayout.

---BEGIN QUOTED TEXT---

Good evening.

My name is John Hodgman, and I regret to inform you that the book you hold in your hand is not real.

Do not be alarmed. I am not suggesting that this book is a figment of your imagination. For that would suggest that these very words of introduction themselves are a product of your diseased mind. But the fact is that you are not insane, and I do not live inside your head (yet.)

No. Obviously this book EXISTS. But as a former professional literary agent, I have had some experience in elaborate literary hoaxes (I’m looking at you “Michael Chabon,” All of you.). And as a current famous minor television personality, I am naturally a first class authority on being a fraud.

And so, having carefully examined these LAUGH OUT LOUD CATS cartoons, I have determined that while they are VERY ENJOYABLE and certainly ABOUT CATS, they were not drawn in 1912, as is claimed.

How can I tell? Three things.

First, the slang used by the cats “Kitteh” and “Pip” is quite contemporary, and almost surely inspired by the “LOL CATS,” (even the names are similar). If you are not familiar with it, LOL CATS is a popular Internet trend involving taking pictures of actual live cats at the precise moment they are talking. It’s a challenging hobby, requiring considerable skill and patience, and also a computer. It is much much harder than just sitting down and drawing an old-timey picture of cats.

Second, Kitteh and Pip, you will notice, are portrayed as loveable hoboes. Throughout the strips, they gently chase their small, typically feline desires (naps, stew, and a good game of cards) along the back alleys and meandering country roads of a cartoon version of the early 20th century.

Now, anyone can tell you that there certainly were hobo cats during this time, they were vicious creatures who lived cruel lives, and frequently killed their masters. More telling, however, is the fact that cats did not actually start standing on their hind legs until 1972, after the experiments.

And it was not until 1980 that Pip’s arbitrary, overwhelming obsession with falling leaves was first bred in the American Shorthair at the Yale Feline Studies lab.

Third, I applied the ACID TEST, which is something of a misnomer, as the test involves no acid at all. Instead, the original, hand-drawn cartoons are simply inserted into a small fire. Based on the burn rate of the paper (Fast! Fast! So merry and fast!), I can attest that those cartoons that survived the process and are now collected here almost certainly were not created before the year 2007.

YES: 2007.

But, you protest, we all remember Aloysius Gemiel Koford. He was a major historical figure: a daring walrus-hunter, statesman and spy! Why, if it were not for the many folktales and young adult novels based on his life, the whole public image of the cartoonist as a glamorous, sexually confident, man of adventure would probably not exist!

But it is so. For my research leads to one inescapable conclusion: Aloysius Koford is nothing but a myth, an internet rumor, a shadow puppet cast upon the wall all formed by the twisted, stubby fingers of man standing the darkness. A man named ADAM KOFORD.

But, you continue to protest: ADAM “APE LAD” KOFORD?!? The supposed great grandson of the now thoroughly debunked Aloysius Koford? But that man is a DISGUSTING NOBODY. How could he possibly be a CARTOONIST?

Let me tell you the story as best as I can reconstruct it.

---END QUOTED TEXT---

The remainder of Hodgman's exposé is available in my book, and I leave it to you to judge the soundness of his conclusion.
I will tell you one thing, I do not want to get into a shouting match with him.
Thank you, John Hodgman, and thank you soundfromwayout for the photo.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1115

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1115, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

book cover

front and back, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Here's the full cover of the book, which I hadn't yet posted. To see the "far too clever for its own good" visual pun on the back, click on the image above, then on "all sizes". If you still don't see/get it, check the comments on flickr.
Is it worth all the effort? Only you can answer that question.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1114

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1114, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I think I have to disagree with Pip on this one.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1113

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1113, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I've been twittering for about as long as I've been drawing these comics. From the beginning of both, one question has lingered: "how long will this last, I wonder?".
Also, Pip plays the ocarina.

Super Mario Theme on Ocarina

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1112

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1112, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1111

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1111, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Thanks for playing, everyone!

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1111

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1111, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Write a winning caption and I'll send this to you. Don't post a caption here though, only on Neatorama.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1110

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1110, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

The President has a new dog. The dog's name is Bo. Hopefully the significance is not lost on any of you.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1109

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1109, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1108

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1108, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1107

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1107, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1106

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1106, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1105

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1105, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1104

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1104, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1103, and Thanks!

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1103, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Thanks to everyone who purchased a drawing today on etsy. There are still a few left, including this one. I plan on having them all in the mail within the next few days.

One Hour Till the Sale on Etsy

Rush Hour, originally uploaded by gmonster25.

See previous post for link.

This is one of the first photos that came up when I searched for "hour" in the creative commons pool on flickr. Thanks gmonster25!

Some notes regarding tomorrow's sale of comics on Etsy

Etsy shop banner, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

First, the link. Here. I might change the banner though.
Second, the cost: still $21.00, including worldwide shipping.
Thirdly, several comics are drawn on white paper with a yellow marker under-drawing visible. The rest are drawn on old-timey looking paper. Each will appear on etsy as it appears in real life (though the under-drawing isn't quite so visible as on the scans I've posted). Also some of the scans are lower resolution that I would have liked. I assure you they are drawn in full resolution*.
Fourthmost, if you don't see a comic there, it's probably already sold or is not available.
Finally, the sale will begin at 2PM Mountain time. Mountain is minus 6 GMT, so synchronize your watch accordingly.

*There's no such thing as full resolution in a real live drawing. This is supposed to be a joke, but I felt like I should clarify in case anyone doesn't understand my witticism.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1102

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1102, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1101, and a note

Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1101, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.

I'll be selling comics (including this one) on etsy soon (within the next week, probably over the weekend), though I'm still working out the details (there are a surprising number of details to figure out, and my specialty is not logistics). It may be short notice, so don't say I didn't warn you.
I'll also be opening up sales of comics here before the end of the month. If you miss both chances, maybe we can work something out. I don't wanna send anyone away comicless.
You can follow updates to this blog on twitter at twitter.com/hobotopia, and there are continuing sporadic opportunities to win original art and other stuff on Aloysius's secret twitter account.

The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1100

The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats #1100, originally uploaded by Ape Lad.