Yesterday’s Non Sequitur cartoon offered a different take on the “bucket list.” Two guys are sitting on a bench.
“What’s that you’re working on, Mort?” his friend inquires.
“Just revising my bucket list,” Mort says.
“Making your goals a bit more attainable, eh?”
“No, my theory is the bigger the goals, the longer I’ll live,” replies Mort.
After his friend looks over the list, he says, “Oh… I’m sure Angelina Jolie will be honored.”
Mort says, “That’s not the adjective used in the restraining order.”
I love that the guy’s name is Mort (short for mortuary?).
A “Last Words Cemetery” cartoon in today’s Non Sequitur! The headstone reads: “Hey… why spend all that money on an electrician?”
The guys who are stealing copper around town (and I have no doubt they are male) can take a lesson from this. A guy who just cut some live wires to steal the copper burned the upper half of his body and is lucky to be alive.
There are three different Death Cartoons today about caskets, the Grim Reaper, and a riff on heaven and hell.
Today’s Close to Home features a lady shopping Vortner’s Caskets showroom. There are $1,200 and $1,450 casket options. She’s looking (a little appalled) over at the “Build Your Own” option, at $495. I’ve heard from plenty of folks that they might actually go for something like that.
Today’s Pearls Before Swine continues with the adventures of the Grim Reaper neighbor who’s taken up collecting worn out shoes – it’s part of the joke.
And today’s Non Sequitur shows what hell would look like for a psychiatrist – happy, contented people! Looks a lot like heaven for a bunch of other folks.
The latest adventures of Earl and Opal in the Pickles cartoon continues the “who goes first” theme. Their comments to each other make a real life down to earth death cartoon scenario.
Here, Opal will be an angry ghost if Earl takes up with someone else after she’s gone.
Here, if Earl goes first, Opal may go overboard collecting cats. Earl will be happy he’s not around.
The grandson can’t understand their conversation about who’s going to kick the bucket first.
And then, you need to remember your children will pick out the nursing home for you. Now there’s a really good reason for everyone to get along!
The Pearls Before Swine series with Mr. Death, the Grim Reaper, continues! The next installment in the series features Pig talking with the big dark guy.
Mr. Death says, “Hey there, Pig. Just wanted to say thanks for being so nice and welcoming me back to the neighborhood.” Pig replies, “It’s my pleasure, Mr. Death. Hey, how come you’re not wearing the gift I got you? I bought it on my last vacation.”
Mr. Death replies, “Oh, that? Well… I…” and Pig says, “Oh, c’mon, Mr. Death. You’re really gonna hurt my feelings.”
In the last panel, Mr. Death, wearing Mickey Mouse ears, says, “Happy?” Pig squeals, “You look soooo cute.”
We laugh in the face of death!
Don’t you just love the Pearls Before Swine comic strip? I purchased the rights to use one classic Pearls cartoon on the cover of A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die. This is where the subtitle comes from.
Today’s Pearls cartoon is another good one.
Pig and Goat are talking. Goat says, “Did you hear that the Grim Reaper Guy is moving back into the house next door to you? I guess he and Mrs. Death were separated for a while.”
Pig says, “Yeah. I sure missed Mr. Death. I’m even making a sign on behalf of the neighborhood welcoming him back.” In the next panel, you see the sign says “This town welcomes Death” (with little smiley faces on either side).
Goat says, “Maybe we could re-word that.” Pig says, “How ’bout this?” while holding up another sign that says, “Eagerly awaiting Death.”
Perhaps this is the start of a great series! Stay tuned…
Today’s Pickles cartoon looks at old long-time couples and what happens when one spouse dies.
Earl and Opal are sitting on the porch when Opal says, “My mother died at the age of 84, and 2 months later my Dad died. I guess he couldn’t bear to go on without her. I hope if I go first you’ll follow his example.”
Earl asks, “Because you’d miss me so much?” Opal replies, “Of course, but I also don’t like the idea of you having fun without me.”
We see the phenomenon of long-time couples dying within months of each other all the time. My grandparents on my Dad’s side both died at the age of 83, five months apart. Grandma Dot died in January and Grandpa Ben died in early May. We’re coming up on the anniversary of his death. Guess this cartoon just struck a cord with me.
Remember the Brits’ “Keep Calm and Carry On” campaign? Here’s some history from Wikipedia:
Keep Calm and Carry On was a propaganda poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of the Second World War, intended to raise the morale of the British public in the event of invasion. Seeing only limited distribution, it was little known. The poster was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-issued by a number of private sector companies, and used as the decorative theme for a range of other products. There were only two known surviving examples of the poster outside government archives until a collection of about 20 originals was brought in to the Antiques Roadshow in 2012 by the daughter of an ex-Royal Observer Corps member.
Variations on a Theme
This site, e-membrance.com, “a free online Memorial and Tribute site for those who have 
gone,” has three variations on the theme. Here’s one of them.
At this particular post “Keep Calm and…” there’s this delightful variation, “Keep Calm and Plan for Death.” They also offered “Keep Calm and Discuss Death” and “Keep Calm and Accept Death.”
Thanks to the Good Funeral Guide for finding this fun post!
Grim Reaper Cartoon
And then there’s this fun cartoon that Larry Mandel with Piser Funeral Services in Skokie, IL sent along:
Today’s Death Cartoon is another great Non Sequitur. A group of folks are in an indistinct landscape, wearing gold colored robes. A man says to a woman nearby, “How do I know this is heaven? Well, to begin with, I don’t see any campaign signs…”
It’s February 1, 2012 – the political campaign is going to stretch on for a full nine months. How long can you stand it? I’m sensing a theme shaping up in Wiley’s cartoons.
Check out Non Sequitur from Sunday. More Wisdom of the Ages with Bernie & Phil. Love the “No Dirt Nap” resolution!
