Matty Squared he has a friend, Ignatz the cyber mouseCourtesy of Doctor Glitch, the crooked genius louse.Dirty money must be moved, the mouse can make it cleanAll the while, with a pile, man and mouse inside the screen.Ignatz does not smoke cigars, for cheese he always cravesA sweet reward for loot he stored, his boss applauds and raves.Elsewhere, in the city, look to see Screwball plot violencePutty Puss, who killed Cueball, forever shall be silenced.Pokerface not one to show emotions or true feelingsWilling to be wheelman, to be paid for dirty dealings.Putty feasts on sweet whipped cream, nutrition he neglects.Who’s that knocking at the door? Who’s come to pay respects?Who’s behind door number one? What might be Putty’s prize?Screwball with a loaded gun to close both Putty’s eyes.
For those who don’t recognize it, the Land Shark (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Shark_(Saturday_Night_Live)) appeared in several skits in the first season of Saturday Night Live that same year that Jaws was in theatres.
Couldn’t think of Blackjack’s name yesterday, when I wanted to make the comparison of the hats…..now the connection is more obvious, with two card game references.
Gweedo surprised the law,I will find a new corner to park on like a louse jumping from dog to dog.-———————————————————————.Something along the lines of the Green Hornet’s car, eh, Gweedo?
Putty Puss has his hand at the doorknob and wears a shirt. What face does he wear? Will Screwball hesitate because of uncertain recognition? Is Putty Puss armed? More questions than answers today, The incident will unfold very likely over more than one day of new strips.Who deep-sixes whom? No bets here; the story might go either (or any) way….
As I said before, two new characters joined the storyline this week and both of them are new to the strip.
Ignatz
Matty Squared has been given a helper and a replacement for his former cat, Kitty, in the person of a mouse he has named Ignatz. In the Krazy Kat comic strip from 1913-1944, Krazy Kat was in love with Ignatz, but in return Ignatz was constantly throwing bricks at Krazy Kat.
Character design
Matty’s Ignatz is a blend of computer references and a couple of nods to Krazy Kat’s Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz looks a little like a real mouse, mostly in the head, but is shaped more like a computer mouse, with a flat side in front and a curved part on his back. Where his tail should be, there is a coiled wire that leads to a device Matty speaks into to give commands. In place of (back) legs and feet, Ignatz has a single mouse wheel or scroll wheel that he uses to move around.
Ignatz’ arms and hands are single lines, like those of the original Ignatz and his tail is not straight like a real mouse’s tail but a kind of a zig-zag like the tail of the mouse in Krazy Kat.
Our Ignatz talks in hexadecimal numbers representing the ASCII code number for each letter of the alphabet, the way characters are represented in computers. Often in the background of scenes with Matty and Ignatz, there is a sort of brick pattern. This could also be a blend of computers and Krazy Kat. I mentioned before that the classic 1976 arcade game, Breakout and its many clones have a similar brick pattern, but every Krazy Kat comic involves Ignatz throwing a brick at some point, so it could also be a reference to Krazy Kat.
Pokerface
As you might expect from the name, Screwball’s friend, Pokerface, is not one to show much emotion. Pokerface has principles, but they’re bendable in the right circumstances.
Character design
As several people observed yesterday, Pokerface bears several resemblances to Blackjack, and may be related. Both of them are named after card games and they have somewhat similar tastes in fashion. Blackjack also wears a very wide-brimmed hat but of a somewhat different shape on top. Pokerface wears a light-coloured shirt with a black tie, but Blackjack always wears a black shirt with a red tie and a grey pin-striped jacket on top of that. We haven’t seen any jacket that may be hidden by Pokerface’s overcoat. Here are Blackjack (left) and Pokerface (right) side by side for comparison:
Matty Squared
Matty Squared is not new this week, but his appearance has been greatly refined since the last sequence we saw him in. Here is a comparison:
Compared to his first appearances, Matty Squared has become more square. He’s wearing the same outfit but he’s now made up more of straight lines, sharp corners, and some circular arcs, to go with his computerized environment. He has also been simplified slightly, without the detail in his shoes (at least in this view) and without the folds of his ascot tie.
In common with the original Matty Square (without the d), Matty still has the turned up nose that sometimes looks like nothing but nostrils that Chet Gould used on many of his characters. Matty Square had squarish-shaped (rectangular, actually) eyes, but the computerized Matty Squared wears rectangular glasses in front of those eyes. You might almost think that Matty Square wore glasses, but there was never any sign of a bridge tetween his eyes or any line that would indicate that glasses were anchored behind his ears. Here is a view of the original Matty for comparison purposes.
This summary will be available through http://dt.canadatoyou.com/nottafallarmove/characters.html, but the formatting there needs to be cleaned up because it has formatting requirements that are different from those of this comment section.
The best Land Shark skit was when Louise Lasser (star of “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman”) was a guest, and the shark said “Telegram!… Candygram!… Half a gram!”
“Who are you?” It is a sad irony that on the cover of Who Are You Keith Moon sits upon a chair that reads, “Not to be taken away.” Soon, Moon was gone. Is Putty a goner? If so, at least he’ll go out eating dessert. Unlikely he’ll go out blazing, but stranger things have happened. The music must change, as it seems Putty Puss has a new tune in mind at every turn.
Thanks to Vista Bill, Gweedo, Night-Gaunt49, 60sFan, Chris Sherlock, Charlie and JPuzzleWhiz for the kind words. Very much appreciated. Great panels and overview, Neil. Always good to see Ignatz (transgression!) and Krazy (wot a kolossal konk on the noggin’!).
Didn’t they also use the LS sketch when Chevy hosted in later years?
Yes, it was not limited to the first season as I implied in my hastily-written comment. It continued to pop up in the seasons when Chevy Chase was a regular cast member and repeatedly when he guest hosted in later years. If you follow the Wikipedia link, there is an actual list of all the appearances.
I wonder if that could be a “Chekhov’s dessert,” …
It wouldn’t be much of a weapon in my opinion. It might just be there to show that Niav is just calmly sitting there doing nothing unusual and nothing criminal, so he doesn’t deserve to die for that.
We get two tunes sung here. Jingle Bells has many parodies, and while I was able to find the text of this specific parody, I was unable to find any online recording, so here’s a recording of the traditional song, but if English is your native language, you probably already know it:
Pequod over 8 years ago
Matty Squared he has a friend, Ignatz the cyber mouseCourtesy of Doctor Glitch, the crooked genius louse.Dirty money must be moved, the mouse can make it cleanAll the while, with a pile, man and mouse inside the screen.Ignatz does not smoke cigars, for cheese he always cravesA sweet reward for loot he stored, his boss applauds and raves.Elsewhere, in the city, look to see Screwball plot violencePutty Puss, who killed Cueball, forever shall be silenced.Pokerface not one to show emotions or true feelingsWilling to be wheelman, to be paid for dirty dealings.Putty feasts on sweet whipped cream, nutrition he neglects.Who’s that knocking at the door? Who’s come to pay respects?Who’s behind door number one? What might be Putty’s prize?Screwball with a loaded gun to close both Putty’s eyes.
AnyFace over 8 years ago
Chevy Chase would be proud.
Vista Bill Raley and Comet™ over 8 years ago
.Good morning guys!.Well stated Pequod. I’ll miss Putty Puss..Gweedo, watch for the flashing lights following your van!
avenger09 over 8 years ago
Hmmm, I thought Putty Puss always spoke in singsong. “Just a minute?” Where did that come from?
Neil Wick over 8 years ago
For those who don’t recognize it, the Land Shark (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Shark_(Saturday_Night_Live)) appeared in several skits in the first season of Saturday Night Live that same year that Jaws was in theatres.
Can't Sleep over 8 years ago
Could Putty Puss have changed his face, as well as putting on his shirt?If he’s wearing Tracy’s face, Screwball just might hesitate…
blunebottle over 8 years ago
Couldn’t think of Blackjack’s name yesterday, when I wanted to make the comparison of the hats…..now the connection is more obvious, with two card game references.
Vista Bill Raley and Comet™ over 8 years ago
Gweedo surprised the law,I will find a new corner to park on like a louse jumping from dog to dog.-———————————————————————.Something along the lines of the Green Hornet’s car, eh, Gweedo?
Sisyphos over 8 years ago
Putty Puss has his hand at the doorknob and wears a shirt. What face does he wear? Will Screwball hesitate because of uncertain recognition? Is Putty Puss armed? More questions than answers today, The incident will unfold very likely over more than one day of new strips.Who deep-sixes whom? No bets here; the story might go either (or any) way….
Neil Wick over 8 years ago
Part 2: New characters of the week
As I said before, two new characters joined the storyline this week and both of them are new to the strip.
IgnatzMatty Squared has been given a helper and a replacement for his former cat, Kitty, in the person of a mouse he has named Ignatz. In the Krazy Kat comic strip from 1913-1944, Krazy Kat was in love with Ignatz, but in return Ignatz was constantly throwing bricks at Krazy Kat.
Character designMatty’s Ignatz is a blend of computer references and a couple of nods to Krazy Kat’s Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz looks a little like a real mouse, mostly in the head, but is shaped more like a computer mouse, with a flat side in front and a curved part on his back. Where his tail should be, there is a coiled wire that leads to a device Matty speaks into to give commands. In place of (back) legs and feet, Ignatz has a single mouse wheel or scroll wheel that he uses to move around.
Ignatz’ arms and hands are single lines, like those of the original Ignatz and his tail is not straight like a real mouse’s tail but a kind of a zig-zag like the tail of the mouse in Krazy Kat.
Our Ignatz talks in hexadecimal numbers representing the ASCII code number for each letter of the alphabet, the way characters are represented in computers. Often in the background of scenes with Matty and Ignatz, there is a sort of brick pattern. This could also be a blend of computers and Krazy Kat. I mentioned before that the classic 1976 arcade game, Breakout and its many clones have a similar brick pattern, but every Krazy Kat comic involves Ignatz throwing a brick at some point, so it could also be a reference to Krazy Kat.
PokerfaceAs you might expect from the name, Screwball’s friend, Pokerface, is not one to show much emotion. Pokerface has principles, but they’re bendable in the right circumstances.
Character designAs several people observed yesterday, Pokerface bears several resemblances to Blackjack, and may be related. Both of them are named after card games and they have somewhat similar tastes in fashion. Blackjack also wears a very wide-brimmed hat but of a somewhat different shape on top. Pokerface wears a light-coloured shirt with a black tie, but Blackjack always wears a black shirt with a red tie and a grey pin-striped jacket on top of that. We haven’t seen any jacket that may be hidden by Pokerface’s overcoat. Here are Blackjack (left) and Pokerface (right) side by side for comparison:
Matty SquaredMatty Squared is not new this week, but his appearance has been greatly refined since the last sequence we saw him in. Here is a comparison:
Compared to his first appearances, Matty Squared has become more square. He’s wearing the same outfit but he’s now made up more of straight lines, sharp corners, and some circular arcs, to go with his computerized environment. He has also been simplified slightly, without the detail in his shoes (at least in this view) and without the folds of his ascot tie.
In common with the original Matty Square (without the d), Matty still has the turned up nose that sometimes looks like nothing but nostrils that Chet Gould used on many of his characters. Matty Square had squarish-shaped (rectangular, actually) eyes, but the computerized Matty Squared wears rectangular glasses in front of those eyes. You might almost think that Matty Square wore glasses, but there was never any sign of a bridge tetween his eyes or any line that would indicate that glasses were anchored behind his ears. Here is a view of the original Matty for comparison purposes.
This summary will be available through http://dt.canadatoyou.com/nottafallarmove/characters.html, but the formatting there needs to be cleaned up because it has formatting requirements that are different from those of this comment section.
22ph over 8 years ago
Will Screwball shoot Tracy?Or will he think Notta double crossed him?
therese_callahan2002 over 8 years ago
What classic Who song will Putty Puss sing next? Probably “Behind Blue Eyes.”
Richard Tracy over 8 years ago
There may be two exits in that room and putty puss may be taking it on the lam,,,,
scottmandew over 8 years ago
Land Shark… Candy gram! Hilarious!
nerdhoof over 8 years ago
The best Land Shark skit was when Louise Lasser (star of “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman”) was a guest, and the shark said “Telegram!… Candygram!… Half a gram!”
60sFan over 8 years ago
“Land shark. Candy gram.” Lol! If nothing else, Screwball has a sense of humor. Poor Putty Puss is completely looney tunes.
Don Bagert Premium Member over 8 years ago
Apparently the tattoo on Putty Puss’ left shoulder (mentioned in the May 5 strip) was in a slightly different location that I imagined.
Don Bagert Premium Member over 8 years ago
By the way, today’s one panel (#5) of Pokerface’s face reminded me a little of Abe Vigoda of “The Godfather” and “Barney Miller” fame.
Pequod over 8 years ago
“Who are you?” It is a sad irony that on the cover of Who Are You Keith Moon sits upon a chair that reads, “Not to be taken away.” Soon, Moon was gone. Is Putty a goner? If so, at least he’ll go out eating dessert. Unlikely he’ll go out blazing, but stranger things have happened. The music must change, as it seems Putty Puss has a new tune in mind at every turn.
Thanks to Vista Bill, Gweedo, Night-Gaunt49, 60sFan, Chris Sherlock, Charlie and JPuzzleWhiz for the kind words. Very much appreciated. Great panels and overview, Neil. Always good to see Ignatz (transgression!) and Krazy (wot a kolossal konk on the noggin’!).
Vista Bill Raley and Comet™ over 8 years ago
Gweedo firmly stated,A car jumping on dogs would be cruel, Bill.-——————————————————————-.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgtQj8O92eI
abdullahbaba999 over 8 years ago
Whose hand is on the knob???
Chris Sherlock over 8 years ago
“Live, from Tracyville, it’s Sunday Morning!!!”
.
Good line, JPuzz!
Chris Sherlock over 8 years ago
Because he sings such “Merrie Melodies”?Ain’t I a stinker?
.
You are on a roll, today JPuzz!
Neil Wick over 8 years ago
I neglected the obligatory Youtube link for the song after Knock Knock:
“Who! Who are you?”“Who are you?”: 1978 release by The WhoListen on Youtube
Neil Wick over 8 years ago
Didn’t they also use the LS sketch when Chevy hosted in later years?
Yes, it was not limited to the first season as I implied in my hastily-written comment. It continued to pop up in the seasons when Chevy Chase was a regular cast member and repeatedly when he guest hosted in later years. If you follow the Wikipedia link, there is an actual list of all the appearances.Neil Wick over 8 years ago
I wonder if that could be a “Chekhov’s dessert,” …
It wouldn’t be much of a weapon in my opinion. It might just be there to show that Niav is just calmly sitting there doing nothing unusual and nothing criminal, so he doesn’t deserve to die for that.Neil Wick over 8 years ago
Interesting lyric change.
Pequod almost 8 years ago
Matty Squared he has a friend, Ignatz the cyber mouse
Courtesy of Doctor Glitch, the crooked genius louse.
Dirty money must be moved, the mouse can make it clean
All the while, with a pile, man and mouse inside the screen.
Ignatz does not smoke cigars, for cheese he always craves
A sweet reward for loot he stored, his boss applauds and raves.
Elsewhere, in the city, look to see Screwball plot violence
Putty Puss, who killed Cueball, forever shall be silenced.
Pokerface not one to show emotions or true feelings
Willing to be wheelman, to be paid for dirty dealings.
Putty feasts on sweet whipped cream, nutrition he neglects.
Who’s that knocking at the door? Who’s come to pay respects?
Who’s behind door number one? What might be Putty’s prize?
Screwball with a loaded gun to close both Putty’s eyes.
boboscar 9 months ago
We get two tunes sung here. Jingle Bells has many parodies, and while I was able to find the text of this specific parody, I was unable to find any online recording, so here’s a recording of the traditional song, but if English is your native language, you probably already know it:
h
t
t
p
s
:
/
/
www
.
youtube
.
com
/
watch?v=3CWJNqyub3o
And here’s the song, Who are you:
h
t
t
p
s
:
/
/
www
.
youtube.
com
/
watch?v=LYb_nqU_43w