Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for October 23, 2023

Should I make the check out to Stephan Pastis?

Will you take ads for rodent killer?

Oh Steph, you created Rat, you had to see this coming!

Stephan could stand in front of a business like Giuliani did at Four Seasons Total Landscaping.

Take off a zero or two and I’ll think about it.

Reminds of the ‘Wonderland’ strips from 2009 where Rat was drawing the strip while Stephan was on vacation in Hawaii.

That comma is surely supposed to be a decimal point, right?

Found an ad for Pearls Before Swine!

Getting bored with your own strip, “Steven”?

The typo in the sign is a nice touch.

Like Edward G Robinson said “You dirty Rat”!

Is Stephan slow quitting?

Rat just ad’d his own personal touch (he’ll touch anyone he can for a loan).

No. You wrote a strip about Rat not writing a strip and offering ads instead.

How about a drug with some silly name, insipid upbeat music and a bunch of giddy people of assorted races, etc without ever mentioning what the drug is for? Oh… and a list of side effects longer than your arm rattled off quickly and end with “possible death”.

That is shameless self promotion and Rat knows it.

Still flogging sales of a book of old strips? Is there a code of comics ethics?

Never trust Rat for anything.

The only thing you can trust about Rat is that he can’t be trusted.

There used to be a blue willow in Tucson, Az.

Nice touch to have his name misspelled in the window sign.

The Religious Right would like to tent TEN DAYS of Space…

The real world Blue Willow Bookshop of Houston eagerly awaits your visit. Just Google it.

And none of Rat’s fee will go to Pastis.

Blue Willow Bookshop, 14532 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX 77079, one of our better independent book shops!

At least he is honest about this. It hasn’t been funny since the Crocs, Guard Duck, Snuffles, and all the other side characters like the lions, whale, etc were pretty much removed.

Could you imagine RAT’s tax return, or even better, RAT being your accountant. $$$$$

but is he Daniel? Are you Daniel in the story?

I’ve thought for a while how hard it would be to come up with engaging material on a continuous basis for a comic strip..

In the Seattle Times comic, there is an ad for his local book signing at the bottom of the last panel!

Love Blue Willow

Stephan has yet to realize that Rat has no respect for him.

Given how ads are shoved __ ___ ____, this may not be a joke!!!

How much to promote my novel?

Rat fink space cadet.

Love how they misspelled Stephen’s name.

For what it’s worth, there really is a Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston and Pastis is there tonight.

If anything like the day I was there, get inside quick, before your crayons melt.

Funny. https://www.bluewillowbookshop.Com/event/pastis-2023

Even more ads? It already has a gazillion ads for some bad comics about a pig and pearls… :D

Welcome to Houston! Have some crawfish pho.

Blue Willow Bookshop is just down the road from me. Wish I could make it.

We’re the crocs not up to the task today?

The Blue Willow Bookstore is a real bookstore in Houston.

Yeah. Don’t be a downer, Pig. Don’t tell Cartoon-Boy; at least, not until after his signing gig….

(And won’t he be surprised tomorrow when he looks for the strip and finds nothing but even more ads!)

I like the STEPHEN Pastis sign.

The sign in the window got his name wrong