Frazz by Jef Mallett for July 21, 2024

Rorschach clouds are the best kind. Though the ones that are usefully predictive of weather are nearly as good.

One shape that is truly unlikely – a cube.

In our area, during the ’50’s and ’60’s, there were Rubin Days. Louis D. Rubin Sr. of Virginia -‘the Weather Wizard,’ posted a list in the newspapers twice a year of certain days that would be unseasonably different in some way. He was usually correct. Even published a book – The Weather Wizard’s Cloud Book – showing his method of ‘reading the clouds.’ Was a fascinatingly accurate system. Look it up.

A fun strip. I like the two rows of panels.

Jef Mallett has always been unconventional when it comes to his strip. Another good example is no balloons for the character comments.

Yesterday I took a break and went into my pool. I looked up and saw a running dog.

Good article on BBC today about this very practice.

Perfect. Seems I always like Ms Plainwell, and Frazz outdoors. And such neat observations. Hey Jef, great cartooning—I like all of your work but truly appreciate your outdoor cartooning.

I think that second panel shows Serenity, the Mark IV Firefly class spaceship that was crewed by Malcom Reynolds on the show “Firefly”.

… Noticing that all the silhouettes are different people. A lovely touch.

The clouds I see from my jacuzzi are often cute little cotton balls so close you can almost touch them

‘I really don’t know clouds at all"

The epic storm panel looks somewhat to me like a huge turtle who has outgrown his shell.

Free Bird!

(Though I’m old enough that I usually heckle bands – but only my friends’ bands – with “Whipping Post!”)

Rows and flows of angel hair

And ice-cream castles in the air

And feather canyons everywhere

I’ve looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun

They rain and snow on everyone

A million things I would have done

But clouds got in my way.

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now,

From up and down, but still somehow

It’s clouds’ illusions I recall

I really don’t know clouds at all.

— “Both Sides Now”, by Joni Mitchell (youtu.Be/yXr2EFomFkU?si=PxudMu5e84LQG3-L)

What a lovely comic!

As a kid i used to lay in the grass and watch the clouds. When my kids were young and we were driving I tried to get them to see images in the clouds. Now that I’m retired I need to go lay in the grass again. But not near my apple tree, too much deer poop.

I was going to say I saw a ducky and a horsie, but I changed my mind.

And this bird you’ll never change …

[Cue head-banging extended music solo!]

Do you want “Snowpiercer”? Because increasing the Earth’s albedo is how you get “Snowpiercer”.