Author: Ruben Bolling

I was only a few months into being a published cartoonist when that Lyle comic was published. I was out walking in the rain that week, and I glanced into a gutter and saw Lyle's beaming face (the first panel of the second Lyle comic) smiling up at me from a newspaper page under a puddle. I was viscerally shocked — like I'd put him into the world, and he'd gotten into terrible trouble, but it's okay, he's still smiling at me.

Following the lead of BoingBoing.net's series on real-life cannibal food mascots — adorable cartoon animals encouraging humans to consume them and their species — I present one of the very first Tom the Dancing Bug comics (the 18th, to be exact), depicting the ongoing adventures of Lyle the Talking Pig.

The next installment (there really is one) to be posted tomorrow.

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UPDATE 6/24:  Here it is, the stunning conclusion to this Lyle the Talking Pig adventure:

What connects the financial crisis to the oil spill crisis?  Nate!  And the corporate incentives he loves.  

I can't recommend this book enough.  Cul de Sac is the daily comic strip successor to the Peanuts, Calvin & Hobbes, etc., line that we've all been waiting for.  You should buy it now.

UPDATE:  RIchard Thompson twittered that this was now available to order on Amazon, but on closer examination it looks like it's only available for PRE-order.  Consider this a test of the Cul de Sac Golden Treasury Annoucement System.  When the book is actually available you will receive further instructions.

UPDATEST: IT'S NOW AVAILABLE!

This week, in Super-Fun-Pak Comix:

Percival Dunwoody, Idiot Time Traveler From 1909

Marital Mirth

Guy at Starbucks Writing a Screenplay

Three-Panel Biographies

Captain Dynamo & Paper Towel Man

and MUCH, MUCH MORE*

*provided you define "MUCH, MUCH MORE" as "The Seven Stages of an Actor's Career"

I'm doing a lot more twittering than anything else these days… Join the fun and follow me athttp://twitter.com/RUBENBOLLING …All followers get a membership certificate and a secret decoder ring!

Regarding this week's comic:

"Dear Mr. Bolling:
"I posted a link to your latest Billy Dare on the Listserv for the AMI-the Association of Medical Illustrators, of which i am a member. Many of us have done micro-anatomy (histology) illustrations like yours for Big Pharma over the years, and could use some pointers. There may be a slide-talk speaking engagement in your future. Warm up your Powerpoint skills. Nice work."

Wow, thanks.  After forty-five minutes of research and about six simple and inaccurate micro-anatomy drawings to my credit, I'm ready to pontificate.  I'll send you my contract and rider (blue M&Ms only).

A happy reader writes to me:

"Just wanted to give you feedback on your pointer to Cul De Sac – I
guess I'm somewhat out of the loop, so I follow things and people I've
liked in the past but don't have a lot of pointers to new good work.
Since your pointer, I've gone through the whole Cul De Sac online
repository and ordered a book, am thinking about the 2011 calendar.
So thanks for doing me and Richard Thompson both a good turn."

Keep spreading the word.  It's a truly wonderful strip.

http://www.gocomics.com/culdesac

You know how when you're reading about Billy Dare and his adventures, you always feel that you want more details?

If we don't want gays in the military today, how can we accept the results of having gays in the fighting forces of our past?  The answer HERE.