Welcome back CRAZIES!!! Christmas beckons even more and hopefully y'all are finding ways to still have some holiday fun. Baking cookies is a low risk, and delicious, way to still safely celebrate the season! In fact, there are many seasonal treats that are enough to fill your hearts with joy in these trying times. One "treat," however, should be avoided at all cost. Which one? You probably know already, but if I keep you in suspense, you'll be more inclined to scroll down and see for yourself! Enjoy...
Fruitcake. Hearty. Hated. Durable. Few elements of this world are truly indestructible, but Fruitcake certainly makes its case here! My Grandma Fiorentini, God bless her, would make them every year even though most of us couldn't stand them! I, at best, could maybe handle two bites before I'd had my fill of them. My Dad, God bless him too, and Grandma Nena loved them though. Even after my parents split, my Grandma Fiorentini, who we all called Nana, would still make my Dad and his mom fruitcakes and date cakes every year because she knew how much they loved them. It was a kind gesture that reminded me that despite some of the things she may have said, Nana really was a good and loving person. She also loved to laugh and one of the people that made her laugh uncontrollably was the melon-smasher himself, Gallagher! For those of you who don't know him, Gallagher was a comedian whose claim to fame was smashing watermelons, among other things, with a giant mallet! One of the many jokes often thrown at fruitcake is how solid they are, and indeed, not even Gallagher's famed "Sledge-O-Matic" was enough to crack that tough exterior. Gallagher is largely retired these days, but does do the occasional stage or TV appearance. His act is actually pretty funny once you get past the food smashing.
And because the holiday season is in full swing, I got one more book recommendation for y'all! My good pal Joshua Hauke is back, and this time,
IT'S PERSONAL!!! Just kidding, he actually just has a new book out, and it's gonna make you roar with approval, and laughter! Check out
Beasts To Feed Your Brother To: Vol. 1!
Got an annoying little brother but no means of permanently ditching him? Then THIS is the book for you! A comprehensive guide to all the various critters that hide under the bed, lurk in the closet or swim in the toilet, this book is your guide to finding, identifying and even attracting said monsters so that your home can be little brother-free!
In all seriousness, Josh Hauke is one of my closest pals in comics. We both broke into cartooning around the same time, tabled at our first con together and have been booth-mates at many cons since and have provided each other guest comics many times over the years. Having both grown up in large, wild families and loving cartoons, it seemed like destiny that our paths would eventually cross and it's been good times ever since! Josh's latest book is a spinoff to his much beloved and critically acclaimed Tales of the Brothers Three, with many of the monsters featured in those comics finally getting their due! It's a perfect book for all ages and actually makes a perfect stocking stuffer as it will actually fit in a stocking! Just keep it out of reach of Mook! To get your copy, click the title link a few paragraphs back!
And that's all for today. We'll be back next week with art so cozy, you'll wanna bust out your snuggliest jammies and stay in bed! As the holidays approach, please be mindful of those that need help. Obviously, things are tight for everyone right now, and it simply can't be helped. But even some spare change in a Salvation Army bucket can make a world of difference if enough people help. So, if you can, try and donate to food and clothing banks this season. We're all in this together and every little bit helps. Until next time, take care, stay safe and I'll catch y'all later!
