This week’s editorial cartoon is by longtime Weekly cartoonist Bob Aul and is hilarious on its own, but HILARIOUS if you’re a comics nerd. Ostensibly, it shows Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens asleep just after the recent jailbreak that’s making national headlines—funny enough. But dig the cat looming over Hutchens, the mouse throwing a brick, the bizarre Southwestern scenery. It’s Aul’s homage to Krazy Kat, the legendary pre-WWII comic strip by George Herriman that involves the titular cat and his unrequited love for Ignatz the Mouse, who returns the affection by throwing a brick at Kat at all times. Usually imprisoning Ignatz for its crime? One Offisa Pupp, who was as successful as keeping the mouse behind bars as Hutchens is with accused murderers and penis-choppers.
“Who symbolizes bumbling law enforcement better than Offissa Pupp?” Aul says, regarding his inspiration. “Plus, how often does a cartoonist get an opportunity to spend a day playing in George Herriman’s universe?”
HA! We agree. Enjoy, and pass it on!
