Mister Boffo
Encyclopedia
Mister Boffo is an American
comic strip
created by Joe Martin
. The strip has been in syndication
since 1986, originally distributed by Tribune Media Services and now distributed by Martin's own Neatly Chiseled Features. http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2005/12/20/cartoonist-joe-martin-starts-his-own-syndicate/
The strip's main character is a balding, big-nosed man named Earl who is usually shown as married to a pretty blonde named Nadine and as the owner of a small white "wonder dog
" named Weederman. However, there is no particular continuity in the strip from day to day; the characters may turn up in prehistoric
times or in a futuristic spaceship, or in heaven
or hell. Even in the strips set in contemporary times, Earl is depicted variously as a corporate executive, a working-class person, a prisoner, or a homeless beggar. Strips often illustrate recurring themes, such as "A Time to Worry" and "People Unclear on the Concept".
"Mister Boffo" strips have been collected in the books Mister Boffo: Unclear on the Concept (1989) (ISBN 0-316-54859-6), Mister Boffo: Shrink Wrapped (1995) (ISBN 0-8362-1777-2), Mister Boffo: The First Decade (1996) (ISBN 0836214420), and Boffo (2008) (ISBN 0974596752).
Many of the cartoons have also been reprinted in the newspaper strip On The Edge which Martin does in partnership with psychologist Dr. Jon Carlson and which uses them as an opening visualization to personal counseling advice.
The character's strangest appearance, however, was in the truly bizarre self-published single issue comic book
Boffo In Hell (1995) co-drawn by the cartoonist's teenage son Jay Martin where lovable loser Earl Boffo is transformed into a realistically drawn Image Comics
-style scarlet-suited satanic
superhero
and his little dog Weederman into a huge humanoid werewolf
after a powerful giant alien wedding ring
falls to Earth and jams itself onto Earl's skull like a metal headband
. The powered-up pair then battle an escaped trio of overly-muscled genetically altered mutant psychopaths who they accidentally dispatch to the title netherworld
where the dead villains promptly kill all the devil
guards and take over, setting up the storyline for future issues that never saw print.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
created by Joe Martin
Joe Martin (cartoonist)
Joe Martin is an American cartoonist.Martin is the creator of comic strips "Mister Boffo", "Porterfield", "Willy 'N Ethel" and "Cats With Hands", and author of How to Hang a Spoon. In 2000 he was featured by the Guinness Book of World Records as the "World's Most Prolific Cartoonist".- External...
. The strip has been in syndication
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
since 1986, originally distributed by Tribune Media Services and now distributed by Martin's own Neatly Chiseled Features. http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2005/12/20/cartoonist-joe-martin-starts-his-own-syndicate/
The strip's main character is a balding, big-nosed man named Earl who is usually shown as married to a pretty blonde named Nadine and as the owner of a small white "wonder dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
" named Weederman. However, there is no particular continuity in the strip from day to day; the characters may turn up in prehistoric
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
times or in a futuristic spaceship, or in heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
or hell. Even in the strips set in contemporary times, Earl is depicted variously as a corporate executive, a working-class person, a prisoner, or a homeless beggar. Strips often illustrate recurring themes, such as "A Time to Worry" and "People Unclear on the Concept".
"Mister Boffo" strips have been collected in the books Mister Boffo: Unclear on the Concept (1989) (ISBN 0-316-54859-6), Mister Boffo: Shrink Wrapped (1995) (ISBN 0-8362-1777-2), Mister Boffo: The First Decade (1996) (ISBN 0836214420), and Boffo (2008) (ISBN 0974596752).
Many of the cartoons have also been reprinted in the newspaper strip On The Edge which Martin does in partnership with psychologist Dr. Jon Carlson and which uses them as an opening visualization to personal counseling advice.
The character's strangest appearance, however, was in the truly bizarre self-published single issue comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Boffo In Hell (1995) co-drawn by the cartoonist's teenage son Jay Martin where lovable loser Earl Boffo is transformed into a realistically drawn Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
-style scarlet-suited satanic
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
and his little dog Weederman into a huge humanoid werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
after a powerful giant alien wedding ring
Wedding ring
A wedding ring or wedding band is a metal ring indicating the wearer is married. Depending on the local culture, it is worn on the base of the right or the left ring finger. The custom of wearing such a ring has spread widely beyond its origin in Europe...
falls to Earth and jams itself onto Earl's skull like a metal headband
Headband
A headband is a clothing accessory worn in the hair or around the forehead, usually to hold hair away from the face or eyes. Headbands generally consist of a loop of elastic material or a horseshoe-shaped piece of flexible plastic or metal...
. The powered-up pair then battle an escaped trio of overly-muscled genetically altered mutant psychopaths who they accidentally dispatch to the title netherworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
where the dead villains promptly kill all the devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
guards and take over, setting up the storyline for future issues that never saw print.