Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for December 27, 2015

Let’s hope Rat has been neutered.

Just beat up Rat and shred his stupid book.

How to Be a Bad Parent by Rat.

Stephan is one sick puppy.

It’s a little kid’s frickin’ drawing, you big show-off biddy! Cool your jets and say it looks “nice,” not give a pretentious critical monologue! Rat, this really means you!

For the first six panels, I thought she was doing a critique of Pearls.

Can someone please tell me what is going on in this strip? The mother is making inane comments about her kid’s drawing. That I get, but where does Rat and his “book” fit in?

The first six panels, I thought Stephan was critiquing Pearls itself……

@High Peaks, I see you did too!

Why did I flash back to a scene in History of the World, Pt.1? The first art critic.

I have to admit that Rat’s approach would be an interesting change from the parents who think they need to boost their child’s self esteem by praising everything she does to the skies. Still, there has to a happy medium.This actually reminded me a bit of the “Calvin and Hobbes” strips where Calvin parodies art critic jargon, usually in discussing the design of his snowmen. Wouldn’t surprise me if Pastis got his inspiration from that, and then went off in a different direction with it.

“How to Raise Your Child to be a Critic in 50 Easy Steps” by Rat

I thought it was rather cubist myself.

do critics beget more critics? or do they spring, fully formed, from the brow of such as rat?

Ooh, cool, stick figure!

My limit is stick figures.I was always rubbish at drawing.xxx

I wish this were a cross-over with Rex Morgan, so this art critic could give some “advice” to young Sarah.

Please, please,please do not generalize about teachers until you have taught for at least 12 weeks (commas are optional as are periods for all comic comments)…

That is one cynical mother.

This would fit better now…