Lio by Mark Tatulli for March 30, 2020

And a new horror makes its way into LíoWorld…

I see you’re well suited up for what’s hazardous, Lio.

No thank you go away!

At least that one is too big to rub into your eyes.

Where’s the button to flag the cartoon?

I think the next month is going to be more than we can bear. Nothing funny about this.

Bigger than the virus, smaller than a beholder.

Lio’s taking no chances.

Liö lives in an alveoi? And Dad could just shut the door to the virus? And Liö can fight it off, dressed like that? Oh, too weird, even for this strip…

Guess he’s ready for his play date.

And why isn’t Dad wearing any sort of protection?

No funny at all

Over the top. No need for this in the comics.

Just a little degreaser ought to disassemble that bastard.

Not degreaser , hand sanitizer.

It’s corona time Seriously people. Try looking it up “it’s Corona time”is a song by the “red night “

At least it was polite enough to ring.

Darned corona keeping me home gad

Comics and cartoons aren’t always funny. They don’t need to be. If you look at the last panel, Lio is prepared for the visitor. (It would have been nice if his dad was, too.)

All my life I’ve made jokes and cartoons about things I’m afraid of… It’s cathartic for me. I did take a picture of a set of “dryer balls” in my dryer (rubber and nubbly, somewhat look like a virus), but I only sent the pic to a couple of friends I thought would find my explanation (“I need to decontaminate my dryer”) funny… Publicly, I still mostly stick to poop and barf jokes if I need cathartic physical humor.

Real life COVID-19 humor: I was picking up some ice cream with the rest of the groceries a couple weeks ago, and a man in there told me, “If the world is going to end I’m making sure I’ll be eating ice cream when it does!”

Now one of my own jokes, that at least my friends thought was funny: “It’s nice to know that even in these treacherous modern times, there are some things yet that can bring a tear to the eye. A beautiful sunset. A piece by the incomparable Mozart. The squeals of happy laughter from playing children. And, of course, toilet paper commercials………”

“A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it’s the only weapon we have.” Roger Rabbit

NOT the kind of play date I was expecting. At least Lio is prepared.

Lio’s Dad: “It’s for you, son.”

I have to be honest and say there is a very good message in the strip. COVID 19 virus at the door, Lio’s dad says for you and Lio has the right gear on for the encounter. For the Time’s They Are A Changing.

It would sure be nice if it would knock first…

Lio, I do not approve of your new friend! Tell it to go away!

He’s just putting a good spin on the virus. nothing bad about that.

There’s a Heart of the City strip from 1999 that goes a lot like this strip, except instead of COVID at the door, it’s Dean with a Darth Vader costume, and when Addy goes to see Heart, Heart’s in Princess Leia cosplay.