Off the Mark is a Newspaper Comic strip by Mark Parisi.
Provides examples of:
- Black Comedy: Occasionally, such as "What really happened to Calvin."
- Bull Seeing Red: This strip◊ has a bull get pulled over by a cop thanks to this.Bull: Oh, come on! It turned red! This is entrapment!
- Cone of Shame: One strip has a dog who wears a cone on his butt. He doesn't want to talk about it.
- Circling Vultures: One - a turkey vulture, to be exact - appears in this strip◊."It's like Thanksgiving in reverse!"
- Delivery Stork: They show up in quite a few strips.
- Dogs Hate Squirrels:
- The '80s: The strip began in 1987.
- Elderly Future Fantasy: This strip, based on Green Eggs and Ham, features an elderly version of Sam-I-Am offering the equally-elderly nameless Tall Guynote Green Prunes and Bran, only for him to turn them down.
- Exact Words: "But... but... online you said you were an anteater!"◊
- Fly in the Soup: "Waiter, there's a fly in my ants."◊
- Funny Octopus:
- Hollywood Chameleon: If◊ a◊ chameleon◊ shows◊ up◊, they're◊ going to◊ be this◊.
- Informed Species: This strip◊ features an aardvark that looks more like an anteater.
- Lovable Lizard:
- Meat-O-Vision: Mike Tyson sees everyone's ears as food.
- Medium Awareness:
- Mouse Hole: This strip shows a cat wearing the Cone of Shame and crouching at a classic cartoon-style arched mouse hole, while all around mice frolic just outside the cat's (temporarily peripheral vision free) sight.
- Never Smile at a Crocodile:
- Not-So-Imaginary Friend: They have a support group.
- Our Werebeasts Are Different: Werewolves DO show up, but sometimes other werebeasts appear as well.
- "Big deal!◊ I'M turning into my MOTHER!"
- This strip◊ features a werekangaroo.
- When a balloon is exposed to the full moon◊, they turn into a balloon animal.
- Pun: Quite a lot of them.
- Redundant Parody: Inverted with one comic where a Barber cutting Bart Simpson's hair couldn't tell where his head ends and hairline begins. The show itself did that joke years after the comic ran.
- Reference Overdosed
- Rouge Angles of Satin: Mark says that the first fan letter he got was a Grammar Nazi telling him that in this strip, he spelled Dalmatians "Dalmations", and that "I have since made the correction".
- Also discussed here.
- Stock Animal Behavior: These◊ strips◊ feature◊ squids◊, thus◊ they◊ have◊ them◊ squirting ink◊.
- If a chameleon shows up in the strip, it's going to be changing its color. For specific comics that feature this, please see the aforementioned entry for Hollywood Chameleon on this page.
- Stock Animal Diet: If◊ an◊ anteater◊ or◊ an◊ aardvark◊ shows◊ up◊, chances◊ are◊ the◊ strip◊ will◊ reference◊ their◊ habit of◊ eating◊ ants◊. However, this strip◊ features an anteater who's a little different.
- Surprisingly, very few strips reference bears eating honey◊ or salmon◊. Usually, bears featured in the strip go after humans...
- Take That!: This strip◊ takes a jab at Donald Trump - Dagwood is seen watching him on TV and thinks, "Even I don't understand that hair..."
- Threatening Shark: Well, the sharks that appear in this strip aren't exactly THREATENING, but...
- "I hope everybody likes 'em cooked on the outside and pink in the middle!"◊
- "Yes, mom, I had a salad with my meal..."◊
- "Okay, so that was a dumb idea..."◊
- Fishing for sleepwalkers◊.
- Sharks lure fishermen into the water with cash◊.
- We can get the double stuff..."◊
- "You go ahead. I'm on a gluteus-free diet."◊
- One of them climbs onto dry land and tries going after some antelope◊.
- "Geez, Larry, is that you? Do you know how close I came?"◊
- "What's with everybody posting pictures of their food?"◊
- "I prefer cage-free."◊
- "The doctor said my salt intake was too high so I switched to lakes."◊
- What this young and very fat shark did on his summer vacation◊.
- "I heard they've been showing up in warmer waters..."◊