theMediaman.com

Like many others, I didn’t get the m@b (pronounced “Matt B”) brand of humour at first. The comic is syndicated weekly in Eye magazine; after all the articles, but before the ads for escort services.

Just having moved from Waterloo, I assumed it was another “you’re not supposed to laugh” comic from a small-run, niche newspaper like UW’s Imprint running “The Parking Lot Is Full” which was the most consistently unfunny (and poorly drawn) comic I have ever seen.

Unlike “Parking Lot”, m@b occasionally had a comic I found funny. Then they started coming more frequently. Only recently have I tied this growing love of the comic to my slow assimilation to Life In Toronto. Growing up outside the GTA has given me an objective view of the strange lifestyles that I see here. It’s a perspective I share with only a few others clever enough to notice it. I don’t know much about Matthew Blackett (the author), but I wonder if he grew up a small-town boy like me or if he’s just one of the really clever people.

Either way, there’s still a high percentage of his comics dedicated to “the weird stuff I saw crazy people do”, which aren’t always as funny as they are tragic. Although, since the start of the month (when I moved into “Toronto Proper”), I’ve been finding even those strips funny.

The one that really hit home was today’s strip. I was considering posting a blog entry about the World Cup, but changed my mind when I realized it would be mostly critical.

Not really interested in the sport, I decided I would enter the event from a positive angle. “I’m proud that I live in what is probably the best city in the world to celebrate the World Cup”.

This was a feeling that was quickly threatened when the Portuguese in my neighbourhood were honking horns for several hours after the very first game… the VERY FIRST GAME. Doesn’t really mean anything, it’s only the very first game, and they were going nuts like they had won it all. I know it’s not just the Portuguese, and that all neighbourhoods are like this. I’m not upset with the Portuguese, I’m directing my anger at all Cup fans right now.

At the start, I also decided that I should probably choose a team if anyone asks. Since my background is from Great Britain, I put my support behind England. Now I find myself cheering for them doubly in the match this weekend. On Saturday, England plays Portugal. If Portugal wins, they’ll go nuts, honk horns for several hours, and possibly repeat the same on Wednesday and even on Sunday night (no doubt throughout the night too). Right now I don’t care for England to go All The Way as much as much as they just win the match on Saturday.

(This is what I meant about this post turning negative.)

So what’s all this building up to?

When I read this week’s m@b comic, once again I feel a special connection to his humour as my forced optimism is beaten to a pulp by my general irritation.