Bigfoot Found at Last

Illustrator Graham Roumieu has been drawing cartoons that channel the thoughts of Bigfoot for years, and published several books of Bigfoot's writings. I am behind the times and did not know that Bigfoot had made it into the more-or-less mainstream until I saw Roumieu's book Bigfoot: I Not Dead.

Bigfoot doesn't speak standard English, but instead uses an endearing pidgin that veers between funny and profane, rendered in messy, idiosyncratic hand lettering. As often as not, he is commenting on his life experience as an oddball celebrity in the midst of mass media.

One example shows Bigfoot jumping a chain-link fence while chased by two cops with guns, mace and nightsticks. The text is titled INJUSTICE, and Bigfoot addresses his pursuers in letter form:

Police,
Stop trying arrest Bigfoot for vagrancy. How many times I have explain? I pee over there, over there and over there. Technically make it Bigfoot territory. You see broken stick and piece of fry chicken over there? That kitchen, you standing in foyer. Get out of Bigfoot house if you no have warrant.

One that made me laugh out loud referred to the way Bigfoot is so often seen along roads in remote areas:


The text is called LOOK BOTH WAY:

How many reflective vest Bigfoot have to wear before people stop run Bigfoot over on foggy mountain road at night?! One or two time a year maybe understandable, but one or two time a week? Have vest and blinky light and road flare and everything but still wind up getting cut down like stalk of wheat. Maybe if soccer mom everywhere lay off wine spritzer and stop talk on cell phone while drive Escalade maybe this not happen. Maybe if you not act like my fault maybe I not throw you kids off cliff.

You get the idea from this rant that Bigfoot is not into giving peace a chance. But he knows he isn't perfect, either. In one cartoon he confesses to his addiction to eating garbage:

HAVE PROBLEM

Hello. This a little hard for me talk about. Guess everybody have deep dark secret so maybe should no feel shame. Just come out and say it. Bigfoot addicted to eat garbage. Start out just recreational. Was at party with raccoons and they offer some. Eat and at first feel nothing, then maybe little buzz.

Pretty soon couldn't get enough. Wake up in morning and first thing do is eat garbage. No even matter what kind. Rich people garbage, poor people garbage. Walk around for a week with old mayonnaise jar stuck on hand and just not care.

One day find self living at dump. Bigfoot clean for months now but still day to day. Please help by store your garbage in can with locking lid or put something real heavy on top.

Some of the humor is macabre, but combined with Roumieu's expressively disheveled drawings, it just makes sense as a way to tell the story of a reclusive, misanthropic Yeti who lacks a heart of gold.