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Movie posters, trailers, and sequels often get parodied, but relatively few cartoonists have found a way to reinvent the movies themselves. That's exactly what Mark Parisi has been doing for decades. Instead of spoofing famous actors or iconic scenes, the creator of the award-winning Off The Mark comic strip imagines how blockbuster films might look if they were made for completely different audiences. Suddenly, horror movies terrify tomatoes instead of people, romantic dramas revolve around fireworks, and everyday objects become the unsuspecting stars of Hollywood. It's a simple shift in perspective that transforms familiar titles into jokes almost anyone can appreciate.

Since launching Off The Mark in 1987, Parisi has published thousands of one-panel cartoons in newspapers around the world, earning multiple awards for his distinctive blend of visual humor and wordplay. His work rarely depends on current events or lengthy explanations. Instead, it invites readers to see the ordinary from an unexpected angle, whether that's through the eyes of animals, household objects, or even pieces of food. The movie-inspired cartoons below are among his most imaginative, proving that sometimes all it takes to create a fresh joke is changing who's watching the film.

More info: Instagram | offthemark.com | patreon.com | Facebook

#1

Funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi: Seagulls watching a giant french fry on a beach, making viewers smile.

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Markus Weiler
Community Member
3 months ago

LOL

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    #2

    Funny one-panel comics by Mark Parisi show fireworks on a date, while other fireworks watch in the audience.

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    Lotekguy
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 months ago

    For some, having a blast on a date bodes ill for their future.

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    #3

    Funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi: holiday lights tangled with faces, expressing various emotions, making viewers smile.

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    Purple Gurl
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 months ago

    Looking closer-those look like strings of Christmas Tree lights. The kind where the colored bulbs can be swapped out if the string isn't working.

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    #4

    Funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi: Pencils in an audience watching mechanical pencils on stage. Pencils look afraid.

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    Markus Weiler
    Community Member
    3 months ago

    ai - hihi

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    #5

    Funny one-panel comics by Mark Parisi show a person sewing, with tomato characters watching nervously in the audience.

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    A girl
    Community Member
    3 months ago

    "Heckraiser"

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    #6

    Funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi: A dog playing poker with a cat. Cartoon animals are playing cards at a table.

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    Markus Weiler
    Community Member
    3 months ago

    I love this movie poster

    #7

    Funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi: Beavers watching a movie, a diva beaver commenting, making viewers smile.

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    Markus Weiler
    Community Member
    3 months ago

    Cosmetic surgery can do anything

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    #8

    Funny one-panel comics by Mark Parisi feature George Washington chopping a cherry tree, while cherry trees watch in fear.

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    Markus Weiler
    Community Member
    3 months ago

    Robert Englund didn't know he was allergic to cherries

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    #9

    A funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi shows frightened limes watching a knife near a margarita, in a cartoon theater.

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    Auntriarch
    Community Member
    3 months ago

    I am NOT going feel guilty about having a margarita this afternoon!

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    #10

    Funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi: Dogs in an audience watching a movie titled Walking by the Cat. Cartoon dogs look shocked.

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    #11

    A funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi shows a squirrel flexing as 'The Bird Feeder Defeater' to an audience of squirrels.

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    #12

    Funny one-panel comics by Mark Parisi present a mouse in a maze, as slices of cheese watch anxiously.

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    Lotekguy
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 months ago

    "The call is coming from inside the maze!!!"

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    #13

    Funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi: A pencil holding a leash with a cat walking him. Cartoon cat is enjoying the walk.

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    Ashley Cook
    Community Member
    3 months ago

    I'll try that for the next bbq! Lol

    #14

    Funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi: Dreidels watching the Tasmanian Devil spin, making viewers smile.

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    Lotekguy
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 months ago

    If you know the tune, imagine "I had a little dreidel" playing on an organ at an ominously funereal pace...

    #15

    A funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi illustrates a dog on a leash being pulled away from trash, titled Canine Tearjerkers.

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    #16

    Funny one-panel comics by Mark Parisi depict a bunny hunting lettuce, as other lettuce characters watch in horror.

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    #17

    Funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi: A slice of bread horrified by an open-faced sandwich, making viewers smile.

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    Markus Weiler
    Community Member
    3 months ago

    When no toast will cover you

    #18

    A funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi portrays King Midas as a dog turning everything to trash, watched by other dogs.

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    #19

    Funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi: A person on a couch talking to their dog and cat. Cartoon pets give funny reactions.

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    #20

    A funny one-panel comic by Mark Parisi depicts a cartoon stomach afraid of an abundance of food on screen.

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