Skeletons

I'm forever on the lookout for the thinnest connection among old drawings that might lead to a blogpost and this time the theme is "skeletons."  It could just as easily have been "desperation" or "bottom of the barrel." But skeletons are a good theme; most people have at least one so it's relatable.
The first drawing is from an old Why Things Are column.         

 Ha ha ha! See, the skeleton's on a diet, and it's funny because diet jokes are always funny. Just because, OK? Here's another one from WTA-

This is a reference to Greek mythology; legendarily, Charon rowed the dead to Hades across the river Styx, and, though not actually a skeleton, I'll bet he got mad as hell at people who made fun of him for having a girl's name. Now here's an illustration from the Post Magazine-


The editor,  Tom Shroder, had to suggest a joke because I didn't know what BSOD was.  Finally, let's return to Why Things Are, the source of so much that was good , for an episode that promised more than it delivered-

I'd certainly like to hear more about the Black Death and Roger Mortis and their adventures. I find the way they're introduced then casually dropped a bit disappointing, and I'm sure I'm not alone.