The Child Outside

If there's one thing that comic strips tend to do on a regular basis, it's the fact that they keep us young. Some folks would sneer at the idea of being an adult and relishing a browse through the funny pages - but others, like fellow funny-fan Marisol who checks in here every now and again (what's up girl?) know the power of this art-form. Who wants to grow up and become stiff, boring and no fun anyway?

Frequently, the adults in comic strips have a way of showing that they have never lost sight of the child inside; they usually shrink and become little kids. This happens a lot with "Rose Is Rose" and for the first time that I've seen, it happened today with Tia Carmen in "Baldo." I've always admired Tia Carmen's spunk and zest for life - and she's simply a dear in today's strip. For a moment there, I was wondering who Gracie's new friend was, until the final panel reveal. Nice!

Animals, Animals, Animals

Remember the old t.v. show with Hal Linden? "Animals, animals, animals, animals, animals everywhere" went the theme song - featured Lynn Kellogg singing lots of folky tunes about critters - anyway, the funny pages are littered (sorry) with animals, most of them domestic. Where are the strips featuring wild deer and buffalo?

Not truly a case of "simul-comics", but "Mutts" and "Rose Is Rose" featured "Shelter Stories" and "Cat Tail Tales" respectively, separated by only "Garfield" (another domestic critter) in The Orlando Sentinel. Collusion, hmm?

A-ha, though Luann and Berniece are both miffed at Gunther, it looks like the girls are about to get catty with one another in "Luann." So what could be the solution? Wanna bet Gunther backs out completely, leaving the two prom-less? Since Berniece and Gunther seem more evenly matched, it may be comic genius to have her eventually go with the little grease-ball troll and the four of them double-date. Like that would happen.

Besides Violet, Franklin is one of the least-seen "Peanuts" characters (though he used to be around a lot more). As the only black member of the cast, he puts in a rare appearance today, maybe prompting many to say "hey, where'd he come from?"

The Family Circus gets all classic with the appearance of a "Henry" comic book. Does anyone remember him? In Bil Keane's bio on the site, it mentions quite a lot, but doesn't say anything about son Glen Keane, who is the Disney animator responsible for breathing life into characters like Ariel ("The Little Mermaid"), Aladdin ("Aladdin") and Tarzan ("Tarzan"). His next work for the studio will be the direction of his first computer-generated film "Rapunzel Unbraided."

A Lot Like Life

It's confirmed, John is going "Middle Aged Crazy" ala Bruce Dern in "For Better Or For Worse" - and it usually starts with the flashy sports car. On another level - one of the things that continuously cracks me up about this strip is the use of sound effects, if you will. From babies nursing to dogs sniffing, they're usually a hilarious hybrid of onomatopoeia. "Bip, bip, bip" certainly works for cel-phone punching.

Along the same lines, in "Hagar The Horrible", how funny is it that Snert, Hagar's hound, barks like a Swede; "voof, voof, voof!" Sometimes, it's just the details.

Sunday-Monday

We were on a road trip this weekend, so I was too tired to catch up with Sunday funnies, but it was well-worth it. "Zits" keeps upping the ante in style, breaking conventions artistically and always pushing the "funny-as-truth" button.

On the other side of the spectrum, even as a person of African descent, I just don't buy into the cultural humor of "Boondocks." Sunday's two-panel strip about white folks knowing how to make nice foliage; it just left me with a "whaa?" dangling off my lips.
Was it supposed to be funny or was it supposed to be a statement of some sort?

I dunno - there have been some good "Boondocks" in my opinion, but those seem to be the ones that leave race out of the picture.

Monday Morning:

"Shelter Stories", a sometimes feature in "Mutts", knows how to be funny and heartwarming all at the same time. I'm betting that this strip has done more for pet adoptions than even your local chapter of the Humane Society. Great work!

"The Pied Piper's Greatest Hits on iPod" in "Bound and Gagged"; whatta scream!

And now I present for your consideration, the wrath of Berniece and Luann - coming to a Gunther near you. Poor boy, he looks as if he's going to break down. The next strip should be interesting in "Luann".

A simul-comic alert! As "Baldo" and "Sally Forth" both deal with not only cereal boxes, but YELLOW cereal boxes. (Okay, it's odd in my universe, what about yours?)

And "Mother Goose and Grimm" hits a home run with a one-panel gag about "Bozotox" and its negative side-effects. If you haven't seen, you can only imagine the negative side effects.

Another day in comic paradise......

Here It Comes

Luann and Berniece have been known to butt heads before, but the stage has been set for quite the showdown as Gunther has asked both of them to the prom. Will he escape fairly unscathed while the girls duke it out? And who will win? Will Luann end up going with the short, scrunchy greaser? And didn't this current storyline sort of push the whole Brad/Toni Daytona thing out of the picture for the time being? Will Dirk resurface with a hard-on for kicking some Brad-butt?

Who'd've thunk a strip I've been reading since 1978 would become so.....involving?

At least we know how the search for Snoopy's mom goes - though I seem to recall it having a bit more in the way of twists and turns. Hmmmm.

Cartoonists in Cahoots

When an incident of simul-comics happens, I just have to wonder if the cartoonists call each other up and say "okay, we're side-by-side in this newspaper, let's really have some fun, shall we?"

Today's "Mutts" and "Garfield" are so eerily similar (especially the first panel), that it just can't be a coincedence. No way!

How's THAT feel?

Tom DeLay (has anyone started chanting "no delay, no delay" yet?) is really getting a pounding in "Doonesbury" this week. To be honest, I haven't been following up on his story because life has been happening with ever-increasing frequency. Trudeau's got me wanting to set aside time to dig more, though.

I wonder just how influential he is - does he inspire political climate change? It's not for a lack of trying!

Genius

Every once in a while, a strip delivers a line so full of genius, it's either already in the lexicon of speech, or should be.

Today's "Bound & Gagged" has the gem "I have a photographic memory, but I always cut the heads off." Nice. I can relate.

On the subject of sexy toons (I've got a thing for the hottest toon of all, Jessica Rabbit, but who doesn't?), I have to say that Rose (of "Rose Is Rose"), is my type of woman. Optimistic, realistic, with a bit of child and a bit of tough girl wrapped up in a kinda-sorta plus size package. We like to say that she's ALL-WOMAN.

A mellow week

I've been rushing all week and haven't really seen anything that's stuck out thus far.

Snoopy's quest to find his mom has been poignant, and today it appears that he might have found her. I don't remember how this one works out, but I seem to recall that it's a bit of a let-down for him.

It's so nice to be talking about a cartoon character with such concern, even in reruns!

But seriously.....

My wife had an observation this morning about one of the strips in our local paper.

"Is it just me or is 'Sally Forth' getting serious?" she said over breakfast.

"It's just you," I replied, without a trace of sarcasm (though it was hard to manage.)

Actually, it seems that Sally and Ted have both been doing a bit of woolgathering of late, from having a second child to growing older to dealing with Sally's old boss Ralph to wanting Hilary to take piano lessons. But I don't think that the strip is any more serious than "For Better Or For Worse", which regularly tackles subject matter in a highly realistic way. In fact, today's strip seems to hint that Elly Patterson is about to hit a landmark on the road of life.

Seeing Past The Panels

Every day in this busy life o' mine, I try to get outside of my own newspaper and see what other comics there are in the galaxy. Having lived in a few different metros over the years, I've become acquainted with strips and then forgotten about them, which is sad because many of them were quite funny. Each week, I attempt to add links to the left panel of these comics and many others that I've run across. Old favorites like "Foxtrot" have popped up in my radar again. Some of these strips simply vanished from papers I was reading - so God bless the internet for paving the way towards rediscovering old friends and meeting new ones!

Draw!

For some reason this week, I've been paying a lot of attention to simply the way comics are drawn. The colors that are used, the styles ranging from sketchy rough to photorealistically smooth - characteristics of faces and landscapes. Some things that stick out to me are:

*The way the eyes of characters in "For Better Or Worse" seem to bug out.

*The masterful use of color and shading in the panels of "Classic Peanuts."

*The humans in "Mutts" have a decidedly "Popeye" look to them.

*"Mother Goose and Grimm" has fun with pop-culture figures in its own way, but today's clever rendering of Alice and the White Rabbit was not only clever, but stunning in its mimicry (original illustrations, not the Disney versions.)

*Both "Zits" and "Rose Is Rose" take delight in skewing perpectives, tilting angles and going beyond the edges of frames.

*No matter how progressive it gets, "Blondie" remains a classic-looking strip - as in the good ol' days. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

Nothin' But 'No'

Mike Doonesbury is making like David Spade in those commercials where "no" is the only answer. Even with an Army sergeant at his door, Mike is not going to give up Alex that easily - expect some sort of big conflict (father-daughter? father-army?) that just might result in a rebellious move to enlist. (Remember when kids would rebel by burning draft cards?) As usual, "Doonesbury's right on target. Shock and Guffaw?

Squirtin' Milk-Funny

It was a stellar day for the funnies, one of the better Sundays in recent memory, involving not just smiles and giggles, but full-on, squirtin'milk-out-the-nose chuckling. Okay, so not actual milk, but if I had been drinking milk, there would have been a mess.

This, thanks to "Pearls Before Swine.":



Oh. My. God. This guy's insane, but funny as hell.

"Opus" was a real head-scratcher, but not so much for its assertion that there are no female animal cartoon characters ("adjunct girlfriends don't count"), but for the eye-popping collage of presumably Alpha-Male toons ranging from Foghorn Leghorn and Boo-Boo Bear to Spongebob Squarepants and Jiminy Cricket. The question in my head was "man, did he have to get licensing for all that? And how much did it cost him? And was it worth it?" If nothing else, it got me puzzling over if maybe there WAS a female toon somewhere that wasn't the girlfriend of a more popular toon. Lola Bunny. Bugs wanted her, but she was waaay too cool for him. Pay up.

Simul-Comics!

"Baldo" and "Sally Forth", adjacent to each other in the Sentinel, have like-minded subject matter. Sally and Hilary talk about the possibility of the latter picking up the piano while "Baldo" features Dad talking with Gracie about playing guitar. Being a musician, I totally dig the realities behind this.

Cartoons? Real? Get out of here.

Meanwhile, Mike and Kim are literally left with jaws dropped after Alex comes home with an Army brochure and plans to get cozy with it in "Doonesbury" This is the first strip in a long time that I've seen with the final panel legend "to be continued. It's gettin' hot in the kitchen here, folks.

Gag Me!

Though I agree to a degree with the decree from Wiley regarding gaggery, I must say that a great gag is gold. Schulz was a master at this, letting the imagery do the talking and bringing it all down with a masterful verbal punchline. My favorite of all time dates back to probably the 60's. Snoopy and Linus are sitting on a bench enjoying a bag of chocolates. They each eat one and then swoon simultaneously with a lusty "Mmmmmmmm." In the final panel, Charlie Brown shows up and Linus explains: "chocolate creams." The next strip features the same setting as Snoopy and Linus partake of the goodie bag. Then comes the swoon, "Mmmmmmmm" followed by horrified looks on both of their faces accompanied by an exclamation of "Bleagh!" As Charlie Brown shows up once again, Linus explains: "chocolate creams.....with a little bit of coconut."

Bam! Never fails to get me tittering.

Today's "Classic Peanuts" is along those same lines as Linus and Violet (who makes rare appearances these days) stroll past Snoopy, whose head is sticking out of a hole in the ground. In the second panel, his head has disappeared while Violet sort of looks out into space as if to say, "did I just see...?" Third panel finds her startled by the reappearance of a widely grinning Snoopy. As he vanishes again in the final panel, Linus explains: "prarie dogs are making a comeback."

Bam! Chuck was a genius.

Likewise, Pat Brady and Don Wimmer, the team behind "Rose Is Rose" are delightful not only for their unabashed positivity, but also their cheerful embracing of the fantastic. Witness how they turn into little kids when exhibiting or experiencing feelings or situations that regress them instantly. Talk about being in touch with your inner child! Today's dose of arachnophobia certainly hit home with me (though I'm not a sissy about it, I just tend to give them a very wide berth since one put me in the hospital some years back!)

And please tell me that Alex is not seriously considering enlisting. She's a little smarter than that, I think. The debate over "should she?" or "shouldn't she" rages over at the "Doonesbury" Blowback.

Yanking The Chain

Doonesbury is providing scathing commentary on the state of the ever-desparate armed-services as they attempt to recruit Alex. Will she or won't she? Talk about getting your chain yanked.

Every once in a while, "Hagar The Horrible" comes up with something so "out there" that it catches me by surprise. Today's simple two-panel strip features a fluttering butterfly making a dizzying path through the air with Lucky Eddie commenting "butterflies must be heavy drinkers."

For those who are reading here about comics that are not in their local papers, by clicking the comic links, you'll usually be taken right to that day's strip. Most of these sites also have archives, so if there's a particular funny you've missed, it can be found by referencing the date of the blog post. Simple, ja?

No Duh, No Kidding!

The "Ordinary Basil" story-line in "Non-Sequitor" has so thrilled me, I did what I've never done before; I wrote to the author.

On Apr 3, 2005, at 6:22 PM, Bing Futch wrote:

Dearest Mr. Miller -

First, let me say that I've never written to a cartoonist before, but your exceptional work has led me to 'break the silence.' I've always considered "Non-Sequitur" to be a cut above the rest, especially the multi-panel strips featuring Danae. I've enjoyed your work in The Orlando Sentinel for quite some time, but this most recent story-line, "Ordinary Basil", is absolutely captivating, delightfully whimsical and totally engaging. Given your subversive wit, I was wondering when the tone of the tale would change, and today's strip was the first sign that something even more extraordinary would be taking place.

For the first time in a great while, I'm relishing the thought of opening the Sunday paper to see what takes place next. You've a touch of Roald Dahl about you, which would lead me to consider you not only a cartoonist, but an author as well.

Thank you for the journey,

Mahalo nui loa,


Bing Futch


I didn't really expect a reply back, but I certainly wanted to express my joy over his work since it's so rare that I get so excited about anything any more. To my pleasant surprise, a response was quickly rendered:

Thank you for the high praise, Bing! And to be mentioned in the same sentence as Roald Dahl is about as good as it gets.
What is truly pleasing about your note is that pointed out exactly what I'm aiming for in this series, which is a return to story and adventure in comics. That, after all, is what made comics so popular in the first place. But we've lost our way over the past few decades, where everything is just simple formula gag material. Too much of anything is bad, and my belief is that readers long for a return to the adventure serial, where they look forward to getting next Sunday's episode. And what's truly sad about this is that editors have forgotten the power of material to attract and hold readership, especially young readers. They don't know their own business anymore.

But as much as I like hearing nice stuff, the one who really needs to hear it is the editor of the Sentinel. Editors usually only hear from the readers who are angry or upset about something. Such is human nature, I suppose. But it's reader response that determines which strips editors will keep and which ones they'll drop, and they won't know what you like unless you tell them.

Wiley



Well, how sweet was that? And he had a good point; if you enjoy a comic strip that much, it's best to let the people in charge at the paper know as well, so you don't look up one day and see your favorite funnies replaced by more cookie-cutter and commercial crap. So I knocked off an e-mail of praise to Charlotte H. Hall, editor of The Orlando Sentinel. If you're a "Non-Sequitor" reader and haven't done so already, take the time to dash off an e-mail (or for any of your other favorite comics). As far as I can tell, there are no Arbitron ratings for comic strips, so it's difficult to assess what's working and what's not. For folks in the central Florida region, you can reach Ms. Hall at editor@orlandosentinel.com

It was an alright day for the funnies - the only one that really stood out and grabbed me was the ever-excellent "Doonesbury", which just might be threatening to send Alex off to war. Given the nightmares that B.D. is going through, this could put a whole new spin on the situation over there.

Actually, in the lexicon of toon language, "Hi and Lois" pretty much summed it up. If a strip really gets you going, it's "F.W."

"Fridge Worthy."

Great Sunday!

Some days are better than others, but today in The Orlando Sentinel was laugh-out-loud funny!

"Zits" brought out "Gender: A Handy Guide To The Species" featuring separate panels dealing with a girl's P.O.V. ("This sandwich is incredible, want a bite?") versus a boy's P.O.V. ("This sandwich is incredible....loser!") - great stuff.

"Pooch Cafe" has been slowly working its way into my favorites list - it took some getting used to (like the great "Pearls Before Swine") but Poncho's fantasy-filled tea-party fiasco ("Sorry, 'biscuit' is sort of a button word for me") was hilarious.

Now, I've read a lot of "Peanuts" in my life, and "Classic Peanuts" is what I supposed were re-runs of the greatest comic strip of all time. But I've not run across any that I recall reading before. In fact, the strips published since the death of creator Charles Schulz seem to be as timely as ever. How far ahead did he pen this stuff? Or should I begin some "Chuck's not dead" rumors? As always, this strip is simply the best.

Ever since the return of Berkeley Breathed to Sunday funnies (with all of the dubious demands that came with him), "Opus" has been uneven both in subject matter and drawing (Berke's uncanny knack for making his human characters somewhat hideous is in full sway this go-round), with only the occasional zinger thrown in. Today's strip, dealing with prescription drugs, was actually pretty right-on. But what is it about this strip that seems so hit and miss?

I'm not the biggest "Dilbert" fan, but it is at least consistently funny, and today's riff on noise-cancellation headphones that recognize stupidity and block it from your ears was damn classic.

"Pearls Before Swine" - we need this kind of subversion.

"Non-Sequitur" has always been an odd little creation, from its one-panel jabs to its full-fledged flights into morbidity and whimsy. But this recent storyline involving the mythical city of Helios is a stunning leap upwards in quality both in draftsmanship and literary flair. With a sinister final panel today, this exciting serial has got me looking forward to next week's installment; a rarity in the funny pages these days.

But my favorite strip today came from a surprising source: "Beetle Bailey." Plato, who is always defacing camp walls with one kind of message or another, had this to say in today's strip:

Communism failed because it was against human nature. People want to be rewarded for their work. They want to own what they earn. You can call it selfish if you want, but "self" is the center of the universe. Even giving voluntarily to others is "selfish" in a way because you "get" a good feeling in return. Dictators take power promising to help the people but soon are only helping themselves. There's a bit of the dictator even among elected officials who use their powers for their own interests. Maybe the best system is to keep turning our officials over before they turn on you. Too long in power allows too many opportunities for corruption. People are more productive with fewer laws and restrictions. Even good laws have flaws and room should be left for exceptions, because everyone is different with individual needs.

And on that incredible note: amen.

Drusilla

Drusilla
Originally uploaded by dreadmon.

Leave it to the author to make Pibgorn's antagonist, the demon Drusilla, altogether sexier.

Pibgorn

Pibgorn
Originally uploaded by dreadmon.

I'm a little miffed that I have to join Comics.com to read more of "Pibgorn", since I'm only really interested in one of the strips. Here's to wishing that the author will or has already released a first edition of her misadventures. Cute little sprite, isn't she?

But then again, this isn't the most flattering drawing of her.

Foolish Boy

I was expecting more April Fools Day-related strips - but only "Peanuts", "Dennis The Menace" and "Mutts" obliged. Though Peek-A-Boo's encounter with a jar of horseradish in "Rose Is Rose" could qualify (did they leave the jar there on purpose?), and what a scream! "Baldo" could also qualify with its ongoing customer service tech clown plotline ("No! Wait! I mean...espera!" - classic).

We had another case of juxtapocomicing (where two or more strips adjacent to each other share subject matter) - "Hi and Lois" and "Hagar The Horrible" both dealt with the decision to get married. One involved drinking, the other one, winking. Sometimes the comics move in mysterious ways.