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."