Cruelty To Comic Characters

Damn. Today's "Hagar The Horrible" isn't funny (to me), it's just plain ugly. Hagar says to a disgruntled-looking woman with a blonde afro "my wife doesn't understand me" to which she replies "what's to understand, you're a simpleton!"

And this is what passes for humor these days?

It's a growing trend, easily witnessed on television, in sitcoms and on reality shows. The art of comedy has slowly but surely regressed into a culture of caustic clinquant, taking its cue from the David Spades of the world; a one-line put-down is often mistaken for clever when it's usually simply cruel.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox for now.

After my musing about Zonker's former riches, it seems the prior millionaire is thinking about taking classes on how to get back there. "Doonesbury" is on a roll.

Is there a bigger warm fuzzy in the comic strips than "Rose Is Rose"? Even trips to the Dungeon of Resentment or dalliances in the rivalry of rugrats quickly give way to sunny, shiny, happy celebrations of sunbeams, first snows, leaf-leaping and in today's strip; hugs. I love how the artists' illustrated imagery of joy involves little icons of rainbows, sunshine, candy canes, hearts and musical notes. Those things sure make me happy, how about you?