Wednesday, December 05, 2007

The good, bad, ugly, and inexcusable




I grew up reading the funnies. Probably most of us did. The average child’s introduction to the newspaper comes via the comic strips, and that is, in my esteem, a perfectly acceptable intro.

I think that I – and certain of us of a ‘certain’ age – have a distinct advantage in that we spent childhood in an era in which the funnies were a big deal. The weekend color pages were not only big enough to see, they seemed to go on forever.

Even the daily black-and-white spreads were impressive and substantive and worthy of juvenile (and even adult) attention in the days before television began to debase and defile all that should be holy in childhood.

Meanwhile, strips have come and gone over the years. Some of them, like Calvin and Hobbes, the Far Side and the always-lamented Pogo (for political satire at both its finest and most cutting), are sorely missed. Others really aren’t. One old-timer did fascinate me by its unique approach, and that was Gasoline Alley, if only because the characters all aged at an actual human rate. Therefore, old Skeezix would have to be pushing 100 by now.

And then there are the bad ones; the ones that keep going on-and-on and nobody seems to understand why. They aren’t funny, they aren’t cogent, and they seem to have no redeeming virtues, yet there they are.

As follows will be a list of personal favorites, and after that will be a list of strips I think are horrible and give nightmares to budding good cartoonists who can’t secure a syndication to save their lives.

Personal Faves (in no particular order):

Calvin and Hobbes – still lamented. No sugar on this one, but tons of wisdom
Pogo – brilliant and demanding of a certain level of current events knowledge, literary background, and appreciation of the abstract.
The Far Side – I can still look at Gary Larsen offerings that I’ve seen a dozen times and still find them hilarious.
Zits – a relatively honest depiction of what it means to be an adolescent, at any time in history.
Pearls Before Swine – a relative newbie, but ruthlessly funny and cutting. Badly drawn, but that is almost part of its charm.
Tina’s Groove – This is a Canadian strip about the trials and tribulations of a restaurant waitress that is funny and honest. It’s a bit like Friends in comic strip form. And, even though she’s only a cartoon, I find Tina kind of sexy.
Peanuts – Even though they are all reprints, for obvious reasons, it often still works Not always, but often.
Dilbert – comes and goes with me, but anybody who’s ever cubicle inhabited gets it. Meanwhile, Wally, the patron saint of slackers everywhere, is my man.

I could think of more, but I think I’ll move on to my least favorites:


The Family Circus: Why is this still around? It’s unfunny. The children are totally banal and say things real children will never say or even think about. The parents are two of the blandest and most boring people who’ve ever given spawn. This one is the winner of my most detested.
Cathy – I only realized the other day that this atrociously drawn mass of clichés still existed. “Ooh – Cathy’s trying on bathing suits and dissing herself!”
Tank MacNamara – I guess if you are a major jock this might work for you. I have never found it amusing or diverting.
Opus – I know there are those that love this. I try. God knows I try, but I just find it charmless. Doonesbury – Probably brilliant satire, and I used to read it years ago, but grew weary due to its stridency. I don’t like to ‘work’ when I read a strip. Maybe it’s really because Gary Trudeau shares a surname with my most reviled prime minister, and because he’s married to Jane Pauley, who has always held a special place in my heart.
Nancy -- Long gone but all time contender for the unfunniest comic strip to ever appear (forever and ever, it seemed) on the comic pages.

As a closing note, what are your favorites and your most detested?




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17 Comments:

Blogger Lily said...

I love Calvin and Hobbes--always have, always will. I considered buying the complete set last night, but didn't do so.

And, for some odd reason, I've always liked Hi and Lois. It's kinda goofy (like Family Circle), but I always make sure I read it when I'm looking at the newspaper.

11:58 AM  
Blogger Ellee Seymour said...

I was definitely an Enid Blyton fan, not sure if she is famous in the States.

A friend in my village writes the Topy and Tim children's books, have you heard of them? They are still going strong.

2:57 PM  
Blogger riseoutofme said...

Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts, Dagwood and Popeye have to be my favourites.

Most of the newer cartoons leave me cold ... wondering where my sense of humour has gone?

Oh ... and Denis the Menace ... I always had a soft spot for the long suffering Mr. Wilson!

3:12 PM  
Blogger andrea said...

Oh man. I have to agree with you on every point. Whatx's the world coming to when I can't play devil's advocate over here? :)

My kids's Calvin & Hobbes anthologies are the most dog-eared books we own.

4:50 PM  
Blogger Rositta said...

You've pretty much nailed it but one I like a lot is For Better or Worse, another Canadian strip...ciao

5:49 PM  
Blogger kimber said...

A co-worker once said, "You're a fan of Family Circus, aren't you." She could not have heaped a larger insult on me -- eventually, we became friends, but I have never completely forgiven her.

I still miss Calvin & Hobbes; it is one of the few comics that I have followed and loved for years. Also, I adore "Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid On Earth", and eagerly read anything written by Chris Ware.

I will not even start listing the graphic novels I enjoy, because then you'll know exactly how much of a geek I am.

6:55 PM  
Blogger Tanya Brown said...

Gosh, I've always hoped someone would ask me this question. So what if you're not asking me precisely but an entire group - it's close enough!

Detest:
Andy Capp - Hey, Flo has a black eye because her drunken, lazy husband has been beating her up again! Hahahahahaha! Ah, domestic violence is so funny. Seriously, even if they toned the violence down during the last twenty years, I hope this piece of garbage isn't in print anymore.
B.C.
Beetle Bailey
Cathy - enough with the bathing suit and shopping "jokes" already!
Family Circus
Garfield - Insert random artists into meat grinder, turn crank, extrude strip, throw Jim Davis' name on it.
The Lockhorns - Hey, it's a dysfunctional, cliched marital relationship! Haw, haw haw haw!
Mallard Fillmore
Snuffy Smith
Wizard of Id


Guilty pleasures:
Clear Blue Water
For Better or For Worse - perhaps a bit soapish, but Lynn Johnston's production standards seem high.
Monty
Pogo - I spent many summer afternoons eating horseradish straight from a jar and reading Pogo books. No doubt I was affected for the worse by seeing Albert Alligator in drag.
The K Chronicles
Tom the Dancing Bug

7:04 PM  
Blogger Janice Thomson said...

I love The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes - rarely read the others. I don't in fact read the comics much either when young or older :)

10:02 PM  
Blogger Liz Dwyer said...

My absolute favorite of all time was "Blondie". I have always loved it.

I forever hated "Garfield". What a nasty, slovenly cat!

10:41 PM  
Blogger geewits said...

I'll just add:

great: Get Fuzzy, Sherman's Lagoon

sucks: Marmaduke, Preachy C. oh, I meant B.C.

And yes Opus bites.

10:47 PM  
Blogger Casdok said...

Has to be Peanuts!

12:22 AM  
Blogger laughingwolf said...

agree on most choices... i find 'over the hedge' and 'get fuzzy' readable, for the most part, and miss those you do

4:22 AM  
Blogger jmb said...

This is a whole world I am ignorant of as I don't read any cartoons it seems. I do think it's an interesting genre, so to speak.

6:53 AM  
Blogger Hermes said...

BC and Hagar worked for me. Also, I remember as a kid, Spiderman had a daily strip in the paper. I loved that. I think in general, the comic medium is underrated. It is considered juvenile and a low art form. But, as you say, it is capable of wondrous variety, depth, political and social commentary and is really only as good as the artists and writers.

9:55 AM  
Blogger Jazz said...

I never did understand the point of the Family Circus... or For Better or for Worse...

Cathy I liked at first, but it's become horribly repetitive. As you say, how often can you try on a bathing suit....

My loves: The Far Side. I still and always will love this. Calvin and Hobbes of course and I loved Bloom County. Bizarro and Real Life Adventures have their good moments.

10:27 AM  
Blogger Ian Lidster said...

Some great selections here. You are all my kind of people (what else?) and you pointed out a number of other favorites of mine that I neglected to mention. And, of course, Blondie. Of course, by this stage of the game the curvaceous babe would be gumming her milktoast. If you ever get a chance to see old Blondie strips from the 1930s, they're great and hilarious. There have been a couple of published collections.

10:50 AM  
Blogger Dr. Deb said...

I also grew up reading the funnies or "the comics" as we say here in the States. Every Sunday I'd race to grab the paper before my sisters. Sometimes I'd win, most times I didn't. Calvin and Hobbes is one of m favorites. Family Circus always was wise and witty. And then there's Ziggy.

Thanks for this post. I'm gonna go check out what's in the daily paper today now.

5:19 AM  

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