Happy Anniversary, Dagwood and Blondie - Or: The More Comics Strips Change....
Published August 23, 2005
Of course, if I drew that comic land one day, it would end badly. I suppose some giant, drooling alien who goes by the name of Calvin and looks somewhat like a dinosaur would eventually stomp through town, crushing every last cliched character to death. Free at last. Ding Dong, Ziggy and his animals are dead.
I long for the days when comics weren't so treacly and warm and fuzzy. I don't want to see Grandpa's spirit hanging over Jeffy's shoulder, making sure he doesn't get hurt. If I wanted something like that, I would just start a Precious Moments collection. I want to see more strips where moms tell their sons to go play chicken with a train. I want to see more surreal silliness. I certainly don't want to see my formerly funny, cute, endearing, charming comic characters dealing with date rape and engaging in homewrecking.
One can only live so long on a steady diet of shopping and lasagna before they give up and close the paper. Sure, there are still a few comics I find funny, but I can just click and read and not have to open the paper funny page to find Dick Tracy staring up at me as if he was still relevant.
In my comic world, Dick Tracy would be retired by now, living in a one bedroom apartment where he spends his day cursing at Matlock on the television while resting another can of Miller Lite on his beer belly. Every once in a while, Brenda Starr would stop over for a visit, but things would always turn ugly when Dick reminds Brenda that she hasn't aged well at all.
Not many of them have aged well, actually. And the ones that did packed up and left the neighborhood a long time ago. Guess you gotta know when to fold 'em.
Still, I must take a moment to thank Blondie and Dagwood for the smiles and laughs they gave me, and the sandwiches Dagwood inspired me to make, back in the glory days of newspaper comics, back when the jokes were fresh and my morning highlight was reading the funnies.
[Well. This went much better than the last time I tried to blog about a comic strip character or that character's day of celebration]
- Happy Anniversary, Dagwood and Blondie - Or: The More Comics Strips Change....
- Published: August 23, 2005
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Culture
- Filed Under: Books: Comics and Graphic Novels, Culture: Humor and Satire, Culture: Media
- Writer: Michele Catalano
- Michele Catalano's BC Writer page
- Michele Catalano's personal site
- Spread the Word
- Like this article?
- Email this
Save to del.icio.us
Comments on this articleComments
Good article, Michelle.
I will say, however, that the problem with comic sections these days are strips like Blondie. The original artists died long ago, and their work has been picked up by non-related others for the sake of revenue and recognizability. New strips often cannot get into papers because the recycled dinosaurs are clogging the entryway.
Give these two a look for something fresh if you haven't already: Brevity and Pearls Before Swine.
Then there's Prince Valiant, the 1950's metrosexual, who's been around since Hearst was a major political force in America. For some inane reason, this comic is still in my local paper, but a great strip like Rose is Rose is gone.
Go figure.
Sure, RiR had its twee moments, but I was in love with the Biker Rose who could transition from her alternate housewife ego at the drop of a hat. (See, honey, I LOVE strong women! Especially ones with legs like Biker Rose's...)
If you want to read a couple of interesting new strips, go to comics.com and click on 9 Chickwood Lane and on Pibgorn, both by Brooke McEldowney.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/34652)
Good lord, I think I remember Dondi: an Italian little orphan annie, I think, who had his origins in post WWII comics. I miss Pogo most of all, and after that Lil Abner. Gary Larsen, Calvin & Hobbes, For Better Or Worse I enjoy also. Family Circus, Cathy, Garfield & the like I don't waste my time on; they're strictly one-joke lames, IMO. A lot of the best old cartoons like Blondie had their origins so long ago, I wonder if it would be an interesting proposition for the papers to do 're-runs', altho maybe that's too specialized, w/costs being the way they are. Brenda Starr...lordy, she's old enough to be a grandmother and then some now, & they've still got her running around as a babe. Well, hey, Lena Horne is still a beautiful woman in her 70s or so, too, so maybe...but what always got me about Brenda Starr was that she has all these 'twinkies' all over her. Puh-leese. I guess that was meant to indicate glamor or something.