The Comics
25/01/14 05:41
After scanning the headlines and reading a few paragraphs of the front page, I turn to the comics next. Our daily newspaper has a relatively small comic page and I read them all, including the boring soap opera ones, the ones that don’t seem to have any point, and the ones that seem to be a lesson in bad drawing. It doesn’t take much time at all to read the comics in our paper.
In my own defense, I don’t read the newspaper for news any more. The process is simply too slow. I begin my day with a visit to top news sites on the Internet, many of which come from newspapers. I also scan our local new’s paper’s web site for news from my home town. By the time the newspaper arrives, there isn’t much in it that comes as news. I know that the daily newspaper is rapidly becoming a thing of the past and it is likely that we’ll see the end of receiving a local newspaper in my lifetime. I also know that I can get all of the comics I want online. Most comics now have their own websites and the Washington Post features 81 comics in its online version.
I don’t really think that reading comics is worth too much of my time. How much intellectual stimulation can one obtain from Mary Worth where the story unfolds so slowly that you always know the plot and dialogue for the next few days before they are printed? What can you learn of compassion from Rex Morgan’s medical practice that sees only one patient at a time? Actually there is a fascination in counting the examples of medical malpractice that spring up in nearly every case the Morgan is involved in. So far he hasn’t been sued for malpractice a single time, however Like father, like daughter seems to be the case. The preschooler is already engaging in blackmail. I guess those who share Bruce Tinsley’s political perspective might occasionally find Mallard Fillmore to occasionally have a repeatable gag, but the day after day ad hominem attacks don’t come off as funny or even intelligent most of the time.
Maybe I read the comics so I have something to complain about.
And I know that I’m becoming an old codger when I start to talk about how I miss comic strips like Lil’ Abner and Pogo and Dick Tracy. Do you know the words to the Pogo Christmas Carol? OK, I’ve only got the first verse memorized:
Deck us all with Boston Charlie, Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo! Nora's freezin' on the trolley, Swaller dollar cauliflower alley-garoo!
There were, after all five more verses that appeared in the strip, though the first was most repeated.
Don't we know archaic barrel Lullaby Lilla Boy, Louisville Lou? Trolley Molly don't love Harold, Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo!
Bark us all bow-wows of folly, Polly wolly cracker 'n' too-da-loo! Donkey Bonny brays a carol, Antelope Cantaloupe, 'lope with you!
Hunky Dory's pop is lolly, Gaggin' on the wagon, Willy, folly go through! Chollie's collie barks at Barrow, Harum scarum five alarm bung-a-loo!
Dunk us all in bowls of barley, Hinky dinky dink an' polly voo! Chilly Filly's name is Chollie, Chollie Filly's jolly chilly view halloo!
Bark us all bow-wows of folly, Double-bubble, toyland trouble! Woof, woof, woof! Tizzy seas on melon collie! Dibble-dabble, scribble-scrabble! Goof, goof, goof!
But if you want real Pogo trivia, did you know that Churchy LaFemme once sang “Good King Wenceslas?” It started like this: "Good King Sauerkraut, look out! On your feets uneven..."
But I digress.
I miss some more recent dropouts from the world of comics as well. Calvin and Hobbes was a favorite of mine when Bill Watterson was drawing it. Reading that strip illustrates the reality of comic strip art for me: High quality comes at such a high cost that it cannot be sustained over the long haul. Watterson retired after just 11 years of the strip that often wasn’t just fun and good art, but surprisingly philosophical and often reasonably theological.
As much as I enjoy Peanuts, the unending repetition of the strip is getting old. I wonder I they could intersperse it with reruns of Calvin and Hobbes from time to time.
I miss Gary Larson’s “The Far Side.” That was always a cartoon for a slightly twisted sense of humor. Sometimes I would just marvel at his drawing and captions and wonder how he came up with his ideas. I’ll never forget the split frame comic with St. Peter handing out harps under a banner saying “Welcome to Heaven.” In the bottom frame, the devil was greeting those going to hell by handing out accordions.
I know that Lynn Johnston decided to start over with “For Better or Worse” in order to re-tell the stories of younger children and correct some of the distracted sidelines of the original strip, but I really think that the quality of that strip wasn’t improved by starting the story line over. I miss the old strip with two little sisters. I sort of miss April. I know Johnston didn’t have a second daughter in real life, but I never bought into the real life side of the comic in the first place. I’ve always been a fan of fiction.
So I read the comics each day, usually over breakfast. It’s a habit. I have a lot of other habits. I wait until after breakfast for my first cup of coffee. Who knows why I do it that way? I’m pretty sure my dentist would prefer that I would drink the coffee and then brush my teeth instead of the other way around. But I like to take a hot cup of coffee with me as I head to the car to drive to work. I read poetry while I’m waiting for the espresso machine to warm up.
And, truth be known, the comics are the only thing that keeps me subscribing to the newspaper these days. Without them, I probably wouldn’t be motivated to walk to the end of the driveway and pick up the stack of ads that go straight into the recycling bin every day.
In my own defense, I don’t read the newspaper for news any more. The process is simply too slow. I begin my day with a visit to top news sites on the Internet, many of which come from newspapers. I also scan our local new’s paper’s web site for news from my home town. By the time the newspaper arrives, there isn’t much in it that comes as news. I know that the daily newspaper is rapidly becoming a thing of the past and it is likely that we’ll see the end of receiving a local newspaper in my lifetime. I also know that I can get all of the comics I want online. Most comics now have their own websites and the Washington Post features 81 comics in its online version.
I don’t really think that reading comics is worth too much of my time. How much intellectual stimulation can one obtain from Mary Worth where the story unfolds so slowly that you always know the plot and dialogue for the next few days before they are printed? What can you learn of compassion from Rex Morgan’s medical practice that sees only one patient at a time? Actually there is a fascination in counting the examples of medical malpractice that spring up in nearly every case the Morgan is involved in. So far he hasn’t been sued for malpractice a single time, however Like father, like daughter seems to be the case. The preschooler is already engaging in blackmail. I guess those who share Bruce Tinsley’s political perspective might occasionally find Mallard Fillmore to occasionally have a repeatable gag, but the day after day ad hominem attacks don’t come off as funny or even intelligent most of the time.
Maybe I read the comics so I have something to complain about.
And I know that I’m becoming an old codger when I start to talk about how I miss comic strips like Lil’ Abner and Pogo and Dick Tracy. Do you know the words to the Pogo Christmas Carol? OK, I’ve only got the first verse memorized:
Deck us all with Boston Charlie, Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo! Nora's freezin' on the trolley, Swaller dollar cauliflower alley-garoo!
There were, after all five more verses that appeared in the strip, though the first was most repeated.
Don't we know archaic barrel Lullaby Lilla Boy, Louisville Lou? Trolley Molly don't love Harold, Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo!
Bark us all bow-wows of folly, Polly wolly cracker 'n' too-da-loo! Donkey Bonny brays a carol, Antelope Cantaloupe, 'lope with you!
Hunky Dory's pop is lolly, Gaggin' on the wagon, Willy, folly go through! Chollie's collie barks at Barrow, Harum scarum five alarm bung-a-loo!
Dunk us all in bowls of barley, Hinky dinky dink an' polly voo! Chilly Filly's name is Chollie, Chollie Filly's jolly chilly view halloo!
Bark us all bow-wows of folly, Double-bubble, toyland trouble! Woof, woof, woof! Tizzy seas on melon collie! Dibble-dabble, scribble-scrabble! Goof, goof, goof!
But if you want real Pogo trivia, did you know that Churchy LaFemme once sang “Good King Wenceslas?” It started like this: "Good King Sauerkraut, look out! On your feets uneven..."
But I digress.
I miss some more recent dropouts from the world of comics as well. Calvin and Hobbes was a favorite of mine when Bill Watterson was drawing it. Reading that strip illustrates the reality of comic strip art for me: High quality comes at such a high cost that it cannot be sustained over the long haul. Watterson retired after just 11 years of the strip that often wasn’t just fun and good art, but surprisingly philosophical and often reasonably theological.
As much as I enjoy Peanuts, the unending repetition of the strip is getting old. I wonder I they could intersperse it with reruns of Calvin and Hobbes from time to time.
I miss Gary Larson’s “The Far Side.” That was always a cartoon for a slightly twisted sense of humor. Sometimes I would just marvel at his drawing and captions and wonder how he came up with his ideas. I’ll never forget the split frame comic with St. Peter handing out harps under a banner saying “Welcome to Heaven.” In the bottom frame, the devil was greeting those going to hell by handing out accordions.
I know that Lynn Johnston decided to start over with “For Better or Worse” in order to re-tell the stories of younger children and correct some of the distracted sidelines of the original strip, but I really think that the quality of that strip wasn’t improved by starting the story line over. I miss the old strip with two little sisters. I sort of miss April. I know Johnston didn’t have a second daughter in real life, but I never bought into the real life side of the comic in the first place. I’ve always been a fan of fiction.
So I read the comics each day, usually over breakfast. It’s a habit. I have a lot of other habits. I wait until after breakfast for my first cup of coffee. Who knows why I do it that way? I’m pretty sure my dentist would prefer that I would drink the coffee and then brush my teeth instead of the other way around. But I like to take a hot cup of coffee with me as I head to the car to drive to work. I read poetry while I’m waiting for the espresso machine to warm up.
And, truth be known, the comics are the only thing that keeps me subscribing to the newspaper these days. Without them, I probably wouldn’t be motivated to walk to the end of the driveway and pick up the stack of ads that go straight into the recycling bin every day.