Defending and commending Get Fuzzy
Bobcat
Washington Post for naming Get Fuzzy as one of the best comic strips
in recent years. Hear hear!
Carl Fink
> Cartoon columnist Michael Cavna makes a compelling case in the
> Washington Post for naming Get Fuzzy as one of the best comic strips
> in recent years. Hear hear!
For the first 2-3 years, it was. Now it isn't.
--
Carl Fink nitpi...@nitpicking.com
Read my blog at blog.nitpicking.com. Reviews! Observations!
Stupid mistakes you can correct!
Robert
One of the best in recent years? Well, it would probably make the top
ten, but only because everything else out there is so crappy.
JC Dill
> Cartoon columnist Michael Cavna makes a compelling case
He does?
> in the
> Washington Post for naming Get Fuzzy as one of the best comic strips
> in recent years. Hear hear!
>
> http://tinyurl.com/yegz25s
What I read are mainly his cases for why other comics (Ziggy, Garfield)
are not very good. He doesn't actually say much about why he thinks Get
Fuzzy is very good.
I've been following GF for less than a year - I added it to my comics
page after repeated mentions here in RACS.
Get Fuzzy has been growing on me, but I'm still having a hard time with
the art. It's very difficult for a new reader with no background on the
characters to figure out what the various animals are supposed to be.
In many of the strips Bucky looks a lot like a dog (dark faced pug) and
the ferrets are not obviously ferrets to most non-ferret-owning people.
I can easily see how a new reader would be confused and ignore it
rather than stick with the strip and try to figure out who the
characters are.
jc
Bobcat
>
> > Cartoon columnist Michael Cavna makes a compelling case in the
> > Washington Post for naming Get Fuzzy as one of the best comic strips
> > in recent years. Hear hear!
On Nov 10, 12:55 pm, Carl Fink <ca...@panix.com> wrote:
> For the first 2-3 years, it was. Now it isn't.
For the first 2-3 years it wasn't. Now it is.
Joseph Nebus
>Bobcat wrote:
>> Cartoon columnist Michael Cavna makes a compelling case
>He does?
>> in the
>> Washington Post for naming Get Fuzzy as one of the best comic strips
>> in recent years. Hear hear!
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/yegz25s
>What I read are mainly his cases for why other comics (Ziggy, Garfield)
>are not very good. He doesn't actually say much about why he thinks Get
>Fuzzy is very good.
Yeah, I don't see the case being made for what's good in _Get
Fuzzy_, just a couple claims about how amazingly good it is even though
it's turned out to be the wordier, non-three-panel _Garfield_.
Also Cavna understates things by saying Wilco can go months
without leaving the apartment. He's gone *years* at this point, and
the strip itself hasn't ventured beyond the hallway outside the
apartment since, I think, 2006.
I think the strip is being hurt by its insistence on starting
up promising story lines, like the Ferret TV one, and then stopping for
a week of reruns that are themselves the middle of a different story
line, and only after that getting back to the first. I appreciate, at
last intellectually, that cartoonists need time off and stories will
sprawl in ways they can't predict when they start out. But it does feel
like a bit better cohesion would made be less needlessly confusing.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jym Dyer
| That said, I think "GET FUZZY" is absolutely one of the best
| half-dozen newspaper strips that's really of this decade --
| fitting neatly in the company of such comics as "Pearls Before
| Swine" and "Cul de Sac" and "Lio."
=v= Well, his taste in the latter three strips is fine ...
>> For the first 2-3 years, it was. Now it isn't.
> For the first 2-3 years it wasn't. Now it is.
=v= I honestly find the latter statement baffling. Neither
you nor the _Washington_Post_ writer has actually explained
what makes it so good. What is it, exactly?
<_Jym_>
Bobcat
> >> For the first 2-3 years, it was. Now it isn't.
> > For the first 2-3 years it wasn't. Now it is.
On Nov 11, 8:25 pm, Jym Dyer <j...@econet.org> wrote:
> =v= I honestly find the latter statement baffling. Neither
> you nor the _Washington_Post_ writer has actually explained
> what makes it so good. What is it, exactly?
> <_Jym_>
OK, here goes. First, IMO the dialogue is fresh, topical and witty,
and the plots are original and unexpected.
Second, within the confines of the apartment building setting (which
some people think is too limited), Conley has created a little self-
contained world in which humans and animals can understand each other
and converse. Most animal/human strips use thought balloons or other
dialogue substitutes. GF is in another dimension, which personally I
enjoy. I have cats who are probably thinking what Bucky is thinking,
but I'll never know it - thank gawd!
And third, there's a sense of the real world outside the little world
of GF. As a Canadian I especially enjoy the references to this
country.
There are more reasons why I think GF is very good, but that's enough
for now. But of course you're entitled to your own opinion.
Heather Kendrick
<4bf0ce07-3de2-4f91...@k9g2000vbl.googlegroups.com>,
Bobcat <bobbyt...@gmail.com> wrote:
> OK, here goes. First, IMO the dialogue is fresh, topical and witty,
> and the plots are original and unexpected.
Original plots like "Bucky fights with Fungo," or "Bucky abuses
Satchel," or "Rob and Satchel gang up on Bucky." Or... no, I guess
that's it. Those are the three plots. I used to love this strip, but
it has gotten to really bore me and I read it only out of habit now.
Also, way too often the reader has to wade through some huge swath of
text just to discovered that it was all in service of some lame pun.
> Second, within the confines of the apartment building setting (which
> some people think is too limited), Conley has created a little self-
> contained world in which humans and animals can understand each other
> and converse.
I do like strips where the human and animal characters can talk to each
other, but I don't think it's all that uncommon. (See Bloom County,
Liberty Meadows, Big Top, Cow and Boy, Bob the Squirrel, Prickly City,
etc.)
Heather
Joseph Nebus
Though one of _Get Fuzzy_'s strengths, and unique points, was the
setting of his world such that pretty much all animals talked and were
part of the culture, and that the domesticated ones (at least) even had
a quasi-childlike legal status, with their own sections in bookstores and
karaoke bars and television channels and the like. It's a neat setting
to think about and one that's fallen almost completely away as Rob and
the gang don't leave the apartment anymore.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Joseph Nebus <nebusj-@-rpi-.edu> wrote:
>
> Though one of _Get Fuzzy_'s strengths, and unique points, was the
>setting of his world such that pretty much all animals talked and were
>part of the culture, and that the domesticated ones (at least) even had
>a quasi-childlike legal status, with their own sections in bookstores and
>karaoke bars and television channels and the like. It's a neat setting
>to think about and one that's fallen almost completely away as Rob and
>the gang don't leave the apartment anymore.
>
I don't think we've seen any talking "food" animals in GF. In fact, come
to think of it, I don't think we've seen *any* talking animals other than
dogs and cats. (Ferrets are plainly sapient, but Fungo never speaks).
Ted
--
------
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..
Heather Kendrick
nebusj-@-rpi-.edu (Joseph Nebus) wrote:
> Though one of _Get Fuzzy_'s strengths, and unique points, was the
> setting of his world such that pretty much all animals talked and were
> part of the culture, and that the domesticated ones (at least) even had
> a quasi-childlike legal status,
Except that people still eat meat in that universe, which is highly
disturbing.
Heather
Carl Fink
Does it disturb you in Kevin and Kell, in which literally all animals
(including earthworms and parasitic fleas) are intelligent, yet wolves and
other carnivores still eat by hunting down and devouring other animals? Who
literally beg for their lives as they're torn apart and consumed?
Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Carl Fink <ca...@panix.com> wrote:
>On 2009-11-13, Heather Kendrick <bunny...@ameritech.net> wrote:
>> In article <nebusj.1...@vcmr-86.server.rpi.edu>,
>> nebusj-@-rpi-.edu (Joseph Nebus) wrote:
>>
>>> Though one of _Get Fuzzy_'s strengths, and unique points, was the
>>> setting of his world such that pretty much all animals talked and were
>>> part of the culture, and that the domesticated ones (at least) even had
>>> a quasi-childlike legal status,
>>
>> Except that people still eat meat in that universe, which is highly
>> disturbing.
>
>Does it disturb you in Kevin and Kell, in which literally all animals
>(including earthworms and parasitic fleas) are intelligent, yet wolves and
>other carnivores still eat by hunting down and devouring other animals? Who
>literally beg for their lives as they're torn apart and consumed?
>--
>Carl Fink nitpi...@nitpicking.com
And of course there's "Sherman's Lagoon" and the Lousiana Perches & The
Beanbag team of Ptarmigan U in Pogo..
That said, I think it would be a bit off-putting if Get Fuzzy had a
talking cow. I'm not sure why that is though. Perhaps the strip lives
a bit closer to the "real" line.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat
> On 2009-11-13, Heather Kendrick <bunnyhug...@ameritech.net> wrote:
>
> > In article <nebusj.1258049...@vcmr-86.server.rpi.edu>,
> > nebu...@-rpi-.edu (Joseph Nebus) wrote:
>
> >> Though one of _Get Fuzzy_'s strengths, and unique points, was the
> >> setting of his world such that pretty much all animals talked and were
> >> part of the culture, and that the domesticated ones (at least) even had
> >> a quasi-childlike legal status,
>
> > Except that people still eat meat in that universe, which is highly
> > disturbing.
>
> Does it disturb you in Kevin and Kell, in which literally all animals
> (including earthworms and parasitic fleas) are intelligent, yet wolves and
> other carnivores still eat by hunting down and devouring other animals? Who
> literally beg for their lives as they're torn apart and consumed?
That's the one aspect of Kevin and Kell that bothers me and probably
keeps me from really enjoying it.
Carl Fink
> That's the one aspect of Kevin and Kell that bothers me and probably
> keeps me from really enjoying it.
Really? It's also in many ways the central theme.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat
> On 2009-11-13, Blinky the Wonder Wombat <wkharrisjr_i...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > That's the one aspect of Kevin and Kell that bothers me and probably
> > keeps me from really enjoying it.
>
> Really? It's also in many ways the central theme.
> --
Yes and no. I see the central theme as mixed families and accepting
other's differences. It usually works on that level, but the predator-
eating-prey dynamic just doesn't seem to fit with the otherwise
civilized world Holbrook has constructed.
Brian Huntley
<wkharrisjr_i...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Nov 13, 11:17 am, Carl Fink <ca...@panix.com> wrote:
>
> > On 2009-11-13, Blinky the Wonder Wombat <wkharrisjr_i...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > > That's the one aspect of Kevin and Kell that bothers me and probably
> > > keeps me from really enjoying it.
>
> > Really? It's also in many ways the central theme.
> > --
>
> Yes and no. I see the central theme as mixed families and accepting
> other's differences. It usually works on that level, but the predator-
> eating-prey dynamic just doesn't seem to fit with the otherwise
> civilized world Holbrook has constructed.
You should try commuting by bicycle sometime.
Invid Fan
<ca...@panix.com> wrote:
> On 2009-11-13, Blinky the Wonder Wombat <wkharri...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > That's the one aspect of Kevin and Kell that bothers me and probably
> > keeps me from really enjoying it.
>
> Really? It's also in many ways the central theme.
One doesn't have to like the central theme of every comic :)
--
Chris Mack *quote under construction*
'Invid Fan'
Carl Fink
> In article <slrnhfr1l2...@panix2.panix.com>, Carl Fink
><ca...@panix.com> wrote:
>
>> On 2009-11-13, Blinky the Wonder Wombat <wkharri...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> > That's the one aspect of Kevin and Kell that bothers me and probably
>> > keeps me from really enjoying it.
>>
>> Really? It's also in many ways the central theme.
>
> One doesn't have to like the central theme of every comic :)
You're misinformed. Everyone is absolutely required to like the central
theme of any comic I enjoy. Get with the program.
Mike Beede
<3b0c8c54-3374-4eda...@z7g2000vbl.googlegroups.com>,
Brian Huntley <brian_...@hotmail.com> wrote:
You know, I always thought the bicycle people were just whiners.
I never realized they were being *eaten*. That really puts a whole
different perspective on it.
Mike
Heather Kendrick
Carl Fink <ca...@panix.com> wrote:
> Does it disturb you in Kevin and Kell, in which literally all animals
> (including earthworms and parasitic fleas) are intelligent, yet wolves and
> other carnivores still eat by hunting down and devouring other animals? Who
> literally beg for their lives as they're torn apart and consumed?
Greatly. That's why I didn't read Kevin and Kell for very long.
Heather
Jym Dyer
> just whiners.
=v= Uh, we're not the ones whinging each time the gas
price goes up.
<_Jym_>
Joseph Nebus
Hm. I remember, I think in the first book, some birds (bluejays?)
which Bucky had leapt after --- and got himself stuck on a treebranch in
the attempt --- taunting him by singing ``What's New, Pussycat''. And a
monkey in the zoo whom Bucky tried fighting talked, although in a really
sub-intelligent form which kind of raised more questions than it answered
(like, was the monkey barely vocal because he was in the presumably less
than engaging environment of a zoo cage, or was he in the zoo cage because
of a mental disability).
I think it was off-screen, but I remember Bucky being upset after
one day in a cat park that he was being taunted by the local rabbits, who
amused one another so much they were blowing grass blades out their noses.
It wasn't just a bad hare day, it was a *terrible* hare day.
There's no way I could provide a book and page cite, but I'm
pretty sure Satchel has talked about things Fungo said; he just doesn't
talk on-camera. I think Rob's had discussions with Fungo too.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph Nebus
No question about that. Possibly this might be why Darby Conley
has pulled back from showing more of the universe. Zoos are enormously
more problematic enough than they are in our universe; how having somewhat
competent (in the legal sense) animals would interact with non-vegetarian
humans might be unresolvable, at least in the confines of a comic strip.
Keeping things to the pets at least puts the problem off where it can be
ignored, by the creator if no one else.
--
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Night Owl
> In article
> <3b0c8c54-3374-4eda-880f-110d2928f...@z7g2000vbl.googlegroups.com>,
Wow, I really should pay closer attention to the Tour De France. Is
that why Lance Armstrong is such a hero for winning. Because he keeps
escaping the predators on the race?
aemeijers
Standard disclaimer- the vast majority of bicycle riders are very nice
people, even if they show a certain lack of common sense at times. I
take pains to give them a wide safe berth, especially the younger and
obviously less experienced ones. I even have a bike around here some
place, although I haven't worked up the willpower to ride it in the last
few years, since my current neighborhood is not bicycle-friendly, and
hauling it someplace to ride seems like a whole lot of fuss, when you
live alone.
But having said all that- there is a small subset of riders, mostly with
skinny spandex-clad butts and noses in the air, that do make me wish
dearly for some natural predators for the breed. I'm talking about the
ones that insist on doing long rides on roads totally unsuited for it,
and riding 2-3 abreast and blocking long lines of traffic, and all the
usual sins. Yeah, dude, you're better and more noble than us. We get it.
Now get the hell out of the way. A farm tractor has to pull over when
traffic backs up behind. I'm no lawyer, but pretty sure you do as well.
--
aem sends...
Brian Huntley
Pulling over if bottling up traffic is a given, regardless of what
you're riding or driving. Getting my mirror knocked loose twice a
month because a taxi or SUV didn't want to wait 0.5 seconds to pass me
- despite the fact I'd likely pass them back within 2 traffic lights -
is unacceptably rude and dangerous behavior on the part of the motor
vehicle driver.
Jym Dyer
> First, IMO the dialogue is fresh, topical and witty, and the
> plots are original and unexpected.
>
> Second, within the confines of the apartment building setting
> (which some people think is too limited), Conley has created
> a little self-contained world in which humans and animals can
> understand each other and converse. Most animal/human strips
> use thought balloons or other dialogue substitutes. GF is in
> another dimension, which personally I enjoy. I have cats who
> are probably thinking what Bucky is thinking, but I'll never
> know it - thank gawd!
>
> And third, there's a sense of the real world outside the
> little world of GF. As a Canadian I especially enjoy the
> references to this country.
=v= I've been meaning to thank you for writing this. Thanks!
=v= We mostly like the same things, modulo me being one of those
people who wish they would go outside the apartment building now
and then. In the strip's early years, there was more of that,
and I do miss it. It's like a whole world where animals and
people can talk, and it includes Canada (and Manchester).
<_Jym_>