for better or worse -
eric walker
ALD>teenage boy discovering his sexuality is making a POLITICAL statement, and
ALD>I just don't think that stuff belongs on the comics page. (Yes, I *do*
ALD>think Doonesbury belongs on the Op-Ed pages.) It's that simple.
Ever read Walt Kelly's "Pogo?"
(The REAL Pogo, that is; not the recent deth-picable imitation we see
today.)
---
ş SLMR 2.1a ş I'm MAD as HELL and I'm not going to take it anymore!
--
Channel 1 (R) Cambridge, MA
Richard A. Schumacher
>ALD>Sure, they age and die and etc, but that happens to EVERYONE. Inserting a
>ALD>teenage boy discovering his sexuality is making a POLITICAL statement, and
>ALD>I just don't think that stuff belongs on the comics page. (Yes, I *do*
>ALD>think Doonesbury belongs on the Op-Ed pages.) It's that simple.
Of course they're political. Politics is the art of figuring out how
imperfect intelligent self-aware beings can best live together. Thus
EVERY comic is political to some degree,
including "Little Nemo in Slumberland" and "The Family Circus", because
they depict particular behaviors and ways of life either as weird or as
normal. But perhaps you meant that you object to comics when their
political content is too topical. Do you then flip past "B.C." in righteous
indignation when Hart is on his anti-evolution rag? Or "Beetle Bailey", when
it refers to sexism?
The only comics which could be free of political content would be
ones which do not deal with imperfect intelligent self-aware beings.
Are there any such comics? Maybe something about Venn diagrams, or...?
(Oh. Actually, I guess this does describe "Garfield", at least for
the last several years. Remember that Jon originally had a MALE
housemate who just kinda disappeared, before Jon started trying to
date the vet...)
Jason John Seaver
>
>The only comics which could be free of political content would be
>ones which do not deal with imperfect intelligent self-aware beings.
>Are there any such comics? Maybe something about Venn diagrams, or...?
>(Oh. Actually, I guess this does describe "Garfield", at least for
>the last several years. Remember that Jon originally had a MALE
>housemate who just kinda disappeared, before Jon started trying to
>date the vet...)
I thought Odie's owner was the next-door neighbor (this is who you
refer to, right?).
-Jay
Damon Silver
doesn't appear past the first collection.
Damon Silver
ide...@leland.stanford.edu
Stewart Tame
Nope. Lyman was Jon's roomie. Hubert and Reba are the only neighbors
I'm aware of. I can dredge up Lyman's first appearance if I have to,
being a somewhat dazed owner of the first 12 Garfield books (Decline
and Fall of a Cynical Cat.)
-- Stewart "someday I plan to sell all but the first
two or three. Someday I plan to win
the lottery too." Tame
****************************************************************************
I understand it's obligatory to mention Kibo somewhere in one's postings.
****************************************************************************
Email: st...@emunix.emich.edu
****************************************************************************
Disclaimer: Not only do my opinions represent those of Eastern Michigan
University, but also those of Dan Quayle, Richard Nixon, Frank Zappa,
Pee-wee Herman, Bart Simpson, Tipper Gore, Murphy Brown, Maggie Thatcher,
and the Easter Bunny.
Will Bell
Not quite. Soon after the strip began, Jon received a call from his friend
Lyman, who had lost his home for an unspecified reason. He moved in with
Jon... and brought Odie in with him. Lyman stayed around for awhile, then
mysteriously vanished. I would guess he appeared in at least the first
five collections.
Lyman had a fondness for wacky clothing; now all the wacky clothing gags
are given to Jon. That was about all Lyman ever contributed to the strip.
and speaking of Garfield....
It's kinda sad, looking back over my Garfield books (I have the first 18
before I stopped). This is an example of a strip which has markedly
declined in quality over only 15 years. I mean, Peanuts has been going
for 43 years now, and Schulz still comes up with a few zingers every now
and again. I don't think that Garfield has had any sort of cleverness about
it for at least the past 3 years. *SIGHHH*
WBB
--
Will Bell -- be...@cs.tamu.edu -- Live from the heart of Scenic Central Texas
Only in the USA could a song by a white Canadian reggae rapper go to #1.
Brian Magee
>In a previous article, jse...@bigwpi.WPI.EDU (Jason John Seaver) wrote:
>>In article <schumach....@convex.convex.com> schu...@convex.com (Richard A. Schumacher) writes:
>>>
>>>Remember that Jon originally had a MALE
>>>housemate who just kinda disappeared, before Jon started trying to
>>>date the vet...)
>>
>> I thought Odie's owner was the next-door neighbor (this is who you
>>refer to, right?).
>
>Not quite. Soon after the strip began, Jon received a call from his friend
>Lyman, who had lost his home for an unspecified reason. He moved in with
>Jon... and brought Odie in with him. Lyman stayed around for awhile, then
>mysteriously vanished. I would guess he appeared in at least the first
>five collections.
>
>Lyman had a fondness for wacky clothing; now all the wacky clothing gags
>are given to Jon. That was about all Lyman ever contributed to the strip.
>
>and speaking of Garfield....
>
>It's kinda sad, looking back over my Garfield books (I have the first 18
>before I stopped). This is an example of a strip which has markedly
>declined in quality over only 15 years. I mean, Peanuts has been going
>for 43 years now, and Schulz still comes up with a few zingers every now
>and again. I don't think that Garfield has had any sort of cleverness about
>it for at least the past 3 years. *SIGHHH*
18? Wow! I stopped after 14. I was THE Garfield fan. Then one day I realized
that the strip wasn't funny. I had only bought the last 3 books out of habit,
and didn't really enjoy them all that well. I'm still cursed by getting
Garfield stuff from the Grandparents for X-mas ("Grandma! I'm 22 years old!
I really don't need a Garfield bath set!" :-) However, over the last few
months, I have actually laughed at a few of the Garfield strips. It's almost
like Jim Davis (boy, did I ever get good at signing that signature :-) took
a few years off and is back with some good stuff once in a while. I heard
a rumor that there is 'someone else' doing the weekend strips and Davis
just 'signs' em. Anyone else know about this. It's still not worth buying
the books, but I'm back to reading the strip daily (it's definately better
than Gasoline Alley, Rex Morgan, Cathy, For Better or For Worse, Family
Cirus, blah blah blah...)
Of course the best strips are: Fox Trot, Calvin and Hobbes, Dilbert (In
no particular order :-)
later...
Rob
--
Rob Parkhill aka sir...@bnr.ca = | = $20 says that Big Bird can
1971 Super Beetle: 5 years of = | = take Barney the Dinosaur.
work and worth every minute! = | =
Jeff Mierzwa
To all those who read this, I am a BIG fan of Garfield, some of what I say
is highly opnionated, but I figure I'd say it anyways. Plus, I'll sort out
any facts that may not be right about Garfield.
>>In article <schumach....@convex.convex.com> schu...@convex.com (Richard A. Schumacher) writes:
>>>
>>>Remember that Jon originally had a MALE
>>>housemate who just kinda disappeared, before Jon started trying to
>>>date the vet...)
>>
>> I thought Odie's owner was the next-door neighbor (this is who you
>>refer to, right?).
>Not quite. Soon after the strip began, Jon received a call from his friend
>Lyman, who had lost his home for an unspecified reason. He moved in with
>Jon... and brought Odie in with him. Lyman stayed around for awhile, then
>mysteriously vanished. I would guess he appeared in at least the first
>five collections.
Lyman didn't call. He actually showed up on the doorstep and asked Jon to
take him in. At that time, he brought in Odie.
>Lyman had a fondness for wacky clothing; now all the wacky clothing gags
>are given to Jon. That was about all Lyman ever contributed to the strip.
Jon himself always had wacky clothing. In fact, Lyman only dressed up in
a disco suit once, if I remember correctly. No one really ever dressed
funny while Lyman was around.
>and speaking of Garfield....
>It's kinda sad, looking back over my Garfield books (I have the first 18
>before I stopped). This is an example of a strip which has markedly
>declined in quality over only 15 years. I mean, Peanuts has been going
>for 43 years now, and Schulz still comes up with a few zingers every now
>and again. I don't think that Garfield has had any sort of cleverness about
>it for at least the past 3 years. *SIGHHH*
I have 1-18,20-23. All I am missing is 19 and whatever came out after 23.
I have never found any of his strips to be boring or "zingless". Garfield
had never dropped in quality while I have been reading it. He can't be
compared to Peanuts, no one really can. Garfield has never really had
any particular spot of funny. To me, he has stayed pretty consistent.
But, you are reading the post of a die hard Garfield fan. Hell, it took
me five years to learn how to draw Garfield. Now I can, and have, write and
draw actual newspaper ready Garfield strips. Just to tell you how much
I love that cat. But, to each his own...
Cheers,
--
Jeff Mierzwa | This is the time,
email: Snake...@uiuc.edu | This is the place,
or, if that doesn't work... | Where we look for the future...
email: jsm5...@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu| --Genesis, 1986 (Land of Confusion)
Jym Dyer
>> kinda disappeared, before Jon started trying to date the
>> vet...
> who you refer to, right?).
=o= Nope, Odie's owner, Lyman, moved in with Jon. Perhaps
he told his parents he was gay and his father kicked him out?
=o= It might be hard to believe in this repressive day and age,
but the early days of Garfield mass merchandising included some
items that gave a wink and a nod to gayfolk.
=o= I remember one in particular: When I went to college (WPI),
I lived in the cramped attic of a house, and my bedroom was
literally a closet. My girlfriend got me a poster depicting
Garfield hugging Pooky in a closet, encaptioned "I Keep My
Affections In The Closet." I don't think it was created for
college kids living in closets. :-)
<_Jym_>
P.S.: I always thought the vet looked kinda butch -- perhaps
she's a drag queen?
Jeff Mierzwa
Garfield gay???? You people have WAY to much time on your hands!!! Get real!
Sheesh! NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO WWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!
Garfield is not meant to be socially relevent. In no way shape or form has
Garfield, and supporting cast, ever had any gay tendencies!
No, I'm not homophobic. It's just that now that I've read this article, I'll
never be able to think of my FAVORITE comic they same way ever again.
I can't explain it here, but Garfield has been a very important part of my
life for a very long time. It always made me laugh when I needed to, cheered
me up when I was depressed and I WILL NOT let his name be dragged through a
gay/straight argument that is lame in the first place!
Get back in the real world people and read it for the fun. Don't analyze it,
that takes the charm out of it!
GET A LIFE!!!!!
Jeff Mierzwa | Life is a joke, because
email: Snake...@uiuc.edu | if you can't laugh at life,
or, if that doesn't work... | what can you laugh at?
email: jsm5...@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu| --Jeff Mierzwa (Yeah! I thought of it!)
--
Jeff Mierzwa | Life is a joke, because
email: Snake...@uiuc.edu | if you can't laugh at life,
or, if that doesn't work... | what can you laugh at?
email: jsm5...@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu| --Jeff Mierzwa (Yeah! I thought of it!)
Jym Dyer
> this article, I'll never be able to think of my FAVORITE comic
> they same way ever again.
=o= I guess you've had _Doonesbury_ and _For_Better_or_For_
_Worse_ completely spoiled as well.
=o= I guess I won't tell you about goings-on between Dagwood
and Mr. Dithers, or the real reason Basil keeps leaving Brenda,
or what goes on when the door to Apartment 3G is closed . . .
=o= And to think that you go to the same college where Nina
Paley started drawing her regular comic strip -- and now she's
living in (*gasp!!!*) San Francisco!!!
<_Jym_>
"If you don't get a good night
kiss, you get Kafka dreams."
-- Hobbes
:::.-----.:: Jym Dyer ::: j...@remarque.berkeley.edu ::.-----.:::
::/ o o \::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::/ | \::
::\ \___/ /:: Disclaimer: "I'm sorry . . . that's ::\ /|\ /::
:::`-----'::::::::::::::: Mr. Caffeine speaking!" :::`-----':::