I know people who start their day with meditation or prayer. I know people who write in their journals or read inspirational books first thing in the morning. I too have my morning ritual. I read online comics. Now I admit that might not sound as life-enhancing or meaningful as what other people do, but considering the state of the world, I think it is important for me to see a lighter side of life before I am confronted by reality.
Before the rise of the internet and the subsequent fall of the newspaper, I was an avid news comic reading fan. There were times in my life that the only reason I subscribed to a newspaper was for the comics. I am probably not alone in this. Who needs to know about the events of the day when we can keep up to date with Beetle Bailey. (Okay, that was just to make you squirm - I was not a fan of Beetle Bailey as an adult. Not that I wouldn't check it out in the paper, but 365 days in a row of 'not funny' strips tend to put me off of a comic.)
My comic reading began as it does for most of us as a child looking at the Sunday funnies. My sister and I would divide the funny papers up because there was no way we would consider reading them together. That kind of close togetherness was something we avoided and when forced upon us often resulted in a fight. She and I had 'differences of opinion' - or more accurately she felt I had less refined tastes ("You're a moron for liking that!") while I felt she had less intelligent tastes (No, you're a moron because you don't get it!). Expressing this type of disagreement might result in our parents removing the sacred Sunday funnies from our grasp, so we came upon a solution we could live with. We would each take a section and then trade when we were done. Not that dividing up the funnies didn't also have its drama but we could usually resolve that without shouting.
I had some favorites when I was a child such as Charlie Brown but I read every one of them except for the soap opera ones that my mother liked. One of the best for me was the comic strip B.C. by Johnny Hart. This was later dramatically enforced when I came across a paperback of his comic strips on the rotating book stand in the local TG&Y store. This was in 1969. I had not known that the comic strips I loved appeared in anything except the Sunday comics, but here it was, a whole bunch of them together in one book. I purchased that book and every other one I found after that. Strangely enough, this collection allowed me to observe the maturation of my brain. In each of the books, there would be one or two comics that I could not understand. This was due to the sometimes 'adult' nature of these comics, which for that day and age meant slightly sexual overtones masked with extreme subtlety. I developed a habit of reading and re-reading these paperbacks because, first of all, I loved them, and second, we only went to TG&Y infrequently and my allowance would only stretch so far. Thus as I amassed my collection and re-read each book, eventually the subtle nuances of some of the comics became clear to me. I can remember the distinct joy of finally 'getting' a strip that had eluded me for years. (I was careful to never share these revelations with my sister given how I was always telling her she 'didn't get it').
Thus I began a collection of comic strip paperbacks that included mostly B.C and Wizard of Id. Occasionally I would get other comics, but I became obsessed with collecting all of what Johnny Hart had made. This became easier when my family began visiting used book stores. The first B.C. book had been printed in 1959 which meant I had seven of these earlier editions to find. Cheap paperback books over ten years old are not the easiest thing to find. But with determination, eventually, I had his entire collection and added to it each year as he created more. Now, before you think I have amassed some valuable collection I must confess that many of the earlier editions I found were in much less than prime condition, and a couple without the front cover ( I detested the bookseller who decided that the way for him to distinguish a certain quality of books that he would not buy back was to rip off the front cover). I did my best to take care of my collection, but when you are starting with many poorly used versions you can only do so much. To this day my collection sits in plastic sleeves stored in a plastic bin - a bin which I packed with me both times we evacuated from two hurricanes (You can take my house nature - but you are not getting my B.C. collection!)
I guess it was that collection that led me on a quest that continues to this day. When I find a comic strip I like, I get their paperback collections. I don't just get one or two, I usually persist until I have them all. Sometimes my tastes change or perhaps it is that the comic strip creator's creation changes and I stop reading them and stop collecting the books, but there are a few that I have a decade or more of their collections.
Now, as I first mentioned, the rise of the internet and the decline of the newspaper has changed the way I view comics. I now have access to every comic strip created via various websites. What is more, I have found some comics whose sole existence is online. I have all of these bookmarked and I pull them up in a particular order of preference. The following are some of my morning comic feeds.
Dilbert
- satirical office humor
Creator - Scott Adams
This comic starts off my morning and is the only one I allow to send me its strip via email. Every morning I get to view Dilbert's antics before any other news assaults my brain. Dilbert and I go way back into my days of working in a cubicle for Xerox corporation. I started my career with Xerox in 1985 and Scott Adams published his first strip in 1989. He was a genius in his portrayal of the office environment I was afflicted with. Although my career with Xerox only spanned six years I must have suffered some sort of office-based PTSD because to this day I can empathize with the situations portrayed in his strip. I have all of his comics in book form and even some non-comic strip books he has written. Dilbert's Website
Pros: Great, current, and sometimes hilarious office humor. Scott Adams wit continues to be sharp throughout his lengthy career.
Cons: If you have not worked in an office you may not appreciate or get some of his jokes. Occasionally he goes off on less funny tangents. If you are looking for incredible artwork, keep looking.
Funny versus Unfunny strip ratio: Dilbert's funny average is about 7.5 out of 10 strips. Some weeks he is 10 for 10.
Get Fuzzy
- the adventure of Rob Wilco, Bucky Katt and Satchel Pooch
Creator: Darby Conley
I can still remember the first time I saw this comic strip. The character named Rob was sitting on the couch watching TV with the dog named Satchel. He says, "You know you can't turn me off with that." The next frame shows Bucky the cat holding the TV remote and shouting, "Then mute, mute, mute!" I knew upon seeing that I had found comic strip gold. This was back in 1999 and he published his first collection in 2001 which I quickly snatched up. It is interesting watching a comic strip from its inception because it changes slowly but surely through the years. Darby has always had the most incredibly intricate and realistic artwork which is fascinating in itself. The style of his characters has slowly developed through the years and although I love the look, I also loved the original look of the characters. He partners his artwork with some great jokes and visual humor. Sometimes this comic will have a long patch of less than laugh-out-loud strips or venture off into strange alternate characters. I figure this is the ultimate fate of any comic that has a long duration. The creator is bound to have times when he struggles to create with the same freshness of his original strips. He always bounces back though and delivers solidly great humor.
Get Fuzzy at GoComics.com
Pros: Excellent characters and artwork. Consistently funny themes and stories that may last for weeks.
Cons: Occasional dry spells or awkward storylines.
Funny versus Unfunny strip ratio: Averages funny 7 out of 10 strips but when he is on, he is on and can rate an 11 out of ten with some of his humor.
One Big Happy
Creator: Rick Detorie
I ran across this comic in the newspaper and found his portrayal of Ruthie the little girl and her family to be a humorous portrayal of family life in an idealistic setting. The portrayal of Ruthie reminds me of the character Ramona from the Beverly Cleary books. I want there to be a family like Ruthie's with her calm and reasonable parents, next door Grandparents, and various other friends and family members. I liked it so well I bought a collection. As is my style I then proceeded to purchase another of Rick Detorie's collections, but I always had trouble finding his work in the stores. I eventually purchased every collection that had been made and noticed there had been some time between the last one and the current date. In a very unlike-me moment I left an email for the author letting him know how much I liked his work and how I was looking forward to his next published collection. Surprisingly Rick answered me back himself and thanked me for my kind words but told me that there would not be any more collections. His publisher did not think there was a market for them. I think his publisher is nuts because this comic strip is well-drawn, humorous, and empathetic to families. At least I can see the daily strips, but I long for a collection.
One Big Happy at Creators.com
Pros: Great portrayal of family life and life through the eyes of a spirited little girl.
Cons: The only one I can think of is that there are not more published collections
Funny versus Unfunny strip ratio: Averages funny 6 to 7 out of 10 strips.
XKCD
Creator: Randall Munroe
I ran across this online comic when it was mentioned in the comments section of a news feed I read. I was captivated by its scientific wit. This strip is published on Mon., Wed., and Fri so when I am on a day where there is no new content I click on random and see one of the many strips created before I began visiting the site. I have to admit that sometimes I don't get this comic because I don't have enough math, physics, or scientific background. Sometimes I will have to Google something in the comic to 'get it'. I think it took me about two weeks before I noticed there was an extra punchline when you scrolled over the comic.
XKCD website
Pros: Genuinely thought-provoking and humorous with a scientific/math/physics leaning.
Cons: If you don't like scientific/math/physics topics you will probably not 'get' this comic.
Funny versus Unfunny strip ratio: A surprising 8 out of 10 funny strips. Sometimes the strips are not supposed to be 'funny' but rather thought-provoking. There have been very few times when I thought this strip was not interesting.
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Creator: Zach Weiner
Another online comic I found in my quest for internet comic enlightenment. This one has some great science and philosophy-based content. It is definitely an adult comic - not that it has any overtly naked or sexually explicit stuff, but it does have sexual themes from time to time. It also will go after practically any topic with ruthless abandon which probably could be offensive if you held strong views on the topic at hand. In a lot of ways this comic reminds me of XKCD only, it has color and doesn't have as much 'math' and its themes tend to pack a little more 'punch'. SMBC website
Pros: Thought-provoking and funny.
Cons: Thought-provoking and sometimes makes me cringe.
Funny versus Unfunny strip ratio: About 7 funny per 10 strips.
Home Office (formerly Stay at Home Dad)
- the antics of a home office father and his family
Creator: Michael Wright
This is a relatively new comic for me that I found when I was looking for all my other comics from the newspapers. I found an online comic collection site and this one was recommended because of another comic strip I liked. This strip has a lot going for it. The artwork is eye-catching and stands out. The strips though simply drawn convey a lot. I have been enjoying the humor since I too have a home office, although I am not a consultant like the main character Bob. This strip marks the second time I have contacted a strip creator. This happened because I noticed that the strip was not being published with consistent frequency. The strip also had a huge caution sign above it stating something like "read at your own risk" because the online comic collection providers did not read the strip so they were not sanitizing it for our safety. So I did something that was once again out of character for me. I sent an email to the author expressing my enjoyment of his work and hoping there was not some calamity befalling him that was keeping him from providing me with daily doses of humor. I was surprised to receive a personal email from Michael Wright who said there had been no calamity, just another project he was working on. That is when I found out he had written a few children's books. Being who I am I ordered those and let me tell you - superb artwork, cute story lines, and great rhymes. You can find his 'Jake' series of children's books here: http://michaelwrightland.com/ ( He really needs better marketing because believe me - if you were to try and find his work by yourself without my help - you might give up trying)
Home Office at Creators.com
Pros: Funny situations and great drawing.
Cons: Intermittent new stuff.
Funny versus Unfunny strip ratio: Funny 6 - 7 out of 10 strips.
Pearls Before Swine
Creator: Stephan Pastis
I was late to the party in reading this comic. Interestingly the first few times I tried to read it I found it off-putting and I didn't 'get it'. This may well have been because the storyline of the strip can sometimes be hard to follow if you don't catch it at the first installment. The characters are charmingly rude to one another, especially Rat to Pig. The fact that Stephan used to be a lawyer might have something to do with the brusque behavior of the characters but probably is more due to Mr. Pastis' bend toward the dark side of humor. I have begun acquiring his comics and discovered something wonderful. His comic collection treasuries, which are two of the comic collections put together, have author notes which are not found in the single collections. In his notes, Stephan gives insight into what went into creating the strip and sometimes how he had to self censor the strip for it to be published. I wish all comic strip creators would do this with their treasuries. If they did I would probably get them despite already owning the single collections - because that is just how weird and obsessed of a comic fan I am. Pearls Before Swine at GoComics.com
Pros: Funny, dark, humor
Cons: Not going to win awards for artistic skills.
Funny versus Unfunny strip ratio: A solid funny 8 out of 10 strips.
Well, that is probably enough for now. This is just a partial list of the comics I find most interesting. It is nice to start my day with them.
No comments:
Post a Comment