Today’s Globe tried to pull controversy from a non-story: the “adult
content” of comic strips. The article harkened back to a mythical
golden age of comics when, “You laughed or you didn’t, you read them or
ignored them. But until recently the funny pages didn’t usually make
you angry.”
Well, anyone who regularly reads this blog (all 5 of you) would know, the “funny pages” regularly make me angry
not because they are “edgy” but because of their insipid, banal, and
simply downright un-funny content. Every inch of space that Garfield, Rose is Rose, and favorite punching-bag of comics critics everywhere, Family Circus, occupies is another inch that can’t be devoted to fresher, newer, and perhaps even funnier artists. What comic strip did the Globe have to dump to subscribe to Get Fuzzy? We don’t know, nor do we really care. Get Fuzzy is undoubtedly better.
Besides, what kids actually read the comics anymore? And really, who among them would actually be offended by any of the half-assed attempts at humor that the Globe article lamely cites as “edgy”? Today’s For Better or For Worse
is more in touch with the reality of children today: it shows tweener
April flipping through and ultimately bored by the offensive crud aired
on today’s television. By comparison, the content of our comics pages
are a veritable rated-G world.
Just came across your site and I found this entry particularly funny. My husband is unfortunately often on the receiving end of comic strip hatred (he’s been writing Sally Forth ever since Greg Howard stepped down). Some of the vehemence readers have for it is pretty entertaining: http://www.drinkatwork.com/letter.html
Oh, if you’re interested, he has a Web comic that is more his own creation:
http://www.drinkatwork.com/mediumlarge.html
I particularly like this one from earlier in the week:
http://www.drinkatwork.com/medlarge187.gif