Thursday, March 27, 2008

Jesus, puppies and cyborgs

Among the endangered species not subject to federal protection are the old-school "straight" comic strips still appearing in local newspapers every day. Pursuing plot lines that in some cases wind back to the days before WWII, and sometimes written or drawn by professionals who reach back that far as well, they consistently deliver an accidental surreality sure to punch up your day, and often achieve a three-panel haiku more potent than any Roy Lichtenstein appropriation. Just a couple of thematically linked samplings from today's lineup,:



In Mary Worth, the Melrose Place of the blue-haired set, Mary recounts her childhood discovery of Jesus through the wholesome miracle of an intact family.



And in Mark Trail, the continuing saga of America's favorite Subgenius outdoors writer, Mark delivers a prize puppy to a little girl and awakens her from her post-divorce depression.

For a daily dose of commentary, check out The Comics Curmudgeon.

If that's not doing the trick for you this Thursday morning, maybe you need a little cyborg love.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

those comic strips may have dated, but the opening credits to "the six million dollar man" never will: 2 minutes of tasteful special effects, edgy sound design, skillful montage and the shock of the new. what a pity the actual show always failed to live up to the perfect promise of those frozen 2 minutes.

Christopher Brown said...

Simon - Well said, though I do have a fondness for the Bigfoot episodes...and for Oscar Goldman and his vanilla Cold Warrior subtext. - Chris