President Obama reads the comics (and Pickles)

I caught this on Gene Weingarten’s Chatological Humor column. Garry Trudeau emailed Gene a link to a photo on the White House’s Flicker account showing a photo of President Obama on the phone. In the background, on his desk is the Sunday comics. Looking at the enlarged photo, I can’t tell which paper the comics came in (we can safely rule out the NY Times); it’s definitely below the fold, but clearly the comic is Brian Crane’s Pickles.

I would have been shocked if it was Mallard Fillmore, but unsurprised if it was Doonesbury.

20 thoughts on “President Obama reads the comics (and Pickles)

  1. Wow what a douche. The only thing you have to say is to point out a typo? That’s as retarded as someone posting the first comment on something and saying “1st!” which is also stupid.

  2. Now that I am sliding into geezerhood I really get a good laugh from the Pickles strip. Different than F Minus but has some of the same sense of the ridiculous. Plus I dig the homage to Harold Gray in the empty ovals for eyes all his characters have

  3. I’ve been reading Pickles since I was in my mid-twenties, David. In fact, I have one of his Sunday originals hanging over my drafting table.

    Brian has a great writing style which is totally accessible to all ages.

  4. I have to echo what Lucas said. Pickles is a great strip.

    The first time I saw it was several years ago (the in-laws had one on their fridge). I read it and laughed ? and then immediately had this guilty feeling for laughing at the ‘old person’ strip. But I read more and it was always funny. It?s just a well-written and well-drawn strip.

  5. The paper may be the Washington Post. I believe it still carries the comic strip Pickles.

  6. Stephen, I’m not sure you can call “Pickles” underrated. Not too long ago it passed the 500-paper mark, and it regularly scores high on newspaper polls and favorites lists.

  7. Glad to hear it, John. It just seemed like Pickles wasn’t talked about as much as it deserved, but I’m glad I’m wrong.

    It stars old people, but it’s not an old people strip. It has a good edge. Great art, too.

    I always thought of Pickles as Bloom County’s “replacement”. Didn’t the Washington Post Writers Group pick it up when Brethed retired?

  8. President Obama likes the Sunday comics and he subscribes to the Washington Post, I guess.

  9. I am a huge Pickles fan! It is one of my favorite comic strips… great art and great humor. Also Brian Crane is one of the nicest people you could meet.

  10. Guess that’s what he was reading instead of the actual healthcare bill. By the way, it doesn’t get any better than Pickles.

  11. Presidents reading Doonesbury is a pretty well-established tradition. The degree to which they chuckle, or even get it at all, has varied considerably.

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