CSotD: Saturday Short Takes
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One thing that Brian Fies brought to the table during his tenure here is that sometimes it's enough to simply appreciate a comic without declaring it the finest thing ever to grace Bristol board.
I'm going to try to remember to do that, but it's a little late for "Little Dog Lost," which Steve Boreman wrapped up last Sunday after nearly a decade. The premise was in the title: A friendly, not-overly-bright dog, having gotten lost, wanders looking for home. The cast included a cynical tortoise and the semi-villain, a vulture who hoped to lure him into becoming road kill.
I wish that, in my infinite wisdom, I could put a finger on why this strip never quite made the leap from "good" to beyond, because there are a lot of good strips in a world in which good isn't good enough, and I'd make a mint helping boost them.
But Boreman did everything right and, more to the point, he avoided so many traps: He kept the cast small and distinctive, for instance, so that a particular gag could only flow from a particular set up. There are a lot of strips in which it seems the jokes are generic and can be sprinkled over an equally generic cast.
And, while he worked his way into the final artistic appearance over the early days, the art was always sharp and attractive. I read, and enjoyed, the strip every day and I"m sorry it's gone.
You can start here and click your way forward. It's fun stuff.
Meanwhile, a crisis of a different sort seems to have been playing itself out at Prickly City, where Scott Stantis seems to be having trouble finding a lot of humor in the current political scene.
The premise here has been of a pair of erstwhile friends on either side of the political divide, and, over the years, Stantis has created a stable of comical satiric politicians, clearly based on real figures. I haven't always agreed with his takes, but he's been fair in de-pantsing both right and left, granted from a thoughtful, conservative point of view.
In recent months, however, it's been hard to find much fun in the goings on, as the real figures behave more cartoonishly than a cartoonist might make them, and the fictional characters have spent a great deal of time wishing there were humor, or at least hope, in the reality.
Stantis is fortunate that, in his other guise as a political cartoonist, he's based in Chicago, where there is no lack of local stuff to mock and comment upon, and his editorials often reflect that, as they should in any case.
But there's not a lot of fun to be had in the national scene, and he may be feeling painted into a corner about now.
And speaking of reasonably thoughtful conservatives, Andy Marlette offers this contrasting view of the RNC and DNC, which is hardly calculated to stir up the right.
We're starting to see a division in the conservative ranks, between thoughtful commentators and those who will cleave to the party line regardless of whether it leads anywhere sensible or not.
There's a lot of Benghazi-flogging, as well as simple Hillary-bashing, but there's a whole other school of conservatives who are casting about for straws, and some who dare to question what's going on.
However the election proceeds, this will be an interesting process among cartoonists.
Mind you, it's not as easy for progressives as it might seem, either. Jen Sorensen breaks out of her normal four-to-six panel take for this somewhat extended exercise in futility, confronting someone whose only response to questioning is repetition of talking points that didn't make sense the first time around.
The debates should prove interesting, although that will depend on questioners being willing to try to keep Trump on point. Network correspondents have not always distinguished themselves in that regard, and Clinton will have to avoid seeming overbearing by demanding he answer questions.
Meanwhile, cartoonists may face a similar challenge in nailing Trump's Jell-O to the wall. Sorensen does a nice job here, but how often can you repeat the approach?
Finally, epitaphs are a favorite theme at Non Sequitur, and I don't think I'm cheating to point out that Wiley has taken a dim view of social media for quite a few years now.
Still, my own enforced absence for a week or so gave me a similarly cynical view of what's up there, and, if there is going to be some Grand DIscussion between now and November, I'm not convinced it will take place there, either.
I hope it takes place somewhere, though.
Mike Peterson has posted his "Comic Strip of the Day" column every day since 2010. His opinions are his own, but we welcome comments either agreeing or in opposition.
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