Misc. Monday Memoranda – Comic Strip Department
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Wannabe No More
Since we covered the debut of Wannabe by Luca Debus on Gocomics a year and a half ago …
and that it left GoComics for Webtoon earlier this year, we might as well pass on the news that Luca has ended Wannabe as of today. (h/t Mario 500 for the heads-up.)
That’s a wrap, folks!
It’s been such an honour for me to share my comics with you guys. I think we were able to build a fabulous community together. Your comments, your support… it really meant the world to me. I LOVE YOU and THANK YOU!
July 29 Update: Aaaand Wannabe continues.
From Luca: “The thing is… I’m such a prankster. I apologize, but Wannabe is still up and running!”
If Charlie Brown Were a Socialist
Mafalda is the star of the titular comic strip, originally published in Argentina from 1964-73, newly translated into English from Elsewhere Editions, the children’s imprint at Archipelago Books, in its first foray into comics.
Alex Dueben for Literary Hub reviews the new English translation collection of Mafalda by Quino.
Mafalda is a young girl who hates soup and hypocrisy and loves democracy and the Beatles. She’s a precocious six year innocently questioning how the world works—often to the exasperation of her parents. She and her friends struggle to learn chess, try to become telepathic, and worry about war and overpopulation. After making a passionate plea for world she realizes that “the U.N., the Vatican and my little stool have the same power to sway opinion.” And she has the same hairstylist as Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy.
Tamara Bissell Teases New Comic Strip
What started with a simple button proclaiming, “I pooped today,” has developed into a thriving business and a recent triumph for Tamara Bissell, the creative force and owner behind Pithitude.
Fifteen years after launching her brand of irreverent humor and heartfelt designs, Bissell swept both the First Place and Audience Choice awards at the 2025 Curry County Pitch Night, held recently at Mr. Ed’s Espresso & Underground Pub in Port Orford.
Linda Lee of the Curry Coastal Pilot profiles Tamara Bissell, owner of the Pithitude gift shop. (Or here.)
Noted because of Tamara’s upcoming comic strip Donna Lake.
Bissell’s boundless creative energy extends beyond her merchandise. A very boring vacation last January sparked the idea for her new comic strip, Donna Lake. Set to launch around August 1st, the strip is a humorous homage to middle-aged and near-retirement age women in corporate life.
This warm and absurd workplace comedy centers on Donna Lake, a quietly fierce department head navigating corporate chaos and nonsensical situations.
The comic features Donna, a human boss, navigating the anarchy of her office staff, all of whom are animals, including a naughty cat, an intern raccoon, a neurotic goldfish and a sloth that’s on his own time schedule. Bissell handles all the artwork and writing for the strips, which will initially be available online through a newsletter, with a vision for a published book in the future.
Maybe we will see samples on her Instagram or Facebook pages?
The real Man of Steel wasn’t woke, but he was radical
The American right has launched another of its characteristically soul-crushing and stupefying culture wars, this time targeting Superman. James Gunn, the director of the latest iteration of the franchise, simply titled Superman, provided the casus belli by innocently telling The Times of London, “Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country. But for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.” While these mild words might be read as a subtle rebuke to Donald Trump’s xenophobia, they hardly amount to a ringing promise to use the Superman character to challenge the status quo.
Jeet Heer national affairs correspondent for The Nation (and comics historian) takes a look at the early years of Superman and finds he had taken his alter ego’s profession to its ultimate responsibility of “comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.”
The earliest Superman comics done by Siegel and Shuster reflected not just the New Deal but the broader radical politics of the Popular Front. Superman in these stories was not concerned with affirming the justness of the status quo but rather with challenging those powerful forces, including business interests, that oppress the people.
Okay it is about the early comic book adventures of Superman, but the philosophy carried over to the early comic strip Superman which was also by creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Comic Book Resources Comic Strip Lists
I’ll never agree with these lists, but here goes…
10 Must-Read Comic Strip Collections Every Fan Needs to Own as determined by Kevin Dumas.
The themes and humor employed by the [Family Circus] series are appropriate for readers of all ages.
10 Classic Comic Strips That Modern Readers Would Love assembled by Lukas Shayo.
The strip has a simple premise: six-year-old Calvin engages in a series of imaginative adventures with his (seemingly) imaginary friend and stuffed tiger, Hobbes.
10 Comic Strips That Are (Almost) As Good As Calvin and Hobbes as chosen by Lukas Shayo
While it is never quite as deep as Calvin and Hobbes, the strip does offer some of the adorable moments that made Watterson’s work so beloved.
feature image mashup figurine from Kernerio
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