Funnies Fun for Friday
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With Fritzi Ritz and Phyl Fumble, Walt and Skeezix Wallet and Snuffy Smith, Slylock Fox and Olive and Popey and Maricela and The Pig Family, Arlo and Janis and Alfred, Ripley and not DeJoy, Percy Shelley and John Deering and Roy Thomas, Patrick McDonnell and Jane Goodall, Carmen and Winslow and Marshall, Garfield and Daddy, and Sour Grapes on the web and in print, and Marvel and USA Today.
Phil Fumble, though not shown, has officially become a character in the Caroline Cash Nancy comic strip. Who is shown is his cousin Phylis, as Tara suggested here earlier this week.
Also in the same universe is Walt Wallet and Snuffy Smith.
Also mentioned the other day was Gasoline Alley and Barney Google and Snuffy Smith being involved in a true crossover with the characters appearing in each others strips. Of course as has long been the case every comic strip character is a part of Jim Scancarelli‘s Gasoline Alley universe.
The June 18 Gasoline Alley had a couple dates scratched on the wall. 1919 is the year Barney Google debuted, while 1986 is the year Jim took over Gasoline Alley from Dick Moores. But below that is “10 months to go.” Is Jim giving us a heads-up about his forthcoming retirement? In a couple months he will turn 85, in 10 months another half year will b e added to that.
Scott Underwood is also having fun with other cartoonists’ characters.
Olive and Popeye star in Wednesday’s puzzle and Maricela from Rosebuds makes cameo appearance Thursday. Then, last week, Bob Weber, Jr. delighted us with a The Pig Family episode in today’s issue.
And, if I’m not mistaken, that is a painting of Alfred E. Neuman Arlo and Janis are hanging on their wall.
It appears DeJoy has been bumped/has bowed out of the Ripley’s Believe It or Not cartooning rotation. His/her last was the June 4th panel, over two weeks ago. (Naturally they will show up this weekend now.) Aquino and HC Noel have been alternating every other day since Noel showed up June 9.
“A traveler from an antique land”
John Deering used the famous Percy Bysshe Shelley poem to effect on a political cartoon yesterday. I immediately recognized it which I would like to attribute to being well-read on the classics, and in a way I am. But it is the classic comics where I received this particular cultural knowledge. Specifically Avengers #57 (1968).
Since we’ve wandered off the funny pages.
For those of us missing new MUTTS art by Patrick McDonnell he provides new drawings for a book:
Recently, I had the honor of contributing artwork to a wonderful new book, Love in Their Hearts, by Marc Bekoff and Jeff Campbell. I created an illustration of Jane for her foreword and another for the afterword, featuring Jane and the authors.
Back to the funny pages.
As someone who regularly attends his grandkids’ soccer games this is my reminder to cartoonists that in the U.S. youngsters are not allowed to purposely use their heads in a game (not that they don’t get a soccer ball to the face). Yeah, I realize Carmen is not shown in a game in that first panel, all the same…
By the way new Prickly City writer Marshall Ramsey was interviewed recently about his new comic strip job.
Not in Sync.
Sour Grapes recently made its GoComics debut and this surprises me. I would have thought that the GoComics and the newspaper issues would be the same for the day like the syndicated comic strips. But it seems GoComics gets the comic a week earlier than the paying print papers. In my mind it should be the other way around. Also see RINews.
It is our custom to celebrate anniversaries that are multiples of 10 or 25, but if are noting Barney Google‘s 107th I guess we can acknowledge Garfield‘s 48th. Or even Daddy Daze‘s 8th anniversary.
Oh, about that Spider-Man Today comic strip in USA Today. Here’s a little bit better view of the strip pages, which we have added to the original item but thought we put in this new post so it wouldn’t be missed.
Mike
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