Don't get me wrong. I love Calvin and hobbes. My favorite part of Sunday morning was watching Calvin discuss the meaning of life while hurling himself over a cliff in a wagon. And I think we can all admit that Calvin was just really darned cute without it meaning that we're some sort of sicko comic pedophiles or something.
But I think it took a lot of guts and a hell of a lot of personal integrity for Watterson to realize that he should quit now while he's still good. I wish to God some other cartoonists had done the same thing.
Like Bil Keane. Does anybody remember the last time they actually laughed at Family Circus? How many times are we expected to laugh at Billy walking all over the neighborhood before he makes it next door? Or that awful "Not me" "Ida know" thing. Was that ever funny?
Prosecutor: So if you didn't murder your next door neighbor, who did?Personally, I think it would be cool if Bil did the "For Better or For Worse" thing and had the kids age during the life of the strip. (But still keep that same wacky Family Circus humor.) One day, Dolly would come in and say to her mom, "I lost my Virginia tea last night." Isn't that so precious?!?
Defendant: Not me! Ida know!
Courtroom: Hahahahahahahahahaha!
Judge: Heh heh... case dismissed!
And don't even get me started on Charles Shultz, who is clearly well on the road to senility. Peanuts has consisted entirely of non-sequitors since 1983...
(First panel) Peppermint Patty: No, ma'am. I don't know the capital of North Dakota.I have this theory that Penauts is no longer intended to be funny. It is, in fact, conveying secret messages to us from space alines.
(Second panel) Peppermint Patty: I think I need more protein in my diet.
(Third panel) Snoopy, eating some Chex party mix: Buy some more Met Life crap!
Which, as I have learned, is a distinct possibility. Recently, I've received Email from the ET Corn Gods, people who have told me that God and/or Extra Terrestrials (apparently God and space aliens are one in the same. Let's see here... all knowing, all powerful, creator of the entire universe... and shmucks like us who just happen to live really really far away. Makes sense to me.) have been secretly communicating to us for thousands of years.
The letter continues by telling me these space aliens have quite a bit to say about modern life. I'd be surprised to hear what they have to say about things like the Ivy League. This provoked my interest, seeing as how I'm an Ivy League alum, who enjoys such great high-society priveleges as having Ivy League schools ask me for money. And we have always believed that the Ivy League is the center of the universe -- it's nice to have our beliefs validated by the ET Corn Gods. Especially since nobody else seems to care about our football games (official motto: "Did he fumble again?") anymore.
But anyway, the ET Corn Gods have been nice enough to share their knowlege with us. For the low low price of $25, I can purchase an ET Corn Gods tranlsation program. This program was developed by a gentleman who has created "many high tech things, including the first CRT word processing program" (read: "Out of work programmer since 1986") and it will reveal God's and/or ET's secret language to me.
I see this as an optomistic sign for our country. My reasoning is that if we have a society whose citizens have enough spare cash that they can spend it on this kind of crap, we can't be doing too badly. The way I see it, you know you've created a great civilization when people start buying commemorative plates. ("Hey! It's a scene from Police Academy! And it's on a plate!")