COMIC STRIP COMPLAINT, Etc.

[Fozzie Bear]

Are you talking about the porcelean (sp?) ones from Hallmark? I wanted those, but they were too expensive for me.

I'm getting the action figures, tho.

The best things ever (and I didn't get ANY) were the Applause figures, with articulated arms, legs, heads, and they wore cloth clothing!! They ahd them all, too: Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, Woodstock (not to scale if I remember), PPatty, Marcy, Schroeder..all of them.

I have a few things, but not many, from over the years. Dunno which is best, either.

Kev

 

[electricmayhem]

Originally posted by Drtooth
I keep watching the Christmas Special just to see Jon And Doc Boy yell "PRESENTS!!!!" at the top of thier lungs. I am, such a goon.

Undeniably one of the best parts!!

 

[Chilly Down]

Agreed about Garfield. Pardon my saying so, but Jim Davis cashed in long ago. He's a corporate figurehead, not someone who produces the strips on a daily basis. The new artists don't seem to understand that what's funny about Garfield is that he eats all the time; he's literally a fat cat. We're not making fun of people here; there are actually cats who just seem to eat all the time. However, in those oversensitive times, Garfield has slimmed way down, and now that he's no longer a spoiled cat, there's no motivation for him to act the way he does--hence, no comedy. (And those feet are too large, definitely.)

Y'know what the worst thing is about the Peanuts reprints? Each paper can individually choose which strips they run. The Chicago Tribune was smart and reprinted strips from the '70s, but the LA Times is reprinting strips from 1990. With all due respect to the legend, the '90s were not his finest hour.

<<Beetle Bailey.............come on the same strip has ran for at least 15 years hasn't it?>>

Umm, yeah, at least that long, Sugarbritchez. Comic strips have a much longer shelf life than, say, TV shows. Beetle Bailey has been running since 1950 (!), right along with Peanuts (though no longer in new strips) and (I believe) Hagar the Horrible as well. Isn't Dennis the Menace right around there too, Foz?

I like it when they reprint stuff, but 1) the new stuff is such garbage, and 2) people aren't aware of the old stuff as much. I'd love to see a daily newspaper that ran a few new strips and a lot of reprints, simply because they're good comic strips. Make 'em nice and large, too, so the artist can really show off his or her stuff. And of course, there should still be room for new artists, but that decision should be made by someone with an artistic eye. Judging by the current badly-drawn, unfunny comics out there, that's not what's happening now.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

CD makes good points.

Unfortunately, the newspapers (in reality) would love to be rid of comic strips altogether! Why? They pay for comic strips, and they get paid to run advertisements, and the comics take up valuable ad space (which is why there was a theraputic heating pad covering the entire back page of the funnies one sunday...NOTE: It was ALL TEXT and one color photo, in THAT big of a space. What company is that stupid to think someone will read that much text in that big of a space??).

Peanuts 70's is the greater era, post-PPatty and Marcie intros, so the whole "gang" as we know them were there by then. There has been mention somewhere of a series of comic strip collections issued, in chronological order, by year, beginning from the 50's until the final strip. OH I HOPE SO!!!

Speaking of comic strips on a Muppets forum, I remember the Muppets comic strip by Guy Gilchrist, which were wonderful. They were reprinted in a few books which I never got but would love to have.

Old vs. New: There are some classics out there which should be foundations of the funnies (because they ARE what invented the funnies) and should remain, but several others have lost their "oomph!" in my opinion (stated above). On the front page of the funnies, I could stand to see Peanuts and Family Circus, but the other oldies are ready to retire--at least until fresh blood can come in and write for them. There are several new ones (Over the Hedge, Baby Blues) and some not so new ones (FBOFW, Dennis the Menace, The Buckets) that can remain.

Time to make room for new blood, though. Definitely.

 

[sugarbritchez]

Originally posted by Fozzie Bear
Are you talking about the porcelean (sp?) ones from Hallmark? I wanted those, but they were too expensive for me.

Yeah they have the real fabric clothing and hand numbered on one of the feet?

Angie

 

[electricmayhem]

Originally posted by Fozzie Bear
Unfortunately, the newspapers (in reality) would love to be rid of comic strips altogether! Why? They pay for comic strips, and they get paid to run advertisements, and the comics take up valuable ad space (which is why there was a theraputic heating pad covering the entire back page of the funnies one sunday

That would be so terrible! The only thing I read in newspapers are the comics!!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Sugbritch, yup; them is the ones! I wanted that set bad, but never got involved in time enough to get them all...besides, they were kind of expensive for me.

Elemayhem, It's unfortunately true. That's why we're seeing more and more online comics now--but, I wonder, how do you do that and still make money doing it if you aren't selling to newspapers?

Still, the crazy thing is, I want to do it.

FOZ

 

[Chilly Down]

ElectricMayhem: You know what's even more ironic? In spite of the newspapers' hatred of comics, that's the #1 reason why people buy newspapers, at least in choosing one paper over another.

Kev: If you ever hear about them releasing those Peanuts books, let me know!!

I shouldn't advertise the "competition" over here , but Danny's doing a month-long review of the Muppet comic strips over at TP.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Likely, if they announce the books, I'll end up saying something here anyhoo. I don't think there's any competition with TP. Both this and that site are great in their own rights; and I do like his articles.

Wonder if Guy Gilchrist is reading them?

 

[Chilly Down]

"I don't think there's any competition with TP. Both this and that site are great in their own rights; and I do like his articles."

I agree. I was just kidding about the "competition" thing.

"Wonder if Guy Gilchrist is reading them?"

Well, one of the Gilchrists' sons posts here from time to time. I don't remember his screenname, but in the Fantasy Worlds thread, he recently posted "My new movie: Storyteller ripoff."