Rusty Saber: Comic Strips still capture readers' interests

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Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University.|ret||ret||tab|

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Comic strips are in daily newspapers everywhere. Even Springfield Business Journal, a weekly, carries the comic strip "Dilbert." Some might say comic strips aren't a serious column topic. Not a serious topic? What would be the fate of an editor if the comics were left out of the paper, especially on Sunday? |ret||ret||tab|

The editor would learn first-hand about being tarred, feathered and ridden out of town on a rail. If the comics aren't taken seriously, why did millions of us go into mourning when "The Far Side" and "Calvin and Hobbes" were retired?|ret||ret||tab|

Thankfully, after the death of Charles Schultz, his creation, "Peanuts," continues in reruns.|ret||ret||tab|

A few questions about comic strips come to my mind. How long can Garfield continue to age? His most recent birthday was his 25th. If the comic strip lives a long life, will Garfield someday celebrate his 50th birthday, surely making him the oldest cat in history?|ret||ret||tab|

Also, what does Jon, Garfield's owner, do for a living? He's a social nerd who can't find a date; however, he doesn't appear to have a job. How can he afford to buy cat food for Garfield and dog food for Odie?|ret||ret||tab|

"For Better or Worse" is a kind of "situation" comic strip because the continuing story highlights the humor of the characters' everyday lives. Like "Gasoline Alley" before it, the characters age before readers' eyes. What will happen when characters readers have learned to love eventually grow old and die? It took years, but "Gasoline Alley'' outlived its characters, and its welcome.|ret||ret||tab|

Age is no problem for the "Blondie" characters. Actress Penny Singleton, who once portrayed Blondie in movies based on the comic strip, died recently at age 92. Blondie and Dagwood would be older than that, but look to be about 30. Dagwood's unrestrained appetite is the basis of much of the comic strip's humor. In real life, he would weigh over 300 pounds. That he eats so much yet hasn't gained a pound since the 1930s may be why we love comic strips. |ret||ret||tab|

I admit that I don't understand "Doonesbury." It's a comic strip that isn't comical. Its intended humor is political. Some newspapers put it where it belongs on the editorial page with other political cartoons. Some newspapers place it side-by-side with "Mallard Fillmore," another politically inclined comic strip.|ret||ret||tab|

Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines non sequitur as "A statement (as a response) that does not follow logically from anything previously said." How does this relate to the comic strip "Non Sequitur"? Does it mean the strip is a response to something not said? Some believe it replaces "Calvin and Hobbes" as the thinking person's comic strip. |ret||ret||tab|

For me, it's "Shoe," which I love because it makes me think and laugh. Then there is "Beetle Bailey." Why are none of the Army characters ever promoted? One would think Beetle would be at least a corporal; Lt. Fuzz would surely be a captain by now. About Sarge: He regularly loses his temper and beats the tar out of Beetle, leaving him looking like a pile of crumpled clothes strewn on the floor. |ret||ret||tab|

In the real world, civil liberties groups would get into fist fights with each other trying to be the first in line to defend Beetle. Sarge's hide would have been nailed to the legal wall years ago. |ret||ret||tab|

Finally, there is something about "Hagar the Horrible."' I don't understand: Hagar is a fearless Viking warrior who leads his motley crew in laying siege to England. He fears no one except his wife, Helga, his mother-in-law and tax collectors. Helga and her mother, I understand, but tax collectors? Armed with battle axes, they pound on his door, and he cringes in fear. Come to think about it, tax collectors can strike fear into the hearts of us all.|ret||ret||tab|

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