The Comics

As the years unfold,the tragedies of 9/11 are slowly leaving the forefront of our attention spans.Soon,the day will be known simply as 'Patriot Day'.It will just be another day that we don't get our mail and the banks are closed.It has already begun.Most 9/11 coverage was relegated to the second page and the day after.9/11 has become a secondary news story.

And so it was with the funnies.Very few comic strips even acknowledged the events on the day at all.That is why this September 11th,'One Big Happy' comic struck me so well.It was current,actually put some thought into it's tribute,and went above it's normal daily punch line to honor that which others forgot.A job well done.That is why it is the comic of the week.

This 'Baldo' strip from Friday,Sept. 21th was the best of the strip's whole week on the WWII experiences of a Latino veteran.This is a very topical strip as Ken Burn's ,'The War' starts this evening.'The War'-a 15 hour documentary about the avereage(G.I.)Joe-initially had one major flaw:no Latino soldier's story.Ken Burns fixed that,but the 'Baldo' comic adds it's own distinctly Latino flavor.That is why it is the comic of the week.


This 'Dilbert'from Monday,September 24th,walks away with this weeks comic of the week.I actually laughed out loud at this one.




The Funky Winkerbean 'Death of Lisa' arc reached it's apex this past Thursday,October,4th.Immediately,the next day,the strip continued the story line as a series of flashbacks-I believe-from nine years into the furture.This whole Funky Winkerbean story line has been just so touching and incredible,something I can't wait to read daily.This strip has been just as brave and daring as all those great newer comics strips fighting just for the chance,'the chance',to be published on the ever shrinking daily newspaper comics page.My hope is that strips like this will wake up newspaper publishers and editors,and make them realize that they need to expand their comic page and let more great comics in because it's good for business.That is why this is the comic of the week.





The Comic Of The Week Along with other new comic strips such as 'Frog Applause' and 'Diesel Sweeties',I always get a kick out of 'The Meaning Of Lila'.Lila[by John Forgetta and L.A. Rose] is about the pretty,yet underachieving Lila,her sexually ambiguous best friend,Boyd,and their comic tease and hard working other friend,the blond haired Drew.They all three work at a place called,'Metro-Mart' in a town called Cleveland.This 'Meaning Of Lila' from last Friday,Octomber 12th,left me in giggles and worked for me on more then one level,that is why it is the comic of the week.

I just don't know how Jim Davis does it.His 'Garfield' strip is both always timeless and,yet,still always funny.It is a trick many strips fail to accomplish.This whole week of strips having Garfield watch Tv horror movies for Halloween just made me laugh during a very tuff week.Thank you,Jim Davis.That is why this'best of the week' strip is the comic of the week.

In a week with allot of fun Halloween strips [I'm talking to you'Retail'],this past Sunday's (Oct.28th) 'Biographic' was the absolute most fun.That is why it is this week's comic of the week.

The Comic Of The WeekThere is Diesel Sweeties.....The new daily strip....
.....and there is Diesel Sweeties....

....the on line more adult version.

Either version is a rocker[and I rock out].I have been a fan of Richard Stevens Diesel Sweeties from almost the very beginning,somehow finding it on line very early on.I even have three of his t-shirts( 'Johnny Cash Is A Gangsta'/The cassette image/and the 'Chewie Is My Co-Pilot' t-shirt.

This on-line Diesel Sweeties from last Sunday,November 4th,pushed all the right buttons.A girl with blue hair.Talking about watching 'hentai' (Japanese anime porn).It was just adult enough without actually going too far off the edge.More of an imagination thing,really.Sort of like old forties movies.That is why is is the comic of the week.

P.S. Crush all hu-mans.

This 'Frog Applause' was in contention for the comic of the week... ...just pointing it out for a job well done,that's all.




But this,'Clear Blue Water' from yesterday(Saturday,November,17,2007) is the 'clear' winner.'Clear Blue Water',by Karen Montague-Reyes,is a great strip.It tells the stories of the Eve & Manny Torres family and all of their trials and tribulations.The Torres are a spunky group with a very large family that includes young twins and an autistic child as well.Throw in a quirky bunch of friends and a mix bag of political ideologies and you have an unpredictable madhouse of laughter.This strip jumps the gun on the tradition Thanksgiving themed comic strip week,but with hilarious results.That is why it is the comic of the week.

This Turkey Day comic,a'Moderately Confused',by Jeff Stahler,hits all the right marks.It is current,topical,comical and just downright funny.That is why it is the comic of the week.