I was reading the Jim Henson biography. Near the beginning there's a section about the comic strip "Pogo", which ran for 27 years and had a huge impact on Jim Henson. He was a fan of the comic all his life, it seems.
I thought about the comic strips that have had that kind of impact on me, as-- like most folks-- I would read every comic strip I could find when I was a kid. Surprisingly, the first one that came to mind was Penny Arcade-- surprising in large part because I started reading it when I was 20, so I can't say I grew up with it, really. When I started reading Penny Arcade, its appeal was in its humor and its subject matter, but in the years since, I think I've continued reading it because it's honest. It's not about a cast of characters or a storyline or even a setting-- it's just a creative outlet for whatever's going on with these two guys, three times a week. The opinions that come through in each comic are usually there because that's just what they were thinking about at the time.
All of this is true of other comics I loved growing up, of course-- Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County, even Peanuts-- but since Mike and Jerry are only a few years older than me, I found their comic more relatable. I don't know if anyone who's 20 right now would be likely to enjoy it. I wonder what comics are out there that would have the same power for that person. History has shown that there's always going to be something that will do it; the author, the artistic style, the voice, even the medium will change, but the power of comics hasn't really dissipated, has it?
Anyway. I don't know why I felt compelled to write all this, but thanks for reading it.
I thought about the comic strips that have had that kind of impact on me, as-- like most folks-- I would read every comic strip I could find when I was a kid. Surprisingly, the first one that came to mind was Penny Arcade-- surprising in large part because I started reading it when I was 20, so I can't say I grew up with it, really. When I started reading Penny Arcade, its appeal was in its humor and its subject matter, but in the years since, I think I've continued reading it because it's honest. It's not about a cast of characters or a storyline or even a setting-- it's just a creative outlet for whatever's going on with these two guys, three times a week. The opinions that come through in each comic are usually there because that's just what they were thinking about at the time.
All of this is true of other comics I loved growing up, of course-- Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County, even Peanuts-- but since Mike and Jerry are only a few years older than me, I found their comic more relatable. I don't know if anyone who's 20 right now would be likely to enjoy it. I wonder what comics are out there that would have the same power for that person. History has shown that there's always going to be something that will do it; the author, the artistic style, the voice, even the medium will change, but the power of comics hasn't really dissipated, has it?
Anyway. I don't know why I felt compelled to write all this, but thanks for reading it.