Post #34

Thought for the day:

Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is.
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For some reason or other, reading this thought for the day made me think of the newspaper comic strips. And when I think of comics, I just automatically think of two all-time greats, Calvin and Hobbes and Pogo.
Calvin and Hobbes was created by the talented artist Bill Watterson, and I almost went into mourning when Mr. Watterson retired. I guess he just got burned out and decided that the constant pressure of doing a daily strip was not worth the effort. I can empathize with him on a very small level because at one time I drew a strip. It was for our high school newspaper, which was only a weekly publication. The pressure, though, of coming up with ideas and putting them on paper for even that once-a-week deadline made me think more than once about pursuing a career in some field other than art.
The comic strip Pogo was dreamed up by Walt Kelly, a very talented artist who died all too early and took the beauty of his creation with him. Although his family tried valiantly to carry on with his work, the strip just didn’t have the same impact or appeal that the original did, and they finally gave up.
For those of us who like our morning coffee flavored with a little laughter, there is nothing much more satisfying than starting the day off with a cup of that piping hot brew as we read the comic section of the morning newspaper. That section of the paper used to be called the funny paper, and most of the strips that appeared in it were exactly that: funny! Unfortunately that’s not so much the case anymore. Of course there are still a few in today’s market that have some wit and satisfying humor. Most of the current strips, though, are either involved in “sending a message,” or are so off-the-wall that they’re even hard to look at. Nevertheless, I still religiously drink my decaf and read the comic pages hoping that there might suddenly be a breakout strip that is written and drawn just for fun, and with wit and humor.
I’m not suggesting that Watterson’s and Kelly’s strips didn’t carry a message. They did, but they were neither obvious nor heavy-handed in the delivery. Their approach was through satire, and it was always handled subtly. A person could read it and understand its profundity, or could read it and be truly amused without having to do too much analysis.
I miss that kind of humor.
But beside the humor itself, there are several things that I especially like about the work of these two men: First of all, every one of the characters in their strips is well defined. Their mannerisms, their speech patterns, their body language, their mental processes are consistent, strip after strip after strip.
Another thing that is striking to me is the artistic ability of the cartoonists. Each panel of Walt Kelly’s Pogo was a beautifully designed piece of art. The composition was perfectly thought out and unified, and the quality and character of the line drawings was really extraordinary. If you were a follower of that strip, you no doubt noticed that the characters all have only three fingers on each hand (or paw) instead of the four you might expect. That was a throwback to Kelly’s days as an illustrator at the Walt Disney studios.
Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes has the same qualities as Kelly’s Pogo, but in varying degrees. While his drawing is not quite as aesthetically sophisticated as Kelly’s, his strip really shines in the way he portrays the physical expression of emotion in the characters—again, consistently.
Obviously, I could go on and on about this subject because it is one I’ve always loved, but I’m afraid that this is beginning to sound like a diatribe against all cartoon strips. It’s not. There are, of course, a lot of current strips that qualify for the title of “funny,” but Calvin and Hobbes and Pogo have set high standards for the rest of the world of comics, and they make me wish for more—a lot more.
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Riddle time!!

Why is a dying man like a cobbler? (very punny).

Oh, and about the one-vowel-used-five-times word, think in terms of what Houdini or any other magician might say when performing a trick.

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