WTF Fridays: Early Morning Wanderings

Hey, to say it's been one hell of a week would be an understatement. Subdued by a cold, bowled over by work, and embroiled in a top, TOP secret work project can have a bit of wear and tear on a monkey, especially on his blog!

All I can say is "Sorry about that chief!" I haven't been ignoring you all on purpose, and thanks a heap (and I sincerely mean "thanks") to the two of you that felt it important enough for you to email me and ride my ass that there hasn't been any contributions to the blog all week- it was not intentional I assure you, and I appreciate knowing that you're out there and care enough to bitch. Thanks.

Well, maybe I was avoiding you on purpose. Most of my thoughts outside of work have all been on politics and our economy, two subjects I'm pretty sure most of us are sick and tired of talking about at this point, am I right? Perhaps better silence that me blabbing on and on about how folks should REALLY be looking at all the candidate's records to see who out there is telling the less lies. Again, just as well, as later in the week it started to become pretty obvious on who's ahead and who's glassy eyed race-baiting just isn't settling well for those few candidates who are trying to find the true issues on their presidential hopefuls. It's just flat out becoming a sheer waste of time isn't it? On the bright side, ol' man McCain has abandoned Michigan for campaigning in, chalking off the state as a loss, and robbing most of the media outlets of any of his campaign contributions. Thanks john! I'm seriously thinking of starting my own campaign lawn sign that reads: "McCain/Bailin: Think Michigan", bet I could make a mint.

I've hardly been out all week, and too sick to go out for 2-3 days of it. This monkey is lloonnnggg overdue for a little lap dancing, and unfortunately it'll still be a few days before that happens. Friday for sure.

One thing that has boiled my blood this week has been the sad, sorry state of "mainstream" comic strips right now. All these great creators that work on a strip for a few years and then "retire"- WHAT THE FUCK??!! How do you RETIRE from comics??? doing a daily grind on something ANYTHING that promises me something of a living is most ever cartoonists dream, and yet these idiots run the race for a few years (or in For Better Or Worse's Lynn Johnson's case a few decades) and then decide the work is just too much? C'MON!! there are folks out there banging out strips on a daily basis and another 10-20 times worth begging for the opportunity to do so, and you take your nationally syndicated strip, pack up, and walk away, or worse still, you allow reruns of your strip to be run so you can still pocket even MORE jing and do nothing to earn it.

I understand Peanuts, and I totally accept that as the exception to the rule. Charles Shultz and his estate deserve every penny they make off of their reruns. Schultz was there longer than most anyone (especially now) and make or broke the funnies section on a number of huge papers, plus his work is TIMELESS, and like I said his estate deserves to have his strips run and rerun throughout all time as far as I'm concerned.

My problem is Doonsberry, Boondocks, Calvin and Hobes, For Better Or For Worse, Far Side, and now Opus all running and retiring because it just doesn't seem worth it to keep going. Thanks you jerks! Especially Johnston, who worked (or still works) with at least two other assistants on the strip and is blatantly running reruns (even "updated" reruns are still reruns), and continues to not only make the same jing but still retains most of her prominent space above the fold on the front page of the comic section. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU! I understand if you stop- if the work has lost its' edge and you need to go find it again- draw up and take a break, but to abandon your job as if it is no longer worthy of your attention is shameful.

Opus' Breathed is a prime example of a spoiled rotten creator that needs to have his ass kicked for abandoning his readership AGAIN, just because he's lost his "edge" and "doesn't want to run commentary about the current political situation"- BOO HOO HOO! Maybe you deserve to languish in obscurity once you DO find your voice (and you've proven with Outland and Opus that you're bound to find that "voice" again), perhaps stuck with a web strip that few people read, or even get to know about. You WERE funny up till a few months ago, so what the hell happened? Your last few months worth of strips have been lack luster and sad, maybe you should be FIRED as opposed to retire.

Of course there are a number of strips out there that I just don't find funny, or that have lost their sheen to the point of the real punch line being the fact that editors continue to print your bland, sad works. These newspapers that are SO desperate to find new readers- ANY readers and yet continually stick to the unfunny and sanitized strips for printing, so they don't piss off any readers. That's what stopped Liberty Meadows, and I don't blame Cho for quitting- his problems wit editors were two fold- one being his too PC editors and the other being his unable to please his too PC editors because his sense of humor was too adult for them to handle. That still doesn't excuse these guys who have been in the trenches for years, guys who KNOW what they can and cannot get away with, to just up and quit. Strip editors need to grow a thicker skin and realize the simple cliche' that you can't please everyone all the time. Plus a little controversy, especially in the funnies section, helps to sell more papers, or at least you would think so, but then I tend to think RATIONALLY.

There are way too many good strips, FUNNY strips, that these editors can run with that would spice up their sections. Honestly how many folks would miss Beetle Bailey or Snuffy Smith? I understand why Dilbert needs to be there, but isn't that strip about 10 years past fresh? And, Garfield...why? Marmaduke...why? And Foxtrot is now only unfunny on Sundays- okay, he's occasionally kinda funny, but again, WHY?

I'm probably out of step with the times anyway, because I still love an old fashioned, well done, well written adventure strip like Tarzan or Dick Tracy. These so-called "funny" (sterile) strips just take up space and keep the younger funnier (perhaps edgier, and hipper) strips from being seen. Some of those strips NEED to retire, especially if their creator has lost their "voice".

So, enough of the above rant. I have folks now telling me "If you don't like something why don't you do something to change it", well, I'm working on that...maybe.

More stuff on the way- I've already scheduled a rant (recycled perhaps, but I'm still not getting paid for it- lol!) for tomorrow (Monday), and I'll try to schedule another thing or two before the day's out, just to give you folks a little something through the week, in case I get too busy again. This should be enough for now. Take Care and WAKE UP!!