Days off

[Mikey]

<!--QuoteBegin-Tailsthefox+Feb 28 2006, 10:01 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Tailsthefox @ Feb 28 2006, 10:01 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> It's yet another Dragon Conspiracy! (Heck, DCS is even drawn as a Llewellyn lookalike!)<br><br>And quit bashing Jim Davis! Garfield is the #2 all-time best comic strip behind Peanuts. Yes, the strip is predictable, but you can't deny the fact that Davis is a genius at what he does. Comic strips come and go, but few last as long as Garfield has. (Peanuts, Dick Tracy, Blondie are the only ones I can think of...)<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br>Ooops. Sorry, didn't mean to step on any toes. <!--emo&:(--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... ns/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Mista_B]

Bah, Jim Davis current era Garfield is prime example of the failure of modern newspaper cartoons to be worth reading. <!--emo&:arr:--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... pirate.png' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='pirate.png' /><!--endemo-->

[Zaaphod]

<!--QuoteBegin-Tom Flapwell+Feb 28 2006, 02:33 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Tom Flapwell @ Feb 28 2006, 02:33 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> I can think of several other comics that are at least as old as "Garfield." "Barney Google and Snuffy Smith" might be the oldest. "Nancy" isn't far behind "Blondie." Then there's "Broomhilda," "Love Is...," "Prince Valiant," "Andy Capp," "Mark Trail".... Even "Doonesbury" is getting up there, though it does a good job of hiding its age. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br> "B.C." is closing in on 50 years of existence. Say what you will about its creator Johnny Hart (and plenty has been said, a lot of it uncomplimentary), but he still draws each strip himself. No army of assistants.<br>

[DHLawrence]

<!--QuoteBegin-Zaaphod+Feb 28 2006, 09:33 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Zaaphod @ Feb 28 2006, 09:33 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> "B.C." is closing in on 50 years of existence. Say what you will about its creator Johnny Hart (and plenty has been said, a lot of it uncomplimentary), but he still draws each strip himself. No army of assistants. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br> Not to mention doing a second strip (but I thought he passed one or both of them onto another guy).

[TyVulpine]

He does "Wizard of Id" along with another cartoonist.<br><br>Though, a LOT of Hart's "B.C." strips get edited, because he's very religious, and puts a lot of Christianity in the strips, but of course, the newspapers tend to steer clear of religion in their comics, so he has to be careful of what he puts in the strip....

[Bocaj Claw]

Since amusement derived from comics is subjective I'll just state that I personally do not find Garfield funny anymore.

[Dr. Dos]

Early Garfield actually didn't suck. I have the first 6 or so books and they're not bad, although I haven't read them in years.<br><br><a href='http://www.platypuscomix.net/otherpeople2/usacres1.html' target='_blank'>http://www.platypuscomix.net/otherpeopl ... s1.html</a> There was also a US Acres (Orson's Farm) comic that somebody linked to from I Read This. This comic is also pretty good.

[Rooster]

To me, the only long-running (more than 20 years) cartoon that's remained pure gold is Doonesbury.

[Bocaj Claw]

You'd better sell it before gold prices tumble then.

[IceDragon]

No wonder the strips are not up to snuff. He's drawing them with his left hand...

[Bocaj Claw]

Is he right handed?

[Gizensha]

<!--QuoteBegin-Bocaj Claw+Mar 2 2006, 04:53 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Bocaj Claw @ Mar 2 2006, 04:53 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Is he right handed? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br> Well, even if he isn't, stationary tends to be designed for right handed people. You can get left handed chequebooks, for example.

[Richard K Niner]

<!--QuoteBegin-Gizensha+Mar 2 2006, 12:52 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Gizensha @ Mar 2 2006, 12:52 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> <!--QuoteBegin-Bocaj Claw+Mar 2 2006, 04:53 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Bocaj Claw @ Mar 2 2006, 04:53 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Is he right handed? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br>Well, even if he isn't, stationary tends to be designed for right handed people. You can get left handed chequebooks, for example. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br> I've always been under the impression that the whole written English language was designed for righties.

[Muninn]

This was meant as a response (not a criticism) of another post, but I can't find it now. <!--emo&:lol:--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... /laugh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' /><!--endemo--> <br><br>A lot of comic strips last a long time. Most, obviously are taken over by assistants or sometimes family members, in that way syndicates can keep their succesful titles going for as long as they bring enough money. It's really not a challenge to keep the comic going, it's finding a premise that can keep going that's the challenge.<br>It's well known that Davis created Garfield in as bland and as general a way as he could in an effort to make the comic more marketable to every kind of culture and language as well as being as inoffensive as possible. I would say in that he's succeeded.<br><a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_comic_strips' target='_blank'>Here's a Wikipedia article</a> that lists the majority (if not all) of comic strips. Even a quarter of the way down you see more than a dozen strips that have exceeded 20 or 30 years.

[Tavis]

<!--QuoteBegin-Richard K Niner+Mar 2 2006, 12:19 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Richard K Niner @ Mar 2 2006, 12:19 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> <!--QuoteBegin-Gizensha+Mar 2 2006, 12:52 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Gizensha @ Mar 2 2006, 12:52 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> <!--QuoteBegin-Bocaj Claw+Mar 2 2006, 04:53 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Bocaj Claw @ Mar 2 2006, 04:53 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Is he right handed? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br>Well, even if he isn't, stationary tends to be designed for right handed people. You can get left handed chequebooks, for example. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br>I've always been under the impression that the whole written English language was designed for righties. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br>You got that right... If you were to write with pencil lead that's too soft or ink that doesn't dry fast enough, you run a good chance of smearing it with the writing hand if it has to follow the writing instrument rather than remain ahead of it. Therefore, a lefty will have to keep the hand up to avoid making contact with the paper. This forces the pen/pencil to be held at a steeper angle to the paper and increases wrist strain.<br><br>Additionally, the writing angle poses a similar bias; by leaning handwritten script to the right, pens used on the right hand will lean sideways with respect to the direction of motion, which allows the ball point to roll with fairly even pressure. Pens on the left hand will tend to lean into or away from the direction of motion, which pushes the tip into the paper on upward strokes and pulls the tip away on downward strokes. In both cases, this variation in pressure obstructs ink flow, adds wear to the point and generally shortens the life of a pen. There is also some wrist strain related to turning the wrist up and down rather than side to side to write.