It is simply amazing how attached we can get to a little series of boxes that takes no time at all to read. However with each "episode" we remeber and empathize with the characters and their shenanigans. This week's reading assignment was a simple joy to partake in. Most likely because the very idea of reading comic strips just brings back memories for me; which I imagine is true for a majority of people.
Like many people my age, my encounters with newspapers have been limited. However in high school, the local paper gave the school a pile for the students to read and become involved with. Being in high school, my only interests were the crossword puzzle (I know its lame but I love to do them) and the comics. I remember loving to see what the antics of Hagar, the Get Fuzzy Pets, Bizzaro, of course Garfield, Peanuts and many more would be that day.
What is funny is that, even when we miss them for a time, we can get back into their world instantly. Of course, I graduated high school and when I came to Ringling I don't think I picked up a newspaper until this past summer when I had an internship at the St. Petersburg Times. There were copies of the paper available for employees each day. Even though I missed out for three years, I still felt as though I knew the characters and hadn't missed anything.
This is the amazing thing about comics and what makes a comic strip successful. The idea that is a strip that is about an inch and a half by five inches (I have no idea what the exact measurements are) the reader understands who the characters are and is captured by the events taking place.
Though I have read Calvin and Hobbes before, I have never been introduced to Little Nemo and Krazy Kat. Calvin and Hobbes is always enjoyable. I think that this strip is endearing because of the heart of what is happening. The relationship between the boy (always imaginative and precocious) and his friend a tiger is obviously an interesting one...not only because boy/tiger but their personalities are amusing together. Calvin, who is always getting in some sort of trouble, is balanced by the dry, quick humor of Hobbes. It is also interesting because of how dynamic it is for a comic strip. Though there are antics like any other, it is often very thoughtful and philosophical. Visually it is very dynamic because he plays with different styles to set different tones and show the difference between "real life" and Calvin's imagination. All in all, a super enjoyable comic strip.
Little Nemo was really interesting because of how imaginative and fantastical it is. I really loved the tone, it felt almost like Peter Pan in away. Just pure dreaming and play. Krazy Kat was just cute to me. From what I gather from reading, the story and gag is pretty much the same every time (mouse throwing brick at cat, police dog, etc.) I suppose that this could be become mundane very quickly, but just how it was drawn and the idea of reverse cat and mouse, it just seemed cute to me.
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