# A couple of interesting things I've noticed in comic strips **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 25, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569 "2003-10-25T23:08:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/1 "2003-10-25T23:08:10Z")
In the strip “Fox Trot”, whenever they show anything mathematical, it’s always correct. For instance, somebody will write “integral of x squared dx = x cubed over 3 plus C” on a blackboard. In other strips, even the science-oriented ones like S. Harris’s comics, the math is always gibberish. In “The Lockhorns”, they always run three panels on Sunday, and in one of the panels, the Lockhorns will be at a fancy cocktail party in tux and evening gown, holding a martini or a little plate of hors d’oeuvres. It’s a little jarring to see them like that, because most of the other episodes seem to place them about half a rung above Andy Capp on the social ladder. I have also noticed that “Heathcliff” is never funny. Anyone else noticed similar things? ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/2 "2003-10-25T23:55:25Z")
You are so-o-o cool! Me, I really don’t read the comics very much since they mostly aren’t that funny or interesting in my opinion. (Though of course maybe I’m missing out and don’t know it since I don’t generally read them. On the other hand, I _have_ read through the entire comic page of the local paper occasionally just to see if I’m missing anything.) ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/3 "2003-10-26T00:45:52Z")
**Heathcliff** is something else. The characters seem to inhabit some parallel universe where time stopped at about 1932, cats do prison time and all children are morbidly obese. I’ve noticed my own self that: 1. Garfield has an illogical aversion to Mondays; illogical because _cats don’t have jobs._ 2. Jon says something to Garfield. Garfield responds with a _thought_. Jon stands there stupidly unable to read his cat’s thoughts. 3. The cavemen in **B.C.** are Christians despite the fact that _these cavemen existed hundreds of thousands of years before Christ was born._ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/4 "2003-10-26T00:52:13Z")
Was _Nancy & Sluggo_ **ever** funny? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/5 "2003-10-26T00:57:54Z")
I’m not a musician, but apparently the music that appears in the air above Schroeder’s head when he played Beethoven on his toy piano was absolutely correct, and was painstakingly hand-drawn by Charles M. Schultz. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/6 "2003-10-26T01:10:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheLoadedDog \* > \*\*I’m not a musician, but apparently the music that appears in the air above Schroeder’s head when he played Beethoven on his toy piano was absolutely correct, and was painstakingly hand-drawn by Charles M. Schultz. \*\* That’s true, although I don’t think Schulz drew actual Beethoven scores above Schroeder’s head. Yes, he painstakingly drew the notes and staffs but if you played them for real it would just be musical nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/7 "2003-10-26T01:51:45Z")
My general memory is that most of the time it was real music. I distinctly remember two strips - one had the Moonlight sonata, and the other had Mussorgsky’s Hopak. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/8 "2003-10-26T02:51:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*Was _Nancy & Sluggo_ **ever** funny? \*\* They were so far out that they were rather compellingly interesting. Did you know that Jerry Scott, co author of the strip “Baby Blues” was the last “Nancy” artist? ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/9 "2003-10-26T02:51:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*Was _Nancy & Sluggo_ **ever** funny? \*\* No, not even in the 1940’s. “Cathy” is just the same 9 or so strips run over and over for 20+ years. In “Calvin and Hobbes”, Calvin and Hobbes refused to ever learn a lesson from their actions (by Watterson’s admission). Also in “Calvin and Hobbes”, Spaceman Spiff, Tracer Bullet, and Stupendous Man always narrated their own adventures, despite the fact that they seemed to never have an audience. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/10 "2003-10-26T02:53:04Z")
Besides, Aunt Fritzi Ritz was _ **hot** _! [http://www.gilchriststudios.com/history/main3.asp](http://www.gilchriststudios.com/history/main3.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/11 "2003-10-26T02:55:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hyperelastic \* > In the strip “Fox Trot”, whenever they show anything mathematical, it’s always correct. Almost always. 😛 I distinctly remember that one time Jason is on the playground converting his funtime activities into physics equations. On the slide he thinks something like: > [@](#): > > F = g(sin(theta) - mu cos(theta)) Which is close, but not quite. There should be an “m” on the right. I could be wrong about the exact form, but it was something like that. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Torgo \* > 2. Jon says something to Garfield. Garfield responds with a _thought_. Jon stands there stupidly unable to read his cat’s thoughts. I love how they keep this ambiguous for the most part. Every once in a while it’s clear that Jon doesn’t understand Garfield, but 99% of the time you’re not sure. In my opinion, Marmaduke is the most consistently unfunny. [Every once in a while](http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/nancy/archive/nancy-20031019.html) I like Nancy. ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/12 "2003-10-26T02:56:50Z")
I was reading “For Better or For Worse” last Sunday and noticed a Canadian flag in the background. Is the strip set in Canada? If so, I’m ashamed for not knowing (as I am marrying a Canadian woman). I wish the Comic Strip Artists’ “April Fool’s Day” from 1997 had become an annual thing. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/13 "2003-10-26T02:57:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > \*\*They were so far out that they were rather compellingly interesting. \*\* Agreed! There’s something about **Nancy** that I just can’t put into words. Nancy and Sluggo have achieved an existential coolness that we mortals can only aspire to. I really do think Bushmiller was onto something…ahead of his time, really. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_the\_CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_the\_CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_the_CC)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/14 "2003-10-26T03:03:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Torgo \* > > 1. Garfield has an illogical aversion to Mondays; illogical because _cats don’t have jobs._ This has actually been addressed in a Garfield strip. Panel 1: Ugh, I hate mondays. Panel 2: And I don’t even have a job. Panel 3: I’m just a social chameleon. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/15 "2003-10-26T03:04:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > \*\* Did you know that Jerry Scott, co author of the strip “Baby Blues” was the last “Nancy” artist? \*\* Oops. Wrong again. I see the strip lives online. Sort of. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/16 "2003-10-26T03:05:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \* > \*\*I was reading “For Better or For Worse” last Sunday and noticed a Canadian flag in the background. Is the strip set in Canada? If so, I’m ashamed for not knowing (as I am marrying a Canadian woman). > > \*\* It is. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/17 "2003-10-26T03:05:53Z")
Yes, **Res** , “FBFW” is set in Canada, not suprisingly, seeing as how Lynn Johnson’s Canadian. I wish I’d saved that “April Fool’s Day” set from 1997. Does anyone remember who did what? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/18 "2003-10-26T03:12:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \* > \*\*I was reading “For Better or For Worse” last Sunday and noticed a Canadian flag in the background. Is the strip set in Canada? If so, I’m ashamed for not knowing (as I am marrying a Canadian woman). > > I wish the Comic Strip Artists’ “April Fool’s Day” from 1997 had become an annual thing. \*\* For Better or For Worse is indeed set in Canada. Speaking of settings, I’m not sure whether Funky Winkerbean is set either in Akron, Ohio, or in a city that bears a striking resemblance to the rubber Capital. Are many other cartoons set in a particular place? And what was this “April Fool’s Day,” ResIpsaLoquitor? ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/19 "2003-10-26T03:21:41Z")
A large number of cartoonists drew each other’s strips. For example, Scott Adams drew “Family Circus”, and the man behind “Non-Sequitor” drew “Hagar”. ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569/20 "2003-10-26T03:23:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Earl of Sandwhich \* > \*\*For Better or For Worse is indeed set in Canada. > Speaking of settings, I’m not sure whether Funky Winkerbean is set either in Akron, Ohio, or in a city that bears a striking resemblance to the rubber Capital. > \*\* It is, as is its neighbor **Crankshaft.** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-couple-of-interesting-things-ive-noticed-in-comic-strips/209569.md?page=2)