No, the target audience is parents or, more likely, grandparents of young children.
Evidence: Last Sunday’s strip, which probably won’t be understood by anyone under thirty, since it is set in a time when children went outside to play, and, not having any electronic forms of entertainment, could do nothing on a rainy day but stare sadly out the window.
You’re fuckin with me, right?:dubious:
I’ve always disliked the Cathy strip. When it first came out in the mid-70’s I was a bit too young to be able to relate to it. When I got older I disliked it even more as I knew women like “Cathy” and didn’t like them.
Also it never was very funny.
But I can see how there is an audience for Cathy and “Between friends” and such.
The target audience is old readers. As is most of the comics page. Benign familiarity is the order.
Of course, it’s almost impossible to exceed this – great jokes, worthless pictures – as practiced by XKCD! Brilliant writing…and I could draw better with my left foot.
Fred Basset has better art than Cathy, but the jokes are very weak. Friendly, but weak.
Nah. While neither Cathy nor Fred Basset are worth wasting my time on, I really don’t dislike 'em. I really can’t think of a better word to describe them than “comfortable.” Beetle Bailey also comes to mind: a guaranteed tepid half-smile, every single day.