Without a doubt … Calvin and Hobbes! Wise, humourous, beautiful drawings, and the odd heartwrenching poem … capturing the spirit of childhood SO completely!
I also agree that it would be nice to see some FUNNY Doonsebury comics again! How long’s it been, 15 years?
Undoubtedly, it’s Calvin and Hobbes. They totally rock. Of course, Far side was awesome too, but it couldn’t compare. I’m sure there are some others, but I am just a youngin…
I’ll toss in my vote for Calvin & Hobbes and Bloom County also. I grew up on those and they were heads and shoulders above the rest of the 80s stuff.
But I also want to give a shout out to Walt Kelly and Pogo. Nobody and I mean nobody can write and drawn anything as witty, beautiful and great as he can. He is high up on my not too small list of Great Non-Pointy-Headed[sup]TM[/sup] artists!
THE comic to bring back: Nancy. But you’d also have to bring back Ernie Bushmiller. No Plastinos, or Scotts, or whoever’s doing it this year. Ernie’s Nancy was one of the bizarrest, cleverest, and at the same time simplest comic strip ever.
Many before me have commented on the 3 rocks, Sluggo’s speech problems, Fritzi’s lean, etc. etc. So I will just quote a comic. Now I pick up one of the few Nancy collections I own and just open to a random page:
Frame 1: Nancy is standing next to Sluggo, who is sitting on a wood crate peering through a hole in a fence. A sign on the fence says “Ball Park”.
“I see you bored a hole” says Nancy.
“I bored TWO holes” replies Sluggo, pointing to another hole higher up in the wall.
While “Bloom County” and “Calvin & Hobbes” were both great strips, I personally would love to see the ressurection of two REALLY old comic strips that were obvious inspirations to both Watterson and Breathed.
“Krazy Kat” by (I think his name was)Walter Herriman was a surreal little strip about a cat who loved a mouse, and the mouse that hated his guts. (which i’d bet money inspired the idea for ‘Itchy & Scratchy’ on “The Simpsons.”) “Little Nemo in Slumberland” was a strip about a little boy (Little Nemo) with fantastical imaginative dreams and fantasies, much like Calvin. Both of these strips were amazing to look at, and if you see Krazy Kat, you can see how Berke Breathed was “inspired” to create Outland.
I’ve been trying with no luck to find anthology books of either of these strips. Alas, while they always appear in books about “the history of comics” no publisher has had the bright idea to do a book specifically about them…
I’d go with Li’l Abner. Not the political stuff, but he was the only artist that drew pretty women and buff men and scrawny old coots. Nobody has done that since.
I think there’s a real opportunity for some artist.
Bill the cat for president!!!
I have a whole collection of Opus stuffed animals.
If my hubby would have had his way our son Dylan would be Calvin, and it’s bad enuff that he carries a Tigger everywhere. Oh, Goddess help me I can see it now!
On our van we have a Calvin and Hobbes sticker and my son insists that it is Dylan and Tigger.
Favorite ones are the ones with the snowmen!
And I know we will have our own troubles with babysitters!