# What did you think of Today's (03/07) Doonesbury? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485 "2005-03-08T03:08:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/1 "2005-03-08T03:08:32Z")
One of the first things I thought of, upon hearing of HST’s exit was “What is Gary Trudeau going to do with Uncle Duke?” My take: It was enough of a salute so that the fans would see him acknowledging his debt, without having to end the character. I don’t know If Hunter ever forgave Trudeau for the parody, it was a sore spot for him, I understand, to be lampooned daily as a lunatic felon, as he put it. Maybe later he saw the humor in it, or maybe the lawyers came to an understanding. I think a ironically sober nod(and wink) to the fans, via a Steadmanesque flashback was about all the public reference we could expect. But will anything develop of the ‘Karmic Flashback’ Duke speaks of? Is it an unprecedented situation in the daily comics? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/2 "2005-03-08T05:00:12Z")
I didn’t see much of a salute there. We see inside of Duke’s head to some bizarro world. How is this a salute to HST? I am giving Trudeau some space – he often starts quite slowly into a theme, and sometimes hits the nail when you’re not looking, and you end up looking back and catching the point. I’m guessing that this will be that sort of week. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/3 "2005-03-08T05:01:54Z")
That one freaky panel was reminiscent of Warlock of the New Mutants. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/4 "2005-03-08T05:34:39Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I didn’t see much of a salute there. We see inside of Duke’s head to some bizarro world. How is this a salute to HST? It’s a direct reference to Ralph Steadman’s illustrations for [Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00007ELDF.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/5 "2005-03-08T05:40:04Z")
More Steadman illustrations of Raoul Duke and/or Dr. Gonzo: [http://hypnotic.club.fr/moteurs/art\_steadman.jpg](http://hypnotic.club.fr/moteurs/art_steadman.jpg) [http://www.qbbooks.com/Steadman/dr.gonzo.jpg](http://www.qbbooks.com/Steadman/dr.gonzo.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/6 "2005-03-08T05:47:56Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s a direct reference to Ralph Steadman’s illustrations for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas :smack: Thanks, I wasn’t familiar with the source material. I do hope GT might do something more with Uncle Duke this week than a reference to obscure (and, yes, very pertinent) artwork. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/7 "2005-03-08T05:49:29Z")
And I’m guessing it’s already that sort of week. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/8 "2005-03-08T13:29:33Z")
> [@The Sonoran Lizard King](#): > > Is it an unprecedented situation in the daily comics? It happened before when Millicent Fenwick (Republican congresswoman from New Jersey) died. She was the model for Doonesbury’s Lacey Davenport. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/9 "2005-03-08T13:36:43Z")
OTOH, today’s (8 Mar) takes a slightly disturbing turn… ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/10 "2005-03-08T14:44:37Z")
I guess that answers the question – “will the strip do a tribute to HST this week?” – in a fairly unsubtle way. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/11 "2005-03-08T14:45:45Z")
> [@Sir Prize](#): > > It happened before when Millicent Fenwick (Republican congresswoman from New Jersey) died. She was the model for Doonesbury’s Lacey Davenport. [Ed McMahon] I did not know that. [/Ed McMahon] How did Trudeau ‘send her off’ so to speak? I vaguely remember a dream sequence featuring Jeremy, her longtime friend and companion. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/12 "2005-03-08T14:50:29Z")
MPSIMS has it [covered.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=305809)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/13 "2005-03-08T14:50:57Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I guess that answers the question – “will the strip do a tribute to HST this week?” – in a fairly unsubtle way. I usually save the comics for lunch, but I peeked ahead. Yes, fairly unsubtle, to say the least. Maybe this will inspire Duke to finish his Magnum Opus “Fear and Loathing at Macy’s Menswear”. At least he didn’t depict Duke with a pistol to his head. But, I guess that’s HST, always blowing minds. 😃☹ :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/14 "2005-03-08T14:56:49Z")
> [@The Sonoran Lizard King](#): > > [Ed McMahon] I did not know that. [/Ed McMahon] You mean Johnny. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/15 "2005-03-08T15:46:03Z")
> [@Fiver](#): > > You mean Johnny. I meant what I said, I was just wrong. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/16 "2005-03-08T18:57:53Z")
> [@Sir Prize](#): > > It happened before when Millicent Fenwick (Republican congresswoman from New Jersey) died. She was the model for Doonesbury’s Lacey Davenport. Nope. From the FAQ written by Trudeau himself: [http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/faqs/faq\_ch.html](http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/faqs/faq_ch.html) > [@](#): > > I’m told that Lacey Davenport was modeled on a real U.S. Congresswoman. Which one? > –Dan J., New York, NY > > You’re probably thinking of the late Millicent Fenwick, but the truth is, Lacey wasn’t actually modeled on anyone. Lacey arrived in Congress two years before Mrs. Fenwick did, but the similarities seemed too distinctive to be coincidental. Indeed, so many people assumed Lacey was Millicent, it seemed ungallant to deny it. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/17 "2005-03-09T06:10:02Z")
I see that [today](http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/uc/20050309/ldb050309.gif), the strip is mocking the idea of a HST tribute. The week isn’t over, but I’m really underwhelmed with GT. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/18 "2005-03-09T15:21:42Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I see that [today](http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/uc/20050309/ldb050309.gif), the strip is mocking the idea of a HST tribute. The week isn’t over, but I’m really underwhelmed with GT. How is that “mocking” the idea of an HST tribute? It may be a humorous tribute, but a tribute nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-you-think-of-todays-03-07-doonesbury/293485/19 "2005-03-09T16:02:47Z")
I’m not sure what to make of Wednesday’s strip, myself. The reference to Thompson shooting himself feels crass, but what could GT really do that wouldn’t? As we’ve noted, HST was a pretty crass act, himself. I think Duke and Honey should take off for Las Vegas.