Posted on 03/04/2005 3:45:21 PM PST by sully777
NEW YORK "The Family Circus" reached its 45th anniversary today. Or maybe it will reach its 45th anniversary tomorrow. That's because the comic panel started on a leap-year day -- Feb. 29, 1960.
Bil Keane created "The Family Circus," and now does it with his son, Jeff Keane, for more than 1,500 newspapers via King Features Syndicate.
When I was a kid, my mom always told me I would find Family Circus funny when I had kids of my own. Well, I have three now...it's still lame.
"Peanuts" is like Sam Kinison compared to "Ziggy."
Are you confusing Ziggy with Zippy the Pinhead?
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Calvin and Hobbes, hands down THE best. Well drawn, universal appeal, consistently funny, thematic without becoming redundant, never sold out to mass marketing, and Bill Watterston knew when to quit. Wonder what he's doing now?
"And it's easily a finalist for "Lamest Cartoon to Run 45 Years."
I have but one thing to say to you: Apartment 3G and Mary Worth.
Okay. That's two things.
Nuff said.
Prince Valiant was the Al Gore of comics: LAME!
That cracked me up. You get points for the best freep comment today.
That cracked me up. You get points for the best freep comment today.
This is one of the cleaner ones, so be warned:
Although I agree with many here who've said that Family Circus can be treacley and repetitive at times, I cut it some slack (fairly or not) because Bil Keane is a conservative-values Christian whose work quietly puts those values on display.
Bil is the father of Glen Keane, one of the foremost animators working today. Glen was the supervising animator of Disney's characters Ariel (Little Mermaid), Aladdin (title character), Pocahontas (title char), Tarzan (title char) and many others, and he probably owes his early introduction to art to his father Bil.
I liked Family Circus when my kids were young, because the family go to church and behave with courtesy and good humour toward one another. Now I like Foxtrot and Baby Blues better, but it's still a cute comic.
Sally Forth is my nominee for the lamest comic. The people all look warped.
Second best. Right after "Bloom County."
Take today's installment. Daddy is knotting his tie, while looking into a mirror. The daughter, Dolly, announces (presumably to other family members, who are not visible): "It's almost time to go! Daddy's putting on his tie!"
Now that's funny, I don't care who you are! Dolly, who is approximately as intelligent as a turnip, has figured out that when Daddy finishes getting dressed, he will be ready to leave! Ahhh...HAHAHAHA! Hilarious!
This is quality humor. Keane's razor-sharp wit once again surprises and delights his audience. Little wonder that this comic strip has lasted nearly half a century!
You're too damn old!
Die already you fossil!
Claire: So what do you have against The Family Circus?
Todd: Ok, so you sit down to read your paper, and you're enjoying your entire two-page comic spread, right? And then... then there's The Family F***ing Circus, bottom right corner, just waiting to suck, and that's the last thing you read, so it spoils everything you read before it.
Claire: ...You could just not read it.
Todd: I hate it... yet I'm uncontrollably drawn to it.
I am tragically disappointed to find that there is so much as one person here who finds any humor in Family Circus. It should be on the obit page where people are already bummed out.
I hated and feared Dondi. His menacing eyes were black pools of death.
Better him than Peanuts though.
That exact quote came to mind when I saw the article title.
The complete Calvin and Hobbes collection with every published strip will be published September 1st of this year. Just in time for Christmas!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0740748475/103-5753705-0085460
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