Mike and Ike

Total sight gag, but I've looked at it and laughed 5 or 6 times today.



Who has chewed (and chewed) a Mike and Ike and wondered, "Mike and Ike?"

Of all the Mikes and all the Ikes (OK, name more than 3)...

Do comics influence behavior?

I've received two complaints in recent days about comics "inciting bad behavior in kids" -- Lio and Zits. I hear people out, but find it difficult to believe these comics unduly influence kids' actions.

A teacher called to say Sunday's Lio might incite violence against teachers and that the strip, in general, includes too much violence and bad behavior. Here's the strip:

I have at least a dozen close friends who are teachers. None has complained about the strip - this particular one, or others.

Does Beetle Bailey incite young soldiers to sloth or older soldiers to skirt chasing? Does Dennis the Menace incite kids to play practical jokes? Do adults read Dilbert and then go off on their boss?

I dunno, just seems people place way to much importance on the strips they don't like.

I've mentioned Zits. Here's today's strip, which prompted a complaint from someone who has had issues with the strip before -- it is leading to the downfall of American society:

Capturing a kid's imagination

I always wanted to get a bunch of those growing creatures and soak them at once. If only they grew that large!!

A kid I can relate to

The folks who are voting via mail to keep/drop some of our old standby comics by and large detest "Lio," which I think is one of the most inventive strips to come out in years. They largely ignore "Frazz," too, my current favorite strip. What gives?

Lio reminds me of Charles Adams, Edward Gorey. Creator Mark Tatulli says he has always been intrigued by the artwork of an obscure 19th century artist, A. J. Volck.

"He was a political satirist during the Civil War, a Southern sympathizer, and I was always so fascinated with his darkly detailed illustrations. Every time I looked at his spidery pen-and-ink drawings I found something new. And maybe because his politics were 180 degrees from my own, often depicting Abraham Lincoln as a demonic figure, I was repulsed but still appreciated the craft of his work. I wanted to capture something like that with LIO…art that immediately stirs an emotion, simply by pen technique, even before you know what the strip is about. I don't know if I was successful, but I'm pleased with the results."

You can read more about Mark in this interview with the syndicate.