HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: tvaughan@electron.rutgers.edu (Timothy E. Vaughan)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: Family Circus
Date: 7 Apr 92 21:14:09 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

Hooray!  Someone shares my loathing of this strip!  In college my
roommate and I had a contest to see which strip was stupider:
Family Circus or Nancy.  We each rated the strip every day for a month
or so, and the low score would be the stupider.

I couldn't believe that Nancy was stupider, since I was betting on
Family Circus.  Maybe it was a statistical anomaly.  Anyway, I detest
both of them.

Gosh, it feels good to get that off my chest.

Tim
From: jrbd@craycos.com (James Davies)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: Calvin and Hobbes
Date: 8 Apr 92 16:54:49 GMT
Organization: Cray Computer Corporation

In article <1992Apr7.223025.20669@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> flournoy@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Raymond Suke Flournoy) writes:
>In article <53820@hydra.gatech.EDU> gt1759c@prism.gatech.EDU (Donald Morris) writes:
>>So, what's tied for 2nd? (And a rather close 2nd in my book...)
>>
>>	Baby Blues and Foxtrot!
>
>  Well, I can't say I agree on the Peanuts in 5th statement
>(definitely higher), but I do agree that "Baby Blues" and "Foxtrot"
>are great.  FT got discussed on rec.arts.comics every now and again,
>but I have never seen anyone discuss BB, even though it is
>consistently funny and original.  The lyrics to "Wild Thing" rewritten
>as "Child Thing" were classic!

I agree on all counts...Baby Blues is good, Foxtrot is great (I
especially enjoyed the way he trashed Family Circus a few weeks ago),
but C&H is #1.  Unlike Far Side and Doonesbury, C&H seems to have survived
the author's sabbatical without any damage.

My favorite recent Baby Blues strip was The Squirminator (Say 'Hasta la vista',
baby).  But then again, I have two little kids...it might be lost on someone
who doesn't.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: carols@world.std.com (Carol Springs)
Subject: Re: New Comics-only paper? (was Chicago Tribune Comics Section)
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 12:50:16 GMT

In article <1992Apr10.035357.6226@eff.org> hshubs@eff.org (Howard Shubs) 
writes:

>Has anyone ever published a comics-only (okay, with ads) newspaper?

I just saw a mention in Comics Buyer's Guide of a weekly paper called Strips, 
which "collects something like 60 comic strips and panels each issue" -- a
week's worth of dailies, except for Sunday's Outland.  The other specific 
strips mentioned in the article are Calvin and Hobbes, Broom-Hilda, 
Doonesbury, Popeye, Tank McNamara, For Better or for Worse, Funky Winkerbean, 
Dick Tracy, Rip Kirby, and Juliet Jones.

For info, write to Associated Features Inc., P.O. Box 7099, Fairfax Station,
VA  22039.
 

-- 
Carol Springs                      carols@world.std.com
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: yarnot@csusac.csus.edu (Jan Yarnot)
Subject: Re: Tumbleweeds?
Organization: Moi?
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 92 02:12:49 GMT

Hey, *I* am a citizen of Grimy Gulch (no surprise to anyone who has
visited my house...)  Long years ago, when the strip was first starting
(OK, 1968, I believe) I think the Powers-That-Be wanted to see what reader-
ship was like, so since the pop. of Grimy Gulch was getting dangerously low,
they offered citizenship to those of us who sent in a self-addressed-stamped-
envelope.  
 
The other comic strip I've replied to (sorry, people) was for a Gasoline Alley
family tree.  I have followed this soap-strip sporadically for 40 years.  I
suppose, when Walt dies, as he probably must, eventually, the strip will
also go to its just reward.  It's been interesting watching the aging rate
with GA... it's not quite a year to a year (For Better or Worse is pretty
chronologically sound) but it's close.  So Skeezix was "Baby Dumpling" on 
Walt's doorstep some 60 years ago.  I would like a compilation of early
GA... I had one for early Blondies.  She was a flapper and Dagwood a ne'er-
do-well that B's folks disapproved of.  (Oh, heck.  Senility strikes.  Was
*Alexander* "Baby Dumpling?"  I think he was.  Oops.)  But in the 50s, when
I started paying attention to comic strips, Alexander and Cookie were only a
little younger than they are now.  But now Dagwood is in a carpool instead of 
running for a streetcar, and I understand Blondie has gone to work.  Daisy
and Elmer-the-pup do not age.

-- 
---Jan Yarnot, net.grandma.---    How many graduate students does it take to
                                     change a light bulb?

CSUS depends on my every word.          Only one, but it takes 9 years.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: amanning@acd.acd.ucar.edu (Andrew Manning)
Subject: Re: New Zealand Comic Strip
Organization: Ntl Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Chemistry
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 17:58:12 GMT

In article <1992Apr08.193035.2749@onetouch.COM> csmith@onetouch.COM (Craig Smith) writes:
>Has anyone out there heard of a comic strip from New Zealand called
>"something" Flats?  I forget what the first word is.

Footrot Flats (which is the name of the farm where the strip is set)

>
>The main character is a black and white dog commonly used down there
>for herding sheep.
>
Sort of along the lines of Peanuts, in the sense that the main character is
a dog who speaks to us, but the similarity ends there. 
Another important point is NO ONE knows Dogs name, except for Dog himself,
"Aunt Dolly", and "Wal", the farmer. If either of these two start to call
him by his name, he attacks them and prevents them. This is because he was
brought up as an orphan in Aunt Dolly's cat home, and she gave him a sissy
name. 

>They seem to be less prudish in their strips down there as genitalia
>(especially sheep genitalia) is often shown and jokes made about it.
>It is bawdy in places, but not, I repeat, NOT obscene.
>
>I like the strip a lot, but I have not seen it in some time.
>
It's my second favourite strip after Calvin and Hobbes.

>Anyone know of any books of it available?

Well I have Footrot Flats 17 (the author (Murray Ball, who is a farmer
himself) publishes one a year) sitting on my desk now. But I doubt if there
is anywhere in the U.S. where you can buy them. Possibly in L.A. or on the
East Coast somewhere, but I really wouldn't know. I get them sent over from
home :-)

As for whether they would appeal to Americans - well, some people think
they wouldn't, because you would miss most of the jokes, being related to
farms and such. BUT, a) I have never lived on a farm; and b) my roommate
thought it was hilarious (but then, he's from Wyoming :-) ). Americans
definitely would miss the rugby and cricket jokes though, and would
probably find it odd to see them all going down to the beach for a swim on
Christmas Day!

>-- 
>:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
>:: Craig Smith                                         csmith@onetouch.COM ::
>:: Columbus, OH                                  ...!uunet!onetouch!csmith ::
>::::::::::::::: "Life is a fulltime occupation."--Gene Kalman :::::::::::::::


Andrew M.
From: lazlo@triton.unm.edu (Lazlo Nibble)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: Eyebeam and Dilbert
Date: 14 Apr 92 02:57:40 GMT
Organization: Living in a satellite fantasy, waiting for the night to end.

hkelly@edsr.eds.com (Kelly Shuldberg) writes:

> Does Eyebeam still appear in the Statesman and The Daily Texan?

Eyebeam's been gone for years; Sam Hurt spun Peaches off into her own
strip (Queen Of The Universe) when he got a national syndication deal.
It's vaguely entertaining but nowhere near as good as Eyebeam was.

Martin Wagner (Hepcats) is reprinting the full run of Eyebeam in comic-
book form.  The publisher name is Double Diamond Press.  Check at your
local comic shop.

--
Lazlo (lazlo@triton.unm.edu)

"Let's save the virgins!"
		"Awww, let's help DynaPink."
From: kilcup@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu (Greg Kilcup)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: C & H number one!?
Date: 8 Apr 92 00:37:27 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Ohio State University; Physics Department

Having been overwhelmed with 50 message this first day of
the rec.arts.comics.strips, I can't believe that nobody
even mentioned the obvious number one strip:

            ==================
            ==  Doonesbury  ==
            ==================

I mean, C+H, Foxtrot and Far Side are certainly all up there,
but one must admit that Doonesbury out-classes them all.

Shall I assume that since it is published on the editorial
pages of many papers, many of you forgot about it?

---------------------------------------------------------------
Greg Kilcup                   kilcup@pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu
Asst. Prof. of Physics        kilcup@ohstpy.bitnet
The Ohio State University     (614) 292-3224
---------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: kiran@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (Kiran Wagle)
Subject: For Better or for Worse
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 92 21:54:18 GMT

Anybody read this? Any opinions? Should she have had the third child?
Will Michael & Martha stay together forever? Will Gordo turn his dad
in for abusing him?

-- 
"The truffle is not an outright aphrodisiac, but it may in certain
 circumstances make women more affectionate and men more amiable."
                                                ...Brillat-Savarin
From: nick@flash.ATC.Olivetti.Com (Nick Yannaccone)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: Ernie
Date: 13 Apr 92 21:08:49 GMT

Ah, someone finally mentioned my favorite comic strip.  Although it can
get so weird as to be unreadable, Ernie is my favorite.

Does anyone know if there is available a collection of this strip.
Thanks.

    -- Nick
       nick@atc.olivetti.com
From: jrbd@craycos.com (James Davies)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: For Better or for Worse - die, die, die!
Date: 10 Apr 92 20:34:41 GMT
Organization: Cray Computer Corporation

In article <1992Apr9.200909.18338@udel.edu> wagenfuh@huey.udel.edu (Karl Wagenfuehr) writes:
>In article <1992Apr8.163229.26289@colorado.edu> zulauf@csn.org (Mike Zulauf) writes:
>>     Of course it would really be interesting if one of the characters
>>went psycho and killed off the whole lot in a nice bloody rampage.
>>I'm sure it could drag on for many weeks, what with torture, police
>>standoffs, hostage-taking, etc.
>>
>I'm sorry:  it's already been decided that the psycho killer plot-line
>will go to Sally Forth -- unless you propose making this a CANADIAN
>psycho-killer plot, which would obviously be quite different ;-)

There was a local strip in the University of Illinois student newspaper a
few years ago that ended in a related fashion...about two weeks before the
author graduated, all of the regular characters started dying gruesome,
violent deaths.  The final strip ended with a global nuclear war.  It
was great.  Guarantees no sequels, also...
From: hship@sw.stratus.com (Howard Ship)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: Calvin and Hobbes
Date: 7 Apr 92 22:43:11 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.

Personally, I thin C&S is wonderful, but don't discount Robot Man and
Zippy.  Robot Man is very consistently offbeat and funny, and Zippy is,
well, Zippy.  Bill Griffith (the artist) is quite talented, and quite
adept at emulating and adapting other artists styles for his own
twisted purposes.

-- 
"Is that real blood?" 
Howard_Ship@vos.stratus.com
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: steph@cs.uiuc.edu (Dale Stephenson)
Subject: Re: Chicago Tribune Comics Section
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 06:24:29 GMT

In <1992Apr7.221151.15306@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu> mudcr@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (David C Roller) writes:


>I thought I would list the comics in the tribune and give them a letter
>grading.  I will say now that my grading on the serials is much
>different than for the funnies.

>The Far Side B-
>Peanuts B
>Dick Tracy 
>Dick Tracy B-
>Brenda Starr C
>Walnut Cove B+
>Fox Trot A
>Broom Hilda B-
>Barney Google and Snuffy Smith F
>Sylvia C
>Geech C+
>Gasoline Alley D
>Fred Basset C
>Amazing SpiderMan B+
>Mother Goose & Grimm A
>Mister Boffo B
>Winnie Winkle C-
>The Buckets A-
>Doonesbury B to B-
>Blondie D+
>Shoe B-
>Calvin & Hobbes A+
>Pogo B-
>For Better Or Worse B+
>The Phantom C+
>Beetle Bailey C to C-
>Hi and Lois C
>Cathy B-
>Hagar The Horrible C
>The Lockhorns D+
>Gil Thorpe (in Sports section) B-

Sunday section:

Sporting Hall of Shame B
Prince Valiant B
Outland D-

(Not that I agree with all the grades above, although they seem pretty
accurate).

I'd like to see the Trib carry

The Wizard of Id
B.C.
Alley Oop
Tank McNamara (why is it no longer running?)

If they ask, I'd be happy to suggest strips to be replaced :->.
--
Dale J. Stephenson |*| (steph@cs.uiuc.edu) |*| Gigabit Study Group 

  "It is considered good to look wise, especially when not 
   overburdened with information" -- J. Golden Kimball
From: vaughn@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Chris Vaughn)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Me next!
Date: 8 Apr 92 10:38:02 CDT
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

Well, then I'll be second!  (at least on my system)

Might as well keep it in the family (kuhub, that is).

I always wondered why there wasn't a newsgroup for comic strips...

I like Calvin & Hobbes myself.  Foxtrot too.  And always The Far Side.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Vaughn			| Or some junk...
				|
University of Kansas		| Control for smilers can't be bought.
				|
vaughn@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu	| Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: wagenfuh@huey.udel.edu (Karl Wagenfuehr)
Subject: Re: C&H: Merchandising (was Re: HOBBES (of C&H) Bumper Sticker)
Organization: University of Delaware, Newark
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1992 23:36:13 GMT

In article <0dtnXqK00VAvI1r0Z7@andrew.cmu.edu> jl6e+@andrew.cmu.edu (Jonathan D. Lyness) writes:
>As a point of interest . . . and no, this is not certainly not meant as
>an attack on Calvin and Hobbes, but - when I read the first book of
>Calvin and Hobbes strips (back before their popularity had really taken
>off), it occured to me that a fair number of Calvin's
>in-trouble-at-school strips seemed, if not "borrowed" from old Peanuts
>strips, then at least "reminiscent" of them. C& H is certainly one of
>the best and most original strips out there, but I've always thought
>that "Peanuts" was probably one of Watterson's early influences.
>
I agree; I felt the same thing when I first read Calvin & Hobbes.  Not
only the stories reminisce of Peanuts, but some of the characterization
of Calvin (and maybe Suzy):  the big head, and the way he rips his mouth
open, and even the striped shirt he's wearing.

No, I'm not acusing Watterson of copying Peanuts -- I'm just saying I
think he was influenced by it.

I also think he was infuenced by others (maybe some are only imagined
or coincidental, but...):  A healthy dose of A.A. Milne (look at his
Tigger and then look at Hobbes), a bit of Denise the Menance (earlier
stuff), the element of Peanuts already mentioned, and a bit of the
care-free, happy nature feeling of Bloom County.

But Calvin & Hobbes *is* an original!  THE original right now.
-- 
                    ' ",      *
Karl Wagenfuehr         ,         "Weisst du, wieviel Sternlein stehen an dem
wagenfuh@huey.udel.edu  ,  '      blauen Himmelszelt?"  --Deutsches Volkslied
                          '
From: michael@dime.cs.umass.edu (Michael Kieras)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: Favorite Dilbert
Date: 16 Apr 92 23:45:45 GMT
Reply-To: michael@dime.cs.umass.edu (Michael Kieras)
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst

In article <1992Apr15.151217.28515@edsr.eds.com> hkelly@edsr.eds.com (Kelly Shuldberg) writes:
>OK, a bunch of folks have responded that they both see and like Dilbert.
>My favorite was just last week where Dilbert gets transferred from his
>regular job into marketing, and when he gets there, they're having a toga
>party.  One strip has the marketing guru telling Dilbert that a corporation
>is like a human body.  "Think of Marketing as the brains, and management as
>the body."  Dilbert asks, "What about engineering?"  Says the guru, "The
>snot."

My favorite ones were from the week when he got sucked inside of his
computer, and got a tour around the inside from Michael the Microchip.
At one point, they came upon a weird, psychadelic-looking device, and
the microchip explained that that was where they put the subliminal
messages into the video.  Dilbert asked what kind of messages they put
in, and the microchip replied "Oh, you know.  Goofy stuff, like,
'Computers are fun,' and, 'Put all of your pens into your shirt pocket.'"

I really hope these get collected into books.


Michael Kieras
michael@cs.umass.edu
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: yarnot@csusac.csus.edu (Jan Yarnot)
Subject: Millions of messages
Organization: Moi?
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 92 02:22:52 GMT

Over 600 messages in a week here.  You're right, though... I never went to
r.a.comics.  I'm glad the CFV was published in r.a.books.  The huge yes-vs-no
vote should have alerted everyone that this was going to be popular.  I got
really antsy when Gordon showed up with a black eye.  I *care* about these 
people!

I've noticed locally that people who haven't a clue about local issues,
or national ones for that matter, know what every one of their favorite
comic strip characters has been doing.  It's the first section *I* hit in
my paper...
 
-- 
---Jan Yarnot, net.grandma.---    How many graduate students does it take to
                                     change a light bulb?

CSUS depends on my every word.          Only one, but it takes 9 years.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: tpjg9663@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Thomas P. Johnston)
Subject: Re: Arnold (sniffle)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1992 16:39:08 GMT

trombley-sarah@CS.YALE.EDU (Sarah Trombley) writes:

>_I_ remember "Arnold!"  I adored that strip, and I think I still have at
>home an enlarged panel with Arnold yelling at the teacher, "Are you
>saying I'm not precious?!?"  The strip was very popular in Detroit--the
>reaction to its cancellation was so strong that the author (I forget his
>name) wrote to the Free Press to thank us, and even drew a little "in
>memoriam" panel...Tommy the Goon Boy standing by Arnold's grave ("Eaten
>by a giant bird") saying, "Here's a nice article in the Free Press..."
>Alas, I have never been able to find a compilation.

>"AIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"

If anyone knows of a compilation, please let me know.  This was my 
favorite strip of all time.

"We're eating dead bird parts from a bucket!?"

"A BATTERY-OPERATED electric cattle prod.    I cannot be hampered by
cumbersome extension cords!"

etc.     Great stuff.

Tom
From: wabrams@krebs.iaims.bcm.tmc.edu (Josh Abrams)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: Pogo - help!
Date: 14 Apr 1992 18:28:27 GMT
Reply-To: wabrams@krebs.iaims.bcm.tmc.edu (Josh Abrams)
Originator: wabrams@krebs.iaims.bcm.tmc.edu


In article <kukcpjINNcts@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu>, bass@cs.utk.edu (Vance Bass) writes:
|> In article <cdtYPOC00awMEC4kRZ@andrew.cmu.edu> "Jonathan D. Lyness" <jl6e+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
|> >Does anyone have a listing of the book compilations of the old Walt
|> >Kelly _Pogo_ strips? Most of the original books came out during the
|> >1950s, and a reprint series or two was issued in the 1970s - does anyone
|> >have a partial or complete listing of all of the books, or a listing of
|> >which different reprint series there were? 
|> 
|> I can give you the first few, as listed in the 1954 copy I have of "The
|> Incompleat Pogo":
|> Pogo	(~1951)
|> I Go Pogo (1952)
|> Uncle Pogo So-So Stories
|> The Pogo Papers
|> The Pogo Stepmother Goose
|> The Incomplete Pogo (1954)
|> 

I can add a few more (all released before I was born!): 

The Pogo Peek-a-Book (containing some of Kelly's best verse and
                      "Who Killed Cock Robin" read by ol' Albert)
      Yellow Cover - 1955
Pogo's Sunday Punch (with the classic "Handle and Gristle" story told by
                     (again) ol' Albert)
      Red Cover - 1957
Pogo's Sunday Book (with the class "Moonshine" where Pogo and Churchy
                    ride a trash can to the Moon)
      Purple Cover - 1955

I lost Pogo's Sunday Book during a move; I would LOVE to get another
copy of it as well as the ones you describe...the first two are the only
ones I have left. I don't know where to get others.

I don't like any of the Pogo incarnations since Kelly died. I think Kelly
was a genius of satire; a true original. My favorite comic strip of all
time.

|> I also found "I Go Pogo" recently and the forward had an interesting tale
|> about how surprised the publisher (Simon and Shuster) were when the
|> 200000-copy first printing of the first Pogo book sold out in no time at
|> all.
|> 
|> He was the Calvin and Hobbes of his day (or was it the other way around?).
|> 

I don't believe Calvin and Hobbes even comes close; the level of creativity
and spontaneity simply isn't there for me. My apologies.

-- 
Josh (wabrams@bcm.tmc.edu)
"Keep up the skeer" - Nathan Bedford Forrest (THE horseman of the apocalypse)
From: hkp@daimi.aau.dk (Hans K|hling Pedersen)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Value of 1941 Donald Duck comic strips?
Date: 13 Apr 92 11:09:18 GMT
Organization: DAIMI: Computer Science Department, Aarhus University, Denmark

I have all the Donald Duck daily newspaper strips from '41 in excellent 
condition. If anybody can give an estimate of their value, it would be
greatly appreciated.
Hans Koehling Pedersen, Denmark.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: kdontas@gmuvax2.gmu.edu (Kejitan Dontas)
Subject: Re: The Best Far Side cartoon
Organization: George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 16:45:25 GMT


	 This time I just took the tooth under
	 the pillow, Billy, but next time I'm
	 bringing the pliers !
	 BEWARE Billy !
		Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !

			Tooth Fairy



	CAGE

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips