HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jmk9313@hertz.njit.edu (Jason Kaminski)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Worst Comics.  Was (Re: Jim's Journal)
Date: 16 Dec 92 20:21:55 GMT
Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J.


     I've never read Jim's Journal, but the fact that some people seem to like
it makes it infinitely better than the abomination the Vector (NJIT's school
paper) printed with painful regularity a few years back.  It was done by a stud-ent here who either graduated or had mercy on the entire campus and stopped
writing it.  The strip's name was "Chester..." (originally "Chester..?" with thequestion mark) and starred some sort of animal with a greesy black pompadour anda nose ring and leather jacket (!) and I can't necessarily call him overweight
since I cannot distinguish what type of animal he is and he may actually be at aproper weight for whatever he is.  Originally, he played a role similar to Fred
Basset.  He would watch what other people said and make incredibly lame commentsabout them at the end.  Unfortunately for us, the writer felt his creation was 
not living up to its potential and began putting him in the most pathetic sit-
uations.  A plotline had him introducing his brother, then getting hit by a car
(yeah) only to be sent to a hospital in another state (what continuity!  And
after only one week too.), and finally getting chased around by an extremely fathuman female named Gertrude.  The last strip had Gertrude and an extraordinarilyattractive woman (who Chester also ran away from (?)) fighting over him as he
escapes and enters the safety of a plane that hopefully crashed somewhere in thecenter of the Pacific.  The continuity was awful, the jokes virtually non-exist-ant, and the art was easily duplicated (to the great pleasure of me and a group
of my friends who offered our own selection called "The Chester Fun Page" which
had several puzzles demonstrating our displeasure with the real strip.  It was abigger hit than the original comic.)  God, the comic sucked!  Willie Gamuccio,
whereever you may be, I hope you're burning!  I swear he sometimes makes me wantto kiss Bil Keane smack on the lips for not being THAT bad!  "Chester..."  Ugh!
From: st186@Jane.UH.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: address for WPWG?
Date: 16 Dec 1992 02:01:48 GMT
Organization: University of Houston
Reply-To: st186@Jane.UH.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: jane.uh.edu

Has anyone got the address for the comic distributor Washington Post Writer's
Group?  If someone does, I would appreciate receiving it.  Thanks.

David
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	                       ST186@JETSON.UH.EDU
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
			   Pass the Word.  Eat a Bible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: page@student.physics.upenn.edu (Chris Page)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: Jim's Journal
Date: 15 Dec 92 19:21:49 GMT
Followup-To: rec.arts.comics.strips
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <BzBD4w.8KI@nic.umass.edu>, EDIAS@UCSVAX.UCS.UMASS.EDU (EMILIANO
A DIAS) wrote:
> 
> Our college newpaper prints "Jim's Journal".  IMHO, this is the worst
> comic strip I have ever read!  I've been told that this strip is a 
> nationally syndicated strip, is this true?
> 
> The drawing is simplistic and really bad to boot and the strip doesn't
> even try to be funny.  I think that the strip tries to provide little
> glimpses into everyday life.
> 
>   Has anyone out in net-land ever seen this strip?
>   What do you think of it.
> 
>      perplexed...				Tony Dias

Ah, yes. Jim's Journal. I can't pass this one up - this is the strip
that makes Family Circus seem like a five star winner.

When I was an undergrad at Rutgers University (90-91), the paper I was
working for printed this for a year. The drawing stunk. The art was
pathetic. But the worst offense was that the strip was never funny. Some
people tried to pass off that Jim's Journal was a "Zen" sort of thing,
but in my mind that was just a cheap excuse that could be applied to
any comic strip that was not funny.

Rutgers kept it for another year, and may have it for this year too - for
some bizarre reason there were a few editors that liked it, as opposed
to anyone else on the college campus.

For those of you lucky enough never to have encountered the strip, but
want to see what it looks like, one compilation was released in the
bookstore chains about a year back: "I Went to College and it was OK."
But whatever you do, just leaf through it in the bookstore. Don't buy
it unless you have money to napalm.

Jim's journal - the strip that makes all other strips seem good.

-Chris Page
page@student.physics.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips,rec.arts.comics,rec.arts.comics.misc
From: michaelb@cse.fau.edu (Michael Rogero Brown)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: Wings that Work--Did I miss it? Again?
Date: 19 Dec 92 20:40:12 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA

In article <matt.724352830@unidata.ucar.edu> matt@unidata.ucar.edu (Matt Hicks) writes:
>Well, I didn't even know AWfWtW existed until a couple of
>weeks ago. Then someone posted that it would air on the 16
>of December, but I've checked my local listings to no avail.
>Anyone know if this Bloom County animated special is going
>to air (or, alas, has already aired) this year?
>
To my knowledge it will be shown NEXT thursday, Dec 24 on CBS at 8pm Eastern.
It didn't show up last week, cause I looked.

-- 
<< Michael Rogero Brown                      | Disclaimer: I speak     >>
<< CS Graduate Student-Florida Atlantic Univ |  only for myself.       >>
<< Internet: michaelb@sol.cse.fau.edu        | All my opinions are     >>
<< BitNet: m_brown@fauvax                    |  that: mine & opinions. >>
From: dave@cs.arizona.edu (Dave Schaumann)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: Worst Comics. Was (Re: Jim's Journal)
Date: 18 Dec 92 01:57:59 GMT
Reply-To: dave@cs.arizona.edu (Dave Schaumann)
Organization: University of Arizona

We used to have a strip called "Dillon" that was really lame.
It was about a kid that liked 4x4's and always wore a baseball
hat.

We've got two papers here in town, here's how I'd rank the strips
in the "Tucson Citizen" (easily the weakest of the two):

Shoe
Guy Stuff
Real Life Adventures
    I'd pick these as the best of the lot.  None are comparable to
    "Foxtrot" or "Calvin and Hobbs", but at least there's a bit of
    humor and originality here; more than what's below.

Peanuts
B.C.
Wizard of Id
Hi and Lois
Blondie
Beetle Baley
Dennis the Menace
    All these kinda go together for me.  I've been reading them all
    since I was a kid, so there's a strong "nostalgic" factor here
    for me.  Objectively, "Peanuts" and "B.C." are probably the best,
    although IMHO neither have come close to their best for a while,
    and none are particularly remarkable.


Hagar the Horrible
    Eh.  Another hit-er-miss, mostly miss.


Brenda Starr
Gasoline Alley
Apartment 3-G
Rex Morgan
    The "soap opera" strips for me also go into a different catagory.
    Brenda Starr is probably the best of these (mostly for the "campy"
    aspect of it), but I would have little complaint if any were to
    go by the wayside.

Garfield
    Probably the hightest popularity/talent ratio of any strip I'm
    aware of.  IMHO, Jim Davis hasn't thought of a new joke in years.

Momma
Andy Capp
Catfish
    Like Garfield, the same jokes go by year after year.  I'd call
    "Momma" and "Andy Capp" marginal; "Catfish" is lame, lame, lame.


Next week -- the other paper.  Much better talent there...

-- 
What signature?
Xref: sparky rec.arts.comics.strips:3218 rec.arts.books:22575
From: newcomb@pops.navo.navy.mil (Don Newcomb)
Subject: The Pogo Christmas Carol
Nntp-Posting-Host-[nntpd-22767]: pops.navo.navy.mil
Keywords: Deck us all Walt Kelly
Reply-To: newcomb@pops.navo.navy.mil (Don Newcomb)
Organization: Naval Oceanographic Office
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 14:48:46 GMT

I received this in the mail, in response to my query about the Pogo
Christmas Carol (a.k.a. Deck us all with Boston Charlie). I think
this is definitive.

Donald R. Newcomb                * Views expressed are strictly those of the *
Naval Oceanographic Office       * author. Mention of commercial products or *
Stennis Space Center, MS 39522   * organizations constitutes no endorsement. *
newcomb@navo.navy.mil            * Phone (601) 688-5998  

>From: Bill Turner - Cornell University Library <WRT@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject:      Deck us all with Boston Charlie

Here are all 6 verses that existed as of Walt Kelly's death. They were
first sent out on a single sheet for Christmas 1981 by Swamp Yankee
Studios. Cf. various newspapers' 12/25/81 editions.

If you can post it to the news group, that would be helpful. I seem to
be having some trouble with posting to the group right at the moment...

Thanks,
Bill
**************************************************************************
"Deck us all with Boston Charlie"
copyright the Walt Kelly estate.
--------------------------------
Deck us all with Boston Charlie,
Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo!
Nora's freezin' on the trolley,
Swaller dollar, cauliflour, Alla-garoo!

Don't we know archaic barrel,
Lullaby lilla boy, Louisville Lou?
Trolley Molly don't love Harold.
Boola boola Pensacoola Hullabaloo!

Bark us all bow-wows of folly,
Polly wolly cracker n' too-do-loo!
Donkey Bonny brays a carol,
Antelope Cantaloup, 'lope with you!

Hunky Dory's pop is lolly gaggin' on the wagon,
Willy, folly go through!
Chollie's Ollie barks at Barrow,
Harum scarum five alarum bung-a-loo!

Duck us all in bowls of barley,
Hinky dinky dink an' polly voo!
Chilly Filly's name is Chollie,
Chollie Filly's jolly chilly view halloo!

Bark us all Bow-wows of Folly,
Double-Bubble, Toyland trouble! Woof, Woof, Woof!
Tizzy seas on Melon collie!
Dibble-dabble, Scribble-scrabble, Goof, Goof, Goof!

(Note: Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation vary
 depending partly on the character reciting the verse.
 For example, the last line of the first verse might
 appear as "Swaller dollar cauliflower alley'garoo!")

--
Donald R. Newcomb                * Views expressed are strictly those of the *
Naval Oceanographic Office       * author. Mention of commercial products or *
Stennis Space Center, MS 39522   * organizations constitutes no endorsement. *
newcomb@navo.navy.mil            * Phone (601) 688-5998  
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: rdippold@cancun.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold)
Subject: Re: Worst Comics. Was (Re: Jim's Journal)
Organization: Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 22:23:11 GMT

EDIAS@UCSVAX.UCS.UMASS.EDU (EMILIANO A DIAS) writes:
>I will never understand the apeal of Jim's Journal,
>Winnie the Pooh is "Zen-like" but at least he is funny and well drawn...

I found that many of those who were attracted to it seemed to be drawn
by its utter offenselessness.  Most humor, including in comic strips,
is at someone's expense, no matter how slight.  No humor, no offense
(except at "safe" targets), and voila, touchy-feely comic strip that
even those who say "21" instead of "blackjack" because they're afraid
of offending someone can feel good about.  The strip works better in
book form - more than a few at a time has a soporific effect that's
great for initiating a meditative state.
-- 
Barium:  What doctors do when treatment fails.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: EDIAS@UCSVAX.UCS.UMASS.EDU (EMILIANO A DIAS)
Subject: Re: Jim's Journal
Organization: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS - AMHERST
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 15:32:33 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.24

In <Dec.16.08.48.26.1992.9529@gandalf.rutgers.edu> cje@gandalf.rutgers.edu writes:
> 
> What you have to understand about JIM'S JOURNAL is that it's not a gag strip.
> There aren't kneeslappers being written for it.  Instead, what humor there is
> (and not every day's strip is meant to be funny) comes from the little everyday
> ironies the artist encounters, stuff like people saying one thing and doing
> another, or people having to back down from untenable positions, or events
> whose cause Jim will never know.  In my life, they're the sort of things that
> bring a crooked smile to my face for a moment.
> 
So far I haven't found the artist's observations to be universal, I assume
that what happens to Jim may happen to someone, but it doesn't happen to me.

> Actually, the funniest thing about JIM'S JOURNAL is the vehemence with which
> its opponents denounce it!
> 
> 

The funniest thing about Jim's Journal, IMHO, is the multitude of parodies
that it inspires in our school's paper.  These parodies run the gamut from
ultra-violent Jim's Journal parodies, (I cut off all her limbs and buried
her in the neighbor's backyard, and then I made myself a peanut butter and 
marshmellow fluff sandwich) to straight parodies in which cartoon characters
who used to be active and funny, just sit in an overstuffed arm-chair
and do nothing.


   I want humor in my comic strips, If I wanted "Zen-like" insights,
   I'd read something without pictures in it...

						Tony Dias

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: pbwhite@rodan.acs.syr.edu (White)
Subject: Re: Peanuts: Animation and live action
Organization: Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 08:28:30 EST

In article <1992Dec14.013559.22882@news.unomaha.edu> torsten@cwis.unomaha.edu (Torsten Wesley Adair) writes:
>I don't think that the problems of comic strip/cartoon physics is a problem 
>in live action.  I thought that Home Alone was as violent as any Tom and Jerry
>cartoon.  This concerns me, because if we laugh at real people getting hurt as
>badly as the two robbers in the movie, then when do we cry?
>
>Torsten at Omaha	

We cry when we finally realize that this is a movie and not real life.  The
movie is obviously trying to be humorous - we need to separate on screen 
action and off screen action, and realize that no little kid is really going
to do that to anyone.  Besides, the two guys were laughing, and Mac even asked
them if they give up and they answered with a resounding "Never!"
So let's watch movies for what they are meant to be - in this case, humor.
Brian



Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: kieran@world.std.com (Aaron L Dickey)
Subject: Re: 12/18 Far Side
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 06:20:36 GMT

dct@odin.mda.uth.tmc.edu (David C. Tuttle) writes:

>I vaguely remember a comic strip with this theme that was called
>something like "They'll Do It Every Time" (that is, if my memory isn't
>playing tricks on me).  Of course, there may also have been more than
>one such strip.  I hesitate to call it a "relic", but it's definitely
>geared toward older audiences, sort of like National Challenge and the
>venerable Jumble.

It still exists, as both a daily and Sunday strip.  A while back while
searching through some microfilm from the '40s or '50s, I came across a
lot of "They'll Do It Every Time" strips.  Although I think the artist has
changed at least once over the years, today's stirp looks EXACTLY the same
as one from decades ago.  The Sunday strip runs in our local paper, and
the scary thing is, I actually *like* it.

FWIW, I thought that's what the Far Side was making fun of too, but I
wasn't certain.  If Larson was trying to do a takeoff, he didn't take it
far enough. TDIET does credit every reader who sends in an idea (and ALL
the ideas are reader-submitted), right down to the address.  But
all the lettering is done on the panel too, cartoon balloons and all.  I
think the fact that Larson didn't do that is what threw it off.

--Aaron
From: parker@navier.math.uh.edu (Ronald L. Parker)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: 12/18 Far Side
Date: 18 Dec 92 10:53:45
Organization: Society to disband societies. (Good thing I'm the only member!)
NNTP-Posting-Host: navier.math.uh.edu
In-reply-to: seurer@rchland.vnet.ibm.com's message of Fri, 18 Dec 1992 15:01:56 GMT

In article <1992Dec18.150156.13760@rchland.ibm.com> seurer@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Bill Seurer) writes:
   Does anyone know what the little "And a tip of the hat to..." box in the
   lower corner is for?  Did Gary Larson have some kind of contest for
   Far Side ideas?

Don't quote me on this, but I thought it was a takeoff on the (ancient)
"There oughta be a law" comic strip, which used ideas sent in by readers
and showed those everyday things that really irritate us.  I suppose the world
just suddenly blowing up would qualify as one of those irritating things.

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: hathaway@stsci.edu
Subject: Re: Worst Comics.  Was (Re: Jim's Journal)
Organization: Space Telescope Science Institute
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 05:37:52 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.230033.5240@news.unomaha.edu>, torsten@cwis.unomaha.edu (Torsten Wesley Adair) writes:
> jmk9313@hertz.njit.edu  writes:
> 
> Any more nominations for Worst Strip in a Daily Newspaper?
>  "   "        "       "  Worst Strip That is Nationally Syndicated?
>  "   "        "        " Worst Strip That is No Longer Syndicated?
> 	My nomination for the last is "Lollie", although "Winston" comes close. 
> Does anyone remember a strip called "Conrad" about a prince frog with the 
> manners of a bum?  It was sort of crude, but I liked it.
> 
> Torsten at Omaha
> 
Yeah, I remember "Conrad" - years ago.  It was usually pretty bad, unless the
reader could identify with the character/ambience/writer for perseverence in 
the face of being out-classed.  So I kinda liked it, partly because I knew it 
put me in such a minority.  I know it's in my files someplace, but won't 
dig them out unless there is a real demand.  

Wm. Hathaway
From: "eric walker" <eric.walker@channel1.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: comic page decisions
Date: 16 Dec 92 07:28:35 EST
Reply-To: "eric walker" <eric.walker@channel1.com>
Distribution: rec
Organization: Channel 1 Communications

PR>     Aside:  Currently, the DNews is running the limited "Beauty and
PR>the Beast" strip.  For those of you who get it, does it look like it's
PR>leading up to a "Gift of the Magi" ending to you?

     The Boston Globe replaced the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" strip
     with "Beauty and the Beast," so I'm happy.  Merry Christmas!  :)

     (However, the story HAS been overly cutesy and cuddly so far...)
---
  SLMR 2.1a  The mind is a wonderful thing to waste!
--
Channel 1 (R)   Cambridge, MA

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: torsten@cwis.unomaha.edu (Torsten Wesley Adair)
Subject: Re: Peanuts: Animation and live action
Organization: University of Nebraska at Omaha
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 01:35:59 GMT

I don't think that the problems of comic strip/cartoon physics is a problem 
in live action.  I thought that Home Alone was as violent as any Tom and Jerry
cartoon.  This concerns me, because if we laugh at real people getting hurt as
badly as the two robbers in the movie, then when do we cry?

Torsten at Omaha
From: dahl@stein.u.washington.edu (Aren't I a cutie? )
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Wanted: List of books by cartoonists
Date: 14 Dec 92 02:05:04 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Dec14.020504.7539
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

I'm looking for a complete list of books by these cartoonists. 

Doug Marlette  (Kudzu)
Jerry Van Amerongen (Neighborhood)

BTW, has anyone ever written to Jerry and gotten a response?
I would love to be able to write to him. 

thanks

--drew   
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: jpeg8496@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jeffrey P. Elbel)
Subject: Re: Jim's Journal
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 08:54:17 GMT

The Daily Illini at the University of Illinois (where I currently do 
a daily strip) used to run Jim's Journal.  It ran for about a year;
the editors liked it.  I don't know of any readers who liked it, 
but it was sure talked about a lot, and people bought the paper just
to see what all the fuss was about.

There is currently an ad oriented pseudo-humor-news freebee paper
that comes from Madison WI, and has a franchise here called 
"The Onion."  Jim's Journal appears in the weekly paper, in 
addition to another strip by the same guy in which he sometimes
tries to be funny.  He seems to bypass humor for dry sarcasm quite
often.

I think I can remember the text to one of my favorite Jim's Journals:
1) Today I went to the store
2) I bought some Pop Tarts and some other stuff
3) When I got home, my roommate asked for a Pop Tart
4) I gave him a piece

Jeff "I wish I had a book of my cartoons in national bookstores" Elbel

Read "Boomer!" and laugh yourself bloody sick.
From: bn823@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Peter Mullaney)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
Subject: Re: 12/18 Far Side
Date: 19 Dec 1992 17:57:26 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: bn823@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Peter Mullaney)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, dct@odin.mda.uth.tmc.edu (David C. Tuttle) says:

>parker@navier.math.uh.edu (Ronald L. Parker) writes:
>| seurer@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Bill Seurer) writes:
>|> Does anyone know what the little "And a tip of the hat to..." box in the
>|> lower corner is for?  Did Gary Larson have some kind of contest for
>|> Far Side ideas?
>|
>|Don't quote me on this, but I thought it was a takeoff on the (ancient)
>|"There oughta be a law" comic strip, which used ideas sent in by readers
>|and showed those everyday things that really irritate us...
>
>I vaguely remember a comic strip with this theme that was called
>something like "They'll Do It Every Time" (that is, if my memory isn't
>playing tricks on me).  Of course, there may also have been more than
>one such strip.  I hesitate to call it a "relic", but it's definitely
>geared toward older audiences, sort of like National Challenge and the
>venerable Jumble.
>

"There oughta be a law" is a statenent prominently displayed in sections of
"They'll Do It Every Time". 

-- 
: Pete Mullaney              :  Always do right.  This will gratify       :
:                             :  some and astonish the rest.               :
:                             :      Samuel  Langhorne Clemens             :   
:                             :      aka Mark Twain                        :   
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips
From: jpeg8496@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jeffrey P. Elbel)
Subject: To Eric FOXR
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 06:01:34 GMT

Eric,
 
 I saw your note here on the net.  Good luck with the Schulz award.
 I'm entering, too.  I have a strip published in the Daily Illini
 at the University of Illinois.
  
  My question to you, is:  Have you had any success getting your material
  published elsewhere?  I've been able to get my strip into a few no-pay
  magazines (for which I'm grateful), but certainly haven't had any success
  with syndicates, and don't know of many other avenues.  Got any
  suggestions or points to discuss?
   
   Wanna start a syndicate?
    
    Jeff

    p.s. I'm posting to the net because my mail to you got kicked back
    at me.  e-mail a reply to me directly, if possible.