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News & ArtsFriday, July 31, 2009
Arts Dead Heat: The Family Circus vs. Cathy
Posted by David Schmader on Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Over a thousand people have voted for the Worst Comic Strip of All Time, with Bil Keane's brain-dead schmaltzfest The Family Circus and Cathy Guisewite's eternally ack!-worthy Cathy each holding eactly 29 percent of the vote.
More (specific) fuel for the fire: Cathy and The Family Circus.
Vote here.
1
What about Maakies that's in your print edition every week? It's awful and never makes any sense / it's not funny.
2
Wow. That Family Circle example is terrible, and yet so typical of what is awful about that strip. The Cathy strip isn't even in the same league. It's actually kind of a riff off of "Pregnant Women are Smug", no?
3
@ dozen to play, do you ever say anything positive? or at least make your negative comments witty?
6
God. I voted for Cathy, but based on those specific examples, I'd choose FC. Hands down. I felt embarrassed after reading it.
7
I hoped that Prince Valant would have made it as the worse. Certianly it was the longest, dullest and most pointless comic strip of all time
8
"Maakies" is the best comic ever, you're full of it, Dozens.
I vote for Cathy. Cathy makes me hate all women, while FC only makes me hate Bil Keane. I love women; I don't want to hate them. Hating Keane isn't so bad. Besides, FC can be used in all sorts of meta ways, while Cathy can only be used to incite hate.
I vote for Cathy. Cathy makes me hate all women, while FC only makes me hate Bil Keane. I love women; I don't want to hate them. Hating Keane isn't so bad. Besides, FC can be used in all sorts of meta ways, while Cathy can only be used to incite hate.
10
Haters to the left.
Seriously, you think this shit is worth printing?
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m748.gif
Seriously, you think this shit is worth printing?
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m748.gif
11
Not a big fan of art, are you, Dozen? That's hardly the best strip I've seen, but it's undeniably beautiful.
14
Oh, Fnarf, so when all else fails (wit, humor, political observation, etc) we are basing good "comics" on their ~art~?
And seriously, pen and ink is one of the lowest forms of ~art~
the elitism of voting on other horrible comics when the Stranger itself harbors and prints this crap is laughable.
And seriously, pen and ink is one of the lowest forms of ~art~
the elitism of voting on other horrible comics when the Stranger itself harbors and prints this crap is laughable.
15
maakies is about drawing. beautiful beautiful drawing.
maybe you need to do some drugs and re-assess.
maybe you need to do some drugs and re-assess.
16
"[P]en and ink is one of the lowest forms of ~art~", yet we are "elitists" for liking it? Are we talking about comics here? Who are you, Michelle Malkin?
I'm excited to hear that Leonardo, Dürer, Rembrandt, and Picasso all wasted their time on this "lowest form". Maybe if they'd put a Drinkie Crow in their stuff, they'd have been funnier. Lowest form, good god, you're a stupid creature. I suppose you only listen to the very best quality quality classical music, played on the cleanest, most valuable violins, too?
In other words, what the fuck?
"Maakies" is consistently hilarious, by the way. Not as funny as "Mary Worth" or "Apartment 3-G", it's true, but pretty damn good. Maybe your eyesight isn't good enough to make them out. Note that the little secondary strip under the main panels is often the funniest part.
I'm excited to hear that Leonardo, Dürer, Rembrandt, and Picasso all wasted their time on this "lowest form". Maybe if they'd put a Drinkie Crow in their stuff, they'd have been funnier. Lowest form, good god, you're a stupid creature. I suppose you only listen to the very best quality quality classical music, played on the cleanest, most valuable violins, too?
In other words, what the fuck?
"Maakies" is consistently hilarious, by the way. Not as funny as "Mary Worth" or "Apartment 3-G", it's true, but pretty damn good. Maybe your eyesight isn't good enough to make them out. Note that the little secondary strip under the main panels is often the funniest part.
17
I think you should post a new poll with just those two as the others are throwing off the votes that could go to either.
19
Family Circus is at its worst when it tries to "get in touch with the times" such as when they introduced the black friend Franklin. I think Peanuts had a Franklin, too. I'm just surprised Bil Keane didn't name his Franklin "Roscoe"
20
Haha Fnarf, citing artists from hundreds of years ago to namedrop and make claims to credibility. Sure, sketching was WAY important back then, but these days, pen and ink is art school / high school 101.
You're wrong: is your head going to explode from your fury?
You're wrong: is your head going to explode from your fury?
22
I'm not furious, and I'm not exploding. You might be IMploding, though, from the pressure of the vacuum in your head. Are you a native English speaker? Your sentences read like translation.
Why don't you tell us all about what goes in in "high school 102", since you've moved beyond us here in sad old 101. Come on, sugar buttons. You're the art expert here, anyone can see that. Clearly, Tony Millionaire should be doing his comics in, er, what? Mixed media? Broken glass? Human waste?
I'm not really sure what your angle is, to be honest. I think you're trying to say that "Cathy" is great art, which sounds about right for you, but it's hard to tell with all this flouncing around you're doing. Seriously: do you know anything about comic art? Is it "low" or is it "elitist"? Is it? Is it? Is it?
Why don't you tell us all about what goes in in "high school 102", since you've moved beyond us here in sad old 101. Come on, sugar buttons. You're the art expert here, anyone can see that. Clearly, Tony Millionaire should be doing his comics in, er, what? Mixed media? Broken glass? Human waste?
I'm not really sure what your angle is, to be honest. I think you're trying to say that "Cathy" is great art, which sounds about right for you, but it's hard to tell with all this flouncing around you're doing. Seriously: do you know anything about comic art? Is it "low" or is it "elitist"? Is it? Is it? Is it?
23
Fnarf:
There have been no terms agreed upon for what does and does not constitute the "worst comic strip of all time"
The dictionary defines the word 'comic' as the following:
1. of, pertaining to, or characterized by comedy: comic opera.
2. of or pertaining to a person who acts in or writes comedy: a comic actor; a comic dramatist.
3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of comedy: comic situations; a comic sense.
4. provoking laughter; humorous; funny; laughable.
I asserted that Maakies is a horrible "comic" under these terms as defined by the chosen word of the o.p. (original poster), David Schmader.
In its defense, you decided to judge Maakies on its artistic merit, not within the bounds of the term 'comic' as selected by David.
I refuted this assertion by noting that pen and ink isn't all that artistically incredible.
And no, English is not my native language. I don't wish to lean on that as an excuse, but do wish to answer your demeaning question of "Are you a native English speaker? Your sentences read like translation."
Also: Pwned.
you might look that up on urbandictonary.com, you nasty old man
There have been no terms agreed upon for what does and does not constitute the "worst comic strip of all time"
The dictionary defines the word 'comic' as the following:
1. of, pertaining to, or characterized by comedy: comic opera.
2. of or pertaining to a person who acts in or writes comedy: a comic actor; a comic dramatist.
3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of comedy: comic situations; a comic sense.
4. provoking laughter; humorous; funny; laughable.
I asserted that Maakies is a horrible "comic" under these terms as defined by the chosen word of the o.p. (original poster), David Schmader.
In its defense, you decided to judge Maakies on its artistic merit, not within the bounds of the term 'comic' as selected by David.
I refuted this assertion by noting that pen and ink isn't all that artistically incredible.
And no, English is not my native language. I don't wish to lean on that as an excuse, but do wish to answer your demeaning question of "Are you a native English speaker? Your sentences read like translation."
Also: Pwned.
you might look that up on urbandictonary.com, you nasty old man
25
I just voted for Family Circus. But then (OMG!) I just checked the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_circ… , and the 1962 example they give (with very different characters) is actually kind of vaguely funny. ("..And we each had a bottle of soda. Daddy brought his own in his pocket.") So, should I have voted for Cathy instead?
26
OMG! PWNED!!1! By urbandictionary.com! What, have you been online for three days or what? Is it September yet?
Are you dating? I think Will in Seattle is available. You can teach other some hot memes. All his base could belong to you if you play your cards right.
Are you dating? I think Will in Seattle is available. You can teach other some hot memes. All his base could belong to you if you play your cards right.
27
@26 and they can have the dancing baby as their love child.
I would suggest ecce homo for God mother
I would suggest ecce homo for God mother
28
Wow Fnarf, I never thought you'd be "pwnd" so thoroughly! I mean, she even quoted totally relevant dictionary definitions. Plus, she totally called you on your pretentious name dropping of "obscure" artists that no credible artist today gives a shit about.
Everyone knows pen and pencil drawings are for losers.
She totes hates your guts.
Everyone knows pen and pencil drawings are for losers.
She totes hates your guts.
29
So... if Bil Keane used Illustrator or, god forbid, painted FC, it would rise in its artistic value?
30
@29:
Either that, or it would be totes easier to delete...
And if anyone can prove a besotted, suicidal member of Corvus brachyrhynchos isn't the funniest thing since getting a brick to the back of the head, I'll eat a monkey's earwig.
Either that, or it would be totes easier to delete...
And if anyone can prove a besotted, suicidal member of Corvus brachyrhynchos isn't the funniest thing since getting a brick to the back of the head, I'll eat a monkey's earwig.
31
@Dozens to Play: Actually, comics don't have to be funny. Yes, the name comic implies humor, but in modern usage it is also used to refer to any work that uses a series of sequential drawings, generally in combination with some words, to tell a story. They don't HAVE to be funny, and some of the best one's aren't funny at all. I suppose your misconception is why many artists that do non-humorous stories prefer terms like graphic novels to comic books.
I'm not going to argue with your assertion that pen and ink are a low form of art as I don't see much point to it. It strikes me as the sort of silly, pretentious thing a freshman in a fine arts program would say, but there's no accounting for taste.
I'm not going to argue with your assertion that pen and ink are a low form of art as I don't see much point to it. It strikes me as the sort of silly, pretentious thing a freshman in a fine arts program would say, but there's no accounting for taste.
32
@25. I totally interpreted that cartoon as a dirty joke (is that a bottle of soda in your pocket....). In Family Circus! But, after my initial shock, I figured out that Daddy had just brought a beer. At least, I think that's the punchline.
34
http://www.losanjealous.com/nfc/
Family Circus get a reprieve because of its re-purposing for the Nietzsche Family Circus at the above link.
Family Circus get a reprieve because of its re-purposing for the Nietzsche Family Circus at the above link.
35
Most of them nowadays are bland and awful. Where's Fox Trot and The Far Side when you really need them?
36
Did anyone see the series of "Pearls Before Swine" where they spoofed the Family Circus family giving aid and comfort to Osama Bin Laden? Good stuff, great strip. Family Circus is, and always will be, the worst. Peanuts, especially these g*d*mn reruns, are a close second.
37
Love Pearls before Swine.
Speaking of unfunny comic strips, anybody want a Blondie lithograph?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie…
Speaking of unfunny comic strips, anybody want a Blondie lithograph?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie…
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