The only reason I ever forgave the NYT for not having a comics section was that even at a young age they had the best crossword, and still do. And thank goodness my parents got both the NYT and the local paper so I was able to enjoy both.
Bloom County was the best! I co-write a webcomic called Big Yikes and we're doing our best to contribute to the grand tradition of lowbrow cheap jokes. If I had more time to draw them better that would probably be good, but...eh.
Loved the comics when I was a kid! I grew up on the LA Times in the 60s and 70s, which had a pretty current set of options at the time (Cathy, Calvin and Hobbes, and so on). However, when I would visit my grandparents in New Bedford MA, I was always struck by their vintage Sunday comics that we didn't have in LA: Blondie and Dagwood, Prince Valiant, Lil Orphan Annie, Alley-Oop etc. It felt so old, even to me, at age 9!
Speaking of nostalgia, have you checked out Apollo 10 1/2 on Netflix? It's a Richard Linklater-directed rotoscoped cartoon about growing up white in the suburbs in the 60s, and it provides a forensically detailed recounting of every pop culture artifact of the time: music, tv, movies, toys, food, games, ads, you name it. It's not a great movie -- a bit long and a bit self-indulgent, but if you happen to overlap with that demographic, and you can handle a heavy hit of nostalgia, you will be blown away.
Wow, this takes me back! My grandmother took the paper when I was little, and I went straight for the comics; then, when I was a bit older, I also gobbled up the Erma Bombeck and Lewis Grizzard columns. It felt more permanent and special to have new comics to hold in my hand than it does now, finding them online. I do enjoy XKCD and The Oatmeal a lot, and I'm subbed to the creator of FoxTrot on Twitter because I adore that series.
Andy Rooney...what an old grump. If he didn't coin "get off my lawn," we'll just pretend he did. 60 Minutes, the show of middle class outrage. "OMG what?!" Shocking info. I never loved the comics but it was sort of obligatory you read one or two in the Sunday paper. Garfield was sort of funny...fat shaming a cat, fun! I definitely appreciate comic strips more now than I did as a child, or even a young adult. We would take the Sunday paper to brunch when I was first married...no more buffet brunch and we don't get a paper now. And don't forget the coupons!
Many people think of Clark Kent and Lois Lane at The Daily Planet from the 1950s comic strips. But I think of "Brenda Starr, Reporter" at The Flash. I'm laughing as I remember her dreamy, elusive lover (with an eye patch), Basil St. John; her managing editor, Mr. Livright; and her female, visibly unfeminine colleague Hank O'Hair. Between Brenda Starr comic strips and my Nancy Drew books, I was determined to be an investigative reporter or private detective. Alas ...
One thing the Sun. NYTimes used to have was Al Hirschfeld cartoons. With a tiny number next to his signature. The number told us how many times he embedded his daughter's name NINA into the actual drawing. I loved counting how many "Ninas" I could find each Sunday.
And the supplements! It wasn't that long ago every store in your region; both the locals and the big chains, had their multi-page weekly Sunday spreads, often in color! How else would you know what albums would be on sale this coming week at Caldor or Bradlees? You couldn't Google this stuff, kids!
Thanks for the Nostalgia, Michael. I loved Calvin and Hobbes most of all! I also miss the feel of newsprint between my fingers (I literally use our weekly to get the wood stove going, there is nothing better). I'm also pleased to hear that you fuck your wife on top of the sports page, as I do the same. Ugrading to paid.
"I definitely don’t miss my childhood or the crappy little townhouse in which I grew up. I definitely don’t miss the arguments, and I don’t even miss the sugar cereal because usually we were forced to eat fucking Product 19. But I do miss the feel of newsprint between my fingers and turning the pages to get to “Bloom County.” Just a small reflection on a small Sunday morning in May. Ack!! "
AND ALSO, i would say that to me right now, the things that operate in the space where the sunday funnies lived when i was a kid = web comics
things like Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, XKCD, and the Oatmeal. SMBC and XKCD come out daily, i believe, or seem to, and they are often a similar panel structure to the newspaper comic strips of olde, as opposed to graphic novels which seem a different format.
have you read any of those web comics? i think you might really enjoy them!
The only reason I ever forgave the NYT for not having a comics section was that even at a young age they had the best crossword, and still do. And thank goodness my parents got both the NYT and the local paper so I was able to enjoy both.
Bloom County was the best! I co-write a webcomic called Big Yikes and we're doing our best to contribute to the grand tradition of lowbrow cheap jokes. If I had more time to draw them better that would probably be good, but...eh.
"Product 19? Uh, I got nuthin' better. Go with that"
- marketing guy after 3 martini lunch.
At 70 years of age, I too have an aversion to nostalgia. That said, I do miss the Sunday paper and it’s color funnies.
Does anyone actually mop the gulags?
Loved the comics when I was a kid! I grew up on the LA Times in the 60s and 70s, which had a pretty current set of options at the time (Cathy, Calvin and Hobbes, and so on). However, when I would visit my grandparents in New Bedford MA, I was always struck by their vintage Sunday comics that we didn't have in LA: Blondie and Dagwood, Prince Valiant, Lil Orphan Annie, Alley-Oop etc. It felt so old, even to me, at age 9!
Speaking of nostalgia, have you checked out Apollo 10 1/2 on Netflix? It's a Richard Linklater-directed rotoscoped cartoon about growing up white in the suburbs in the 60s, and it provides a forensically detailed recounting of every pop culture artifact of the time: music, tv, movies, toys, food, games, ads, you name it. It's not a great movie -- a bit long and a bit self-indulgent, but if you happen to overlap with that demographic, and you can handle a heavy hit of nostalgia, you will be blown away.
Wow, this takes me back! My grandmother took the paper when I was little, and I went straight for the comics; then, when I was a bit older, I also gobbled up the Erma Bombeck and Lewis Grizzard columns. It felt more permanent and special to have new comics to hold in my hand than it does now, finding them online. I do enjoy XKCD and The Oatmeal a lot, and I'm subbed to the creator of FoxTrot on Twitter because I adore that series.
Andy Rooney...what an old grump. If he didn't coin "get off my lawn," we'll just pretend he did. 60 Minutes, the show of middle class outrage. "OMG what?!" Shocking info. I never loved the comics but it was sort of obligatory you read one or two in the Sunday paper. Garfield was sort of funny...fat shaming a cat, fun! I definitely appreciate comic strips more now than I did as a child, or even a young adult. We would take the Sunday paper to brunch when I was first married...no more buffet brunch and we don't get a paper now. And don't forget the coupons!
Don’t forget the silly putty if you’re a kid reading the funny pages.
I too have fond memories of the Sunday, and the daily, comics from our local paper. Loved The Jumble word puzzle too!
Now, the first thing both my husband and I do when each week’s New Yorker arrives in the mail is read the comics. So goddam funny!
Many people think of Clark Kent and Lois Lane at The Daily Planet from the 1950s comic strips. But I think of "Brenda Starr, Reporter" at The Flash. I'm laughing as I remember her dreamy, elusive lover (with an eye patch), Basil St. John; her managing editor, Mr. Livright; and her female, visibly unfeminine colleague Hank O'Hair. Between Brenda Starr comic strips and my Nancy Drew books, I was determined to be an investigative reporter or private detective. Alas ...
What a relatable post! Thanks!
One thing the Sun. NYTimes used to have was Al Hirschfeld cartoons. With a tiny number next to his signature. The number told us how many times he embedded his daughter's name NINA into the actual drawing. I loved counting how many "Ninas" I could find each Sunday.
And the supplements! It wasn't that long ago every store in your region; both the locals and the big chains, had their multi-page weekly Sunday spreads, often in color! How else would you know what albums would be on sale this coming week at Caldor or Bradlees? You couldn't Google this stuff, kids!
Thanks for the Nostalgia, Michael. I loved Calvin and Hobbes most of all! I also miss the feel of newsprint between my fingers (I literally use our weekly to get the wood stove going, there is nothing better). I'm also pleased to hear that you fuck your wife on top of the sports page, as I do the same. Ugrading to paid.
Are you me?
"I definitely don’t miss my childhood or the crappy little townhouse in which I grew up. I definitely don’t miss the arguments, and I don’t even miss the sugar cereal because usually we were forced to eat fucking Product 19. But I do miss the feel of newsprint between my fingers and turning the pages to get to “Bloom County.” Just a small reflection on a small Sunday morning in May. Ack!! "
dear michael,
thoughtful and fun as always!
AND ALSO, i would say that to me right now, the things that operate in the space where the sunday funnies lived when i was a kid = web comics
things like Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, XKCD, and the Oatmeal. SMBC and XKCD come out daily, i believe, or seem to, and they are often a similar panel structure to the newspaper comic strips of olde, as opposed to graphic novels which seem a different format.
have you read any of those web comics? i think you might really enjoy them!
thanks for sharing as always!
love
myq