History Repeats
I've only got three comic strips for you today. Six, if you count the ones I always do at the MEG. Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to produce quality to make up for the lack of quantity. Sure, let's go with that...
Jump Start, 12/4/09
On the surface of this comic, there's nothing wrong with it. No joke, really, but it's a serialized comedic strip. Sometimes there aren't any jokes, but it's better for them to just eschew a joke rather than do the stupid For Better or for Worse/Funky Winkerbean stupid-line-with-a-smirk thing. My problem with this is that this is basically rehashing a storyline they did a few years ago where Joe didn't want to wear his bullet-proof vest and was shot, but he was wearing the vest and so he didn't die. This time, he has a comically over-sized medallion hanging on his chest that a homeless family gave him after last week's Thanksgiving thing. He didn't want to wear it, but is wearing it, so the bullet won't kill him.
My main issue with this is that the first storyline also served to promote bullet-proof vests, which is a worthwhile thing to promote. Whether it be cops or soldiers, we don't want the people defending us to get shot full of holes. This storyline, however, doesn't serve the same purpose. Yes, Joe's kindness towards the homeless family is being repaid and it's all heart-warming and seasonally appropriate (which may be the whole point of this, really) but they could have done it in a different way than "Joe's getting shot." I'm probably over-thinking this and my gripes are probably unwarranted, but I really wish they had gone a different direction with this storyline. Maybe have them do some other nice thing for Joe that wouldn't involve him getting shot. Really, that's my main problem with this whole thing. Joe getting shot again. It's just sort of lazy to go back to that well again, I think.
Also, at that range, wouldn't the bullet make it through the medallion and do a lot of damage to his innards, anyway?"
Beetle Bailey, 12/4/09
I really like the second panel, with Beetle trying to comfort a clearly distraught Rocky. Maybe soon there'll be a storyline where Rocky, angry over the death of his creation, manages to wound Sarge.
Working It Out, 12/4/09
I know this isn't a cartoon about prostitution. It's a cartoon about a man in a reindeer costume (with pearls, for some reason) being told that he'd get fifty dollars if he let someone ride him as one would ride a reindeer. However, it really looks and sounds like a cartoon about prostitution. Not only that, but furry prostitution.
Also, there's the redundancy of having a dollar sign in front of the fifty and still saying "bucks". Unless the man is actually offering the man in the reindeer suit some actual deer which cost $50 in exchange for allowing him to ride him.
3 comments:
The bullet may not have penetrated the medaliion if it were a smaller calibur like .22 cal or .25 cal. or if the medallion wasn't real gold, only brass covered steel to immitate gold.
President Teddy Roosevelt was shot point blank with a .22 calibur bullet from a would-be assassin and the bullet lodged in his muscles. Roosevelt was so pissed off he pushed past his secret service guards and proceded to beat the shit out of the guy.
Here is a very interesting (and artistic) video of bullets hitting glass and steel in verrrrry slow motion. Pretty cool stuff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfDoQwIAaXg
In the weeklong telegraphing setup, it is mentioned that the medallion is "solid steel." (facepalm)
I hate the final panel of today's Jump Start for several reasons: (1) the PAP sound effect; (2) the silly-looking perp, dropping his groceries, running AT the po-po, and firing his weapon "gang-style" all at once; (3) the delightful image of a police office taking a shot in the chest.
The strip has been sick all week. You had the Wonderful Blissninny Street Family, every member dressed head-to-toe in gray (although that can be blamed on a lazy colorist) but otherwise perfectly TV-sitcom normal, setting up the obvious payoff (and blatantly false moral lesson).
What could save it: tonight, we learn the medallion didn't stop a damn thing. Joe's still alive, but MAYBE NEXT TIME HE'LL WEAR THE DAMN VEST AND NOT RELY ON HOODOO NONSENSE. Also, Crunchy blows the perp away with equally graphic visuals.
Otherwise, this is so bad as to be a strip-killer. I'll delete my damn bookmark. If I want to read a trainwreck of a strip with screwed-up moral values, I've got Curtis.
Follow-Up: Well, Crunchy blew the perp away (off-camera). That's something, however little.
Tell you what: I'll keep the bookmark, but personally chew out Armstrong for being a lazy hack.
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