ee163cz (04/09/83)
Ah, yes: Pogo. Very fond of that one, myself. I rather liked the
self-referential bits (Albert reading the funny papers, complaining
that 'Poggo' doesn't make sense; also, Albert striking a match on the
border of the strip; "You tryin' to be funny?" "In a comical strip?
Woon't think of it."; Houn' Dog shooting down the balloons in which
the characters' words appeared; ...).
The strip was often political (Mr. Pig and his goat; Wiley Catt, Molester
Mole, and the Jack Acid Society; Albert's trial for swallowing the Pup Dog),
but was often funny at the same time. Alas, it stopped being funny near
the end, when Walt Kelly was ill (and later dead) and the strip was carried
on, so I hear, by some of his students.
Come right down to it, I can remember few bits that didn't have some
political significance. It seems to me that the strip was consistently
anti-Communist, anti-McCarthyist, anti-big-party-politics, and pro-being-
nice-to-everybody-and-having-a-good-time.
Hmmm...this is sounding much too serious. Disregard the last two
paragraphs (anytime I say anything serious I get flames...).
Back to silliness: I also liked that bit about printing money on
food. Not to mention dry water, the Hour of Dirt, ....
Endeavoring at all times to avoid seriousness,
(and often failing),
Eric J. Wilner (F. J. Gumby), sdcsvax!sdccsu3!ee163cz