Speaking of Garry Trudeau, Phil Smith III sent in the following recent Doonesbury and reports that the commenting crew at Go Comics didn’t get far with this. Your Editors, meanwhile, confess to not having recently followed Doonesbury closely enough to even know what it would be to get somewhere with an explanation of this episode. But Phil will be on hand to help propel the comments here. Apparently the crux is just what they said or did to lead Mel to face-plant like that.
From dollarbill.
Was the garbage supposed to be there in panel 6, when she says “looks nice”? Or are we supposed to assume that it’s moving forward? Is it alive?
Probably a bit too technical (though not hard to look up). But the point of interest is in how it uses the tools of “photographic meme” but in a drawing. Would the same joke (about “getting cancelled”) work in a direct cartoon format?
From Stan, who says “Maybe it’s that he’s a ‘fire dog’ now (is that what they’re called?), but he’s still a dog, right? It’d be like someone saying, ‘I used to be human, but I’m a dentist now.'”
From Karen, who wonders “Is this supposed to be Cards Against Humanity? But they’re using a regular deck of cards?”. But who can resist the demonic drawing of the triumphant rejoinder!
From Mindy:
Stan sent this in, and says ” I don’t understand this at all. What’s the joke? Is it that he’s talking to a boxer? If so, what’s he pointing at?” . Here at the CIDU offices, the conversation has been about how the Fight Club line applies to a Kennel Club. Especially if that doesn’t mean a club organized in the kennel, with dogs as its membership, but retains the usual meaning of an organization of human dog-fanciers, that sponsors shows and pedigree registrations.
From larK, who asks “why the long line of dead kids — I am supposing they are NOT meant to represent the current father et al as a child, so… they still suffer from high infant mortality in Family Circus Land??”
Sent in by Stan, who says he gets the point of the main joke, but has grave doubts over why Amsterdam would be an attractive fantasy destination for these kids — if one main association is that the tourism pitch is centered on availability of drugs and sex workers.
Even if they have a special interest in art history, and canals, and a cycling populace … that hasn’t been put forward either.
Comics I Don't Understand 