Loud Things: Not Funny
It's been almost a two-week hiatus (thank you very much for your patience . . . that is, if there's anyone still out there), and you'd think I would have saved up all sorts of complaints and annoyances to share. Not so much. I didn't even read the comics most of the days I was on the road. So, it has taken me two days to catch up with what's going on. I mean, in today's funnies alone, so many confusing things:
- Dagwood feels animosity toward Mr. J.C. Dithers? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN??
- Jon can't get a date!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
- Dolly Keane mis-interprets Grandma's wise aphorisms? IS THIS STILL FAMILY CIRCUS?
- Cathy has money troubles, and no willpower?? The HELL?? What is going on?
- Gen. Halftrack doesn't understand technology?? SINCE WHEN?
Since forever, right? Just like all the above. Forever, and forever, and forever. They are the same as they ever were.
Now, I did miss John Patterson's car purchase in FBOFW and Daryl's telescope purchase in Baby Blues. And Ted and Sally's neighbor died? Woah. And since Funky Winkerbean has moved along to wacky high school hi-jinx, I am guessing that Wally didn't die in the path of an IED, never getting to know his unborn child?
Oh yeah, also not new -- Hagar isn't funny:
So, the joke here seems to be "Loud Things are Funny"? Or is it "Watching Lucky Eddie Suffer is Funny"? Or is it "Hagar is an Asshole"?
It's not even a bad pun. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Slapstick is funny. For whatever reason, watching someone fall on their ass is humorous. Watching people crash into each other is funny. Slapstick worked for Ed Norton in the Honeymooners and for Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld. IT DOES NOT WORK IN THE COMICS. It's the actual motion and crashing and cringe-worthy possible pain that triggers the laugh. Seeing a drawing of this . . . just not funny. The stars and bubbles, and whatever that "s" looking thing is don't help.
Plus, loud things aren't funny. They aren't necessarily un-funny, either. I can think of a lot of things in this category: batting gloves, for instance. Not funny. Not really un-funny either. Tundra, TiVo, NFL game tape, shoe laces, hospital bracelets . . . see, there are a lot of things that aren't funny.
posted by big al at 8:21 PM
4 Comments:
"batting gloves, for instance. Not funny. Not really un-funny either. Tundra, TiVo, NFL game tape, shoe laces, hospital bracelets"
Way to go, you've just given away the next 6 days of Hagar! Have you no decency?
BTW, welcome back.
Welcome back. I've missed reading this blog.
Isn't it nice to know though that in some aspect of life you can go away for long periods of time and nothing will change? The same unfunny jokes are told, the same lame gags are pulled, and on and on. It's a bit comforting. Annoying, but comforting.
I think the "joke" in Hagar is as follows: if a duck is hard of hearing, you need a really loud duck call, loud enough to knock people right off their seats and make them see stars. Hilarious! Get it? Hard-of-hearing ducks? Outrageous!
Hey, the way Eddie's outfit goes all googly in the middle panel is actually sort of amusing. Sort of. It even gets the wiggle lines around it. Hee. Titter.
Here's my question about this one: How did the creative process work?
Did our artist first stumble across a duck call, hear it, and think it was inherently funny? Probably not; anyone who's laughed at that odd sound wouldn't render it as a bland "HONK." (Also Hagar uses "Kvack" on other occasions, and that's closer to the mark.)
I can't imagine someone thinking this dialog out in her or his head and deciding it was funny enough to draw along to. Nor can I imagine anyone drawing these images and then fitting words to them later.
Where did this start? So when and from whence did Chris Browne get the inspiration, here? (Or did we get our answer the next day, as Hagar turned to that timeless font of humor, the martini?)
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