Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Beetle Bailey

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Beetle Bailey

    The Honolulu Star Advertiser ran a piece this week that said this week the comic strip Beetle Bailey is 60 years old.

    For this week the strip is doing reruns.

  • #2
    Re: Beetle Bailey

    Once upon a time, that was a pretty clever comic strip. It hasn't been cute, clever, or funny in ages.
    But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
    GrouchyTeacher.com

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Beetle Bailey

      Originally posted by scrivener View Post
      Once upon a time, that was a pretty clever comic strip. It hasn't been cute, clever, or funny in ages.
      Agreed. I think the decline in quality can be directly linked to Mort Walker's age and his diminished involvement in the comic strip. It appears to be a case of Greg Walker not being as being as talented and creative as his father was.
      This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Beetle Bailey

        I still like Miss Buxley.
        I'm still here. Are you?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Beetle Bailey

          Originally posted by Frankie's Market View Post
          I think the decline in quality can be directly linked to Mort Walker's age and his diminished involvement in the comic strip. It appears to be a case of Greg Walker not being as being as talented and creative as his father was.
          Undoubtedly, but I would add the new political correctness to that. General Halftrack is nowhere near as inappropriate as he used to be, and I suppose that makes sense, but comic strips nowadays have to follow rules that don't apply to the rest of the paper or even to prime-time television. When Walker added Corporal Yo in 1990 (an interesting move, but somewhat misguided, if you ask me), he did it with a kind of stereotypical slant that didn't really take advantage of the possibilities adding an Asian character could bring. Where Lt. Flap was made to be cool and hip, Yo was annoying. Yo could have been smarter than everyone without being so irritating (imagine the talks he could have had with Pvt. Plato). Walker went for the annoying stereotype, then he caved in to pressure from ethnic groups, and now Yo's a useless character who seldom appears.

          Quick example of what I'm talking about: in an old strip from the seventies (I think), Pvt. Blips tells Miss Buxley the general wants to see her. Buxley asks why. Blips says, "He's been reviewing the troops all day and has 'khaki eyes.'" In the third panel, Buxley is standing in front of the general's desk. The general is slouched in his chair, obviously tired, and is saying, "Just stand there a while."

          Pretty funny, and pretty inappropriate. I think maybe that one would fly nowadays, but it couldn't get much more lecherous than that. Once the strip lost that bit of naughtiness, it became pretty boring.

          Originally posted by mel View Post
          I still like Miss Buxley.
          Amen.
          But I'm disturbed! I'm depressed! I'm inadequate! I GOT IT ALL! (George Costanza)
          GrouchyTeacher.com

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Beetle Bailey

            Originally posted by scrivener View Post
            Undoubtedly, but I would add the new political correctness to that. --- Where Lt. Flap was made to be cool and hip, Yo was annoying.
            I still have a copy of Lt. Flap's first appearance strip. His first words? "How come there's no blacks in this honkey outfit?"

            Trivia question: What is Lt. Yo's first name?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Beetle Bailey

              Originally posted by Leo Lakio View Post
              Trivia question: What is Lt. Yo's first name?
              Sorry - Cpl. Yo. Didn't mean to mess with his rank.

              And I'm looking for his Japanese name, not the Americanized one (Joe). Even though the last name of "Yo" would imply Chinese ancestry, the character has a Japanese name.

              No more hints for now. Have fun.
              Last edited by Leo Lakio; September 4, 2010, 04:15 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Beetle Bailey

                Originally posted by scrivener View Post
                Undoubtedly, but I would add the new political correctness to that.
                Good points you make. Although in the past, there were many good Beetle Bailey strips that didn't rely on sexist or stereotypical humor. Mort Walker is a WWII vet, so he was able to make light of his previous experiences serving in the army. I wonder if after so many years after being discharged, the ability to offer fresh humor from a G.I.'s perspective has all but dried up.

                It's not unlike what happened to Peanuts. In that strip's earlier years, Charles Schulz was often inspired by the actions of his own children and the neighborhood kids, and it provided much of the fodder for the antics of Charlie Brown and his friends. But after his kids grew up and left the nest in the 1970s, Peanuts began to focus more and more on Snoopy and the Walter Mitty fantasies of being a WWI flying ace or Joe Cool. Fantasies that were, in fact, Schulz's.
                Last edited by Frankie's Market; September 4, 2010, 08:26 PM.
                This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Beetle Bailey

                  Originally posted by Frankie's Market View Post
                  Fantasies that were, in fact, Schulz's.
                  Indeed they were. If you've not read David Michaelis's "Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography," I recommend it.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Beetle Bailey

                    Still no Yo name answer? You have until tomorrow.

                    (And if you figure it out, it's fun to realize what it means.)

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Beetle Bailey

                      Hmmmm . . . even Wikipedia does not inlcude the first name of this (their characterization) supporting character.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Beetle Bailey

                        Originally posted by Kimo View Post
                        Hmmmm . . . even Wikipedia does not inlcude the first name of this (their characterization) supporting character.
                        Yeah, Google-fu is not so useful on this tricky one, bwah-hah-hah...

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Beetle Bailey

                          Time's up.

                          Kashikoi

                          reference - see tenth paragraph.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Beetle Bailey

                            Then, there's Beetle's "famous" sister, LOIS FLAGSTON, of the "Hi and Lois" comic strip.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Beetle Bailey

                              Originally posted by scrivener View Post
                              Once upon a time, that was a pretty clever comic strip. It hasn't been cute, clever, or funny in ages.
                              Since it's 60 years old. The humor is dated to back then. At least it's safe enough for newspapers.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X