Agreed about the sex; Fritzi's own strip is often described as "cheesecake." (FWIW I think she's wearing lingerie, which is something we see on billboards now but not the "family" Sunday funnies.) On the flip side of the voyeurism equation, the comic at the bottom of this page deals with the wandering male eye. Why is Phil photographing those other women when he dates a hot babe like Fritzi? The way he includes half her face in each frame underscores the cruelty of his neurosis as well as the lameness of his subterfuge. This is a rather sophisticated "gag"!
Like Alex, I grew up thinking Nancy was bland and unfunny. When the smart set started calling it zen I, er...went with the flow. Now it looks like punk is the better frame of reference. The strip isn't about American values like Family Circus; it's amoral in being "all about the gag." Also, by the '60s EB's sharpest work may have been behind him. I'm looking forward to getting the book and finding out more.
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Like Alex, I grew up thinking Nancy was bland and unfunny. When the smart set started calling it zen I, er...went with the flow. Now it looks like punk is the better frame of reference. The strip isn't about American values like Family Circus; it's amoral in being "all about the gag." Also, by the '60s EB's sharpest work may have been behind him. I'm looking forward to getting the book and finding out more.
- tom moody 4-24-2003 3:30 am