The Morning Line: The "Gotcha!" Cartoon

It's such ripe fodder, I'm half-surprised it hasn't wended its way into every third cartoon today.

"Gotcha!"

Bonus points for correctly using "media" as a plural verb. (TMS) Enlarge Comic

"No mainstream media liberal games! You, Katie Couric, are the leftist spawn of Eddie Murrow and Baba Wawa!" (UPS) Enlarge Comic

Both "Brewster Rockit" and "Prickly City" send up John McCain's recent accusation fired at CBS's Katie Couric -- namely, that she was trying to ensnare him and Sarah Palin in a "gotcha!"-type question.

So which strip spoofs it better? That depends on whether you're looking for political commentary or no. The conservative Scott Stantis has been refreshingly even-handed of late in skewering both parties. Here, he parodies McCain so pointedly, we half-wonder whether Stantis is a seducible swing-voter. Okay, probably not, but let liberal 'toonists like Pat Oliphant dream a little, will ya?

"Brewster," on the other hand, has nothing to do with real politics and everything to do with how lunkheaded our titular hero is. Myself, I lean toward "Brewster" today, but that's largely because I'm such an unbashed fan of Pam's. You, Pamela, are comedy gold.

And while Pam is one of the great female characters in the funnies, cartoonist Tim Rickard does not gift her with surrounding characters that spark sexual tension. We cannot, however, say the same for today's "Amazing Spider-Man" and "Mark Trail," which are positively brimming with hormonal heat.

Greatest lobster scene since "Splash." (KFS) Enlarge Comic

"It's Mark. And that's a frighteningly large rodent staring at you.(NAS)" Enlarge Comic

This, my fellow Riffsters, is a key reason why serial strips -- despite their painfully glacial plots -- must not be allowed to die out, even if they are dinosaurs.

Lastly, speaking of serials, I cannot let today's "Judge Parker" pass without offering: I am convinced that Eduardo Barreto used a hand model for that second-panel artwork today.

"Right there, on the back on the card. All my favorite lines for 'The Last Starfighter,' Ted." (NAS) Enlarge Comic

And who -- pray tell -- could model such a finely ultra-feminine hand, dainty digits and all?

You're way ahead of me. Yes, folks: Ted "Ladyhands" Forth in the flesh. So to speak.