The Morning Line: Rick Redfern Ghostwrites Our Riffys...

Oh, "Prickly City," will your barbs at the "elite media" never cease?


Life as a "former Washington Post guy"... (UPS) Enlarge Comic

Today, the coyote casually mentions that he's hired some "former Washington Post guy" to handle his ghostwriting. Oh, Mr. Stantis, has The Post stock so dipped in your eyes that now, our former reporters can be had on the cheap to scribble for volpine narcissists? And what is next for onetime White House journalist Rick Redfern: medical briefs for a zoo newsletter?

Actually, come to think of it, we'd love to see what kind of prose Redfern would craft for Winslow. Would he liken the smug coyote pup to a paranoid Nixonian character, or perhaps paint him as Clintonian in his lack of discipline?

In short, Mr. Stantis, we laughed. Aloud. Which, in terms of Riffy Awards, made it our fave Comic Character Cross-Pollination Strip O' the Week.

In other Riffys for the week:

FAVE STORYLINE:


Envy rears its talking head. (WPWG) Enlarge Comic

"Watch Your Head" had the tone of truth, as Dana and her boyfriend realistically argued whether Dana can have dude friends -- and whether they really want to put the moves on her. Well-written, Mr. Thomas. ,,,

FAVE CHARACTER CAMEO:


When Forth gets positively furious... (KFS) Enlarge Comic

In "Sally Forth," the recurrence of office buddy Aria makes for some especially rich tension. Not that Ted and Sally's faces show it when a fight is brewing beneath their relatively placid features -- yet somehow, that smile-y stoicism makes it all the more subversive. ...

FAVE ARTWORK:


Noir or never. (NAS) Enlarge Comic

Eduardo Barreto is really ratcheting up the high-contrast tones in the increasingly noirish "Judge Parker." (Flickwise, "Suspicion" meets "Scarface" in panel two.) Lovin' the look, Mr. B.

And we would be remiss if we did not dish out a scolding Miffy:

MOST STRAINED GAG:


A "mash" note. (NEA) Enlarge Comic

In "Frank & Ernest," the whole "Potter" punning seems like harmless fun on one level, yet so mindlessly lazy on another. (Plus, if you're going to go retro with the show, it's spelled "M*A*S*H," o post-Thaves surrogates.)

If you've got different picks, 'Riffs readers, bring 'em on.

By Michael Cavna |  November 14, 2008; 6:00 AM ET  | Category:  The Morning Line
Previous: Requiem for the Staff Political Cartoonist (2009) | Next: Colbert Speaks: So What DO He and Obama Have in Common?...

Comments

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The "smug wolverine" is a coyote...

Posted by: wiredog | November 14, 2008 8:25 AM

The 'no eyes zombie' look has no spread from Steve, earlier in the week, to Sam.

Could this be the week that Sam gets to the bottom of Dixie Julep?

Posted by: JkR- | November 14, 2008 9:32 AM

Wow! Fastrack merged tech with railroads in today's strip. Woo-woo!

Posted by: MSchafer | November 14, 2008 10:14 AM

Do you have any idea whether the Rick Redfern in there was drawn by Stantis, drawn by Trudeau for the strip or pasted from a previous Doonesbury strip?

Posted by: nottenst | November 14, 2008 12:10 PM

>>TO: nottenst

THIS JUST IN: Scott Stantis tells Comic Riffs: "The Redfern was cut and paste from a Doonesbury that ran a few weeks
ago. I felt it helped the gag to have Trudeau's art opposite my own."

Another art mystery solved.

Posted by: cavnam | November 14, 2008 1:55 PM

Oh, and here I was just about to comment that apparently Scott Stantis actually CAN draw. Shows me.

Posted by: oceanchild | November 14, 2008 3:27 PM

Oh, and here I was just about to comment that apparently Scott Stantis actually CAN draw. Shows me.

Posted by: oceanchild | November 14, 2008 3:28 PM

It may have been overlooked because the Post doesn't carry it, but Grimmy the dog spent a fun two weeks filling in for Uga, the University of Georgia's bulldog mascot.

Along the way, Grimmy met up with the Fighting Irish, the Stanford tree, South Carolina's gamecock, Wisconsin's badger, Georgia Tech's Yellow Jackets, and Arkansas' Razorback....

Posted by: SportzNut21 | November 14, 2008 5:01 PM

@SportzNut21 | November 14, 2008 5:01 PM


Hmm, my Post carries it. Perhaps yours needs servicing?

Posted by: JkR- | November 14, 2008 6:48 PM

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