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Would you downsize 'Dilbert'? Time to Defend That 'Toon
'DILBERT' (UFS)Enlarge Image In recent weeks, some 'Riffs readers have questioned why it was the Scott Adams comic strip "DILBERT." and not the homegrown "CUL DE SAC," that was chosen to remain housed in The Washington Post Magazine, where...
By Michael Cavna | November 18, 2009; 10:15 AM ET | Comments (16)
Should We Forget 'Fuzzy'? Time to Defend (& Commend) That 'Toon
Bucky Katt's backhanded insults: The feisty feline can certainly make a racket, if not wield one. (United Feature Syndicate) Some readers have asked Comic Riffs why features that are generally acknowledged to be "more popular" still need to be...
By Michael Cavna | November 10, 2009; 09:05 AM ET | Comments (30)
Should 'Red and Rover' roll over? Time to Defend That 'Toon
'RED AND ROVER' (WPWG)Enlarge Image Ever since Comic Riffs asked readers the other day what strip they would move to KidsPost -- so "Frazz" could return to the daily comics page -- one of the most mentioned features after...
By Michael Cavna | November 2, 2009; 02:24 PM ET | Comments (37)
Do You Like Living With 'Curtis'? Time to Defend That 'Toon
Enlarge Comic On Monday night at the Kennedy Center, as a procession of performers spoke in tribute to Bill Cosby, they enumerated the reasons why "The Cosby Show" was every bit as groundbreaking as Cosby's "I Spy" was two...
By Michael Cavna | October 27, 2009; 03:20 PM ET | Comments (20)
Should 'Pearls' be cast before swine? Time to Defend That 'Toon
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE: Oh, Rat leaves his mark all right. (UFS)Enlarge Comic. Now that cartoonist Stephan Pastis is out of the country and otherwise preoccupied, haha -- something about visiting troops in the Persian Gulf and whatnot -- the...
By Michael Cavna | October 19, 2009; 11:45 AM ET | Comments (42)
Should 'Tank McNamara' Be Cut From the Team? Time to Defend That 'Toon
TANK McNAMARA Enlarge Comic Time once again to Defend...That...Toon: Much has changed since "TANK McNAMARA" first traded in his NFL shoulder pads for a broadcaster's jacket back in the days of Don Shula and Dick Butkus and the crew-cut...
By Michael Cavna | October 12, 2009; 10:45 AM ET | Comments (23)
Should 'Family Circus' Remain in Our Inner Circle? Time to Defend That Toon
'FAMILY CIRCUS' (KFS)Enlarge Image In a somewhat unusual move, I'd like to begin today's edition of "Defend That 'Toon" by addressing FAMILY CIRCUS creator BIL KEANE directly to say a few words. First off, just let me say: Happy...
By Michael Cavna | October 5, 2009; 10:20 AM ET | Comments (26)
Does 'Cul de Sac' Feel Right at Home? Time to Defend That 'Toon
Once again, it's time to Defend...That...'Toon: CUL DE SAC: (UPS)Enlarge Comic Some comic characters, you can read for seeming eons and they never, ever draw nearer to your heart. Then, at the other end of the aortic spectrum, are...
By Michael Cavna | September 30, 2009; 09:15 AM ET | Comments (31)
Is It Time to Bottle 'Blondie'? Now's Your Chance to Defend That 'Toon
Time, once again, to Defend...That...'Toon... 'BLONDIE' (KFS)Enlarge Image Blondie walks among us so gracefully, always quipping and catering, that it's easy to forget one fact: She's a zombie. All the undead should be so well preserved. "Zombie strips" -- those...
By Michael Cavna | September 16, 2009; 08:05 AM ET | Comments (25)
Should 'Peanuts' Get Shelled? Time to Defend That 'Toon
'PEANUTS' (UFS)Enlarge Image Time once again, Riffsters, to defend that 'toon... In terms of feeling torn, perhaps no strip tugs at my allegiances quite like "Peanuts." Most comics fans can reach consensus that Charles "Sparky" Schulz's creation was one...
By Michael Cavna | August 26, 2009; 11:15 AM ET | Comments (48)
Should 'Mark Trail' Take a Hike? Time to Defend That 'Toon
Pell-mell arrives the "other woman," Kelly Welly. (NAS) Enlarge Comic. DEFEND THAT 'TOON: This week's victim: "Mark Trail" It's the comic pages' version of a large nuclear cockroach, which is rather fitting given how many ginormous foregrounded creatures populate...
By Michael Cavna | August 17, 2009; 01:05 PM ET | Comments (39)
Does 'Beetle' Mania Live On? Time to Defend That 'Toon
'BEETLE BAILEY' (KFS)Enlarge Image Later today, this Riffster will begin blogging from San Diego Comic-Con. But first, it's time for this week's edition of "Defend...That...Toon!" Today's strip on the talking block: "Beetle Bailey." This famously was the last comic strip...
By The Reliable Source | July 22, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (16)
Is 'Dennis' Merely a Menace? Time to Defend That 'Toon
Yes, 'Riffs readers, time once again to play: Defend...That...Toon! 'DENNIS THE MENACE' (KFS) Just how old is Dennis the Menace? Well in theory, this "lovable" mischievous scamp is a perpetual 5-year-old. By real-life applications of Actual Time Measurement, though,...
By Michael Cavna | July 17, 2009; 09:45 AM ET | Comments (13)
Does 'Frazz' Have Zazz? It's Time to Defend That Toon
'FRAZZ' (UFS)Enlarge Image 'FRAZZ' (UFS)Enlarge Image Yes, fellow Riffsters, time once again to play: Defend...That... 'Toon! When The Post returned "Judge Parker" to its funnypages this year, the stay of execution perhaps adversely affected no one worse than Frazz....
By Michael Cavna | July 8, 2009; 12:45 PM ET | Comments (37)
The Comics Minus 'Garfield'? Time to Defend That 'Toon
Yes, folks, it's time once again to play: Defend That 'Toon! 'GARFIELD' (UPS)Enlarge Image Last week, Comic Riffs asked readers: Were you editor, would you cancel "Hagar the Horrible" from your funnypages -- and the response was almost squarely...
By The Reliable Source | June 30, 2009; 12:05 PM ET | Comments (29)
Is 'Hagar' Not Horrible? Time to Defend That 'Toon
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE (courtesy of KFS) Enlarge Comic Today, we introduce a spankin'-new Comic Riffs feature titled "Defend That 'Toon," which each week will test the reader popularity of this or that particular comic strip. First up: "Hagar the...
By Michael Cavna | June 22, 2009; 12:05 PM ET | Comments (17)
