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Ever hear the expression on parting from someone “see you in the funny papers”?
Unless you’ve over 70, you probably haven’t heard it — ever.
Back in the 1940s and 1950s, however, you could have heard it a lot. I surmise that the “funny papers” (newspaper comic sections) were so big and universal — especially on Sunday — that they rivaled everyday life itself.
Not so today, very sad to say. In fact, the biggest and most famous newspapers in America no longer wrap themselves in “funny papers” on Sunday, instead gazing out at us like slabs of gray type with giant words like “inflation” or “election.” Boooooring!
Appoint me czar of American journalism and I’d soon right this wrong. In fact, here are some of my personal favorite strips that would be mandatory for my (and your) perusal over Sunday coffee.
Prince Valiant: Still around, this Arthurian-age masterpiece generally occupied a full page in the Sunday comics. It related the adventures of the intrepid knight of the Round Table, with narrative in blocks below or beside the panels. I must admit, though, that even as a kid I was less enthralled by Val’s swordplay than by the presence of his lovely wife, Princess Aleta, queen of the Misty Isles. But, let us proceed.
Bringing up Father: I still laugh at reprints of this now-defunct tale of the noveau-riche but rough-edged Irishman Jiggs and his social-climbing wife Maggie, who keeps attacking him with a rolling pin and calling him “insect” when he tries to sneak off with his lower-class buddies.
They’ll Do It Every Time: This single-panel comic was basically a clever joke about life’s little ironies, such as the incompetent weekend fishermen who load up their boat with every convenience known to humanity and think they’re roughing it. You know, Prince Valiant and Aleta used to sail around on Viking ships once in a while, I remember, and she always looked stunning.
Joe Palooka: Most people liked the boxing sequences or the World War II displays of patriotism when Joe gave up the ring for the Army. Folks in these parts, though, thrilled to the occasional reference to Joe’s old home here in Wyoming Valley.
Pogo: This strip didn’t last a long time, but it entertained by using Pogo Possum and swamp friends to make points about the passing scene that could tickle the ribs of kids and adults alike. If you were sharp enough, you could recognize world leaders wandering in and out.
Blondie: Just eight years away from its centenary, its continued appeal and top-of-the-page status in papers today might mark it as the greatest comic strip of all time. Hey, how many other strips can claim that a sandwich was named for one of its main characters?
Beetle Bailey: Yes, it’s silly and stereotyped as all get-out, but it contains truths that anyone who’s ever been in the military can relate to. It has the lazy guy, the tension between NCO and private, the ineffectual commander and the devout loyalty of people in uniform to one another. Plus, it’s funny. About all it doesn’t have, unfortunately, is Aleta.
Mickey Finn: Actually, it starred Mickey’s uncle Phil, everybody’s lovable kin whose successes (and life) never quite matched up to his plans, as shown in the black eye he frequently got for his pains.
These strips would be a good start for my personal Sunday comic section. Of course, I’d give Aleta – I mean, Prince Valiant – top billing.
Gotta go look up those Misty Isles.
Tom Mooney is a Times Leader history writer. Reach him at [email protected].