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OK, it’s incredibly, exhaustively long, so I’ve put in on a separate page. And for everyone who’s sick of hearing about it, I promise this is it, Jeopardy-wise. Enjoy!

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Comment of the week coming soon, but first I must post this bit of amazing comics detective work from faithful reader Patrick of the Interlibrary Loan Division:

I’m an artist with a day job at a public library. One day I was repairing a microfilm reader printer and was making test copies using a September 1952 Lexington (KY) Herald. Because I read CC, I gravitated towards the comics and lo and behold, there is the very same Mr. Dithers looking for Dagwood in the bathroom and finding him hanging out the window with the towel draped the same way as in the colour 2008 version snarked on at CC.

There is a part of me that sort of likes Blondie as a legacy strip but at the same time, the 1952 and 2008 strips are exactly what’s wrong with the state of comics today. In any case, I thought you might find the strip useful for comparison’s sake.

I offer the two strips together here for you to take a look at. The more artistically skilled than I can figure out how much of the actual art has been copied along with the joke.

Note that the more expansive comics format in days of yore allowed for an extra panel, in which Mr. Dithers angrily brandishes Dagwood’s pants, and which to my mind is the funniest bit in the whole strip. One is also left to wonder what difference in nuance separates 1952’s “SO?” from 2008’s “SO!!!” The whole thing does really lead me to wonder how often legacy strips with huge archives simply recycle gags wholesale every decade or so.

Also! Do not forget that I am going to be on Jeopardy! tomorrow (July 22)! The show is syndicated, so (God, it’s fun saying this) check your local listings. (UPDATE: Apparently in some markets Jeopardy is broadcast twice in one day — but one of the shows is a repeat. Be sure you’re watching the right one!) I’ll be the dork who looks like this:

On this point, a humble request. Are there any techno-studs or -studettes out there who have a digital video recording setup situation that will allow you to easily (and I must emphasize easily — I don’t want anyone putting themselves out on this score) record the show and put it in a format that I can save digitally forever (DVD, MPEG, whatever)? Please email me if so! (UPDATE: I have got a flood of responses on this point, so no need for further e-mailin’. Thanks to all!)

And finally, what you’ve all been waiting for: the comment of the week!

“That old moose could kill Roger! Mom jeans, don’t fail me now!” –Duckman30

And runners-up!

“Today’s Crankshaft reprises Tom Batiuk’s tried-and-true Last Sex Ever Ever formula. Soon Pam will die. These strips are like slasher films, only without the hot teenagers.” –Uncle Lumpy

“Man, any time Cathy does anything, she throws her arm back like she’s in the damn Torch Song Trilogy. I wish I could get that down, as it adds much needed flair. But I’d just fuck up my rotator cuff, probably.” –Jetsam

“I’m not very comfortable with the door Pluggers is opening with the introduction of the ‘You’re a plugger if your (blank) doubles as a/n (blank)’ motif. Sure, it’ll be harmless enough for a while; just a little ‘spatula’ and ‘fly-swatter’ here and a bit of ‘trash can’ and ‘fireplace’ there, but I think we all know where this is leading.” –Violet

“Incidentally, if I were given a vote, I’d vote Sally get a new hairstyle before a new kid.” –Farley’s Revenge

“Perhaps, Eric, thinking the connection is lousy, is shouting into the phone but, in reality, his voice is coming through quite fine. So Margo has to hold the phone that far away in order to not damage her hearing, which, as a predator animal, is exquisitely sensitive.” –DAS

“Sigh … I remember the day that my husband screamed his proposal to me over a cell phone.” –Rachel211

“Margo’s not vibrating because of the shouted proposal, she’s just now realizing that she is dressed exactly like Brady Bunch housekeeper Alice. Will Eric be her Sam the Butcher? Only time will tell. (For those of you who are impatient, the answer is no.)” –Pantsless Irving

“I’m not sure what kind of face I’d make if someone screeched a proposal at me over the phone, but I’m fairly certain it wouldn’t be the face of deep, soul-crushing ennui. ‘Honeymoon, shmoneymoon … life is a meaningless game, Eric.'” –Al Ewing

“So, what is that ‘animal’ in MT anyway? Today it sort of looks like a bucking bronco in panel one but then it morphs back to a moose in panel three. A moose? A horse? A moorse?” –Flying Ace

“All the name-dropping suggests to me that Ray Billingsley is not really following an anti-Pixar stance, but is indulging in his love for the quotation mark.” –Lake Eerie

“That panel from Mary Worth reminds me of the ‘good citizenship’ posters they used to plaster all over my junior high and which made me resolve to turn into a dope-smoking fiend as soon as I could find some friends with weed.” –cheech wizard

No matter whether I win or lose tomorrow on Jeopardy, it’s the tip-jar-money-putter-inners who are the real winners! And our advertisers are almost as awesome:

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Three items of interest for you in this early hour metapost! First up is the most exciting (to me, anyway): Next Tuesday, July 22, your humble blogger will be appearing on the game show Jeopardy! Will it be the first installment in an epic Ken Jennings-style saga of money-winning, or will I flame out ignominiously on the first try? Does Alex Trebek secretly share my love of Rex Morgan, M.D.? Do I at least wear a nice tie? Tune in to find out! The show is syndicated, so check your local listings for time and channel. And, if you happen to live in Baltimore or not too terribly far from it, feel free to join me and my friends as we watch the show. We’ll be at P.J.’s Pub at 3333 N. Charles St. in Charles Village — right across the street from Hopkins Homewood campus and next door to Barnes and Noble. In Baltimore the show starts at 7 p.m., but we’ll be gathering starting at 6 p.m. for pizza and booze!

Item two! You may have noticed this comment from Sally Forth scribe Ces Marciuliano in the previous thread, but I’m highlighting it here for those who haven’t:

Just wanted to let you know that for one week, July 28-August 2 (with a Sunday strip on August 24), I will be taking over art and writing duties for Bizarro thanks to the kindness of the strip’s creator Dan Piraro, who took time off to fight crime or whatever it is he does when he dons a cape and cowl, jumps out his apartment window and says, “Don’t wait up.”

The strip will still appear under the name Bizarro but will feature my own comics and the URL for my webcomic Medium Large (medium-large.com, which is still in what we web designers like to call the “unmitigated disaster” phase of construction). Those familiar with the Medium Large archives will no doubt recognize some of the strips. Those familiar with Dan’s sheer mastery of the comic strip art form and his unique brand of hilarity will no doubt be disappointed (as you can clearly see, I have yet to get a firm grasp on self-promotion despite years as a copywriter and a therapy patient).

Dan will also be reviewing each strip the day of publication on his blog, where he will surely pepper his critiques of my comics with such bon mots as “mere dilettante,” “a national disgrace,” and “this bastard has ruined me.”

This is the first time Dan has used a guest cartoonist in the history of his strip. By the end of my run we’ll see if it will be his last.

I’d just like to add that anything that will prompt Ces to actually put the brilliant archives of Medium Large back online (and maybe even start making new ones!), and distract him from constantly, feverishly thinking about Ted and Sally “practic[ing] making a baby,” is very much a good thing.

Finally, here’s a note I received that will hopefully be of interest to one of you:

Throughout Comic-Con in San Diego next week, Andrew Feinstein (who writes/draws the comic strip Girls & Sports) in conjunction with Dogmatic Films is filming a documentary about the experience from the perspective of several attendees. In addition to showcasing the cultural phenomenon that Comic-Con has become through interviews with celebrities, industry executives, comic book store owners, costumed veterans, first timers, and so on, we will be following several attendees throughout the convention. Like many Comic-Con attendees, our main subjects are either looking to be discovered or are hoping to discover something new for themselves.

We have lined up most of our participants, but are actively looking for a young artist who is bringing his/her portfolio to be reviewed by DC Comics, Marvel, etc, in hopes of getting a job as an artist. Secondly, we are also looking for someone with an independent comic book hoping to get it picked up by a bigger publisher or attract a wider audience.

In addition, if you’re an industry executive, comic book store owner, professional artist, and so on, we’d love to interview you. One of our cameras will be dedicated for these interviews, so we can accommodate your schedule at the convention.

If you or someone you know would be interested in this exciting project, please email us at: dogmaticfilms@gmail.com and we will arrange to meet at the convention. Thank you!

This could be your big break, people! Or at least your chance to be in a movie.