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Pearls Before Swine, 5/6/06

I’m on the record as being annoyed by Pearls Before Swine’s crocs. But you know how sometimes you can’t define why something is funny but you’re pretty sure it’s funny anyway? Well, the fact that this she-croc is, unlike all the other crocs we’ve encountered to this point, perfectly capable of speaking English in a normal fashion in and not in that horrible croc-pidgin, is funny.

Also funny: The fact that PBS characters all seem to sit on that floppy little pillow when watching TV.

Also also funny: The she-croc’s enormous afro.

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Curtis, 5/5/06

Though Curtis-bashing is often the order of the day around here, I’ve come to have admiration for the strip’s art, which is generally funnier than the ostensible humor content. It’s busy and kind of old school and I like it. Today my heart was won over by Gunther’s niece Rose Petal (oddly referred to as “Niece Rose Petal”, though at least not as “Niece ‘Rose Petal'”) who appears to be Gunther in drag. And not very convincing drag. The weird boobs, the impossible butt, the buck teeth — good times, good times.

Meanwhile, in Judge Parker, somebody’s a little concerned about Sophie the homework outsourcer:

We now know that Sam and Abbey’s palatial estate is in Florida … because that’s clearly none other than erstwhile Sunshine State election honcho, current Congressperson, and future failed Senate candidate Katherine Harris!

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Family Circus, 5/4/06

So why do you suppose that this panel is completely devoid of background details of any kind? And yet why is Barfy’s mangy little head poking in at the bottom of the frame, despite the fact that he’s not involved in this “joke” at all?

My theory about the first question: The utter blankness is supposed to cue us off that the Keanes live in an archetypical existentialist meaningless void — like Waiting For Godot, with more malapropisms.

My theory about the second question: Mom has grown so enraged by Billy’s awful horn-tooting that she’s trained Barfy to kill, kill, kill at sound of the first note. Thus the little hint of a smile on her face.

Can these two theories be reconciled with one another? I leave this as an exercise for the commentariat.