By Jeremy Lott on 5.7.03 @ 12:03AM
Cartoonist Chris Muir says conservative is the new normal. He aims to prove it.
The second-to-last line of this past Sunday's "Doonesbury"
has to be read to be believed and even then I fear readers will
accuse me of making it up: "You are all jingoistic self-regarding
conquer-monkeys!" The full eight panel cartoon was a mini sermon --
in French -- chiding American readers for the weeks-old controversy
over "freedom" fries. I hereby nominate it as the worst single
cartoon in the history of the strip.
Admittedly, the last few months have offered a lot of
competition; it's been almost a race to the bottom. There was the
preachy
strip in which the Rev. called President Bush's sanity into
question because he may not believe in evolution; the series of
jabs at the administration for going to war when it could spent
that money to
bail out Oregon's cash-strapped public schools; or the ongoing
attempts by Duke to become the authoritarian viceroy of Iraq.
In the '70s and early '80s, "Doonesbury" was the comic
strip. It was funny, informed, imaginative and, if you can believe
it, edgy. Since about the middle of Reagan's second term, it has
grown progressively more predictable and dogmatic. As cartoonist
Chris Muir recently said, "Trudeau is more 'hip' to his [baby boom]
generation. But today, he's the Establishment."
"Day by Day" is
Muir's own three panel answer to that Establishment. Launched
online this February, it aims to speak for, and to, the "other half
of America." Normally, I'd say "red staters," but Muir has
something larger in mind than crass political corralling. He calls
himself a conservative, but in an interview with
blogger Dean Esmay, Muir explained that "conservative isn't even
'conservative' anymore. It's a label for normal." The daily strip
explores what the non-PC part of America thinks about ethics, the
economy, and politics, as well as that "age-old
dynamic betwixt men and women." The recurring characters are
four very different professionals at a nondescript design firm.
As an avowedly message-driven strip, "Day by Day" risks becoming
a better drawn version of Mallard Fillmore minus the webbing, or,
worse, a right-wing analogue to the modern "Doonesbury." But so far
it's a temptation Muir has avoided. A typical week of strips
includes some water
cooler sparring by the recurring characters over politics, a
nod to
the current international scene, a look at the Mars and Venus beat,
as well as a surprise or two.
In fact, it's encouraging to see that the characters are become
more human as the strip unfolds. Jan, the designated
twentysomething hyperactive liberal, wins the odd argument, and
also occasionally admits -- horrors! -- that she was wrong. Damon,
the toon most like Muir, is the rarest of all creatures, a black
Republican, but not an apologist for all things GOP. A recent
cartoon featured him stupefied
over the revelation that Bill Bennett has lost millions of dollars
gambling.
No newspapers currently carry the strip, nor is Muir in a hurry
to sign a syndication deal. He has promised to develop "Day by Day"
for a year, and he may need the time. The two fortysomething
characters are not nearly as developed as their younger colleagues,
and Muir is still working on his characterization and timing. Also
-- a bit of unsolicited advice as I take a sip of my cup of joe --
he might want to find a better way to connect the regulars with
world events than through their reactions to the media.
There are some rather large obstacles standing
in Muir's way, but the strip is building up a sizeable devoted
fan base online -- fans who would be willing to pester their local
papers or help out in countless other ways. It may succeed. And the
funny pages will be better for it.
topics:
Iraq
