Ugh - Akron Beacon Journal started "Prickly City" today

Not surprisingly, right under Right-wing "B.C.".

They managed to keep a "neutral" strip for its debut. (It was announced Thursday that it would be starting - and that it was conservative).

Never having seen it (but heard of it), Today's installment could be almost considered "liberal".

Little kid (whatever the Righties are calling an African-American) throws a stick, saying "Fetch!".

Dog, in a haughty tone (Dogs can talk? Whoops, there goes "intelligent design" out the window; do talking dogs have souls?), says "You can't define me!"

Kid starts scratching dog, and dog can't help but pull a thumper (leg going like crazy).

Good "neutral start" . . .

At least it was buried on page 4 of the comics, with Opus under the fold on the front page of the comics ("For better or for Worse" at top of page - fairly leftish - has on occasion used an openly gay recurring character, and "home" is Canada).

It will either end up funny, or not. And if it ain't funny, it won't run for long...I am hard put to find anything funny in the rightwing, mean, chisling, unkind, unsympathetic stance those goofs take.

and Hart also used to run "The Wizard of Id" - fairly anti-monarchy.

I don't know if it is still running (is it?), but I can't see why it would. Short, goofy-looking dictator of the country, with a consultant who is smarter than the King - and is allowed to tell the king when he's an idiot.

Yeah, I can see why "The Wizard of Id" isn't Hart's pet project now . . .

We get 'The Wizard of Id' as a weekday strip, but the name on it is Parker

'B.C.' was getting so religious that the paper was getting many complaints about it. I was relieved when they ditched it. Not because I read it, I didn't. I don't read all of the comic strips, but I do read all the letters to the editor.

Hee Haw, maybe, ...

That was Freeptonia's very first "reality show" . . .

Hard to believe I became a fan of punk rock.

It's so slavishly copying 'Boondocks' it's embarrassing. The artist admits as much in interviews. I've read enough of the strip that I completely ignore it now. BTW, the dog is a Coyote and he's supposed to represent the well meaning but completely clueless liberal. The little girl is a direct theft of Huey in 'Boondocks'. Seriously, though, the artist just gushes about how blown away he was by 'Boondocks' but feels the political elements ruin it, which is a "wrong" he means to correct. What a twit. On the other hand, there was a story line criticizing cash payoffs to the strip's characters for spewing pro Bush rhetoric. Cash payoffs from the White House, I should add. Now THAT was funny, but for all the wrong reasons.

For balance, we also have 'Doonesbury', 'For Better Or Worse', 'Boondocks', 'Get Fuzzy' and the stealth leftist comic 'Adam'. As for 'Mutts', any comic artist that could brilliantly parody the cover of Big Brother & The Holding Company's album 'Cheap Thrills', use the Rolling Stones logo effectively, regularly pitches support of animal shelters and has a recurring character who's obsessed with species extinction is not exactly holding his cards close to his chest.

Actually, 'For Better Or Worse' is more leftest than just "fairly". The website for that strip is a bit more aggressively liberal than the daily feature.

Oh, and 'Funky Winkerbean' goes through the occasional cycle of war plot lines, which it is doing now.

Fortunately, 'B.C.' was ditched a few years ago, but we're still stuck with 'Family Circus'.

overall Prickly City is pretty lame. There is no sarcastic wit about it. Just preaching to the choir. It has a quasi-Mallard Fillmore feel to it.