Comic Strips Make No Sense At All

Some three years ago I had a blog that I called "Makes No Sense At All", named after the Hüsker Dü song. The point of it was to give me an occasional soap-box from which to give into Andy Rooney tendencies and just grumble and complain about whatever took my fancy. I didn't carry on with it too long, and it was read by, like, a maximum of five people who were not GoogleBots. So since it's just sat there moribund, collecting digital dust down the years. I decided I might as well close down the old blog and syndicate its contents here, in weekly installations. I've eliminated a few blog entries that seem too anachronistic by now, but the blogs that I have included I've not edited at all. So enjoy watching me at my grumpiest... Makes No Sense at All.

Originally published 3 July 2008.

Have you ever taken a gander at the comics page of your friendly local newspaper? I mean, since 1984?

It wouldn't really matter whether or not you've looked in the past 24 years, of course. Nothing, and I mean nothing, has changed in all that time. Sure, there is the odd new comic. Some of the new ones are actually pretty good. What I am in fact referring to is the evil that is "Garfield", "B.C.", "Cathy" etc. Any comic over a generation old.

I can't imagine an industry where stasis and complete lack of innovation is rewarded so handsomely. These comics have not had a single worthy punchline in my entire lifetime and haven't even attempted anything new in that long. On absolute auto-pilot, they glide through the years recycling the same jokes over and over, to the point where no humour whatsoever remains unstrained.

If you think I'm exaggerating, take a quick check at today's comics. Viewed objectively, not a single one can claim to have anything even remotely funny - or, God forbid, cutting edge - about them. 2008? 1973? 1994? 1979? It makes no difference whatsoever.

How creepy can you get?