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COLUMN: Newspaper comic strips reflect real life

Insights and observations can be found in the comic strips
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The cover to sa国际传媒淎ction Comicssa国际传媒 No. 1000 was illustrated by DC co-publisher Jim Lee. (DC Entertainment)

sa国际传媒婣 subscription to the local newspaper in our house meant anticipation of the Sunday edition.

My Dad would take the majority of the paper off to his spot on the couch along with a cup of coffee and the rest of us kids would take turns reading the sa国际传媒渇unny pages.sa国际传媒

The Sunday cartoons were extra special because they were in colour, not just black and white like the rest of the week.

Comic strips were our first introduction to reading the newspaper. My sister and brothers had their favourites. Calvin and Hobbes, Garfield and Hagar the Horrible.

My brother liked The Far Side comics so much that he would cut them out of the paper and save them.

sa国际传媒 When I asked my Dad which comic was his favourite, he mentioned without hesitation that he used to love Pogo.

Written by American cartoonist Walt Kelly, Pogo launched in 1948 and ran for 27 years.

Set in the Okefenokee swamp, Pogo Possum and his sidekick Albert Alligator got into all kinds of trouble. Walt Kelly also got into some trouble when his cartoons began to take on a more political slant, and he introduced a character that acted a lot like U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Brilliant with the subversive jabs at politicians of the day, Pogo was a champion for the powerless.

He also loved to fish and go picnicking, kind of like my Dad.

sa国际传媒婭f a comic strip was ever meant to champion the downtrodden and bullied, then the most famous of all would be Peanuts, written by Charles M. Shulz.

The iconic character of Charlie Brown is unforgettable, especially this time of year, when reruns of sa国际传媒淎 Charlie Brown Christmassa国际传媒 are still popular.

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We all know what it means when someone tells us they bought a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Itsa国际传媒檚 become part of our vernacular.

The cartoon special was also a reminder that not everyone is happy and cheerful during the holiday season. As Linus says about the tree, sa国际传媒淢aybe it just needs a little love.sa国际传媒

sa国际传媒婸eanuts cartoons appeared in newspapers from 1950 until 2000.

Fifty years of Charlie Brown trying to kick a football and always missing.

If the cartoon taught kids anything, it was to keep trying, no matter how scared or nervous they may be.

sa国际传媒婩lying down a hill on a sled with a stuffed tiger sitting behind you is the antithesis of scared and nervous.

Six-year-old Calvin and his faithful tiger Hobbes took childhood activities to the next level.

Those trips usually ended in a spectacular crash, all while waxing philosophical on the way down. Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson credits both Charles Schulz and Walt Kelly as big inspirations for his popular comic strip, which only ran for 10 years.

sa国际传媒婥omic books rarely sit for long on our library shelves.

They are some of the best loved books in our collection.

Beginning Jan. 2, the library display case will be full of Garfield, Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes and Peanuts ready for you to read and have a laugh.

Come in and tell us about your favourite newspaper comic strip!

Caroline McKay is the Community Librarian for the Summerland branch of the Okanagan Regional Library.

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From Captain Americasa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒40s debut, by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. (Handout courtesy of Timely/Marvel Comics)


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