why are there no political strips out there?

Sidwood · Post by **Sidwood** » Thu Apr 04, 2002 4:52 pm

With all the thousands of internet comic strips out there, probobly less than 5% of them have anything remotely to do with politics. I wonder why that is... is it that people in the internet comics community just don't care about politics; or they think their audience doesn't care, so they don't put anything politics-related in thier comics?

Sure, there's polical commentary thrown in every once and a while... but i have never seen a good strip reminiscent of Bloom County or Doonesbury. What gives?

MrPokeyCactus · Post by **MrPokeyCactus** » Thu Apr 04, 2002 5:12 pm

I dunno too many political strips, but I hear ya. I like Doonesbury much better than Family Circus, and Non Sequitor is great too. Keenspace wise, There's not many that I know of. Most of them are just elitest type comics.

I guess my only Political Strip i like is <a href=http://monkeylaw.keenspace.com>Monkey Law</a>. It certainly is something like a political strip like Doonesbury or Pogo or a select few of others. Or certainly that of what I hope.

Or you can read my strip, which is just weird.

Damonk13 · Post by **Damonk13** » Thu Apr 04, 2002 9:48 pm

Well, i'd dare guess that atleast 50% of the webcomics out there are being drawn by people between the ages of 12-18, and that the average bear seems to get "political" around college time (though i know there are political clubs in HS, too)

There's also the fact that some people just aren't into politics, and have other hobbyhorses they prefer to ride instead...

Kevin Wolf · Post by **Kevin Wolf** » Thu Apr 04, 2002 11:01 pm

On 2002-04-04 17:12, MrPokeyCactus wrote:

I guess my only Political Strip i like is <a href=http://monkeylaw.keenspace.com>Monkey Law</a>.

Dammit, I was going to plug Monkey Law as soon as I saw the topic. Oh, well. Yeah, read Monkey Law.

For more politics, read the newspaper, watch CNN, go to the movies, watch "The West Wing", listen to talk radio, chat with dimwits at work, and leave us our tiny corner of politically barren escapism.

SpareChange · Post by **SpareChange** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 7:12 am

There are a few political webcomics out there, but most are just kinda political (<a href="http://jfiles.keenspace.com">J-Files</a>- not always political, but sometimes.)

Aside from the previously mentioned "most webcomics people aren't politically active (possibly due to age)", another reason might simply be because of the topical nature of political humor. You can get a book of the "year's best political cartoons" in many bookstores. But a lot of the humor falls flat because of the time since the composition.

Also, what would be funny in the US ripping on our leaders would likely fall flat to British/French/whatever readers.

Or maybe not.

_________________
Warren<A HREF="http://sparechange.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Spare Change</A>
<A HREF="http://massproduction.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Mass Production</A>

[ This Message was edited by: SpareChange on 2002-04-05 07:13 ]

BoxJam · Post by **BoxJam** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 1:20 pm

I don't care much for Non Sequitir - most of the political jokes are on the order of "Lawyers Suck!"

Anyway, there's an undersung comic out there called <a href=http://www.burntdogradio.com>Burnt Dog Radio</a> that gets more political than any ten other web strips - and now, Tanner's not even bothering to erase the penciling from the final strip!

It actually looks kinda cool that way.

Justinpie · Post by **Justinpie** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 1:26 pm

J Grant of Flem fame has a political comic up at http://flem.keenspace.com/ that he updates every once in a while.

Not for conservatives. Not for conservatives who don't ever want to be angry, anyway.
-Justin

Shoe · Post by **Shoe** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 4:45 pm

<A HREF="http://monkeylaw.keenspace.com">Monkey Law</A> is very very funny & good & such. Brad Hawkins does it.

Sidwood · Post by **Sidwood** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 4:49 pm

sure, there are a few comics that are political like you all pointed out, but as a whole, it seems that politics is taboo.

You make a good point in saying that most webcartoonists out there are teenagers (myself included, 16.) but even they have political opinions-- i know I do.

Even in strips done by adults usually stay off the subject: but why? are they afraid that they'll offend thier audience with thier political view? that doesn't seem to scare chris matthews.

Shoe · Post by **Shoe** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 4:52 pm

I beg to differ. Most teenagers are moronic simpletons who can't fully understand politics. Granted, I'm 15, and save a few exceptions, most teenagers can't tell the difference between a political party and their ass.

Froggy · Post by **Froggy** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 5:02 pm

I'm 22, and a Psychology student. You'd possibly think that someone like me might be interested in politics enough to include political jokes in my comic... But I believe that politics are a joke in themself.

I don't actually bother reading the newspaper, watching tv or keep up with current events at all. This is mainly due to the fact that you only ever get half the story, for example: If some countries disagreed with this 'war on terrorism', their newspapers would refer to the Afghanistan soldiers as "freedom fighters" not "terrorists". It's all too subjective, so I don't even bother to pay attention.

World politics are a joke, so there is no need for me to point this out in my comic

</rant>

Sidwood · Post by **Sidwood** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 5:06 pm

well then i guess that's just the problem. people need to start caring about the world, especially nowadays. It's that sort of ignorance that leads to much of the violence in the news. No one ever said that you have to take everything you see in the news at face value, either. If you take that first step and get informed on the issues, the second step of drawing your own conclusions comes easy.

Kevin Wolf · Post by **Kevin Wolf** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 5:33 pm

Am I the only one around here who thinks that the media are already a deafening cacaphony of POLITICS-POLITICS-POLITICS and maybe it's a good thing that comics are, for the most part, a welcome respite from this?

If I want to read about politics (and even read political cartoons) there are plenty of places I can go for that. However, sometimes I just want to chill out and laugh at some goofy hi-jinks.

Sidwood · Post by **Sidwood** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 5:42 pm

you can never escape the tentacles of the political monster. It will get you eventually.

Monkey Angst · Post by **Monkey Angst** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 7:23 pm

Well, I think it's pretty obvious that I think comics are a great place for politics. When I was Sidwood's age I devoured Garry Trudeau, Berke Breathed, and Matt Groening, and later got into Tom Tomorrow, Ted Rall, and Jules Feiffer. He's right that a lot of young people ARE politicized, and thank fucking God for it! I'd rather have a cabal of suit-and-tied Young Republicans to deal with than a couple of Beavis and Butthead stand-ins who don't know anything about the world outside their Game Cubes. Or whatever the hell it is you kids play with these days...

And I also agree with those who say that there should be comics without political content. But I don't believe that there is any form of art, even the comic strip, that is purely apolitical. Even though Kevin claims Mythocorp is a "tiny corner of politics-barren escapsim," the pervasive theme of distrust for authority is clearly there, which is the beginnings of a politcal ethos. The same is true about a lot of KeenSpace comics. It's really a very fertile ground for revolution...

_________________
Brad Hawkins
Writer/Artist of <A HREF="http://monkeylaw.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Monkey Law</a>

[ This Message was edited by: Monkey Angst on 2002-04-05 19:26 ]

Sidwood · Post by **Sidwood** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 7:27 pm

hear hear.

Shoe · Post by **Shoe** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 8:06 pm

Nice work Brad

Burntdog · Post by **Burntdog** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 9:23 pm

I hadn't seen Monkey Law, I'll definitely check that out.

http://www.burntdogradio.com is topical but not really as political or opinionated as Rall or Tom Tomorrow (hell not even as much as Mallard Fillmore) but it does use politicians and pop culture a lot to show how absurd our world can be. Well that's what Case Yorke told me anyhow.

There are cool indie comics with a real opinion on "stuff that matters" (tm) - I guess we just gotta get the word out better.

_________________
r s tanner
<A HREF="http://www.burntdogradio.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.burntdogradio.com</A>
<A HREF="http://www.altbrand.com" TARGET=_blank>The Pete Best of AltBrand</A>

[ This Message was edited by: burntdog on 2002-04-05 21:26 ]

Kevin Wolf · Post by **Kevin Wolf** » Fri Apr 05, 2002 10:00 pm

On 2002-04-05 19:23, Monkey Angst wrote:
Even though Kevin claims Mythocorp is a "tiny corner of politics-barren escapsim," the pervasive theme of distrust for authority is clearly there, which is the beginnings of a politcal ethos.

After 9/11, I did actually start a story arc in which Briefcase was randomly attacked by dismbodied tentacles, and the Security Chief, Mannlicher, started a determined manhunt to find the people who had sicced the tentacles on our favorite lazy secretary. I realized as I was developing the story that it was an unconscious reaction to post-9/11 hysteria (I had some really outrageous shit going on with Mannlicher interrogating employees at gunpoint and racking up a comically huge body count), and so I just sort of dropped it. I actually took intentional steps to DE-politicize Mythocorp.

Now, while it is true that Mythocorp can be seen as, and in fact is in some way intended as, a satire of super-corporations and their dirty tricks, my hope is that my political convictions (more social convictions actually, if you dig the distinction) never get in the way of a good time.

Damonk13 · Post by **Damonk13** » Sat Apr 06, 2002 7:29 am

Aside from the fact that people can care about the world without getting involved in politics...

I don't see politics as being a "taboo" in webcomics. People who draw their comics draw stuff that interests them, essentially. If politics aren't their main interest, then so be it.

And a good point was raised, also -- in the Net, it's much harder to be "political" and expect everyone to understnd the humour. Unless you're constantly offering up world politics, you can't expect someone from Australia getting a joke about Lloyd Axeworthy or Allan Rock, for example. Heck, I bet most Americans have no idea who they are, either.

Doonesbury and Bloom County worked becaused they were geared for an American audience, and offered up in American newspapers first. I myself was and am a huge fan of both, and I even enjoy the political stuff in Doonesbury, regardless of whether or not I understand all of it, not being American myself.

Bottom line, I don't think people are "scared" to put political humour in their webcomics. If they don't it's just 'cause it's not their thing.