Friday, May 14, 2010
Chee! Annie's sorta gone!
Bein' as Polistra an' Happystar are some kinda offspring o' th' original Annie an' Sandy, Polistra thinks she oughta write a note 'bout th' comin' end o' th' Annie comic strip.
Howsomever, this is some kinda no-count event, coz Annie actual died in 1968 whenever her auther Mr. Harold Gray died.
Yi! Enuff o' th' silly spellin! Enuff o' th' 'postrophes!!!
= = = = =
Harold Gray was a serious man, fiercely anti-Communist and pro-Christian, and his successors (though good artists) abolished his message. In fact, Annie's reputation for foolish optimism comes mainly from the post-'68 travesty.
Orwell as always. Best way to destroy an effective anti-Party message is to steal it and turn it into an absurd parody, and that's exactly what the post-Gray abusers of the franchise were doing.
Polistra used that idiotic reputation a few times to make points about our current collaborationist governments.
A far better tribute is a good sharp fragment of Gray's original writing: this sequence is a fine example.
Come to think of it, the closest modern equivalent of the original Annie is South Park. Nobody else, in print or broadcast, does such a fine job of pricking busybodies, do-gooders, and oleaginous censors; nobody else so consistently defends plain old common sense.
= = = = =
Update 6/13: When Gray died in '68, the strip lost its 'heart' and I stopped reading it ... but according to this article, Gray's successors later recaptured the proper spirit of Annie. I should have given the strip another chance. Wouldn't have mattered in the last twenty years anyway, since I stopped reading newspapers altogether. (Along with everyone else who might have appreciated Annie!) Fortunately, looks like the syndicate plans to give Annie a new life online, which will be distinctly welcome and worth paying for. ¶ 8:39 AM
Howsomever, this is some kinda no-count event, coz Annie actual died in 1968 whenever her auther Mr. Harold Gray died.
Yi! Enuff o' th' silly spellin! Enuff o' th' 'postrophes!!!
= = = = =
Harold Gray was a serious man, fiercely anti-Communist and pro-Christian, and his successors (though good artists) abolished his message. In fact, Annie's reputation for foolish optimism comes mainly from the post-'68 travesty.
Orwell as always. Best way to destroy an effective anti-Party message is to steal it and turn it into an absurd parody, and that's exactly what the post-Gray abusers of the franchise were doing.
Polistra used that idiotic reputation a few times to make points about our current collaborationist governments.
A far better tribute is a good sharp fragment of Gray's original writing: this sequence is a fine example.
Come to think of it, the closest modern equivalent of the original Annie is South Park. Nobody else, in print or broadcast, does such a fine job of pricking busybodies, do-gooders, and oleaginous censors; nobody else so consistently defends plain old common sense.
= = = = =
Update 6/13: When Gray died in '68, the strip lost its 'heart' and I stopped reading it ... but according to this article, Gray's successors later recaptured the proper spirit of Annie. I should have given the strip another chance. Wouldn't have mattered in the last twenty years anyway, since I stopped reading newspapers altogether. (Along with everyone else who might have appreciated Annie!) Fortunately, looks like the syndicate plans to give Annie a new life online, which will be distinctly welcome and worth paying for. ¶ 8:39 AM
