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Family Circus

8 ratings since posting on Saturday, November 11, 2006

(submitted by Matthew J. )

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Thanos

Pure drivel, no relation to real life
Family Circus sucks monkey balls, it's a load of horseshit.. The only thing with that kind of popularity that sucks more, and saltier ,monkey balls is For Better or Worse. JFC I hate those comic strips. Bring back Calvin and Hobbs, and Farside. Now those were comics. - Thanos , posted 11/03/07

Dan

Love it
Fun fact: PJ hasn't spoken since 1981, after touching a cactus. His last word? "HOT!"
(This was in agony, not ecstasy) - Dan , posted 12/19/06

milk

176

how could anyone. . .
"It's like the Family Circus comic strip...it's always there, in the lower right hand corner, just waiting to suck. But yet, I can't look away. I hate it, but I'm strangely drawn to it."

Quote from the movie "Go" which I wholeheartedly agree with. It's like the morbid fascination with eyeballing a car wreck. Sure I like laughing at the funny little pecularities of ordinary life, but i have better odds finding humor in the dentists's chair. I'm sorry, but I cannot grasp the appeal. Obviously many do. . . - milk , posted 12/19/06

Rachel

Comic Gold
A family with siblings who never beat the crap out of each other, a happily married heterosexual couple with no substance abuse problems sharing those quirky little parentingisms to a national audience who reads it not out of enjoyment but because we must, because against all odds we hope that it will not suck....now THAT is funny. - Rachel , posted 12/05/06

I'm with Mallory
It's always given me the creeps, because it was just some family I couldn't relate to. And Hyper-christian is right. BC is possibly the only worse thing on the comics page.
I used to love those people who'd recaption the Family Circus.
Oh, and I think that Dolly is too girly. I suppose that happens when you have 3 brothers, but she's so femme. - , posted 12/04/06

Dino

I agree with Matt
It's good because it make fun of the minutae of life. - Dino , posted 12/04/06

Mally

Family Circus Is The Worst Comic In Print
I hate this comic. It's pedantic, hyper-christian and unfunny. It sucked when I was a kid, it sucks now. I look forward to the day it ceases to cheapen the comics page with its 'singular' brand of humor. - Mally , posted 12/04/06

Matt...

162

The Family Circus
"The Family Circus"

On this special occasion I have obtained ahead of time a copy of the Sunday comics.
So now there is an opportunity for the edification and elucidation of the humor behind this week's "The Family Circus" to be explained in full. Before this short explanation begins, however, it is important that the reader has some background on "The Family Circus". Integral to understanding the humor of this world famous printed cartoon is having knowledge of the characters, some information about the author, and the a priori comprehension of the inherent humor found in daily family life.
Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, and P.J. are the children that we all know and love in the comic strip. Fewer people know that the names of the parents are Bill and Thel. The cast of the comic also occasionally includes deceased grandparents in the forms of ghosts. Though often the children are the source of intense comical genius, the parents are an integral catalyst in the comic strip.
The characters are fictionalized versions of the real-life family of Bill Keane. Mr. Keane has been writing "The Family Circus" since 1960. Just recently in 1982 the National Cartoonist Society acknowledged Mr. Keane for his comical brilliance as Cartoonist of the Year. What fuels the comedy of "The Family Circus" is the natural surroundings of the author; His Family.
In any wholesome American family in which there are a few children and two loving, married, heterosexual parents in the home humor abounds. Little quirky daily occurrences truly turn family life into a circus. Bill Keane captures this comedy daily, but does a superlative job at expressing it every Sunday.
On Sunday November 12th there is a prime example of the hilarity of "The Family Circus". Thel is awaiting her family's return while looking out of the window. The viewer is informed of the direction of Thel's gaze by an ingenious dotted line from her eyes to the window. There are shock lines above her head indication necessary action in the next panel. At her knee there is a table with a lovely arrangement of cacti. Incidentally, this table is at eye level to the youngest child of the home, P.J. With fervor Thel grabs the cacti and darts (risking her own safety) into the other room. The ensuing comedy is revealed when the viewer realizes Thel's intention for removing the cactus. All of the children are returning home with their father… with helium balloons!
This is just the sort of situation that happens in our average mundane existence, but Mr. Keene captures the humor of a mother's understanding of the terrible combination of sharp poky objects and helium balloons. Mothers want their children to be filled with joy. The same sort of joy that Mr. Keane has drawn on the faces of these little darlings. A mother having a predictive understanding of future ramifications… well that is just good humor.
A keen awareness of the simple wholesome American family life that surrounds him has given Mr. Keane the fodder for humor that we can all identify with and enjoy. I urge any wholesome American to read "The Family Circus" regularly and revel in the good virtuous humor of America's favorite comic!
- Matthew J. , posted 11/11/06

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