Huh. I like Rose. I even like the angel, though the kitten is best.

I like Rose, too.

You and me both. And the Chronicle just dumped "Clear Blue Water", which had pretty bad art, but I was getting attached to the content. Sadly, they retained "Pearls Before Swine", which is badly drawn, stupid, and offensive altogether.

Gah. I hated them both quite a bit. Clear Blue Water had that very grating "twinkle in the eye" factor. Which is also present in Rose. (I'm not anti-sentiment by any means. Love in C&H and even like For Better or Worse a great deal.)

Why must they pick such ugly looking cartoons?

Clear Blue Water had that very grating "twinkle in the eye" factor.

What I liked was the tension and the political content, and the fact that the family was going through a rough time. And that she was biracial and he was hispanic and this was presented as no big deal, just another middle-class couple trying to get by. I liked that.

What I liked was the tension and the political content, and the fact that the family was going through a rough time. And that she was biracial and he was hispanic and this was presented as no big deal, just another middle-class couple trying to get by. I liked that.

But it was all over the freakin' place. First he's long haired liberal. That doesn't generate enough conflict. He gets a brain swap and now he's a gun toting conservative. It's all about family dynamics, and then it's got this influx of imaginary superheroes. Plus - not funny. Plus - ugly to look at. And the biracial/hispanic etc just looked like lefty-lib pandering to me. I think that's the only reason it ever got put into the paper.

Harry Potter question... I had a debate with a work mate today -- sparked off by a customer requesting Book 6 -- because she insisted that Rowling has stated in interviews that the next two books are already written and its now just a matter of her releasing them when she wants to. Now, my understanding is that she has all the events pretty much figured out and the last chapter of the last book is written, but she's been writing the rest as she goes. Trouble is, both of is were debating our sides based on vague assumptions drawn from stuff we've read in interviews. Can anyone shed any light?

Emlah -- I think that you are right.

I didn't do a deep search into google, but I found this: [link]

in which she does not say that she is currently writing 6 (as of March), but it's rather implicit, I think. I'll see if I can find something more concrete.

I found a better one. from August

Out of all your books, which one is your favourite?

Sadly, they retained "Pearls Before Swine", which is badly drawn, stupid, and offensive altogether.

I adore Pearls. Yes, it's badly drawn, but it's consistently funny and I like Pastis' eye for the meta, though he can go a little overboard with it.

Love in C&H and even like For Better or Worse a great deal

I like FBoFW because I've been following the characters for forever, so (corniness, here) I feel like I know them, and I like that they're Canadian.

I also really like Rhymes with Orange (another ugly-but-brilliant comic), Zits and Get Fuzzy.

Hate Baldo, for reasons similar to what Hec is describing about Clear Water -- it's all well-intentioned liberal. The fact the characters are Hispanic does not make up for the content being horrible. Oh, and Red & Rover is the lamest thing in lamedom.

</strongly-held comics opinions>

I also really like Rhymes with Orange (another ugly-but-brilliant comic),

thumbs up Though I don't think it's that ugly.

Zits

Drawn by Jim Borgman. Yet another genius Kenyon alumnus/cartoonist.

and Get Fuzzy.

Probably my current favorite. Though it has not elevated to all-time classic status as yet.

Dang, I remember when you could count on Calvin and Hobbes, Far Side and Bloom County every day. We thought it would last forever. sniff t /geezer