Reconciling with Doonesbury

Why did I abandon the Sunday cartoons?
by Charlie Leck

Y'all (as my friends in George say) -- y'all explain it to me, if you will, please. Afterall, you were great to send a few silly questions my way when I asked, so now, perhaps, y'all will explain this phenomonon to me.

Why did I pass on reading the comics in the Sunday paper?

Eight years ago, the comics in the Sunday paper used to come right after the sports section. Never failed! Sports section first and then the comics?

Then, inexplicably, a bit over 7 years ago, I stopped reading the comics. Hardly ever even glanced at them. Not even Doonesbury, who I considered something of a good friend even though he was a bit younger than I. No Peanuts or Garfield! Stopped visiting Blondie and Dagwood! Same with Hi and Lois! Gave up on Beetle Bailey! Dilbert was toast!

I started jumping right from the sports section to the opinion pages. I guess you could call them a different kind of funny pages.

Then, early in the morning a few days ago (Sunday), I found myself pushing aside the sports section -- the Gopher basketball team had taken an awful drumming -- and I went right to the comics. There were some new characters I didn't know, but some of the old farts were still around. Doonesbury is graying considerably and has developed a little pot belly. Blondie and Dagwood don't look a day older than they were 55 years ago. Dilbert also looks the same and Garfield must have used up most of his nine lives by now.

The amazing thing is that I realized I'd cracked a smile half way through Doonesbury and I snickered at some new thing called Stone Soup. Garfield was silly. Peanuts hasn't grown an inch and I could swear I'd scanned that particular cartoon before; yet, it was still great and carried the same old wise message about not trusting a girl with private, personal information.

Now, here's what I'm getting at. You explain it. Why did I bail on the cartoons for nearly 8 years and now why am I crawling back in embarrassment, seeking reconciliation?