Slylock Fox is a kid's activity page with a little minute-mystery puzzle. In this case, there are three cartoon characters. Popeye's necessary, as he's the solution to the puzzle (not to give anything away). Snoopy makes sense, as Schultz's gentle humor appeals and can be understood by both kids and adults.
But Pearls Before Swine? That's a very curious choice. Longtime readers know I admire Pastis' work very much, but I never thought of it as an especially kid-friendly comic. Perhaps Bob Weber, Jr. was thinking of just recognizable figures. Peanuts is published in just about every paper. Maybe Pearl's reached that same level of ubiquity.
Hard to say.
I checked to see if Pig was missing from Pearls that day, but he wasn't. So I'm guessing this was a unilateral move on Weber's part rather than a planned crossover.
No matter, I enjoyed the reference, if not the puzzle solution (which I thought was kind of lame).
A few years ago Pastis did a very funny Sunday parody of my Slylock Fox strip. A few weeks later I included Rat and Pig in a Slylock strip. I put Pig in this Slylock strip because I really like Pearls, and because Pig looks so wonderfully pathetic in the cage. Sorry you didn't like the solution.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago Pastis did a very funny Sunday parody of my Slylock Fox strip. A few weeks later I included Rat and Pig in a Slylock strip. I put Pig in this Slylock strip because I really like Pearls, and because Pig looks so wonderfully pathetic in the cage. Sorry you didn't like the solution.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting! I'm sorry I missed the original crossover between Pearls and Shylock. It helps put this crossover into perspective. You're right, Pig definitely looked forlorn in that cage -- and entirely in character. My only complaint about the solution was that it required the reader to know who Popeye was, what made him strong, and therefore what Max had to have in the bag -- I'm not sure Popeye is quite the cultural icon he used to be. Most times your solutions require common knowledge of the real world and/or some careful observation of the scene you've drawn, which seems to me a little fairer. But that's just my opinion. I do read and enjoy your work every Sunday. And I occasionally get stumped, with no complaints.
ReplyDelete