Life Without Archie

Remember Archie? From the comic books?

Yeah, he's gonna die.

Really.

They're killing off Archie Andrews in issue 36 of "Life With Archie," a comic book about Archie and the gang after they graduated Riverdale High.

Now, I gotta admit that I was never a fan of the comic books. Superman. Batman. Spiderman. Archie. Richie Rich. None of 'em.

I don't know why. Sure, if I saw one on the wood slat benches at the redneck barber shop I got took to as a kid, I'd pick it up and read one. It was either read that or the Thunderbolt. I made the right decision.

But still, I never read a lot of comic books. Don't know if I ever bought any. Might have got someone to buy some for me, but I'm not sure. Comic books weren't that big a deal to me. And, neither were the characters in the comic books.

But, they sure were -- and are -- to many people. And, now they're killing off Archie.

Is that a good thing? Should they be killing off comic book characters? Archie always kinda struck me as a non-serious comic character. Sure, they've tried to make social commentary over the years, particularly recently. But, should comics -- non-serious comics, that is -- try to be serious? It's like one of those A Very Special Blossom shows.

And, perhaps a better question would be, who would be a better comic book character to kill off? And don't say Caspar the Friendly Ghost. That's cheating.

Let's go with that question instead. What comic book character would you like to see killed off?

Cartoon of the Day - The Problem

[Source: Steve Kelley - GoComics]

Comic of the day

[Direct link]

teh funneh

[Michael Ramirez]

Mommy

Mommy died.

My Mommy.

Your Mommy.

Everybody's Mommy.

Thelma Keane, the inspiration for Mommy in The Family Circus, died Friday, the Arizona Republic reports.

Thelma Keane, depicted as Mommy in The Family Circus cartoon, died of Alzheimer's disease Friday at age 82.

Bil Keane's cartoons reflected his family's at-home adventures through Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, PJ and their parents. His wife, "Thel" (rhythms with bell), was an inspiration for the cartoons and had such a clear likeness to Mommy that people recognized her at grocery stores, the cartoonist said Sunday.

As The Family Circus gained fans, Thel became her husband's business and financial manager. The comic strip is now featured in about 1,500 newspapers.

"I give all the credit to my wife, Thel, who was the inspiration for all the cartoons," Keane said. "The loss means she was very, very vital to any success that I had."

When I was little, I read the cartoon, calling it "The Family Circle" because, well, it was in a circle and I didn't know better.

As I grew, I came to appreciate The Family Circus. While it was a simple comic strip, it was full of the intricacies of life: love, happiness, death, hurt, tears, laughter ... life.

And now, Mommy has died.

We'll miss her.