Reviews (2)

Matagordo Island, sans mineral rights, is claimed for China
"The Wreck of the 'Rusty Nail'" offers up an assortment of "Doonesbury" daily comic strips from the period 1981-1982-1983. At the start Duke is still on the run after his unfortunate "accidental" shooting of Zeke Brenner (events detailed in "Unfortunately, She Was Also Wired for Sound") but with Honey (and Honey's $2,000), Duke has grandiose plans for "Rusty Nail Charters." Of course, the ship is doomed, and Duke and Honey end up doing Robinson Crusoe on a "deserted" island (except for the whooping cranes, the pelicans, and a mouthy parrot). Meanwhile Phil Slackmeyer is leaving the Reagan White House to return to private industry and big bucks while President King needs to make some severe budget cuts at Walden University. Dr. Kissinger has to deal with both heart surgery and the concern of his students and there is naked Communist aggression down South American way (with photographs no less). However, I never really enjoyed the strips focusing on Duke all that much, so the best offerings in this collection have to do with Mike Doonesbury discovering his younger brother has gone punk, Joanie tells Rick that she is pregnant, and the Walden War Games provides one possible scenario for how the world will end. I do not consider anything in here to constitute classic "Doonesbury" from G. B. Trudeau, but even on cruise control these strips are still well above average given the rest of what we find on the daily funny pages. Of course, "The Wreck of the 'Rusty Nail'" is going to be of interest to those who want to reread the strips rather than those trying to work their way backwards to the beginning.

Highly recommended.
More fun and games from the Doonesbury crew. This time, the cartoons first appeared in the early Eighties.

The main tale in this book is of the mishaps of Duke and Honey as they try to run a boat charter operation. When running drugs and refugees doesn't work out, Duke takes a party of tourists on a trip to the Falklands to watch the British blockade. As usual Duke's approach to life is outrageous and totally lacking in shame but somehow, you have to like his directness.

In the meantime, we see the rest of the cast coping with the early years of the Reagan era. The humour is sharp and, despite the fact that many of the themes are now well in the past, this book is still readable today. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The post-modern Doonesbury's take on the Reagan Years
"Downtown Doonesbury" continues the story line of Uncle Duke the Papd Doc zobmie from "Death of a Party Animal." This collection of 1986-1987 "Doonesbury" daily strips follows up on Rick Redfern's discovery that Legume, the servant of the Duvaliers, is really Zonker's Uncle Duke, which means that the recent multi-million dollar lottery winner has got to come to the rescue. For Zonker the bad news is that somebody got mayonnaise on his Monet, but the good news is that he is able to pick up an invite to Andrew and Fergie's wedding as the new Viscount-St. Austell-in-the-Moor-Bigglewade-Brixham (it is easier for you to read it than for me to try and explain it). However, Haiti is old news and the time has come for the C.I.A. to come up with a new campaign to help the Contras.

Meanwhile, Mark Slackmeyer is reading his 1986 "Sleaze on Parade" list of Reagan officials who left office amidst charges of unethical behavior or criminal wrongdoing, Roland Hedley is raising money to save Nancy Reagan's gown, and J.J. is driving Mike crazy with her endeavors into the world of performance art (not to mention the new haircut she gives him). The little gem in this collection is when T. Hamilton Tripler becomes the new "quote boy" for George Will. "Downtown Doonesbury" has one of my favorite post-modern strips when Mike is talking to Zonker about his new title and in panel 3 Hedley shows up to tell the readers that the "Save the Gown" phone lines are still open for pledges. As a result, Zonker has forgotten the punch line for the strip.

The mix of political and personal strips (Joanie makes Rick take care of the kid) makes this an above average collection, which really should have featured Zonker on the cover (although the TV set with Gumby on it was a nice touch). If you do not remember the Reagan years in considerable detail I think the main points will readily come back to you and your will be able to enjoy Trudeau's biting wit. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dr. Whoopee is here to sell young kids "condos"...
"Calling Dr. Whoopee" takes us back in history to the beginning of the AIDS epidemic when the idea of actually advertising condoms on television (horrors!) was first broached as a way of dealing with a grave public health crisis. Yes, these daily Doonesbury strips from 1986-1987 actually go back to a time when condoms were thought of in terms of preventing pregnancy and not in terms of preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Of course, once again G. B. Trudeau created a furor and there were newspapers (e.g., the Carlsbad "Current Argus") that refused to publish the strips and as usually in the case that are more offensive strips in this collection from those who feel obliged to be offended. For starters, how about "The Return to Reagan's Brain," where intrepid reporter Roland Hedley tries to get to the bottom of the President's attempt to remember his role in the Iran-Contra affair. Actually, it was just known as the Iranian affair at that point, or Iran-scam as in the Iran-Scan Puzzle (use scissors and x-acto knives to put this together, kids!). Toss into the mix the Oral Robert death watch (remember when the televangelist told us God was going to call him home if he did not raise $4.5 million?) and there is plenty to offend without even getting to Dr. Whoopee distribution "condos" to kids.

As always with Doonesbury the mix is between the political and the personal. Political scandals might come and go, but the Doonesbury cast is forever. Actually, that proves not to be the case as Clyde runs as the sacrificial lamb against Congresswoman Lacey Davenport on the issues of drugs (does Lacey have a dependency problems?) and Dick suffers a massive coronary as he sights a Bachman's Warbler (the Garbo of birds). If this episode does not move you, then ask yourself what is wrong with you. Then Mike and J.J. have a reconciliation (of sorts), while Joanie has Rick watch the kid (sort of). We also have an attempt on Duke's life in a jailhouse altercation in which his life flashes before our eyes, which is the first treat in this above-average Doonesbury collection. There is nothing like editorial cartoons for remembering the foibles of the past, and as lots of people have pointed out, Doonesbury is nothing like an editorial cartoons. It just wins Pulitzer Prizes like one. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Jimmy Thudpucker shows up to sing on "We are the World"
Remember when USA for AFRICA (United Support of Arts for Africa) recorded "We are the World"? When forty-five major recording artists emerged from their limos outside of A&M Studio to make pop history G. B Trudeau was there as the only major satirist invited to attend the proceedings. Several weeks later in "Doonesbury" the cartoonist revealed to the nation that the star had been told to "Check Your Egos at the Door" per the request of producer Quincy Jones. However, it seems one of them demanded a receipt. As you can see from the cover, in addition to Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Lionel Richie, there is Jimmy Thudpucker (who goes solo on "the" in the song).

This Doonesbury Book reprints daily strips from 1984 and 1985, which means we are talking President Ronald Reagan's re-election campaign. It is hard to believe the election was ever in doubt, what with God endorsing the President and Mike Doonesbury working on a spot for the Reagan campaign that will appeal to Black voters. Meanwhile, Vice President George Bush signs a document placing his manhood in a blind trust (and tells the American people that "Garry Trudeau is coming out of deep left field," which was not exactly news as that point in the cartoonist's career). Bush declared that on election day the American people would decide if they sided with "Doonesbury" or the Reagan-Bush message, which left Trudeau to demand a recount.

Beyond the election in "Check You Egos at the Door" we have Uncle Duke running the Baby Doc College of Physicians in Haiti, Rick bringing home Alice to meet Joanie and then gets asked to write a daily diary about his relationship with son Jeffrey, and Mike inadvertently being mistaken as a subway vigilante. There is also a nice bit where Mike's mom, the Widow Doonesbury, unleashes her "awesome iconography" on the U.S. Senate during an Agriculture Committee hearing. There are not any classic bits in this collection, but "Doonesbury" during an election year is always fun, as we are finding out again this year (unless, of course, you are running for President). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Enter Joan Jr. and Exit (?) Duke in the Doonesbury roster
When Owl Books was publishing these "Doonesbury" collections during the seventies and eighties the back covers always had some quotation from the legitimate press (or better) regarding the comic strip's impact on American culture. For "And That's My Final Offer!" the blurb is from "The Chronicle of Higher Education" and suggests that the characters of Doonesbury deserve to hold the cornerstone spot in a new mythology for the Age of the Incredible.

Gee, I just thought Trudeau's strips were outrageous satires of the times in which we lived.

The cover shot for "And That's My Final Offer!" shows a blindfolded former Ambassador Duke calmly facing an Iranian firing squad. This collection of 1979-1980 "Doonesbury" cartoons is one of the most thematic collections of reprinted daily strips because most of these comics focus on two main topics. The first is how Duke came to be representing the interests of Universal Petroleum in Tehran during the Iranian hostage crisis and the exaggerated reports of his death. The second is the arrival of Joan Jr. on the doorstep of Joanie Caucus, which would have worked a lot better if she had been home instead of Rick Redfern, who is rather stunned to discover the love of his life has never said anything about having a daughter about to start at Georgetown. Joan Jr. actually helps tie these two major threads together because her roomie at Georgetown turns out to be Honey, who is upset by the fact that her boyfriend has been condemned to death. Of course, once we get to Georgetown we have to visit once again the classroom of Dr. Henry Kissinger.

There are other lesser concersn in this volume, such as David Halberstam interviewing Rick for his new book on power, Senate hearings on "Operation Manhood," and the assault on the citizens of New Hampshire by godless reporters during the primary season. But my favorite are the more subtle strips having to do with Mike Doonesbury's "Fin de Decade Party" that said goodbye to the Seventies, "a kidney stone of a decade" in Zonker's estimation. Of course, this is where it becomes clear that if you did not live through these times you are never go to get the humor: e.g., Mike shows up dressed as Steven Weed (He was Patty Heart's fiancée, and if you do not know about Patty Hearts, the "myth America" of the Seventies, then how did you ever get this far down into this review?).

This is one of the better of these collections from this period in the history of "Doonesbury," and while I am not willing to count Trudeau's characters amongst the pantheon of a modern American mythos, I still think these are pretty fun satires of American politics and culture during this period. Especially considering they came during a Democratic administration instead of the heady days provided for a liberal gadfly like Trudeau during the Nixon and Reagan years. ... Read more

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Gary Trudeau targets the candidates of the 1988 election
G. B. Trudeau had a long standing practice of having one of the people he skewers in his "Doonesbury" cartoons quoted on the back cover of the paperback collections. For "We're Eating More Beets!" the honor once again goes to George Bush, then Vice President, who admits that when it comes to Trudeau he wants to "go up and kick the hell out of him." This is actually one of the more subdued comments provided by one of Trudeau's targets. What is interesting is that the cartoonist gets in another shot at this particular topic. The cover design, which lampoons the style of "USA Today," which was creating a "new" type of journalism back in 1987-88 when these strips were originally published in the nations less colorful newspapers, includes all sorts of tidbits such as "We're eating less popcorn" and "We're happier, dying later." On the little bit of the back cover where the west coast is displayed, we learn that "Only 21.1 percent of 17-year-olds know someone who has passed math" and "78.3 percent of divorced women say Goerge Bush reminds them of their first husband." Ouch.

George Bush pops up as a target several times in this collection, what with the appearance of his long-lost evil twin Skippy and the calculated move to the center after winning the primaries, but the classic bit here is the existential romp "Waiting for Mario," which compares New York Governor Mario Cuomo's reluctance to declare his candidacy with the Samuel Beckett play "Waiting for Godot." I know this one was probably over the heads of a lot of people, but I got it and it is wicked harsh, to coin a phrase. Democratic candidates Gary Hart, Albert Gore, Prince of the Tennessee Valley, and Dick Gephardt (the man has no eyebrows), take body blows as well.

Other bits this time around has Lacey Davenport going on a first date with Jeremy Cavendish, a prison riot at the minimum security prison when Phil Slackmeyer and the other white collar convicts cannot access their brokers, and Uncle Duke ends up in restraints when he over medicates.. Meanwhile, another mother challenges Joanie's raising of Jeff, Zonker takes down Margaret Thatcher in the House of Lords, and Comandante Less-Than-Zero takes early retirement. In the end we come back to Bush's candidacy and the effort to be his own man because, after all, it is an election year and all "Doonesbury" fans know how much fun that can be. Even with the sub-par Uncle Duke strips, which go no where, "We're Eating More Beets!" is one of the better "Doonesbury" collections. ... Read more