| URL | www.joshreads.com |
|---|---|
| Type of site | Blog |
| Registration | none |
| Available language(s) | English |
| Owner | Josh Fruhlinger |
| Created by | Josh Fruhlinger |
| Launched | July 11, 2004 |
| Revenue | unknown |
| Current status | Active |
The Comics Curmudgeon is a blog devoted to humorous and critical analysis of newspaper comics. Its author, Josh Fruhlinger, is a Baltimore-based freelance writer and editor who additionally blogs about editorial cartoons for Wonkette in a weekly feature called Cartoon Violence. It has drawn the attention of cartoonists and the news media for its commentary.
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Each day, Fruhlinger reviews select comics, occasionally praising them, but more often snarking on features such as bizarre artwork, nonsensical plots, and supposed sexual subtexts. Long running soap opera-style comic strips generally get the brunt of Fruhlinger's humor, such as perennial favorites Apartment 3-G, Mark Trail, and Mary Worth. Weekly metaposts update readers on notable events in Fruhlinger's life, such as his July 22, 2008, appearance[1] on the game show Jeopardy!,[2] offer critical commentary on the comic strip industry, and judge posters to the blog in a "Comment Of The Week" contest.[3] Non sequiturs from the blog have entertained readers as running gags, and become fodder for the site's online store. Some of these running gags, such as the phrase "More zippers, mule!" from an Apartment 3-G strip, [4] have leaked out onto other blogs. [5] [6]
The blog's original name was "Josh Reads the Comics so You Don't Have To", which is reflected in the site URL, joshreads.com. Originally created as a way to amuse his friends, Fruhlinger's blog soon became a magnet for comic fans looking to express their meta-amusement with the sometimes bizarre world of the comics page.
The Comics Curmudgeon has been noted for its influence in the comic strip world. One of the most notable effects of the blog is to spark a revival of interest in obscure and long-running legacy strips, most notably soap-opera strips. As a direct result of Curmudgeon attention, strips that rely on reader suggestions such as They'll Do It Every Time and Pluggers started receiving and using a number of submissions by Curmudgeon readers (whose strips were then featured on the blog.)[7] The blog sparked interest in a 2006 Mary Worth plot line involving the title character being stalked by a character named Aldo Kelrast, who resembled Captain Kangaroo. The stalker met his end by driving drunkenly off a cliff after being confronted on his behavior by Worth. "Aldomania" became perhaps the most commented-upon storyline in Mary Worth's history.[8] The Comics Curmudgeon has been seen at the forefront of a bloggers' rebellion against declining quality at the Canadian family strip For Better or For Worse; the movement has been noted for its "harsh attacks" [9] on creator Lynn Johnston. Longstanding complaints have included the strip's leaden characterizations, bluntly teleological plot developments, and its oppressive family and gender dynamics. Newspapers have commented on other editorial positions taken by the blog, such as its criticism of "the dull crypto-evangelism of B.C.".[10] Media sources have also noted the site's reportorial work, such as a July 21, 2008 post in which a blog contributor [11] broke the news that a recent Blondie strip had been recycled almost verbatim from one published in 1952. [12] This was followed in March 2009 with a similar report of strip recycling Family Circus.[13]
In time, professionals in the comic world have come to read the blog and contribute to the ever-growing comments section under the posts. Some examples include Hägar the Horrible's artist/writer Chris Browne[14], Liō artist/writer Mark Tatulli[15], and Sally Forth scripter Francesco Marciuliano.[16] Ed Power, who scripts the comic My Cage, was a longtime reader of the Curmudgeon before his strip was syndicated in early 2007. Bob Weber Jr., artist for Slylock Fox, created merchandise for the Curmudgeon CafePress store with original art of the character Cassandra Cat (from the Fox strip).[17]
On December 18, 2008, the comic strip Archie began occasionally referencing the blog's recurring "Archie Joke-Generating Laugh Unit 3000" joke.[18]
On August 12, 2009, the comic strip Pearls Before Swine broke the fourth wall and made reference to the Comics Curmudegon as part of a tirade against Pearls writer Stephan Pastis.[19]
The Comics Curmudgeon has earned awards for its popularity and for editorial work. The blog was ranked 13th on PC Magazine's 100 Favorite Blogs list for 2007, [20] and Elite Choice named it one of 2007's Top 125 Elite Blogs[21] (judged on traffic generation, Alexa ranking and other measures of visibility). Josh Fruhlinger was named 2007's Blogger of the Year by The Week based on his analysis of editorial cartoons. [22] It has also won the 2008 Weblog Award for Best Humor Blog.[23]