I’m pretty sure they don’t print newspapers anymore, so I guess we will soon line our birdcages with old iPads. But there was a time not too long ago when every morning I would open the trusty printed pages with great anticipation and flip hurriedly to the comics to see what cartoonist Bill Keane had delivered for the day’s The Family Circus.
Over the years I had grown to despise The Family Circus so much that it became almost sadistic in nature, as I could not imagine that that morning’s cartoon could possibly be worse than the morning before. But Keane and his cartoon family never disappointed. You see, I derived a great sense of relief and pleasure in this, knowing Bill Keane had achieved creative success with what appeared to be such little ability; it gave me hope to face another day in the trenches.
Just when I thought The Family Circus had reached the absolute Pinnacle of Suckatude, Jeffy would make some comment about Barfy eating his Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich, or that the clouds looked like circus animals or how the Baby Jesus was his lord and savior, and there you had it, a cartoon that sucked greater with each passing day.
Now don’t get me wrong, The Family Circus is hugely successful, in fact, it is the most widely syndicated cartoon panel in the world. But is its success due to millions and millions of readers actually loving the comedic exploits of Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, and P.J? Or are there millions and millions of people just like me, who so passionately hate the panel that we simply need to read it to feel better about ourselves?
I guess soon enough there will be a way to find out. It was announced late last year that Fox has acquired the rights to make a movie out of the long running comic strip. They paid seven figures for the family-friendly cartoon to make its way to the big screen. However, I am already anticipating great disappointment, for I know even after the movie has ended, inevitably there will be additional footage left out that would have made the film even more unbearable than it will surely be.