Thanks for this! I found this write-up because I was searching for the Luann article, after reflecting on how crucial the funnies were to me and a lot of my peers, and how they were seconds away from complete irrelevance. In the case of Luann that irrelevance is a very good thing. The gem-like savagery of that “Reuben award-winning cartoonist Greg Evans” joke echoes through the decades, because it perfectly depicts the cartoon’s pretentions and its flagrant, bottomless mediocrity.
Thank you so much for the comment, Mark, and so glad your search led you here. And I'm laughing at your assessment of the cartoon because I also felt like, "This isn't that great," but since I had never heard of it, I figured I must be missing something.
Thanks for this! I found this write-up because I was searching for the Luann article, after reflecting on how crucial the funnies were to me and a lot of my peers, and how they were seconds away from complete irrelevance. In the case of Luann that irrelevance is a very good thing. The gem-like savagery of that “Reuben award-winning cartoonist Greg Evans” joke echoes through the decades, because it perfectly depicts the cartoon’s pretentions and its flagrant, bottomless mediocrity.
Thank you so much for the comment, Mark, and so glad your search led you here. And I'm laughing at your assessment of the cartoon because I also felt like, "This isn't that great," but since I had never heard of it, I figured I must be missing something.
I liked Mr. Zip being pivotal in a Simpsons storyline.