Unfettered Letters

‘Brenda Starr’ sends wrong message

Carrie Willmon’s letter “Appalled by Doonesbury” (1/25) got my attention. I, too, have children who read the comics but didn’t recall an offensive comic from that day. So I dug the previous Sunday’s comics (1/18) out of the recycle bin to check it out.

Willmon was appalled that someone was allowed to write and print a comic about President Bush with asterisks for the words. Shouldn’t she be more appalled by what her 8- and 10-year-old daughters saw in the Brenda Starr comic right next to that one? It had two scantily clad women lying by the bedside of a man, with one of them saying they should share that man. A catfight with asterisks ending the cartoon should have been more offensive for her daughters.

Sharing a man and fighting are OK, but bleeped-out language not OK?

Let’s raise our daughters to know what’s right in relationships, too.

Kelly Thompson
Lee’s Summit

Comics are for grown-ups

Carrie Willmon (1/25, Letters) is “appalled” at “Doonesbury” because it isn’t appropriate for her 8- and 10-year-old kids.

What about “Beetle Bailey,” whose main character tries to avoid work while Sarge overeats and avoids exercise? What about the biting sarcasm often found in cigar-chomping “Shoe” or the workplace insults displayed in “Dilbert?” Then there’s the array of suspicious characters in “Brenda Starr,” who seems always to wear a plunging neckline.

Let’s face it: Most comics are not for kids. They’re for the kid in us grown-ups, those who can appreciate, and even laugh at, the weird foibles of us humans. By exaggerating some of our worst traits, cartoonists and comics writers help us put things into perspective. If you’re looking for straight-laced morality, though, don’t look at the comics pages.

Maril Crabtree
Mission

But is this cartoon funny?

It’s fitting that Michelle Malkin and comics are the two reasons John Ruhl (7/5, Letters) cites for subscribing to The Star, since they’re both cartoons.

Brent Anderson
Fairway

‘Pearls Before Swine’ is a gem

I read your paper every day for a variety of reasons, and while I greatly value your news coverage, local columnists and syndicated opinions, I must say the “Pearls Before Swine” comic strip is becoming my favorite part of each day’s read.

I found Ward Triplett’s feature story on the strip’s cartoonist, Stephan Pastis, (4/14, FYI, “Life can be a croc”) very entertaining. Pastis’ humor is often the much-needed twist to an otherwise drab and dreary news day, and your quality product is enhanced by the presence of “Pearls.” I hope other readers agree.

Jeannie Brandstetter
Jefferson City

‘Doonesbury’ character

Recently Garry Trudeau introduced a new character into his comic strip “Doonesbury,” Mrs. DeLuca, the mother of seriously wounded Iraq veteran, Toggle.

She is depicted in all of her vulgar glory: pudgy, tattooed, spiked hair and, to really cover all the bases, a cross dangling from a necklace.

In the strip of Feb. 20, when she is asked who Toggle’s father is, Trudeau gives her this response, “One of three jerks. I wasn’t always the class act you see now.”

This depiction of our military personnel and their families as the trashy dregs of American society may comfort and titillate the Northeast salon liberals with their bigoted stereotypes, but it is deeply offensive to the people who are paying an enormous sacrifice in the service of our country. It is also demonstrably inaccurate.

Whatever one’s views are of the Iraq war, this vicious sliming of our troops and their families should disgust every fair minded person.

Bruce Bubacz
Leawood

Nothing to laugh about

With all the nonsense going on in the world, I wonder why Saturday’s (1/19) “Bizarro” comic strip prompts me to write. (A woman is telling another woman in a burqa, who is taking picture of a group of women in burqas, “I can take that for you if you want to be in it”.)

Perhaps it is the very idea that a comic, not an editorial comic, would present something so dehumanizing as being humorous. Burqas are not funny.

Maybe Dan Piraro should try walking around with a hood over his head for a day and see what it feels like. Skip the screen for vision and do us all a favor by taking the day off drawing, too.

Hey, FYI editor: Check out “Mutts” if you want to spend your ink space on something entertaining. “Mutts” can send a decent message now and again, too.

Nancy Stifter
Parkville

Connected?

Did you read the “Dennis the Menace” in the Sunday comics section?

Dennis was talking with his father, who was sitting at the computer. His dad was telling him all the wonderful things you can do with a computer: pay bills, shop, e-mail people all over the world, reconnect with people.

“It’s a wonderful communication tool!” he says, “It brings people together!”

Then Dennis asks, “Then how come you’re sitting here all by yourself?”

Something for us to ponder.

Rita Einspahr
Overland Park

Get rid of ‘Lio’

Please remove the comic strip “Lio” from The Star. Last week, one strip showed a diagram of a person named Kevin marked up like a side of beef ready to be carved. Now (2/13) a child is about to use a huge knife to pop another child’s balloon. No one needs this kind of nasty, inappropriate stuff in a family paper. Surely there’s something better out there just waiting to be discovered!

Nancy McDowell
Overland Park

Art imitates life?

I was appalled when I opened the Preview section of the paper (1/4) to see a strip called “Disquietville.” I was so surprised to see a character in a “comic” strip beating up a child!

Now even I know that this is fiction, but it seems to me that your paper is condoning beating up kids for being who they are. I see this as wrong, as everybody should.

Get a grip and get a clue. Don’t let art imitate life like this.

Amy Rebel
Overland Park

A comic strip idea

Since we are in our annual comics page debate: If The Star has the room, consider featuring the times, antics and her reasoning for such of Jackson County Executive Katheryn Shields. It belongs on the funny pages.

The title of the strip? "Driving Miss Daisy."

Jerry McDonald
Overland Park