Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sunday Best - Funny Papers Hero

Bil Keane Had It Goin' On



Many of you will immediately recognize the above cartoon, Family Circus, and think of its creator, Bil Keane. Do you remember the ghost pictured here, named "Not Me"? "Not Me" was often accompanied by his partners, "I Don't Know," and "Nobody." One of these three ghosts were always present at the site of broken vases, spilled juice, or alongside footprints of mud that had been tracked into the house.

As a child, around the age of eight,  I'd read Family Circus in the comic section of the Sunday paper. The bright colors of the strip, along with the guaranteed quick read in a few sentences always caught my eye, but each time I'd read it, I'd think, "Lame. lame lame lame lame. Lame." I'd then announce to the closest person, sometimes just to the air, "Family Circus is so dumb." Heavy emphasis on the last letter "m," followed by an eye roll.

Ah, Life.

Last week, while on our weekly trip to the library, our youngest son came across the Family Circus Treasury, what you could call the bible of Bil Keane's work. He had found the book on the shelf, while looking for the cooler, hipper comics, like Foxtrot, and Calvin and Hobbes. The cool hip stuff was out, like much of the rest of cool hip stuff in life usually is. In their stead, our son picked up the Family Circus, drawn to it by its' simple glossy white cover and  large bold sketches outlined in black. He had never heard of it. We took it home.

Feet up on the coffee table, relaxed on the sofa, he flipped through the large volume quickly. At book's end,  he pronounced it, "lame-o, lame-o, lame-o." It fell to the side of the coffee table.

Later that day, I picked the heavy book up from the floor while cleaning. I leafed through it. I began laughing. Like hard laughing. It had been at least ten years since I had looked at Bil Keane. I called to my husband, "you have to see this, remember?" He recognized the trademark "family in a circle," and reminisced, "Oh, yeah, him. I always thought that cartoon was so dumb."

We sat together and read. We sat together and read in a new light, no longer as little children. And we laughed. Family Circus was wasted on the foolish youth we were. Oh, you sophisticated wit, Bil Keane. We have matured into an appreciation for Family Circus. How we now hang our heads in shame --  you were light years ahead of us, Bil, you wrote your comics in preparation for the parents we have now become.

While cleaning up the kitchen tonight, my bare feet landed on sticky ketchup that had been left on the floor, right in front of the refrigerator, the red splotch visible to anyone. Anyone. "Who spilled ketchup all over the floor?!," I shouted, expecting no answer back. I had become the crop cut dark- haired Mom on Family Circus. All three of our boys came running, and right on cue, they began down the line, from tallest to shortest. "Not me," said the oldest, blaming Not Me, straight out of one of Bil Keane's panels. '"I Don't Know," is who middlest placed the blame with. "Nobody," was accused by the youngest.

Bil Keane, consider this my public apology here to you, today, in front of all who read this. Bil Keane, you were not lame! As a matter of fact, you rocked at this parenting gig. You handled it with humor, grace, and joy.

And to Family Circus, to quote the Na'vi in Avatar, "I see you! I see you!"

*Bill Keane is now 87 years old, and happily living in Arizona, enjoying the heck out of the children of his five children. I emailed him a copy of this post, and his family graciously accepted my humble apology, on his behalf.
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This blast from the past originally ran here May 2010. I should check up on Bil, see how he's doing.

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25 comments:

  1. smiles. oh i remember these as well...and at a young age i rather thought they were lame as well but with age comes wisdom and eyes to see..

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  2. It's amazing how childhood memories change for us with an adult perspective... life is grand.

    Hugs!
    ________________________________________
    http://mustbeliberating.blogspot.com/

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  3. Nice! Thanks for the memories :)

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  4. I'm laughing! I did the same thing, went to the library and checked them out for my kid who prides himself on not being a "reader." He discarded them pretty quickly. I wish I had sat down and read through some of those classic cartoons! Aaaah, the good ol' days...k, wait, now I'm sounding old right...

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  5. I don't remember the ghosts but when I read your account of it, I laughed. Growing old is both wonderful and horrifying, all at the same time!

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  6. ok i totally did the SAME thing as a kid! read it EVERY sunday and ALWAYS thought it was soooo lame! It's less lame as a parent, but from time to time I will text a picture of the daily family circus to our childless dude friend in colorado. He still thinks it's so very lame and it's become a running joke to text family circle pics to each other :) Thanks for the reminder that it's my turn to pick a good one and text it :)

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  7. Haha, that's awesome! I'll have to look over his comics again, esp now that I'm a mom. I'd forgotten all about the comic section lately.

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  8. We looked at Family Circus again this morning, all 3 kids just said, " I don't get what's funny."

    I said, this is a simple cartoon, but made for adults.

    Cuz I GET.IT.

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  9. I think that it is wonderful that you contacted him. I really enjoy this work.

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  10. Every single time my kids say 'not me' I picture that little ghost guy. Love this.

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  11. Crap...I actually really liked it. I made my Mom buy me the books. Then again, I was kind of a lame kid. (And it was 'Ida Know' - see? lame!)

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  12. I always say I have a fourth child whose name is Not Me. Not Me gets blamed for everything in this house.

    I, too, used to read the Family Circus and think the same thing. There's a reason his comic strip was such an resounding success. People of a certain age were reading it.

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  13. Isn't it funny to think that when we were reading it as little ones, our parents were nodding at each other 'getting it' while we were proclaiming it lame-o. I love this thought!

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  14. Love this, "No One" does everything in our house. Funny how we love the things we blew passed years ago when we were too "cool" to appreciate them.

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  15. Oh, The Family Circus...so much funnier now!

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  16. I not only remember Family Circus, I remember that particular panel! It was a running joke in our family...seriously! Thanks for the reminder!

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  17. I was the dork in the family and loved family circus....I always have. I remember the day the modernized mom's hair style - do you remember? That made the NEWS! Beautifully written apology....

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  18. Get out. You sent your post to Bil? We read our favourite series For Better or For Worse. Love the parenting wisdom in all of the books. It was far more helpful than any baby book.

    Dana

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  19. Family Circus really does read different when you are a parent.

    Thinking about Bill Keane makes me thing of the Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale. YUMMY stuff there!
    (and Family Circus comics on the menus and walls)

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  20. I used to think they were lame back then too. Now? I miss reading them!

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  21. HA! Brilliant - I haven't looked at Family Circus in years, but now I think I'll have to, just to see if it's moved on from being LAME-O.

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  22. Am I the only person who didn't think it was lame? Now I feel like the one who's lame...

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  23. Oh so true! I think I owe Mr Keane and apology too:)

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  24. I love that you sent this to the Keane family :) I always remember looking forward to reading the comics with my family growing up (especially on Sundays--when they were in color!). Each of us had our favorites (mine was Luanne) and my dad always tried to get us to read Family Circus. That's a happy memory I haven't thought about in years :)

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