Reader critiques: The ‘Doonesbury’ editors reveal Garry Trudeau’s epic prank
A Dagwood of cartoon beefs
As I’ve previously proffered, there seems to be some form of comic collaboration occurring on the pages of The Post. On May 8, four strips featured takeout food, and two of them specifically mentioned pizza. Granted, Dagwood in “Blondie” is obsessed with eating the most unhealthy, gargantuan sandwiches almost every day. How does he stay so slim?
Eric Greene, Annapolis
The coldest of cuts
Wait. Was it a joke within a joke?
I scanned the QR code embedded in the May 18 “Doonesbury” that was supposed to take me to a list of MAGA’s banned words. Imagine my dismay when I got a dreaded 404 error message saying the site had “disappeared.” That message suggests that the site once existed and Garry Trudeau didn’t make the whole thing up. So how scary is that? Should we be worried Trudeau might meet that same fate? Should we worry that he might be renditioned to some black-hole prison somewhere? How worried should we be about Stephen Colbert, Dana Milbank and others who use their words and wit to skewer President Donald Trump and his minions? How worried should I be if The Post publishes this note? What a sorry state we’re in!
Janet Keefer, Pittsboro, North Carolina
Note from the prankster “Doonesbury” editors: The 404 error page is intentional! “The banned word list is banned!”
Slathered with blather
“WuMo” MustGo! It’s not funny or clever, as hard as Mikael Wulff and Anders Morgenthaler try. You’re wasting The Post’s (and readers’) money on them. I don’t have a replacement to suggest, but there must be other cartoon creators that are worth reading.
Lewis Gollub, Bethesda
Fresher greens
I request that you remove “Heart of the City” from your comics lineup. The characters are confusing. The content is unintelligible. It’s a waste of valuable space when there are probably hundreds of aspiring cartoonists who are more creative.
Pam Williams, Spokane
Extra nopales
In her May 17 Free for All letter, “It’s unfunny because it’s true,” Anne Schwartz suggested that The Post consider eliminating “Prickly City.” It is the best political cartoon in the paper. Scott Stantis has stayed neutral, using his strip to point out inconsistencies and problems in the Biden administration and now highlighting illegal actions taken by the Trump administration. Comic strips are not necessarily funny. “Prickly City” rightly provides a warning to citizens to pay attention to what’s happening in this country. If anything, please move this strip to Page A2.
Janet Burt, Fairfax
Hold the knuckle
The “Beetle Bailey” cartoon glorifies bullying and physical abuse; The Post needs to eliminate it from the comics pages. Multiple members of my family have served in the U.S. military, and I find the cartoon’s depictions of military service offensive.
Catherine Nellist, Rockville
Pass the Pepto
I always appreciate the concisely rendered messages of Joe Heller’s and Clay Bennett’s editorial cartoons. And I’m always laughing at my favorite comics: “Prickly City,” “Non Sequitur,” “Baby Blues,” “Lio,” “Pickles” and “Red and Rover,” and saving my favorite, “Pearls Before Swine,” to read last. But I am also looking at the half-page dedicated to Edith Pritchett’s cartoons. Please stop squandering precious space and subscribers’ money (both of which are at grave risk now) on the Pritchett void.
Jane Margaret Dow, Arlington
Lost and profound
I am not easily moved to tears, but Harry Bliss’s May 4 Book World article, “Loving my dog Penny meant digging her grave,” sure did the trick. My husband, Eduardo, and I share our lives with our two amazing Pomeranians, Dolce and Gabbana, who will be 10 this month. I cannot fathom the day either of them leaves us. However, as with many other important issues you touch on in marriage, this has been discussed, albeit with difficulty.
Even though his piece was hard to read, we fully agree with Bliss that the generosity and love our dogs give us unconditionally, at all times, is profound, “and profound things need to be written about.” We’ve discovered that we often find our humanity by interacting with these soulful creatures. No matter how many more years Dolce and Gabbana have left to grace us with their company, we can’t be thankful enough.
Carlos Navarro, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
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