Krazy Kat

Syndicated comic strips; any person who reads the newspapers will come across it, even if he or she does not read it. Such comics have also found popularity with the casual comic readers and even those who have little to no interest in comics. What is it that makes these comics so attractive to those who are not attracted to comics? The best answer I can think of , based on a casual readers remark, is that his comics, of which majority come in strips of few to several panels, are short, quick to digest, and easily understood. Not surprising, especially when considering that these people are reading comics mainly for the humour; fast and effective ways to amuse themselves and gain laughs.

For the next series of guides, comic strips will be presented. Not only will newspaper strips be featured, webcomic and magazine strips will have their own spotlight, as long as this series can last that long that is. Popular strips like Calvin and Hobbes will not be discussed, since every one knows them well enough.

And for the first feature, one of America’s most famous cats! No, it is not Garfield. It is.....

Krazy Kat

Whimsical, poetical, surreal and even philosophical at times, and always, always full of humour, Krazy Kat is a creative tour de force. Scripted and drawn by George Joseph Herriman and appearing in newspapers between 1913 and 1944, Krazy Kat is one of the greatest comics to come out of the USA with a high level of artistry not found in most comic strips.

Set in the Coconino County, the main theme of Krazy is love, or rather, a love triangle, in which a cat is in love with a mouse and a dog, is in love with the cat; a reversal of the classical cartoon relationship, where the dog hates the cat who hates the mouse. Krazy Kat is in love with Ignatz the mouse. Bothered by the cat’s affections and approach, Ignatz reciprocates by tossing a brick at the head of Krazy, which is mistaken by the cat as a return of affection. Officer Pup, the dog in love with Krazy, is a police, who makes it his duty to protect Kraxy from Ignatz’s bricks, albeit with biasness towards the mouse. The scenario is repeated over and over again, which Herriman manages to keep fresh and interesting through variations.

The cast and scenario of Krazy Kat is not limited to these elements. Characters such as Joe Stork, the “purveyor of progeny to prince and proletarian” (or simply put, he delivers babies) gives a taste of the poetry and humour found in the comic. As such, surreal situations occur, at times with philosophical underpinnings.

Background art in Krazy are at times disregarded in their impact on the strip itself. In these cases, the background varies from panel to panel. An outdoor rock formation can be triangular in the first panel, a circle in the next, and a rectangle in the third. This variation provides the strip with artistic surrealism, without affecting with the overall composition and theme of the strip.
Understandably, Krazy is not one of those comics that are easy to understand, even though it is only a few panels to one page long per strip. The language used is a little outdated, and takes some getting used to. The comic, coupled with a well characterized cast, can easily rival some of the best comics by modern standards.

What really attracted me to the comic is the quirky philosophy, the enjoyable and poetical texts, and the theme which almost anyone can identify with: love. Also the various scenarios of Ignatz tossing the brick at Krazy are creatively done, and never seem to bore. Today’s comics, like Garfield and Cathy, were repetitive after years, requiring a drastic change in the situation of the characters, with Jon finally dating Liz, and Cathy getting married. With Kraxy Kat, the status quo does not change, and yet it is hardly stale.