Warring Factions in the Funnies...

As I perused the full-color Sunday funnies yesterday, I noticed that Bill Keane's "Family Circus" depicted the father reading a book to his children called Rat and Pig Get Lost. In the fine details you can even see the little rat and pig. Any comic aficionado knows that the cynical Rat and fool-hardy Pig are the main characters in Stephan Pastis's "Pearls Before Swine". The "Family Circus" depiction did bear striking resemblance to both of Pastis's anthropomorphic animals.

I wonder, is this Keane's retribution for "Pearls" featuring the "Family Circus" characters in the past? Pastis frequently draws in popular cartoon characters from other strips ("Cathy" in a bikini was hilarious), but in several "Pearls" strips a few years ago, the family was portrayed as so ignorant that they housed Islamic terrorists. Eventually all were carried off with sacks around their heads, children included.

It sounds pretty irreverent, but then that's what "Pearls" popularity is based on: cynical, irreverent whimsy. Hey, most of the time it appeals to my sense of humor (although the strips in question were definitely risque).

One final note: in yesterday's "Family Circus", the kids lose interest quickly in story time and retreat to the TV. Study the details and you'll see clearly depicted characters from "The Simpsons" on the screen.

Here's a copy of yesterday's cartoon. I don't know that this low-res copy will allow you to see all the fine details I'm talking about, and the official Website is on a two-week delay for updating strips. Go dig yesterday's paper out of the recycle bin if you want to see for yourself...