Today, the Star Tribune's Sunday comics section begins running a trio of inspired cartoons: one inspired by "Cathy," another by "The Far Side," and a third by Donald Rumsfeld. Well, sort of.
"On a Claire Day" follows the life of a single career woman with good humor, but also a bite of reality. Claire is a new college graduate who finds herself working two jobs to make ends meet and wonders why everyone else seems to have their lives put together. It's a team effort by Carla Ventresca and Henry Beckett.
"Argyle Sweater" is a single-panel with an eye for the absurdities of life and of language. Scott Hilburn's characters include Chicken, the Caveman, Bear, Moth, Vulture and Guy With a Pompadour. When a buffalo on a cell phone complains about being charged for roaming, well, you can see where this is going.
"Little Dog Lost" creator Steve Boreman has said that his strip about a dog trying to find its way home jelled after he watched a Rumsfeld news conference: "I had trouble understanding what he was saying. I wasn't sure if he understood it, actually, or if he even meant what he was saying." That day, Boreman added the character of a vulture waiting for the lost dog to die. It's a lot funnier than it sounds.
With these three newcomers, two comics are ending: "Opus," whose creator has decided to retire it, and "Dennis the Menace." These changes are, for now, in Sunday editions only.
Please give these new strips a read over the next few weeks, and let us know what you think. E-mail us at comics@startribune.com.
KIM ODE
