A little while ago, I reviewed a newspaper comic that I really hate. (Just as a quick update, Rex Morgan is STILL going on the same arc/plot, spending the last week recapping everything that just happened, and ending with the most unnatural way for someone to admit to liking somebody possible. I mean, there's no emotion, no buildup, no realization, just a cliche line. But I digress.) Fortunately, this time I'll discuss a comic I actually like: "Pearls Before Swine," by Stephan Pastis.
Where should I begin? I think the best place to start would be with the characters. It's got a good deal of characters, each with their own unique and well-defined personalities. The main duo tends to be Pig and Rat. As you can imagine, they are a pig and a rat. But while that may make it seem like the type of mindless children's schlock that can get away with unimaginative naming, it's actually a trick to make you think just that, when in reality, they're anything but.
Rat, a personal favorite, is a sociopathic, self-righteous misanthrope who is unafraid to tell people exactly how stupid they are for any reason. It doesn't matter if someone is just trying to sound pretentious by ordering a fancy-sounding coffee, or if they keep using a phrase he finds annoying - if he doesn't like them, they'll know it, in as awesome a way as possible. Sometimes with blunt instruments. He embodies every one of the dark impulses we keep in check, and embraces them. And he is awesome.
Pig is basically the opposite of Rat. Naive, somewhat stupid, and incredibly friendly, he almost seems out of place in the crapsack world of "Pearls Before Swine," and is yet incredibly important as the moral and emotional center of the comics. He takes a good heaping of abuse, but remains a bright light in a world otherwise darkened with cynicism and loathing.
Then we have the fan-favorite characters, the crocodiles. They're beyond stupid, speak in an odd accent/language ("Oooookay, zeeba neighba... now you had it. Dis is all-powerful, all-loving God Box. We pray to heem. He hate you.") and constantly fail in their attempts to eat their neighbor, Zebra. They tend to die quite often while failing in their attempts to eat Zebra, or just through their general stupidity, but don't worry, because there's never a shortage of crocs. They may be the closest thing this comic has to villains, but they're a delight to read.
There are several other characters, such as Goat, Snuffles the cat, and the Guard Duck, each of whom have their own stories, quirks, and wonderful personalities. Stephen himself appears on occasion, usually when the characters get mad at him for writing a lousy joke; he was even sent to jail on one occasion, condemned by his own creation.
Which brings me to my next point: breaking the fourth wall. Now, when something breaks the fourth wall properly, it's great. Deadpool, for example, is known for doing it perfectly when he's written correctly. The Muppets also play with the fourth wall very cleverly. Some series have a bit more trouble with it, and mistakenly think that offering a wink to the audience is enough. "Pearls" has no fourth wall. And it does so perfectly. Characters, usually Rat, will break the action to go and insult Stephen for a pun or joke they disapprove of. More recently, a reader's cell phone interrupted the strip, causing Rat to spoil the crossword puzzle in retaliation. Yet it doesn't permeate the comics too often, allowing for a good and unbroken story flow when needed.
As they know they're in a comic, the characters often interact with characters from other comic strips, such as "Dilbert," "Cathy," or anyone from "Family Circus." In fact, "Family Circus" is a common target for mockery, which is fine by me, because I can't stand that one either. Of course, they don't expect to get away with it, and much of the humor comes from the other comics retaliating.
There are several recurring gags or setups in this comic: Rat berates someone for being stupid, or tries to cash in on the idiocy of others; the crocodiles (or occasionally lions) try a new scheme to eat Zebra; the Guard Duck blows someone or something up with his rocket launcher; Pig fails to woo Pigita; a strip builds up to a pun, and Rat berates Stephen for writing it. Those are just a few of the sorts of things that happen in the world of "Pearls Before Swine." They don't get stale, though - the crocodiles always have a new scheme, Rat always has something new to complain about, and the Guard Duck always has something new to threaten or explode. Each are a treat to read.
This is not your average happy-go-lucky talking animals comic. In fact, it's the antithesis of that. Its clean, if not somewhat minimalist, style of art makes it look much more friendly than it is, and that contrast makes it all the more brilliant. It's the anti-Family Circus, it's the opposite of Mickey Mouse or Felix the Cat, and it is wonderful.
This is the sort of newspaper comic I enjoy reading each day, and one I'd recommend to anyone with a good sense of humor and healthy sprinkling of cynicism. So until next time, this has been whatever I read.
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