Marmaduke is a comic that is as old as my parents. It’s been drawn by the same fellow, one Brad Anderson, since 1954, and since the fateful day of its creation Marmaduke has served as a daily reminder that you don’t have to be funny or talented to be syndicated in newspapers nationwide.
I once read the entire Marmaduke comic described succinctly as “The big dog is on something you want.” I think there’s an even simpler explanation: the cartoonist is not funny at all.
This is a good example for starters. The humor of this particular strip relies on the basic and horrifically dumb assumption that kids are so stupid they can’t tell a dog from a person in a costume. Brilliant, Anderson. Brilliant. Also, kids these days NEVER say “Gosh, Mister.” They’re much more likely to say “Holy fuck!”
This one also relies on the assumption that Marmaduke’s owner did not notice at all as the dog led him into a rail yard, up a ladder, and onto the top of a train. But not ONLY was the owner so clueless that he didn’t pick up on that part of the journey, he didn’t even notice when the train started MOVING. Also, how does a dog get on top of a train? And most importantly, who the fuck asks a dog for a shortcut? I guess the same guy who doesn’t know he’s on top of a MOVING TRAIN until it’s too late.
“Just so long as we get far enough away to dispose of this body… I only need a few minutes.”
AND YOU HAVE LIKE SIXTY HEADS! WHAT THE FUCK, DOG?
