Adios, "Mallard Fillmore"

[Paladin]

Further proof of a benevolent God's existence: the Houston "Chronicle" has dropped "Mallard Fillmore" from its comics section. A "kinder and gentler" right-wing strip has taken the evil fowl's place (no doubt providing further proof that the concept of "compassionate conservatism" is a contradiction in terms).

Anybody in the Houston area know what the back story is on this? I wonder if it was a particularly ugly "MF" strip that lead to the action. Not that I really care.

Don't let the door hit you in the tail feathers, duck....

[brainshrub]

1. Forgetting politics for a moment: Mallard sucks.

My issue isn't with the politics of the strip.

The author uses the same "joke" over and over and over again. It has gotten to the point where it's ridiculous.

There is a hilarious reworking of Mallard at The Talent Show blog:

Gipper, the talking points duck

Two quick samples from the above link:

[Paladin]

2. Great link; many thanks.

n/t

[boobooday]

4. That's funny stuff!

Unlike Mallard Fillmore.

[rocktivity]

16. DING DING DING! Boobooday, you're our grand prize winner!

...(F)unny stuff...Unlike Mallard Fillmore.

The New York Daily News ran Mallard way back when. I hated it for the same reason why I hated Mary Worth--it was unfunny, uninteresting, uncompelling, and pointless. IT WAS A BAD COMIC STRIP. Politics had nothing to do with it.

:headbang:
rocknation

[bunkerbuster1]

24. Don't diss Mary Worth like that.

Mary Worth is funny as hell sometimes.

Not intentionally funny, mind you...

[rocktivity]

27. Well, this cartoon is for you, Bunkerbuster

and it's very intentionally funny!

This cartoon spawned three sequels--here's the latest!

:headbang:
rockation

[bunkerbuster1]

28. I hadn't seen the latest, thanks!

Still not as quite funny as Mary Worth going for a power-walk, though.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. We'll always have

Prickly City

Edited to add: interview with the cartoonist Scott Stantis at the sneering, liberal Washington Post:

Comics: Meet the Artist

[killerbush]

3. I wish they would drop it in Ct

The Journal Inquirer in Ct, is running it because it's a "fair and balanced" issue, because they also run Doonesbury. Lets start a drop Mallard Fillmore campaign.

[Paladin]

7. Same With the "Chronicle" Until This Past Week

They had "Mallard Fillmore" parked right across from "Doonesbury", where it invariably suffered by comparison. On any given day, "MF" had all the insight, wit and agility of your average fundamentalist babtismal ceremony. So glad it's gone from my paper; I don't think much of the "Chronicle," but they've got my respect for this action.

Tom Delay and "Mallard Fillmore," both gone from my area in the same week. How much better can it get?

[CTyankee]

34. Is it still in the CT Post?

I stopped reading that rag a long time ago.

[shenmue]

6. Mallard is horrible

I was so happy when the paper here dropped it. That thing sucked.

[Tesha]

32. Every time "The Boston Globe" calls us, we ask them...

Every time "The Boston Globe" calls us wondering if we'll
restart our subscription (and they call us about every
three months), we ask them if they've dropped "Mallard
Fillmore" yet.

They say no, we say, no, and we suggest they don't call us
again until they do.

Someday they may get the message.

Tesha

[area51]

8. Ballast Filledmore

The Chron said that "Mallard Fillmore" is still available on their website (it's not like they totally got rid of it).

[Paladin]

9. There's Got To Be A Story That Goes With That

It will come out eventually, if it isn't out already. Like I said before, the reasons ultimately aren't that important to me. I'm just glad some action was taken against the miserable right-wing propaganda site.....

[Zookeeper]

10. I never read it...

mainly because it's poorly drawn and devoid of wit or intelligence.

[bmbmd]

11. It's a lot like a joke

only not funny.

[lolly]

20. Hmmm--really?

I've been trying to think what it has in common with a joke, but I'm pretty stumped. :7

[Jack Rabbit]

12. Let's face it. Bruce Tinsley is a quack.

[Paladin]

13. Amen. Good Riddance.

n/t

[AnneD]

14. Thank God!!!!!!!

It was totally dogmatic and boring. I am a big girl and I don't mind getting my opinions skewered, but there was nothing there. At one point it was mildly funny, now it is not even ho hum. Aren't the Houston Chronicle funnies great (and more are on the subversive side). I think it is one of the largest in the country. It kept the Post's sections when they merged.

[Bridget Burke]

33. The Chronicle also kept the columns run in the Post.

Except for Molly Ivins! The Chron DOES have a good comics section. Even the mostly non-political comics get in a few zingers. From last week:



(Yes, Mallard Fillmore sucked. Badly drawn & NOT FUNNY AT ALL.

[Blue_Tires]

15. i don't think there is a 'back story'

the newspapers like to refresh the comics page ever few years, and usually the stips with the most complaints get dropped for one with a lot of requests or something else....

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. I hope the idiots at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune take note.

Those would be the idiots who decided to run that piece of crap in the first place, notwithstanding a lot of complaints. Hey, idiots, Mallard Fillmore ISN'T FUNNY. Recycled "jokes" about Ted Kennedy AREN'T FUNNY. Please, make it go away...

[Paladin]

18. "Chronicle" Update

The Sunday 4/9 edition of the "Chronicle" has a column by the paper's Reader's Representative, dealing with the after-effects of the "Mallard Fillmore" canning. As you might expect, the right-wingers aren't too happy about it. Priceless quote from one of them: "'Mallard Fillmore' was the only strip exploring the fertile and largely unexplored ground of conservative humor." I guess that would be the same ground that Dennis Miller occupied so successfully a while back, right?

No explanation about getting rid of the strip, other than some wussified statement about "...giving the readers something fresh."

Those of you wanting to direct some praise towards the "Chronicle" for this action may do so via [e-mail], or 713/362-3222.

[spooky3]

22. My cats' litter box is "fertile and largely unexplored ground."

Strange choice of words, eh?

[Paladin]

23. Nice Comparison. My Compliments.

n/t

[lolly]

19. LA Times has it now

No doubt due to Jonah's lovely influence.

I actually think they should keep it in.

It's gotta be a money loser for them--I don't know how much they pay for it, but nobody's gonna buy a newspaper just to read that crap.

And, as far as the "Open Marketplace of Ideas" goes, for anyone not totally unhinged, putting this crap next to Doonesbury is like putting a Rolls Royce next to an old broken down lawn mower.

If Jonah thinks this makes conservatives look good, he's even dumber than I thought.

[mdmc]

21. too late to "R" but worth it.

This is the only toon that I never read in my local rag.

[sutz12]

25. There's nothing like a good comic strip....

and Mallard Fillmore is nothing like a good comic strip.

apologies to Mary Poppins fans. :rofl:

[MrBenchley]

26. I thought the "humorless right winger" was just a cliche

until I ran into Mallard Fillmore....

The asswipe that draws it doesn't even have an idea as to how a joke would work, even if he thought of one....

[rurallib]

30. Pretty typical republican "humor"

quick name 3 conservative comics? (Must be funny to be a comic so Dennis Miller is out)
The fucked up duck is probably the worst comic ever, yet the idiot that draws it gets a hefty paycheck because he's the 'balance'.

[Roy Biggins]

29. Mallard Filmore is just in poor taste.

Forget the politics, it's not worth reading. I'm not suprised they dropped it.

[Neil Lisst]

31. if it quacks like a fascist ...

[Javaman]

35. Now if only the same could be done with dennis miller...nt

[maxsolomon]

36. gotta 'balance' Boondocks & Doonesbury

balance balance balance.

Conservative Humor is an oxymoron.