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Non Sequitur is a comic strip created by Wiley Miller in 1991 and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate to over 700 newspapers. The strip can be found online at gocomics.com, although archives are only viewable with an account. Translated from Latin as, "it does not follow", Non Sequitur is often political and satirical, though other times, purely comedic.
The strip has undergone many changes through its history. Originally, the comic was a single panel gag cartoon, similar to Gary Larson's Far Side. It grew more political in tone during the 1990s, to the point where it often became a borderline editorial cartoon. Today the comic has become more traditional, with a multi-panel format and recurring characters. The single panel gag format is still occasionally used, however.
Non Sequitur has been honored with four National Cartoonists Society Awards, including the Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1995, 1996, and 1998, and the Newspaper Panels Award for 2002, and is the only comic strip to win in its first year of syndication. It is also the only title to ever win both the best comic strip and best comic panel categories.
Recently, it has generated controversy in Malaysia following the New Strait Times's printing of the syndicated strip satirising the recent protests over the controversial Danish Cartoons on the 20th Of February 2006. The cartoon depicts a streetside Cartoonists offering caricatures of Muhammad "while you wait" with a caption that the cartoonist has finally realised his goal of being the most feared man in the world. A blog entry by prominent blogger Jeff Ooi here tells a part of the story.
Characters
Danae — Young, pre-adolescent, pre-goth girl with a pessimistic view of the world, often employed in the strip for satirical purposes.
Lucy — A talking Pygmy Clydesdale horse who, like Hobbes, the tiger from Calvin and Hobbes, plays the silent observer most of the time. Lucy was taken from a horse riding camp after Danae attended the riding camp and met her.
Kate — More optimistic sister of Danae. Often used as a foil to Danae in how their personalities and view of the world differ.
Petey — A dog of humble origins, he has found his way to Kate's ownership.
Joe Pyle — A radio talk show host often frustrated by how media treats him, and used by the strip to comment on the media. Also the often-bewildered father of Danae and Kate.
Obviousman — A superhero who can't stand the overly obvious or hypocritical. His symbol is the word "Duh" with a slash through it (No Duh!). Usually appears only on Sundays.
Pierre of the North — A French Canadian who hates "ze" cold.
Flo — Joe's mother who owns Flo's Offshore Diner in Maine.
Uncle Reginald — The ghost of an alcoholic elderly relative haunting Joe's house. Danae, Kate and Flo are well acquainted with him, but Joe refuses to believe he exists.
Captain Eddie — A captain that continuously tells tall tales of his boating expeditions to anyone that will listen... in Flo's coffee shop.
Captain Eddie's Cat — A cat involved in all of Eddie's stories; usually sits on his shoulder.
Ordinary Basil - A boy at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution who takes a journey to the cloud city of Helios. Story ran on Sundays from February 20 to July 24, 2005.
Ele - Cynical cat like creature who lives in the time before man.
Homer - The main subject of "Homer, the Reluctant Soul". A spirit who aside from dealing with living in the afterlife, has to deal with real life whenever he returns to earth. He has been an ancient Roman who barely escaped Pompeii, a medieval commoner. He has also been a woman at least twice, first as a cavewoman, then as an immigrant, both times being named "Honor". "Homer the Reluctant Soul" has likely been removed from any further circulation.
Brenda Santa Fe - A recent character who shows interest in dating Joe, much to the delight of Joe's meddlesome family. Meanwhile, Joe appears to not have the slightest knowledge that Brenda is interested in him. Brenda runs "Brenda's Clam Hut" and is a frequent visitor of "Flo's Offshore Diner".
Books
- The Non Sequitur Survival Guide for the Nineties
- Non Sequitur’s Beastly Things
- Why We'll Never Understand Each Other: A Non-Sequitur Look At Relationships
- Homer, the Reluctant Soul: The Halo Tours (January 30, 2005)
- Lucy and Danae : Something Silly This Way Comes (March 1, 2005)
External links
"Non Sequitur (comic strip)"