Understanding Judge Parker: Bliss

Showing posts with label Bliss. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

End Of Story!

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Friday, October 23, 2009

Sorry, Calvin... I Need People Around Me I Can Trust!

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Now We're Getting Somewhere!

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Monday, July 13, 2009

That's How I Got Shot In College...

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Have You Ever Thought That Maybe You And Rachel Could Be Friends?

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Okay, You Win!

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Friday, April 3, 2009

You Won't Get Far With A Leak Like That!

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Monday, March 30, 2009

Tell Him There's Been A Slight Change Of Plans!

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Monday, March 16, 2009

Never Let Rachel See You Sweat!

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Friday, February 20, 2009

That Lowlife Owed Us A Fortune...

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Please Try To Understand!

[Click any image to enlarge.] Bliss, Judge Parker

Monday, January 12, 2009

Friday, December 12, 2008

Monday, December 1, 2008

It's A Matter Of Life And Death!

Bliss, Judge Parker

Monday, November 24, 2008

...Until I Got A Call From A Very Pushy Sergeant Chavez!

Bliss, Judge Parker

Monday, November 3, 2008

Now Move Away From That Bootprint Before You Step On It!

Bliss, Judge Parker

Friday, October 31, 2008

We Just Got Lucky... Very Lucky!

Bliss, Judge Parker

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

We've Got A Problem At The House!

Bliss, Judge Parker

Monday, October 13, 2008

The Kids Are Safely Locked In A Back Room!

Bliss, Judge Parker

Monday, September 22, 2008

Why Don't You Come In And Find Out, Weasel Breath?

Bliss, Judge Parker

Introduction

Judge Parker. Possibly the most misunderstood of all comic strips. And certainly it’s the comic with the deepest storyline and the most complex subtext and meaning. You cannot skim through Judge Parker over your morning cereal as you do “Blondie” or “Garfield.” To do that would be to miss the whole other world in which the Judge lives. No, instead you have to study the Judge. Take him in context with the rest of the strips on the comic page. See past each isolated panel and discover the real Judge Parker.

I read (browsed may be a better word) Judge Parker for many years; to take a glance and move on was the norm. Although earnestly drawn and involving detailed story lines, the Judge never made much of an impact. Maybe it was the old-fashioned writing style, maybe my 21st Century short attention span, but I was never able to fully grasp what was going on from day to day. Characters came and went without ever showing who they were, what motivated them. I was not even sure which character really was the good judge. (I’ve since learned it’s Alan. Randy is his son. The Judge himself rarely appears.) Plot lines would drag on for weeks or months; you could go on a two week vacation without a daily Judge Parker and come back having missed very little of the story.

But to judge Judge Parker in isolation is to miss the larger picture, the 10,000 foot view that puts the Judge in context with the rest of the comic world. One must learn to read between the lines, to view Parker’s actions against a more global backdrop and how he relates to the other characters on the comics page.

My comic aficionado friend Joe Richter planted the seed for Understanding Judge Parker. I fertilized, watered, weeded, and nurtured that seed, and reaped a bumper crop of examples showing the complex interrelationship between Judge Parker and the others under the morning coffee cup.

One finds that other strips are the setup and Judge Parker is the punch line. Using the trademark reactionary statements and facial close-ups, Judge Parker characters reveal a great deal about themselves and others on the page. The humor, drama, violence, sexuality, and simple Zen-like truths begin to emerge. Occasionally the Judge Parker strip will serve as the setup, allowing his fellow strip characters to make the point. But the point is made. It’s there to be read if you know how.

NOTE: These panels do not correspond to real-time comic page publication. Some of these panels go back to the late 1990s and are in no particular order.

The December 8, 2008 posting begins Volume 2, not yet available in paperback form.

DISCLAIMER: The images contained in this blog are owned by their respective copyright holders and are used here without authorization. Any repercussions arising from my actions are my responsibility.

dan

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Friday, October 23, 2009

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Monday, July 13, 2009

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Friday, April 3, 2009

Monday, March 30, 2009

Monday, March 16, 2009

Friday, February 20, 2009

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Monday, January 12, 2009

Friday, December 12, 2008

Monday, December 1, 2008

Monday, November 24, 2008

Monday, November 3, 2008

Friday, October 31, 2008

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Monday, October 13, 2008

Monday, September 22, 2008

Buy the Book

Introduction

Blog Archive

Labels

Links

Search 2.0