Halloween 2018 Sunday Funnies (Comic Strips)

Halloween is Wednesday. Sunday is waning away. Occasionally, I love reading the Sunday Funnies, the comic strip available within the Sunday newspapers, Comics Kingdom, and Go Comics. Haven't blogged about them in awhile. As Halloween is roughly three days away, why not blog about Halloween-oriented Sunday Funnies?


Ideally, I would have done this sooner. However, I was both distracted NFL football and the cloudy weather. For some strange reason, sun peaking through the clouds or blue skies are a prerequisite to my devouring the comics page on a Sunday. Reading them at night, just feels off. Yes, I am going to live blog my thoughts on each strip!


Once again, only the Halloween-themed strips will be mentioned. While I read strips like Prince Valiant, they won't be reference if there's no Halloween connection.


Note: if my blogging perks your interest in a given strip, many are available to be read online for limited time.


Let's begin.


Comics Kingdom


Sadly, none of the strips I follow, ie delivered by email, had a Halloween connection.




Go Comics


Frank and Earnest - A cheeky gag referencing retail stores tendency to erect displays for holidays months in advance as Ernie is trying on Christmas and Valentine's Day costumes on the same day as the Halloween party.


Cul de Sac - Despite warning from her brother, Alice accidentally loses all her Halloween candy when her dad surprises her. Pretty funny although the last panel felt flat for me. It's like 'oh look I received all the candy you hate!'


For Better and For Worse (note: the strip is also available via my local newspaper. For days when I don't read it, I follow FBFW on Go Comics) - Elizabeth is sewn a dinosaur costume by her mother. Punch line revolves around how quick the costume is fashioned versus how quick mending work is done.


Last Kiss - The one panel strip grew on me when I used to read the defunct Comics Buyer's Guide. This one is a tad adult-oriented as the non-costumed woman says to the guy dressed as a devil she's going as a nymphomaniac. I laughed.


Gasoline Alley - Slim volunteers at a haunted house dressed as skeleton. There's a very technical albeit out of the box description of a skeleton. Liked this one for the Halloween costuming visuals. Didn't flow too well. Would've been more effective during the old days when strips would receive more space on the Sunday page as it felt... choppy. Couple readings are required before understanding the scene transfers spooky to kooky.


Heathcliff - The strip depicts Heathcliff and an assortment of Halloween monsters (Frankenstein, Mummies, Ghosts, Witches, a vampire, a werewolf, and a skeleton) putting on a musical performance. Some spooky fun.




Sunday Newspaper


Zits - Nice play on Frankenstein before the strip's joke about Jeremy not being familiar with the song, 'Monster Mash' in addition to doing household chores.


Blondie - A real good strip where the possibility of kids trick or treating using drones is explored. Rarely do I find modern day Blondie strips funny but I chuckled here.


Hi & Lois - Bored Chip decides to do a trick while the family is pumpkin picking and pretends to be the Headless Horseman. I cracked grin.


Sally Forth - A multiple universe gag. Overall, it is neat the Sally Forth strip acknowledges since the Sunday strip happens on a day other than Halloween, the strip is chronologically set before Halloween.


Wizard of Id - The Wizard recruits a Giant Spider to create some Halloween décor to his wife's chagrin. If I read this during a sunny morning I would have guffawed.


Pickles - A joke about eating all the Halloween candy before the trick or treaters arrive. Okay, maybe I should have included spoilers for this one...


Peanuts Featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown - If I read the small print correctly, the strip was originally printed in 1971. Linus and a shade-wearing Snoopy sit in the pumpkin patch awaiting the Great Pumpkin. Linus wonders why Snoopy is wearing sunglasses at night. Snoopy infers it's a disguise. Pretty funny.


Rose is Rose - Kids go through process of carving a Jack O'lantern, which some chipmunks carry away. Cute little story.


Foxtrot - Drats! I forgot the geeky kid's name. Well, anyway... He announces to his sister that he's taking his lizard, Quincy, trick or treating as themselves. She remarks about the lack of imagination. Final panel depict Quincy going as the kid and kid going as Quincy. Talk about an inventive take on the 'going as yourself' costume.




There you have it. A quick rundown on today's Halloween-themed Sunday Comic Strips along with my thoughts on them as I read them just now.


Already said Halloween is three days away so... Next time.