Another Post About Headgear
Apr. 26th, 2004 10:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
woodwardiocom-As I'm sure many of you know, G. B. Trudeau, in his comic Doonesbury, has chosen to show the impact of the current war in Iraq by crippling B.D. B.D. was the very first Doonesbury character -- in the syndicated comic, he appeared three panels before the titular Mike, and in the original college strip the first half-dozen strips were all about him and his football huddle. This makes him almost as old as me.
-And, as of last week, he has lost his left leg below the knee. This is harsh enough, but he has also lost his helmet, which is equally significant. In 34 years, B.D. has never been seen without one helmet or another. It was originally a joke about how B.D. used his fame as a college football player to get chicks, but eventually it became just part of his body. (And you can see where I'm going with that, can't you?)
-Berke Breathed once said that the reason he stopped using Cutter John (the guy in the wheelchair) so much was because it was awkward to draw a sitting character in the same frame with standing characters. (He regrets this, so don't send him nasty letters.) B.D. will still be able to stand, and, in most comic strip frames, his lower leg isn't even going to be visible, let alone any pants-covered prosthetic. But, Trudeau wants to make sure we know that the character has changed, that something has been lost. So, he removed another integral part of B.D.: his helmet. Every time B.D. appears, we'll be reminded.
(I'm assuming the helmet is gone forever. It's a good bet. I could also go on for a while about the symbolism of removing B.D.'s protection, but it's kinda obvious.)
-And, as of last week, he has lost his left leg below the knee. This is harsh enough, but he has also lost his helmet, which is equally significant. In 34 years, B.D. has never been seen without one helmet or another. It was originally a joke about how B.D. used his fame as a college football player to get chicks, but eventually it became just part of his body. (And you can see where I'm going with that, can't you?)
-Berke Breathed once said that the reason he stopped using Cutter John (the guy in the wheelchair) so much was because it was awkward to draw a sitting character in the same frame with standing characters. (He regrets this, so don't send him nasty letters.) B.D. will still be able to stand, and, in most comic strip frames, his lower leg isn't even going to be visible, let alone any pants-covered prosthetic. But, Trudeau wants to make sure we know that the character has changed, that something has been lost. So, he removed another integral part of B.D.: his helmet. Every time B.D. appears, we'll be reminded.
(I'm assuming the helmet is gone forever. It's a good bet. I could also go on for a while about the symbolism of removing B.D.'s protection, but it's kinda obvious.)
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Date: 2004-04-26 08:36 am (UTC)wow..
I stopped reading my dailies a few months ago.. maybe I'll have to catch up..
BD without a helmet is indeed more .. shocking than a lost limb..
Are you still thinking of doing a Hellboy run?
Date: 2004-04-26 10:37 am (UTC)I can't seem to email you from any of my email accounts as of late, so, I thought I'd reply to you on here. I hope your move went well, mine is still in progress. If you're going to Hellboy, and were getting ppl together to do so, let me know, as I've not seen it yet. Ttyl!
Re: Are you still thinking of doing a Hellboy run?
Date: 2004-04-26 12:09 pm (UTC)