It's funny how writing a blog post will often trigger an idea for an almost completely unrelated post.
Earlier in the week, I wrote a post about using cliches in your blog. At the very end of the post, I put in about a half dozen snippets as examples of cliches.
Today's post is about one of those snippets.
Back in the day when I was but a lad of the age of my post title, I very rarely read any YA stuff. Oh sure, I wandered through the children's stacks looking for something to read, but for the most part, what I was finding wasn't suitable for me with my above average IQ.
However, I did find one book that struck a chord with me, mainly because it had a bunch of comic strips in it. Now at that age, I absolutely loved comics, so I checked the book out.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that the comics in the book were not really geared towards children, but more towards adults.
I found out much, much later that this particular book was actually misclassified as a children's book instead of an adult book.
The book I checked out and of which still resonates with me some 30 years later was called, "Arnold Roth's Comick Book of Sports".
By the time I'd finished reading this book, I was in stitches. This book was so incredibly funny that I wound up frequently checking it out of the library over the proceeding years.
I highly recommend picking up this book (which is why I linked up to it) because it offers a fantastic look at humor in the 1970's.
When I was a kid, Arnold Roth did the bulk of his drawing for magazines like Sports Illustrated (which I read voraciously) and Playboy (which was not allowed in my household) and his artwork became almost as recognizable as Sergio Aragones (he is also on Facebook too).
I mean you didn't even have to look for his initials on his artwork to realize it was him.
And his sense of humor? If you like the seriously skewered and politically incorrect sports related humor of the 70's, Arnold Roth is definitely for you.
I reiterate, this book has stuck so bad in my memory that to this day, the sentence, "I are ready." brings a smile to my face.
This book, along with others that I read when I was a young teenager, made sure that YA never crossed my line of sight, then or to this day.
Friday, March 4, 2011
9 comments:
Go on, give me your best shot. I can take it. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have created this wonderful little blog that you decided to grace with your presence today.
About that comment moderation thingy: While yes, it does say up above I can take it, I only use it to prevent the occasional miscreant from leaving thoughtless and/or clueless comments.
So remember, all of your comments are greatly appreciated and all answers will be given that personal touch that you come to expect and enjoy.
G. B. Miller
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Awww, I'm sad, usually amazon books at least let you look inside the book a bit.....WHAT A LET DOWN AMAZON!!!
ReplyDeleteCarla: This is true. It took me a while to find it on Amazon, and I was very suprised that it still was in print.
ReplyDeleteIf you go to his website, you'll be able to take a closer look at the cover.
They don't make them as intelligent as they used to, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteMy only problem with comics is that it took about 5 minutes to read one.
ReplyDeleteR: That is for sure. Most comics nowadays, be they strips or panels, are just so p.c. that they simply aren't funny anymore.
ReplyDeleteMy local paper has binged and purged so many cartoons that they carry only the most p.c. of strips, save for a few oldies like "Peanuts", "Beetle Bailey", "B.C.", and "Hagar the Horrible".
Charles: The sign of a good strip (or bad one) is the length of time it took to read one.
I used to love comics as a kid. Whizzer & Chips and Beano. I assume they are both very British.
ReplyDeleteJoe: That's pretty cool. For me, I have been forever tainted by the old comics from the early 20th century. There aren't too many modern comics I like and the ones that I do, are for the most part, deceased.
ReplyDeleteMy preference right now is towards the one panel cartoons like "Close To Home" and "Bizarro".
I'm still a kid at forty. Comics, graphic novels, and Y/As. I love 'em all.
ReplyDeleteG, thanks for leaving some kind words for David Price's family. Much appreciated sir.
David: You're more than welcome about the kind words. While I was reading his story, I got to thinking about how it would be a shame for his stuff to disappear from cyber space, which is why I made the suggestion. Hopefully someone can do that for his family some day.
ReplyDeleteI think deep down, us oldsters are always kids at heart, which is probably why some of the stuff has such a lasting appeal and existence.