Gasoline Alley

I’ve heard of almost all of the suggested comics except for “Gasoline Alley” by Frank King.   I almost passed it over as I was looking in the Library for a “Gasoline Alley” and not “Walt and Skeezix.”  I almost picked another comic then I resourced Wiki and noticed the characters names were a match.  So in skimming this book in the library I knew this was the right one for me.  I always see the humor in automotive breakdowns…  Except when they happen to me, LOL. 

            Obviously, the whole aspect of reading a story complete with visuals frees up the literary intellect needed to be on the receiving end of a communication.   Like this comics allowed even 3rd graders to laugh it up and still learn to read a bit and who are we kidding 100 years ago there were a whole lot of adults that didn’t read up to a 3^rd grade level.   With the short panel strips the imagery is already there for you and comics like Tin-Tin were a Win-Win.

            When I was young I was into Japanese comic books (Way different than the Manga crap of today).  There was a lot similarity to way a story would play out  like this “Gasoline Alley”.  Story characters would age of course this was nothing new because this was the 1980’s.  But in the 1920’s when “Gasoline Alley” first entered the scene the was pretty radical.  Even today the characters expanded as the family tree has and all the characters have aged and lived the saga of American society.

In the case of “Gasoline Alley” Frank King had enough success with his small inserts that he was allowed to start a regular strip The Chicago Sunday Tribune.  The whole theme began with Walt the protagonist, if you will, and his difficulties of being a car, or jalopy, owner.   By the time that Walt actually gets rid of his rattle trap of car traded in on a new he gets hit with a double whammy of a surprise.  Someone has left an infant on the bachelors doorstep.  In most comical way Walt tends to take care of the infant in the same hap-hazard way he takes care of his car.  Walt names the kid Skeezix and raises him throughout the first book, which covers 1921 - 1922.  Walt continuously goes through the shinanigans of trying to raise this kids by himself  (with the help of his maid) until by the end of 1922 he is dating Mrs Phyllis Blossom.  This saga continues on with Walt eventually marrying Phyllis to the point that Skeezix even becomes grandpa.

In the days of publishing newspapers it’s easy to see why “Gasoline Alley” could carry on for so many years.  It had a visual relationship with it’s readers regarding all the situations that life replays in reality.  Plus it's always a hoot to poke fun and offer that comic relief with our fellow man when we goof up with our high-tech toys the times.

The Great Gatsby

   I think it’s just because F. Scott Fitzgerald did a great job of writing a “to the point  novel.”  This story deals with the downside of new American dreams of fast cash and forlorn desires just as it clashes with old money and greed.  While, perhaps now, a period piece of a time with the cool new technology of cars and air conditioning in an excess of issues surrounding a class of social elitist, politicians and pawns.
   By the time of the novels resurgence in print of a literary capable post WWII new American society these settings are seen as constants in the daily lives of men throughout history.  However, now “The Great Gatsby” has now pulled back the curtain for all readers to see what brutality and betrayal of a high class society really look like in a literary sense.  Although a short novel there is enough time for the prose to allow an inward reflection on those feeling of loneliness and despair.  Gatsby cannot truly be seen as a “Hero” in the story but his character is one that we can easily identify with even especially among the rest of the sociopathically aloof.
   In the tragic ending on the novel Fitzgerald articulates how ironic a rush rife with shortcuts toward ones desires can end abruptly.  Then to have the guilty socially powerful get away with this ScotFree also makes a statement about the constants of human existence.
   I saw the similarity of F. Scott and Scott Free, so decided to look this up as a coincidence with ScotFree and low and behold there is none.  For a minute there I wondered if this book didn’t inspire the phrase “Scott Free.”  However, the term ScotFree has been around since the Saxon days of old.  Scot actually means taxes.  In place such as Ireland the term ScotFree has been around for a long time meaning to get away with out paying the taxes due.  Guess what else?  This last paragraph with only a limited connection takes me to the three hundred word requirement.

P.S.  I did see “Last Days of Disco” and it sucked!  It was like listening to Charlie Browns teacher ramble on and on…

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz vs. Hunger Games

These parallels are always interesting…  In fact I think there are much more than just similarities.  Who says the authors don’t just take a plot and update it.  One way to get around any plagiarism or copyright laws are for an author to just change the names and twist the settings.  Is this not then called inspiration?  Of course if they do this then the author also succeeds in keeping the settings interesting for todays readers.  Ultimately, as is the case of a comparison of Frank Baum’s  “The Wizard of Oz” and Suzanne Collin’s “Hunger Games”, the structured Hero’s Journey is still the same plot.  The inspiring aspect of these two hero’s being females does speak to new audiences when examining from a historical point of view. 

The tales still pick up the nuances of the typical hero’s journey as our mainstay characters of both stories are from a rural “scraping by just to exist” lifestyle.  When circumstance thrust both Dorothy and Katniss into a new worlds they must rapidly learn to adapt.  A slight dose of intensity is injected as one heroine follows her destiny only to return home while the other must do so for survival.  The situations and scenes end up exposing each to sights of jeopardy, splendor, fear and wonderment. 

Some of the underlying morals are similar too such as the power of hope that can see one through the most disparaging of times.  The need for alliances is true for both Dorothy, as her companions all seek attributes from the Wizard and Katnis who forms alliances with Cinna, Rue and Peeta.  Some of their journey is to expose the façade and corruption behind the cities of Emerald and Capitol.

Along each of the plot line they must follow their destiny to discover a sense of identity, self-worth, and a transformation to maturity.  However, in “Hunger Games” the primary theme in the story allowed Collins to inject aspects of combat, tyranny, starvation and poverty in levels that Baum could not in his time of writing American literature for children.

THe Wizard of Oz

Assumptions:

Often times, novels come from the main character's point of view and thus, we only know what he or she wants us to know.  Therefore the actual author is twice removed from fallacies as well.   Much like the Wizard an author can many times hide behind the curtain of viewpoint illustrated in character.  In reality are all residents of the Emerald city so naïve they never question a wizard that is rarely seen?  Moreover, most don't really want to go back to the proverbial "Kansas" - Isn’t that why there are so many stories of Hooking on the streets of Hollywood?

My position as a Reader:

I’m more the “how to” book reader with a tad of politics and ecology.  Not into novels too much.  Sometimes I enjoy a spy novel or a comedy.  Sometimes stories that deal with real-life struggles in well articulated time periods.  Fantasy novels, waaaay back when I was a teenager but not so much anymore.  I think I tend to stay within my comfort zone by this age and sometime I need to stretch my literary noggin’ more than I do.