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Summary
Though it might not have the worldwide appeal ofPeanuts , or have become a worldwide phenomenon likeGarfield , Doonesburydeserves to be recognized among America ’s most influential comic strips . Notably , Doonesburywas the first syndicated newspaper comic strip to win a Pulitzer Prize , making it a culturally and artistically relevant opus of soda water civilisation to hit the books to this day .
Considering the gravitas of the cartoonist and cartoons that were annually given the prize beforeDoonesbury – such as Pat Oliphant ’s anti - Vietnam war cartoons – it was groundbreaking for a comic strip ordinarily found on the laughable pages to bring home the bacon one of lit ’s most prestigious award .
According to Jim Davis , Garfield ’s worldwide succeeder can be attributed to its timeless relevance , which he carefully maintained throughout the year .
Pulitzer Prize Winner Doonesbury: A Political Cartoon In The Form Of A Comic Strip
First Published: October 26, 1970
Doonesburybegan as the rebranded rendering of the mirthful strip that Trudeau begin while he was a pupil at Yale , as an creative person for the schoolhouse ’s newspaper publisher , theYale Daily News . That comic , entitled , Bull Tales , was an impertinent look at the life and times of a near - knit group of distinctive college friends . Over the two years of its run , the funnies became so popular among the shoal community of interests that it caught the eye of Universal Press Syndicate – a newspaper publishing firm – who picked it up after Trudeau graduated .
This honor put Garry Trudeau in a rarefied echelon of creator , and made him the first comic strip author to be discern for using the metier to provide political and social comment . For artists , it was a signaling thatcomics could be taken seriously . Though not the first politically - tending comic strip , Doonesburycertainly fixed itself as the gold standard with its 1975 Pulitzer profits . Further , it signaled that more than just the comic , but the comic medium itself , was a relevant part of the American ethnical landscape .
Doonesbury’s Early Success Was Tied To America’s Greatest Political Scandal
A Chronicle Of Watergate
While " political comment " was not the sole focus ofDoonesbury , Trudeau did –
and does – focus on it when the political circumstances justify it , such as during Watergate , America ’s epochal political scandal .
Garry Trudeau come of age in one of the most politically dynamic times in contemporary American chronicle ; as a result , his opinion was shaped by the turbulent social atmosphere he grew up in . Doonesburybecame an ongoing construction of his mentation and feelings about the public around him . Trudeau had no qualm with placing these opinions about warfare , government , and society inDoonesbury , and whether readers agreed or disagreed with various part on various subjects , it was fabulously worthful to have them distilled into comic strip form .
One of the most prominent examples of this came at the tallness of the probe into the Watergate intermission - in outrage in 1972 . A key question was who in the Nixon governing body knew about the covert operation , and when they knew . Using theDoonesburycharacter of radio host Mark Slackmeyer – Trudeau suggested that Attorney General John Mitchell – a closemouthed intimate of President Nixon , was hangdog of being involved in all phase of the break - in . While this was a common critique of the administration in the newspaper publisher Op - Eds at the sentence , no other comic strip show was rent with the idea , except forDoonesbury .
and does – rivet on it when the political fate warranted it , such as during Watergate , America ’s epochal political dirt . Most importantly , when he did resolve tolean in on scrutinise political issue inDoonesbury , not only were his review often bitingly accurate , they were informative , as well as also amazingly prescient about succeeding trends . His opinions , like all good editorializing , served as a accelerator for deep discussion and debate among readers – resulting in his response of the Pulitzer Prize .
And So Much More
collapse that funnies were typically seen as lighthearted and suitable for all ages , Doonesbury ’s unyielding focus on politics , even go as far as mentioning real politicians by name , go against accomplished precedent of the era .
About the same time that theDoonesburyWatergate Scandal landing strip was published – one which was banned in more than a few newspapers , several other publications , start with Nebraska’sLincoln Journal , took the alternate approach shot of movingDoonesburyfrom the funny page to the Op - Ed subdivision . cave in that comics were typically see aslighthearted and suitable for all ages , Doonesbury ’s persistent focussing on politics , even live on as far as mentioning tangible pol by name , went against naturalized case law of the era .
The fact is , Doonesburywas always more consanguine to a depleted - central editorial animated cartoon , as demonstrate by the decision of some newspaper publisher to shiftDoonesburyfrom the mirthful plane section to the Op - Ed page . Still , Trudeau resisted his striptease being determine as editorialize . Under his analysis , the consuming electric arc ofDoonesburywas focalize on issues unrelated to politics . In any case , he nevertheless admit it as a fact of his creative style . As radically unlike asDoonesburyultimately was from coevals likeGarfieldandPeanuts , it proved to be an substantive case ofthe comic strip medium ’s potential .
