Not A Time For Laughs
Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Dennis the Menace and other stars of the comics pages are honoring heroes and victims of Sept. 11 in a Thanksgiving Day tribute.
Creators of 100 comic strips have teamed up for the tribute, which also aims to raise money for victims of the terror attacks.
"As comic strip artists we try to put a smile on people's faces and give comfort, and if we can do that, we'd be happy," said "Mutts" creator Patrick McDonnell, who helped organize the tribute.
In one strip appearing in Thursday's newspapers, Dennis the Menace says a prayer for "family, friends, heroes and freedom." In another, parents of the curious baby Marvin notice that he has more interest than usual in his toy fire trucks and police cars.
Other characters explore the meaning of the American flag, and a strip called "Piranha Club" will address terrorists directly, warning them of the "indomitable" American spirit.
Each of the strips includes the Internet address of a charity web site, networkforgood.org.
It's the first coordinated tribute by comic strip artists since an April 2000 one in honor of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz, who died in February.
"It probably wasn't the easiest cartoon for most of them to do," McDonnell said. "But they probably felt good after it was done, and we hope people who read it will get something out of it."
By Gretchen Parker © MMI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed