NationMaster - Encyclopedia: B.C. (comic strip)

B.C. is an American newspaper comic strip created in 1958, written and drawn by Johnny Hart until his 2007 death. Hart's daughters, Perri and Patti and grandsons, Mick and Mason Mastroianni now write the cartoon. It is currently illustrated by Jeff Parker, who also writes and draws The Wizard of Id (a cartoon started by Parker's father along with Johnny Hart). Image File history File links Comic_bc. ... Image File history File links Comic_bc. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... Johnny Hart (February 18, 1931 â€“ April 7, 2007) was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strip B.C. and co-creator of the strip The Wizard of Id. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Wizard of Id on the cover of an Italian collection of his stories. ...

It is set in prehistoric times, featuring a group of cavemen and anthropomorphic animals from a variety of geologic eras. It is among the longest-running strips done by its original creator, having appeared daily in newspapers since February 17, 1958 until, and beyond, Hart's death. Hart died on April 7, 2007 after suffering a stroke at his home in Nineveh, New York,^[1] but the strip continues. Both Perri Hart and Mason Mastroianni were involved with the strip prior to Hart's death and have taken over the drawing and writing duties. (Cartoons drawn by Mastroianni are easily identified with "Mason" instead of "Hart" on the cartoons.) It is syndicated by Creators Syndicate. Stonehenge, England, erected by Neolithic peoples ca. ... Neanderthal A caveman is a popular stock character based on how early humans or hominids may have looked and behaved. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The table and timeline of geologic periods presented here is in accordance with the dates and nomenclature proposed by the International Commission on Stratigraphy. ... is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... A small town on the banks of the Susquehanna River, Nineveh is famous as the home of Johnny Hart, illustrator and writer of B.C. and co-writer and illustrator, along with Brant Parker of The Wizard of Id, published worldwide. ... Richard S. Newcombe founded Creators Syndicate in 1986 in Los Angeles. ...

Character inspiration

Hart was inspired to draw cavemen through the chance suggestion of one of his General Electric coworkers and took to the idea "because they are a combination of simplicity and the origin of ideas". The name for the strip was suggested by his wife, Bobby; "B.C." here refers to the calendar term "Before Christ" and is also used for the name of one of the characters. Hart describes the title character as similar to himself, playing the "patsy". The other major characters—Peter, Wiley, Clumsy Carp, the Fat Broad, the Cute Chick, Curls, Thor, and Grog—were patterned after friends, a relative, and GE co-workers.^[2] The animal characters include dinosaurs, ants and an ant-eater, clams, a snake, a turtle and bird duo, and an apteryx ("a wingless bird with hairy feathers", as it constantly reminds the reader, presented in the strip as being the sole surviving specimen and hence aware of its being doomed to extinction). Dry humor, prose, shameless puns and wordplays, and devices such as Wiley's Dictionary (where common words are defined humorously with a twist, see Daffynition) make for some of the mix of material in B.C. Example: "Rock - to cause something or someone to swing or sway, by hitting them with it!" - from an early 1967 strip. Image File history File linksMetadata BC_Italy. ... â€œGEâ€ redirects here. ... BC may stand for: Before Christ (see Anno Domini) : an abbreviation used to refer to a year before the beginning of the year count that starts with the supposed year of the birth of Jesus. ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... For other uses, see Ant (disambiguation). ... Genera Myrmecophaga Tamandua Cyclopes Anteaters are mammals of the order Xenarthra and the family Myrmecophagidae, commonly known for eating ants and termites. ... Littleneck clams; the pictured mollusks are of the species Mercenaria mercenaria. ... Infraorders and Families Alethinophidia - Nopcsa, 1923 Acrochordidae- Bonaparte, 1831 Aniliidae - Stejneger, 1907 Anomochilidae - Cundall, Wallach & Rossman, 1993 Atractaspididae - GÃ¼nther, 1858 Boidae - Gray, 1825 Bolyeriidae - Hoffstetter, 1946 Colubridae - Oppel, 1811 Cylindrophiidae - Fitzinger, 1843 Elapidae - F. Boie, 1827 Loxocemidae - Cope, 1861 Pythonidae - Fitzinger, 1826 Tropidophiidae - Brongersma, 1951 Uropeltidae - MÃ¼ller, 1832... For other uses, see Turtle (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Alternative meanings at Kiwi (disambiguation) Apterygidae Apteryx Species A kiwi is any of the species of small flightless birds native to New Zealand of the genus Apteryx (the only genus in family Apterygidae). ... For other uses, see Extinction (disambiguation). ... A comedic device is used in comedy to write humor in a common structure. ... Look up Daffynition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...

Peter also sometimes communicates with an unseen correspondent on the other side of the ocean, sending a message on a slab of rock that floats across the ocean and is replied to by sarcastic writing on a similar slab of rock.

Two other characters were recently added following an attempt by B.C. to raft his way around the world: Anno Domini and Conahanty, whose speech patterns have led some readers to view them as ethnic stereotypes of Italian-Americans and Native Americans, respectively.^{[citation needed]} An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. ... In modern usage, a stereotype is a simplified mental picture of an individual or group of people who share a certain characteristic (or stereotypical) qualities. ... An Italian-American is an American of Italian descent. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ...

Setting

Originally, the strip's setting was very firmly set in prehistoric times, with the characters clearly living in an era untouched by modernity. Typical plotlines, for example, include B.C.'s friend Thor (inventor of the wheel and the comb) trying to discover a use for the wheel. Other characters attempt to harness fire or to discover an unexplored territory, while B.C. usually just tries to be helpful and friendly but is often the source of humor through his naivety. The strip also frequently mines humor from having the characters make explicit reference to modern-day current events, inventions, and celebrities which blurs the comic's supposed prehistoric setting and makes it rife with intentional anachronisms. One of the comic's early out-of-context jokes, from June 22, 1967, was this one: For other uses, see Wheel (disambiguation). ... Ongoing events • Iraqi legislative election • Bill C-38 (Same-sex marriage in Canada) • Tsunami relief Deaths in February • 5 – Gnassingbé Eyadéma • 4 – Ossie Davis • 3 – Ernst Mayr • 3 – Zurab Zhvania • 2 – Max Schmeling Recent deaths Ongoing... An invention is an object, process, or technique which displays an element of novelty. ... For other uses, see Celebrity (disambiguation). ... Look up Anachronism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ...

Another example: near Christmas time, the apteryx dressed as Santa Claus and modified his usual spiel: "I'm an ApterClaus, a wingless toymonger with batteries not included!" Christmas is an annual holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. ... A typical depiction of Santa Claus. ...

According to a theory—put forth most notably by Washington Post columnist and comics critic Gene Weingarten—B.C. is set not in the past but in a dystopic, post-apocalyptic future. This theory makes the anachronisms more easily understood as references to an ancient history the characters dimly comprehend. This was later confirmed by the comic. ... Gene Weingarten Gene Weingarten, born in New York in 1951, is a humor writer and journalist. ...

Religious aspect

Following a renewal of Hart's Christian faith in 1977, the strip has increasingly incorporated religious, social, and political commentary. In interviews, Hart has referred to his strip as a "ministry" intended to mix religious themes with "secular humor".^[2] Though other strips such as The Family Circus and Hart's own Wizard of Id regularly include Christian themes, B.C. strips have been pulled from comics pages on several occasions due to editorial perception of religious favoritism or overt proselytizing. Easter strips in 1996 and 2001, for example, have prompted editorial reaction from a handful of U.S. newspapers, chiefly the Los Angeles Times and written and verbal responses from Jewish and Muslim groups (interestingly, one of Hart's best friends and defenders is Jewish-American cartoonist Mel Lazarus). The American Jewish Committee termed the Easter 2001 strip, which depicted the last words of Jesus Christ and a menorah transforming into a cross, "religiously offensive" and "shameful."^[3] The Los Angeles Times now relegates strips which its editorial staff deems objectionable to the religion pages, instead of the regular comics pages.^[4] Topics in Christianity Movements Â· Denominations Â· Other religions Ecumenism Â· Preaching Â· Prayer Music Â· Liturgy Â· Calendar Symbols Â· Art Â· Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul Â· Church Fathers Constantine Â· Athanasius Â· Augustine Anselm Â· Aquinas Â· Palamas Â· Luther Calvin Â· Wesley Arius Â· Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury Â· Catholic Pope Coptic Pope Â· Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box: Christianity is... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... An early strip featuring (L to R) Daddy (Bill), Dolly, Billy, Mommy (Thel), and Jeffy. ... The Wizard of Id on the cover of an Italian collection of his stories. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... This just IN !!!:paris hiltons new dog. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: Ù…Ø³Ù„Ù…Ø§Ù†, Turkish: MÃ¼slÃ¼man, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Mel Lazarus (May 3, 1927â€“) is a cartoonist and creator of two popular comic strips, Miss Peach (1957-2002) and Momma (1970-present). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Examples of religious themes in strips

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 230th day of the year (231st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Outhouse near Crabapple Lake, USA, with chipboard walls, and a fiberglass ceiling This article refers to an outhouse, privy or kybo that is an old type of toilet in a small structure separate from the main building which does not have a flush or sewer attached. ...

Other controversy

The B.C. strip on December 7, 2006, attracted criticism for defining "infamy" as "a word seldom used after Toyota sales topped 2 million." The day was the 65th anniversary of the Japanese military's attack on Pearl Harbor, and the punchline of the strip references Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Infamy Speech" which requested from Congress a declaration of war against Japan. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the actual attack. ... President Roosevelt The Infamy Speech was delivered on December 8, 1941 by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, one day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. ... This article is about the automaker. ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the actual attack. ... FDR redirects here. ... President Roosevelt The Infamy Speech was delivered on December 8, 1941 by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, one day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. ... President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a declaration of war against the Empire of Japan on December 8, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. ...

The day's strip was pulled from at least one newspaper, the San Antonio Express-News. The paper's managing editor, Brett Thacker, said the comic was "more than just a feeble attempt at being topical, it's a regressive and insensitive statement about one of the worst days in American history… [Hart's comic represented] an old way of thinking. The preceding generations lived through that horrible era—I can certainly appreciate their sacrifice. The world has changed, and much to our benefit. Unfortunately, some people haven't."^[6] The San Antonio Express-News is the daily newspaper of San Antonio, Texas. ...

Other media

The strip has been collected in various paperback books over the years, and the characters were featured in the animated television specials B.C.: The First Thanksgiving (1973) and B.C.: A Special Christmas (1981). The latter production starred the comedians Bob and Ray as the voices of Peter and Wiley, respectively. The bouncing ball animation (below) consists of these 6 frames. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Bob and Ray Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were an American comedy duo that began in radio in 1946 with a daily 15-minute show titled Matinee With Bob and Ray. ...

B.C. was turned into two video games for the ColecoVision home video game system and the Atari 800 and Commodore 64 home computers: B.C.'s Quest for Tires and B.C. 2: Grog's Revenge. â€œComputer and video gamesâ€ redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Atari built a series of 8-bit home computers based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU, starting in 1979. ... The Commodore 64 is the best-selling single personal computer model of all time. ... B.C.s Quest For Tires is a computer game by Sierra On-Line for the Commodore 64, based on the famous comic strip B.C.. The game is an action game taking place on several consecutive levels. ...

Clumsy Carp was present at the 75th anniversary party of the comic strip Blondie. How he got there is undetermined.

Home town

Influences from B.C. are found throughout Johnny Hart's home of Broome County, New York. A PGA Tour event, The B.C. Open, took place every summer in Endicott, New York through 2005 (the final scheduled B.C. Open in 2006 was disrupted by flooding, prompting a change of venue to the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in central New York state.) The county parks department features a green dinosaur, and a caveman riding a wheel graces every B.C. Transit bus. In the past, Hart has also left his mark on the logos of the Broome Dusters and B.C. Icemen hockey teams. Broome County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. ... â€œNYâ€ redirects here. ... The PGA Tour is an organization that operates the USAs main professional golf tours. ... The B.C. Open logo created by Johnny Hart. ... Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, USA. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. ... The Mid-Atlantic United States flood of 2006 was a significant flood that affected much of the Mid-Atlantic region of the eastern United States. ... Table-level view of live poker at Turning Stone Turning Stone is the name of a casino operated by the Oneida Indian Nation in Verona, New York, which opened sometime around 1993. ... The Broome Dusters were an ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League. ... The B.C. Icemen were an ice hockey team in the United Hockey League. ...

Awards

References

Yahoo! headquarters in Sunnyvale Security checkpoint at entrance to headquarters parking lot. ... The magazine Christian Century was originally founded as The Christian Oracle, a denominational magazine of the Disciples of Christ in 1884 in the United States. ... is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

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Contents

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