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Frazz is a syndicated comic strip by Jef Mallett that centers on Frazz, a young school custodian who enjoys life. The strip first debuted on 2 April 2001. Frazz writes music, rides road bikes, runs, and simply enjoys living. Frazz often has comic conversations with several pupils at the school where he works. Print Syndication is a form of syndication in which news articles, columns, or comic strips are made available to newspapers and magazines. ...
This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ...
Jef Mallett is the creator and artist of comic strip Frazz. ...
A janitors bucket with mop A janitor is a person who takes care of a building, such as a school, office building, or apartment block. ...
April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ...
2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Frazzcomic_(Frazz_himself). ...
Style
The comic strip is characterized by an unusual number of cultural references. Often a single strip can contain several such references, and more literate readers will likely enjoy these allusions; cycling fans will recognize many small details included in strips dedicated to other topics (e.g., logos on Frazz's t-shirts), while music-lovers will appreciate small homages to the likes of Lyle Lovett. Lyle Lovett, from the cover of 1996s The Road to Ensenada Lyle Lovett (born in Klein, Texas on November 1, 1957) is an American singer-songwriter. ...
The strip has a definite literary bent, as characters will frequently wax poetic about classic and contemporary literature, with the characters themselves often employing literary devices, both common and esoteric. In an early strip, Frazz and Caulfield find themselves engaged in a discussion about whether Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea is depressing or uplifting. Frazz uses part of his songwriting royalties to purchase favorite books for the school library. A recent story-arc involves a school-endorsed "Get Lost in a Book" day, and it has become a tradition for Caulfield to choose a literature-themed costume every Halloween. Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. ...
The Old Man and the Sea is a novella by Ernest Hemingway written in Cuba in 1951 and published in 1952. ...
This article is about the holiday. ...
Mallett's decision to set the strip in a public elementary school seems to be partially motivated by a desire to share his opinions about public education in America; the school serves not only as a backdrop for students' exploits, but as a defining factor in shaping these children's personalities and opinions. As a former underachieving student at Bryson Elementary, Frazz represents the kind of student who, while bringing home bad grades, manages to be better educated than those students who excel, and then lives a personally rewarding life as a result of having been truly educated, rather than merely schooled. In one early story-arc, Caulfield intentionally does poorly on standardized tests, which Mrs. Olson interprets as either lazy or not very bright. The manner in which Caulfield sabotages his own scores, though, reveals something of the artist's message: On his first attempt, Caulfield uses the shaded-in answer sheet to create a pointillist replica of the Mona Lisa; in another, he transcribes Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice," using the shaded circles to create letters in Braille. Detail from Seurats La Parade (1889), showing the contrasting dots of paint used in pointillism. ...
Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda (La Joconde), is a 16th century oil painting on poplar wood by Leonardo da Vinci, and is arguably the most famous painting in the world. ...
Robert Frost (1941) Robert Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. ...
PREMIER - first The information about the historic site of Safdarjung’s tomb in Delhi, India. ...
One of the recurring arcs in the strip revolves around an ongoing basketball game between Frazz and the school's most enlightened teacher, Mr. Burke. Although the game reveals the men's collective lack of basketball skills, it is significant for the conversation that takes place during play. At one point, Frazz and Burke compare their days. While Frazz writes a song that hits the top of the charts, Burke has a breakthrough with a student in his class. Frazz immediately admits defeat. For a teacher, this speaks to the very heart of the profession, and demonstrates an attitude many education professionals wish was more widely shared.
However, literary allusions and deep philosophical discussions aside, the strips are usually just down-to-earth funny, and many readers will enjoy their lighthearted, innocent humor. While Frazz has a dim view of the adult world, he brings an adult perspective to the world of second-graders; this contrast highlights both the innocence of childhood and the frequent folly of adulthood, as when Frazz breaks up a fist-fight and admonishes the students to act their age. One of the combatants asks Frazz how that's possible when they're only eight; Frazz responds with, "I mean stop acting like adults."
Many of the characters or locations in the strip are references to real-life people whom Mallett respects. For example, according to an interview with Mallett, Bryson Elementary is named after one of his favorite authors, Bill Bryson. Bill Bryson in Durham; behind are University College (Durham Castle) and the Cathedral William Bill McGuire Bryson (born December 8, 1951) is a best-selling American author of humorous books on travel, as well as books on the English language and on scientific subjects. ...
Monday through Saturday, strips are issued once a day in black and white. Sunday features a color strip, which is larger than weekday strips.
Controversy There are those who continue to question the intellectual ownership of Mallett's drawings. Because of Frazz's self-evident similarity to Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes, speculation has arisen that Mallett has created an unofficial and unauthorized sequel to Bill Watterson's classic strip and that Frazz is actually Calvin as an adult. This, according to Mallett at least, is pure rumor with no basis in fact. In fact, in one comic, Caulfield even makes a reference to "that Calvin & Hobbes guy," implying that Calvin & Hobbes is a comic strip even in Frazz's universe. In the strip from November 29, 2006, Frazz claims to have been Bill Watterson's Assistant at one point. Listen to this article (3 parts) · (info) Part 1 · Part 2 · Part 3 This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2006-01-29, and may not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ...
A sequel is a work of fiction in literature, film, and other creative works that is produced after a completed work, and is set in the same universe but at a later time. ...
William B. Bill Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes and a few poems (which are mostly embedded in his works). ...
William B. Bill Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes and a few poems (which are mostly embedded in his works). ...
In the foreword to Live at Bryson Elementary, Washington Post columnist and Mallett advocate Gene Weingarten writes, "They're focusing not only on hair (Frazz's frizz), but also on his station in life: a brilliant underachiever. Well, Jef assures me that any similarity is unintentional." This explanation, however, does little to dissuade critics of the strip from seeing more similarities in the drawings than frizzy hair alone. Indeed, Frazz's eyes, nose and general personality are so similar to Watterson's Calvin that some have suggested that there is very little unintentional about the imitation. Still, some fans of Calvin and Hobbes find Mallett's alleged portrayal of "Calvin as an adult" uplifting, in that the highly creative but nonconformist Calvin finds his own happy and rewarding niche in life - ironically in the same institutional setting that he despised so much as a child. Based on the allegations and the similarities between the two strips, Frazz could be considered a spiritual sequel to Calvin and Hobbes to some but an obvious form of commercial plagiarism to others. ...
A spiritual sequel or spiritual successor is a sequel or successor to a computer or video game, movie, comic or even a stage play. ...
Beyond the obvious similarities between the characters of Frazz/Caulfield and Calvin, there are other similarities in the two strips. Watterson's characters Miss Wormwood, Susie and Rosalyn, for instance, are very similar to Mallett's Mrs. Olsen, Kara and Miss Plainwell especially in the way that each is drawn. Mallett has also recently developed a "unique" ball game for Frazz and Caulfield to play which is not unlike Watterson's concept of "Calvinball" enjoyed exclusively by Calvin and Hobbes.
On November 29, 2006, Mallett referenced the controversy in a conversation between Caulfield and Frazz. As part of a brief story arc in which it is revealed that Frazz does not speak a second language, the comic's dialogue is as follows:
- Caulfield: Whoa! Mister Renaissance Man doesn't know a foreign language!
- Frazz: Maybe. Maybe I do.
- Caulfied: Yeah? Which one?
- Frazz: Pitjantjatjara.
- Caulfield: Nice. Like anybody can check.
- Frazz: I also used to be Bill Watterson's assistant.
Pitjantjatjara is a dialect of the Western Desert language traditionally spoken by the Pitjantjatjara people of Central Australia. ...
Recurring Characters | Frazz — The namesake of the comic, Edwin Frazier is a 30-something songwriter who took a job as janitor of Bryson Elementary. Several of the songs he has written have become major hits, making him independently wealthy, still he keeps his job as janitor. His daily interactions with the students and faculty reveal insight into an unimaginable number of topics: books, music, pop culture, art, history, and many more. A true Renaissance Man, Frazz is always ready to teach children and adults more about the world around them. The only true authority figure in the school, he has gained the respect of all of the students, and in doing so, of all the adults. Drawing inspiration from his daily school life, his songs soon become extremely popular. Frazz loves bicycling, jogging, swimming, basketball, songwriting, and talking with the students. | | Caulfield — An eight-year-old named after J.D. Salinger's attitudinal protagonist, Caulfield is a handful. He is a genius, but hates school because it fails to challenge him. He spends a lot of time in detention for speaking out in class, but whiles away the hours discussing books or logic with Frazz. His fresh perspective on the world brings interesting, often startling revelations to the comic. |
| | Miss Plainwell — A first-grade teacher at Bryson Elementary, she is cute, smart, sweet, and Frazz's romantic interest. The students all think they'd be a perfect couple, and the two often go on jogs together while talking about life and love. Like Frazz, Miss Plainwell is also an athlete, running in 5k charity races. She had been hired as a radio station manager before she decided to teach at Bryson Elementary, wanting to work with a "more mature audience." Miss Plainwell bears a strong resemblance to Watterson's "Rosalyn" character from his Calvin and Hobbes strip. |
| | Mr. Burke — Born to teach, Mr. Burke is the best teacher at Bryson Elementary, and Frazz's best friend. His one-on-one basketball matches with Frazz are filled with brilliant discussions. |
| | Mrs. Olsen — A teacher who is almost literally older than the hills, Mrs. Olsen is just a few years from retirement--and counts the days. Her disposition is grouchy at best, she hates her job, she hates her students, and she has hated Frazz ever since he was 'her' student. The only good that comes of her reign is that her students learn how to live under a malevolent authority figure while they still have the resilience to overcome it. Another side of her character is seen when Caulfield gets a summer job in her garden (a summer 2005 sequence in Frazz) and they come to have a sense of respect for each other. Mrs Olsen seems to be an exact duplicate of Watterson's "Miss Wormwood" from his Calvin and Hobbes strip. |
| | Mr. Spaetzle — The principal of Bryson Elementary, Mr. Spaetzle could easily be described as clueless. He has all the credentials and runs a smooth operation for the students, but lacks the respect he desires. He looks to Frazz for advice on dealing with students. |
| | Mrs. Trevino — The second-grade teacher at Bryson Elementary. She is known for incorporating food into her lessons, with both a tamale day, and a reference to a gordita day on cinco de mayo. | | Carlos — A classmate of Caulfield's. He is smart and easy going. He just happens to be disabled, but aside from his crutches, you wouldn't know it. | | Ari — One of the students at Bryson. In the comic strip, he is credited with getting a cheese sandwich stuck in the copying machine, that Frazz had cleaned up. | | Kara — One of the students at Bryson. When Mrs. Olsen wanted career pages from her students, Kara said she wanted to be a princess. Kara's first appearance in Frazz was on 1 March 2005, and if she appeared before that date she must have been under another name or unnamed. | | Mr. Hacker — Mr. Hacker is the ultimate in irony: a phys. ed. teacher with no interest in participatory athletics. His arguments with Frazz over what constitutes sports bely an epidemic of uninvolved couch potatoes. Essentially, Mr. Hacker is representative of the anti-Frazz in many ways. | Leonardo da Vinci is seen as an epitome of the Renaissance man or polymath A polymath (Greek polymathÄ“s, πολυμαθής, meaning knowing, understanding, or having learnt in quantity, compounded from πολυ- much, many, and the root μαθ-, meaning learning, understanding[1]) is a person well educated in a wide variety of subjects or...
Jerome David Salinger (born January 1, 1919) is an American author best known for The Catcher in the Rye, a classic coming-of-age story that has enjoyed enduring popularity since its publication in 1951. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Image File history File links Frazz_comic_(caulfield). ...
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Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ...
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March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Character Consistencies Caulfield is the only permanent child in "Frazz." The others who have appeared have either been unnamed sidelines or kids with names who were not actually part of the cast. The kids who recur are Caulfield, Ari, Owen, Christie, Kara, and Carlos. For the most part, kids named in the strip are not shown again or, if they do, do so irregularly.
Awards - 2004 and 2005 Wilbur Award for Promoting Ethics and Positive Values
Anthologies - Live at Bryson Elementary. 2005, Andrews McMeel Publishing. 128 pages. Includes foreword by Gene Weingarten and introduction by Jef Mallet.
- 99% Perspiration. 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing. 128 pages.
Gene Weingarten Gene Weingarten, born in New York in 1951, is a humor writer and journalist. ...
Character lists The children at the school: - Caulfield (permanent character)
- Kara
- Owen
- Ari (probably Aristotle)
- Christie ("Christinah"?)
- Carlos
The adults: - Edwin "Frazz" Frazier1, janitor at Bryson Elementary
- Mr. Spaetzle, principal of Bryson Elementary
- Miss Plainwell, first-grade teacher
- Mrs. Trevino, second-grade teacher
- Mrs. Olsen, third-grade teacher
- Mr. Burke, fourth-grade teacher
- Mr. Hacker, physical education teacher
References - Durrett, Mike (June 13, 2001). Frazz by Jef Mallett - Comic Strip. Retrieved 24 May 2005.
- 1 http://www.comics.com/comics/frazz/html/cast_Frazz.html Edwin Frazier's nickname is "Frazz"
June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ...
2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
External links - Frazz at comics.com; daily strips and information about author and characters
- Interview with Jef Mallet by Marc Barringer in Inside Triathlon magazine
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