"Buckles," March 2, 1999 (on my refrigerator as part of a collection of comic strips that mention places I've lived)...



"Buckles," April 16, 2005...



Discussion questions:

1. Arden the bird is joking in 1999, apparently "smiling through the pain" -- note his rimshot imitation -- but he's being serious in 2005. Does this relate to the fact that it's often said that flying within the U.S. is "harder" now, given post-9/11 security issues, than it used to be? Is Buckles the dog's misinterpretation of his seriousness in 2005 meant to be a political comment?

2. Try to disassociate the names of the cities with the cities themselves. Now, which is funnier: "Tampa" or "New York City"? Additional evidence: Douglas Adams and John Lloyd's "The Deeper Meaning of Liff" (think Sniglets, but with actual place names instead of made-up words) does not include New York City, but it does include Tampa ("the sound of a rubber eraser coming to rest after dropping off a desk in a very quiet room").

3. Birds have arms?

4. The bird's name is Arden?

5. The dog's name is Buckles?!