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No. 951: The Return of Pogo

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The Return of Pogo

First | Previous | 2025-04-26 | Next | Latest

Permanent URL: https://mezzacotta.net/itoons/?comic=951

Strip by: Hunter (Chez) Fenton

Miz Beaver: {hanging on for dear life on a mud-stuck paddle} POGO!
{Pogo Possum and his animal friends return to the swamp and especially the comic strip after all these years, exactly where they left off}
Pogo: Welp - here we is - - - back in th’ ol’ newspaper where we is left off.
Howland Owl: I doesn’t think we would return this early!
Churchy LaFemme Turtle: Well, you know that they says - early bird gits worm... Or in that case, them neon cocktails!!
Pogo: {looking around the abandoned swamp} Man... lookit dis place... Been so dull since we was away.
Rackety Coon Chile Raccoon: Uncle Albert -- Miz Beaver’s alone ‘n’ stuck... Couldn’t we help her?
Albert Alligator: Why certainity, li’l buddy! Grasshoppy, ya joins him in the rescue.
Grasshoppy the Grasshopper: Right on d’double, Albert.
Porky Pine: I don’t get this -- how come we’re back in the paper when you said that the papers were shrinking the comics?
Pogo: Well here’s th’ thing, Porky... The paper shortage is over! The papers is growin’ ‘gain... And nostalgia is in the air. There’s room enough for us now.
Beauregard Bugleboy: So... We just magically reappear because... WHAT?!! The trees decided to grow back overnight?!?
Howland Owl: I guess so! Y’ see - that’s the way forests work, right? They just spring back up like a rubb’r band whenever they feels nostalgic!
{Beauregard is now reading a small newspaper and feels depressed by the current news}
Howland: Trees have feelings, y’ know... They like livin’ things and us animals, so y’ get the idea that -- Say, what’s on the news today?
Beauregard: Oompf! Just another article about the new tariffs... News are making less and less sense every day!
Grasshoppy: That Trump!
Pogo: Ho hum! What are with this world these days? There’s some wars goin’ on... The global economy is currently slumping... And those ongoin’ politics! And all that “woke” stuff! Groan! When will it all end? We is tired of it!
Porky Pine: Face it, Pogo... We are all trying to navigate through this mess right now. Everybody’s constantly at odds over opinions that should be bringing us together instead of tearing us apart. We just want peace and a little stability in our lives. But you know something - only God knows what’s next for us. Yeah... It’s hard not to feel hopeless sometimes. But talking about it helps right? At least we’re not alone in feeling this way. Just remember... Just knowing someone else understands can make a difference. We’ll get through this together... One step at a time.

The author writes:

Pogo and his friends return to the papers for the first time in 32 years! (The original strip ended in 1975, but returned briefly from 1989 to 1993.) And yes, this definitely is a reverse order of the last Pogo strip... with new dialogue added!

And about the current events (as of this production of this strip) in the last panel, I sincerely apologize. You see, politics are definitely not my thing (they bug me) - I'm really more of a "Pogo stick" kind of guy! (No pun intended, folks.) The Pogo strip has referenced (and even made fun of) politics over its run. Heck, even Mad magazine (before it became a magazine) parodied it on issue 23 (May 1955) as "Gopo Gossum"! So... yeah, you could see why I attempted to dip my toes into these waters. And believe me... sometimes it wasn't easy!

So yeah... while my intentions were simply to have fun and pay homage to the many greats who came before me, I am aware that sometimes humor can be a slippery slope - especially when it involves political satire. If my attempt at this missed the mark or ruffled any feathers, please accept my heartfelt apologies. (And honestly, that's why I put Porky's final message-giving line in the end, just to be fair.)
Thank you for your understanding... and here's to keeping things funny and silly - and possibly leaving politics out of it next time!

Original Pogo strip: 1975-07-20.