Read Dr. Toon’s original picks for making the leap from comic strip to animation in “Strip Tease”.

Tim Rickard’s Brewster Rockit: Space Guy! is a perfect candidate for an animated series. All Brewster Rockit images © 2005 Tribune Media Services Inc. All rights reserved.

Being on the money half the time certainly trumps missing the money completely. Hitting .500 (without the help of Stanolozol, of course) will win the American League batting title every time. Picking winners in half of one’s stock portfolio puts one on a par with the best in the field. I am therefore happy to see that half of the comic strips I selected several years ago for possible adaptation to animation actually made the cut. To the amazement of many who felt the strip to be too politically charged, Aaron McGruder’s Boondocks is on its way to a Nov. 6, 2005, premiere on Cartoon Network’s adult block. The animation rights to Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman’s syndicated strip Zits are, to the best of my knowledge, still in negotiation. Patrick McDonnell’s Mutts has still not been optioned as an animated property and Alison Bechdel’s alternative strip Dykes to Watch Out For likely never will be, more’s the pity.

My intrepid editor has requested an encore performance, and I like nothing better than putting my butt on the line for the sake of my readership. Thus, I now present “Strip Tease II,” a semi-educated shot at selecting four top-quality comic strips that could (and perhaps should) merit serious consideration for animated glory on the small screen. I am presenting the strips in descending order from least to most conventional, so that a wide range of audience tastes is represented.

Lalo Alcaraz, with main character Cuco (right), targets “Chuppies” and mainstream culture’s treatment of Hispanics. All La Cucaracha images © Lalo Alcaraz. Used by permission of Universal Press Syndicate. All rights reserve

La Cucaracha
Lalo Alacaraz is a Los Angeles comedian and writer whose other talents include political cartooning. His work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is also the cartoonist behind La Cucaracha, one of today’s most controversial comic strips. Alcaraz’ subject is Latino life and culture, and his timing could not be better. Latinos are well on their way to becoming the nation’s largest and fastest-growing minority. Alcaraz is not universally popular among Chicanos, however, as he takes slaps at Hispanic pop culture, national politics and the difficulties encountered by a minority that has increasingly captured the public eye.

Alcaraz’ most vocal critics are what the author calls “Chuppies” (his term for Chicano yuppies) who charge Alcaraz with stereotyping. In an interview with the Washington Post, Alcaraz stated, “Latinos don’t ingest enough irony.” His strip, syndicated in November of 2002, is out to change that.