Is This Another Complaint, Beetle Bailey?

Beetle Bailey, Sergeant Snorkel and their supporting cast at Camp Swampy have been a staple of the comic diet for some time. Walker has also been very perceptive in changing the supporting characters and some of the themes over the years to reflect the changes in society. The strip is also a mild lampoon of the military and the culture within it. General Halftrack has eyes for his curvaceous secretary, is a career soldier and yet is completely dominated by his wife. Beetle himself is the epitome of the goldbrick, looking for every possible way to get out of doing anything and the cook is dirty, unshaven, always has a cigarette dangling from his mouth and serves questionable food. While the main themes in the Beetle Bailey strip have remained the same over decades, Walker has been able to reflect many of the changes that have taken place in American society. He has also managed to keep us smiling at the antics of the laziest man in the army and his compatriots also do their part to make Camp Swampy the absurd place that it is.