The New Andy Capp Collection

On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Andy Capp (the first drawing was published on August 5, 1957), I'd like to officially express my admiration for this comic strip, possibly for the very first time. At first eye-sight, Andy Capp does not give the impression of being anything extraordinary. I was introduced to this thoroughly unsympatethic bum when I was ten and liked him immediately, which puzzled many in my surroundings. Indeed, the strip is hardly a children-comic and seen in retrospect, I believe my first interest was mostly established due to the amusing drawings and funny characters; honestly, there were times when I thought the strip was pretty nasty. I kept liking it, though. What is it, then, that have made this character so popular? Andy Capp is not one of those comics which everybody originally avoided but which eventually received cultural status. No, Andy Capp was an immediate hit; only a couple of years after his first appearance in The Mirror, he was already a commercial icon. And his popularity did not diminish, even though the times changed and he eventually had to give up smoking. Andy Capp's popularity remained because behind its simple construction, Andy Capp is, in fact, an intelligent comic strip filled with at times VERY clever (and hilarious) dialogue. Being a Norwegian-born, I only read translations of the strip for years, but I eventually began to read it in its original language as well, and then, BO-OM! I can recall many occassions when I had to stop reading in order to write some of the jokes down. Being a cartoonist myself, the strip taught me a lot about the timing of comics and use of language. I'd like to come up with examples, but really, they are best seen on paper. Perhaps even more significant, though, is the complex relationship between Andy and his wife, Florrie. In most comic strip marriages, the family atmosphere is almost without exception either wonderful or horrible. In Bringing Up Father, for example, Jiggs and Maggie might communicate with an "acceptable" tone once in a while, but this is always disturbed by Jiggs' self-absorbness and Maggie's intolerance. In the same way, the idyllic life in Blondie is perhaps interrupted by a few arguments, but the family is a healthy and lovely one. In Andy Capp, on the other hand, sarcasm and fighting take the largest part of the couple's time, but Florrie frequently smiles apologitically while she, most often indirectly, explains to the readers why she tolerates Andy's misbehavior. To a large extent, she seems to accept the rude comments from her husband and much suggests that she actually loves him, which is further made clear by the "pet"-naming. This complex relationship gives room for not only various comic situations but also maintains the interest of the viewer; knowing that we might see big quarrel in tomorrow's strip, but being constantly reminded that this dysfunctional married couple seem to possess a heart underneath, makes us interested and

The original Andy Capp, created by Reg Smythe, was a dialect-speaking wife beater, a loathsome but very funny human being. The modern Andy speaks in standard English and doesn't pound on Flo (though she pounds on him--reverse sexism?). But he's still as insufferable as ever, and this new, updated strip is a delight. Just don't reform any more, dear old reprobate!