June 17th, 2018

Timeline – 1997 Part 2

by Brian Walker, Greg Walker and Chance Browne

Hi and Lois Sunday page digital proof, March 9, 1997.

Syndicated cartoonists are under contract to create fresh ideas 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  They aren’t supposed to reuse material.  But sometimes they slip up.

One morning Dik Browne woke up out of a deep sleep to the ringing of his phone. Bill Yates, the comics editor of King Features Syndicate, was calling.  Bill said that a subscribing newspaper had discovered that Dik had reapeated a gag in Hagar the Horrible, word for word.  The reporter wanted a comment on the mistake and Bill wondered if Dik had an answer.  Dik apologetically explained, “As we got through this life we learn that there are three things that tend to repeat themselves…history, sauerkraut and old cartoonists.”

The Sunday page above was inspired by the classic Hi and Lois episode below. It is not exactly the same gag but it has a similar message.  It’s more of an homage.

Hi and Lois Sunday page color proof, June 9, 1968.

We will continue our Timeline series with another selection from 1997 next week so be sure to check back here.

– Brian Walker