Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for November 23, 2011

How can anyone tell when Rick is excited?

That’s a look of excitement?

We’re getting some socio-psychological dynamic here between father and son. Jeff’s statement (& Trudeau’s punchline) is pure irony.

Jeff’s fantasy in Afghanistan seems to have struck a nerve with some Doonesbury readers. Is that because it is Trudeau’s parody of U.S. involvement in that poor country, “the graveyard of empires”?

Hey, all you Jeff-ersonians out there. You can actually buy the adventures of the Red Rascal in this universe! It’s called RED RASCAL’S WAR by G.B. Trudeau. Price $60.00. Meaning: In the strip Jeff’s book IS NOT going to be remaindered away as dad Rick suggests.  BTW, Jeff’s irony is meant to expose his father’s dis-interest in his own son, Jeff himself. Make no mistake, Jeff is booting Dad’s behind big time here. This is not good for their relationship. But it does show that Rick is not 100% in the right and Jeff 100% in the wrong. And this, I think, is Trudeau’s point.

“Rick will be happy if the kid can support himself and move out.” Maybe not completely happy. Maybe not as long as his son Jeff is enjoying a bit of success in his life.

Rick is showing a surprising amount of immaturity with his jealousy. He should be proud of his kid, not trying to drag him down into mediocrity with him.

How strange: there’s an ad on this page for “Red Rascal’s War,” claimed to be the “first all-color Doonesbury collection,” but when I click on the ad I get taken to a page that’s trying to sell me a different book—“40: A Doonesbury Retrospective,” which has been around for a while—long enough to be marked down from $100 to $63 by the uclick/Amazon store..Remaindered, indeed…

Red Rascal’s War. Will Becca come to my house to sell it to me?

I suspect GBT is having us on—-that is, teasing those readers who take seriously the flimsiest character in Doonesbury.

Jeff is a redhead, like Rick.

Rick still seems to think Jeff’s making up the book deal. It’s a tall tale to him, like Jeff being in the CIA or rescuing a dictator or consorting with a ravishing book editor…

He won’t believe it until he sees the book on the shelves, and maybe not even then.

if Jeff got an advance, I hope it is non-refundable…

Tolerating Jeff beyond 5 minutes is no mean feat in itself.

Rick isn’t being petty or “jealous” with Jeff. He’s just being realistic and explaining the facts about the publishing industry, in a matter of fact way.

I thought Becca told Jeff they were not marketing the book as factual. Regardless of that, Rick is clearly jealous that his son is being published & he is not.

Jeff will never get his dad’s approval because everything Jeff does is “always . . . your fantasy.” His son is no longer a disappointment to Rick, merely a tedious (because predictable) distraction.Contrast with Jeff’s solipsistic world the life of his half-niece, Alex. How could a parent not be interested in her experiences?

I don’t know the ages of any of the commentators here, but I’ll bet I could make some pretty good guesses.

Maybe Jeff can cheer his father up a bit if he gives him some of his royalty money? Or, on second thought — make him feel even worse!

I swear the comments on this weeks strip offers a fascinating Rorschach like insight into some readers own lives, almost like giving a child a doll to help describe what happened.

Rick’s a hardbitten, burned out, cynical newsman that no longer believes half of what he hears and can’t get his mind around how Jeff keeps screwing up right. From his past experience the physics just doesn’t add up, furthering his cynicism and sending him into a spiral, that ultimately costs him his family. Rick finally finds redemption when he receives a Pulitzer for a multi part series in the NYT about how he pulled himself up by the bootstraps … thanks to following Jeff’s magical realism literary model.

You Jeff lovers are kidding yourselves. Jeff is as big a flake as Zipper or Zeke. He’s just also dangerous because he’s a first-class screw up. GT isn’t going to reward him with any kind of success here. And Rick and Joanie’s punishment for rearing such a flaky screw up is that they’re going to have continue to live with it.

And those of you who think that Jeff is going to ride on the success of GT’s book, look again. Jeff’s book is entitled “The Red Rascal.” GT’s is entitled “Red Rascal’s War.” Two different books. Jeff is going down again—as befits him.