Another Great Comic: Basic Instructions

I had so much fun writing about Cul de Sac I've decided to turn My Favorite Comix into an intermittently regular feature of this blog. Today we feature Basic Instructions, by Scott Meyer. Just reading from his website, I learned today that he's a successful comedian who turned doodling into his successful comic strip. He's kind of the creative, successful guy schlubs like me tend to hate because he's living the dream while we're still just dreaming it.

So why do I like Basic Instructions? I like how Meyer uses it to explore relationships -- principally between young husband and young wife, certainly a different meme than the traditional husband-wife dramadies we get these days. Plus he tends to kilter toward letting his inner child show through (as in this comic) by expressing how that inner child still wants to come out and those who live happier lives tend to be the ones who let that kid get out more than just once and a while.

Though I have no artistic ability whatsoever, I've long been fascinated by good comics. I blame my older brother Jeff who was (and still is) a great fan of Johnny Hart and Brant Parkers' comix B.C. and The Wizard of Id. He had their books by the dozens, so I read them religiously on the occasions when I could sneak them out of his room without getting a good pounding. Not that such a pounding would happen, because he enjoyed sharing the books. Or at least tolerated it. Or didn't know. But I read them anyway. Part of what makes comix in general appealing to me is that it shows how people are able to be smart and glib and clever on paper. I'm not much of a talker, so to see such cleverness expressed without tongues having to wag gives me hope.