GRANDPA BROON WIDOWER

[stevezodiac]

I BUY THE SUNDAY POST MOST WEEKS AND REMEMBER A BROONS STRIP RECENTLY WHERE GRANDPA BROONS ALLUDES TO HIS WIFE HAVING DIED SIXTY YEARS AGO. I WAS SLIGHTLY ASTONISHED AS THIS, TO MY MIND, IS THE FIRST INSTANCE OF A CHARACTER IN A HUMOUROUS STRIP REFERING TO A DEATH IN THE FAMILY. AM I RIGHT? AND DOES ANYONE REMEMBER READING IT? IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE WEEKS AGO. I MENTIONED THIS TO A FRIEND WHO SAID SHE MUST HAVE BEEN YOUNG WHEN SHE DIED. BUT THEN IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT THE BROONS HAS BEEN GOING FOR 71 YEARS AND GRANDPA BROON HAS BEEN THE SAME AGE SINCE IT STARTED. SO DID SHE DIE 60 YEARS AGO IN HIS LIFETIME OR IN THE STRIP'S? THIS COULD BE AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION.

[stevezodiac]

Well three years later and I have uncovered the story. Grandpa Broon says his wife died sixty years ago but not in his years but our years. 60 years ago to him would make him about 19. The strip was published on January 14th 2007 - over 70 years since it first appeared. But he has been a widow since day one hasn't he?

Pleased to say I quickly got out of the habit of writing in capitals.

[Digifiend]

It's recent alright - that's only five weeks before your original post.

[stevezodiac]

So if Grandpa Broon is aware that 60 years ago he was still in his late 70s he is obviously aware he is a comic character. We have to wonder if the Bash Street Kids are aware they have been in class 2b for 50 years and are part of some weird science experiment. It would make a great story. "Teacher, how come we haven't aged since 1954?"

[Digifiend]

They may not have aged, but they have changed. Most of the kids gradually made their debuts over the first five years (Spotty was 9th to show up, in 1959); Plug wasn't originally so ugly; during the early 70s, Toots' hair was much neater, before changing back; Danny's skull and crossbones used to be obviously stitched onto his jumper; Cuthbert and Winston didn't even appear until the 70s (the Bash Street Kids Book 1980 shows two cats, a class pet and the Janitor's, seems they got merged later, as the class pet is named Winston), and Olive the dinner lady first appeared in the 80s.

The Broons on the other hand... while last week's story apparently mentioned the X Factor (I posted it in the newspaper strips forum), they don't seem to have modernised or changed much at all since they started in 1936.

[Phoenix]

Annie Lennox isn't half looking rough. I never realised she was that old. Crivvens, I've got a couple of her early albums when she was a slip of a lass in The Eurythmics, and I'm sure they are only from the 1980s.

[chrissmillie]

Annie was even younger in the Tourists. Here she is getting pie'd on Tiswas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPJ9a3JHfYE

but even better still is St Winifred's School Choir getting their flan-al comeuppance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KQ2bOtaY3E

[Niblet]

So if Grandpa Broon is aware that 60 years ago he was still in his late 70s he is obviously aware he is a comic character.

He's not aware he's a comic character because everyone he knows is ageing (or rather not ageing) at the same rate as he is. If he became aware of our world he'd be horrified at our brief lives.

[Lew Stringer]

I think you may be taking it too literally. Gradpaw's comment about dating Annie for "aboot sixty years" might just have been sarcasm on his part and a little in-joke for the readers.

[stevezodiac]

he says "sixty years, since your mother passed away" We have never seen his wife so she died before the strip began in 1936. But that was 70 years ago. I think it might be best if we just treat it as a comic strip. Otherwise we'd all be asking how Nick Fury could have fought in WWII and still be only in his late 50s. Still it is a bit unique for death to be mentioned in a "funny" strip. A First?

[Phoenix]

I wonder if Billy Bunter is still at Greyfriars.

[chrissmillie]

he says "sixty years, since your mother passed away" We have never seen his wife so she died before the strip began in 1936. But that was 70 years ago. I think it might be best if we just treat it as a comic strip. Otherwise we'd all be asking how Nick Fury could have fought in WWII and still be only in his late 50s. Still it is a bit unique for death to be mentioned in a "funny" strip. A First?

Because he took the experimental Infinity Formula in WWII that slows down his aging.

[Digifiend]

he says "sixty years, since your mother passed away" We have never seen his wife so she died before the strip began in 1936. But that was 70 years ago. I think it might be best if we just treat it as a comic strip. Otherwise we'd all be asking how Nick Fury could have fought in WWII and still be only in his late 50s. Still it is a bit unique for death to be mentioned in a "funny" strip. A First?

You can say the same for Captain America, who got frozen in ice. Marvel's sliding timescale fails with heroes like those two, as I think they've since had to give Cap slowed down aging too. Wolverine also has that power.

[felneymike]

Ahh but the "sliding timescale" bit could only apply to the unfreezing, but before that was "always" world war 2.

Billy Bunter probably isn't at greyfriars since it's probably a swanky solicitor's office / health farm by now. Well actually the former would suit his scheming self but the latter would make him run a mile!

[Lew Stringer]

You can say the same for Captain America, who got frozen in ice. Marvel's sliding timescale fails with heroes like those two, as I think they've since had to give Cap slowed down aging too.

Not quite. It's the new Captain America, Bucky, who's lifespan has been slowed down due to him occasionally being in suspended animation between missions as the Communist Winter Soldier.

Confused? You will be.

Marvel have long given up all attempts to age their characters. Instead they've just turned a blind eye to it, so all those 1960s/1970s/1980s stories now took place "a few years ago".