The left out female dogs I hope we could see more of.....

[D-Rock]

An interesting theory, though a hole can be poked considering the fact that Grape is perfectly willing to resort to violence very early on.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Heck its one of the reasons that we like her! Gratuitous violence always is funny!

[MischaTheWolf]

Grape is the quintessential tomboy character. Female but easily able to perform both sides of the gender stereotypes spectrum. Plus, I loved how in a Halloween arc when Grape and Peanut were dressed as the main Zootopia cast, Grape was Nick and Peanut was Judy.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Giving it a bit more detailed thought, I could easily see Grape and Peanut in the roles of Nick and Judy in another dimension. I think they each have characteristic to match the characters perfectly!

[NHWestoN]

Maybe we'll get some holiday cast-calls again ...

[Amazee Dayzee]

I am sure that most people who follow wouldn't mind that one bit. I guess we will have to take a wait-and-see approach.

[NHWestoN]

Giving it a bit more detailed thought, I could easily see Grape and Peanut in the roles of Nick and Judy in another dimension. I think they each have characteristic to match the characters perfectly!

I had to think about that a while, Amazz, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.

On the subject ofr female characters, I'd like to see Sabrina do something on her own. Just a short few strips episode. A lot of the second and third tier characters would be fun in brief comic or off-beat episodes on their own or with a partner. Sasha and Daisy, of course, but also Jessica and Ink (whose more than just the "opener" cult character) or a comic rivalry between Lana and Duchess or even Gale and Bailey. The Barn cats have off-site possibilities, too.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I really don't think that there is much interest in Sabrina and Rick will only focus on her when she's with Tarot. It seems Sabrina was just someone who is Fido's girlfriend or a fellow magic(k) user to be partnered with Tarot. It would be safe to say that Sabrina is just around as an owner to Tarot which is why we don't see much of her because we barely see a lot of the owners as it is.

[NHWestoN]

Your point is well taken, Amazz. Except for being center-stage in the Keene-Jata marriage fiasco, Sabrina has rarely appeared without Tarot being in the foreground. Yet, even then, she's shown flashes of depth and sensitivity that hint at a subtler and somewhat sardonic comic personality.

However, I'm inclined to think, given the size of the cast, Rick will focus his energies and creativity on a very small number who will have recurring roles. Some beloved old venues may return - the Good Ol' Dogs Club, for example, or the K9 Station. If Peanut and Tarot take over the "parent-thing" from King and Bailey, Sabrina might be freed up for new partnership where her personality might move in less sorceressical directions.

Or not.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I just have a feeling she won't be one of the characters that we get to see much of. That is a shame because she does have an interesting backstory. However I think when the comic resumes it will be about time for Tarot to give birth or Rick will do a time skip and she will have already given birth.

[NHWestoN]

Rant appreciated, MA, and nice to have you back. Hope you're well.

Talking of the many characters in his comic strip Pogo, Walt Kelly once commented, "Well, many of them - Simple J. Malarky, Mole MacCarony, and Sarcophagus MacAbre are characatured comedians and not really "true". But many of them - even the slightly sinister ones like Seminole Sam and Deacon Mushrat - are true in the sense that they are drawn from aspects of a single personality. Unfortunately, that personality is mine."

[NHWestoN]

Since it's MasterAbsinthe's birthday today and we're all awaiting the return of Housepets! in a new or renewed incarnation, I thought I'd bring back MA's intriguing reflections on Rick's early gender incantations in his first characters and narratives. Many of these early threads have disappeared (ex. Fido and Sabrina's hidden romance or Joey and his cat suit) along with "one-trick" characters (ex. sardonic mice like Spo and Squeak or larcenous types like Cody/Cilatro and Jack Wolf). Still, MA's thoughts might be a good guide to see what old - and newer - motifs emerge.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Giving it a little bit more thought, I do think that we should have some more female dogs in the comic when Rick starts it up again though since he is gonna be trimming some characters that is unlikely but it would have been nice. The ratio of male to female dogs is STARK. There are 15 male dogs to only just 6 female dogs. That is a 15:6 ratio. Take out King and Bailey's pups who aren't gonna have their own storylines until they are old and that is 14:4 ratio. Really peculiar at least to me.

Makes me hope that Peanut and Tarot have all daughters even though I would like Peanut to also have a son. The only way to even out the ratio with Tarot's pregnancy is by having her give birth to NINE daughters which I don't think is gonna happen. LOL

[Harry Johnathan]

The only way to even out the ratio with Tarot's pregnancy is by having her give birth to NINE daughters which I don't think is gonna happen. LOL

I mean, you can just say the pregnancy is enhanced by magic or something.

Take out King and Bailey's pups who aren't gonna have their own storylines until they are old and that is 14:4 ratio. Really peculiar at least to me.

Rick could just do an extreme timeskip to when all the puppies are teens or adults lol.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I wouldn't mind doing a time skip but I worry that some of the older characters would end up being killed off due to old age. I honestly wouldn't mind if it was minor because it would work with King and Bailey's pups.

[NHWestoN]

Worked for the comic strip Funky Winkerbean ... or did it?

[Amazee Dayzee]

Never heard of it so can't answer that in my own opinion. Just give me the answer outright since I will never be able to form my own opinion. LOL

[NHWestoN]

FW started out as a funny-teens-in-high-school strip. The artist then took a break - not unlike Rick or several other cartoonists - dramatically changed his art style (much more realistic and detailed) and started taking on quite a few serious themes along with a less slapstick style of humor. The strip is still being published along with the more comic adventures of a former bit-player, an old bus driver appropriately named Crankshaft. It's in the Sunday funnies in the Boston Globe - which, like entirely too many newspapers, carries a number of comics on Sunday but doesn't run the dailies.

[NHWestoN]

CORRECTION (for them as cares): The comic strip Crankshaft appears regularly in the Sunday comics of the Portsmouth Herald. It does not appear in the Boston Globe, and my atrribution that it does appear in the Boston Sunday comics was a classic "oopsie". The management regrets the error and apologises.

Have a good day or a better day as the case may be.

[Amazee Dayzee]

Oh you don't have to worry too much about the error and misremembering. I have to admit I misremember stuff all the time.

[MischaTheWolf]

Huh, never heard of that strip. Thanks for introducing it here, Weston.

[Amazee Dayzee]

When I get the chance I might end up taking a look at it. Sounds like it could be very interesting.

[NHWestoN]

I'm a history guy. I have trouble remembering anything that didn't happen at least a few centuries ago.

[NHWestoN]

Wonder if the tall, mysterious charcoal-colored dog with the pink collar who appear at the King-Bailey wedding will ever return? Ten years is a long time gone.