B.C. (comic)

B.C. is an American newspaper comic strip written and drawn by Johnny Hart. It is set in prehistoric times, featuring a group of cavemen and anthropomorphic animals from a variety of geologic eras. It is one of the longest-running strips done by its original creator, having appeared daily in newspapers since February 17, 1958. It is syndicated by Creators Syndicate.

Related Topics:
American - Comic strip - Johnny Hart - Prehistoric - Cavemen - Anthropomorphic - Geologic era - Newspaper - February 17 - 1958 - Creators Syndicate

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Hart was inspired to draw cavemen through the chance suggestion of one of his General Electric coworkers and took to the idea "because they are a combination of simplicity and the origin of ideas". The name for the strip was suggested by his wife, Bobby. Hart describes the title character as similar to himself, playing the "patsy". The other major characters—Peter, Wiley, Clumsy Carp, the Fat Broad, the Cute Chick, Curls, Thor, and Grog—were patterned after friends, a relative, and GE co-workers.http://www.ptm.org/JulHartofBC.htm The animal characters include dinosaurs, ants, clams, a snake, a turtle and bird duo, and an apteryx (a flightless bird with hairy feathers, as it constantly reminds the reader, presented in the strip as being the sole surviving specimen and hence aware of its being doomed to extinction). Dry humor, prose, and devices such as Wiley's Dictionary (where common words are defined humorously with a twist) make for some of the mix of material in B.C. Example: "Rock - to cause something or someone to swing or sway, by hitting them with it!" - from an early 1967 strip

Related Topics:
General Electric - Dinosaur - Ant - Clam - Snake - Turtle - Bird - Apteryx - Extinction - 1967

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Originally, the strip's setting was very firmly set in prehistoric times, with the characters clearly living in an era untouched by modernity. Typical plotlines for example including B.C. trying to invent the wheel, or to harness fire, or to discover an unexplored territory. However, in the 1990s and 2000s, the strip increasingly incorporated religious, social, and political commentary, reflecting the renewal of Hart's evangelical Christianity and the development of his conservative convictions. The strip now more frequently has the characters making explicit reference to current events, inventions, and celebrities which blurs the comic's supposed prehistoric setting and makes it rife with intentional anachronisms. One of the comic's early out-of-context jokes, from June 22, 1967, was this one:

Related Topics:
Wheel - 1990 - 2000s - Evangelical - Christianity - Conservative - Current event - Invention - Celebrities - Anachronism - June 22 - 1967

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:Peter: "I used to think sun revolved around the earth."

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:B.C.: "What does it revolve around?"

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:Peter: "The United States!"

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Another example: near Christmastime, the apteryx dressed as Santa Claus and modified his usual spiel: "I'm an ApterClaus, a wingless toymonger with batteries not included!"

Related Topics:
Christmas - Santa Claus

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Although other major syndicated strips include sociopolitical statements, it is the most prominent one to routinely carry overtly Christian messages, beyond seasonal references to Christmas, most notably at Easter. Like the juxtaposition of dinosaurs and humans, the statements of Christianity in a setting ostensibly "Before Christ" are not explained in the strip. Certain B.C. characters' statements around the Christmas and Easter seasons starting in the mid-1990s—especially in March 1996—have created editorial reaction from a handful of U.S. newspapers, chiefly the Los Angeles Times, and protests from Jewish and Muslim groups. The Times initially pulled the strips it considered objectionable, and later it began placing disputed strips in the religion pages, instead of the regular comics pages. http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/7r2/7r2018.html

Related Topics:
Easter - 1996 - Los Angeles Times - Jewish - Muslim - Religion

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The strip has been collected in various paperback books over the years, and the characters were featured in the animated television specials B.C.: The First Thanksgiving (1973) and B.C.: A Special Christmas (1981). The latter production starred the comedians Bob and Ray as the voices of Peter and Wiley, respectively.

Related Topics:
Animated - Television specials - Bob and Ray

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Influences from B.C. are found throughout Johnny Hart's home of Broome County, New York. A PGA Tour event, The B.C. Open, takes place every July in Endicott, New York. The county parks department features a green dinosaur, and a caveman riding a wheel graces every B.C. Transit bus. In the past, Hart has also left his mark on the logos of the Broome Dusters and B.C. Icemen hockey teams.

Related Topics:
Broome County - New York - PGA Tour - B.C. Open - Endicott, New York - Broome Dusters - B.C. Icemen

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