Frazz

Infobox comic strip
title= Frazz


caption= Frazz, the title character
author= Jef Mallett
url= http://www.comics.com/comics/frazz
rss=
atom=
status= Running
first= 2 April 2001
last=
syndicate= United Feature Syndicate
publisher= Andrews McMeel Publishing
genre=
rating=
preceded by=
followed by=

"Frazz" is a syndicated comic strip by Jef Mallett that centers on Frazz, a young school custodian who enjoys life. The strip debuted on 2 April 2001. Frazz writes music, rides road and mountain bikes, runs, and simply enjoys living. Frazz often has comic conversations with pupils at Bryson Elementary School where he works.

tyle

The comic strip is characterized by an unusual number of cultural references. Often a single strip can contain several such references, and more literate readers will likely enjoy these allusions; cycling fans will recognize many small details included in strips dedicated to other topics (e.g., logos on Frazz's t-shirts), while music-lovers will appreciate small homages to the likes of Lyle Lovett and Delbert McClinton.

The strip has a definite literary bent, as characters will frequently wax poetic about classic and contemporary literature, with the characters themselves often employing literary devices, both common and esoteric. In an early strip, Frazz and Caulfield find themselves engaged in a discussion about whether Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" is depressing or uplifting. Frazz uses part of his songwriting royalties to purchase favorite books for the school library. A recent story-arc involves a school-endorsed "Get Lost in a Book" day, and it has become a tradition for Caulfield to choose a literature-themed costume every Halloween.

Mallett's decision to set the strip in a public elementary school seems to be partially motivated by a desire to share his opinions about public education in America; the school serves not only as a backdrop for students' exploits, but as a defining factor in shaping these children's personalities and opinions. As a former underachieving student at Bryson Elementary, Frazz represents the kind of student who, while bringing home bad grades, manages to be better educated than those students who excel, and then lives a personally rewarding life as a result of having been truly educated, rather than merely schooled. In one early story-arc, one of the students, Caulfield, intentionally does poorly on standardized tests, leading his teacher Mrs. Olsen to conclude that he is either lazy or not very bright. The manner in which Caulfield sabotages his own scores, though, reveals something of the artist's message: On his first attempt, Caulfield uses the shaded-in answer sheet to create a pointillist replica of the Mona Lisa; in another, he transcribes Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice," using the shaded circles to create letters in Braille.

One of the recurring arcs in the strip revolves around an ongoing basketball game between Frazz and the school's most enlightened teacher, Mr. Burke. Although the game reveals the men's shared lack of basketball skills, it is significant for the conversation that takes place during play. At one point, Frazz and Burke compare their days. While Frazz writes a song that hits the top of the charts, Burke has a breakthrough with a student in his class. Frazz immediately admits defeat. For a teacher, this speaks to the very heart of the profession, and demonstrates an attitude many education professionals wish was more widely shared.

However, literary allusions and deep philosophical discussions aside, the strips are usually just down-to-earth funny, and many readers will enjoy their lighthearted, innocent humor. While Frazz has a dim view of the adult world, he brings an adult perspective to the world of second-graders; this contrast highlights both the innocence of childhood and the frequent folly of adulthood, as when Frazz breaks up a fist-fight and admonishes the students to act their age. One of the combatants asks Frazz how that's possible when they're only eight; Frazz responds with, "I mean stop acting like adults."

Many of the characters or locations in the strip are references to real-life people whom Mallett respects. For example, according to an interview with Mallett, Bryson Elementary is named after one of his favorite authors, Bill Bryson.

Monday through Saturday, strips are issued once a day in black and white. Sunday features a color strip, which is larger than weekday strips.

Recurring characters

Controversy

Because of Frazz's physical, and occasionally spiritual, similarity to Calvin of "Calvin and Hobbes", speculation has arisen that Mallett has created an unofficial and unauthorized sequel to Bill Watterson's classic strip, and that Frazz is actually Calvin as an adult. Some other characters that are similar are Miss Wormwood and Rosalyn in Watterson's strip to Mrs. Olsen and Miss Plainwell in Mallett's strip. Mallett denies this, and has alluded to the controversy several times in the strip, including developing a ball game for Frazz and Caulfield that is modeled on "Calvinball."

In the foreword to "Live at Bryson Elementary", Washington Post columnist and Mallett advocate Gene Weingarten writes, "They're [critics are] focusing not only on hair (Frazz's frizz), but also on his station in life: a brilliant underachiever. Well, Jef assures me that any similarity is unintentional." Explanations, however, have done little to influence the strips' detractors, who view it not as an homage but as simple plagiarism.

On November 29, 2006, Mallett referenced the controversy in a conversation between Caulfield and Frazz. As part of a brief story arc in which it is revealed that Frazz does not speak a second language, the comic's dialogue is as follows:

:Caulfield: Whoa! Mister Renaissance Man doesn't know a foreign language!:Frazz: Maybe. Maybe I do.:Caulfield: Yeah? Which one?:Frazz: Pitjantjatjara.:Caulfield: Nice. Like anybody can check.:Frazz: I also used to be Bill Watterson's assistant.

Character consistencies

Caulfield is the only recurring, named child character in "Frazz." The others who have appeared have either been unnamed sidelines or kids with names who were not actually part of the cast. For the most part, kids named in the strip are not shown again or, if they do, do so irregularly.

Awards

*2003 and 2005 Wilbur Award for Promoting Ethics and Positive Values

Anthologies

*"Live at Bryson Elementary". 2005, Andrews McMeel Publishing. 128 pages. Includes foreword by Gene Weingarten and introduction by Jef Mallett. ISBN 0740754475
*"99% Perspiration". 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing. 128 pages. ISBN 0740760432
*"Frazz 3.1416". 2008, Andrews McMeel Publishing. 128 pages. ISBN 0740777394. Includes an introduction by Charles Solomon

References

*Durrett, Mike (June 13 2001). [http://humor.about.com/library/ds/blds061301.htm Frazz by Jef Mallett - Comic Strip] . Retrieved 24 May 2005.
*fn|1 http://www.comics.com/comics/frazz/html/cast_Frazz.html Edwin Frazier's nickname is "Frazz"

External links

* [http://www.comics.com/comics/frazz/index.html "Frazz" at comics.com; daily strips and information about author and characters]
* [http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/6143.0.html Interview with Jef Mallett by Marc Barringer in "VeloNews" magazine]