As with others on this list, the Blondie comic strip has a long history behind it, dating all the way back to 1930. What's more, one look at the standard suburban comedy and high jinks that has been running in the strip for the past few decades, and you would never imagine the kind of storyline the strip began with, especially as it's so seldom referenced today. Three years into the strip's run, its sta r- a flapper named Blondie Boopadoop - would marry her love, Dagwood Bumstead. Makes sense, given that's what we see today, right? What we don't see, however, is that Dagwood was actually the son of a wealthy industrialist. Not only that, but his uppity upper-crust parents didn't want him marrying someone beneath his class, scheming to keep the two apart all the while. So what did they do when Dagwood would not relent? They disinherited him, of course. That's right: Dagwood could be eating sandwiches three times the size of his own head (instead of just one and a half) right now, but he chose love instead - a move made all the more impressive by the fact that this took place at the outset of the Great Depression. Now a member of the middle-class, he has to endure Mr. Dithers biting his head off for a paycheck as Blondie settled into the responsibilities of her new role as a suburban housewife and mother (and later a caterer, but that's another story). Oh, and the check Dagwood used for their honeymoon bounced. The elder Bumsteads are jerks. It turns out the event had enough cultural significance that several of the strips are recorded and analyzed in the Library of Congress. --- So there you have it: Ten things you probably didn't know about newspaper comics. Now you can impress your parents and amaze your friends when you line up to see Popeye, Spider-Man, or Peanuts in theaters!Maybe you knew these, though, or perhaps you know some other interesting factoids we didn't cover here. Either way, give us your thoughts in the comments below! In the meantime, we're going to keep our fingers crossed that Dick Tracy puts in an appearance during Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Former Nintendo Power writer, current Nintendo Force writer. Wrote the book on Mega Man (The Robot Master Field Guide). Was once fired by Vince McMahon. Dabbles in video games, comic books, toys, and fast food curiosities. Once had a new species of exotic bird named after him. It died.
You can find more of his writings, musings, and other such things on his websites at Nyteworks.net.
