The English language is (as modern languages tend to be) a living and evolving tongue! We see examples of it every day. Older comics often provide inadvertent examples of this, as seen on the cover of SPOOKY SPOOKTOWN #65 (Harvey Comics, Cover Date: October, 1976)!
That's not to say that the gag, as such, could not be somewhat funnier with no dialogue and different staging! Leaving it as-is, but silent, would be a slight - but immediate - improvement.
Or restage it in such a way that still has the guy looking aghast into his fridge at the chicken bones - but angle it from his back... and, in the foreground, have Spooky walking away from the fridge... still carrying the largely-bitten drumstick! You could even have Spooky drawn in those "outlining-dotted-lines" that were used as visual shorthand for him being invisible. Have a look of satisfaction on his face, and maybe even a "burp!" for added effect!
To be fair, I'll even present an example of when a similar gag worked! From SPOOKY #45 (Harvey Comics, Cover Date: (July, 1960)...
... With a SILENT COVER GAG that also worked, I might add!
"GHOST TOASTIES" works because (A) it rhymes, and (B) Post Toasties was an actual breakfast cereal of the time!
But, back in the American Bicentennial Year, this superfluous spook-said sentence was simply not funny.
However, let's jump ahead to the 21st Century to find that "GHOSTED" carries an additional - and altogether different - meaning:
"In slang, "ghosted" means someone has suddenly and abruptly ended all communication with you without explanation, typically in the context of a relationship or dating. They stop responding to texts, calls, or other forms of communication, effectively disappearing from your life."
Indeed, Spooky has, quite literally, made the roast chicken "disappear" from the unfortunate midnight-snacker's life!
It would seem that all has gone well for our "Tuff Little Ghost"... at least until he "washes down his ill-gotten foodstuff" with a few too many strawberry sodas!
And you can bet that Spooky wishes this bad karma would GHOST HIM!
4 comments:
Well, I wouldn't say it was totally unfunny in its original appearance. It's a pun on how ghosted rhymes with roasted. Also, the chicken was ghosted in the sense that it was consumed by a ghost.
I'm actually more intrigued by the "abandoned baby" story. That was quite a common trope in classic cartoons. I wonder what its origins are…
Sergio:
Well, as someone who is known for his puns, I don’t consider it to be a good one by any means… but, perhaps it was more UNNECESSARY than unfunny.
And that was the whole point of the post. That the words “ghost” or “ghosted” have reached a point in their linguistic evolution at which the less-than-successful pun is elevated to something better than its original intent.
As far as the “abandoned baby” thing goes, I managed to find THIS!
It’s not entirely pleasant, but I always aim to please.
There was an old joke: "What do spooks eat for breakfast?" and the answer was "Ghost Toasties!" So the play on Post/Ghost has been around for a while.
As for the changing language thing, it's pretty fascinating to see how the meanings of words morph over the years. I agree the gag is pretty unfunny, but I guess it's harmless enough.
Regarding the abandoned babies on doorsteps--oh, yes, it was something that got used frequently in cartoons as well as (very unfortunately) in real life. But on the brighter side, that's how the Rubbles got Bamm-Bamm! So, sometimes it can work out!
Scarecrow:
Oh, yeah… I never meant to say that the “Ghost Toasties” gag wasn’t an oldie-but-goodie (…as was the cereal it was based upon), as much as I wanted to prove, with that four-panel sequence, that the gag *does* work when presented more skillfully than it was on that cover.
Yes, the “evolution of the English language” is a fascination of mine, especially given that I read so many older comics, and watch so many older movies and TV shows. That’s why this one caught my eye. I have another such post planned, once I find enough time to get around to it.
I’d like to think that each and every one of those real-life abandoned babies, were as fortunate as Bamm-Bamm! Alas, I know that can’t be true… but I can dream, can’t I?
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