It's a Comic Life

 I mean, comics made life what it is, for me, in large part.

I was addicted to all sorts of comics. Phantom, Mandrake were favourites during teens. Then, it was Richie Rich, Little Lotta, Dot. Dennis the Menace, in newspapers where it appeared. Sad Sack in book form.

As I got a bit older, Asterix took over. I got around to Tintin much later, but some of the characters (Professor Calculus, Thompson and Thomson) were to make a mark. We named people-batchmates- after many of these. MBA days were fun! One or two faculty also got nicknames from the comics. Lothar, from Mandrake stories, was one, and Cadbury, Richie's butler, was another. 

MAD magazine with its comic strip format, was another favourite, with its zany take-offs on everything. Politicians, movie stars, Films, TV series, advertising, and almost everything was spoofed.

Not surprising then, that my favourite writers (after mysteries) were humorists- PG Wodehouse and in Marathi, Pu. La. Deshpande. Both were alike in their approach to making the everyday things hilarious. Ok, Lords and their aunts are not everyday objects, but the happenings like binges in pubs, and walks in the manor, were, for those characters.