The Harvey Award nominations were just announced, and in case you aren't familiar with them, the Harveys are the Oscars of the Harvey Awards. And here are the 2011 Harvey nominations for comic strips:
BEST SYNDICATED STRIP OR PANEL
CUL DE SAC, Richard Thompson, Universal Press Syndicate
DOONESBURY, Garry Trudeau, Universal Press Syndicate
MUTTS, Patrick McDonnell, King Features Syndicate
NON SEQUITUR, Wiley Miller, Universal Press Syndicate
TOM THE DANCING BUG, Ruben Bolling, Universal Press Syndicate
Now, I don't like to brag, but I happen to be an excellent prognisticator of these awards. For example, for this year's Tonys, I totally predicted that Daryl Hannah would win Best Featured Actress in "What Say You of Love."
And I know that the way you predict who will win these things is by knocking out the obvious losers and seeing who's left. That's how Sherlock Holmes did it, and that's good enough for me. So let's apply the theory to this category.
No way is Cul de Sac winning. The guy's a hack, and he was already thrown his bone at the National Cartoonists Society's' Natty Awards. Plus the name of the strip sounds French.
Doonesbury is out. It's a flash in the pan, and everyone knows it now. Sure, Trudeau can bang out some singles when there's a political scandal going on, but what happens when there's a lull in politicians doing stupid things? Exactly.
Mutts is the only absolutely sure-thing loser. No way McDonnell wins after what he said at the National Graphic Illustrators Club dinner: "The Harvey voters wouldn't know a good comic strip if it kicked them in the tuckus and pulled their fekakta shmartas down to their schlemeckles." As a side note, who knew McDonnell would be so knowledgable in Yiddish profanities?
Non Sequitur has an outside shot, but even if it squeaks out a win, once the votes are re-counted and challenged, I guarantee 80% of them will be disqualified because the voter misspelled the name of the strip "Non Sequitor." Res Ipsa Loquitur. Q.E.D.
So once you eliminate all those guys, who are you left with? The charismatic guy who just gave $50 to the World Wildlife Fund, and who lets drivers merge in front of him without even the expectation of a thank-you wave? That's right.
Check this one off in ink in your office Harvey pools. It's happening, baby.