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Monty (comic strip)
Encyclopedia
Monty is an American
comic strip
created, written and illustrated by cartoonist
Jim Meddick
.
who believed he was an extraterrestrial visiting Earth
, living with the ordinary Milde family. In the 1990s, Robotman left the Milde family and began living with a geeky inventor named Monty.
Robotman's origin was later retconned to having been designed and built by Monty and given false memories of being an alien.
to incorporate the character into Calvin and Hobbes
, but Watterson refused. The job was then passed on to Jim Meddick, who created the family setting and the other characters. As the strip progressed the design of Robotman changed considerably as Meddick's style evolved.
During contract negotiations, the syndicate approached Meddick with a request to change the name of the strip to Monty and to de-emphasize and remove the Robotman character from the strip. This was due to an ongoing difficulty in marketing the strip with the name Robotman (for a brief period, the strip was rechristened "Robotman & Monty").
Robotman was gradually phased out of the strip through a farewell storyline, and the series continued as Monty in April 2001. Robotman's farewell included a return to outer space to live with his love interest, a female robot.
, trashes tacky TV shows and offers absurdist
commentary on everything from hosing down spider monkey
s to the latest conspiracy theory
." Monty Montahue, the brainy, bumbling bachelor who's unlucky in work and love, is the star of the strip.
Explains Meddick, "I've tried to create the comic strip equivalent of Monty Python's Flying Circus
. The name 'Monty' is a nod to the influence that show had on my humor. In my cartoon just about anything can happen — this way, the ideas and characters always stay fresh."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
created, written and illustrated by cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Jim Meddick
Jim Meddick
Jim Meddick is an American cartoonist.While attending Washington University in St. Louis, he won the Chicago Tribune Student Cartoonist Contest for a strip named Paperback Writer. After graduating, in 1983 he became a political cartoonist. In 1985, he created the comic strip Robotman, now known as...
.
Robotman
The comic strip began as Robotman in 1985. It originally depicted the exploits of a small robotRobot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
who believed he was an extraterrestrial visiting Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, living with the ordinary Milde family. In the 1990s, Robotman left the Milde family and began living with a geeky inventor named Monty.
Robotman's origin was later retconned to having been designed and built by Monty and given false memories of being an alien.
Robotman's evolution
Robotman was a toy character created by United Feature Syndicate as an attempt at cross-marketing toys, videos, and other merchandise. The syndicate desired to have a comic strip featuring the character; they had asked Bill WattersonBill Watterson
William Boyd Watterson II , known as Bill Watterson, is an American cartoonist and the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes...
to incorporate the character into Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes is a syndicated daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his...
, but Watterson refused. The job was then passed on to Jim Meddick, who created the family setting and the other characters. As the strip progressed the design of Robotman changed considerably as Meddick's style evolved.
During contract negotiations, the syndicate approached Meddick with a request to change the name of the strip to Monty and to de-emphasize and remove the Robotman character from the strip. This was due to an ongoing difficulty in marketing the strip with the name Robotman (for a brief period, the strip was rechristened "Robotman & Monty").
Robotman was gradually phased out of the strip through a farewell storyline, and the series continued as Monty in April 2001. Robotman's farewell included a return to outer space to live with his love interest, a female robot.
Storylines
As the website announces, the comic strip "spoofs suburbiaSubUrbia
subUrbia is a play by Eric Bogosian chronicling the nighttime activities of a group of aimless 20-somethings still living in their suburban Boston hometown and their reunion with a former high school classmate who has become a successful musician...
, trashes tacky TV shows and offers absurdist
Absurdism
In philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any...
commentary on everything from hosing down spider monkey
Spider monkey
Spider monkeys of the genus Ateles are New World monkeys in the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil...
s to the latest conspiracy theory
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
." Monty Montahue, the brainy, bumbling bachelor who's unlucky in work and love, is the star of the strip.
Explains Meddick, "I've tried to create the comic strip equivalent of Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
. The name 'Monty' is a nod to the influence that show had on my humor. In my cartoon just about anything can happen — this way, the ideas and characters always stay fresh."
Current Cast
- Monty Montahue is the protagonist and titular character. He is an odd, optimistic nerd who often comes up with strange inventions and works odd jobs. Monty was introduced to the Robotman strip in the early 1990s. In 1996, it was revealed that Monty was brainwashed of his past life as a government scientist, when he invented Robotman. Monty is typically depicted as socially awkward, having poor dress skills and has a prominent nose but no chin. He takes on various (often very nerdy) hobbies and daily occupations, regularly failing because of a mix of goofiness and excessive self-confidence.
- Fleshy is a skinny, hairless housecat resembling the Pink PantherThe Pink Panther (character)The Pink Panther is the main and title character in the opening and closing credit sequences of every film in The Pink Panther series except for A Shot in the Dark and Inspector Clouseau. His popularity spawned a series of theatrical shorts, merchandise, a comic book, and television cartoons...
cartoon character. Fleshy is remarkable for his being the complete opposite of felineFelidaeFelidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
attitudes: he is goofy, fearful, unable to catch even the most innocuous of butterflies. Fleshy is frequently shown to be entirely uninterested while in the presence of people, but once alone, he shows his intelligence to be on par with humans. He has a son, who was abducted (and then returned) by the same aliens that took Robotman.
- Moondog is the only true friend of Monty. He's a chronic beerBeerBeer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
drinker, and his house is one of the biggest centers of entropyEntropyEntropy is a thermodynamic property that can be used to determine the energy available for useful work in a thermodynamic process, such as in energy conversion devices, engines, or machines. Such devices can only be driven by convertible energy, and have a theoretical maximum efficiency when...
in the world.
- Pilsner is Moondog's cynical parrot, who often seems to be smarter than his owner, but still hasn't managed to understand that the other parrot he sees in the mirror is himself.
- Gretchen is a coffee waitress whom Monty has a crush on. She, however, does not return the feelings. She's a friend and is currently single.
- Doc is a time traveler from the year 2525 who came to visit the early 21st century and wound up living with Monty. Doc has a lack of understanding of today's modern world, and believes Monty and Moondog are 'savages.' When it was time for Doc to return home, his gear broke down, trapping him in Monty's time. Recently a representative of his time-travel organization appeared, reassuring Doc that he would be returned home shortly. But when the representative attempted to return to the future, he accidentally wound up in the PaleozoicPaleozoicThe Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
.
- EB3 is a cyborg and a friend of Doc's. Small in stature and painted white, he frets incessantly about the fact that he has a "P-word" (in his case meaning pancreasPancreasThe pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist...
, not what you might think it means). Monty often tries to reassure about his pancreas anxiety ("I have one. Doc has one. It's nothing to be ashamed of!"). Recently, he has shown romantic interest in a vacuum cleanerVacuum cleanerA vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
.
- Sedgwick Nuttingham IV is a privileged child who inhabits a mansion somewhere in Monty's neighborhood. His only companion is his faithful manservant Jarvis, who does anything that Sedgwick desires, from carrying ammunition as Sedgwick hunts Fleshy, to serving as a human target for snowballs, darts etc. Sedgwick's parents are totally absent. The only other characters that Sedgwick interacts with besides Fleshy are various doctors and psychologists. Sedgwick is convinced of his innate superiority to all others.
Previous Characters
- Loco Ohno was Monty's on-again/off-again girlfriend, a parody of Yoko OnoYoko Onois a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
. She was cynical and artistic, very different from the optimistic and technology-minded Monty. She was a devoted feminist, often finding men being the root of evil.
- Chimpy was a talking chimpanzeeChimpanzeeChimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
. Chimpy constantly attempted to demonstrate his superiority to (or at least parity with) human intelligence and culture, but in fact he was not particularly bright. For example, he attempted to use a circular saw as a hammer.
- Dave-7, formerly known as Mr. Pi, was an alien from RigelRigelRigel is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the sixth brightest star in the sky, with visual magnitude 0.18...
and served as Monty's straight man. Dave-7 lived with Monty. He was very logical and deeply involved in studying sciences such as quantum mechanicsQuantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
. There were occasionally ominous references to his race's plans to take over the earth. Nothing, as of yet, came of them. The closest they ever got was to the moon. Then Chimpy got his hands on Dave-7's fleet-command-device, thinking it was a videogame, and annihilated the entire fleet.
- Giggles the Gumdrop-Eating Bear was introduced when Robotman met him in a "coping with cuteness" support group. His relentlessly cheerful personality is embraced by readers and syndicate executives who love him and his tie-in merchandise, but the other characters find him creepy and off-putting.
Books
Several strip collections have been published:- Robotman Takes Off: 1986 by Topper Books. (Out of print)
- Robotman: The Untold Story 1988 by Topper Books. (Out of print)
- Cyberpunktrek: With Robotman and his Evil Twin Bruce 1990 by Topper Books. (Out of print)
- Primary Crullers: A Robotman Book 1997 by Andrews McMeel PublishingAndrews McMeel PublishingAndrews McMeel Publishing, LLC is a company which publishes books, calendars, and related toys...
. (Out of print) - The Prehistoric Robotman 2003 by Plan 9 PublishingPlan 9 PublishingPlan Nine Publishing was a small press book publisher known for publishing webcomics in printed form. The first series published, and perhaps its most famous, was Kevin and Kell....
.
Plot milestones
- Patrick StewartPatrick StewartSir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
, the actor who portrayed Jean-Luc PicardJean-Luc PicardCaptain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
in Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, once tried to kidnap Fleshy. It appears Stewart was his former owner. Eventually Monty manages to take Fleshy back, thanks to his abilities in race walkingRace walkingRacewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance athletic event. Although it is a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times...
. - While attempting to emulate Spider-ManSpider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Monty was bitten by a radioactive ladybug and became Ladybugman, whose superpowers include ladybug senses (the ability to sense when and where rainbowRainbowA rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
s will form, which caterpillarCaterpillarCaterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s are aggressive, when a leprechaunLeprechaunA leprechaun is a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Like other fairy creatures, leprechauns have been linked to the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology...
is lying, and when somebody is crabby and needs a nap), a hard shell, the ability to sew, the ability to instill guilt in others, the ability to flutter through the air, and the ability to emit a malodorous fluid ("Actually... he's always had that ability" - Dave-7).
Notable spoofs
- A three-week spoof of Lord of the Rings: Monty's "Lord of the Thing".
- In March 2006, a two-week spoof of the televisionTelevisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, where Monty found himself shipwrecked on the island. In this spoof, Monty discovers that the Others are actually the castaways from Gilligan's IslandGilligan's IslandGilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
. - Following a transporter accident, Robotman and Mr. Spock exchanged ears. This had to be rectified by the Vulcan Ear meld.
- After assuring Monty that he would be unaffected by the Y2k bug, Robotman became a Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
-like character.
Sources
- Strickler, DaveDave StricklerDave Strickler is a reference librarian noted for his compilation of Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index, regarded as a major reference work by researchers and historians of newspaper comic strips....
. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, California: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1