Struan 1962 - Adm.monash.edu.au

Garth is a good one to start with. His virtues are obvious: manliness,courage, strength, and compassion. He has no inclination to drink, gamble,or seduce women. In reality he is a twentieth century Sir Galahad. Nocleaner-living hero is it possible to find in contemporary fiction. Currentlyhe is pursuing the Lady Astra but purely for platonic reasons.Rip Kirby is less godlike but is not less exemplary in his conduct. It'is true that he smokes, but note that it is a pipe and not cigarettes that hesmokes. His pipe is more a plaything than anything else. Smoke is seldomseen rising from the bowl. His interest in women is admittedly slight, buthe is not so obviously a woman hater as Garth. A superbly English character,he has his Jeeves whom he treats almost as an equal. Rip is moreintelligent than Garth but much less robust.Mandrake, Flash Gordon, Rip and Garth belong to the company of'big heroes.' The big heroes have big problems. They inhabit a masculineworld of tough villains, strange places and desperate encounters. Any referencesto women are purely coincidental.The 'little heroes' who form the second group of characters are no lessadmirable in moral fibre but they have very little chance to prove themselves.In this group are Dagwood, Mr. Melbourne, Peter Berry, Pop andPresto. Their battles are against the wife's extravagance, the travellingsalesman and the boss's liver. Given the opportunity one feels they couldrise to the heights of Garth and company. Even Presto who appears atfirst sight to be a worthless philanderer has his points. He represents thelatent romantic trait in all of us, the side of our nature that can't resista pretty face or a well-turned leg. He is the symbol of small-time rebellionagainst conventional routine represented by his wife. Despite his peccadillosthis least noble of the male comic strips characters yet remains basically loyalto the marriage contract. He goes off the rails at times but he knows andrespects the rails.A third group of characters lie between the 'little heroes' and the'big heroes.' They are distinct from the working class heroes (Li'l Abner,Ben Bowyang, Bluey and Curley) and in deference to their economic position'I call them the 'middle class heroes.' In this group are Judd Saxon, Martha'Wayne and Juliet Jones. Their conflicts rise above the kitchen skirmishesof the 'little heroes' but do not attain to the massive problems of the 'bigheroes.' Their world is largely a female world and their problems are, in--------.:tne rrram; problems of tHe heart. These are the strips read by serious young- - - - -women who would spurn Ben Bowyang and his crude associates. MarthaWayne and Juliet Jones set an example for thousands of these young women .Like Caesar's wife, Martha and Juliet are above reproach. A processionof artists, novelists, engineers, and other superior men come into their lives,Page Thirty-Two STRUAN. 1962