Non sequitur.
What is it about nonsense cartoons that is so appealing?
When it comes to cartoons that leave you hanging, or beg the question, or are just plain weird, the New Yorker caption contest comes to mind. It often seems like the cartoonists are competing with each other to flummox readers of the New Yorker. They’ve published almost 900 contests so far, so it’s a very popular part of the magazine. A typical caption contest attracts almost a million votes by readers. Now that’s “reach.”
What exactly is a “non sequitur”?
Looking it up, like most things these days, can be a rabbit hole. Start with Wikipedia’s entry for non-sequitur (fallacy) and I’ll see you in a week.
Wikipedia’s non sequitur (literary) is easier to take and actually gets us somewhere: “A non sequitur joke sincerely has no explanation, but reflects the idiosyncrasies, mental frames and alternative world of the particular comic persona.” (Wikipedia then refers to a book about parody, the whole text of which amazingly appears to be here on Google Books. ) Sincerely, I love that!
Gary Larson’s work comes to mind of course.
Larson’s odd circumstances and talking animals go well beyond explanation. Might they be the inspiration for Wikipedia’s definition? They indisputably “reflect the idiosyncrasies, mental frames and alternative world of the particular comic persona.”
Larson evidently made enough money in 15 years as a syndicated cartoonist to retire in 1995. He explains why he retired in a letter on a website he surprisingly, even to himself, put up in 2020. The cartoons shown above appear in the sketchbook section, which is terrific. The letter is a good read too. There’s even some new stuff on the site.
Non Sequitur is also the name of a syndicated comic strip by Wiley Miller, published in the Seattle Times (among others no doubt).
I started a non sequitur gag some months ago, inspired by something I heard about someone having three roombas. It’s a work in progress. More next time.
