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FoxTrot (comic strip)
Encyclopedia
FoxTrot is an American comic strip
written and illustrated by Bill Amend
. As of December 2006, FoxTrot was carried by more than 1,000 newspapers worldwide. From its inception in 1988 it was published daily until December 31, 2006, when Amend switched to a Sunday-only format.
The strip revolves around the daily lives of the Fox family, composed of parents Andrea (Andy, 42) and Roger Fox (45), and their children, Peter (16), Paige (14), and Jason (10). It covers a wide range of subject matter, including spoofs of pop culture fads, nerd culture, and popular consumer products.
FoxTrot was first published on April 10, 1988, under the syndication of Universal Press Syndicate
.
On December 5, 2006, Universal Press Syndicate issued a press release stating that Amend's strip, FoxTrot, would turn into a Sunday-only strip. Amend stated that he wants to continue doing the strip, but at a less hurried pace. This news was followed by several weeks of the characters discussing a "cartoonist" semi-retiring to Sundays only, and what methods he would use to phase out the daily strips. The last daily Foxtrot cartoon was printed on December 30, 2006.
, Quincy; Jason's friend Marcus and classmate, Eileen Jacobson; Paige's friend Nicole and her classmate Morton Goldthwait; Peter's girlfriend Denise and his friend Steve; and other friends and classmates of the children and Roger's co-workers.
, Washington D.C., the desert
, various amusement park
s, and campgrounds. In a series of strips though, references are made implying that they live in or near Chicago. However, Amend has denied this and claims that he has never given a particular location or name for where they live.
Early in the strip's run, FoxTrot often dealt with societal issues such as drug abuse
.
and popular culture. In one example, Jason was playing chess with his friend Marcus, but the game was tweaked into being a modified Dungeons and Dragons.
On occasion, there have been a few celebrity guest appearances in the strip, such as The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson
and Apple CEO Steve Jobs
.
Amend majored in physics
at Amherst College
, and his knowledge of physics is sometimes reflected in FoxTrots frequent inclusion of complex mathematical
or physics formulae, usually written by Jason. Jason is also used to express Amend's knowledge of computer languages.
software package.
gave FoxTrot a "B" rating, calling it "the most idiosyncratic comic strip to debut since Calvin and Hobbes
" and describing the Fox family as "believable."
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....
written and illustrated by Bill Amend
Bill Amend
William J. C. "Bill" Amend III is an American cartoonist, best known for his comic strip FoxTrot.-Early life:Amend attended high school in Burlingame, California where he was a cartoonist on his school newspaper. Amend is an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. He attended Amherst College,...
. As of December 2006, FoxTrot was carried by more than 1,000 newspapers worldwide. From its inception in 1988 it was published daily until December 31, 2006, when Amend switched to a Sunday-only format.
The strip revolves around the daily lives of the Fox family, composed of parents Andrea (Andy, 42) and Roger Fox (45), and their children, Peter (16), Paige (14), and Jason (10). It covers a wide range of subject matter, including spoofs of pop culture fads, nerd culture, and popular consumer products.
History
Amend states that after he submitted strips for three years, in 1987 Universal Press Syndicate offered him a contract.FoxTrot was first published on April 10, 1988, under the syndication of Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate, a subsidiary of Andrews McMeel Universal, is the world's largest independent press syndicate. It distributes lifestyle and opinion columns, comic strips and other content. Popular columns include Dear Abby, Ann Coulter, Roger Ebert and News of the Weird...
.
On December 5, 2006, Universal Press Syndicate issued a press release stating that Amend's strip, FoxTrot, would turn into a Sunday-only strip. Amend stated that he wants to continue doing the strip, but at a less hurried pace. This news was followed by several weeks of the characters discussing a "cartoonist" semi-retiring to Sundays only, and what methods he would use to phase out the daily strips. The last daily Foxtrot cartoon was printed on December 30, 2006.
Characters
The FoxTrot comic centers on the daily lives of the Fox family, composed of father Roger, wife Andy, and their children: Peter, Paige, and Jason, who live together in the same house. Additional minor characters include Jason's pet iguanaIguana
Iguana is a herbivorous genus of lizard native to tropical areas of Central America and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena...
, Quincy; Jason's friend Marcus and classmate, Eileen Jacobson; Paige's friend Nicole and her classmate Morton Goldthwait; Peter's girlfriend Denise and his friend Steve; and other friends and classmates of the children and Roger's co-workers.
Settings
The Fox family lives in a suburban setting. Several storylines in the strip have focused on summer vacation trips to various places. Early on, the Fox family spent summer vacation at "Uncle Ralph's Cabin". Later vacations by the Fox family have included trips to HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Washington D.C., the desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
, various amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
s, and campgrounds. In a series of strips though, references are made implying that they live in or near Chicago. However, Amend has denied this and claims that he has never given a particular location or name for where they live.
Early in the strip's run, FoxTrot often dealt with societal issues such as drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
.
Popular culture references
In addition to family humor, the strip has many stories built around fandomFandom
Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...
and popular culture. In one example, Jason was playing chess with his friend Marcus, but the game was tweaked into being a modified Dungeons and Dragons.
On occasion, there have been a few celebrity guest appearances in the strip, such as The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
and Apple CEO Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
.
Amend majored in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, and his knowledge of physics is sometimes reflected in FoxTrots frequent inclusion of complex mathematical
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
or physics formulae, usually written by Jason. Jason is also used to express Amend's knowledge of computer languages.
Books
The strips have been printed in thirty-nine different books, all by Andrews McMeel Publishing. Of the 39 books, 27 are collections and 12 are anthologies. The anthologies are composed of the two or three previous collections, and include Sunday strips in color.Merchandising
During the late 1990s, the character of Jason Fox was licensed to Wolfram Research as a product spokesman for its MathematicaMathematica
Mathematica is a computational software program used in scientific, engineering, and mathematical fields and other areas of technical computing...
software package.
Critical reception
In a 1990 article which reviewed various then-current comic strips, Ken Tucker of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave FoxTrot a "B" rating, calling it "the most idiosyncratic comic strip to debut since 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...
" and describing the Fox family as "believable."
External links
- FoxTrot.com
- Universal Press Syndicate FoxTrot page
- Bill Amend's homepage
- FoxTrot comics and FoxTrot classics at GoComicsGoComicsGoComics is a website launched in 2005 by the digital entertainment provider Uclick. It was originally created as a distribution portal for comic strips on mobile phones, but in 2006, the site was redesigned and expanded to include online strips and cartoons...