NCCCC: Most Precocious Kid In The Comics

The second division of the 2007 National Coolest Comic Character Competition aims its sights at a younger age group than the teenagers. Ever since The Yellow Kid, comic strips have been full of kid characters. Some are defanged menaces, but others are just fodder for dirty diaper jokes (I’m looking at you, Marvin). Some of the most amusing kids in the comics are the wise beyond their years cynics that speak truth to power. It often becomes clear that these pint-sized pundits are really artistic alter egos for their authors.

Normally, this category would be Jason Fox’s to lose, but I’m still bitter about Foxtrot going to Sunday-only. Besides, there are a lot of other worthy moppets out there. Let’s pick the cream of the crop.

Breed Standards: Realism is not a requirement. The kid should be more sophisticated and worldly than real children. A strong familiarity with current events or pop culture is necessary. There should be a mild dark streak, but an underlying sympathy.

Faults: Extreme preachiness. Complete disassociation with childhood experiences. Kids that only talk to straw-man animals are disqualified.

Danae Non Sequitor	Pro: When it comes to cynical smart mouthed kids, none come more iconoclastic that the pint-sized mouthpiece of Wiley. What started life as a oddly shaped Far Side imitator has morphed into the continuing saga of budding bomb-thrower Danae and her odd assortment of family members that includes a talking horse foil.	Con: At times the strip veers real close to becoming a liberal Prickly City. And Lucy the Horse is a pretty pale Hobbes rip-off. The strip also has long digressions unrelated to the main characters.
Nate Big Nate	Pro: At first glance, this is just another Peanuts-sized strip about a bunch of grade school kids with existential angst. Nate always has a scam going that inevitably backfires. Beneath the silly gags there is a surreal sensibility that takes some rather oblique punches at pop culture.	Con: I have a hard time telling the supporting the characters apart and Nate’s character is a little amorphous. Is he the world’s biggest dunderhead or an under appreciated genius?
Agnes Agnes	Pro: The newest addition to the Washington Post comics page is another smart talking half pint with a gaggle of foils. She is a trailer park grifter in training. Another schemer, her oddball scams show a little more competence than Nate.	Con: The artwork is pretty minimal. Not Stantis scribbly bad, but fairly murky. The cast of supporting characters is pretty thin.
Heart Heart Of The City	Pro: Heart is a feisty little girl that is independent without losing her girliness. While this strip is more gentle than some, Heart is just bratty and self-centered enough to always get straight to the heart (pun intended) of the matter.	Con: Knowing that Mark Tatulli also draws Lio creeps me out a little bit about the true nature of some of Heart’s friends. I keep looking for a giant squid in the background.
Ruthie One Big Happy	Pro: Six-year old Ruthie treads a fine line between quirky and complete bat guano insanity. Her frequent malapropisms often sneak past the censors.	Con: She is destined to grow up to be a serial killer.

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