History CreatorBreakdown / NewspaperComics

* ''ComicStrip/FunkyWinkerbean'' appears to be in one since it's been in a long spiral of depression ever since the main character's wife died of cancer (critics just replace the dialog with [[https://shortpacked.com/comic/cancer "Cancercancercancercancer"]]), to the point where the title character (who apparently isn't the main character) also has cancer, the charity set up in the name of the seceded character gets stolen (it gets returned), and the ''high school drama class'' is performing the play ''Theatre/{{Wit}}'', which the PTA thinks is just too much (as do the critics). Oh, and a dead Iraq war vet isn't dead after all and returns just in time to learn that a loved one has died (probably of cancer) and that his wife has married another man.

* ''ComicStrip/FunkyWinkerbean'' appears to be in one since it's been in a long spiral of depression ever since the main character's wife died of cancer (critics just replace the dialog with [[https://shortpacked.com/comic/cancer "Cancercancercancercancer"]]), to the point where the title character (who apparently isn't the main character) also has cancer, the charity set up in the name of the seceded character gets stolen (it gets returned), and the ''high school drama class'' is performing the play ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wit_%28play%29 Wit]]'', which the PTA thinks is just too much (as do the critics). Oh, and a dead Iraq war vet isn't dead after all and returns just in time to learn that a loved one has died (probably of cancer) and that his wife has married another man.

* Percy Crosby, author of the seminal early comic strip ''Skippy'', became increasingly critical and paranoid of FDR's "New Deal" economic policies over the 1930's, viewing them as akin to encroaching Communism.[[note]]Ironically, Crosby himself had started out very left-wing in his early career, but a bad experience and subsequent termination with a Socialist newspaper had soured his opinion.[[/note]] His troubles escalated when a failing California-based peanut butter company attempted to unscrupulously capitalize on the strip's well-known name and iconography, and Crosby, incensed, took them to court over the matter. The IRS (who, not incidentally, were connected to the defending lawyer) filed an audit on Crosby for tax evasion during the case, which only caused [[AuthorTract his increasingly caustic beliefs to leak into the strip itself]], lowering its once-widespread popularity. After an alleged suicide attempt in 1948, he was finally committed as a paranoid schizophrenic, and died 16 years later in that same mental hospital.

* ''ComicStrip/ForBetterOrForWorse'' manages to subvert this, though arguably not for the better. Author Lynn Johnston started going through a mess of personal problems late in the comic's run. Her reaction to this, oddly enough, was to start writing material considerably ''less'' inflammatory and dramatic than what had made her famous. Her marriage falling apart apparently greatly increased her desire to see two characters finally getting married without all the usual hang-ups weddings in troperville are generally known for.

* ''ComicStrip/FunkyWinkerbean'' appears to be in one since it's been in a long spiral of depression ever since the main character's wife died of cancer ([[{{hatedom}} critics]] just replace the dialog with [[https://shortpacked.com/comic/cancer "Cancercancercancercancer"]]), to the point where the title character (who apparently isn't the main character) also has cancer, the charity set up in the name of the seceded character gets stolen (it gets returned), and the ''high school drama class'' is performing the play ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wit_%28play%29 Wit]]'', which the PTA thinks is just too much (as do the critics). Oh, and a dead Iraq war vet isn't dead after all and returns just in time to learn that a loved one has died (probably of cancer) and that his wife has married another man.

* The Argentinian cartoonist {{Creator/Quino}}, after making GallowsHumor strips to cope with the repressive rule of the Military Junta in the 70s and 80s, suffered from this in the 90s and early 2000s after Argentina suffered [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998-2002_Argentine_great_depression the worst economic crisis it had faced in its history]]. [[http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/1486/quino03091995uz8.jpg This strip]] shows one of his lowest points: In it, government spokesmen proudly announce that the nation's infant mortality is ''among the highest of the world'' and that the viewers should feel proud of figuring in such notorious scale. The last caption says: "Note from the author: This strip which does not intend to be funny, [[DespairEventHorizon was drawn with anger, helplessness, and a lot of sadness]]. Quino".

* ''ComicStrip/FunkyWinkerbean'' appears to be in one since it's been in a long spiral of depression ever since the main character's wife died of cancer ([[{{hatedom}} critics]] just replace the dialog with [[http://www.shortpacked.com/2007/comic/book-4/10-a-talking-car-joins-the-cast/cancer/ "Cancercancercancercancer"]]), to the point where the title character (who apparently isn't the main character) also has cancer, the charity set up in the name of the seceded character gets stolen (it gets returned), and the ''high school drama class'' is performing the play ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wit_%28play%29 Wit]]'', which the PTA thinks is just too much (as do the critics). Oh, and a dead Iraq war vet isn't dead after all and returns just in time to learn that a loved one has died (probably of cancer) and that his wife has married another man.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' featured a few of Bill Watterson's conflicts with his syndicate, publisher, and others in the form of Calvin arguing with his parents, frequently showing odd perspectives and art styles to emphasize his point. In addition, Watterson took it upon himself to draw extra artwork for the book collections, which ended up being such an insane amount of pressure that he was forced into sabbaticals twice.

* The Argentinian cartoonist {{Creator/Quino}}, after making GallowsHumor strips to cope with the repressive rule of the Military Junta in the 70s and 80s, suffered from this in the 90s and early 2000s after Argentina suffered [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998%E2%80%932002_Argentine_great_depression the worst economic crisis it had faced in its history]]. [[http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/1486/quino03091995uz8.jpg This strip]] shows one of his lowest points: In it, government spokesmen proudly announce that the nation's infant mortality is ''among the highest of the world'' and that the viewers should feel proud of figuring in such notorious scale. The last caption says: "Note from the author: This strip which does not intend to be funny, [[DespairEventHorizon was drawn with anger, helplessness, and a lot of sadness]]. Quino".

* The Argentinian cartoonist {{ComicStrip/Quino}}, after making GallowsHumor strips to cope with the repressive rule of the Military Junta in the 70s and 80s, suffered from this in the 90s and early 2000s after Argentina suffered [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998%E2%80%932002_Argentine_great_depression the worst economic crisis it had faced in its history]]. [[http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/1486/quino03091995uz8.jpg This strip]] shows one of his lowest points: In it, government spokesmen proudly announce that the nation's infant mortality is ''among the highest of the world'' and that the viewers should feel proud of figuring in such notorious scale. The last caption says: "Note from the author: This strip which does not intend to be funny, [[DespairEventHorizon was drawn with anger, helplessness, and a lot of sadness]]. Quino".

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' featured a few of Bill Watterson's conflicts with his syndicate, publisher, and others in the form of Calvin arguing with his parents, frequently showing odd perspectives and art styles to emphasize his point. In addition, Watterson took it upon himself to draw extra artwork for the book collections, which ended up being such an insane amount of pressure that he was forced into sabbatical a few times.

** Another Batuik strip, ''John Darling'' featured a shock ending where the title character was gunned down by an unknown assailant in the next to last episode; the final strip is his stunned colleagues crying silently around his grave. This was brought on by disputes over the rights to the strip with the syndicate, with the character killed off to keep him from falling into their hands.

* Percy Crosby, author of the seminal early comic strip ''Skippy'', became increasingly critical and paranoid of FDR's "New Deal" economic policies over the 1930's, viewing them as akin to encroaching Communism.[[note]]Ironically, Crosby himself had started out very left-wing in his early career, but a bad experience and subsequent termination with a Socialist newspaper had soured his opinion.[[/note]] His troubles escalated when a failing California-based peanut butter company attempted to unscrupulously capitalize on the strip's well-known name and iconography, and Crosby, incensed, took them to court over the matter. The IRS (who, not incidentally, were connected to the defending lawyer) filed an audit on Crosby for tax evasion during the case, which only caused [[AuthorTract his increasingly caustic beliefs to leak into the strip itself]], lowering its once-widespread popularity. After a suicide attempt in 1948, he was finally committed as a paranoid schizophrenic, and died 16 years later in that same mental hospital.

* John Callahan was a newspaper cartoonist who got in a drunken car wreck at the age of 21, the result of a lengthy struggle with abuse and alcoholism and left him paraplegic. He gets it all out in a series of cartoons titled ''Will The Real John Callahan Please Stand Up?''.

** The artist's other strip, ''{{ComicStrip/Crankshaft}}'', went through a week-long breakdown after his father died: Flash-forwards show Crankshaft as pretty much catatonic, confined to a wheelchair and living in a nursing home. At least his nurse was nice and took him out to see a ballgame (that was rained out). [[FlashbackWithinAFlashback Flashbacks within the flash-forward]] show a much younger Crankshaft watching a ballgame (suggesting that he has retreated into memories of happier times, and is perhaps unaware of what is going on here and now). Since this is a strip where characters grow older, this has disturbing implications for Crankshaft. The ''next'' week featured Crankshaft being saved from a snake bite from his son-in-law's mother's yappy dog; it got better and so did the comic strip.
** Another Batuik strip, ''John Darling'' featured a shock ending where the title character was gunned down by an unknown assailant in the next to last episode; the final strip is his stunned colleagues crying silently around his grave.

* The Argentinian cartoonist {{ComicStrip/Quino}}, after making GallowsHumor strips to cope with the repressive rule of the Military Junta in the 70s and 80s, suffered from this in the 90s and early 2000s after Argentina suffered [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998%E2%80%932002_Argentine_great_depression the worst economic crisis it had faced in its history]]. [[http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/1486/quino03091995uz8.jpg This strip]] shows one of his lowest points: In it, government spokesmen proudly announce that the nation's infant mortality is ''among the highest of the world'' and that the viewers should feel proud of figuring in such notorious scale. The last caption says: "Note from the author: This strip which does not intend to be funny, [[DespairEventHorizon was drawn with anger, impotence and a lot of sadness]]. Quino".

* The Argentinian cartoonist {{ComicStrip/Quino}}, after making GallowsHumor strips to cope with the repressive rule of the Military Junta in the 70s and 80s, suffered from this in the 90s and early 2000s after Argentina suffered the worst economic crisis it had faced in its history. [[http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/1486/quino03091995uz8.jpg This strip]] shows one of its lowest points: In it, government spokesmen proudly announce that the nation's infant mortality is ''among the highest of the world'' and that the viewers should feel proud of figuring in such notorious scale. The last caption says: "Note from the author: This strip which does not intend to be funny, was drawn with anger, impotence and a lot of sadness. Quino".

* The Argentinian cartoonist {{ComicStrip/Quino}}, after making GallowsHumor strips to cope with the repressive rule of the Military Junta in the 70s and 80s, suffered from this in the 90s and early 2000s after Argentina suffered the worst economic crisis it had faced in its history. [[http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/1486/quino03091995uz8.jpg This strip]] shows one of its lowest points: In it, government spokesmen proudly announce that the nation's infant mortality is ''among the highest of the world'' and that the viewers should feel proud of figuring in such notorious scale. The last caption says: "Note from the author: This strip which does not intend to be funny, was drawn with anger, impotence and a lot of sadness. Quino".

* ''ComicStrip/FunkyWinkerbean'' appears to be in one since it's been in a long spiral of depression ever since the main character's wife died of cancer ([[{{hatedom}} critics]] just replace the dialog with [[http://www.shortpacked.com/2007/comic/book-4/10-a-talking-car-joins-the-cast/cancer/ "Cancercancercancercancer"]]), to the point where the title character (who apparently isn't the main character) also has cancer, the charity set up in the name of the seceded character gets stolen (it gets returned), and the ''high school drama class'' is performing the play ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wit_%28play%29 Wit]]'', which the PTA thinks is just too much (as do the critics). Oh, and a dead Iraq war vet isn't dead after all and returns just in time to learn that a loved one has died (probably of cancer).

* ''CalvinAndHobbes'' featured a few of Bill Watterson's conflicts with his syndicate, publisher, and others in the form of Calvin arguing with his parents, frequently showing odd perspectives and art styles to emphasize his point. In addition, Watterson took it upon himself to draw extra artwork for the book collections, which ended up being such an insane amount of pressure that he was forced into sabbatical a few times.
* ''ForBetterOrForWorse'' manages to subvert this, though arguably not for the better. Author Lynn Johnston started going through a mess of personal problems late in the comic's run. Her reaction to this, oddly enough, was to start writing material considerably ''less'' inflammatory and dramatic than what had made her famous. Her marriage falling apart apparently greatly increased her desire to see two characters finally getting married without all the usual hang-ups weddings in troperville are generally known for.

* ''FunkyWinkerbean'' appears to be in one since it's been in a long spiral of depression ever since the main character's wife died of cancer ([[{{hatedom}} critics]] just replace the dialog with [[http://www.shortpacked.com/2007/comic/book-4/10-a-talking-car-joins-the-cast/cancer/ "Cancercancercancercancer"]]), to the point where the title character (who apparently isn't the main character) also has cancer, the charity set up in the name of the seceded character gets stolen (it gets returned), and the ''high school drama class'' is performing the play ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wit_%28play%29 Wit]]'', which the PTA thinks is just too much (as do the critics). Oh, and a dead Iraq war vet isn't dead after all and returns just in time to learn that a loved one has died (probably of cancer).
** The artist's other strip, ''{{Crankshaft}}'', went through a week-long breakdown after his father died: Flash-forwards show Crankshaft as pretty much catatonic, confined to a wheelchair and living in a nursing home. At least his nurse was nice and took him out to see a ballgame (that was rained out). [[FlashbackWithinAFlashback Flashbacks within the flash-forward]] show a much younger Crankshaft watching a ballgame (suggesting that he has retreated into memories of happier times, and is perhaps unaware of what is going on here and now). Since this is a strip where characters grow older, this has disturbing implications for Crankshaft. The ''next'' week featured Crankshaft being saved from a snake bite from his son-in-law's mother's yappy dog; it got better and so did the comic strip.

* Spoofed in Jeff Kinney's novel ''{{Diary of a Wimpy Kid}}'', in which the quest for a new cartoonist for the middle school newspaper was due to this. ''Wacky Dawg'', according to the narrator, was originally a funny strip but the creator started using it to "handle his personal business" and was subsequently fired. The sample strip the reader sees has the eponymous dog, instead of saying something funny, asking the creator's girlfriend to forgive him for kissing one of her friends ''and'' reminding a guy who owes the creator money to pay up.

** The artist's other strip, ''{{Crankshaft}}'', went through a week-long breakdown after his father died: Flash-forwards show Crankshaft as pretty much catatonic, confined to a wheelchair and living in a nursing home. At least his nurse was nice and took him out to see a ballgame (that was rained out). Since this is a strip where characters grow older, this has disturbing implications for Crankshaft. The ''next'' week featured Crankshaft being saved from a snake bite from his son-in-law's mother's yappy dog; it got better and so did the comic strip.

* ''FunkyWinkerbean'' appears to be in one since it's been in a long spiral of depression ever since the main character's wife died of cancer ([[{{hatedom}} critics]] just replace the dialog with "Cancercancercancercancer"), to the point where the title character (who apparently isn't the main character) also has cancer, the charity set up in the name of the seceded character gets stolen (it gets returned), and the ''high school drama class'' is performing the play ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wit_%28play%29 Wit]]'', which the PTA thinks is just too much (as do the critics). Oh, and a dead Iraq war vet isn't dead after all and returns just in time to learn that a loved one has died (probably of cancer).

* ''FunkyWinkerbean'' appears to be in one since it's been in a long spiral of depression ever since the main character's wife died of cancer ([[{{hatedom}} critics]] just replace the dialog with "Cancercancercancercancer"), to the point where the title character (who apparently isn't the main character) also has cancer, the charity set up in the name of the seceded character gets stolen ([[IGotBetter it gets returned]]), and the ''high school drama class'' is performing the play ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wit_%28play%29 Wit]]'', which the PTA thinks is just too much (as do the critics). Oh, and a dead Iraq war vet isn't dead after all and returns just in time to learn that a loved one has died (probably of cancer).

* The Argentinian cartoonist {{Quino}}, after making GallowsHumor strips to cope with the repressive rule of the Military Junta in the 70s and 80s, suffered from this in the 90s and early 2000s after Argentina suffered the worst economic crisis it had faced in its history. [[http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/1486/quino03091995uz8.jpg This strip]] shows one of its lowest points: In it, government spokesmen proudly announce that the nation's infant mortality is ''among the highest of the world'' and that the viewers should feel proud of figuring in such notorious scale. The last caption says: "Note from the author: This strip which does not intend to be funny, was drawn with anger, impotence and a lot of sadness. Quino".