Line #20 ComicStrip/Nuts


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nuts_6698.jpg]]
2	''Nuts'' is a comic drawn and written by Creator/GahanWilson which ran in ''Magazine/NationalLampoon'' from 1972-1981, with occasional reappearances after that until 1986. It's a SliceOfLife strip about a nameless little boy trying to navigate the wilds of childhood. Very much a NostalgiaAintLikeItUsedToBe piece; many strips deal with childhood fears and the seemingly arbitrary nature of the rules of the world.
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4	The strip was collected into a "graphic novel" by Fantagraphics in 2011, and is worth seeking out, especially for fans of ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' (though the protagonist is more grounded in many ways).
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6	The title is something of a TakeThat to ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', which Wilson thought was a good strip but less about real children and more philosophical exploration that happened to have child characters.
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8	----
9	!! This comic provides examples of:
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11	* AdultsAreUseless: A recurring theme of the comic is that adult rules and motivations are completely ''incomprehensible'' to kids, making this more like [[HumansAreCthulhu Adults Are Cthulhu]].
12	* DreamWithinADream: Twice in different strips.
13	-->''(thought balloon)'' Waste of time sleeping!
14	* DysfunctionalFamily: The parents argue quite a bit and often ignore The Kid. For his part, The Kid is pretty good at lying to his parents (especially about the "Disney nature films" he goes to see, which are always outlandish horror movies).
15	* TheFaceless: Every adult, as the strip is drawn at kids'-eye level.
16	* TheFifties: The time the comic takes place in is never explicitly stated, but the styles of clothing people wear and the costs of things (a dollar covers the cost of The Kid's haircut ''and'' a 25-cent tip) suggests this era. The comics The Kid loves definitely have a [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]][=/=]late [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] feel (superheroes, war comics, horror comics).
17	* FirstTimeFeeling: The Kid and a buddy go see a UsefulNotes/ThreeDMovie, making The Kid acutely aware of distance and perspective ("Look at him get littler and littler as he walks away!"). The final panel has The Kid sitting on his bed in an exaggeratedly stretched-out version of his room:
18	-->I wish to God I'd never seen all this space!
19	* FreeRangeChildren: The Kid often wanders into places without adult supervision.
20	* GoshDangItToHeck: ''Averted''-- you can use words like "crap" and "shit" when you're writing for the ''National Lampoon'' and not newspaper syndication.
21	* {{Jerkass}}: The Kid's dad at one point seems to enjoy watching him squirm when they go to eat at a Chinese restaurant, and sounds disappointed when The Kid makes a show of enjoying the weird new food.
22	-->''(thought balloon)'' I'm getting smart!
23	* MinorInjuryOverreaction: The Kid's friend falls off a pier and is screaming. The Kid climbs down imagining the horrible, gory things his friend could be screaming about, only to discover his friend scratched his finger.
24	* MrImagination: The Kid tends to get a bit grim at times. Lampshaded in an IndulgentFantasySegue where he imagines having a DeathRay to blast everything that he doesn't want to deal with, including his parents:
25	-->Boy! Have I got a vivid imagination!
26	* NoNameGiven: He's just "Kid", or "The Kid".
27	** {{Unnamed Parent}}s: Averted; The Kid's parents call each other by name ("Harry" and "Madge").
28	* NosyNeighbor: Miss Cripp, who shows up in a couple of strips to lecture The Kid and his friends about all the dangerous things out there and how she's keeping an eye on them to make sure they're not up to something. Later, The Kid wonders if she's insane... and if he could end up like that too.
29	* OneWordTitle: "Nuts" is obviously one word.
30	* SpoiledBrat: The Kid's cousin Claude is used to getting his way and likes to brag about having better toys.
31	* SummerCampy: Camp Tall Lone Tree, which gets several strips about what a rotten place it is.
32	* {{Troperiffic}}[=/=]ClicheStorm: {{Discussed\|Trope}} in a strip where The Kid and his friend go to see an action film and imagine how the plot will unfold-- and are happy when it does just that, because it's something that reassuringly makes sense in a weird world. [[invoked]]

Context ComicStrip / Nuts