Line #33 ComicStrip/HeartOfTheCity


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2	%%Zero-Context Examples as well as examples hosted only on other websites are not allowed.
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5	[[quoteright:246:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heartofthecity.jpg]]
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7	''Heart of the City'' is a comic strip that has been running in newspapers since 1998. Created by Creator/MarkTatulli, it focuses on Heart Lamarr, a [[GenkiGirl high energy]] elementary schoolgirl in UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}}; her [[ProudToBeAGeek proudly geeky]] best friend Dean, and her frequently overwhelmed single mother.
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9	The comic, complete with archives since 1999, can be found at [[http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity GoComics]]. (Beware of blocker-bypassing popups.)
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11	In strips beginning with the run date of April 27, 2020, Tatulli passed ''Heart of the City'' to cartoonist Christina "Steenz" Stewart, resulting in a very noticeable change in visual style.
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14	!!''Heart of the City'' provides examples of:
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16	* AbortedArc: Several story arcs often end suddenly with no actual conclusion.
17	* AdaptationalSelfDefense: Played with. Dean, a devout ''Franchise/StarWars'' fan, is obsessed with making "Han shot first" canon again. So much that he causes Creator/GeorgeLucas to have a nervous breakdown in a dream sequence.
18	* AllJustADream: Several arcs end this way. For instance, the arc where Heart travels to the world of Creator/DrSeuss is naturally a dream.
19	* {{Animesque}}: Steenz has added more {{anime}} style elements in the way eyes and facial expressions are depicted.
20	%%* BlackAndNerdy: Charlotte.
21	* BlandNameProduct: Heart is often seen playing with [[Franchise/{{Barbie}} Karlie and Ben]] dolls.
22	%% * TheCity: Center City Philadelphia, to be exact.
23	%%* CatchPhrase: Heart's "Holy Shamoly!"
24	* ComicBookTime: The characters don't age, but the pop-culture references remain current.
25	* ContinuityNod: When Heart finally reunites with her father after Steenz took over the strip, Heart brought up her attempt to meet him in New York in a story arc drawn during Mark Tatulli's tenure.
26	* DeadTVRemoteGag: [[http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2009/07/16/ At least it landed on something she wanted to watch.]]
27	%%* DeadpanSnarker: Heart to Dean; Heart's mom to Heart.
28	* DisappearedDad: Heart's father left right after she was born to pursue a career in acting. A storyline in November 1999 revolved around this.
29	** [[https://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2020/12/25 Heart's dad finally appeared in a December 2020 storyline]], under the new artist Steenz.
30	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In a 1999 sequence, Dean is absolutely shocked to learn that Heart didn't like ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', and then tries to argue why it's good. While this lines up with fan opinion at the time, it reads oddly in retrospect, since Dean has spent the 00's complaining about the prequel movies [[note]]And about Han not shooting first. Did we mention that he hates the idea of Han not shooting first?[[/note]] as much as any other disappointed ''Franchise/StarWars'' fanboy since then.
31	* EpunymousTitle: A girl named Heart who lives in TheCity.
32	* FairyGodmother: One series of strips revolves around Heart being helped by her "fairy bird-mother" to attend a Jonas Brothers concert.
33	* FellAsleepStandingUp: Dean does this at the bus stop in [[https://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2013/09/03 this September strip]] after staying up all night before the first day of school.
34	* FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome: One arc had Dean becoming a popular jerk; another had him becoming "mature." In both cases, he nearly lost Heart's friendship.
35	%% * FurAndLoathing: [[http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2003/03/30 One]] [[http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2006/01/15 of the]] [[http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2001/01/28 comic's]] [[http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2004/02/15 recurring]] [[http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/1999/11/07 themes]].
36	* TheGhost: Dean's father was this until he finally appeared in 2020.
37	* GiveGeeksAChance: Heart may complain about Dean's nerdy interests, but as the examples from FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome above shows, she wouldn't want him any other way.
38	* HalfwayPlotSwitch: {{Subverted}} for the most part: While the longer arcs do tend to drift a little, they almost always come back around by the end. A straight example: A 2006 story arc that starts [[http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2006/04/10 here]] begins with Dean creating his own ''Franchise/StarWars'' movie, then eventually changes to Heart dreaming she has to go to summer school.
39	%%* ItsAllAboutMe: Heart.
40	%%* LittleMissSnarker: Heart.
41	* MadAtADream:
42	-->'''Heart's Mom:''' [[LetMeGetThisStraight Let me get this straight.]] You're ''mad'' at me because I married the scary lollipop guy from ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'' in your ''dream?!''\
43	'''Heart:''' Not only that! You should have seen the ugly dress you made me wear!
44	%%* MoodWhiplash: The Kristallnacht arc.
45	%%* NotAMorningPerson: Heart.
46	* RunningGag: Dean would like to remind you that [[Film/ANewHope Han shot first]].
47	* ShoutOut: %% One series of strips parodied Literature/{{Cinderella}}, with Heart being helped by her "fairy bird-mother" to attend a Jonas Brothers concert.
48	** To [[http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2008/09/08/ Salad Fingers]], of all things.
49	** Multiple times during Mark Tatulli's run, it would be mentioned that Heart enjoys watching ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''.
50	** Though it's not namedropped, [[https://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2020/07/05 this strip]] is about Dean getting clobbered in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
51	** [[https://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2021/07/18 When Charlotte is writing a list]] on how to start grilling food and is told the family uses charcoal and not propane, she writes on the list "NO Propane ([[WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill or its accessories]])".
52	* TimeSkip: In September 2019, Heart, Dean and Kat started junior high.
53	* TraumaticHaircut: In one installment, the "Ben" doll character is a hairdresser wrecking his clients' hair in a fantasy sequence. [[spoiler: Then Heart's mother tells her that she won't replace her dolls as it's not her fault Heart cut their hair off. Heart blames it on Ben.]]
54	* TheUnsmile: [[http://www.gocomics.com/heartofthecity/2010/12/19/ Heart's "innocent smile".]]
55	%%* VolumetricMouth: Often.

Context ComicStrip / HeartOfTheCity