#@&∞≈†*!!

As a sorta setup to tomorrow's post, here's a new entry in the annals of cartooning: the latest/oldest usage of the grawlix in print, created by Gene Carr Nov. 1st, 1901. The one previously thought to be the first instance was this one from "The Katzenjammer Kids"). And here's a bit more context on the spectrum of symbol swearing, plus some perspective on the print (and tv) media's inexorable evolution with cussing, and bonus history about Lady Bountiful.

I go through phases where I swear too much. When cycling back into polite society I’ll do my best to try and rein it in, but the eventually edges get frayed and things wear through. Unfiltered doodles are at the bottom of a lot of ideas, but given the family-friendly demographics of newspaper readership I often find myself needing tactful edits to maintain community standards of civil discourse. The upcoming panel posted tomorrow will for example illustrate the spread of possibilities along the cartoon cursing continuum.