Hoo-Boy! Morrie Brickman's The Small Society
November 2, 2003 - February 27, 2004
The Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library
27 West 17th Avenue Mall, Columbus, Ohio
In 1966 Morrie Brickman created something different. The
writer of a news story about the debut of the feature was
undecided about whether it should be described as an "editorial
comic strip" or a "political satire." It was "both and neither," according
to cartoon historian Richard Samuel West, who continues by
stating, "Even to this day, The Small Society defies neat
categorization... Unlike all comic strips that preceded it,
The Small Society was driven primarily by its topic for the
day, not by its characters (who were generally Everyman and
Everywoman), nor by a race to the punchline. Unlike the political
cartoons of the period, The Small Society eschewed politicians
and headlines in the particular to find the universal in
public debate."
The comic strip's title provides a window into the cartoonist's
intent: "The Great Society," Lyndon Johnson's high-flown
vision for the future of the United States, was making headlines.
By titling his new comic strip The Small Society, Brickman
made his perspective clear. His worldview is the everyday,
and quirks of his characters belong to all of us. This is
the comic strip's greatest strength. Between1966 and 1985,
from Viet Nam to Reaganomics, current events and American
life are satirized in The Small Society. Grocery prices,
inflation, taxes, family-the stuff of life for everyone-are
covered in Brickman's comic strip, often accompanied by a
resounding "hoo-boy" that reflected his amazement at the
world around him.
This exhibition and related events are cosponsored by The
Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library, its Milton
Caniff Endowment, the Victor Herbert Foundation and Herbert
P. Jacoby in memory of Marge Devine, the Mark J. Cohen and
Rose Marie McDaniel Endowment, the Department of Theatre,
and the Melton Center for Jewish Studies.
