We see comic-strip characters every day, but rarely if ever catch them taking part in many of the rituals that are so much a part of daily life - eating a meal, sleeping at 2 a.m., going to the bathroom, having sex.
OK, scratch that last one.
In what we believe is a shocker of a comic, Lila Mayfield from "The Meaning of Lila" is caught naked in bed (well, she's under a blanket), fretting over a quick hook-up she's had with a male acquaintance of hers, who is also still in the boudoir with her. While we don't actually catch her in the act, as it were, we are looking at her mere moments after.
Despite our progressive times, it's still relatively unique to see comic-strip characters let it all hang out as Lila has. When's the last time you saw Lois Flagston, nightgown askew, going at it with Hi? Even the va-va-vaoomy Ms. Buxley is never caught with her clothes on the floor over at "Beetle Bailey" - even though she's been dating the title character for months.
"Lila," of course, is not one of this nation's long-in-the-tooth "legacy" comics - think "Blondie" or "Apartment 3-G" - that continue to reflect a society that was largely extant back in the 30s, 40s and 50s when they originated, and really no longer exists today. As such, perhaps there's more freedom for this animated heroine to jump in the sack, and then jump into another one.
There does seem to be more freedom for comic strips. From talk of Viagra in "Girls & Sports" to chatter about a menage a trois in "Tina's Groove," there seems to be an increasing number of instances in which comics-characters feel good about getting their groove on. Indeed, sometimes older characters are taking part in this animated sexual revolution: Batman and Catwoman recently shed their inhibitions and engaged in a pubilc tryst.
And while "Lila" creator John Forgetta seems to have tapped a new subject for funny-page residents to consider, we have to draw the line somewhere: No one wants to see "Momma" walk in on Marylou, or see Broom-Hilda lounging about in a position similar to what Lila Mayfield was spotted in yesterday.
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