Surprise! Beetle Bailey saves the punchline in today's "Blondie" (Chron.com)

As if the comics page wasn't confusing enough! Here we see Dagwood Bumstead getting reamed out yet again by tyrannical Mr. Dithers, who holds sway over an office in which, oddly enough, no work ever seems to take place or get done! Yes, we often see Dagwood rummaging through piles of paperwork, and every so often he goes in and asks for a raise but what is it that the malcontents and ne'er-do-wells at J.C. Dithers & Co. actually do? Make grommets? Create ad campaigns? Consult on corporate structure? Y'got me.

The point is emphasized today when Dagwood sullenly trods back to his cubicle after another ego-tearing encounter with Mr. Dithers and discovers perennial Army goldbrick Beetle Bailey napping at his desk. Imagine! We usually envision the world of Dagwood and Blondie existing separately from that of Beetle and his military compadres, but today's comic implies that the two actually live in the same plane of existence! When Beetle goes to war (and who's to say he ever will; in the 345 years of his strip, he's barely done so much as stick a dummy with a bayonet), presumably, Dagwood and Blondie will have to buy war bonds or save scrap metal for the effort (remember, these characters barely act as if they live in 1975, let alone 2009).

Which brings me to the real point of this little diatribe: For some reason -a growing disenchantment wihth these characters after churning out strips for the better part of a century, maybe? - more comic strips are making use of characters from elsewhere on the page.

...and Popeye adds some whimsy to "Mutts" (Chron.com)

Why, just look at "Mutts" from last week. As seen by the strip above, we witnessed cute, li'l ol squirrels hurling noxious legumes at Popeye, not to mention Betty Boop.

Look, this sort of stuff isn't particularly rare. Few people realize, for instance, that Lois Flagston of "Hi & Lois" happens to be Beetle's sister, and the two have made appearances in each other's panels. "Pearls Before Swine" takes great delight in messing around with Jeffy and the other semi-challenged siblings from "Family Circus." And before it became the dull, pedestrian "Sam & Silo," a fascinating little effort called "Sam's Strip" once allowed a multitude of once-favorite comics characters to wander in and out of its little multi-panel world.

And yet, one has to wonder if these increasingly commonplace crossovers suggest that the writers of each strip have fewer ideas of what to do with thier own charges. It's no secret to anyone that we've seen umpteen references to Dagwood's corporate incompetence and tendency to sleep half the workdday. But you bring Beetle Bailey into it, and maybe - just maybe  the reader is delighted, surprised or confused. And maybe the writer has distracted us from thinking that thought that is no doubt the bug-a-boo of many a panel-scratcher: Haven't I read this one before?

Mind you, there's no reason comics have to employ charactgers from elsewhere. My Lord "Cathy" has made enough money to boost our GDP by at least five to ten points by purposefully indulging in the same eight to ten jokes, strip after strip, year after year.

Look, folks , the simple fact of the matter is that comic-strip gurus ought to be on the hunt for better guest stars. If the Flagstons' family life is dull, trust me, an appearance by Beetle Bailey ain't gonna liven it up. Seeking out good candidates? How about Originality, Innovation and Humor? Chance are they'd be glad to get the work.

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