| Buckles | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | David Gilbert |
| Current status/schedule | Ended |
| Launch date | March 25, 1996 |
| End date | March 21, 2021 |
| Syndicate(s) | King Features Syndicate |
| Publisher(s) | Plan 9 Publishing (2002-2005) |
| Genre(s) | Humor,satire |
Buckles is acomic strip byDavid Gilbert about the misadventures of ananthropomorphic naïvedog.[1]Buckles debuted on March 25, 1996, and ended on March 21, 2021.
According toKing Features Syndicate: "More of an only child with canine instincts than he is the family pet. Buckles can display all the charm...of a small child discovering how to find his way through life."
GoComics began a repeat run of the strip effective May 10, 2021.[2]
Buckles is a guileless andinnocent dog, and is the strip'sprotagonist. He was born on March 25, 1996 (The same day the first strip was published). Most of the storylines of the Buckles comic series involve moral issues within Buckles himself. Of course since he is apuppy, issues are more to the point of whether or not to get in the garbage, roll in the mud, or chew up a valuable piece of clothing. Buckles also fearscats. One of Buckles' favorite things to chew up seems to be the remote control to the TV, often ending in a strict lecture from Paul (his owner). The other is to attack and kill Paul'svacuum cleaners. And of course most of his misadventures end either with praise and a treat or a quick "No! Bad Dog!"/"Buckles, You Bad Dog!"
Buckles'owners who are strict and kind. Paul and Jill love Buckles. When he does something bad, they often scold him and put him in thegarage.
Paul, or Jill, often says/yells"BUCKLES, YOU BAD DOG!!!!" (which is theircatchphrase) when annoyed with Buckles.
In May 2006, it was revealed Paul previously had a dog namedShadow before he and Jill got married.[relevant?]
Jill's niece who putsdresses on Buckles and makes him attend hertea parties.
An unseen but heard presence who lives behind Buckles' rightear.
Abird whom Buckles often asks for advice. He likesworms, because they're forlunch.
Arden occasionally breaks thefourth wall, especially onJune 3, 2007.
A dog who, because of hipdysplasia, has a sort ofwheelchair apparatus providing mobility instead of his hind legs.
A streetwise stray whose freedom Buckles envies.
An annoyingsquirrel who lives in the backyard. He hates Buckles and Arden, frequently insulting them and calling them rude names like "slobber face" (Buckles) and "beak brain" (Arden).
There are several stories involving Scrappy in the series. One example is him getting in a fight with a black squirrel. Another occasional story is where Scrappy breaks into Paul and Jill'sattic and realizes he is lost.
Thelove interest of Buckles' life that is afire hydrant.
A younger newspaper deliverer who often throws rolled-up newspapers at Buckles.
There ismeta-humor in this strip; for example, the characters talk with their mouths closed. Their dialogue has manyexclamation points when they talk quietly or nicely like the dialogue inPeanuts. Also, in some strips, there are repeated drawings and lines (i.e. in the May 21, 2008 strip, Buckles steps back from a harmlessgarter snake, horrified. He then hides behind Paul, who rolls his eyes and says, "For crying out loud, Buckles! It's just a harmless garter snake!" After that, like Buckles, Paul steps back from the harmless garter snake, horrified. Then he hides behind Jill, who isgardening but rolls her eyes, saying, "For crying out loud, Paul!..." like Paul did with Buckles).
There are three different comic collections published byPlan 9 Publishing:
Currently, the books are out of stock. David Gilbert left the publisher and will seek into another printing option for the current and future collections.