Dare to Be Great, Ms. Caucus

Doonesbury Annuals #7

by G.B. Trudeau

The frustrations, imbroglios, and misadventures of day-care director Joanie Caucus and other residents and presidents of the land of discrimination, inflation, and confabulation

Genres: Humor, Comics, Comic Strips, Cartoon, Politics, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1975

About the author

Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip. In 1970, Trudeau's creation of Doonesbury was syndicated by the newly formed Universal Press Syndicate. Today Doonesbury is syndicated to almost 1,400 newspapers worldwide and is accessible online in association with Slate Magazine at doonesbury.com. In 1975, he became the first comic strip artist to win a Pulitzer, traditionally awarded to editorial-page cartoonists. He was also a Pulitzer finalist in 1990. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1977 in the category of Animated Short Film, for A Doonesbury Special, in collaboration with John Hubley and Faith Hubley. A Doonesbury Special eventually won the Cannes Film Festival Jury Special Prize in 1978. Other awards include the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) Newspaper Comic Strip Award in 1994, and the Reuben Award in 1995. He was made a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1993. Wiley Miller, fellow comic-strip artist responsible for Non Sequitur, called Trudeau "far and away the most influential editorial cartoonist in the last 25 years." In addition to his work on Doonesbury, Trudeau has teamed with Elizabeth Swados and written plays, such as Rap Master Ronnie and Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy. In 1988, Trudeau joined forces with director Robert Altman for the HBO miniseries Tanner '88 and the Sundance Channel miniseries sequel Tanner on Tanner in 2004. In 1996, Newsweek and The Washington Post speculated that Trudeau wrote the novel Primary Colors, which was later revealed to have been written by Joe Klein. Trudeau wrote the political sitcom Alpha House, starring John Goodman and Bill Murray. The pilot was produced by Amazon Studios and aired in early 2013. Due to positive response Amazon has picked up Alpha House to develop into a full series.

Reviews

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another pretty good one. Joanie applying for Law School. Too much Watergate. Mark helping with a truck driver protest. Not a lot of B.D. or Boopsie in this one. I guess the use of the cast is a little inconsistent. I will be happy when I get past Watergate. But not for the moment, taking a break from Doonesbury to get back to library books. 3.5 of 5.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming out in 1975 with strips from the first half of 74 – Watergate dominates the political topics and there are some good plot developments with the Doonesbury regulars, like Joanie Caucus getting accepted into law school and the introduction of Roland Hedley. Trudeau is in great shape here, always genuinely funny.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I have said this before - but I will say it again: this series really captures the turmoil that the 70's brought to America after Watergate. It seemed as if everyone was searching for some sort of a moral compass that could tell us what direction we should try follow; so many lies and disappointments. Insightful and haunting look at the way we were.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strips published in newspapers between 1973 & 1975, reflecting the events of those years, such as the Watergate scandal, with the main characters living in the Walden Commune near their college campus.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining as ever, love the Roland Hedly wind-up.

[Shoshanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like I'm learning a little about the feeling in the air around Watergate. I'm constantly looking up names!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Good.

[Valerie]

These small (a little more than pocket size, unless you're wearing a mackinaw) specialized books tend to focus on particular characters. This is one of my favorites, because I've always been fond of Joanie Caucus. Most copies of these small collections tended to go walkabout from libraries, but they didn't end up in used bookstores. I have to think they're sequestered in private libraries. Not mine, alas! But somebody's.

[Craig Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlighted by a series of sequences on Watergate, this volume includes the strips that established Doonesbury as a political presence, as distinct from the social commentary role of the earlier work. The walls rising in front of the White House, the tour of Watergate conspirators, the scenes with Nixon comparing himself to Lincoln. Add the saga of Joanie's applications to law school and the first of Mark's turns as bartender at the Walden class reunions and it's vintage Trudeau.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this and other Doonesbury books with great interest when I was pretty young. Now I get more of the jokes. I also remember how "grown up" these comics were--but now I see that Trudeau was still sort of a young punk when he drew them

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Watergate continues, Ms. Caucus gets in (finally!) to law school, etc. Last Doonesbury book for a while, I think.

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Doonesbury and I find Trudeau's liberal humor to be really funny.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have reread these so often and they never pale.

[David]

5th read ... never gets old

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

v. strange to think of joanie as grandmother