Kudzu

Kudzu was one of my favorite newspaper cartoons of all time. The main character was a late teen named 'Kudzu', who was anxious, lacking direction and full of doubts. Like a typical late teen I'd say.

There were other characters but the one featured most was a man referred to only as 'Preacher'--which is what he was in his black suit, string tie and wide-brimmed 'parson's hat', walking with a cane. Preacher was a self-absorbed, money-grabbing fraud of a minister and Kudzu's biggest nemesis.

All the cartoons were only three frames. I still have two of them. I framed the frames.

In the first, Kudzu Dobois (I just remembered his last name) is walking down a southern country rode with the Preacher. Kudzu has on dark pants and a light jacket with leather on the elbows, an open necked white shirt and messy hair. The Preacher is a head shorter than the boy.

Kudzu says to the Preacher in the first frame, "Sometimes when I talk to people I fell like they're paying no attention..."

In the second frame, he says, "It's as if they're not even there!" (and the Preacher ISN'T THERE in the frame!)

The Preacher is back in the third frame when Kudzu says,  "Do you know what I mean?"

The Preacher looks at him and says, "Pardon?"

In the second cartoon the two are walking through a place with trees. Kudzu asks, "Okay, Preacher, you've heard all my problems! You're my only hope! What would you do if you were me?"

Preacher replies in the second frame, "If I were you, I reckon I'd give up, change my name, have plastic surgery, and move to Nome, Alaska....

...of course, I'm not you." he concludes in the third frame to Kudzu's fallen visage.

A complete course in how not to do pastoral counseling!