Frazz is a syndicated comic strip by Jef Mallett about school custodian Edwin "Frazz" Frazier and the school and students where he works. The strip debuted on April 2, 2001, and , appears in over 250 newspapers and is read by tens of thousands online each day.
Premise and themes
In the comic, Edwin "Frazz" Frazier works as a school janitor at Bryson Elementary School. Frazz mentors the students of the school, particularly Caulfield, a genius who hates school because it fails to challenge him.
<!-- Possible useful text from News Observer: "The strip's success, he believes, is owed in part to the philosophy he takes in creating it. After spending most of his career as an illustrator and art director in the newspaper business, Mallett tired of what he believed to be the industry's pandering to the lowest common denominator. So he developed his strip for a smart audience.
"You don't get dumb people reading the newspapers. You get the smarter people, the college graduates, the movers and shakers. So I thought, I'm going to put out a comic for the smart people."" -->Mallett has explained that the strip is about discovery, and not merely learning. Frazz's job is just the surface. He reads everything from Milton to Hiaasen to bike racing magazines, he writes, he races, he's an athlete, and he's a songwriter, discovering the value of a day job. When songwriting started going well, he kept his custodian job because it was the perfect environment for discovery through the energy and interest of the students. Many of the characters are based on his childhood experiences at school, and at home as the child of an educator. Frazz is, at least attitudinally, based on Mallett himself. During a 1996 book tour of schools to promote a children's book he wrote and illustrated, Mallett noticed that the kids would not quiet down for their teachers or principals, but would for the school janitor; he or she was "the man", existing on a separate plane between the students and adults. songwriter and janitor of Bryson Elementary. A Renaissance man with endless curiosity, Frazz loves triathlons, Caulfield is a genius, but hates school because it fails to challenge him. or Gregor Samsa from The Metamorphosis, often stumping most of the teachers but being quickly recognized by Frazz. Mallett regards Caulfield as "the hero of the strip ... He won't give up that joy of learning for the sake of a test score, for quiet approval, for the easy A". She has a pet greyhound named "Mario", which she adopted after he retired from racing. Miss Plainwell is modeled on Mallett's wife. Burke started out obese, but has slimmed down due to a Frazz-inspired exercise program. Olsen is the third grade teacher at Bryson Elementary, and the teacher from hell. She is frequently the object of tricks and practical jokes by Frazz and Caulfield, She is shown to be a hero at heart with the story arc starting the week of June 17, 2013, although she wants to keep intact her public image of a crusty exterior and unsympathetic attitude. She is a composite of several of Mallett's teachers and one of Mallett's wife's teachers.
Dr. Spaetzle – The African-American principal of Bryson Elementary.
Coach Hacker – The physical education teacher, interested only in team sports, with no interest in participatory athletics. Coach Hacker was an All-Big 10 defensive end in the 1970s, but now is out-of shape and has been married five times. According to Mallett, he is "dim, a little mean, so closed down",
Mrs. Trevino – The second-grade teacher at Bryson Elementary. She cooks gorditas for her class every Cinco de Mayo. Mrs. Trevino has been phased away from the strip now that Ms. Plainwell (Mrs. Trevino's former best friend) and Frazz are in a relationship.
Clutch – Frazz's friend & fellow runner/cyclist. Works as an emergency room nurse. Clutch has been phased away from the strip now that Ms. Plainwell and Frazz are in a relationship.
References to real life
Many of the characters or locations in the strip are references to real-life people whom Mallett respects or other aspects of his life. In a 2008 interview, Mallett said that Bryson Elementary is named after one of his favorite authors, Bill Bryson.
- Frazz plays catch with Caulfield on Bobke's Bluff, referencing cyclist Bob Roll.
- Caulfield tells Frazz that Mrs. Olsen believes reports that Elvis was seen working as a barista at the Water Street Coffee Joint in Kalamazoo.
- Frazz once wore a shirt from nearby University of Detroit Jesuit High School.
- In one strip, Frazz and Caulfield visit County Line Lake, which is likely a reference to either County Line Lake in Oakfield, Michigan, or County Line Lake in Locke, Michigan.
- In another strip, Caulfield is wearing a hat with the logo of the Detroit Red Wings on it.
Comparisons to Calvin and Hobbes
Because of similarities in calligraphic style, Frazz's physical appearance, station in life as a brilliant underachiever, and his age relative to Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes, jokes and rumors arose that Mallett was actually Bill Watterson. Mallett was flattered by the comparison and acknowledges Watterson's influence, but denies that he is Watterson or that Frazz is intended as a copy or replacement of, or sequel to, Calvin and Hobbes. In the foreword to Live at Bryson Elementary, Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten wrote, "[The critics are] focusing not only on hair (Frazz's frizz), but also on his station in life: a brilliant underachiever. Well, Jef assures me that any similarity is unintentional."
In a piece praising the strip, Los Angeles Times columnist Charles Solomon said, "The humor and calligraphic drawing in 'Frazz' reflect Watterson's influence, but the strip doesn't feel like a pallid imitation."
Mallett has alluded to the speculation several times in the strip. In a September 2003 Sunday strip an introverted student tells Frazz that she wants to be famous, and believes it is possible to be famous for one's work, without exposing your private life to the public eye. Frazz says, "Good point. Like J.D. Salinger or Bill Watterson." Though she's never heard of them. As part of a brief story arc in November 2006, Frazz tells Caulfield "I also used to be Bill Watterson's personal assistant." Also, in a story arc where Mallett corrects a mistake in attribution of a quote by Edison, Caulfield compares cartoonists to gods. Frazz replies that that might be a bit of a stretch, but Caulfield replies, "What about that Calvin and Hobbes guy?" and Frazz replies, "Okay, him, yeah."
Awards
- 2003 and 2005 Wilbur Award for Promoting Ethics and Positive Values
Anthologies
- Live at Bryson Elementary. 2005, Andrews McMeel Publishing. 128 pages. Collects strips from April 2, 2001, to January 6, 2002. Includes foreword by Gene Weingarten and introduction by Jef Mallett.
- 99% Perspiration. 2006, Andrews McMeel Publishing. 128 pages. Collects strips from January 7, 2002, to October 19, 2002.
- Frazz 3.1416. 2008, Andrews McMeel Publishing. 128 pages. Collects strips from October 20, 2002, to July 26, 2003. Includes an introduction by Charles Solomon. .
References
External links
- Frazz at GoComics.com; daily strips and information about author and characters
- Interview with Jef Mallett by Marc Barringer in VeloNews magazine