Frazz
| Frazz | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Jef Mallett |
| Website | http://gocomics.com/frazz |
| Current status / schedule | Running |
| Launch date | 2 April 2001 |
| Syndicate(s) | United Feature Syndicate |
| Publisher(s) | Andrews McMeel Publishing |
| Genre(s) | Slice of Life / Social Satire |
Frazz is a syndicated comic strip by Jef Mallett that, on the surface, is about school custodian Edwin "Frazz" Frazier and the school where he works, but which, according to Mallett, is really about discovery. The strip debuted on 2 April 2001.
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 wouldn't 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.
Frazz – The eponymous character, Edwin Frazier, is a barely-thirty-year-old songwriter who took a job as janitor of Bryson Elementary. Mallett describes him as "the voice of reason, the voice of experience and, frequently, the voice of temptation." He took the job because his songwriting career wasn't going well, but then several of his songs became major hits. Now independently wealthy, he keeps his job as janitor because he can. His daily interactions with the students and faculty reveal insight into an unimaginable number of topics: books, music, pop culture, art, history, and many more. A true Renaissance man, Frazz is always ready to teach children and adults more about the world around them. Because he doesn't look down on them, the students look up to him, and he also has the respect of the adults, with the possible exception of Mrs. Olsen, who remembers what a handful he was when he was in third grade. Drawing inspiration from his daily school life, his songs soon become extremely popular. Frazz loves triathlons, bicycling, jogging, swimming, basketball, songwriting, and talking with the students. However, among the students, he seems to have a spot in his heart for Caulfield especially, as he is always spurring him to mischief (often unintentionally), and makes excuses for Caulfield's "bored genius" behavior. He also seems to always clean the detention room where Caulfield spends a good bit of his time. He has a pet guinea pig which he rescued from Mrs. Olsen's classroom and named "Lyle" after Lyle Lovett. Frazz has a sister who works as a nurse, and his mother is said to be an excellent cook and seamstress, but these relatives are unseen characters except for occasional Thanksgiving Day appearances. Frazz admittedly suffers from poor taste in clothes, confessing at one point that he wore sweaters "... good enough for Bill Cosby" all through high school and frequently showing a penchant for Hawaiian patterned shirts, including one featuring dogs playing poker. Frazz is also bad at shopping for gifts, having been banned from future purchases on his parents' behalf after incidents involving "... a singing bass and a Dancing Hula Girl".
...
Wikipedia