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27 September 2007

At work, we got a mess of old Beetle Bailey books for the dollar pile. I bought a few and read them on the subway. I belive that the crypto-S&M homoerotic relationship between Beetle and Sgt. Snorkel is an important subtext of this ouevre. Discuss.

post by: jonmc at: 18:53 | 12 comments

Sarge is the top of of course, Beetle the bottom.

posted by jonmc 27 September | 18:54

Are you sure it's not just your run-of-the-mill abusive homoerotic relationship? Although Beetle does seem to keep coming back for more. The strip has been running for how long now? Surely Beetle's enlistment has expired more than once.

posted by Joe Invisible 27 September | 18:56

Your interest in military manlove has overarched the enduring importance of Beetle Bailey's successful multi-decade furtherance of his slacker ethic, by passive aggressive tactics such as excessive sleeping. Beetle's not just an anti-hero, he's an anti-achievement hero.

posted by paulsc 27 September | 19:00

I think he's a lifer.

I sawe one strip where Sarge yells "Bet on the Gall, Beetle!" When Beetle looks at him funny, Sarge says "I mean 'Get on the ball, Beetle!' and adds 'Sorry, didn't get much sleep last night.' Beetle answers 'It's the thought that counts,' and pats a smiling Sarsge on the shoulder.

That's some deep shit, yo.

paulsc: make no mistake, Beetle is the Audie Murphy of sloth and thus a resident on my personal olympus.

posted by jonmc 27 September | 19:02

This rather recent Beetle Bailey strip may provide some new insights into the Beetle/Sarge relationship, not to mention how it fits in with the culture of the Army itself...
≡ Click to see image ≡

posted by wendell 27 September | 19:13

Comics Curmudgeon agrees with your analysis, jon.

posted by bmarkey 27 September | 19:22

I see a whole new subgenre of slash-fiction being born...

posted by jonmc 27 September | 19:24

Beetle/Sarge would be exponentially more interesting than Gen. Halftrack/Miss Buxley--so vanilla!

posted by Joe Invisible 27 September | 20:38

Sarge was always a swinger. The runaway jeep was more than coincidence.

posted by Smart Dalek 27 September | 21:17

Surely Beetle's enlistment has expired

Stop loss.

posted by pompomtom 27 September | 21:53

I've always wondered why, of all the many things I've read in my life (and, friends, really, I've read a lot, thousands of books, comics, magazines, pamphlets, thousands and thousands) I've read so many Beetle Bailey collections.

I don't have an answer, but I've always liked them.

posted by Divine_Wino 27 September | 22:34

Don't ask, don't tell.

posted by kirkaracha 28 September | 16:05

← 17 Pound Baby!!!! || hai guyz →

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