Frazz by Jef Mallett follows the adventures of an unexpected role model: an elementary-school janitor who's also a Renaissance man. While he's sweeping the hall, he's whistling Beethoven. Or Lyle Lovett. He paints the woodwork in the classrooms; he paints a Da Vinci on the cafeteria wall. He's a trusted authority figure who is every kid's buddy. He took the janitor's job while he was a struggling songwriter, and when he finally sold a hit song, he decided to stay on at school. Frazz appears in 200 newspapers worldwide, including the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Chicago Tribune and Detroit News. "A few years back, I wrote and illustrated a children's book," says Mallett. "When I was traveling around reading it at school assemblies, I noticed that often, the most respected, best-liked grown-up in the building was the janitor. And I thought, 'Hmm, there's a comic strip in that.'" Often praised for its intelligent wit, gentle spirit and effortless diversity, Frazz won a Wilbur Award from the Religion Communicators Council in 2003 and 2005 for excellence in communicating values and ethics.
© Jef Mallett - All Rights Reserved.
Frank & Ernest by Thaves
Fred Basset by Alex Graham
Comments (26) (Please sign in to comment)
Nabuquduriuzhur said, 11 months ago
Is he sure it isn’t for “algae?” :)
Fairportfan2 said, 11 months ago
“If you wanna get laid, go to college. If you wanna learn something, go to the library” – Frank Zappa
Igor Smetlavich said, 11 months ago
What does a ten-year-old know about nostalgia?
On another note, I like the way the border in the first panel became the water stream and puddle.
TheSkulker
said, 11 months ago
Yes, Caulfield certainly hit the nail on the head –
Don’t confuse school with learning!!!
Varnes said, 11 months ago
Ouch! But good memories are better than a fire place in winter……
Varnes said, 11 months ago
I just made that up!
Vote said, 11 months ago
Uh, it’s not Latin, but Greek. (From “algos”)
celecca
said, 11 months ago
nostalgia ain’t what it used to be
masterskrain said, 11 months ago
@celecca
Dern Tootin!
Who ever thought that some people would ever be nostalgic for Disco?
zoidknight said, 11 months ago
@TheSkulker
Especially public school.
zoidknight said, 11 months ago
@masterskrain
Only those who never experienced the horror of it.
Notsoastute said, 11 months ago
Now I have to go to the dictionary…..again.
Remember when nostalgia was cool?
Notsoastute said, 11 months ago
Interesting…latin/greek: a return home + painful
Joseph Houk said, 11 months ago
The problem, Caufield, is that the meaning of the word has changed over time.
Nosta (home) plus Algia (pain) is really “home sickness.”
Which has come to mean “longing for another time”, though it really means “wanting to go back to your old home, to the point of illness.”
puddleglum1066 said, 11 months ago
Anybody remember Gahan Wilson’s 70s-vintage comic in the National Lampoon, “Nuts”? As Wilson said, “Those who remember how great it was to be a little kid, don’t remember how it was to be a little kid.” Nostalgia is built around faulty memory.