Judge Parker

To: The Editor 
Las Vegas Review-Journal 

 Sir: 

I wish your comics page included my favorite features: Rex Morgan M.D. and Judge Parker. These beloved characters are authority figures. Personifying the Jungian archetype of The Wise Old Man, their adventures gently teach us important lessons about life, love and happiness. 

Rex Morgan, M.D.

We need these authoritative voices in our lives. Stabilizing us. Guiding us. Driving us mad with their pompous moralizing. For evidence, look no further than one of the most enduring characters in the long-running TV soap opera As The World Turns: grandfatherly old Judge Lowell. That man was an authority figure, a Wise Old Man. 

For gender balance, we also need a Wise Old Woman. You might consider Mary Worth. This strip offers us a double dose of sagacity and sound judgment, as it contains both a Wise Old Woman (Mary herself) and her learned neighbor Professor Ian Cameron. Professors symbolize wisdom and maturity. Therefore, let us also have the Apartment 3-G comic strip, which includes kindly old Professor Aristotle Papagoras. 

I realize that these proposals entail a wholesale restructuring of your comics section, potentially wrecking the lives of those who enjoy current offerings such as Get Fuzzy, Argyle Sweater, Poot Tweet and other tedious fare. But I believe that concern is balanced by the soothing presence of comic strip doctors, judges, professors and grandfathers. They fulfill a profound human need for a strong anchor in turbulent times.