Buckles

Buckles is a comic strip by David Gilbert that debuted in newspapers nationwide (yes, nationwide) in 1996. It follows the misadventures of a naive dog named Buckles, who lives with a pair of caring yet overprotective human owners (or, to a lesser extent, "parents") named Paul and Jill. Every single time, Buckles would have Paul teach him dog tricks, or would love to steal a valuable article of clothing and chew on it, which will always result in a punishment. When his owners aren't around, Buckles usually creates plans with an unseen flea that lives in his right ear, or talks to other animals outside, including a bird friend named Arden.

While the comic isn't quite popular with readers, it has been praised by its syndicate, who said: "More of an only child with canine instincts than he is the family pet. Buckles can display all the charm...of a small child discovering how to find his way through life." You can do us a favor and read the comics here.

Tropes used in Buckles include:

Adorkable: Buckles himself. Paul as well.
Art Evolution: In the strip's first couple of years, the art had a very lush and sleeker appearance with thicker lines and simpler character designs; but as years pass, it now has a very rough and crisp look, while still looking pretty fluid in appearance.
Author Avatar: According to David Gilbert, Buckles is a dog version of himself. In fact, he based the character's personality on his.
Bad Santa: Parodied; at the beginning of a December 2004 arc, Buckles frantically runs up to Paul telling him that Santa Claus is evil, but Paul tells him "For heaven's sake, Buckles! Santa is not evil! He's just a jolly old elf who delivers presents!".
- Later in the same arc, Buckles has to wear an elf outfit so he can attack Santa at midnight, but "Santa" turns out to be Paul, who is accidentally attacked instead.
Berserk Button: It really irks Paul and Jill that Buckles ruins their stuff every time.
Big Eater: Buckles.
Big No: In a March 2006 strip, Buckles has one when he discovers his dog bowl is empty.
Bold Inflation
Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Paul and Jill.
Burger Fool: Burger Fry, a fictional fast-food restaurant.
Butt Monkey: Paul.
Catch Phrase: "My sixth sense is buzzing!"
Cat Scare: In an early strip, Buckles walks up to a cat and barks at it, but suddenly, it jumps up screeching which scares him to death. Buckles then hides behind Paul saying "It exploded."
Cats Are Mean: Some strips show a big bully cat who sometimes picks on Arden and even Buckles. An example is a February 2007 arc.
Character Title
Cloudcuckoolander: Buckles, as usual.
Companion Cube: "Irene", a fire hydrant which Buckles views as his girlfriend.
Completely Missing the Point: Buckles loves this trope.
Crossover: A week of strips in August 2005 is about Blondie's 75th anniversary, so they involve Daisy talking to Buckles in barks, and later Blondie herself giving Paul an invitation to her birthday.
Deadpan Snarker: Buckles can be this at times.
- Arden and Flea.
- Then there's Jay, a bluebird and Arden's sidekick.
Dogs Are Dumb: Buckles always spanks Paul and Jill into submission. Irritatingly.
Don't Explain the Joke: The strip had a habit of recycling most of its jokes, especially if readers think it's funny at first but soon grow out of it.
Everythings Nuttier With Squirrels: Scrappy (no, not that Scrappy), an obnoxious squirrel in Buckles' backyard, who always insults Buckles and Arden.
Expressive Ears: Buckles often has his ears go up whenever he's excited, happy or (sometimes) scared, or rather have them go down whenever he's quiet, sad or angry.
Extreme Omnivore: Buckles.
Eyes Always Shut: Scrappy, Charlie, and the bully cat.
First Name Ultimatum: "Buckles, you bad dog!"
Four Legs Good, Two Legs Better: Buckles walks on four legs often, but most of the time he just walks on two.
Furry Reminder: Buckles and most of the other animals.
Getting Crap Past the Radar: Occasionally in autumn 2008, David Gilbert drew various strips that contain sex or drug references, i.e. Buckles wearing a woman's bra (much to Jill's annoyance), and Scrappy sitting on a pile of nuts feeling drunk. How Gilbert's taking his comic seriously, you know.
Her Codename Was Mary Sue: Buckles' many alter egos, such as "The Carnivore", "Captain Canine", etc.
Hot Mom: Jill.
Humanlike Foot Anatomy
Inspirationally Disadvantaged: Lester.
Interspecies Romance: A dog (Buckles) falls in love with a fire hydrant that doesn't move ("Irene").
Ironic Echo: Used a lot.
Jerkass: Scrappy.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Paul can be this at times.
Keet: Buckles himself.
Kids Are Cruel: Christina, Jill's five-year-old niece and Buckles' arch nemesis, who always ruins Buckles' life by giving him tea parties or silly games.
Large Ham: Everyone.
Limited Wardrobe: Paul (almost) always wears a black shirt/sweater that has a big red stripe with black dots (sandwiched by thin static-colored stripes) running around it, as well as khaki (or sometimes blue) shorts/jeans.
Literal Junk Food: Buckles is often shown eating out of garbage cans.
Medium Awareness: Arden did this once in a June 2007 Sunday strip, where he flies in and bumps into one of the comic strip panel's lines. Arden rubs his head lampshading it.
Mr. Imagination: Buckles, most of the time.
Nasty Party: An October 2007 arc involves Charlie, a naughty goose, sneaking into Paul and Jill's house and throwing a "party" with his gang of geese by destroying the entire house. But then they fly away in frantic once Paul and Jill get home from work. Distraught by how the house has been destroyed, Paul and Jill get mad at Buckles and blame it on him.
The Nicknamer: Scrappy, who refers to Buckles as "Slobber Face" and Arden as "Beak Brain".
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Usually.
Opposites Attract: Sophie and Iris.
Phrase Catcher: "Buckles, you bad dog!" or "Bad dog!"
Polly Wants a Microphone: Arden and Jay. Not to mention Charlie the goose.
Precious Puppy: Of course.
Recycled Script: Boy howdy.
Running Gag:
- Paul teaching Buckles dog tricks, which sometimes results in a failed catch.
- Buckles eating trash, chewing his owners' valuable stuff, or digging holes in the ground, followed by one of his owners either putting him in the garage or chaining him outside.
- The "Dog Owners' Monthly" magazine, which Buckles thinks is an insult to dogs.
- Every time Paul uses his lawn mower.
- Buckles' fights with a vacuum cleaner, or as David Gilbert puts it, a "vacuum".
- Buckles barking/howling at night and various annoyed neighbors yelling at him to be quiet.
- Buckles vs. the Paperboy.
Serious Business: Anything kept by Paul and Jill that has always been ruined by Buckles.
Shout-Out:
- In a 2002 strip, Jill is seen playing Quake II on the computer (much to Paul's dismay, because it's a man's game).
- In an October 2003 arc where Buckles stumbles upon a box containing a vacuum and touches it making it fall over, Flea tells him "this is like 2001: A Space Odyssey!"
- In a November-December 2004 arc where Paul throws a stick to nowhere and Buckles tries to find it, Buckles is saying a lot of "goodbye" phrases at one point and "That's all, folks!" is the last of them.
- In an August 31, 2008 strip where Paul is accusing Buckles of digging up the entire backyard, Buckles created a giant "painting" of Mona Lisa on the ground using a lot of Paul's stuff.
- Also at the beginning of an April 2009 arc, Charlie the goose is staring at Buckles and Arden on top of the roof, laughing "Well, ain't that Mary Poppins!".
Skyward Scream: See Big No.
Sleepwalking: Parodied by Buckles in a May 2008 arc, where he pretends to "sleepwalk", much to Paul's annoyance.
Sphere Eyes
Talking Animal: Buckles and other animal characters.
Third Person Person: Most of Buckles' alter egos would narrate their own adventures in the third person.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Buckles and Arden are these at certain times. Type 2.
The Voice: Flea, a flea who can only be heard talking in Buckles' right ear.
Wham! Episode: In an early story arc, Buckles gets hit by an incoming car when he runs away from Paul with his leash still connected while they were taking a walk. He's then needed for an immediate doctor's appointment and sent to the vet where it was revealed that his gums have been hurt from the accident.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Buckles is afraid of cats (which he views as Cats Are Mean) and vacuum cleaners.
Widget Series
World of Ham: A bit.
You Have to Have Jews: A brief December 1996 strip about Hanukkah falsely called it "The Jewish Christmas", which has caused a controversy against David Gilbert and the syndicate.