Slylock Fox, 6/12/25

Years ago, I read a book about the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and one of my strongest memories of it is that after the Communist dictatorship had been overthrown, even in their euphoria the leaders of the broad alliance that had pulled off this transformation -- which included conservatives and liberals, free marketeers and social democrats, unionists and Czech and Slovak nationalists -- began to realize that they would soon be political opponents, but allowed themselves to enjoy the moment of victory together before that turn came. The story of Slylock Fox is in many ways the story of how the animals came into conflict with one another after overthrowing humanity, and how they learned to manage that conflict. But sometimes you get a glimpse into the origins of their society, like the little story captured here. These guys are free, they magically know how to operate a motor vehicle, and they've just violently killed and eaten all the zookeepers who've been holding them captive their entire lives. They have a world to build, and that's important, but in some ways it will never get better than it is on this night.

Dick Tracy, 6/12/25