Today, as we play catch up on the calendar, we look at how Mike Doonesbury's friendship with Rufus helped open Doonesbury up about matters of race, even at Christmastime. It's our yearly Comics ...

The original cast was Mike Doonesbury, Mark Slackmeyer, B.D. and hippie Zonker Harris (Zonker's Uncle Duke, based on Hunter S. Thompson, became a major character, as well). Eventually, the group ...