The most obvious thing to write about today would be the dance – well, yes. But why go with the obvious? Who knows about the American comic strip, FoxTrot? Written and illustrated by Bill Amend – good name for a one-name study that! – it was published daily from 1988 until 31 December 2006, by which time more than 1,200 newspapers carried the comic across the globe.
Centring around the chaotic Fox family, the comic strip is aimed at ‘the geeky’ according to the FoxTrot website and Bill writes that in 2007, he ‘cut the strip back to Sundays-only in order to free up time for other things and to generally preserve what sanity I had left’. Perhaps I should do that with this blog!
The Fox family has three children – including Jason, the ten year old brother from hell who loves maths! – two parents and an ever-hungry pet iguana. Bill has published books about FoxTrot, Treasuries/Anthologies (in colour), small collections (in black and white) and other themed collections.
Amend is also the surname of an American tennis player – Eric Amend. Born in Berkeley, California, he took part in the 1984 Summer Olympics. He did not win any ATP titles during his career and his highest ranking was world number 234.
According to the Surnames of England and Wales – the ONS list – an extract of an Office of National Statistics database, containing a list of surnames in use in England, Wales and the Isle of Man in September 2002 – just 12 individuals hold the Amend surname and the current electoral roll figure is consistent with this tally. I’d do a one-name study on that. @GuildOneName – what do you think?
