256:, her youngest, has frequent relationship problems, particularly with her mother. She has a thing for losers, outcasts, and men who have yet to divorce their wives — the very types of men Momma loathes. A source of agony for Sonya is seeing other women's daughters get married off to successful, well-heeled men, which mirrors how Sonya has to listen to other women boast of how their sons are so successful whereas Francis is either unemployed or employed in a menial job. Sometimes Sonya has nagged Marylou to get a job, albeit not the extent she has done with Francis. When Marylou said she considered nursing school in one strip, Sonya saw it not as a career, but a way for her daughter to be in a better position to snag a doctor for a husband.
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During the course of the strip, Momma has a variety of dream sequences, which include a homeless
Francis holding a cup for donations. Other dream sequences include her late husband Jerome and herself at the gates of Heaven, awaiting entrance. Sometimes Jerome appears as an angel in a case where Sonya
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instead of tending to hearth and home, even in inclement weather. While talking with friends, Sonya sometimes admits that she nags her younger children as she did not do so with Thomas, letting him live his life until he married Tina. While Thomas is generally the most self-sufficient of her
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mother with a controlling, nagging personality. Although
Lazarus based the character on his own mother, when he showed it to her, she thought the character was based on his aunt, exclaiming, “You caught Aunt Helen to a tee!”
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is
Francis' best friend, who has a similar outlook to Francis on life and work. Some strips show Normy's family, who relationship with his own mother is even more strained than that of Francis and Sonya.
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While Momma constantly tries to make her children feel insignificant without her, they consider her to be an emotional burden. Still, they love her in their own way as she loves them in turn.
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children, on occasion he has been seen begging his mother for handouts, albeit not to the extent of his siblings, suggesting
192:'s (and Mell Lazarus') death July 10, 2016, in a comic strip memorial that included other grieving comic strip characters.
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In keeping with her character, her tombstone carries the epitaph "I told you I was sick."
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Lesser parts of the strip show a flashback where
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This article is about the comic strip. For other topics with similar names, see
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was
Lazarus' second strip; he had been publishing the syndicated strip
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336:. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 275.
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American
Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide
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and published in more than 400 newspapers worldwide.
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Creators
Syndicate official website (July 10, 2016).
156:that ran from October 26, 1970, to July 10, 2016.
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263:Other recurring characters in the strip include
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173:since 1957. Debuting on October 26, 1970,
65:Concluded daily & Sunday strip; reruns
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240:as Sonya would have hoped for her son.
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958:Comics characters introduced in 1970
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216:"Momma" has three grown children:
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177:was initially distributed by the
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281:ordered to serve an enlistment
152:is an American comic strip by
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188:Creators Syndicate announced
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238:his job is not as rewarding
181:, and later was handled by
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943:American comics characters
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393:Don Markstein's Toonopedia
313:Sheed, Andrews, and McMeel
117:Sheed, Andrews, and McMeel
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360:Creators Syndicate: About
299:Book collections include
227:and has a baby boy named
200:The central character is
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97:Field Newspaper Syndicate
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315:treasury series, 1978).
62:Current status/schedule
882:–related article is a
204:, an annoying, short,
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948:American comic strips
424:at Creators Syndicate
332:Holtz, Allan (2012).
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23:Mama (disambiguation)
468:Currently syndicated
196:Characters and story
16:American comic strip
968:Works about old age
938:2016 comics endings
602:The Meaning of Lila
160:Publication history
143:(November 22, 2009)
953:Comics about women
933:1970 comics debuts
840:State of the Union
772:Girls & Sports
460:Creators Syndicate
309:The Momma Treasury
295:Collected editions
285:United States Army
183:Creators Syndicate
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102:Creators Syndicate
973:Comic strip stubs
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800:Natural Selection
553:For Heaven's Sake
546:Flo & Friends
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686:The Wizard of Id
588:Long Story Short
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525:Dog Eat Doug
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401:. Retrieved
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137:Mell Lazarus
109:Publisher(s)
87:Syndicate(s)
56:Mell Lazarus
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880:comic strip
779:Home Office
766:Flight Deck
753:Donald Duck
658:Spectickles
518:Diamond Lil
202:Sonya Hobbs
94:(1970–1975)
70:Launch date
927:Categories
847:Thin Lines
807:Off Center
710:Historical
665:Speed Bump
651:Scary Gary
616:Nest Heads
567:Heathcliff
560:Free Range
403:2009-10-28
319:References
170:Miss Peach
46:collection
718:Ask Shagg
700:Zack Hill
595:MazeToons
483:Andy Capp
52:Author(s)
679:Wee Pals
504:The Barn
372:"Momma,"
123:Genre(s)
78:End date
820:Pokémon
644:Rugrats
539:Doodles
283:in the
254:Marylou
244:Francis
229:Charles
206:widowed
833:Recess
490:Archie
462:Comics
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246:, her
233:tennis
221:Thomas
878:This
760:Flare
637:Rubes
609:Momma
476:Agnes
422:Momma
387:Momma
301:Momma
273:Normy
265:Mr. K
190:Momma
175:Momma
165:Momma
149:Momma
141:Momma
44:Momma
31:Momma
884:stub
497:B.C.
338:ISBN
305:Dell
225:Tina
113:Dell
139:'s
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