Honkytonk Sue: The Queen of Western Swing is a comic character that first appeared in '' National Lampoon'' in 1977. It was created by Bob Boze Bell. Honkytonk Sue later appeared as a weekly

comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...

in the ''

Phoenix New Times ''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''Phoenix'' ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, arts, cannabis, as well as longform narrative journalism. A ...

'' from 1978 to 1980. Four

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

s culled from these weekly strips were self-published by Bell, the first being published in 1978 and the fourth in 1980. As "the Queen of

Western Swing Western swing, country jazz or smooth country is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which att ...

", the character was idealized as "the ultimate image of the liberated Western woman", who can "out dance, out drink and out think any and all comers". In her stories, Honkytonk Sue confronted the Beatles, Yoga Rednecks, alien "Lady Killers" and Mr. Disco. The character was optioned by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

in 1983.

Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas.

, among others, worked on scripts (four were created over a two-year period) for a

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, producer, dancer, and singer. She achieved stardom and acclaim for playing lighthearted comedic roles in film and television. In a career spanning six decades, she has received ...

vehicle, which was never made. The film was in development for more than six years before it was officially dropped. The ''

Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...

'' wrote, "Sue has gone through more rewrites than the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

, including one by ''

Terms of Endearment ''Terms of Endearment'' is a 1983 American family tragicomedy film directed, written, and produced by James L. Brooks, adapted from Larry McMurtry's 1975 novel. It stars Debra Winger, Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Jeff D ...

sob sister Sob sister was an American term in the early 20th century for reporters (usually women) who specialized in newspaper articles (often called "sob stories") with emphasis on the human interest angle using language of sentimentality. The label was c ...

Larry McMurtry, which changed Sue from a contemporary woman of the West to a superfeminist Native American activist. One of the last rewrites came from the pens of ''

Peggy Sue Got Married ''Peggy Sue Got Married'' is a 1986 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring Kathleen Turner as a woman on the verge of a divorce, who finds herself transported back to the days of her senior year in high s ...

'' scripters Jerry Leichtling and Arlene Sarner". Honkytonk Sue had a revival on the pages of ''

True West Magazine ''True West Magazine'' (alternate title: ''True West'') is an American magazine that covers the Old West. Started in 1953, ''True West'' is headquartered in Cave Creek, Arizona, and publishes monthly. It is the world's oldest, continuously pub ...

'' (which is edited by Bell) in 2002 and ran for several years.

References

{{reflist Comics characters introduced in 1977 American comics characters Female characters in comics