The Lockhorns
The Lockhorns is a one-panel, gag-a-day Newspaper Comic created in 1968 by Bill Hoest, continued since his death in 1988 by Bunny Hoest and John Reiner.
The comic's protagonist are Leroy and Loretta Lockhorn, a married couple who hate each other.
That's pretty much all there is to it. The strips usually feature Leroy and Loretta making passive-aggressive, sarcastic one-liners at each other, whether to the other's face, or to some third party, though light satire of everyday life also abounds.
Tropes used in The Lockhorns include:
- Awful Wedded Life
- Deadpan Snarker: Both protagonists.
- The Eeyore: Both Leroy and Loretta, again.
- Family Title
- Lazy Husband
- Lethal Chef
- The Masochism Tango
- No Accounting for Taste
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Loretta's mother is a frequent target of Leroy's snark.
- Perpetual Frowner: Everyone's range of expressions consists of "depressed and bored" and "infuriated", with only the occasional "grimly satisfied".
- Punny Name: The Lockhorns are always "locking horns" with each other.
- Women Drivers