Holy Exclamation Points, Rex Morgan!

I've noticed that I've been using a lot of exclamation points in my titles lately. So of course I am reminded of dramatic comic strips such as "Rex Morgan, M.D.", "Mary Worth" and "Apt 3G", which make extensive--one might be tempted to say, gratuitous, if one were being uncharitable--use of the exclamation point.

Rex Morgan and his cronies must lead very exciting, deeply meaningful lives, because every single sentence that isn't a question ends in a decisive "!". (Hmm, come to think of it, I believe many questions actually feature the emotive symbol, right after the question mark.)

Every event in life is vitally important in a dramatic comic strip--even lunchtime. I remember one "Rex Morgan" episode that I actually cut out of the newspaper because it made me laugh out loud, even though I know it was supposed to be very serious and dramatic (which, I'm sorry, only adds to the hilarity). There were these two women, and one of them was exclaiming (of course) over the fact that she hated somebody who was mean to her. The other woman comforts her in exclamatory tones, saying that the mean woman "is always like that!" Then she urges her friend to join them for lunch because "we're having pot pies!"

Pot pies! Why, they make everything better!! I'd say that's worthy of two, maybe even three "!!!"! Wow!!!!!!!

Of course, "Rex Morgan" is hardly the only comic strip that is guilty of wildly unjustified excessive emotion. I mentioned a few others before, but the one that really comes to mind is "Batman," which features the jittery, excitable Robin and all of his quintessentially explosive "Holy this-or-that" commentary, such as, "Holy hummingbird feeders, Batman!" or perhaps "Holy bad people, Batman!" (oh wait, that last one didn't make much sense...well, most of his exclamations didn't).

Good old Robin!

Well, in the course of writing this, a co-worker stopped by my office who has just returned from doing a marathon in Chicago (which he ran in just a little over three hours! If that isn't exclamation-point-worthy, I don't know what is!). I told him about how I am supposed to do a half-marathon in San Francisco in less than two weeks, and how I haven't done any training for it, and he looked at me like he wanted to exclaim a few things of his own, like maybe "Are you crazy! You idiot! How could you not be training for it! You'll never make it!"

Oh wait, I think that is actually my conscience exclaiming those things at me! Well, it's right! I am crazy! And I also love exclamation points!!

Can't you tell?!?!