Other members of the family are also depicted almost solely by one defining characteristic. Sonia has a big mouth out of which spews an obscene vocabulary. Ricky is a “slob jr.” in training to become his dad. Jeffrey is both fool & sadist, usually depicted in the act of inflicting violence upon members of his own family. Timmy is the perennial victim (much like South Park’s Kenny): whipped, shot, hanged etc.

Rusty’s House & Family 4

Rusty’s House & Family 5

That Rusty & family are Jewish is referred to by the sporadic appearance of a Star of David mounted on their house. This signifier seems to mark their “otherness” without any direct connection to their depicted personalities or familial dynamic. What interesting to me about its appearance in these drawings is what it suggests about what white male teenagers in southwestern Virginia in the early 70s might have understood about “otherness” - ie that these people were “other” - without having any real idea of what that meant, specifically.

Rusty’s House & Family 6

This drawing above is actually by Benji Brown.