National comic strip goes deep in N. Idaho

by MIKE PATRICK
Staff Writer | December 26, 2021 1:06 AM

REFER:

Speaking of submarines, see today's Lifestyles story by columnist Syd Albright.

Sherman the overweight shark took a right at the Columbia River and ended up in Lake Pend Oreille.

True story — at least on the Funnies Page.

Starting Monday, the comic strip Sherman's Lagoon plumbs the depths of a poorly kept Idaho secret: The deep-water submarine testing facility at Bayview in Lake Pend Oreille.

We won't spoil the week-long series for you but the words "Idaho" and "conspiracy" will appear, as if one could possibly be connected with the other.

Sherman's Lagoon has been appearing in newspapers for 30 years. Its debut in the Escondido (Calif.) Times-Advocate in 1991 preceded the birth of SpongeBob SquarePants by eight years, making Sherman the modern-day granddaddy of underwater gags.

Idaho is the fastest-growing state in the nation. Add one fun great white shark to the tally this week.