The human relationship is a wonderful thing to mock. Cartoons about relationships can be used to show just about anything, from how crafty men become when in the presence of women to how foolishly they act around them. Normally, cartoons on relationships are social commentary about the period when the cartoon was created. This is not to say, however, that the nature of human kind changes. Many cartoons by Jules Feiffer that were written forty years ago are just a valid now as they were then. A few great examples of these that show the intent of man are gibble gabble and mr big hands by Feiffer, score and academic toil by Trudeau. Feiffer has a tendancy to be a little deeper, as is shown in almost all of his work, while Trudeau, in this instance, shows us a light college student's view.
Other aspects of this theme can range very broadly. Adams shows us the dating scene from the perspective of a pathetic engineer, in the ugly single man. Another aspect of relationships is conflict. This is a particular favorite of cartoonists, because it can be so humorous. Some examples of this include Adam's two oven mitts, and Watterson's stupid chromosomes.
Watterson is able to show a very different aspect of relationships, through a child's. In young children, there is a phobia of being attracted to members of the opposite sex, thus providing material for some great cartoons. Suzy and insensitive clod are good examples.