Post Content

That’s right, daddy-o: The COTW is here, and it’s sick (complimentary):

“Goddammit, Mud, this is Glenwood! If you don’t think it can support an off-brand Alamo Drafthouse, you haven’t been paying attention to all the men with muttonchops ’round these parts!” –Tabby Lavalamp

The runners up are also totally awesome:

“I wouldn’t be surprised if both of these toddlers were surprisingly athletic — it takes a lot of core strength to sit on a backless stool like that without falling over.” –BigTed

“People said I was crazy to open a store that sold nothing but gum and then just call it Gum. And, sure, it depleted my bank account and cost me my family. Well, look at me now! There’s a line of six people waiting to get into Gum. Because this is the place that weird cat did that weird thing!” –Joe Blevins

“In a world of unrelenting change, it is nice to know there are a few constants, such as newspaper comics being completely and laughably unable to make topical references on-time instead of months after the topic has begun sliding off the radar.” –ectojazzmage

“I feel as if every new Rex Morgan storyline could start with the phrase ‘What does this have to do with anything?’ and we’ll only get the answer about half the time.” –pugfuggly

“You claim this is a new recipe, but this is just a mixture of proteins, carbs, and condiments, most of which you have used in previous meals! When are we going to get something radically different, like tasting solar plasma or a pure concept?!?!” –Ettorre

“All right, forensics says he was floating three feet above the stairs at an oblique angle, stiff as a board! How’d he get that way? Is he clip art? We’ve got a lot of questions and no answers!” –Victor Von

“I think the question on many minds is, how does a story line about an old movie house become medical? I have a theory. Two words: Popcorn Lung.” –Old School Allie Cat

“A plugger has not, in fact, mastered cutting his hair.” –Vulpes

“‘How hard can it be?’ If you decide to self-neuter, then you might be a plugger.” –GarrisonSkunk

“A brand new multiplex!? In 2026!? I guess there are a few advantages to living in the remote corners of the country that have still yet to receive rural broadband. (The main disadvantage is of course all the roots country you have to hear.)” –Schroduck

“I find it difficult to believe that the Wilsons use tiny umbrellas for everyday drinks. Too much whimsy. Martha probably put it in George’s drink to symbolically emasculate him, and gave him a straw to remind him that he sucks.” –nescio

“This kid’s mom knows he exists and she still lets him play video games with Dustin?” –matt w

“Toby understands Ian cheating on her — he was essentially cucked by her parrots, and would seek emotional validation elsewhere. But her newfound public persona as ‘bird savior’ is being undercut by the rumors. She either has to confront Ian and Mary, or else get a large bird like an ostrich or emu.” –Cab

“‘Was I not on my best behavior?’ ‘It’s not that — you just sucked.’” –Pozzo

“Just die already. Between you, Pluggers, and most of the cast of Crankshaft, it’s like you’re humblebragging about your inexplicable longevity.” –Banana Jr. 6000

“3D printing is just much, much more resource demanding per unit than making moulds to mass produce your plastic action figures. I think what this strip is trying to say is there’s not enough mass market appeal to make Blondie figures commercially viable.” –Amelie W

“‘Tough day?’ ‘Yeah, the boss still won’t get the break room TV fixed. We’re stuck on same channel all the time, and it’s not a good one. It’s called the Set-up Channel, and all it does is broadcast weird holiday factoids, recipes, and inane blabber.’” –Voshkod

Remember: If you want an ad-free version of this site sent to you every day via email, for $3 a month you can become a Comics Curmudgeon newsletter subscriber! And if you never want to see banner ads on this site, and want to get cool comment-editing features to boot, for the same low price you can become a Comics Curmudgeon website subscriber! You can get each day’s post ad-free via Patreon if that’s your style! And if you just want to give me money directly, you can put some scratch in my tip jar! Thanks to all for your support and readership!

Post Content

Blondie, 10/9/26

I really kind of enjoy Dagwood’s emotional rollercoaster here. The man on the TV says that “with 3D printing, anyone can become an action figure,” which I guess is a very muddled way of saying “with 3D printing you can make an action figure that looks like anyone,” but whatever, the point is that Dagwood immediately and 100% buys into it, because a guy on TV said it! They wouldn’t let him say it on TV if it weren’t true! But then Dithers tells him that actually, not everyone can become an action figure, and Dagwood can’t in particular, which he has no choice but to believe because his boss is telling him this, and his boss wouldn’t lie to him, would he? The very idea is unthinkable.

Rex Morgan, M.D., 10/9/26

We’ve gotten plenty of hints that Mud used to be kind of a terror because of problems with alcohol and/or drugs, but I’d like to believe that Mae Mae is hinting at the fact that this wasn’t the first time Mud pretended to shit himself onstage.

Shoe, 10/9/26

The thing about the comic strip Shoe is that it’s basically a multidecade project to see if newspapers around the country will print a picture of a bird-man who looks profoundly unwell every single day, and quite frankly I’m proud of the success it’s found!

Post Content

Mary Worth, 10/8/26

So, Toby has been having an “Is my husband cheating on me, with Mary Worth of all people?” anxiety dream all week, and I keep waiting for it to get really deranged and fun à la the dancing Wilburbabies, but what we’ve gotten instead is just a slightly dream-tinged version of the same breathless real-life gossip sessions we’ve been seeing for some time now. Today I had the epiphany that this is actually very revealing of Toby’s character: she isn’t imagining some sordid Mary/Ian erotic tableau because she doesn’t actually care about her husband cheating on her; what she cares about is other people knowing that she’s being cheated on and eagerly talking about it, which is devastating to her self-image.

Dustin, 10/8/26

Yes, I know the joke here is “A boy? Taking ballet??? A dance for girls???????” but, real talk, my understanding is that learning ballet is actually a pretty difficult and physically demanding process, whereas for me Little League was an experience I didn’t enjoy much but mostly consisted of standing in the outfield where nothing ever happened and occasionally getting onto base after getting hit by a wild pitch, so the latter is definitely more appealing to me as an essentially lazy person. Like, take a look at ballet dancers sometime, both the men and the women are pretty shredded, and you’re probably saying, “Josh, you can’t compare the Bolshoi to whatever kind of entry-level suburban dance studio this kid’s mom is threatening him with,” and in response I would urge you to watch a Major League Baseball game sometime. It’s a sport I enjoy but it’s also a sport where the players are allowed to be in shape but don’t necessarily have to be, if you follow me. If you’re bad at running, they’ll send someone else to run the bases for you! You think they let you do that in ballet? They do not!