The Comics Curmudgeon

Main Menu

Social Media

Archive: Lockhorns

177

Do you think Leroy was doing the gesture during the movie

Post Content

The Lockhorns, 6/25/25

I really like the way Leroy is clutching his chest dramatically here. I imagine he already did this routine inside at the concession stand cash register, and Loretta is extremely over it, but now some new people have come along upon whom he can inflict this bit. Or, perhaps even better, he’s doing it specifically because he knows it will humiliate Loretta by forcing her to explain the bit to these people, whom I assume to be total strangers to the Lockhorns. I truly will never tire of analyzing in minute detail the passive aggressive antics that these two will never tire of subjecting each other to.

Luann, 6/25/25

Man, remember when this strip’s ribaldry was over-the-top and grotesque? Now nobody involved can seem to muster up any energy as they talk about handling buns and weenies or biting into dripping, phallic breakfast food or whatnot. Sad!

Beetle Bailey, 6/25/25

Remember when “Miss Buxley Wednesday” was a fun, wholesome opportunity to see an old man (audience stand-in) ogling his sexy secretary? Now it’s just women callously announcing that their professional and economic futures are secure while an old man (audience stand-in) weeps about the fact that society has abandoned him. Maybe political correctness has gone too far?

147

Saturday praise

Post Content

Crock, 6/21/25

Not sure if we’re seeing a singular mind at work here or if this is the product you’d expect to get from someone who’d been writing a comic for 20 years by 1997 and had arrived at a specific creative/cultural milieu as a result, but insulting someone by referring to their leadership style as “real barf” is extremely funny to me. Since this blog is like 20-25% hatred of Crock by volume, I think you know that I’m being very sincere here. “Real barf”: real funny.

The Lockhorns, 6/21/25

I do praise The Lockhorns a lot, so perhaps it’s lost its oomph when I do it now, but I also think this meh joke is elevated by the way Leroy is holding that bowl of burnt (?) coal slaw aloft, like Hamlet contemplating Yorick’s skull.

Blondie, 6/21/25

Hmm, what’s that, Dagwood? You were in the middle of preparing a midnight snack, but then you just dozed off face-first into the sandwich you were making, capturing in one sad moment your terribly disordered relationship to both food and sleep? And yet you claim to be perfectly happy in the situation, thus encapsulating the vibe your character has been giving off on the comics pages for decades now? Interesting. Interesting.

145

Disappointment after disappointment

Post Content

Pluggers, 6/18/25

“Wrongo!” my brain basically shouted at me the moment I read this panel. “Pluggers would not shop at Trader Joe’s, which is for young, hip urbanites! They would obviously choose Aldi’s side in the Brothers War!” But upon reflection, I’m not actually sure if that’s true. Trader Joe’s is a relatively cheap grocery store with whimsical decor. Sure, lots of people my age like it, but, let’s be real: I am beginning my sixth decade on this planet and that is prime plugger age. Many pluggers probably enjoy their various products! Certainly the ones in California! One must learn to adjust one’s knee-jerk opinions in the face of evidence, lest one become a plugger oneself.

Marvin, 6/18/25

It honestly would be pretty bleak if the “I [HEART] DADDY” mug that Jeff is drinking out of had actually been picked out for him by the son that he’s currently in the process of demonstrating his boundless contempt for. Fortunately, Marvin actually fully reciprocates this loathing; the mug was no doubt purchased by Jenny — not, sadly, as a sex thing, but rather in a last-ditch attempt to forge a bond between her husband and her son, neither of whom she feels particularly warmly towards herself.

The Lockhorns, 6/18/25

Aw, man, Leroy looks kind of sad here. He was honestly looking forward to getting all elaborately dressed up, burning some steaks, and then serving them up drenched in hard liquor for him and Loretta to eat outside together. But I guess yet another attempt to have a good time with his wife has failed to live up to her standards.