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Pluggers, 10/21/26

Man, I don’t know, this one is pretty grim even for Pluggers. Like, my elementary school was in Buffalo, NY — a place I hold in a great deal of affection, but it’s not what you’d call one of the more prosperous places in America — and the building has been converted into condos. Other people might find the site of their old school now occupied by a strip mall, or a parking lot, or the town dump, something reflecting continued local economic activity of some sort. But where pluggers grew up and went to school? They’re just tearing it all down and leaving nothing behind. Letting the whole area revert to prairie and evacuating the residents. This place is not a place of honor. No highly esteemed deed is commemorated here.

Rex Morgan, M.D., 10/21/26

We’re on day three of Augie lowering Summer’s expectations about what his book getting optioned might mean. Today’s topic: What if, against all odds, they do make a movie or a TV show out of your book, and it sucks? Totally a thing that could happen! I mean, lots of movies and TV shows are pretty bad, when you think about it. And, be honest with yourself: is your book even any good in the first place? Maybe just cash those little checks when they come in and be thankful!

Dick Tracy, 10/21/26

“Well, let’s see, I’m wearing an all-white uniform and an old-timey nurse’s cap, and carrying the patriarch of the house around, so, uh, I’m gonna let you take a second to come to some conclusions for yourself about what exactly my role is, detective.”

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Pluggers, 10/6/26

One of the interesting things about one-panel comics is that they often have to condense a series of actions into a single image-caption pair. So, for instance, in today’s Pluggers, we simultaneously see the moment at which this plugger gets the bright idea that he could perform dental surgery on himself and the horrible aftermath, where his mouth has somehow been moved unnaturally and definitely painfully almost all the way to his ear.

Mother Goose and Grimm, 10/6/26

As ever, I have questions on the legal, ethical, and moral position of Grimm on the spectrum between “sapient being with rights recognized by the state” and “pet,” but I think the strip treats him as a pet more often than not. With that in mind, I think the doctor would be well within his rights to refuse to admit him into the exam room, if only to stop him from making terrible puns.

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Hi and Lois, 9/19/26

I genuinely love Hi’s distressed facial expression and clenched fists of impotent rage in the second panel here. Damn it, she’s spent too much on this dress … but she’s right! Surely they will be invited to a wedding, some day, and now is the time to prepare! With their rich social life and wide group of family and friends (not depicted in-strip, mostly they just hang out with Thirsty and Irma and occasionally chat with their old neighbor guy, but whatever, let’s assume it exists), this was a smart move to meet an inevitable need. If only it weren’t so darn expensive!

Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, 9/19/26

I was trying to figure out what Loweezy’s grotesque facial expression in panel two was supposed to signify. I think she’s squinting, to read the fine print on this coupon? It’s too bad Doc Pritchart isn’t an optometrist in addition to being a physician and a dentist, as the availability of corrective lenses would really improve the quality of life of those Hootin’ Holler residents who manage to live past 40.

Pluggers, 9/19/26

The Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain more than two years ago, Tribune Content Agency, LLC! You don’t have to apologize to Disney for anything! Don’t be a coward! You do have to apologize to us for the off-putting expression on this she-plugger’s face, though, that’s just common decency.