The Comics Curmudgeon

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Doldrums

We mock, but cartoonists’ lives are hard. The drumbeat deadline, day after day for decades, enfevers the brain ’til it cries out, “Stop!” And stop it does — every cartoonist has a trademark way of putting the strip on autopilot so they can take a freaking break. And February, when the days are grey and the year ahead looks endless, is a great time to knock off for a bit. Here’s how they do it:

Crankshaft, 2/6/08

Tom Batiuk relaxes by expanding weak puns into multiple panels for weeks on end. This one is part of a recurring series, “Crankshaft mispronounces stuff.” The setup is completely arbitrary: Ed doesn’t cook, and wouldn’t use a frou-frou ingredient like balsamic vinegar if he did. If you really must make sense of it, assume that vinegar is Ed’s beverage of choice and they ran out of malt.

Dick Tracy, 2/6/08

Dick Lochler just hits the “pause” button on his calendar. Honestly, Chief Liz has known for more than a month that having your “gross” portrait in the museum gets you disappeared — that’s why she called Dick in the first place. Today’s strip is the equivalent of, “Yeah — what you said.” Somebody needs his Gretchen.

Curtis, 2/6/08

Ray Billingsley famously repeats the same themes year after year (this one is “Curtis’s Black History Month essay”). I suppose we should be grateful that Curtis recycles its material every year — Marmaduke does it every freaking day.

Get Fuzzy, 2/6/08

Darby Conley creates some of the best characters on the comics page today, but everybody deserves a break, and goddammit, he’s taking one. Lately, he seems to have taken to his bosom the cause of the television industry writers’ strike — an issue of pressing concern to no one on the face of the earth.* Phone us when you get back, pal.

- Uncle Lumpy

* Emphatically not true! See discussion in the comments, and retraction at #144

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 03:40 am and is filed under Crankshaft, Curtis, Dick Tracy, Get Fuzzy.

253 responses to “Doldrums”

Kibo
February 6th, 2008 at 3:50 am [Reply]

You know, I bet balsa wood would be pretty tasty if it was young. Like bamboo. But leave it to Crankshaft to try to find a way to turn it into wine.
BigTed
February 6th, 2008 at 3:53 am [Reply]

I think on Sunday, everybody was taking a break. In my local paper, there were five strips about the presidential primaries (four of which made the cutting-edge point that candidates are too dependent on polls), three on how much guys like to watch the Super Bowl, and two about Groundhog Day. I can’t wait for the dozen or so Valentine’s jokes (and the one sad “Peanuts” repeat) next weekend.
True Fable
February 6th, 2008 at 3:53 am [Reply]

I suppose we should be grateful that Curtis recycles its material every year –Marmaduke does it every freaking day.

Amen to that, Unca. The same can be said for Cathy (Must Die) who just can’t resist spending the first two weeks of February every year failing to resist chocolate and spewing a bunch of crap about the Hallmark Holiday. EVERY. FUCKING. YEAR.

All I really look forward to is to see what kind of hopeless downward spiral of a loveless sham will transpire in Scenes from Suburban Hell, and whether Hi will repeat his gift of the Black Valentine of Despair this year.
Mr. O'Malley
February 6th, 2008 at 3:57 am [Reply]

177. True Fable. Luann—I’ve some time reading the works of someone who kept a voluminous diary and lived in my area in the 1860s. He was in his twenties and wanted to get married. The girls he was interested in were about 15 or 16. Nobody really seemed to think twice about it. When I was in my early twenties I briefly dated a 16 year old and her parents didn’t seem to mind. (They belonged to a strange religous group so that might have been a kind of recruitment tactic.) If you can keep things above board for a few years, the age difference isn’t such a big deal. Someone else mentioned her own similar experience earlier, but I can’t find it right now.

Perhaps Luann’s mother (remember she is a former hippie) can view what is going on with some understanding. She seemed that way in the bed-making sequence.
True Fable
February 6th, 2008 at 4:05 am [Reply]

# 4 Mr. O’Malley – I see your point and I agree, as long as things are on the up and up, it’s not so alarming. It’s just that her parents (so far) have not checked out the guy whatsoever. Maybe they are used to her dismal track record for boyfriends, but it’s like Ben gets a pass simply because he’s Bernice’s older brother. Given what a bitch Bernice is, that fact alone would give me the heebie-jeebies.

Meanwhile, there is simply no excuse for today’s Fred Bassett. Biggest waste of space in the world. If I was an editor and someone handed me a comic strip with a dog playing peek-a-boo in between blank panels, I’d be yelling for heads on a plate and tearing up someone’s contract on the spot.

I do have quite a temper on me, but god DAMN, in this case it would be entirely justified.
Mr. O'Malley
February 6th, 2008 at 4:24 am [Reply]

#5 True Fable. It is not unlikely that Luann’s parents talk to Bernice’s parents off-camera–especially the mothers. If their kids have been best friends for many years, there would have been a lot of social arrangements taking place–visits and parties and sleepovers. Luann’s mother does seem to have some insight into Luann’s relationship with Bernice.

As far as Fred Bassett goes, I agree that today’s strip is a loser. I looked back at the last week and I’m OK with most of them. There’s a kind of comfy Britishness to them that I find pleasant although not necessarily funny.
Deeeeeeeeeeelightful
February 6th, 2008 at 4:48 am [Reply]

Whats wrong with the one about the writers strike? I thought this one was very cute, relevant, and made me chuckle a little bit. And I figure taking a break means just having a black out in the panels for an entire week with little cartoon eyes floating around, not Conley making witty, satirical comments on an issue that keeps my Two and a Half men away from the country.
True Fable
February 6th, 2008 at 4:49 am [Reply]

#6 Mr. O’Malley – lol, guess I’ve been keeping the channel on MSNBC too long after Countdown with Keith Olbermann is over, and letting To Catch A Predator get to me! And anyway, it’s not like Luann is going anywhere with it beyond “Bernice is Jealous of a Harmless Romance between Ben and Luann”. This IS Luann, after all. :-)

Yes, Fred Bassett is usually pretty harmless, inoffensive to the point of pointlessness, bland as oatmeal. Like a lot of older strips, it’s riding on longetivity more than anything else. If Dagwood walked outside, came back in for an umbrella and told Blondie “I don’t trust a cloudless sky”, it would have the same effect. It’s a Legacy strip and for whatever reason, readers find comfort in seeing the same old characters in the same old frames doing the same old things.

On Teletubbies, an entire half-hour is invested in a tubbie going outside to pluck a flower while pinwheels spin and glow in a very Patrick McGoohan/ Prisoner-esque sort of way, while the dialog consists mostly of “Oh” and “Where are you going?” and “Ah!” That is today’s Fred Bassett. Instead of a comfortable but unimaginative observation (”Pasta tonight!”) or a passably amusing note on being a bassett (”Lovely weather…down here anyway”) it’s a comic strip Teletubbie half-hour, compressed into four panels.

I don’t know why I’m going on about it. :-) Frustration I suppose. How are strips like My Cage and Pearls Before Swine,or strips that don’t even get a chance to be syndicated, ever going to make it if deadwood is still floating around?

Don’t mind me, I’m being a pushy goat tonight. :-)
Mr. O'Malley
February 6th, 2008 at 5:22 am [Reply]

8. True Fable. I have never seen Teletubbies. I certainly have watched The Prisoner, Secret Agent and Danger Man. I have been to Portmerion and I can almost play the Danger Man theme on keyboard. Portmerion is a very fascinating place, more so than my interest in The Prisoner would warrant. They have the giant chessboard but lots of other stuff too.

I agree with you about the deadwood. I am a big fan of some of the older comics like Pogo and (of course) Barnaby, but sometimes you need to let them go. Buy the anthology and be thankful for what you have. In some cases, e.g., BC, it may be possible to bring a comic back from the dead.

I’ve been looking at some webcomics lately. In many cases I think these are much better than some of newspaper strips, just from a basic artistic viewpoint, but also in terms of entertaining content. Probably Planet Karen or Girls with Slingshots are too edgy or contain too much sexual content to ever get into a newspaper. But Palindramas could work in a newspaper. (OK, I like palindromes. Now stop, Major General, are Negro jampots won?)
True Fable
February 6th, 2008 at 5:59 am [Reply]

#9 Oooh, webcomics!

The Least I could do – funny funny funny! Just caught onto this one, I like it a lot.

The Order of the Stick – oh good lord, this thing is long but it is a riot.

Penny Arcade – still one of the best.

Girl Genius – Absolutely hilarious. My son and I enjoy speaking Jagermonster whenever possible. It’s a long read from beginning to current but it’s well worth it. Beautifully detailed artwork.

Megatokyo – used to be funny until Fred just went on and on and ON with the whiny wimpy Piro character, but recently Piro seems to have grown a pair of balls and Largo is featured a little more, so I dunno, MAYBE it’s for the better.
dyslexic dog
February 6th, 2008 at 6:16 am [Reply]

FW: If Funky hadn’t identified himself, I would have thought they were still on the Harry Dinkle arc.

FB: I believe today’s Fred Bassett is attempting to illustrate the comic angles of “On Being and Nothingness.” Congratulations, Alex, for bringing a bit of serious literature into our lives via the funny pages.
(By the way, FB, according to Toonopedia has been in reruns since a year and a half after Graham died in 1991.)
Cranky
February 6th, 2008 at 6:18 am [Reply]

FOOB: for chrisakes, Lynn. Move on. I get enough of the kids-fighting crap in my real life.
Although if Mike goes postal, it might be worth it.
Topliff
February 6th, 2008 at 6:50 am [Reply]

And 9CL will charm us with twelve days of random horoscopes apparently driven by his own lack of success in the market.

FOOB “STARING at me; STARING at me, you freaking idiot. You don’t SEE at someone – you KICK at someone, LASH OUT at someone, even SHOOT at someone, but you don”t SEE at someone, got it? Now just go play your goddamn game and shut up.”
JNoble
February 6th, 2008 at 7:02 am [Reply]

Curtis: OK, you’re black. WE GET IT ALREADY!
Pozzo
February 6th, 2008 at 7:10 am [Reply]

…and then there’s Judge Parker and Rex Morgan, which went on autopilot somewhere around 1984.
Tamex
February 6th, 2008 at 7:14 am [Reply]

Curtis: What’s with the pom-pom on the teacher’s forehead?
Tamex
February 6th, 2008 at 7:25 am [Reply]

FOOB: Over at FOOBCentral, the blinky-eye animators have struck again. Did they miss the entire point of the strip?
The Casey
February 6th, 2008 at 7:45 am [Reply]

Anybody have any idea what’s up with today’s Ziggy? I Google’d Feb. 16, 1927, and the only thing I could really find was that it was the day that the US reopened relations with Turkey. Not really the sort of thing that deserves a monument cursing someone’s stupidiousness.
And The
February 6th, 2008 at 7:56 am [Reply]

S-M: You know, Spider-Man, you and the men you’ve decided to drape all over you like stoles *could* have stepped out into a hail of bullets. If the Persuader actually had the hard criminal edge found in Judge Parker, say.

DT: Ah, sweet repetition. Thank goodness Liz called in Tracy! Who else could have shown such clever and decisive leadership? My only question is: is there some kind of relationship to the missing people and the portraits in the gallery? I feel I need several months’ worth of panels to assuage my feelings of uncertainty.

A-3G: Oh, Margo. Will your callous, manipulative ways ever cease to entertain me? Here’s hoping for a big fight followed by angry grudge sex. I hope, I hope, I hope.
Rob in Japan
February 6th, 2008 at 8:02 am [Reply]

Well, at least one reader of this here website cares about the writers strike (not just TV writers’ strike, btw). I’d say more but a) I don’t know if anyone here wants to hear it, and b) I don’t want to attract disinfo trolls from either side here.

Of course, since I live in Japan, I’ll watch almost anything that has English in it. One night I actually caught myself sitting through most of Batman & Robin. *shudder*
Calico
February 6th, 2008 at 8:02 am [Reply]

FOOB – Mike is a “writer” and “author” (Weed’s designations for his bestest gentoid friend) and his kids are still illiterate.
Not only that, but he doesn’t even get the fucking joke, so the little weasel’s bad speech could be corrected.
And The
February 6th, 2008 at 8:05 am [Reply]

9CL: I haven’t snarked on these rotten horoscopes because I figure that they may be filler made long ago while Brooke recovers from his trip to the hospital.

GT:Wow, she’s just blabbed all of her suspicions to him? Not exactly Nancy Drew, this one.
Calico
February 6th, 2008 at 8:06 am [Reply]

#18 – Did you Goooooooooogle Feb. 6, or 16th?
For Feb. 6, I got the following:
http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/worldhis/wor1927.htm

Plus, I saw something about an earthquake in the LA region for Feb. 6, but can’t access the article without ponying up some cash to GeoWorld.
Calico
February 6th, 2008 at 8:09 am [Reply]

#19 – Do you mean angry grudge sex between Alan and Margo, or between Doris and Margo?

: D

Argh, must now wash brain out with balsa wood vinegar.
And The
February 6th, 2008 at 8:10 am [Reply]

#20: There’s no reason for anyone, speaking any language, to be watching Batman and Robin. I’d rather read a collection of Cathy’s summer swimsuit shopping strips. Arnold’s dialog alone should be censured by some government organization.
Tweeks_Coffee
February 6th, 2008 at 8:10 am [Reply]

Thank you, Uncle Lumpy.

Conley’s constant references to the writer’s strike grew tiresome long ago. I haven’t enjoyed this strip for a little while now. Shame too, GF is one of the better strips in the paper today.
And The
February 6th, 2008 at 8:12 am [Reply]

#24: Hey, I’m not picky. Doris definitely could have that sexy librarian thing going on. It’s hard to tell with the artwork on this strip……
AhClem
February 6th, 2008 at 8:17 am [Reply]

MT – I wonder if the beavers use incandescent or compact fluorescent bulbs to light the inside of their lodge? And do they have little turbines in their beaver dams to generate electricity?
gleeb
February 6th, 2008 at 8:20 am [Reply]

Well, since Ed developed the incontinence problem, he has to be full of something.

BB: That Miss Buxley is one cold, cold woman. Tonight Killer will have to earn his name again.

Close to Home: Who is that bearded man, nad why has he kidnapped Sr Dalí’s cats? Oh, wait, it’s just a badly drawn Close to Home comic.

‘bean: Come on, you’re from Cancerdeathville! Embrace the roach-ridden firetrap!

H&L: In a time of food abundance, class feeling needs another route to expression.

Duck: I suppose the “Then” is meant to depict a reaction to redlining or something? Because the recent bank nonsense is all about toothless regulation of banks, not discrimiating unfairly. This duck is agian, a rather big idiot.

Zippy: The message here is, “stop whining, kiddies, I could stop caring about the artwork, too.”
yudantaiteki
February 6th, 2008 at 8:23 am [Reply]

Lumpy: Perhaps you don’t watch TV, but for fans of any currently running TV show (Lost, Heroes, 24, whatever), the writer’s strike is a fairly big concern.
Whippersnapper
February 6th, 2008 at 8:23 am [Reply]

Foob: I predict that Friday’s strip will show an exhausted Dee coming home from work and Michael immediately dumping the spawn on her and retreating to his lair to churn out more dreck, perhaps a thinly-veiled autobiography inspired by this rare interaction with his children:
Noble Mighchael patiently and nobly tolerated the sparring of the fruit of his loins over a video game. He had nobly acquiesced to one of his wife’s many many many many shrill demands that he “be involved in the parenting of his children.” Mighchael knew that this was a waste of his copious writing talent. But, as his mother Ellygh, pointed out repeatedly, Deegh was neither an author, nor a writer, nor a Paghttersoghn, so she could not understand his delicate genius and the call of his inspirational muse that rained inspiration down on him like rain.
Allie Cat
February 6th, 2008 at 8:33 am [Reply]

There’s a weekly strip that we rarely talk about here, but it’s worth a mention today. K Chronicles by Keith Knight, which I read on Salon.com is absolutely spot-on this week. I think Keith must be a mudge. Definitely worth a look.

Doonesbury – Timely and hilarious.

MW – My loathing of Vera has reached new heights. Seriously – you’re going to waste the good doctor’s time – not to mention my time – with this? Come on.

Hope all the mid-South Mudges survived last night’s storms. We had not so much as a twig blown out of place -but that seems to be dumb luck.
shane shiner
February 6th, 2008 at 8:36 am [Reply]

To say no one cares about the WGA strike is to be mega-wrong. Do you not watch ANY TV?
dyslexic dog
February 6th, 2008 at 8:36 am [Reply]

#18: The joke in Ziggy is that a monument was erected for no reason at all. The date doesn’t matter. In fact, that may be the “mistake” referred to. It’s funny because…uh…uh…because…um…

I’m going back to bed.
smacky
February 6th, 2008 at 8:37 am [Reply]

Gotta agree with yudantaiteki. I’m not monitoring Variety for hourly updates, but I care about the writers’ strike. An eight episode season of Lost would be a drag. And this strike is the reason we have American Gladiators, Are You Smarter Than Your Dog, and Man Gets Kicked in Crotch shows on now.
Dr. Mabuse
February 6th, 2008 at 8:38 am [Reply]

FBOFW – I can see what you mean by the authors taking a break in February. Johnson’s stretched the “She’s LOOKING at me!” crisis over 2 days. Now, will she go for a third, or will she move over to the “Stay on YOUR side of the couch!” drama for the rest of the week?
smacky
February 6th, 2008 at 8:39 am [Reply]

Imagine if the comic strip writers went on strike, and the only new comics were Cathy, Garfield, and Marmaduke.

That’s what the WGA strike is like.
benro
February 6th, 2008 at 8:45 am [Reply]

Any discussion about cartoonist autopilot should include this last Sunday’s My Cage, which does an excellent take on this precise problem.
Tracer Bullet
February 6th, 2008 at 8:51 am [Reply]

9CL: This strip comes in for a fair amount of often well-deserved abuse, but “It is time to buy a blunt shovel — and be spontaneous with it” is positively Mencken-esque. I daresay that deserves a t-shirt.
Tweeks_Coffee
February 6th, 2008 at 8:53 am [Reply]

Low on snark today, here’s all I got…

Archie: It’s probably the vast expanses of featureless white spaces this school seems to have everywhere. it’s like trying to film purgatory.
FW: Because it’d be much easier and cheaper to fly/drive out to New York? Christ, if the place is even halfway decent you should be able to fix it up pretty decently overnight.
GT: Considering that there doesn’t seem to be anyone trying to get the kid down, I assume Andrew took footage of the kid stranded up there without actually doing anything.
MT: So he surfaced then swam out of sight? Why the heck did he even have to bother with the dam then?
Marvin: Are those bars on his window or is that just wishful thinking?
S4th: What, pray tell, is a “Robber Baron”?
S-M: Uhmm, I don’t want tot ell you how to do your job, Spidey, but maybe you could put the people down? Or, I dunno, kick him?

Oh, as far as the writer’s strike is concerned; No, I don’t care about it. Even if I did, I would’ve grown tired of having it dominate one of my favorite strips with unfunny jokes long ago.
ScienceGiant
February 6th, 2008 at 8:55 am [Reply]

MW: I supposed I should be thankful it ends like this. Vera could have said, “See how Ryan is sticking his penis into me? That mean’s it’s over between us, Drew.”
Little Guy
February 6th, 2008 at 9:11 am [Reply]

I’m waiting for the Curtis mashup where his mother punishes him for harassing his little brother by writing an essay on the African-American who can make his dad stop smoking in the hidden rap music store. During Kwanzaa.
Little Guy
February 6th, 2008 at 9:14 am [Reply]

13: Anyone remember (origial, reprint) of Classic Peanuts where Charlie Brown is telling Frieda that he is “lookiting” at her?

9CL: Three down, nine to go. Whee. At least there’s no Dr Julli-Bug-Up-Her-Butt.
Artist formerly known as Ben
February 6th, 2008 at 9:18 am [Reply]

2/6

MW: Drew has a second chance, as Vera’s exact double just appeared at the table behind him, albeit sans ponytail. He can just whip out his “Hey babe, I’m a doctor” greeting and the other guy is toast.

S-M: Hint: You don’t need your hands to give the Persuader an Spider-kick in the nuts.

OBH: Even for Ruthie’s world, we’re seeing some weird psychological ticks here.

Big Dog: The dog demon has possessed the plasma screen! For the sake of your lives and your immortal souls, run!

Marvin: If modern dental science has advanced to keep baby teeth in the mouth life-long, I missed that development.

A3G: As is now certain, the 3G girls live in an alternate universe. One where the ART SECTION is a separate pullout announced in lettering bigger than the banner. Rather than, say, two columns in the “Living” section.
Calico
February 6th, 2008 at 9:18 am [Reply]

#31 – Well done!
You’ve just persuaded me to hate Mike Patterblather even more.
“Copious writing talent” – *snorts*

I’m certain Mike could win one of those “Bad Hemingway” writing contests with little effort.
Ryl
February 6th, 2008 at 9:20 am [Reply]

ScienceGiant, I blame you for all the nightmares I’m going to have tonight.
Ryl
February 6th, 2008 at 9:21 am [Reply]

But I blame myself for my inability to code. Gah, italics tags do not close bold tags!
McManx
February 6th, 2008 at 9:26 am [Reply]

To #28 AhClem: I wonder why the beavers did not rip Mark’s face off the moment he surfaced in their den… oh well, missed opportunity.

MW — Drew: “Why did you kiss me?” Vera: I’ve joined the mafia and I’ve just given you the traditional signal for my partner to blow your brains out”… oh well, wishful thinking.

FOOB — Robin: “DAD! Merediff is seeing at me!!” Meredith: “Yes! I see DEAD PEOPLE!” (Stabs Robin in throat with carrot peeler)… oh well, really really wishful thinking.
James Schend
February 6th, 2008 at 9:27 am [Reply]

I don’t watch any TV, and haven’t in years. I still think Get Fuzzy is by far the best newspaper comic around today. I’m willing to give him a pass.

I will get upset though if he introduces any new cat characters who end up unable to leave his house for whatever reason– by all rights, Rob should have something like 56 cats in his living room at any one time by this point.
Godzooky
February 6th, 2008 at 9:28 am [Reply]

Mike Evanier cares about the writer’s strike. And, considering the tie-in to the Screen Actor’s Guild negotiations, the effect on TV, movie, and animation production, and the impact on future digital media production, the strike deserves more widespread concern. That said, with one or two exceptions, Get Fuzzy’s writer’s strike strips have been sort of lame. Hopefully, Darby will move on to a new target soon.
Tonio
February 6th, 2008 at 9:28 am [Reply]

Cartoonists to Protest Lack of Color – skin color, not printing color.

Gene Weingarten’s response:

Difficult truth about comics pages
Joe
February 6th, 2008 at 9:28 am [Reply]

FC: Sorry to hear that, Jeffy. Here, let me help. I’ll plug the other nozzle, then shove one of PJ’s dirty diapers into your mouth, and tape it all shut with duct-tape!

Smirky PantySniffer: Actually, the original Montoni’s has charm and character………it’s a dump.

Get Fuzzy: Why is Rob’s hair always in a constant state of “frazzled”?

Luann: Maybe ‘ol Ben will get thrown in the slammer for dippin’ the ‘ol wick into jailbait.

MW: So……….get the fuck away from me now. And no stalking!

SFx: What’s this…….a day without a bunch of animals gang-banging a human for food??

FOOB: Yes, Michael. They are your spawn. Your dippy wife trapped you into kids the day after your wedding. Suffer, jackass. And burn in Hell while you’re at it.
Calico
February 6th, 2008 at 9:35 am [Reply]

FC – Jeffy, poor widdle you. Time to hit the decongestant bottle, and hard. It might even make you smart(er).
Have you ever heard of a scintillating game called “Chubby Bunny?” No? Well, let me teach you how it’s played…

Maybe tomorrow FOOB will move on to a snot-related plot. It would be a refreshing change.
Kurdt
February 6th, 2008 at 9:38 am [Reply]

Gotta comment on today’s Lio: http://www.gocomics.com/lio/

Just gotta say, It kind of creeped me out.
Mr. Coffee Nerves
February 6th, 2008 at 9:41 am [Reply]

MW: I’m not sure which of Drew and Vera’s fellow diners is more impressive:

A — The bald man in panel one who apparently lost part of one leg after Chester the Beagle mauled him and now is fated to walk the earth to the left for all eternity;

B — The blonde woman who moves with such Olympian speed that — even though she’s not even in the panel where Vera’s ellipsis begins — she is seated and enjoying her plastic coaster in the space between the words “anymore…” and “and.”

Perhaps she’s a movie tie-in with “Jumper” and this is how the “writers” really pay the bills?

FOOB: Only if Michael hires Susan Smith to babysit does this arc have any hope of redemption. I’m wishing that Dee is running off to Saskatchewan with a biker gang as this all unfolds.
Anon
February 6th, 2008 at 9:41 am [Reply]

Doldrums.

What an appropriate title for THIS thread.
Krazy Kat
February 6th, 2008 at 9:47 am [Reply]

FOOB- Did Michael ever find that other peeler? Seems he could use it right about now.
Little A. of The Bronx Jungle Partrol
February 6th, 2008 at 9:57 am [Reply]

GT: OKAY, HERE IS AN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT SWEAT SHIRT OR TEE SHIRT DESIGN:

Andrew’s stupid horse face with a baloon saying, “LET ME KNOW BEFORE YOU STALK ME NEXT TIME AND I’LL MAKE COCOA.” Would that make a perfect sweat shirt or tee shirt, or what?

Actually, forget his face, it will scare everybody off.

Also, how many papers does this strip run in, anyway? Does anybody know? There is no doubt it is the stupidest strip in America, without half trying.
Gabacho
February 6th, 2008 at 10:03 am [Reply]

Uncle Lumpy – Good post – funny and crisp.

Mary Worth – You know, Vera, you could have sent him an email with the same information. But no, you had to see the look on his face. You’re just being a bitch here.

Mark Trail – umm, Mark. Panel 3? The plane is right behind you. You may not be in the clear.

FooB – I love how Mike makes Ted Forth look all butch and competent.
Calico
February 6th, 2008 at 10:05 am [Reply]

Well, we have another nasally challenged child in the comics-here’s DTWOF #520:

http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/dtwof-episode-520
Ranger
February 6th, 2008 at 10:09 am [Reply]

Bizarro: What is up with the platic surgeon having a lit stick of dynamite in his back poker?
Ranger
February 6th, 2008 at 10:17 am [Reply]

Wow, am I tired or what? I obviously meant to say back pocket! Damn late night Super Tuesday party. Those McCain supporters are animals!
Jude, Jude, Jude of the Jungle Patrol
February 6th, 2008 at 10:22 am [Reply]

#40 – The term, as used in the strip, refers to the 19th century monopolists such as J.P. Morgan and Rockefeller. More information on robber barons can be found on the, well, you know…
Niall
February 6th, 2008 at 10:24 am [Reply]

Uncle Lumpy: I will also disagree about today’s Get Fuzzy – this is a “punchline” strip, usually the funny ones. If you’d rail against it stretching the setup for thrice its proper length, which would force Conley to have to come up with three times the number of jokes, than I’d be all behind you. :)

Plus, considering the usual lead-in times, February strips are made in early December, which may not even warrant a “christmas break” excuse…

True Fable: I’m not surprised you read Girl Genius, but to be fair, it was a professional comic book that went webcomic to survive, unlike webcomics which started online. On another (favourite) subject of interest to you, give me a couple of days for an amusing and unexpected goat link. Not real goats, but funny goats. I hope. :)

40. Tweeks: Robber Barons, also known as Rail Barons – 19th century US rich landowners who found ways to bully, intimidate and steal western lands from farmers for pennies before putting rail lines on them and making kajillions in profit.

Wednesday

Archie continuity again? They’re trying to scare us, aren’t they?

BB: Sadly, Beetle never showed up. Being spurned in his face for someone he considered his buddy, Killer’s mind finally snapped. He quietly walked away from Buxley to his barracks, cleaned and polished his gun, and finally made the camp paper the next day with the discovery of the double murder-suicide.

Garfield: So close – if Garfield had said “not”, it would have been much funnier.

GT: Is the world about to end? Maureen Monte is being smack-dunked down here by her ex, who’s remaining good-humoured about it instead of being offended. Is the A-Train actually the one to climb on??

MT:: Mark Trail may get close, but never actually stops for beaver.

Big Dog: Either that dog is so intelligent (talks to owner about aliens, writes in snow, reprograms remotely the cable company’s ads) that it might as well be our new canine overlord, or its owners are the stupidest delusional beings on the planet.

Phantom: Oh great, now even this strip has people smirking. It’s contagious!

SF: What’s this? Product placement? Ticket to Ride is a fairly recent game that has not yet broken the “household name” treshold, and I doubt a comic strip reference will do it. It’s far too complex compared to other “family board games”… though it is a fun game.

SlyFx: Sigh, is Mr. Weber throwing a bone to the creationists in panel 2?
Rainbird
February 6th, 2008 at 10:26 am [Reply]

I am surprised that no one has commented on Marvin Since when did tooth fairies only take diseased teeth?

Perhaps he needs to check his manual again on why baby teeth come out.
Cami
February 6th, 2008 at 10:27 am [Reply]

MW – That woman is going to take a bite out of an orange “doughnut”! Quick Vera, use Drew as a shield!

From now on, I think I’ll end all of my signs with a gigantic SPECIAL at the bottom.
man behind the curtain
February 6th, 2008 at 10:27 am [Reply]

MW — With all those meanings behind one kiss,i t must have been one hell of a kiss. No wonder poor Dr. Drewfus is so confused.

LuAnn — With each passing day, as Mom seems to have no problem with LuAnn and Ben, my problem with it increases. I don’t think she’s confused him with someone else.
Big Sims
February 6th, 2008 at 10:32 am [Reply]

I was going to write something about the re-birth of Mark Trail, emerging from the safety of the Beaver’s Dam, all cold and wet, in danger and friendless, but the metaphor got too mixed up in my head and I just became depressed and began to miss my mother.
Darkefang, Anthropomorphic Pirate Captain of the Jungle Patrol
February 6th, 2008 at 10:36 am [Reply]

A3G: As well as being tough focused and smart, Margo also lets me come to work wearing a bathrobe.

Archie: Is Reggie from India too? Because he looks exactly like Raj.

BB: Miss Buxley would rather be Beetle’s beard than take a mustache ride.

Crankshaft: Old people don’t know what things are. Haw Haw!

DtM: Unless he’s procured Mikkos Cassadine’s weather machine, then Dennis has hit a new low in menace.

DT: Blank, expressionless eyes. Mouth agape. Expression of complete boredom. Yup, I think Liz has been reading too much Dick Tracy.

FW: Sorry Pizza World. Any charm there was has been gone for about 20 years.

GA: Wait, the FBI is investigating? Was someone kidnapped? Was stolen property transported over state lines? Does Scancarelli have no idea what law enforcement jurisdictions are?

JP: There are redheads high on brownies and wearing robes three sizes too small, but we have to watch this boring conversation?

MW: Oh please let this really be Vera’s last appearance! This is a great day in Mary Worth history!
Calico
February 6th, 2008 at 10:39 am [Reply]

Some helpful info for Jeffy Keane and his parents Re: disgusting olfactory issues:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23018000/
Tabby
February 6th, 2008 at 10:40 am [Reply]

I think FOOB is attempting a sort of “then & now” montage – last week we had the re-hash “early parenting drove elly crazy” and this week, it’s mike demonstrating the same lack of connection with the next generation.

It’s been said before, but here we go – contrast the ham-handed fuggly of this scene with the deftness of Doonsbury or DTWOF and be schooled in how to handle multi-generational character relations. Time to prune the deadwood & make room for some new talent!
gkl
February 6th, 2008 at 10:48 am [Reply]

MW: Again, if Vera was doing this intentionally, she’d be an awesome character, but she’s not, so she isn’t.

GA: I’m stunned. I thought that, according to the internal logic of Gasoline Alley, all of the characters would have the FBI on speeddial. Beep boip indeed.

GT: #58: Agreed. At least let it be Andrew Gregory’s catchphrase.

Pluggers: To a plugger, wouldn’t a “hot dog” be cannibalism?

MT: Of course, obviously Andy got away. The people with the gun couldn’t have possibly dispatched him while you were in the beaver house saving your own worthless soul and failing to get your end away. Really, Mark, the world doesn’t revolve around you. (Although I guess, according to the internal logic of the strip, it does, which is probably the saddest thought I’ve ever thought.)
Rebochan
February 6th, 2008 at 10:52 am [Reply]

MW: Vera, like any rational woman, wants to lock tongue with her ex before breaking up with him for her stalker boss.

A3G: Recycled panels FOR THE WIN!

GF: Hey now, I care about the Writer’s Strike! Down with media moguls!

FOOB: Please don’t tell me she thinks is kids being cute. But I’m not really shocked considering how badly they’re parented.
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 10:55 am [Reply]

9CL – Whoa.

A3G – STOP REFERRING TO HARPIES DERISIVELY, PEOPLE. HARPIES ARE LOVELY.

Archie – LOOK WE DON’T GIVE A CRAP JUST STOP TRYING TO HAVE A RUNNING PLOTLINE DAMMIT

Curtis – You know, I don’t have a problem with Black History Month, because there have been many black people who’ve made awesome contributions to society, but Curtis always bugs me in this regard because aside from the generic school-kid humor that’s all it ever talks about. It’s like white people don’t exist in Curtis. (Anyway, my pick? Cab Calloway. Great musician, and a pretty good actor too – remember The Blues Brothers?)

FOOB – As if we didn’t know it all along, Robin is a retard. I’m not speaking of actual mental handicaps, you understand – he’s just a retard, probably because he’s been raised by an overworked breadwinner of a mother who’s apparently gone all day and the dumbest father imaginable (What’s that you say? No, Archie Bunker was fucking Einstein by comparison.) His inability to use the correct verb in a sentence is but one manifestation. Lynn remembers that children often get into fights over really stupid things, but doesn’t apparently remember that it’s not actually funny – she’s apparently done the domestic-comedy bit for so long that she now thinks anything that happens in family life is automatically amusing.

GA – Of course, the fact that he was right about the fellow being a criminal will automatically justify his being a paranoid asshole, and he’ll get his job back despite the fact that he had no reason to harass the guy in the first place. But I really can’t criticize it too much, because the same thing would probably happen in real life.

GT – I love this guy.

Luann – Evans acknowledges how random and pointless his story arcs are. Does Luann always look like she’s being mind-controlled when she talks about her crushes?

MT – It’s impressive how Mark can disguise himself as Mr. Spock at the drop of a hat – just check out panel two.

MW – Okay, the perspective in panel one is nearly Thorpian in its wrongness. Is that guy on a stepstool? Why is he paralell to the camera but the rest of the scene isn’t? Anyway, I’m not sure who the brown-haired fellow Toeby is lunching with in panel two is, but I’m pretty damn sure it ain’t Chinbeard. Just wait until Mary gets a whiff of this development!

Momma – Squash her, lady. Squash her like a bug.

PC – Ron Paul confronts the crushing-oh wait, that’s Winslow.

RMMD – Smarter than everybody else and psychic. I love this guy. Okay, I’m still angling for June Morgan, N.P., but Lee and Faith have to make occasional guest appearances. Maybe they can go straight and join June and Sarah on their cross-country crime-busting sprees.

SF – I already knew the bit about giant dragonflies, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome.

SM – Oh no! How will Spider-Man fight with his hands full!? (Sorry, what? Oh, put them down? Well, when you put it that way…)
Perky Bird
February 6th, 2008 at 10:55 am [Reply]

Shouldn’t Mark Trail, of all people, know that it is more properly called a beaver “lodge”, rather than “house”?
Buck Ripsnort
February 6th, 2008 at 11:11 am [Reply]

Crank: Don’t you people see the emergency? ‘Shaft obviously needs an immediate transfusion for the vinegar that runs through his veins. Thank heavens he didn’t need emergency bile.
FOOB: It’s your own fault Merideff’s “seeing” at you, kid. Shoulda gouged her eyes out w/ that peeler when you had the chance. Lord, seeing this strip makes me wish I had a peeler myself . . . .
Buck Ripsnort
February 6th, 2008 at 11:13 am [Reply]

DT: And where the hell did Liz get that scar?
Jeff O'Connor
February 6th, 2008 at 11:16 am [Reply]

In reference to today’s “Get Fuzzy:” if Bucky was being true to his character, his response should have been something like “F*ck yeah, I’m a scab. Screw the unions – I’m no commie! Right to work! Right to work!”

See? Either way, it’s not especially funny.
Darkefang, Anthropomorphic Pirate Captain of the Jungle Patrol
February 6th, 2008 at 11:16 am [Reply]

#74 commodorejohn –

“GA – Of course, the fact that he was right about the fellow being a criminal will automatically justify his being a paranoid asshole, and he’ll get his job back despite the fact that he had no reason to harass the guy in the first place. But I really can’t criticize it too much, because the same thing would probably happen in real life.”

Actually, in real life no unionized workforce would’ve allowed the letter carrier to be suspended for that altercation in the first place. Unless that carrier has a long history of dickery that Scancarelli didn’t bother to clue us in on.
AhClem
February 6th, 2008 at 11:24 am [Reply]

JP – Gloria has brown eyes. Who knew?
Ward Cleaver
February 6th, 2008 at 11:26 am [Reply]

Judge Parker: I thought JAG officers only handled legal matters in the military, from court martials to contracts, so why is Steve Shannon a navy seal? I didn’t know special ops carried brief cases. Also, I was always under the impression that Judge Parkerville was a small town, but now it has become a large city with tall buildings.
The Spectacular Spider-Brick
February 6th, 2008 at 11:33 am [Reply]

Agnes: I have been reading this strip for close to a year now, so I think I can safely say, with some confidence, that both Agnes and her friend are girls. Though I could be wrong about the friend.

A3G: “Well, harpies are meat-eaters, so I find that if I keep her sated with new meat to chew on, I’m relatively safe. Speaking of which, Margo wants to see you in Gallery B.”

(WT)DT: How long are these two going to keep telling each other the same two pieces of information that they learned from each other in the first place? Oh, never mind, I know the answer: until Saturday.

GT: Um, kids can climb trees. You don’t have to toss them up there. Just offer them a buck to show you how high they can climb. Reporter instincts Maureen does not have.

Big Dog: I do not want to see Dean Booth do an animated version of this panel. On second thought, maybe I do. No. No, I do not.

MW: Psst, Vera. Kisses that mean “goodbye” are supposed to come at the end of your time together. At the beginning, people generally interpret those kisses to mean “I’m glad to see you.” Though it must be hard to keep straight for someone who thinks tongue means “I deserve a raise” and fellatio means “Nice tennis match, dear brother.”

MC: No, Maureen, read it again. He wants to do a model in the missionary position. (As an aside — how much more interesting would GT be if it were Maureen Fox trying to get the goods on arsonist Andrew Peccary? Well, not much more interesting, but it would be nicer to look at.)

PUD: Sixteen men on a dead man’s chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of… wait, is that a Zima? Sam, turn in your pirating license.

Popeye: Spy bug #4 is also in Popeye’s house… previously we saw the view from #7, which means she has at least seven bugs, and it’s implied they’re all in Popeye’s house. Since Popeye doesn’t live in a mansion, there’s probably one in every room of the house, including the… the… b… ba… *BBLAARRFFFHH*

RMMBLA: “Which means they’re idiots! Because every moron knows you find cell phone towers every few miles along the highway! We can just leave them here and they’ll die of stupidity!”

SF: It’s not called “Ticket to Ride,” but that’s a real game. Never got to play it. Then Sid Meier came along and rendered it obsolete.

Ziggy: On that site, on Feb. 16, 1927, the very first Ziggy comic was drawn.
Bunnë
February 6th, 2008 at 11:50 am [Reply]

To jump into the fray on GF and the WGA strike, I too do not watch ANY TV. I just kind of lost interest in it.

I suppose Conley is trying to make sure we don’t forget it’s still going on… but I think the people who care (and there are a lot) are pretty well aware it’s still going on. The problem is, Conley has been riding this thing for practically the whole strike. What happens when you write jokes on the same topic every day? You end up with Marmaduke. Sure, SOME are funny, but on the whole, it’s a yawn.

And as Jeff O’Connor points out above, Bucky’s response today is completely out of character.
Bunnë
February 6th, 2008 at 11:56 am [Reply]

On the subject of webcomics (Tru Fable, Mr O’M), my favorites are:

http://catandgirl.com
http://goats.com
http://dieselsweeties.com
http://littledee.net
http://overcompensating.com/
and a new one to check out: http://katebeaton.com

And while I’m plugging webcomics, go read mine: http://hitched.tonybreed.com
Aredvark
February 6th, 2008 at 12:01 pm [Reply]

Actually, I saw a segment on Billingsley yesterday — thanks, Reading Rainbow! He explains that he sits in the park studying children to get material for his strip. A sad indicator, when you look at strips of failing school grades and kids conniving for their parents’ money. But it’s just plain disturbing when you think of story lines like ‘Stacy, Girl Gone Wild’.
Anon
February 6th, 2008 at 12:03 pm [Reply]

GF not staying true to character?

Shocking.

And to have that pointed out is heresy.

GF is the most perfect strip to ever be published.

Or so I have been told.
tymime
February 6th, 2008 at 12:03 pm [Reply]

Dude, lots of people care about the strike. Where have you been?
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 12:07 pm [Reply]

#6: I am willing to let Fred Bassett get away with any number of things. When you say it has “comfy sort of Britishness” you echo my own thoughts. However bland or innocuous it may be at times, it still, somehow, has an intrinsic value for me; I never feel that the artist is truly mailing it in. And it’s not just because I love dogs; I would, for instance, glady pay to read a strip in which Marmaduke is euthanized.
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 12:10 pm [Reply]

#87: Uncle Lumpy has a mind above strikes. He is not overly concerned with the meaningless scrabblings of a tormented humanity. Uncle Lumpy soars above the stratosphere! Fly, Lumpy! Fly! Don’t believe the hype!
Al of the Jungle Patrol
February 6th, 2008 at 12:13 pm [Reply]

84 — I personally like http://kevinandkell.com/ , although I admit that I’m partial to Bill Holbrook (Safe Havens, On the FastTrack) in general.
Allie Cat
February 6th, 2008 at 12:16 pm [Reply]

#88 – I speak from personal experience – I had to have a dog euthanized, and it cost $57. She was a small dog, though, so it may cost more for a dog the size of Marmaduke.
Al of the Jungle Patrol
February 6th, 2008 at 12:22 pm [Reply]

91 — My sis is a vet. Euthanization is inexpensive, but disposal is expensive (especially when cremation is involved). She once drove around with a dead lab in the back of her truck for 3 days until she could sneak it into the incinerator.
Moss_Moses
February 6th, 2008 at 12:23 pm [Reply]

Shouldn’t “The Community” be called “La Population” because it’s located in Quebec? Are we to assume that Andy understands French as well as he understands spoken English? This may help when he encounters French speakers and they read his note. He somehow knew right away to run for The Community if he didn’t see Mark. He did a quick glance over his shoulder, did not see Mark and immedately bounded off for The Community. It’s not as though he was trained in advance for this behavior. The only logical explanation is that Mark Trail explained this to him while they were still in the freakish canoe/motorboat. Andy’s cognitive skills and intellectual capacity far exceed most humans in Lost Forest, especially the brain dead evildoers.

Was that blowjob meant to taunt me, Vera? No that was a gratuitous goodbye hummer, Drew!
Chris Opperman
February 6th, 2008 at 12:27 pm [Reply]

The Writer’s Strike matters to a lot of people who make their living writing. Considering that you make money with your writings on this blog you should be more sympathetic to their plight.
gh
February 6th, 2008 at 12:34 pm [Reply]

#94 Chris Opperman –

Point of fact: Uncle Lumpy doesn’t make a cent when he subs. That’s my two cents.
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 12:38 pm [Reply]

#91, 92: That sure is true. I once brought my beloved Black Lab to the vet he had a scheduled appointment with 3 days early due to the unfortunate fact that he collapsed and died while chasing his favorite, yellow ball in the park that morning. I called them on the phone and they very kindly told me I could bring him in for cremation. It ended up costing nearly $200. If I wanted to take his ashes with me it would have been closer to $400. Much as I loved him, I decided it was cheaper for him to live on in my memory as opposed to an urn.
queek
February 6th, 2008 at 12:47 pm [Reply]

True Fable: I’d kick in a recommendation for Questionable Content as webcomicy goodness.

Speed Bump: ah, cross-dressing. Comedy gold from even before the days of Milton Berle.

Lio: o my! Dark and bitter, like Special Darks.

Frazz was utterly delightful today.
Paul1963
February 6th, 2008 at 12:53 pm [Reply]

Continuing on the subject of webcomics, check out this week’s Ugly Hill ( http://uglyhill.com/ ) and then picture the same sequence of events with characters from Momma..
AhClem
February 6th, 2008 at 12:53 pm [Reply]

MW – There are lists of bad Country & Western song titles that come out from time to time ( Here’s one, and there are others to be found you-know-where). Today’s MW reminds me of one of the perennial favorites, “Get Your Tongue Out Of My Mouth, Because I’m Kissing You Goodbye.“
Paul1963
February 6th, 2008 at 12:58 pm [Reply]

Oh, yeah, regarding Luann’s crush on Bernice’s brother Ben:
Back when Luann and her friends were all supposed to be twelve or thirteen instead of the almost-driving-age they now seem to be, Bernice had a long-running thing with a guy who looked about 25 and had a Corvette. My recollection is that everyone seemed more concerned about him driving too fast than about a 13-year-old going on dates with a grown man.
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 1:01 pm [Reply]

#100: I’m fairly certain that the lack of concern was due to the inescapable fact that Bernice had already hit the wall by age thirteen, and therefore was in no danger of inappropriate sexual hi jinx.
Anna
February 6th, 2008 at 1:13 pm [Reply]

To “third” what 26 and 40 said… there’s nothing wrong with comics about the writer’s strike. There is, however, something wrong with month after month of repeating gag strips vaguely related to a current issue. The exact joke from today’s GF is recycled from not too long ago, though I can’t recall the date. It’s been time to move on for quite a while now.
smacky
February 6th, 2008 at 1:13 pm [Reply]

“Uncle Lumpy doesn’t make a cent when he subs. That’s my two cents.”

Huh. Well, he should get a little something, in light of that article a few days ago that said Josh has become a millionaire off the income from this site (or something like that… ;-))

There are people who regularly comment on this site who never watch TV? Even disregarding the stuff that’s really good, even if you don’t have a TV “just for public television,” it’s more rewarding to read Mary Worth ironically?
Lettuce
February 6th, 2008 at 1:15 pm [Reply]

Golly — this was one of the most fascinating posts I’ve ever read in this blog. That’s what I like about this site, you can hate on the Pattersons, pull your hair out about the Winkerbeans and pull your soul out of the fires of hell for the Worths and then throw in a trenchant observation about the comic strip industry. It’s like some 19th century salon, but instead of Dorothy Parker, we get Margo Magee…
Little Guy
February 6th, 2008 at 1:16 pm [Reply]

GA 79: Oh heck, I’m calling it. Reason why the Boss was so antsy about Mac is that he’s in cahoots with the mysterious complainer.
Ringo Beaumont III
February 6th, 2008 at 1:18 pm [Reply]

Archie: Oh, fer the love of…will someone please tell the AJGLU3000 that you don’t hold a video camera up to your eye…you use the little flip-out screen.

You’d think being a computer it would know that. Don’t all appliances know each other? Or am I thinking of Norwegians?
mav
February 6th, 2008 at 1:23 pm [Reply]

81 – He doesn’t say he’s a SEAL; he says he completed SEAL training. I can’t speak to whether someone going into the JAG would typically be permitted to do SEAL training, but it’s not uncommon for members of the armed forces (and JAGs are full-fledged members of the armed forces) to enter into and complete training programs for areas in which they ultimately don’t serve. I have a good friend who completed the Airborne and Ranger programs but served in neither of those two capacities.
Sergeant Pepper
February 6th, 2008 at 1:24 pm [Reply]

I must disagree, good Josh. The writers strike is the cause of the lack of “The Office” episodes. So it is naturally of MUCH concern to me.

*weeps in his sackcloth and ashes*
your father isn't mr. cohen
February 6th, 2008 at 1:35 pm [Reply]

MW: Finally some excitement as Vera performs the five point palm exploding heart technique on Drew.

MT: I yearn to have that first panel on a t-shirt.
Gregoire
February 6th, 2008 at 1:38 pm [Reply]

#105 Little Guy

I thought the same thing, but do you think that GA would write the only “person of color” in the strip as “crooked?”
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 1:52 pm [Reply]

Oh, we’re doing favorite webcomics? Let me chime in:

The Unfeasible Adventures of Beaver and Steve – The story of Beaver (a beaver) and Steve (a lizard/dinosaur thing.) All kinds of crazy stuff happens. Often gets a quirky British feel to it, like Fred Basset on hallucinogens.

Freefall – A great sci-fi strip that’s probably the closest thing to hard sci-fi in the webcomics world. Likeable, entertaining characters and good solid art plus some truly interesting discussions of stuff – the only downside is that the plot progression is glacial, but unlike, say, Dick Tracy, it’s because author Mark Stanley is really thorough with getting the story where he wants it and making sure the audience understands what’s going on.

Irregular Webcomic! – Done almost entirely with LEGO figures and roleplaying miniatures. Geeky as all-get-out. Has fifteen different plotlines going at once, occasionally tying in with each other. Warning: innumerable elaborately constructed puns.

The Order Of The Stick – Also quite geeky, OOTS takes place in a Dungeons & Dragons game world; while most of the story centers around the events in the game, there’s plenty of gags about player tendencies and the system itself to be found. The art is simplistic (stick figures,) but good nonetheless.

Ozy & Millie – There’s just no reason this one shouldn’t be in a newspaper, but it’s not. Ah well, as we all know, syndicates can be really stupid like that.

VG Cats – Primarily themed around video games, but does other stuff too. Great art. Damn funny.

8-Bit Theater – Another video game-themed comic, 8BT is a meandering parody of the original Final Fantasy. To my knowledge, the best sprite comic out there (there’s damning with faint praise if I ever heard it.)

Minus – This one just has to be seen to be believed. Whimsical storytelling coupled with gorgeous watercolor art.

The Perry Bible Fellowship – Sick and twisted, but utterly hilarious.
Rhekarid
February 6th, 2008 at 1:53 pm [Reply]

Must Dick Tracy always have psychotic storylines? Why can’t they cover something normal once in a while, like how they got a leprechaun to label their building with giant marshmallow letters?
Poteet
February 6th, 2008 at 1:54 pm [Reply]

I hope the writers’ strike is settled soon and that the writers get a decent deal. That said, I’m ready to stop seeing references to the strike in GF. I’m a little nervous because GF, which I only started reading a few months ago, used to entirely charm me, and now I’m starting to find it sometimes repetitious. Arrgh. Will I have the same experience with PBS, which I currently find enthralling? Maybe I’m what Richard III called a “relenting fool, and shallow, changing woman!”
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 1:55 pm [Reply]

107: I want to be an Airborne Ranger! I want to live a life of danger!
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 1:57 pm [Reply]

#103 smacky – Well, I for one use my TV exclusively for videotapes, DVDs, and my growing assortment of game consoles. There’s just nothing I want to watch, now that The Red Green Show is in reruns – maybe if American broadcasters would import some anime that’s not the DBZ/Naruto model of “pointless over-the-top violence to appeal to the zit-faced thirteen-year-olds who watch this stuff,” I’d tune in.
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 1:59 pm [Reply]

113 Poteet: I must say I agree with you about Get Fuzzy, though the art alone is a reason not to miss it regardless of any tedium. In any case don’t let it trouble your conscience, since, after all, conscience is but a word that cowards use, devised at first to keep the strong in awe!
Skullturf Q. Beavispants
February 6th, 2008 at 2:16 pm [Reply]

I may have mentioned this before, but you can add me to the list of people who aren’t quite so impressed with Get Fuzzy in the past few weeks. For Christmas, I got some collections of strips from the first couple of years, and I prefer those ones. Lately, there’s just a little too much getting stuck on one topic and having the characters go on and on about it.

I appreciate the uniqueness of the characters in the strip, but the author needs to ask himself: to what extent should the strip just disappear into the weird imaginations of the characters? If you’re not coming up with new situations that might appeal to people who aren’t already fans of the strip, you risk wandering into the cliquey land of insular in-jokes.
Skullturf Q. Beavispants
February 6th, 2008 at 2:18 pm [Reply]

Speaking of which: this may prove fodder for debate, but I found today’s Zippy the Pinhead kind of annoying. It’s a bit like, “Ha, ha! I write a nonsensical comic strip! Aren’t I clever?”
Gold-Digging Nanny
February 6th, 2008 at 2:18 pm [Reply]

Hey Uncle Lumpy,

Loved your commentary on Crankshaft and Dick Tracy today, although I must align myself with the chorus proclaiming that yes, in fact, some of us do care about the writers’ strike. But props must be given — not just to you, but to a cartoon that’s not phoning it in: Gil Thorp!

I love today’s GT, especially in light of yesterday’s strip, in which we are informed that Andrew Gregory’s house did not move. The school building’s offer to make cocoa for its stalker is an act of boldness and generosity to the humans that occupy it. I only wish my office building was as kind to me.
Poteet
February 6th, 2008 at 2:20 pm [Reply]

# 116 mere cog — Thank you for reminding me that the GF art is indeed worth checking out. And also that it would be fun to reread Richard III sometime, even though I’ve been told many historians now say that he was a man more sinned against than sinning.
Gold-Digging Nanny
February 6th, 2008 at 2:21 pm [Reply]

118 SQB — I thought all Zippy the Pinhead comics were that way.
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 2:36 pm [Reply]

Poteet: If your feeling too lazy to read it, you should check out the Ian McKellan version from 1995 or thereabouts; it’s updated to a 1930’s fascist England and the Art Deco sets are sumptuous! I have also heard that Shakespeare was somewhat onesided about ol’ Dick. If nothing else, he was an effective monarch who was highly regarded in Europe and the north of England.
The Casey
February 6th, 2008 at 2:39 pm [Reply]

#23: I did Feb. 16th because that’s what it says on the monument. And I agree with Dyslexic Dog (#34). I would die a little inside for drawing/writing that. Then I’d make my 1 pm tee time.
Poteet
February 6th, 2008 at 2:40 pm [Reply]

(DT)GT — I came across a couple of GT strips from 1998 recently. As A.A. Milne supposedly said, one of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries, though I would rather have found some cash. The human beings in GT back then looked a lot more human, but their poses were already weird, including one panel with the trademark GT theme of one character sprouting from another character’s shoulder.
Poteet
February 6th, 2008 at 2:41 pm [Reply]

# 122 mere cog — Thanks, that seems worth checking out!
Inspector Dim
February 6th, 2008 at 2:42 pm [Reply]

Spider-Man just punched a man-sized hole in the steel door of an 18-wheeler. So why is the Persuader, whose only superpower seems to be that he’s a big dumb goon, at all threatening? It’s like Superman being afraid of Jimmy Olson.
Artist formerly known as Ben
February 6th, 2008 at 2:45 pm [Reply]

#74 commodorejohn,
Isn’t Gunk from “Curtis” white? Granted, he’s some kind of effed up post-nuclear mutant, but he’s fair-skinned and blond.

Another Cab Calloway fan here.
Inspector Dim
February 6th, 2008 at 2:45 pm [Reply]

Interesting nature fact: beavers dig the underwater entrances to their lodges wide enough for a grown man to fit through.

Another interesting nature fact: I was once in a bar called “Beaver Lodge.” That ruled.
UncleJeff
February 6th, 2008 at 2:50 pm [Reply]

#128 — Inspector Dim: our neighborhood strip club once offered morning shows they called “Beaver and Eggs”.
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 2:55 pm [Reply]

“Nice beaver!”
“Thanks. I just had it stuffed.”
gh
February 6th, 2008 at 2:56 pm [Reply]

Today’s episode of

The House That Did Not Move

[strings up]

When we left our stationary building, Maureen was in a quandary.

Maureen: If only this spin cycle would finish! I’m afraid before it does the building will get up and – oh, quandary. I thought you said laundry.

Tune in tomorrow when we hear Andrew say:

I swear! I don’t even own a hammer! His hands were nailed to the branches when I got there!

[strings down]
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 3:00 pm [Reply]

#127 Artist Formerly Known As Ben – Oh, forgot about him. I’m not sure he’s technically human, though; more like some sort of unholy construct, if you ask me. At any rate, my point was more that Curtis, while Billingsley claims it’s about people who “happen to be black,” is black-centric pretty much to the exclusion of recognizing anybody else.
Sans Sense
February 6th, 2008 at 3:13 pm [Reply]

BB: Does Beatle date Miss Buxley or are they going antique-ing?

DT: This reminds me of the joke about U2 having a concert in Scotland where Bono sanctimoniously and rhythmically starts snapping his fingers. After he has everyone’s attention he says that everytime he snaps his finger a child dies in Africa. A Scot in the crowd yells out, “Then stop snapping yer bloody fingers!” Dick – take her damn portrait down!

Crankshaft: I hope Dolly and Jeffy don’t read this…
Mars
February 6th, 2008 at 3:16 pm [Reply]

The writer’s strike is important to no one on the face of the earth? That’d be a surprise to everyone that cares about it. Seriously, Josh, sometimes I think you get sarcastic and snarky merely because it’s your duty, not because you can think of anything funny. In that sense, you’d be on autopilot too, eh?

The issue of whether we need a months-long Get Fuzzy story about it is another matter, however.
JNoble
February 6th, 2008 at 3:18 pm [Reply]

*Question for you all!*

Does anyone else have ‘F Minus’ run in their paper and find ANY of it EVER remotley amusing or funny? It’s crudely drawn and makes Archie look edgy and hip. I’ve never wanted to introduce a comic to the business end of a blowtorch like that one does
The Spectacular Spider-Brick
February 6th, 2008 at 3:24 pm [Reply]

Long as everyone else is doing it, here are my favorite Webcomics.

PVP: Stylishly drawn, and funny more often than not. I like that it’s more character-driven and not always about the geek humor, unlike others I could mention (I’m lookin’ at YOU, Penny Arcade).

Questionable Content: Smart, hip indie comedy that doesn’t make you feel stupid or out of touch.

Schlock Mercenary: The art isn’t pretty and the humor can veer into the childish, but it’s fun sci-fi comedy/adventure with a title character who looks like a turd. It has a continuing storyline, so start from the beginning.

Something Positive: Mean, snarky humor. I love it.

Sluggy Freelance: One of the few strips that turned from funny to serious successfully, and didn’t lose the funny along the way. Start at the beginning, because there are a lot of long-term plotlines and recurring themes.

XKCD: “A Webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.” And stick figures. Nonetheless, funny.
Rebochan
February 6th, 2008 at 3:25 pm [Reply]

#134: Josh is on vacation. Direct any complaints about content to Uncle Lumpy.
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 3:25 pm [Reply]

#136 The Spectacular Spider-Brick – Damn, how could I have forgotten Sluggy?
Tweeks_Coffee
February 6th, 2008 at 3:26 pm [Reply]

#135 – JNoble: It is occasionally funny, occasionally insipid and overall just mediocre. I’ve seen much worse, I tend to think it’s one of the better Far Side rip-offs.
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 3:26 pm [Reply]

108,134: Poor old Lumpy! Abuse AND ignominy! It ain’t right, I tell ya!
your father isn't mr. cohen
February 6th, 2008 at 3:27 pm [Reply]

#134: It’s not Josh today. Uncle Lumpy is filling in for him. Let’s pay attention, people!

#135: I raise my hand as someone who regularly likes F minus. To the point of laughing out loud and showing it to other people.
Skullturf Q. Beavispants
February 6th, 2008 at 3:28 pm [Reply]

I like F Minus often enough to consider it an above-average strip.
Sans Sense
February 6th, 2008 at 3:32 pm [Reply]

#142. SQB -

I am with you, above average, usually a smirk but sometimes a guffaw.
Uncle Lumpy
February 6th, 2008 at 3:35 pm [Reply]

Re: Writers’ Strike

You guys are right — the strike is a bread-and-butter issue to a lot of good people, and I shouldn’t suggest otherwise.

I stand by my narrower point that it provides weak material to stretch over weeks of Get Fuzzy.
rhymes with puck
February 6th, 2008 at 3:38 pm [Reply]

GF: I think the lesson learned here is that Darby Conlin wants to write a movie script, probably about an ugly, a$$hole cat.

Curtis: What better role model can Curtis find that a thief who stole clothes from a water buffalo posing as a woman, married her and had a child, and then inadvertantly forced her to turn back into a water buffalo after the two headed snake he stole from came to his house for revenge and bit her?

FBOFW: I find comfort in Michael’s hellspawn.

Garfield: In a related note to Lumpy’s theme du jour, Jim Davis took his 4,867th consecutive day off today.
Sans Sense
February 6th, 2008 at 3:41 pm [Reply]

GF: I can’t wait until he tackles the coal mining strikes of the 19th Century! The Satchel Malones? No Bucky’s Need Apply?
AhClem
February 6th, 2008 at 3:42 pm [Reply]

commodorejohn -
You’ve made a few comments about your interest in SF. Do you ever get to Minicon or any of the other regional SF cons?
Alethea
February 6th, 2008 at 3:45 pm [Reply]

Just wanted to point you all towards Margo Warhol’s favorite website:

http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/

You really “need” to go visit it at some point; it’s entirely “compatible” with your worldviews.
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 3:51 pm [Reply]

#147 AhClem – Nah, I’m just a casual peruser of such materials. I’ve read 2001, and I slogged through Ringworld and its twenty thousand plot-stalling sex scenes (thought sex couldn’t be boring? Think again,) but I don’t have the wherewithal to go con-visiting. Maybe someday when I have a real job and am not bogged down with college I’ll get out and about a bit more.
ar_d
February 6th, 2008 at 3:52 pm [Reply]

Did anyone else read PBS followed by FC and then wonder how Jeffy got cement up his nose?
Dean Booth
February 6th, 2008 at 3:52 pm [Reply]

Popeye: I Spy… Popeye.

P.S. Another great post, Uncle L.
moammar
February 6th, 2008 at 3:56 pm [Reply]

I have to say that the writer’s strike has had absolutely no effect on my life whatsoever. And as long as my library card still functions, the entire television industry can go hang.

Harrumph.
HB Glord
February 6th, 2008 at 3:57 pm [Reply]

#135 (et al.) — Since you asked, while it seems these days i emerge from Wallflowerland solely to defend it, F- is the only of the post-Far Side absurdist strips (and probably the only strip, period) that has caused me to actually laugh out loud on a few occasions, like this one did from last week. At first, the uniformly thick-line illustration style and reliance on benday-style gray tones threw me off, but now i really enjoy the minimalism it lends to the funny version of incongruity it serevs up. For me, it has the highest hit-to-miss ratio of that sort of one-panel strip.

PS: Thanks, Uncle Lumpy!
AhClem
February 6th, 2008 at 3:59 pm [Reply]

#149 commodorejohn -
“…Ringworld and its twenty thousand plot-stalling sex scenes…”
Ringworld was one of the first hard-SF books I ever read, back in the mid-1970s, but I don’t remember those. I may have to go back and read it again.

Except for 3 or 4 years in the mid-1980s, I’ve been going to Minicon since 1978.
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 4:00 pm [Reply]

144 Uncle Lumpy: When you mentioned the writers strike I just assumed you were referring to the folks who wrote ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’ and ‘The Apprentice’, and so I saw no problem with that. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to run along home and watch my favorite ‘Hardcastle and McCormick’ DVD’S.
A New Day
February 6th, 2008 at 4:00 pm [Reply]

So in Mark Trail, Andy has again demonstrated his vastly superior intelligence by running away from live ammunition.
More concerning to me is the fact that Mark has apparently, somewhere along the line, taught Andy the command “Run to the Community.” How does one teach a dog this? Does the Community have a specific smell, that you can rub onto a cloth and put under the dogs nose when he needs to find it again? What would that smell be – kool-aid? gunpowder? plaid?
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 4:01 pm [Reply]

#154 AhClem – Well, I was exaggerating for comic effect, but whatshisname and whatshername did tend to run off into the woods for some genital-mashing every chapter or so.
queek
February 6th, 2008 at 4:02 pm [Reply]

135: F- is a bi-weakly laugh. About once every other week, its worth a laugh.
AhClem
February 6th, 2008 at 4:07 pm [Reply]

#153 and others -
I have only two comic strips on my cubicle wall at work. One is a 1988 panel from The Neighborhood (predecessor to Ballard Street) that makes a reference to Structural Engineering (my profession), and the other is a F Minus strip from last October. In it, two men are carrying a cage with a nasty-looking creature out of the bedroom, while the kid is telling his dad, “No monsters under the bed, eh dad? The sad thing is that now you’ve lost all credibility.”

“F Minus” hits more often than it misses, and is one of the few strips I truly look forward to reading each day. Of all the Far Side wannabees out there, this one usually comes the closest.
mere cog in the machine
February 6th, 2008 at 4:09 pm [Reply]

156: I love the smell of plaid in the morning. Smells like………tartan.
Silly Rabbit
February 6th, 2008 at 4:19 pm [Reply]

Just Nthin everyone who says the WGA strike is actually kind of a big deal. Here in LA it is anyway. And for this striking writer, it’s nice to feel supported by Conley… (though yes I realize that the majority of America couldn’t care less about it so it probably shouldn’t be in the comics.)
Paul1963
February 6th, 2008 at 4:23 pm [Reply]

The postmaster who suspended Mac isn’t the only African-American character in Gasoline Alley–Gertie Rose, the caregiver for 110-year-old Walt Wallet, also qualifies.

White characters other than Gunk do occasionally surface in Curtis. However, the first one that comes to mind was a stereotypical caricatured “Mamma Mia!”-type Italian storekeeper Derrick and “Onion” shoplifted some watches from.

For my money, the all-time champion recycler of gags has to be Moose Miller, by Bob Weber (father of Bob Jr. of Slylock Fox fame). At one point when it was still running in a Baltimore paper, I considered clipping it just to see how often certain jokes were being reused. I think some of them were showing up every four to six weeks with almost no variation in wording.
Niall
February 6th, 2008 at 4:33 pm [Reply]

82. Spider-Brick on GT: Maureen Fox and Andrew Peccary nicer to look at? In that art style? Just let me draw it and it’d be a scarily close comparison. I.e. unfathomably ugly.

103. smacky: I have a TV, but no reception out of choice. No cable, no rabbit ears. If I really want something from TV, I have my sister (who has cable) tape it for me. This is exceedingly rare nowadays. I have plenty of social activities to occupy myself with.

111. Commodorejohn: Freefall has been coasting for a while, sadly, with only occasional forays back into the fun harder SF and character gags. No offense meant to the cartoonist whom I knew some years ago, but he’s been doing strips on these characters for nearly 15 years now. I think he’s waiting to recycle the good old strips, but those take place in space, and the crew is still not allowed to leave planet. Pacing is not his forte…

As for Ozy and Millie, it actually requires people to think, and challenges social conventions. Can’t have that in the paper.

135. JNoble: I have F Minus on my daily reading list as a test. It’s not that crudely drawn, actually, and often has better anatomy, proportions and perspective than most other strips; it’s just not that freeflowing a line, and the liberally heavy use of zipatone does not help. The jokes are usually hit-and-miss – I count about 3 per week that I find funny, and 2 that miss the mark entirely for me, being too easy as opposed to just researched enough to tickle my funny bone in its “deviation from the expected” (which is the root of most anglophone humour). So I can see your point, but only partly share it. It definitely is a personal thing about its humour, though.

Uncle Lumpy: Perhaps signing your Guest Posts at the bottom would go a long way in letting people notice it’s not Josh on certain days?.. I believe we had similar trouble on your last guest spot.

As for the writers strike… definitely important, but ultimately, the stuff they write is not something I have interest in – if most movies and TV shows is anything to go by. Of course, there’s a difference between those who write and those who rewrite at behest of executives…

I’ll do the favourite webcomics bit at home where I have access to my full list. :)
Brando_T.
February 6th, 2008 at 4:35 pm [Reply]

Adam@home has been phoning it in for years, but this past week with the exercise ball has been the most painfully unfunny set yet.

Brando_T.
Kathy
February 6th, 2008 at 4:36 pm [Reply]

Mark Trail: I can’t help but think a loyal dog would stick by his Master, even search for him when he vanished. This dog actually TIP-TOES away! Seizing his chance, I guess!

Mary Worth: Yesterday the good doctor elbowed a young man in the groin… today that young man appears to have aged about 40 years and lost his hair. He looks pretty glum, too.

fBOF OW: I set my 2 kids looking out different windows at their own star. 1 minute later I hear: “Moooom! X is looking at MY ‘tar!” True story.
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 4:37 pm [Reply]

#163 Niall – “Nearly 15 years?” The strip started in 1998. At any rate, I’ll have to disagree about it coasting, but different strokes, I suppose.
BoT
February 6th, 2008 at 4:39 pm [Reply]

Crankshaft is like a giant Billy from Family Circus. Someone needs to tell Batiuk that malapropisms cross over from precious to creepy right around the beginning of adolescence.
Niall
February 6th, 2008 at 4:43 pm [Reply]

149. Commodorejohn: I read Ringworld Engineers before the titular first novel. I wasn’t that young, and I’m glad I wasn’t that innocent, because indeed, it could have turned me off sex forever. (Number of the Beast also almost did it. Though after some experience, I can see why some would describe it that way.) The hard SF elements, though, were what fascinated me.

Going to cons does not need to have huge knowledge of the genre literature, though it can help in some conversations. I go for the social aspect, some interesting non-lit panels, and sometimes to get a few items I can’t get at home. But it’s not an experience that all can enjoy, as one needs a rather good tolerance for cluelessness, fanaticism, and costuming – not that there’s a huge amount of each, but they can stand out as solitary spikes.

154. AhClem, the fact you don’t remember them says something about the (non) quality of those scenes. They’re there. In spades. :)
Kathy
February 6th, 2008 at 4:45 pm [Reply]

MW: In fact, the elbow in the crotch could have started a whole new story-line. The elbow-ee falls to the floor screaming, the Dr. jumps up exclaiming “Don’t worry, I’m a doctor!” and then … treats the patient. Later, the patient becomes, um, dysfunctional, and the doc has to cure him. Maybe with some help from Vera, since she started the whole thing. Think of the platitudes Mary could come ‘up’ with!
Niall
February 6th, 2008 at 4:47 pm [Reply]

166. commodorejohn: the online strip started in 98, but he’s published Freefall strips (them in space) in fandom zines dating back to the early 90s. The webcomic was an “origin” story he’s still working on. I call it stalling, you call it glacial pace. :) He seems to have picked up considerably in the past few months, though, especially with his trying new material – the silent panels for instance. (The ‘insert a real or fictional robot in every strip for months’ was getting thin, though.) But tell me, do you think it’s better in colour or the original greyscale? I always switch immeidately to greyscale…
HB Glord
February 6th, 2008 at 4:52 pm [Reply]

#132 –Curtis’ classroom, and the crowd scenes, are generally pretty well integrated; it’s just that the black characters are the ones featured (kinda like the reverse of that small number of strips that are not drawn by African-Americans but occasionally feature blacks in the background).

And as for the “happens to be black” — as a person fitting that description, i’ll stand by Billingsley on that one. It’s not as if every black person in Curtis is some sort of W.E.B DuBois “Talented Tenth” exemplar: Take Michelle, or Derek & “Onion,” or Gunther the barber (please, as Henny Youngman might say).

#162 — Also, back in the late ’90s, Rover had a black roommate named Tyrone, during the time he was dating Delicia while driving a cab for her dad’s company. Other than that, you kinda have to go back to the liver-lipped, googly-eyed mammy stereotype Rachel from the Frank King days.
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 4:54 pm [Reply]

#170 Niall – I like them both; the coloring is a bit over-bright at times, but otherwise pretty nicely done. If he ever does get around to doing a book collection, though, I hope he just goes with the grayscale strips.

As far as the plot pace goes, I can see where you might call it stalling, but I’ve read webcomics that are far, far worse in terms of not getting anywhere (Take, for example, The Wotch, which, among its many other flaws, has spent its entire run advancing its plot by about one or two panels per chapter.) It definitely has picked up in recent months, though.
Uncle Lumpy
February 6th, 2008 at 4:55 pm [Reply]

#163 Niall –

Perhaps signing your Guest Posts at the bottom would go a long way in letting people notice it’s not Josh on certain days?

I do sign them.
SecretMargo
February 6th, 2008 at 4:56 pm [Reply]

163:

Uncle Lumpy: Perhaps signing your Guest Posts at the bottom would go a long way in letting people notice it’s not Josh on certain days?.. I believe we had similar trouble on your last guest spot.

Are you being sarcastic? Because it….is signed on the bottom.

And I agree with Bunnë and Poteet: the WGA is important, but GF exhausted its humour potential eons ago.

Also: I enjoy Unca Lumpy’s postings. I know, I know, you all just dying to hear me weigh in.
SecretMargo
February 6th, 2008 at 4:57 pm [Reply]

173: Jinx!
Violet
February 6th, 2008 at 4:58 pm [Reply]

Does anyone else think the first panel of Dick Tracy, with it’s enormous blocky 3-D “POLICE” sign on the roof of the station, looks kind of like part of a Schoolhouse Rock segment educating kids on how the policeman is your friend or some shit like that? I’m not totally clear on how the giant ants marching out front would fit in, but, hey, it was the 70’s.
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 4:59 pm [Reply]

#176 Violet – Schoolhouse Rock was the bomb.
Deena in OR
February 6th, 2008 at 5:27 pm [Reply]

128-Are you sure it wasn’t “that kind” of bar? Were you the only man in the place??
Jamus The Bartender
February 6th, 2008 at 5:28 pm [Reply]

9CL: “Money management firms will tell you they are confident in the future..” Yada, yada , yada. Thorax and Brooke just KNOW everyone’s checking out Edda doing her stretching exercises in her Black Canary gear before moving on to the next strip.
Dick Tracy: I wanna see this portrait of Chief Liz. Was this a portrait she did in college with some art student who liked to dress in black, smoke cigarettes and write poetry about how black life is and how there’s no hope? Because college women dig that. Plus, she will be naked.
Doonesbury: Okay, Drew, Alex, i’m sure Trudeau will cover this in the next couple of days, but just in case he doesn’t…
Good things JFK did: His “New Frontier” program encouraged young Americans to volunteer for the Peace Corps and/or fight for civil rights in the South.
——Played chicken with Khrushchev when he tried to put nukes into Cuba….and won.
——Drafted the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty which permitted underground nuclear testing, but nowhere else.
——Had a really hot wife named Jackie.
Not so good things John F Kennedy did
——Bay Of Pigs. He had the CIA train Cubans to start a revolution by setting off fireworks over Havana and telling them Jesus was coming back. It didn’t work.
——-Gave the nod for the CIA to have Ngo Dinh Diem shot, which led to the escalation of the Vietnam Conflict.
——-Had sex with Marilyn Monroe. A lot. (So did Bobby).
I’m sure the other Mudges will correct me on some or all of this. All comments are welcome.
Oh, and Alex and Drew are pretty hot too.
FOOB: My own sister is two years younger than I am. We used to bicker like Robin and Meredith. But not for long. When the old man put down his beer and cigarette, gave us “the look” and pointed at us, the shit stopped right then and there, Amen. See, my dad worked hard for a living. He was a surveyor. Sometime’s he’d get laid off , or be “in between ” jobs, and he’d stay home and bake bread. But other times, you didn’t fuck with him anymore than you had to. Michael got lucky with his one book and , I know, would rather be in a coffee shop talking about the government, and be above it all, but no such luck. You’ll never develop “the look”, MIchael. Never. The only look you seem to be cultivating is the ” maybe if I squeeze my eyes real tightly closed, these carpet crabs will go away”. They will not go away.
Luann: I still maintain that Luann’s probably just turned 18 and is perpetually a high school senior. And Ben probably hasn’t seen a woman since Fort Dix. I know that women are in the military, but the officers are kinda strict about fraternization. Let Ben and Luann be. Bernice. I’m talking to you..
Pluggers: Today’s Pluggers has been the basis for Garrison Keillor’s “News From Lake Woebegon” segment since there’s been a Prairie Home Companion. And I was touched here too. Not THAT way…
My Cage: Damn. Did I call it, or did I call it? Good luck with the trolling, Maureen. You’re actually much too cool for that sort of thing. Try church. It’s not like you have to stay when you find a husband, and you will.
Mary Worth: Drew, I had something like that happen to me once. She kissed me goodbye, but then she came back. That’s because i’m cooler than you, and didn’t cheat on her,. like you did with Vera. Also, I don’t wear jackets like that. I also didn’t act like I was God’s gift to women. At least I don’t think I did…
Judge Parker: “Once you go wood, nothin’s as good, once you go wood, nothin’s as good….Sorry Steve, what was it you said again?”
Hi and Lois: “What’s the word? THUNDERBIRD. What’s The Price? Forty Twice !!”
Hasty Penguin
February 6th, 2008 at 5:44 pm [Reply]

I’m secretly hoping that Crankshaft is finally going to murder someone, and this balsamic vinegar is part of the mad-cap scheme that will carry itself out over the next couple weeks.
Little Guy
February 6th, 2008 at 5:45 pm [Reply]

110: I was thinking of Mac’s Boss, who suspended him on the street. The short mustached guy.
Allie Cat
February 6th, 2008 at 5:47 pm [Reply]

I think this strip is especially funny and relevant to recent events and discussions about phoning it in:

http://www.salon.com/comics/knig/2008/02/06/knig/
Gold-Digging Nanny
February 6th, 2008 at 6:06 pm [Reply]

179

Jamus, I really don’t want to see Dick Locher draw a naked human body.
Pendragon
February 6th, 2008 at 6:09 pm [Reply]

I thought Diesel Sweeties appeared in some newspapers.

To add to the webcomics thread, I have to recommend C’est La Vie. And one more vote for Ozy and Millie.
Mel
February 6th, 2008 at 6:12 pm [Reply]

I don’t post much as the muse is inconstant, but I have to say the discussions and the impressively well mannered disagreements on the thread have been good company today. You’ve covered the WGA strike, integration, JFK, how someone’s running gang is another’s redundancy, and still snarked the good snark.

Unlike one of the posters on the last thread, I don’t always need funny when I am here — I often find it in all it’s forms from the sublime to the ridiculous — but it isn’t why I visit usually.

Sometimes one needs the comfort of like-minded brains and even disagreeing but still thoughtful ones.

It seems to me, at least one us learns something new here almost everyday — can’t say whether that makes us the confederacy or the geniuses.

If it turns out to be the former, hey, at least we get the cool pointy hats.
Pendragon
February 6th, 2008 at 6:17 pm [Reply]

#185 — Thank you, Mel, for saying what I wanted to say only doing so more eloquently than I would have.

Oh, yeah, and thanks, Uncle Lumpy. Great job.
GotFuzzy
February 6th, 2008 at 6:21 pm [Reply]

Count me among those wishing GF would move on from the writer’s strike. It is an important issue (and a very astute comment from rhymes with puck that Darby might have had a movie script in the works, so it would become even more important to him) but he’s not really making any new observations about the situation. At least he is drawing inspiration about a current event and not a 10-year-old movie, a la Mutts the last couple of days. I find that strip as charming as they come, and I loves me my Coen brothers, but did The Big Lebowski just make it to the top of McDonnell’s Netflix queue?

And thanks to Uncle Lumpy for pinch-hitting for Josh. Josh should for sure cut UL in on the big dough that the Toronto Star assumes this site generates. Of course, the author comes from a country where a no-name hack who churns out dreck like Stone Season gets a huge cheque from the first publisher he sends it to, so I can see where the author would get that idea…
Sans Sense
February 6th, 2008 at 6:22 pm [Reply]

# 185. Mel -

A tip o’ the pointy cap to you!
HB Glord
February 6th, 2008 at 6:24 pm [Reply]

#185 — Quality over quantity is always welcome, Mel.
Mooncattie
February 6th, 2008 at 6:33 pm [Reply]

#185 – Well said, Mel. I’m skipping the pointy hats, though – I’m in for the Jungle Patrol mouse pads!!

And I’m forming a task force right away is something I never thought I’d read from the lips of Dick Tracy. Let’s form a Disturbing Art Sub-Committee and fly off to the Prado!
Sans Sense
February 6th, 2008 at 6:40 pm [Reply]

#187. Got Fuzzy -

Will said author have to get in a queue at the banque with that cheque?
Mr. O’Malley
February 6th, 2008 at 6:43 pm [Reply]

32. Allie Cat. K Chronicles is a favorite of mine. Keith Knight does another comic called (Th)ink which runs in our local weekly.
Sans Sense
February 6th, 2008 at 6:49 pm [Reply]

MT: I would like to think I know a little bit about dogs after all these years. Andy didn’t head to the “community”. He gave himself a vigorous shake, was pissed you dumped the boat then got distracted by a really bitchin’ smell that might be food. By now he is half way back to your house on the Lost Forest Game Preserve to get food, sleep and a nice rub down from a briefly quizzical Cherry. Years after your bullet riddled corpse was found in a beaver dam, Doc will find a water logged note in Andy’s collar and wonder why it says “Bull…pontoon…caveman…why?”.
GotFuzzy
February 6th, 2008 at 7:16 pm [Reply]

#191, Sans Sense: Quite possibly. But since it is St. Michael of Millborough, the good citizens would probably shower him with gold coins and butter tarts, so he could just hang the cheque on his wall with all of his other major awards, most of them from his mother or his kindergarten teacher.
Allie Cat
February 6th, 2008 at 7:19 pm [Reply]

#192 – Mr. O’Malley – glad to see he has another Mudge Fan. Keith Knight to me is what’s right about comic strips today. I look forward to Wednesdays because of him.
Charles
February 6th, 2008 at 7:27 pm [Reply]

135 – I actually like F-. Not all the time, but, it is good for laughs. It’s a very understated humor, almost not EVEN humor, kind of like how stuff said on The Office may not be really funny, but it can come off as absolutely hilarious. If THAT made any sense.

Archie – I thought that was Reggie using the video camera. Then Reggie appeared in panel 3. I still can’t tell the difference between them.

Gasoline Alley – Meanwhile, Jon Voight continues to confuse everyone with WHY he is in the strip exactly.

Judge Parker – Great art, boring story.

Marvin – I should unsubscribe from this strip. Seriously.

Mary Worth – So you know Drew and Vera, who broke up and went on to normal, happy lives? Yup, they are still broken up! Thanks for the update.

Phantom – “Nonsense! A meter maid and a waitress can be very effective against international arms trade!”
NEXT WEEK on “How to be a Useful Public Servant”: “Only you can prevent forest fires!” “We need YOU to report any suspicious activity!” “Our house is protected by Neighborhood Watch!”

S-M – Hasn’t the Persuader been around FOREVER? Is he going to take up half a year? He’s not even a super villain! He has no super powers. He belongs in Batman. Honestly, this strip DOES get dumber every week. And not “campy” dumb, just dumb! And, well, stupid.
Fred P.
February 6th, 2008 at 7:32 pm [Reply]

I’m willing to suspend my disbelief about the whole notion of “spider-powers”, for a while at least, because like anyone else I enjoy the thrills and chills of the Spider-Man’s many exciting cartoon adventures. And truthfully, Peter Parker’s alter-ego’s behaviour rarely deviates too egregiously from what you’d imagine for someone with the proportional ______ of a spider. Like many spiders of my acquaintance, Spider-Man:

-sits in the corner, sometimes for weeks at a time, with no discernible action
-doesn’t seem particularly bright
-scarfs down tons of bugs

So it disappoints me to say that I just can’t buy this latest Spidey plot twist. As anyone who’s ever let off one of those Bug Bomb things in the house knows, resistance to gas ain’t exactly an arachnid’s long suit! By all rights, Spidey should be dead as a doornail right now! Go Persuader! Kick his ass!

Also: the writer’s strike? Doesn’t seem to have affected the dialogue of porno films yet, so mark me down under “don’t care”.
Allie Cat
February 6th, 2008 at 7:34 pm [Reply]

#197 Fred – Porno has dialogue??

I mean other than, “I’m here to deliver a pizza.”

Who knew?
benro
February 6th, 2008 at 7:36 pm [Reply]

The great thing about xkcd is that if you hover the mouse over the comic, you see an alternate caption. You kind of have to be a software geek to really enjoy it, though.
Kathy
February 6th, 2008 at 8:03 pm [Reply]

Heh Heh… I am imagining the dog rescuing Mark Trail, pulling his struggling body from the water. Only to be shot by the baddies. Or brained with their pontoons.
Kathy
February 6th, 2008 at 8:09 pm [Reply]

i ws checking out the CafePress Comics site, and started laughing hysterically at eht “Boat Wrestling Team”. I’m still laughing as I type. PLEASE– someone tell me what it is all about?

Don’t ignore me because I have a boring name. I need to think of a really good one. Not like some license plates which say “ACKSLL” what does that mean?
Sans Sense
February 6th, 2008 at 8:20 pm [Reply]

#194. – GotFuzzy

Quite so. I am starting to feel rather foolish for being the winning eBay bidder for the kindergarten cut out of St. Michael’s hand he cleverly turned into a turkey…
Uncle Lumpy
February 6th, 2008 at 8:22 pm [Reply]

#201 Kathy –

Welcome! Start here and work forward.
Les
February 6th, 2008 at 8:25 pm [Reply]

What’s this about Curtis only featuring black folks? http://www.salon.com/comics/knig/2008/02/06/knig/

Because white people have no race and therefore should be the default all the damn time? Lame.
commodorejohn
February 6th, 2008 at 8:37 pm [Reply]

#204 Les – Nah, that’s not what I was getting at (I mean, hey, Candorville doesn’t bug me any.) It just doesn’t square with me that Billingsley claims his strip is about people who “happen to be black” and then spends every third week going on about Bill Cosby, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, or the Herb & Jamaal-ish “African-American authors.”
Bunnë
February 6th, 2008 at 8:39 pm [Reply]

184, Pendragon
Diesel Sweeties is now syndicated, but the newspaper version is not the same as the webcomic. R Stevens negotiated a contract that allows him to continue his daily webcomic, while also producing a daily newspaper comic with the same cast.

201 Kathy
Somewhere is Gil Thorp history, one of the characters explains that he got a “full-boat wrestling scholarship” to college. What does it mean? Obviously that he got a full scholarship so he could be on the boat-wrestling team.
Anna Nimity of the Jungle Lumpy Fan Club
February 6th, 2008 at 8:51 pm [Reply]

#201 Kathy: Welcome! As a relative newbie myself, I’m still decoding some of the Comics Curmudgeon dialect. Folks have been most kind in explaining the intricacies of phrases like, “More zippers, Mule!” etc.

(I still don’t understand “bee grinding.” Anyone care to help out here?)

As for “ACKSLL” as a license plate, my only guess is “Axle.” Which I suppose in some people’s minds sounds macho. Or it could be a tricky way of fooling the DMV into giving you a plate which sort of resembles the word “assh*le,” but I’m not sure why you’d advertise that about yourself. How about a plate that says “JERK.” Hilarious!

In any case, welcome to the Land of snark, goats, Galactic Emperors, and of course, The Jungle Patrol. Adventures await you!
Z
February 6th, 2008 at 9:03 pm [Reply]

Mark Trail: Or maybe they SHOT him…
The Spectacular Spider-Brick
February 6th, 2008 at 9:04 pm [Reply]

Kathy @ 201: A brilliant name will come to you eventually. Many of us here, including myself, Gold-Digging Nanny, and Cerulean Pointing Hand of Doom take our names from comic sequences that struck us as particularly ridiculous. Others, like Poteet, Joe Btfsplk, Abby the Wonder Dog and Lula Patoot take their names from characters in contemporary or classic comics. Someday, something will strike you as so funny that you’ll feel compelled to commemorate it for all time in your moniker. Who knows, you may be the next “Maureen Monte” or “Beaver House Party” or “Chief Fembot” or “Rat Organ Donor” or “Jungle-Patrolling Waitress.” Until then, how about “Kathy Not Cathy”?

Oh, and the Boat Wrestling thing comes from this Judge Parker strip.
Pendragon
February 6th, 2008 at 9:06 pm [Reply]

Bunnë: Thanks for the insight on the Diesel Sweeties webcomic. I have just added it to my daily must-reads. Not everyone’s cup of tea but I’m liking it.

P.S. to all: I also missed the bee-grinding memo.
Dean Booth of the Affect Ad Patrol
February 6th, 2008 at 9:06 pm [Reply]

Marmaduke: Channeling Daphne (Definitely NSFW). Please blame SSB @ #82.
Bunnë
February 6th, 2008 at 9:07 pm [Reply]

oh, dammit! I can be forgiven for thinking it was Gil Thorp. Athletes? Oddly-constructed language? Must be GT!

And some of us have non-brilliant names that no one can type. Hi!
The Spectacular Spider-Brick
February 6th, 2008 at 9:21 pm [Reply]

Anna Nimity @ 207 and Pendragon @ 210: “Bee grinding” comes from the discussion that followed the Mark Trail “Birds are everywhere!” sequence. Josh linked to an article about an unusual cause of airplane engine failure, when a large number of bees apparently got sucked up into an engine and got ground up for a while until they were expelled en masse, causing a turbine surge that forced the pilot to turn back. This morphed into a metaphor for catastrophic comics page failure. Start at this question from Crabby Genes and this response from True Fable, then work forward.
The Spectacular Spider-Brick
February 6th, 2008 at 9:23 pm [Reply]

Dean Booth @ 211: Gee, thanks, Dean! ~~</sarcasm>~~ That’s exactly the animation I ~~never~~ wanted to see.
Erik
February 6th, 2008 at 9:31 pm [Reply]

Hey everybody! I made an Apartment 3-G fanart!

Seriously.

I hate myself! :D
The Spectacular Spider-Brick
February 6th, 2008 at 9:38 pm [Reply]

Erik @ 215, they should let you take over drawing A3G.

Seriously.

I like your characters better!
Dean Booth of the Affect Ad Patrol
February 6th, 2008 at 9:42 pm [Reply]

Erik @ 215 — Most excellent! I read A3G every day, but I’d read your version more!
Mooncattie
February 6th, 2008 at 9:51 pm [Reply]

#215 – Erik, this is quite brilliant! Your Tommie has a bit of that “what happened to my thumbs?” going for her, and I can see a bit of Ruby in Lu Ann!
As for Margo….wowwwww!
Islamorada Girl, Queen of the Jungle
February 6th, 2008 at 9:56 pm [Reply]

I am crushed, crushed I tell you that Mark Trail didn’t hide out in that beaver lodge long enough to be beaten up by the inhabitants for daring a home invasion.

And yes, Eric, your 3G girls are so much better, not least because they’re in the 21st Century. I bet you can draw all the men in this strip so they don’t look like clones, too.
Anna Nimity of the Jungle Lumpy Fan Club
February 6th, 2008 at 9:57 pm [Reply]

Thanks for the etymology, guys. Looks like our own True Fable is the inventor of the concept of bee grinding.

True Fable says:

“#165 SecretMargo: The Family Circus grinds bees, which results in catastrophic failure in terms of humor. In fact, you could say any comic that fits those parameters, grinds bees.”

Yet another interesting neologism ( a new word or phrase invented from existing words) from this brainy group. I had to give a talk on neologisms recently, and here’s some fun and obscure facts about them:

Neologism (ne-OL-o-gism)

Psychology:
The invention of new words regarded as a symptom of certain psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.

Theology:
A new doctrine or a new interpretation of scripture.

So, True, I guess that either makes you a saint, or crazy.

Grind those bees, baby!
Vince M
February 6th, 2008 at 9:59 pm [Reply]

211: Scooby Don’t!!!
ChattyGenes of the Jungle Patrol, Far East Division
February 6th, 2008 at 10:06 pm [Reply]

#213 The Spectacular Spider-Brick.

Thanks for linking to that bee-grinding origin thread! I had been wondering which one it was, and wanting to read it again.

I guess I was “Crabby”Genes back then. Well, I’m happier now!:-)
Bunnë
February 6th, 2008 at 10:07 pm [Reply]

Erik, your Margo looks more like Margo than Margo. Good stuff!
Erik
February 6th, 2008 at 10:07 pm [Reply]

219: ” I bet you can draw all the men in this strip so they don’t look like clones, too.”

I’m tempted… so tempted.
queek
February 6th, 2008 at 10:25 pm [Reply]

178: a “stray bar?”
Sunny Mel Blatherscythe
February 6th, 2008 at 10:56 pm [Reply]

‘Shaft – Better watch that sassy lip missy ol’ Shaft is likely to bludgeon you bloody with a ‘JK Rowling pin’ or throw some of that new fangled ‘ionized salt’ into your eyes.
—————————————————————-
DICK Tracy –

DT: “I’m forming a taskforce, and starting with the art museum”

Translation: ” I’m going down to the museum to kill me some deviant-coke snorting-art-pinkos.”

DT: “Your picture is there Liz”

Translation: ” You posed naked and also did a couple of porn videos to pay your way through college”

—————————————————————

Curtis – Mr T … Class dismissed
Godzooky
February 6th, 2008 at 10:57 pm [Reply]

#220 Anna Nimity: Now that you’ve learned the origin of “bee-grinding,” you can better appreciate True Fable’s 2007 Bee Grinding Awards.

True’s also posted a Startup FAQ that explains a lot of the abbreviations and terms used here.

Thanks for all the above, TF.
Ces
February 6th, 2008 at 11:16 pm [Reply]

40. S4th: What, pray tell, is a “Robber Baron”?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robber_baron_%28industrialist%29

64. SF: What’s this? Product placement? Ticket to Ride is a fairly recent game that has not yet broken the “household name” treshold, and I doubt a comic strip reference will do it.

I, too, doubt “Sally Forth” will give them the big push but I played the game with my brother over the holidays, had a great time and decided to mention it in the strip.

82. SF: It’s not called “Ticket to Ride.”

http://www.daysofwonder.com/tickettoride/en/
The Spectacular Spider-Brick
February 6th, 2008 at 11:24 pm [Reply]

Ces @ 228: I stand corrected, in my orthopedic shoes. Still, you must admit, from the description alone, the game sounds a lot like 1830.
AhClem
February 6th, 2008 at 11:24 pm [Reply]

Archie – The only explanation that makes sense is that Raj the photographer is the illegitimate love child of Reggie and Raju from JP.
Hank
February 6th, 2008 at 11:30 pm [Reply]

RE: 197, Fred P, Spiderman, believe it or not, in the comic books it has been established that, while Spiderman’s altered metabolism makes him resistent to most forms of sleeping gas, the same isn’t true of bug spray. But the Persuader didn’t use RAID, so our hero is okay.
Anna Nimity of the Jungle Lumpy Fan Club
February 6th, 2008 at 11:30 pm [Reply]

SALLY FORTH: Oh, Ted. Talk about a wardrobe malfunction.
Dr. Mabuse
February 6th, 2008 at 11:33 pm [Reply]

#191 Sans Sense

Will said author have to get in a queue at the banque with that cheque?

Ah, you may laugh, but some people take their spelling very seriously! When I was temporarily living in the U.S., I wanted to buy some used Stephen Leacock books on Abebooks.com, and naturally, when you buy Canadian books you often end up buying from Canadian booksellers. I was corresponding with one seller, and sent him a final email saying, “Thank you, yes, I’d like to order the books, and I will send you a cheque for $xxxxx right away.” I got an email back confirming the order, and adding, “By the way, yours is the first order from the U.S. I’ve ever received where the word ‘cheque’ was spelled correctly.” I had to think, THAT is a true Canadian reaction. An American bookdealer wouldn’t care HOW I spelled my order, as long as the money was paid correctly, but a Canadian has to stop and contemplate the correct (i.e. British) spelling of the accompanying letter!
Sporadic Andy
February 6th, 2008 at 11:41 pm [Reply]

When I read Crankshaft today, I substituted “I hate you” for “Whatever.” I think it’s a marginal improvement.
Worm
February 6th, 2008 at 11:44 pm [Reply]

Liz from that Dick Tracy comic really resembles that stalker girl from Gil Thorp.
Toronto
February 7th, 2008 at 12:09 am [Reply]

215 Eric: Best thing I’ve seen since the Manga Simpsons. Better, perhaps. OH GAWD – hit the magnify icon! Tommie has incredible freckles!

Yup, better.
Catbus
February 7th, 2008 at 12:16 am [Reply]

228. Ces — My husband was so excited by the shout-out for Ticket to Ride that he cut out today’s strip and put it on our bulletin board alongside Bucky Katt’s goofiest facial expressions. We enjoy that game on a regular basis.
True Fable
February 7th, 2008 at 12:27 am [Reply]

#220 Anna Nimity – Maybe I am the Patron Saint of Crazy?

#227 Godzooky – Why thank you much, I appreciate that! I wasn’t sure anyone ever consulted the Startup FAQ. Cool!

All I need now is to have myself some nice hot Weasel Broth from Mary Worth’s kitchen, and I’m ready for a winter’s night of snarkin’. :-)
True Fable
February 7th, 2008 at 12:58 am [Reply]

FBoFW Lynn Johnston cannot tell time. After refusing to believe earlier this week that the kids are still hungry because “they just had lunch” and not having any success in seeing them stab each other to death with the vegetable peeler, Mike has decided to PUT THEM TO BED instead.

What the fuck. I mean really – What. The. Fuck. You mean they screamed and fought and whined ALL AFTERNOON, for like seven or eight HOURS, in which time Mike did nothing but cover his eyes and/or ears and go “la la la la”? Now they aren’t getting any dinner and they are undoubtedly STILL hungry, but the little brats are going to bed because poor widdle Mikey is Tired. Awww.

Lynnie Baby -

Fail. Fail. failfailfailfailfailfail. Baby, if you don’t know when bedtime is, you SURE as hell don’t need any red-hot Fable love. suffer, etc.

Truman A. Fable
Time Lord
bats, Aviation Division of the Jungle Patrol :[
February 7th, 2008 at 1:20 am [Reply]

A few Thursday observations:

A3G: Luann: Shouldn’t art stand on its own merit?
Tommie: Sure, honey. But face it…your art is one step above crap. It needs all the help it can get.

MT: good ol’ Andy. I thought he was a purebred St. Bernard, but evidently daddy was a ~~rolling stone~~ greyhound. Or a jackrabbit.

MW: good lord, would one of you just LEAVE?! Vera’s gone, Drew’s alone, the end.

RMMD: …said the packet of gravel.

FOOB: die, die, die, die, die. (At this point, I don’t care how, and I don’t care how. Vegetable peeler, meteor strike, butter tart OD…)
Poteet
February 7th, 2008 at 1:22 am [Reply]

MT — “Those two have rifles! I have to stay out of their sight! This can best be accomplished by talking out loud to myself while dripping water and making sure my upright figure is silhouetted against the blue sky!”
True Fable
February 7th, 2008 at 1:51 am [Reply]

Cathy (Must Die) You mean, you’d actually shop for a woman to give to your significant other? Boy, this strip is more progressive than I thought. Still stinks though.
FC “Let me rephrase that…Billy, would you like a fat lip?”
FBoFW Mike practices to be the new Granpa Chinnuts.
GA Ginormous Hand!!
Scenes from Suburban Hell Oh look, it’s the Patterfoobs South of the Lakes. Take the ice cream away from him until after dinner, Lois, you DIPSHIT.
JP No, Yalie – what is a Navy JAG officer doing in land-locked Afghanistan? We know there are land mines there, we just want to know how you got to be there. Dickweed; give us Abbey back.
MT Instead of going back to Lost Forest or waiting for Mark to surface, Andy understands Trail English and goes where he’s told. Meanwhile, Mark decides to rock The Wet Look like his buddy Rex Morgan.
MW How can you tell he’s a Worthy man, Drew? Can you tell he’s emasculated just in a glance?
Mutts Okay, call me tragically unhip, but I don’t get the reference and two days in a row doesn’t tell me anything.
Phantom So they just assaulted a man simply for laughing at them? Oh yeah, crack Jungle Patrol material there, all right. Sign ‘em up.
RMMD I want the box of rocks to walk back down the hill and drive back to the cabin, leaving Too Stupid To Stay Put in the rain.
6Chx and WoI Sharing the same topic and the same brain. Neither works.
Mr. O'Malley
February 7th, 2008 at 1:56 am [Reply]

201 Kathy. ACKSLL as well as “axle” could be
–a fan of Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses
–someone who deals in Bill the Cat memorabilia
–a sea case 2 else
–anagram of “slack L” or “lacks L”
–Arthur Charles Kosell

Need a new name? The sky’s the limit around here.

You can take a name that shows you really know your comics history:
One of the Riccadonna Sisters
Miz Beaver
Patty the other forgotten Peanuts character
Little Iodine
Winnie Winkle
Copper Calhoun
Rosalind the Babysitter

You can pick a minor character from a current comic:
Trixie Woodley
Irma Thurston
Miss Buxley

Some people like to display their interest in old films:
Sheena Queen of the Jungle
Commissar Ninotchka, or more obscurely, Nina Ivanovna Yakushova
Nora Charles

You can riff on some of our obessions:
Knobby Headed Chicken Woman
Unused Al Scaduto names
Any character from Gil Thorp

You could also change your gender or even your species. Who would know?
Bobdog
February 7th, 2008 at 2:01 am [Reply]

A3G – This is just sad. That Tommy Thompson appears more worldly than LuAnn I guess doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but it’s still sad to watch.

DtM – what happened to Dennis’ mom? Not only does she look out of proportion in some off way, but the coat makes her look incredibly frumpy. And the leg warmers maker her look like she took a detour from the 1950s to the 1980s before she arrived in today’s strip.

MW – I sit mean, or did her new boyfriend’s name just change? Or is Drew being incredibly clever and calling her and Von’s bluff my deliberately using the wrong name — I hope tomorrow’s episode goes along the lines of “Ha! You can’t even keep your pretend boyfriend’s name straight! I knew if I lulled you into think I was on a self-pity binge you’d let your guard down!”

JP – Rimshot. Thank you very much, I’ll be hear all night. Say what do know the one about …

MT – Did Mark just get shot in the gut? Because that would explain how he finally figured out they have rifles. As for Andy, I hope someone in the “community” can help Mark in time!

SFx – That at middle age, batman is trapped in a loveless marriage was a bold theme for Bob Weber Jr. to take on in the spot the difference puzzle. In the first panel, his wife is merely half asleep from being woken up at an obscene hour to iron his cape, in the seocnd panel she’s depressed and suicidal that her pot bellied husband still thinks he can pull this shtick off.

RxM – Wouldn’t it be great if all the Soap comics had gun toting baddies featured at the same time? If my predications about MW don’t pan out, I hope Dr. Drew goes postal and starts picking people off with a rifle from some conviently near Charterstone tower. And we know Alan’s going to lose it with Margo — one morning it’s going to be more than lipstick on glass he’ll be regretting. In JP, their new hire could be suffering from PTSD and start bringing his weapons in to work and using the space under his desk as a foxhole.
Bobdog
February 7th, 2008 at 2:14 am [Reply]

(The War on )Pluggers: Pluggers are slobs. Their wives harp on their slovenliness in the form of criticism thinly veiled as fashion compliments. Pluggers take this verbal abuse all the while closing their eyes and imagining biting the head off their spouse and watching them run around like, well, an anthropormic chicken with its head cut off.
bellamom
February 7th, 2008 at 5:56 am [Reply]

I always assumed that Crankshaft was constantly having a series of small strokes, and the mispronounced phrases were a symptom of dysphasia. This cruel, heartless denegration of sick old people was the only thing that ever made this strip funny to me.
A Monkey's Uncle
February 7th, 2008 at 8:09 am [Reply]

#5. True Fable, I agree about fred Bassett. As a matter of fact I said something similar yesterday. That strip actually made me angry in its waste-of-spaceness. I think the syndicate should refund the money of anyone who paid to run it yesterday. The editor should be docked their pay for it too.
A Monkey\'s Uncle
February 7th, 2008 at 8:36 am [Reply]

#51. Tonio…interesting link. I really can’t weigh in that much on the color issue despite being an aspiring black cartoonist. I’m currently working on two strips on Comics Sherpa (The Divine comedy & Zootopia) but neither is about being black or race. I have never aimed for a strip that hits the demographics of race or ethnicity. I’m trying for the demographic of “funny and entertaining”.
pinky
February 7th, 2008 at 10:10 am [Reply]

Well, I’m glad Lumpy retracted – that one comment irritated me enough that I nearly took this blog off of my bloglines; at first I thought it was Josh who posted it.

For those of you who “don’t care” about the strike because the strike doesn’t personally impact your life, well, bully for you – but a hell of a lot of people are struggling right now because of it – and it’s not just all about the kids who write for shows like 24 and make tons of money. Most TV writers don’t.

And since bloggers are writers, and the crux of the strike is to do with the networks’ use of the internet, I would think that it would interest folks around places like this more. As I might say to my high school students… just because something doesn’t immediately impact your personal life doesn’t mean that it’s not important. What a shortsighted, narcissistic way to live.
Mrs Buck Tuddrussell (Not Pirates!)
February 7th, 2008 at 7:08 pm [Reply]

Pinky, everyone has their own set of morals, standards, beliefs and concerns, and they aren’t always going to match up to yours. Just because someone doesn’t care about an issue you find important does not inherently make them shortsighted or narcissistic.

Uncle Lumpy’s single, brief snark about the “Get Fuzzy” storyline was blown way out of proportion.
Igneous Rock
February 8th, 2008 at 4:33 am [Reply]

I care about the writers’ strike. I hope it goes on forever!

I have started to care a lot less about Get Fuzzy, meanwhile.
Anders
February 8th, 2008 at 3:38 pm [Reply]

#35: I’m a huge fan of Kicked in the Nuts!
kat
March 1st, 2008 at 1:56 pm [Reply]

i love get fuzzy, but i agree, his strips have been a little lacking lately.
i miss mac manc mcmanx a lot. i love his cockney-ness, and his little ears that went back in a non-agressive way (unlike bucky), in more of a “don’t mind me i’m just stupid” way”…awwwwww.

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