The Comics Curmudgeon

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NGNGGGHGGHGH

Herb and Jamaal, 3/26/08

That Jamaal! He’s got a “head” that a gal could “rub” all day! If you know what I mean! And I think you do!

Ha ha, just kidding. I’m sure this isn’t meant to be some kind of double entendre; the lady in question is obviously just talking about the head that sits on his shoulders.

Which looks like giant penis, of course.

Man, I wish this cat-calling had been phrased in more typical Herb and Jamaal-style ludicrously nonspecific terms. “Hello, attractive individual! I’d sure like to make pleasurable contact with a portion of your anatomy!”

Beetle Bailey, 3/26/08

The cruel gaslighting of the unlovable and unloved Lt. Fuzz is par for the course in Beetle Bailey; but today I’m just sad that the almost-as-dorky Spc. Chip Gizmo has gotten roped into it. Presumably he’s sick of being a nerdy social pariah and is trying to win points the only way he can: by turning on someone even further down the social ladder than he is. Oh, Chip, they just want your technical skills — they aren’t really your friends! You won’t be getting any offers to hang out or anything, until they need someone to get all the porn viruses off their computers.

Wizard of Id, 3/26/08

I was going to go into a diatribe today about this one, ranting that I haven’t seen an actual child delivering newspapers in more than a decade, and that all subscription billing these days is entirely computerized, with bills arriving in the mail or the charges just being automatically put onto your credit card, but then I remembered that the Wizard of Id takes place in the Middle Ages. So, um: Ha ha! The King of Id likes to torture children in his dungeon!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 10:22 am and is filed under Beetle Bailey, Herb and Jamaal, Wizard of Id.

294 responses to “NGNGGGHGGHGH”

Uncle Lumpy
March 26th, 2008 at 10:28 am [Reply]

Herb and Jamaal — Hangin’ at the “TOE TAPPERS Jazzy CLUB. Not necessarily a jazz club, mind you — they don’t want to commit. Just like the one-of-three ladies hitting on Jamaal.
Tweeks_Coffee
March 26th, 2008 at 10:29 am [Reply]

More troubling is the fact that Lt. Fuzz and Chip are the same person with different haircuts. This whole camp is actually a secret cloning facility, isn’t it?
arto
March 26th, 2008 at 10:32 am [Reply]

I’m not entirely sure the woman in Herb and Jamaal actually even exists. It’s not like she actually appears anywhere in-frame… just what sort of disreputable establishment is the Toe Tapper’s Jazz Club, anyway?
Jeffsterr
March 26th, 2008 at 10:37 am [Reply]

H&J: Oh, it’s a bar. Of course Jamal would never actually talk to this woman must less get laid.
Tabby
March 26th, 2008 at 10:38 am [Reply]

Our young prizewinner in MT looks like yet another in the sweet Sam/evil Kathy clone line, only this is the young version. Jango Fett’s feminine side?
Perky Bird
March 26th, 2008 at 10:44 am [Reply]

Looks like Gizmo also managed to make the chair emit foul-smelling odors, just as if Sarge were really sitting in it. Clever one, that Gizmo!
Hostrauser
March 26th, 2008 at 10:48 am [Reply]

Actually, the biggest logical flaw with today’s Wizard of Id is that the King doesn’t strike me as one who would enable freedom of the press.
Kurdt
March 26th, 2008 at 10:51 am [Reply]

The woman is not shown because, in contrast to Jamaal’s penis like head, the lady’s face looks like a vagina. Maybe if they release a Herb and Jamaal director’s cut book…
Zaq
March 26th, 2008 at 10:53 am [Reply]

Comments on the weird, not-even-double-entendre nature of H&J, but nothing on today’s 9CL, which is quite blatantly about erections, without even a veneer of some more newspaper-friendly joke? I’m surprised, Josh.
One-eyed Wolfdog
March 26th, 2008 at 11:10 am [Reply]

Blatant as 9CL may be, it still doesn’t make it to the rarefied territory marked by the Arlo & Janis “teapot” strip.
boojum
March 26th, 2008 at 11:12 am [Reply]

H&J –

Let us give thanks for small favors. I’ll start:

Thank GOD it was the third panel, and not the second, that the artist decided to render in Artsy Comix Silhouette Style #1. I don’t think I could have taken the motion lines.

And, uh, Josh? Your thread title ain’t helping…….
One-eyed Wolfdog
March 26th, 2008 at 11:13 am [Reply]

Also, unc’, that looks to me just like two fancy cursive z’s. H&J being what is, though, I’m not surprised that the vowel in that word could possibly be read differently.
Poteet
March 26th, 2008 at 11:15 am [Reply]

HERB AND JAMAAL — I thank this strip for its equal-opportunity approach to creatively bizarre pickup lines. Yes, women can come up with them also!
Zaq
March 26th, 2008 at 11:15 am [Reply]

10 One-Eyed Wolfdog: I’m unfamiliar with this “teapot” strip… do you have a link?
boojum
March 26th, 2008 at 11:16 am [Reply]

And the Toe Tappers’ Club? Really?
McManx
March 26th, 2008 at 11:17 am [Reply]

H/J — Jamaal assumes the comments on his anatomy came from a woman, howver all the sillouettes at the bar appear to be male. This suggests that Jamaal is having gender identity problems or he is about to discover that the “Toe Tappers Jazz Club” is really a gay bar.

BB — Poor Gizmo. He obviously doesn’t know Sarge’s reputation for homoerotic harrassment of Beetle. In sucking up to Sarge, Giz may find himself er, uh, sucking up to Sarge… literally.
Alt Comix
March 26th, 2008 at 11:25 am [Reply]

Judge Parker: At least Abbey and Sam have enough class to admit their lives are so pathetic they revel in the soap operas of other people.

Click here: http://flickr.com/photos/altcomix/2362615165/sizes/o/
cubiclemonkey
March 26th, 2008 at 11:34 am [Reply]

Actually, we have a paperboy who comes by to collect. In fact, we’ve had a string of paperboys over the last 10-15 years. It’s still pretty common. I mean, I live in a small community, but not THAT small. Maybe about 16,000 people.

What I would really dig into this Wizrd of Id for is that it makes to damn sense. Did the king display his legs in response to the kid’s query, thereby daring him to laugh in order to throw him in the dungeon? Or were there two more lines of dialogue we’re just supposed to make up in which the king replys he doesn’t have stubs and then the child mocks his legs? Simply asking a legitmate question such as ‘Where are your stubs?’ doesn’t count as mocking someone’s short legs, does it?
Escalator temporarily stairs
March 26th, 2008 at 11:34 am [Reply]

In H&J, the woman’s comments have made Jamaal’s mouth pass directly through his moustache. Wow!
Eric Wright
March 26th, 2008 at 11:34 am [Reply]

I thought Marvin always spoke in thought-bubbles, but in today’s comic, Marvin and the dog are talking with normal speech bubbles. Is there logic to this, or is this a mistake?
Josh
March 26th, 2008 at 11:37 am [Reply]

#11 boojum-

The title is meant to be my expression of inarticulate disgust, not whatever noises Jamaal would make … in … the throes of passion OH YUCK I just imagined it and now I have to go wash my brain, back in a bit.

Josh
Bunnë, Official Comic Execrator
March 26th, 2008 at 11:41 am [Reply]

Speaking of ngnggghgghgh, today’s Get Fuzzy left me feeling oogie. If Conley could refrain from mentioning “chunks in gravy” while discussing a litterbox, my mornings would go a little better.

Conversely, 9CL left me feeling off-kilter in a kind of enjoyable way. I’m just not sure why Butternut is so mad. But I’m also not clear on how she got the name “Butternut”.
You can call me, 'Sir'
March 26th, 2008 at 11:42 am [Reply]

I wonder if Gutenberg had even invented the printing press by the time that sadomasochistic pederast of a dwarf-like monarch had come to power? Is it really asking too much of comics for just a little historical accuracy? I mean, seriously, think of the fucking children.
Tess
March 26th, 2008 at 11:48 am [Reply]

It’s good that you DIDN’T rant about how children don’t deliver papers anymore.

Cause I might in turn, have to point out that… I have helped my brother deliver newspapers in the past. And there are entire FAMILIES of children (I’d say the largest I saw was maybe 8 kids and 2 parents altogether) helping their parents deliver papers in their family’s van. You just don’t see the kids, cause they have to stay in the van bagging and rubber banding papers all night.

This might be kind of amusing, except I am sure this must be violating some kind of child labor laws. But the dispatch people never said anything. These groups get the most done and never get complaints.
odinthor
March 26th, 2008 at 11:50 am [Reply]

WoI — So Momma used to deliver newspapers in her youth. Who knew?
Moss_Moses
March 26th, 2008 at 11:58 am [Reply]

This life changing event may be something that happened during the prayer ritual, but not necessarily a religious epiphamy, per se. Maybe it was Mary having an xyz moment and her deformed penis springing out of her trousers for all to see…

Why is Mary Worth covering her face today? What’s so emotional about always being welcome at a frined’s house for dinner? What a drama queen! That is just a bland cliche. Her friend’s mother is being politically correct and is really thinking that she wishes her daughter would quit hangng out with Mary Worth as she’s spewing the “always welcome” line.
Joe, Upper-Evergreen FOOB-hater
March 26th, 2008 at 12:03 pm [Reply]

BB: What, no “Miss Buxley Wednesday”? Perhaps Mort Walker took Daylight Savings TIme to mean “Skip ahead a day”, which is why we saw Miss Buxley on Tuesday……..

FOOB: Yep. More making fun of April, just like always. She’s like that one memebr of the family who, for unknown reasons, is just not treated as well as everyone else……..and when you ask, you get the parents grit thier teeth and snarl: “You just mind your own business!”

As for Elizaloser, yes, that’s right, ignorance is bliss, which is why she is so happy!
Mac
March 26th, 2008 at 12:06 pm [Reply]

“Toe-Tappers”? Like, uh… Larry Craig?
KH
March 26th, 2008 at 12:08 pm [Reply]

FW: What is up with the creepy ghost monster in the basement? Seriously, Montoni’s is going to be haunted?
One-eyed Wolfdog
March 26th, 2008 at 12:21 pm [Reply]

Arlo & Janis: The Teapot.
commodorejohn
March 26th, 2008 at 12:23 pm [Reply]

#29 KH – It’s actually the side of the Space Invaders machine, and quite a lovingly accurate rendering too. Too bad it’s in a strip like Funky Winkerbean – it’ll probably be marred and defaced beyond repair by the end of the week.
AhClem
March 26th, 2008 at 12:30 pm [Reply]

H&J – Why does Jamaal’s head in the third panel look like an overcooked corn dog on a stick with little arms sticking out the side? (It could be worse; if this were FW, those would be tumors).

And I still think the “gal” making the comment is really Herb in drag. That would consistent with the past history of this strip.
Perky Bird
March 26th, 2008 at 12:30 pm [Reply]

#26 Moss Moses–

Mary is covering her face because she’s suddenly turning into a werewolf. Note the hair forming on the back of her hands–a sure sign. Mary’s life-changing event is discovering that she’s a lycanthrope.
Calico
March 26th, 2008 at 12:32 pm [Reply]

FW – I can’t wait until Les leaves one of the pizza ovens on, and the whole damn place burns down.
Ouch.
Zaq
March 26th, 2008 at 12:35 pm [Reply]

Re the teapot: That’s amazing. Doesn’t stop me from being a bit unnerved by Thorax’s cheerful display of his erection and request to manipulate it, but that’s pretty raunchy, I’ve gotta say.
BigTed
March 26th, 2008 at 12:37 pm [Reply]

Since the artist of “Herb & Jamaal” seems unable to draw the pickup-line-spouting woman — or to depict anyone in conversation with the main character — shouldn’t he at least left a space for us to draw her in ourselves? At least then the strip would make a little sense. (On second thought, no… no, it wouldn’t.)
man behind the curtain
March 26th, 2008 at 12:38 pm [Reply]

LuAnn — Yes, Toni is going to the ball with Brad. But with whom will she be leaving?
JB
March 26th, 2008 at 12:42 pm [Reply]

Luann — Having Toni as his date at the ball might actually lead to Brad having conversations with his co-workers and leaving TJ behind, social-circle-wise.

Of course, we’re about to discover TJ is Tony Gale, aren’t we?
man behind the curtain
March 26th, 2008 at 12:44 pm [Reply]

MW — This is where Mary proceeds to pour syrup over all of her food. And Cathy makes fun of her. But then Cathy’s father, Atticus, scolds her and then the black guy gets lynched and Boo Radley saves the day.
Gregoire
March 26th, 2008 at 12:56 pm [Reply]

Beetle B – today’s Wednesday, right?… where the hell is Miss Buxley???
Howabominable (aka Lindsey ^_^)
March 26th, 2008 at 12:56 pm [Reply]

I’ve noticed some people posting that they can’t read certain comics because they aren’t available in their paper, etc (I’m looking at you, Josh!). I’ve found a decent way to read as many daily comics as you want pretty easily. It also makes adding and removing them pretty easy as well. I do it in Mozilla Firefox, but I assume that it’s possible with Internet Exporer as well.

Mozilla has two features that are very useful: the bookmarks toolbar and the ability to open pages in tabs. If you haven’t tried the bookmarks toolbar, it allows you to put whatever bookmarks/favorites you want on a bar on your screen for easy access and organization. Here’s a picture of what mine looks like.

For instance, I have a “Forums” folder on the bar, and selecting it gives a dropdown box of all the forums I usually visit. As you can see, I’ve made a “Comics” toolbar folder. To do this, you have two options. Right-click on the bar and select “Add new bookmark,” or just save it to favorites and add it to the “Bookmarks toolbar Folder.” Anything you put in there will appear on the bar in whatever order you want.

To view your daily comics, make a “Comics” toolbar folder. If you don’t want it to be on the toolbar you can make a regular bookmarks folder and it works the same.

Next, search the internet and add any comic that you wish to view on a daily basis. I usually make the title the name of the comic, and put them in alphabetical order. I also put blogs for certain comics right after them.

Here is a picture of the first part of my comics folder.

Now, to view all of your comics, scroll down to the bottom of the list. There will be a button that says “Open all in tabs.” Click on this. Now be careful – if you have an older machine and a lot of comics, it will lag or even crash Firefox. On my laptop I have around 77 pages that open and it works fine, but on my other computer it crashes. You can fix this by having multiple comics folders. Open one, view all, open the next, etc.

This is what the tabs look like after they have been opened.

Just view each page and click the little “X” on the page’s tab to close it. It will automatically move to the next one. Just keep doing this until all your comics have been viewed. It takes a little while to set up, but it ensures that adding and removing comics is very easy and so is viewing them.

To find the comics that you want there are several methods. The easiest is to go to Comic Alert. Simply type in the name of the comic you want and it will most likely have a link to a site that carries it. There are also several sites that have comics, and you can usually use google to find what you need. The Chronical Comics Time Tunnel has some as well.

Using this method to read daily comics you don’t have to worry about what your paper carries, and you don’t have to miss any comic strips. You can read whatever you want. I hope this helps someone :)
Bryan
March 26th, 2008 at 12:57 pm [Reply]

Get Fuzzy – So Bucky cleans his own litterbox? I’ve been trying to get my cat to do that for years. When I found out that our dogs were stealing snacks from the litterbox I figured I had neatly solved the problem. Dogs eat cat poop, reprocess it into dog poop, and leave it outside. But my housemates nixed the idea. Killjoys.
Darkefang
March 26th, 2008 at 12:57 pm [Reply]

A3G: Eric trained Margo to do his job and got so burnt out that he needed to take an extended vacation. And he only spent two days with her. Imagine having to live with her. I’m beginning to see why Lu Ann and Tommie are so boring. The life is literally being drained from them every second Margo is in the apartment. By the time we see them in our newspaper every morning, they’re just empty husks.
Old School Allie Cat
March 26th, 2008 at 12:57 pm [Reply]

MW – This is actually kind of nice of Cathy’s mother. I’m sure the point is that Mary learned a lot from Mrs. Cathy. But the thing is, Mary Worth is not herself a nice person. She’s judgmental, intrusive, opinionated, self-serving, and cold. But not a fundamentally kind and loving woman. So, I have to call bullshit here.

Foob – Liz, you are such a bitch. Had you just bagged yourself a trophy husband, maybe you’d have room to gloat, but let’s face it – you got Anthony. And he’s sloppy seconds, at that. That’s at best a booby prize. And Liz and Anthony need to stop kidding themselves – this is not going to happen slowly. These two will be sprinting down the aisle by August, if not sooner.

Luann – I liked the “car”nations, and I really want these two to have fun, maybe start dating, etc. Luann’s Brad, unlike Foob’s Anthony, is a nice guy that I root for. He’s evolved since 2001, when he started taking some responsibility, and I want the best for him.
kingklash
March 26th, 2008 at 1:00 pm [Reply]

So much for the Space Invaders machine going back to its home planet.

Oh, now look, Little Mary Worth is crying! Just bacause she’s always welcome to freeload at another family’s table, and give the kids their weekly case of head lice.
Baka Gaijin
March 26th, 2008 at 1:01 pm [Reply]

Pluggers: Cheah, right, like a plugger could bend over his huge belly to reach the bottom shelf. Wait, that doesn’t sound right. Cheah, right, like a plugger knows what deodorant is.
Bootsy
March 26th, 2008 at 1:02 pm [Reply]

Sorry of one of you already snarked on this but…Toe Tapper’s? Is that where Senator Larry Craig listens jazz? I’m kinda surprised there are chicks in there anyway.
Niall
March 26th, 2008 at 1:08 pm [Reply]

A very informative post, Lindsey! How very unabominable. :)

My Cage: well this starts well. I almost snarked back at Norm’s dad that almost no one can choose doorbells… and realised I was in Norm’s shoes as to the ineffectiveness. And his brother! Emo platypus! Much comedic possibilities. And yed.. who is Norm talking to in the last panel? Bridget? It struck me as odd and somewhat insulting without seeing any reason to say that about her… maybe I missed something.
pepperjackcandy
March 26th, 2008 at 1:08 pm [Reply]

Of course, we’re about to discover TJ is Tony Gale, aren’t we?

OMG. That’d be hilarious. And unsettling. But mostly hilarious.

I think.
Al of the Christian Single Jungle Patrol
March 26th, 2008 at 1:09 pm [Reply]

34 — Calico — I actually knew somebody that did that and blew up everybody’s favorite pizzeria (it was a Shakey’s in the small town I grew up in). My 20th HS reunion is in a couple of months, so I’m sure he’ll be there to take another heaping of abuse over this.
Bootsy
March 26th, 2008 at 1:09 pm [Reply]

#28, Mac: D’oh! Beat me to it!
Niall
March 26th, 2008 at 1:10 pm [Reply]

As for Pluggers… just about all the deodorants I know exist to get rid of odours, so having a scented deodorant to me is a contradiction in terms… especially in the scents mentioned. Air fresheners, shampoos, sure, but deodorants?
TurtleBoy
March 26th, 2008 at 1:12 pm [Reply]

Might the AJGLU 3000 be pinch-hitting in today’s Wizard of Id? Today’s episode buried the needle of my Stilt-o-Meter™ with a reading of 15.1 kiloharts.
JP (not Judge Parker)
March 26th, 2008 at 1:15 pm [Reply]

H&J: Since the woman isn’t budging from the bar to approach Jamaal, the scenario that I imagine is that he made eyes at her and she is mockingly flirting with him. (Rubbing heads? Oh baby!) The next panel is her and whoever she is sitting with bursting out with laughter at the idea that such a penis-headed dork would think he could sweep a lady away with a single glance.
KH
March 26th, 2008 at 1:19 pm [Reply]

Man Behind Curtain #39: Perfection.

commoddorejohn #29 – thanks. Never would have gotten that on my own. Though haunted Montoni’s would have been, um, interesting.
Gabe
March 26th, 2008 at 1:51 pm [Reply]

Beetle Bailey: And yes, its apparent that the Tuesday and Wednesday strips for Beetle Bailey have been switched around for at least the second time since we’ve started tracking the phenomenon. I wonder if the Walkers call up and bitch their syndicate out when this kind of travesty occurs.
Lloyd S.
March 26th, 2008 at 1:53 pm [Reply]

I’m impressed Josh. Not many people under 40 (maybe even under 50) know what the “gaslighting” used as a verb means.
Crankenstank
March 26th, 2008 at 1:53 pm [Reply]

Put Chip to work on defusing some IEDs, please, Mort Walker. That has so much more inherent comic tension than annoying a 75-year-old lieutenant…
Poteet
March 26th, 2008 at 1:53 pm [Reply]

# 42 Bryan — Ngnggghgghgh!

Wiz of Id — A town near me still has young newspaper carriers. In fact there’s a “Carrier of the Month” feature in the local paper, with the youthful winner’s photograph, or there used to be until recently. I do have the impression that many if not most customers don’t pay carriers directly, though.
Kilroy
March 26th, 2008 at 2:00 pm [Reply]

FOOB>/b> – Oh, snap! Considering the source, that was kind of like getting knocked out by Glass Joe in Punch-Out.
Anonymous
March 26th, 2008 at 2:00 pm [Reply]

And I still think the “gal” making the comment is really Herb in drag. That would consistent with the past history of this strip. – AhClem

Actually, given the baldness/shavedness of Jamaal’s head and the desire of the commentor to rub it, I was assuming the “gal” in question was our nation’s president.
Kilroy
March 26th, 2008 at 2:00 pm [Reply]

Damn my stupid fingers!
DAS
March 26th, 2008 at 2:04 pm [Reply]

MW: did any of y’all catch it? We now know the secret origin of Mary Worth’s compulsive meddling! She was embarrased by the condescention of her best friend’s mother, and is lashing back at the world by being a smug, platitude spouting biddy. The cycle of abuse just goes from one generation to the next, don’t it?
DAS
March 26th, 2008 at 2:06 pm [Reply]

PBS: is that Daryll from Baby Blues?
Canaduck
March 26th, 2008 at 2:10 pm [Reply]

28. “Toe-Tappers”? Like, uh… Larry Craig?

You said it, Mac.

Unfortunately, before I was able to. Dammit!
Spyglass
March 26th, 2008 at 2:10 pm [Reply]

Man, sexual objectification is SO GREAT! What are all those feminazis complaining about? I want people to reduce me to a lump of flesh at all times! I like this feeling so much, I think I’m going to urge every man to do the same to women he sees in bars!
Kilroy
March 26th, 2008 at 2:15 pm [Reply]

64. It has to be. It’s too close to not be him.
Randall
March 26th, 2008 at 2:22 pm [Reply]

LuAnn-Toni will cocktease Brad the entire evening and then vanish with a goodnight kiss on the cheek. Brad, frustrated and depressed returns to his little house and guess who’se waiting up for him? TJ BiWay.
Baka Gaijin
March 26th, 2008 at 2:25 pm [Reply]

Marvin: WHAT???
Niall
March 26th, 2008 at 2:27 pm [Reply]

64. It definitely is. In fact, it almost looks like it’s pasted from the art in BB. Or else Pastis is really, really good at aping other styles. Not that the BB style is that particularly difficult to ape…
Kumquat, Jungle Citrus Fruit
March 26th, 2008 at 2:28 pm [Reply]

Crankshaft – Would you be happier if your son were marginally employed and still living with you, ’shaft-in-law? Yeesh, you’re turning into your parents already.

FOOB – It’s so touching to see April acting like her future is full of unknown potential. Sure, she’s destined to be a vet and settle down with Gerald in the same exact suburb she grew up in, but she’s still young enough to believe she has other options. And that Santa and the Easter Bunny are real.

9CL – A request to “break my roll of quarters” actually sounds rather painful in the context of an erection joke. Most people either whack the roll against a nearby hard edge or slice it open with scissors.
PeteMoss
March 26th, 2008 at 2:29 pm [Reply]

A Wednesday without Miss Buxley is like…Tuesday. Sigh.
Buck Ripsnort
March 26th, 2008 at 2:35 pm [Reply]

H&J: How do they fit that entire club into airport restroom stall? (since so many others got the Larry Craig reference earlier.)

Marvin: I thought the little ~~bastard~~ tyke could only talk text-speak, what’s w/ the complete sentences? Of course, judging by those dilated pupils, I suspect performance-enhancing drugs.
PeteMoss
March 26th, 2008 at 2:39 pm [Reply]

First line in today’s Dick Tracy: “Now into the bottom of the horse…”

Ahh, just make your own joke.
Darkefang
March 26th, 2008 at 2:45 pm [Reply]

#48 Niall –

“My Cage: well this starts well. I almost snarked back at Norm’s dad that almost no one can choose doorbells… and realised I was in Norm’s shoes as to the ineffectiveness. And his brother! Emo platypus! Much comedic possibilities. And yed.. who is Norm talking to in the last panel? Bridget? It struck me as odd and somewhat insulting without seeing any reason to say that about her… maybe I missed something.”

Norm’s demonstrating his lack of social grace.
PeteMoss
March 26th, 2008 at 2:48 pm [Reply]

Jamaaal’s next stop: The Wide Stance Rhythm & Blues Room!
gh
March 26th, 2008 at 2:52 pm [Reply]

#26 Moss_Moses –

Why is Mary Worth covering her face today? What’s so emotional about always being welcome at a friend’s house for dinner?

Two words: lima beans.
Pozzo
March 26th, 2008 at 2:56 pm [Reply]

The Wizard of Id is in the Middle Ages like B.C. is in prehistoric times (or Gil Thorp is in the real world).
AhClem
March 26th, 2008 at 3:00 pm [Reply]

#42 Bryan -
“…Dogs eat cat poop, reprocess it into dog poop, and leave it outside…”

Keep this firmly in mind the next time your dog wants to lick your face.

#56 Gabe -
If the syndicate switched the Tuesday and Wednesday BB strips, that would screw up the continuity of the story and … oh, wait. Never mind.
Farley's Revenge
March 26th, 2008 at 3:05 pm [Reply]

PBS: Is the dad from Baby Blues making a cameo appearance today?

If not, Darryl has a twin/clone running around in comic land.
Duckman30
March 26th, 2008 at 3:11 pm [Reply]

H/J – The odds are good that the “woman” is actually Jamaal talking to himself, and the “Toe Tappers Jazz Club” is really a figment of his imagination. In fact, Jamaal is probably just a few strips away from talking to himself in a mirror Jame Gumb/Buffalo Bill style while dancing around and rubbing his own “head”.
Brick Bradford
March 26th, 2008 at 3:25 pm [Reply]

My we’re getting literary in Mary Worth–first Les Miserables, now To Kill a Mockingbird. Maybe “Carrie” is next. That would be fun!

I thought the dad from Baby Blues dropped by PBS as well. I think it was an uncredited cameo, ala Bill Murray in Tootsie.
GotFuzzy
March 26th, 2008 at 3:32 pm [Reply]

That’s for sure Darryl from Baby Blues in today’s PBS. The crocs have shown up as stuffed animals in Baby Blues, so I don’t think there is any disrespect intended. This does portend well for seeing Ted Forth soon, though. His guest appearance was supposed to be in March, right?
Thursdaynext
March 26th, 2008 at 3:35 pm [Reply]

Toe tapping? Isn’t that what got Larry Craig into so much trouble?
Thursdaynext
March 26th, 2008 at 3:44 pm [Reply]

Oh, dang, somebody already caught that. Serves me right for not reading all the way down before posting.

That has got to be Baby Blues Darryl, yes.
Little Guy
March 26th, 2008 at 3:46 pm [Reply]

80: Yep, especially in my paper, you can see the side-by-side comparisons to the Baby Blues Dad. Nice shoutout, waiting for the Ted Forth cameo.

Or, rather, waiting for the artist to tell the concierge to shout out for the cameo….
gh
March 26th, 2008 at 3:48 pm [Reply]

#85 Thursdaynext –

Oh, dang, somebody already caught that.

True, but only you were thoughtful enough to provide a link. Now, go brush up for dinner.
Jordan
March 26th, 2008 at 3:50 pm [Reply]

Man, that Marvin is just weird. The heavily-lidded eyes, the dog and the baby casually speaking to each other in English… it gives off a weird “Family Guy” vibe.

And what’s sad is that Family Guy is one of the few things in the universe even less entertaining than Marvin. Really scraping the bottom of the barrel on that one.
rhymes with puck
March 26th, 2008 at 3:55 pm [Reply]

H&J: So a very single Jamaal who seems to only date the same girl once every other year responds to a woman saying she wants to ‘rub his head’ with a wry thought bubble rather than running over to say hello. Maybe Toe Tappers is an appropriate name for the place after all, although I would have expected it to be “That Bar I Go To”.

MW: And on this day Mary learned that strangers are better people than your own family, giving her the latitude to meddle in anyone’s life she damn well pleases.

Spider-Man: So Plan B is to have the super-powered guy come into the old, fat man’s room for a fight? Ordinarily I’d think this was insanely stupid, but considering it is Spider-Man it just might work.
Kilroy
March 26th, 2008 at 4:00 pm [Reply]

Dennis the Menace – “When Kilroy says ‘cut the baloney,’ it’s because you’re not a menace anymore and it’s time to drop the act. And because he wants a sandwich.”
SF Reader
March 26th, 2008 at 4:01 pm [Reply]

Thursdaynext – Is your moniker a reference to Jasper Fforde books?
queek
March 26th, 2008 at 4:21 pm [Reply]

The H&J strip goes well with yesterday’s F-
Loopina
March 26th, 2008 at 4:30 pm [Reply]

MT: Is it me, or are that puppy’s ears getting longer and longer?
Donald The Anarchist
March 26th, 2008 at 4:37 pm [Reply]

BB I have trouble feeling sympathy for Fuzz. Anyone who hears a chair squeaking by itself and can’t come up with a better response than quivering in fear deserves the nervous breakdown he’s giving himself. I imagine he’s always ruining the mood at sports bars and Superbowl parties by shrieking in terror every time the TV changes its channel or volume all by itself. Parking lots, with car alarms chirping and lights going on unassisted, must feel like a spookhouse. And I don’t even want to picture how he responds to self-flushing toilets…But I will. He will soil himself, regardless of having every opportunity to relieve himself legitimately.
Jilliterate
March 26th, 2008 at 4:57 pm [Reply]

DtM: You can play dumb and try to distract us with semantics about sandwiches all you want, Dennis, but nothing is going to tear our attention away from the fact that Joey has decided to cultivate a Hitler-stache.

FC: I’m beginning to suspect that the mother of Family Circus….er…Mrs. Circus…drank while pregnant. When a child is this horrifically stupid, you know something’s wrong.

S-M: Apparently one of the abilities to be gained from being bitten by a radioactive spider is the power to waste panel space by vocally coming to glaringly obvious conclusions.
Sugar and Spike
March 26th, 2008 at 5:25 pm [Reply]

Urkleshmurkle burklefurkle*

* Mark Trail, panel 1: Happy, yet unfortunately unhousebroken, puppy craps all over the bed.
Muffaroo
March 26th, 2008 at 5:52 pm [Reply]

DT – Tracy is climbing into a centuries-old horse statue. All this setup so he can pop out some time next week and have the bad guys say, “Did you see the size of that horse’s Dick?”

DtM – And when Mr. Wilson says “Cut the cheese,” he’s not talking about pizza!

man behind the curtain @39 – Well played, sir!
Cheeky Wee Monkeys
March 26th, 2008 at 5:59 pm [Reply]

The window in the dungeon is freaking me out. It’s off perspective, so it just looks creepy with the wall. Okay, so that’ s not the same level as harming a kid, but still! Creepy window is creepy.

Besides in Idland, the king never pays for anything. He just raises taxes all day and yells at people. Overthrow him, people! Come on, let’s see some blood.
lynngineering
March 26th, 2008 at 6:01 pm [Reply]

#21 Josh – I have to confess, I was just loading up your page and in the first split-second of headline appearing and below the overtly-phallused head of Jamaal, I was a bit surprised, and wondering how you were trying to make some witty onamonapeia by using the “n-word”. But now, having read your explanation, everything is … jeeeessshhh.
Islamorada Girl
March 26th, 2008 at 6:04 pm [Reply]

If Anthony falls in the forest, does anyone hear it?

Oh, how I hate you, Lynn.
jules
March 26th, 2008 at 6:05 pm [Reply]

Is that a child delivering the papers in “Wizard of Id”? Huh. I thought it was Momma Hobbs.
Baka Gaijin
March 26th, 2008 at 6:23 pm [Reply]

Mark Trail: Little girl: “My puppy’s breath smells like cat poop.” [/ralph wiggum]
treedweller
March 26th, 2008 at 6:27 pm [Reply]

I think you need to amend your last statement:

” . . . takes place in the Middle Ages WHEN IT SUITS THE ‘JOKE.’” And since Hart and Parker are both dead, who the hell is writing this shit, anyway?
anonymous
March 26th, 2008 at 6:30 pm [Reply]

Doonesbury: Anyone know why this strip is in reruns last day or so, and today?

FOOB: The Ape will be a bridesmaid “when the time comes” – so nice to have a goal! Glad to see those two a**holes are still “taking it slow”, “one day at a time” – as if this marriage is worth the wait! They better hurry up going slow, it’s the end of March already.

LuAnne: I always liked this strip, and I kind of like doofus Brad, too. I’m wondering what’s going to happen at this dance, feeling they’re building up to … something.

Get Fuzzy: “Brother Fuzz” is here to exorcize the demons from the litter box! Now we’re talking, this strip has been pretty dull of late. My next cat is going to be named Brother Fuzz, I love it! (Bucky has had to clean his own litter box in the past, usually pressured by Rob. )
Old School Allie Cat
March 26th, 2008 at 6:34 pm [Reply]

#104 – Doonesbury is taking a 12 week hiatus.

My best guess is that he needs to rest up for the leadup to election time.

I’m bummed though – because I thought the strips that he was doing with BD and Toggle (and Toggle’s mother) were top notch.

So, we get a breather, but he’ll be back…
Shoshi
March 26th, 2008 at 6:38 pm [Reply]

10 One-eyed Wolfdog — OK, what’s the Arlo and Janis “teapot strip”?

By the way, the http://www.arloandjanis.com blog isn’t bad!
Josh
March 26th, 2008 at 6:40 pm [Reply]

#105 — Geez, twelve weeks? Dude takes more vacation than I do.

Josh
Old School Allie Cat
March 26th, 2008 at 6:42 pm [Reply]

#107 Josh – Well, when you’re Mr. Jane Pauley, the word is your oyster.
Lisa
March 26th, 2008 at 6:45 pm [Reply]

The Arlo and Janis teapot strip that was linked had the punchline obscured by a textbox right over it. Did anyone else have this happen?

Can someone type in the punchline here? Please?
boojum
March 26th, 2008 at 6:58 pm [Reply]

109 Lisa –

Try clicking on the comic panel itself.

Line is, “The most exciting part of tea is over quickly.”
Mountain Mama
March 26th, 2008 at 7:01 pm [Reply]

Violet from the COTW thread: Thank you for the nice words! I’m thrilled you think I’m entertaining.

Today’s MW was actually touching. And then I remembered it was about Mary, who grew up to be not-that-lady.

And count me in among the hoping-Brad-gets-the-girl bunch.
Fran Ledue Page
March 26th, 2008 at 7:03 pm [Reply]

96: I still think that’s a stuffed dog. The pose seems to have been the same in every appearance, although I would have to go through the archives to be sure and I just don’t care enough so to do.

JP: I’m glad we’ve gone back to Steve the Stud, but why are we seeing Count Morgu here as well? A little of him goes a long way.
Old School Allie Cat
March 26th, 2008 at 7:06 pm [Reply]

#111 Mountain Mama – yes, the baby shower cake had a picture from the 4D Ultrasound. It was bad, but it was small, and it could have been much, much worse.

Of course, all of the non-pregnant guests started spiking the punch with a fifth of rum they found on our bar, so the cake didn’t much matter.

I love co-ed baby showers!
Shoshi
March 26th, 2008 at 7:07 pm [Reply]

OK, sorry, duh, I see that the teapot strip was linked later. I can’t believe that I’ve been reading Arlo and Janis for decades and only recently caught on to the risque nature of it! Weird. My 16-year-old son is finding it very interesting though…
Bunnë, Official Comic Execrator
March 26th, 2008 at 7:20 pm [Reply]

So I went back and I’ve been reading Mary Worth… does anyone else see the next couple weeks borrowing the plotline from Poison Ivy, with Mary Worth in the Drew Barrymore role and Cathy in the Sarah Gilbert role?
One-eyed Wolfdog
March 26th, 2008 at 7:37 pm [Reply]

Hey, we are approaching sesquimillennipost! Will there pay a part? (I like pie.)
Loopina
March 26th, 2008 at 7:39 pm [Reply]

The comics are full of risque business today.

Garfield: CC has ruined the phrase “cleaning the (insert noun here)” for me.

Or Popeye: I mean, who doesn’t like an enthusiastic seaman?
One-eyed Wolfdog
March 26th, 2008 at 7:41 pm [Reply]

What the hell? I sometimes don’t type what I mean, exactly, but I usually don’t go as far astray as that. “Will there be a party?”, I meant. Gosh.
essephreak
March 26th, 2008 at 7:51 pm [Reply]

W if Id / DtM – Dang, on a day when everyone sniggers over rubbing the head and breaking the roll of quarters, we think that show me your stub refers to the king’s leg? And Mr. Wilson’s desire for Dennis to cut the baloney has something to do with being irritated at him?
Lisa
March 26th, 2008 at 7:55 pm [Reply]

Boojum, thanks.

Risque? steam and whistling? Okaaaay…..
Shoshi
March 26th, 2008 at 8:11 pm [Reply]

117–Re: Seamen
In my high school health class, 30 years ago, the teacher was a coach (they were required to teach a class or two). When we did the unit on sex ed, he actually spelled “seamen” like that on the blackboard. My future husband and I exchanged amused glances.
commodorejohn
March 26th, 2008 at 8:18 pm [Reply]

I think the worst thing about today’s Herb & Jamaal is that I was less disturbed by their going “in through the out door.” If you know what I mean…
Shoshi
March 26th, 2008 at 8:19 pm [Reply]

Mary Worth’s friend’s mom will ask why she is crying. Mary will pour out her sob story, which will lead Cathy’s mom to meddle. It will turn out good for Mary, who will learn the lesson that meddling is good from the experience. Right?
Shoshi
March 26th, 2008 at 8:20 pm [Reply]

As for the “teapot” strip, maybe now I’ve figured out why I leave the kettle to scream for such a long time…
fishmorgjp
March 26th, 2008 at 8:22 pm [Reply]

That is a weird, extra-dimensional window in Wizard of Id. And I wonder if the paperboy originally asked to see the king’s “stub” (singular)… would’ve been pretty unsavory, so it was changed to “stubs” (plural).
Dean Booth of the Affect Ad Patrol
March 26th, 2008 at 8:32 pm [Reply]

This morning I was surprised to realize how much I despise Les in FW. I’m finding this strip more and more repellant — I could barely stand to look at it today!

On the positive side, I think the ongoing Popeye storyline about the SeaHag spying on Popeye and trying to prevent him from sailing to the Eighth Sea is absolutely wonderful. I’ve been enjoying it every day. It has it’s own playful logic.
annabananna
March 26th, 2008 at 8:40 pm [Reply]

Even worse, a giant penis WITH EARS.
Les
March 26th, 2008 at 8:41 pm [Reply]

What’s ironic about the Toe Tapper’s Cottaging Bar in H&J is that there’s an implicit tension between the male and the female gaze. Jamaal is ostensibly pictured as enjoying his position within the female gaze. He likes being the object of harmless sexual attention from women.

But the ambiguity of the place name and the sillohettes add an additional dimension to the situation. Is it a gay bar? Is the speaker saying “gal” the way some effeminate gay men say “girl”? Is his position actually within the male gaze?

The author therefore invites his reader to contrast the male and the female gaze. On the most surface level, we appear to have a flippant refutation of feminist thought and discourse. But with the deeper ambiguities, the reader is confronted with the implications of being objectified by men. They think, “would he be so happy if that really was Larry Craig’s favorite bar?” This forces them to at least unconsciously acknowledge the power differentials and alternate contexts between the the object of a male subject vs a female subject. In this way, the author causes the reader to create a binary opposition of gazes and thus recognize and acknowledge that the male gaze may not be harmless and fun. He forces them to consider what it would be like to be the object of unwanted sexual attention within patriarchal culture.

Herb and Jamaal consistently reads like it was carefully constructed by a clever and subtle feminist theorist.
t007
March 26th, 2008 at 8:42 pm [Reply]

#121 I got a work order from one of the buildings our maintenance staff services…they wanted “the kitchen counter and bathtub cocked.” I could hardly contain my glee.
C. Havoc
March 26th, 2008 at 8:53 pm [Reply]

Please tell me this isn’t going to be a “Rex thinks he’s Dr. House” type of story line…

Unexplained disease strikes…
The hospital brass is stumped…
They call in a doctor with no apparent concern for his patients, his friends, or any shred of human decency…
He assmbles a team just so he can treat them like dirt and generally act like a prick…

Come to think of it, this could work.

Except that House actually solves the cases.
Mad Dog Rackham
March 26th, 2008 at 9:11 pm [Reply]

117/121–Re: Seamen

Back in high school we watched some old movie about Francis Drake and his piracy financing the British empire.

We got a really good snicker out of one of the councilors proclaiming “The queen needs more seamen!”

Lots of things seemed funnier back then. But then I discovered The Comics Curmudgeon and the level of humor went right back to high school. Suits me.
Lisa
March 26th, 2008 at 9:17 pm [Reply]

When did sailor become the locution of choice?
Alfred E. Neuman
March 26th, 2008 at 9:24 pm [Reply]

#127 annabananna— Those aren’t ears.
Gg83
March 26th, 2008 at 9:31 pm [Reply]

#11–boojum:

You just had to go and give me the idea, didn’t you? Let’s see if this link works:

H&J, now with more Artsy Comix Silhouette Style #1 action!

Now was that better or worse than you imagined?
Jilliterate
March 26th, 2008 at 9:35 pm [Reply]

130. C. Havoc says: Please tell me this isn’t going to be a “Rex thinks he’s Dr. House” type of story line…

The moment I saw the words “MRSA task force,” I thought the exact same thing. As a plus, Rex pretty much already refuses to treat any patients. If we can get him a limp and an addiction to prescription painkillers, things’ll be gravy…
IagoPogo
March 26th, 2008 at 10:07 pm [Reply]

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more,
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace there’s nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility;
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger:
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood.
“Henry V” (5.3.44-51)
So I shall try again, this time (hopefully) without insulting anyone’s tender sensibilities. I have not read all of the comments du jour, but I felt it important to point out that NO ONE mentioned that, at least, the posted *shudder* Peaches and Herb and Jamaal (talk about yer menage a trois, hoo boy!) comic strip emulates the recent Archie strip, which Josh mentioned, deserved at least a mention for “artistic merit” for First Panel non-clutter. It’s only fair, boys and girls…Jizzy or not.
Mrs. Buck Tuddrussell
March 26th, 2008 at 10:10 pm [Reply]

#127 annabanana – Ears: For Her Pleasure.
Old School Allie Cat
March 26th, 2008 at 10:13 pm [Reply]

I always thought there was a modern-day taboo about rubbing a black man’s head – some sort of racist good luck thing from back in the moldy olden days.

But you know, I live in the South, so I tend to guilt up pretty easily.
LTBF
March 26th, 2008 at 10:26 pm [Reply]

Brad will return from his date and find TJ and the captain in the shower together.
Lisa
March 26th, 2008 at 10:49 pm [Reply]

I wondered what the T in TJ stood for… and if we will see the Captain with his guest or not…
LTBF
March 26th, 2008 at 10:58 pm [Reply]

The “tony” the captain is going to be one of three things…

1. A very gutsy step by the author

2. Just a play on the names Toni/tony to confuse Brad for a while and a red herring to get the readers wondering.

3. Just a coincidence the author didn’t even catch with Tony/TJ’s names.
Pepperoni Détournées (formerly Herro!)
March 26th, 2008 at 11:01 pm [Reply]

#123 Shoshi: Yes, that’s correct.
Farley's Revenge
March 26th, 2008 at 11:25 pm [Reply]

FOOB: And the wedding dress makes its appearance, looking far less moldy and rotted than expected. Deanna’s dry cleaner is a miracle worker.

Of course, the dress could give at any second, which makes it far more interesting than any of the strip’s characters.
Hasty Penguin
March 26th, 2008 at 11:28 pm [Reply]

“Never laugh at the King’s legs” is a fairly common phrase where I’m from, actually. Creepy.
Farley's Revenge
March 26th, 2008 at 11:29 pm [Reply]

Hasty Penguin@144: Does that mean you’re an emperor penguin?
Hugin
March 26th, 2008 at 11:30 pm [Reply]

FOOB: Who would ever have guessed that Deanna would show Lizardbreath Grannie’s moldy old dress? And it even fits perfectly! I’m so lost in all these unexpected plot twists, I just don’t know what to say. It’s like — if a tree falls in the forest and everyone already knows it will fall, does anyone actually care anymore when it happens?
Pepperoni Détournées (formerly Herro!)
March 26th, 2008 at 11:58 pm [Reply]

FOOB: Now, that is one ugly dress. It’s like a sequin-and-mesh factory puked on her.
boojum
March 27th, 2008 at 12:00 am [Reply]

134 Gg83 –

Wow. That’s. . . . pretty much exactly what I was afraid of. But thanks for making the nightmare real, so now I can deal with it right out in the open.

And I’m ashamed to say that I had the same idea you did about the thought balloon. The extra bubbles were a nice — touch, though.
Thatgirl
March 27th, 2008 at 12:03 am [Reply]

FOOB: I can see April in the Year 2015 on a boat, having watched a contraband copy of the Truman Show, trying to escape Gerald Forsythe (Delaney is, of course, the actor’s real last name) and get into the Real World while Johnston hurls tsunamis and wind storms down at her escaped refugee. Remember when Louis told her she had never been one? It was all foreshadowing, people, all foreshadowing…
BenG
March 27th, 2008 at 12:14 am [Reply]

Marvin: So… I guess he can talk now. Not just talk, but form complex sentences. Or maybe they just put the wrong word bubbles around his dialog. Meh.
Eats Shoots And Leaves
March 27th, 2008 at 12:17 am [Reply]

PBS: HAHAHAHAHA!!! Ted Forth gets humiliated again! And he’s not even in his own comic!

FOOB: I’m guessing Granny’s just glad she’s escaped from this comic strip.
Farley's Revenge
March 27th, 2008 at 12:25 am [Reply]

PBS: Once again, this strip totally rocks. I must say that the bag is a good look for Ted. He should wear one more often.
bats :[
March 27th, 2008 at 12:34 am [Reply]

Thursday observations:

JP: oh, no! Is Steve going to jilt Gloria for Nick Mathers? Or is he going to try to fix up his mom with Nick? Or is he going to try and engineer a three-way with Nick and Gloria?
And what the dickens is going on at the Dickens’ farm? And what happened to Abbey’s daisy dukes?

MT: all right…who said the puppy would be a adequate substitute for little Madeline’s dad?

FC: Gramma Keane and Mary Worth: the Platitude Sisters separated at birth.

MW: there’s a higher power than Mary?! I find that hard to believe, much less having Mary herself admitting it…

FOOB: wow. That’s a pretty flippin’ ugly wedding dress. Maybe a prom dress, but geez…
From the Mary Worth TimeLord connection: how old is this supposed to be? Maybe 50 years? Somehow this doesn’t strike me as being the fashion from 1950 or so…
bats :[
March 27th, 2008 at 1:04 am [Reply]

I did a little doodling around on eBay for “wedding gown 1950,” and the vast majority being offered werestrapless (for the very formal evening weddings, I suspect), very fitted bodices with long, tight sleeves (requiring the requisite torpedo boobs foundation underneath), or short-sleeved, kind of like many of the dresses Alice Mitchell wears.
I was intriged by one described as “50s VINTAGE SEXY SHEER BLACK GOWN SMOCKING RIBBON”. Probably not for the wedding itself, but for that oooh-la-la wedding night. I’ve taken the liberty of having Elizabeth model that little number:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9545446@N07/2365986492/
(I am so, so sorry…)
Poteet
March 27th, 2008 at 1:06 am [Reply]

Foob — Not only is that dress kinda ugly, but the box held by Dee seems kinda thin for what was supposedly inside. But what am I saying — this is a sacred wedding dress with unearthly powers. As I fear we’ll be reminded when Gwamps sees it.

MW — I do believe young Mary has just been transformed into young Saint Francis of Assisi. I swear I saw several paintings in Italy showing that exact scene, including the worshipful disciples reverently reaching out to touch the saint, and the bird above his head.
RAHK
March 27th, 2008 at 1:07 am [Reply]

It’d be a lot cooler if Lizardbreath wore Iris’ dress from her and Jim’s wedding!
Poteet
March 27th, 2008 at 1:11 am [Reply]

Luann — Oh, right, so now we’re supposed to believe that Brad has a “wicked sense of humor” that he’s been carefully hiding for the past two decades? That deserves a far more scathing response than I have the energy and wit for at this hour.
Mibbitmaker
March 27th, 2008 at 1:12 am [Reply]

3/27:

A3G: “…Y’see, I had just (it’s all about me, see) had just suggested to LuAnn…”

Curtis: Hillary rooter’s comeback: “At least my candidate doesn’t have ears the size of dinner plates!” Obama rooter’s comeback: “Monica! Monica! Monica!” Needless to say, the fisticuffs started at about that point in the conversation…

DtM:
If he’s just being helpful pointing that out: Not a Menace.
If he said that after devouring a nearly full jar of cookies: A Menace.

FOOB: Liz? She said “no”. She was very adamant about it, too.

Garfield: Oh, no, not that again! Never saw it coming…

GT: Gil Thorp confusion with an A3G head bobble. A Terrible Twofer.

MW: Under the circumstances, I don’t know why Mary is playing Peak-a-boo. But I do know that if you take the first panel’s caption, you get the best description of Mary possible.

PBS: Welcome to The Comics Pearlmudgeon. Pastis reads the comics so you don’t have to.

S-M: And so the hero-villian defeats the villian-villian.
True Fable
March 27th, 2008 at 1:14 am [Reply]

There are lots of GOOD strips today; less usual snark!

First the Good:
Luann As long as Brad doesn’t blow it with that last comment, I’m glad to see him doing so well with Miss Hard To Get.
MT I like to think that this father Bill is one and the same as Bill, Mark’s editor. Heh.
PBS Oh, the whole thing is full of Win, but that last “MaaaAAAAaaad” seals the deal.
S4th I think of Rat giving Ted this info, and I laugh.
The BM of Edison Lee I like this because Edison is lying in the floor choking.

The Bad:
FC “… all covered in stomach acid like they are.”
DtM this punk is relentless about his cookie fix. Now he’s taking from Unknowns.
JP Oh for the love of fuck, NO – not another secondary character!
MW The Higher Power of Peek-A-Boo.

The Ugly:
FBoFW Predictably, Lynnie brings out the Miracle Dress and proceeds to defy all laws of physics, common sense and satisfaction. And Michael is just a liiiitle too eager for Liz to try on that dress right in front of him, but she does anyway.
Cathy (Must Die!) This strip still exists.
S-M This one too.
Poteet
March 27th, 2008 at 1:17 am [Reply]

# 154 bats — Oh. My. Gawd. Bats, you evil genius, you have outdone yourself. I can’t even bwahaha, I’m so much in awe. Probably I’ll have nightmares tonight, but it was worth it.
Anonymous
March 27th, 2008 at 1:20 am [Reply]

MT: Kid shoulda named the puppy Shirley, after her ex-wife.
Frank Parsnip
March 27th, 2008 at 1:27 am [Reply]

Jamaal’s got a head I could rub all day with sandpaper and lemon juice.
ChattyGenes
March 27th, 2008 at 1:28 am [Reply]

# 154 bats
“(I am so, so sorry…)”

Boy, you’d better be. I’m not feeling too great today to begin with, and now if I go back to bed to sleep some more, I’ll have nightmares.

(Just kidding; of course it made me laugh. Thanks!)

MARY WORTH: Didn’t the artist even realize that the bird looks like it’s in the scene and sitting on the lampshade?
Frank Parsnip
March 27th, 2008 at 1:46 am [Reply]

Chatty — Greetings to you from sunny Taihoku! The weather is a balmy 24 celsius outside, and the warmth from the sun baking my windows is making me want to sleep off my lunch.
Jilliterate
March 27th, 2008 at 1:50 am [Reply]

MW: Yeesh, I want to smash down the fourth wall, just so I can venture into the fictional world that this strip exists in and tell Mary how rude it is to refer to oneself as “a higher power.”

A3G: Well, Margo can truly claim the title of Queen of the Harpies, now that she’s forced Eric to run away to an isolated Buddhist monastery just to get away from her shrill, fishwife nagging.
Mr. O’Malley
March 27th, 2008 at 1:53 am [Reply]

157. Poteet. When Brad first met Toni, they hung around together telling dirty jokes and working on cars. Of course, since they were dirty jokes you couldn’t put them in the newspaper. But apparently Brad had quite a store of them.

So far as we know this fire department has three employees, Brad, Toni and the chief. It’s going to be an exciting ball.
And The
March 27th, 2008 at 1:59 am [Reply]

DT: *Your* Kwanxoi statue, flunky? You just gave away Locher’s big surprise twist to this storyline! Also, what is going on in panel three? Is that the way they represent attempted telepathic contact?

GA: Dude, use this as an excuse to run far, far away from her. She’s stupid, she’s poor *and* she’s a nutcase. Hmmm, although that *is* 99% of the Gasoline Alley population right there, so I guess your matrimonial prospects aren’t great.

MT: She’s naming her puppy after her estranged father? I’m not sure what Freud would say about that, but I’m sure it’s not good.

MW: So, Mary Worth recognizes a Higher Power, but only when it comes to the recognizing the value of Mary Worth? Well and accurately phrasely, you narcissistic biddy.

S-M: Your *final* trap, Krandis? Geez, what kind of cut-rate deathtrap are you running here? One lousy electrified window and then only one more way to kill Spidey? You don’t deserve to be Governor, even post-Spitzer.
And The
March 27th, 2008 at 2:10 am [Reply]

MW: So, Mary Worth recognizes a Higher Power, but only when it comes to the recognizing the value of Mary Worth? Well and accurately phrased, you narcissistic biddy.
Tats
March 27th, 2008 at 2:12 am [Reply]

A3-G: Using her typical selective hearing, Margo has misheard Eric’s “tell me all about Lu Ann’s show” as “Margo, how did you get to be so amazing?” She’s predictably excited that she gets to break out her laminated list of bullet points.

DtM: “Missus Millward, might I suggest not upholstering your chair in the same fabric as your carpet? It’s disorienting as hell. Also, something about a cookie jar.”

FC: Wow, that’s actually a surprisingly beautiful sentiment from a comic that would usually go the route of “if you get butterflies in your stomach, remember JESUS PUT THEM THERE.”

FOOB: Elizabeth, your grandma’s dead. Frankly, she’s happy she’s dead, as she gets to miss the somewhat paradoxical emasculation of her granddaughter. The real victim here is poor Grandpa Jim, who was finally one foot into the blessed relief of the grave when ol’ Lynn fucked everything up with the time freeze. Boxcar, indeed.

MW: It actually looks like the family is about to play “Everybody Punch Mary,” a game we’ve all dreamed of playing at one point or another.
Alfred E. Neuman
March 27th, 2008 at 2:23 am [Reply]

RE: Thursday

PBS / # 175 queek (yesterthread)— You nailed it! How did you know Ted Forth was going to show up in PBS? With your all-seeing, all-knowing mystical powers, you must do well in Vegas.
Speaking of all-knowing, how did Pastis know that Ted Forth was going to visit the concierge in his own strip on the same day? Do the artists talk to each other, or did he just get lucky?
Arglebargle
March 27th, 2008 at 2:24 am [Reply]

PBS: I CAME.
Jack Parsons
March 27th, 2008 at 2:29 am [Reply]

Judge Parker: I just love meeting old ‘Nam vets on the bus.
Mr. O’Malley
March 27th, 2008 at 2:33 am [Reply]

CHALLENGE!

The recent discussion of Swedish proverbs and Mary Worth prompted me to look up some Irish proverbs. I thought it might be funny to put some proverbs with some comics.

Then I thought the results would be even funnier if I had the Curmudgeons do it.

I’m thinking the format would be that you post a proverb with a link to the comic. Could be a real comic, webcomic or the product of one of our talented parodists.

———————————————–
If you’re not up on links, it’s really easy if you know how to copy and paste to/from the clipboard. Template:

<A HREF=”">
Put the proverb here replacing this text
</A>
Get the comic you want in another browser window, copy the URL and paste between the quotation marks.
———————————————–
PROVERBS:

An rud is gaire do do chroí is gaire don bhéal.
What is nearest your heart is closest to your mouth.

Ná glac pioc comhairle gan comhairle ban.
Never take advice without a woman’s guidance.

Dá ghile an t-éadach, is fusa é a shalachadh.
The whiter the cloth the easier soiled.

Ní haon ualach an chiall.
Sense is not a heavy burden.

Faigheann an tseanbhróg an tseanstoca.
The old shoe gets the old stocking.

Cuir síoda ar ghabhar ach is gabhar i gcónaí é.
Dress a goat in silk and he still remains a goat.

Is namhaid í an cheird gan í a fhoghlaim.
A craft is an enemy if not learned.

Más gearr é do scéal is greannmhar.
The shorter the story the funnier.

Níl leigheas ar an ghrá ach pósadh.
Love’s only remedy is marriage.

Éist le fuaim na habhna agus gheobhair breac.
Listen to the river and you will get a trout.

Scéal an chait, a piscín.
The cat’s life, its kitten.

Ní féidir leis an ghobadán an dá thrá a fhreastal.
The sandpiper cannot attend to two beaches.

Is í an lámh a síntear, an lámh a cáintear.
A helping hand gets the blame.
QUACK! AAAH...
March 27th, 2008 at 2:37 am [Reply]

170: Pastis and Ces warned us this was coming back in December, I think: I hadn’t seen it coming, but Queek did nail it.
Mr. O'Malley
March 27th, 2008 at 2:48 am [Reply]

Challenge example:

An rud is gaire do do chroí is gaire don bhéal.
What is nearest your heart is closest to your mouth.
Mr. O'Malley
March 27th, 2008 at 2:49 am [Reply]

Challenge example:

Dá ghile an t-éadach, is fusa é a shalachadh.
The whiter the cloth the easier soiled.
Mr. O'Malley
March 27th, 2008 at 2:52 am [Reply]

Challenge example:

Scéal an chait, a piscín.
The cat’s life, its kitten.
Mr. O'Malley
March 27th, 2008 at 3:02 am [Reply]

Challenge example:

Is namhaid í an cheird gan í a fhoghlaim.
A craft is an enemy if not learned.
Frank Parsnip
March 27th, 2008 at 3:21 am [Reply]

DT: The cool thing is that Dick Tracy will realize that the ceramic horse will basically act as a giant body-covering suit of modern ceramic ballistic armor. And it will take the bad guys at least 5 minutes to realize and really believe that they’re being shot from a gun sticking out of the mouth of the horse:

BLAM!

Cole Lector: “Ow! Hey, where did that..”

BLAM!

Henchman: “Damn! Now I’m hit! What the…”

BLAM!
True Fable
March 27th, 2008 at 4:05 am [Reply]

#173 Mr. O’Malley – Naturally I am keenly interested in seeing the example for this ‘un:

Cuir síoda ar ghabhar ach is gabhar i gcónaí é.
Dress a goat in silk and he still remains a goat.

GOAT!! GOAT!! BRING ME SOME GOATS!!!!
kippetje2000
March 27th, 2008 at 4:17 am [Reply]

Oh, PBS! More like BCE: Best Crossover Ever!
Baka Gaijin
March 27th, 2008 at 4:36 am [Reply]

Brevity: Exchange this caption with almost any Pluggers and see if anyone notices.
Baka Gaijin
March 27th, 2008 at 4:40 am [Reply]

Mary Worth: Mary, please, PLEASE drop out of the “who can most thoroughly nauseate its readers” contest with FOOB. You’ll never win.
gleeb
March 27th, 2008 at 5:41 am [Reply]

9CL: Sure, hang on to outdated, imperial units, you monarch-sucking freak!

A3G: Eric has made great progress in his meditation. He almost doesn’t care about his worldly business.

Close to Home: As late as 1979, the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer had a rain prayer. Why not just use that? This is either low-lying racism, or an excuse to work maracas into a comic.

’shaft: Is there any wonder why the kid wants his own place? I bet the first thing he does in it is run around with scissors.

‘bean: Creepy Les finds it so interesting that his hands have slipped beneath his apron in panel two. Well, I guess if he’s cleaning up anyway…

PBS: Does this mean this strip is set in Manhattan?

Sally: Concierge? OK, these two have got to be in cahoots. Not that I mind.

Zippy: Depends. Will it keep Zippy out of current papers?
Little Guy
March 27th, 2008 at 5:53 am [Reply]

86: I have to start playing the lottery.

BTW, PBS/S4th: Now *that’s* synergy!
Big Sims
March 27th, 2008 at 6:07 am [Reply]

H & J is hardly worth snarking two days in a row, especially with the comics joy going on today in PBS, Mark T, FBoFW, Mary Worth, Luann, and my favorite new character – Andy, the harassed chicken-little Dr in RMMD, but someone’s got to do it.
H & J opens with ’son’ studying a book clearly titled ‘MATH’, but the kid feels the need to say “Dang, These MATH word problems always confuse me!”
All right, I’ve forgotten most of what I’ve learned, if indeed I ever learned anything at all so I don’t know, but are there such things as history or english word problems? Is english homework just one big word problem? I confess I’d be stumped with a history number problem (2+2 has always = 5. We say so.) I guess you could have science word problems.
I’ve come to the realization that H & J is one big humor word problem. Intro (generalization) + set up/generalization + (platitude) (old saying) (snippet of prayer) (non-sequitur) = punchline.
I’m sorry Mrs Simon (of 9th grade Algebra) for ever saying I’d never use Algebra when I grew up. Time and funny papers have proved me wrong again, not for the first time either.

PS Howdy everyone! I’ve dipped out for a while, but I’m back. May I say how nice the place looks and what a good job y’all have done keeping it tidy?
Colonel O\'Popcorn
March 27th, 2008 at 6:26 am [Reply]

#173 Mr. O’Malley
Am I alone in thinking that the third proverb is a rather accurate synopsis of Marvin’s entire history? Well, if you don’t include bad birth jokes.
Hank
March 27th, 2008 at 6:49 am [Reply]

RE: Spiderman. ~~Shemp Howard~~ The Persuader is going to turn on Krandis for the love of MJ? Looks like Stan Lee’s ghostwriter is going for a “twas beauty killed the beast” denounment here.
Tracer Bullet
March 27th, 2008 at 6:49 am [Reply]

Curtis: Gunther has terrible taste in women.

Doonesbury: Didn’t Trudeau just do this “Granny D escapes” storyline a few months ago and didn’t it suck then too? There is a heated race in the Democratic primary, McCain doesn’t know the difference between Shiites and Sunnis, New York traded a whoremonger for an adulterous dope-smoker as governor, the economy is cratering, Iraq is on the verge of again exploding into sectarian violence and the president is doing a little soft shoe before press conferences. Meanwhile, Doonesbury is following the exploits of a peripatetic senior citizen. Way to go, Trudeau. You’ve truly got your finger on the pulsing pulse of America.
Niall
March 27th, 2008 at 7:01 am [Reply]

Welcome back Big Sims!

Yeah, we were warned back in November about the PBS crossover with Ted Forth, which was originally scheduled for February. It was worth the wait.

And a link to both could well illustrate that “Brevity of joke is best” proverb too. :) (Which is also a French proverb, “Les farces les plus courtes sont les meilleures”…)

Oh, and for any writer wanting to give exposition in a natural manner, look at My Cage. I was wondering where Norm’s mother was, and I get my answer without it feeling forced. Plus, Dad may well have stepped on the wronnnnng toes. :)
Brick Bradford
March 27th, 2008 at 7:04 am [Reply]

If FOOB is in a time freeze, how can Liz and Douchethony get married? How can they get engaged? How can anyone change clothes? How can anyone move? Why aren’t they just all locked into whatever pose they held when the time freeze began?

Paradoxes. I hate ‘em.
But it also sounds like the last several weeks of Dick Tracy and Mary Worth.
Inspector Dim
March 27th, 2008 at 7:08 am [Reply]

Spider-Man: “You heard her! De-activate the live wire circuit! Don’t make me persuade you!
Brick Bradford
March 27th, 2008 at 7:09 am [Reply]

Dick Tracy : Gee–creepy eyeless guy has his back turned to the hostages and is totally distracted. It’s a shame there isn’t somebody there who has the skills to take him down, somebody like, oh, I don’t know, a trained police officer or something.

And I still say that guy is Tracy’s evil dopppelganger.

Apparently Tracy and the person driving the truck have a telepathic connection. That could prove helpful.
Lord-z
March 27th, 2008 at 7:26 am [Reply]

Todays Momma made me feel sick. Damn you, Lazarus.
Lord-z
March 27th, 2008 at 7:30 am [Reply]

189 – It’s the same story from a few months back. Trudeau is on vacation, and when that happens, they go into rerun-mode.

Trudeau has held several weeks of vacation each year, since about 1981, after the hiatus.
Calico
March 27th, 2008 at 7:39 am [Reply]

#161 – And Shirley the drag king duck should’ve been named Bill. Or perhaps Billary.
Just saying.
Calico
March 27th, 2008 at 7:43 am [Reply]

MW – The semantics are a little clunky in panel two.
Does Mary mean that she felt a higher power in that one instance only, never to feel it again, or that she began to perpetually feel the presence of said Higher Power?
Either way, it looks like the Family has worked up a huge appetite a la the FOOBs, and they are about to devour little Mary for supper.
Anonymous
March 27th, 2008 at 7:45 am [Reply]

#186: Big Sims – interesting, but it’s more of a theorem than a word problem.

To wit: “a theorem is a type of abstract object, one token of which is a formula of a formal language which can be derived from the rules of the formal system that is applied to the formal language; another token of which is a statement in natural language, that can be proved on the basis of explicitly stated or previously agreed assumptions.”
(Wikipedia)

That pretty much sounds like a H&J punchline right there.

The Wiki article also states that a theorem has two parts: a hypothesis and a conclusion. Or, in H&J parlance, panels 1-3 and panel 4.

Foob is more of an axiom – “a proposition that is not proved or demonstrated but considered to be self-evident.” (Wiki again)

I like the word axiom because it reminds me of axolotl.
Loopina
March 27th, 2008 at 7:46 am [Reply]

Um, oops – that was me. Darn public liberry computers!
Gulielma
March 27th, 2008 at 7:46 am [Reply]

PBS/Sally Forth: Taken together, even better. I can just imagine Rat’s tone of voice as he offered those tickets.

Doonesbury: In Trudeau’s defense, he usually returns refreshed after his all too frequent hiatuses.
Old School Allie Cat
March 27th, 2008 at 7:46 am [Reply]

FOOB – You know why it doesn’t feel right, Liz? Because Anthony wants to take things slow, and not 48 hours after you got the ring, you’re trying on wedding dresses.

You have to be more subtle, dammit.

PBS/S4th – They’re both funny, but the Disney musicals jab speaks to me – my hotel in NYC last fall was right across the street from where they were rehearsing Little Mermaid (blecccch).

But back to FOOB for a second. I think it would be really nice of Liz to ask Deanna to be in her wedding, especially because the kids are probably going to be in it. Which means they’re going to have a ginormous wedding party. Which means that if Liz really wanted payback she has enough people to make a rainbow – Dawn in Red, Shawna-Marie in Orange, April in Yellow, Deanna in Green, Candace in Blue, Francie in Indigo, and Meredith in Violet.

And the dudes could all wear rainbow ties and cummerbunds.

YES!
Tweeks_Coffee
March 27th, 2008 at 7:51 am [Reply]

BB: Boy is this filthy. Judging by that smile on Otto’s face, he’s doing more than reading that magazine. On top of that, Sarge is just laying there watching him.
DT: Tracy, no! Oh wait, that’s not Dick at all.
FW: Look! Wally’s sitting right there! So what the hell happened to him, Batiuk, you dick? You can spend weeks showing us how Funky’s a dick, but you won’t tell us what happened to Wally.
MF: You heard it here folks, Obama’s going to win.
MT: Why do people insist on naming animals after estranged family members all the time? What the hell is wrong with naming the dog Sparky or whatever?
MW: This scene looks like a still out of a zombie flick.
PBS: QUACK! AAAH is right, we did have some prior knowledge of this crossover. Nothing could have prepared me for this level of awesomeness, though.
Pluggers: Oh great, because I had Sonic yesterday I’m now a PLugger.
RMMD: A deadly disease breaks out and no one cares?
Loopina
March 27th, 2008 at 7:51 am [Reply]

#201: Meredith will have to be the flower girl, and Robin will be the ring-bearer.

Maybe Shannon can be the violet? Or whatser name, the fat girl that was Anthony’s escort to that last wedding? I’m a little fuzzy on the details, but wasn’t she kind of pushing the Pale One to get together with Liz?
aquagirl3
March 27th, 2008 at 8:10 am [Reply]

Good F****ing Lord! Momma is a sexangenarian?? At most 69? My mother is 69! I get offended every day by the comics (usually the Lockhorns) but this is one of the worst things I’ve seen yet. It’s no wonder my mother is so bitter about the way older women are treated in this society. It’s a good thing the New York Times doesn’t have comics, ’cause she’ll never see it.
PS. She looks damn good, and she’s taller than 2 feet.
Weaselboy
March 27th, 2008 at 8:11 am [Reply]

MW: I’m waiting for a claymation Davey and Goliath to show up and quote a bible verse.
aquagirl3
March 27th, 2008 at 8:19 am [Reply]

PS. Upon further reflection I feel that the artist always intended Momma to be at least in her 70s (though I would say 80s and beyond) and used the sexagenarian thing just as a setup for the joke. Which is perfectly understandable and forgivable, because it’s SO hilarious!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Pardon me while I put some stitches in my side, which has split open from my frenzied laughter!
Calico
March 27th, 2008 at 8:19 am [Reply]

#201 – Heh, the wedding is going to end up looking like a Gay Pride Parade!

#202 – BBailey – turn your head, Sarge-quickly.

FC – “If you get butterflies in your tummy, silly boy, it means you’re about to puke. Then all your classmates will laugh at you, and when you’re in theapy at age forty, you can use this episode as an excuse for being such a loser.”
Calico
March 27th, 2008 at 8:21 am [Reply]

#203 – That gal is Anthony’s assistant at the Gas n’ Bun Shop.
I really think she should be April’s date, just to mix it up a bit.
The Spectacular Spider-Brick
March 27th, 2008 at 8:31 am [Reply]

BB: The creepiest thing about Playdog magazine isn’t merely that it exists; it’s that it’s scratch-and-sniff. Hey, hand check, Otto!

Cathy: EEEEYAAARGHH NO NO NO WRONG WRONG AIEEEE OH MY GOD THE PAIN

FC: “Then imagine those beautiful, beautiful butterflies are thrashing around in pain as they slowly dissolve in your stomach acid, because you’re an evil, evil little boy who touches himself.”

(A3)GT: What th’?! Oh, no! What a terrible development! Is that… taco casserole?!

MT: Whichever Curmudgeon said the kid would name the dog after Daddy so he would never leave her, go get yourself a cookie.

PBS: Ted Forth crossover FTW!!!

PreTeena: Very subtle spelling joke… I didn’t notice that “substitute” had been misspelled in Jeri’s word balloons until the punchline. Nice job.

SF: We all know the real reason Ted was talking to the hotel concierge, now don’t we?

Zits: Wait… doesn’t this strip have a character named Cashmere? Ewwwwww.
Thursdaynext
March 27th, 2008 at 8:36 am [Reply]

#201 and now we see how Lynn will stick it to Rod by sticking it to John, her ex’s avatar. Elizabeth will have her huge ginormous wedding that John will have to pay for, followed by bankruptcy, followed by Elly divorcing him, finally resulting in catharsis for Lynn, as she gets to control the way it ends up: John, alcoholic on the streets, crying every time he sees a train go by.
Justafoob
March 27th, 2008 at 8:38 am [Reply]

#202 Rainbow is perfect. Then they could include Lawrence and Nicholas. They could pass out Rainbow wristbands to all the guests.

But, if they did include Lawrence and Nicholas, would they wear tuxes or dresses? Or one in each? If they did that, they we would know who the “man” of the family is.
Artist formerly known as Ben
March 27th, 2008 at 8:48 am [Reply]

3/27

SFx & PBS: Great timing! Not only does Ted make his Pearls appearance when he and Sally are on vacation, but the same day he talks about seeing the concierge in his own strip. Which suggests coordination between the two cartoonists. Did Ces know Pastis would show Ted whoring around?
Also, why has Ted been portraying a DC area mugger in Mallard Fillmore?

Cathy: Heads up, corset fetishists.

MW: “… and of the virtue of vague and pretentious diction at all times.”

MC: I’m sorry Norm’s mother hasn’t made it this far, but still funny.

Shoe: I like this doctor. Spinoff please.

JP: Nick Mathers’ prosthetic leg shoots artillery rounds? Like Rose McGowan in “Planet Terrror”? Kickass!

DT: Hey, Dick isn’t a telepath, Mr Driver Man. You need to put those words in a different balloon.

Marvin: I sympathize with Dad here. The good news is that his son is already talking in paragraph form, at something like first grade level. The bad news is that this son is Marvin.

FW: Les misses the fact that his younger, happier self is sitting at the second booth form the left. Temporal paradox approaching!

FC: Grandma’s ready for the ice floe.

Momma: Pun not wanted, either.

HtH: “Well, there’s this woman named Johnston who’s taking over this strip after she freezes her own. Get used to it.”

BB: At least move Otto’s bed further away. You don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and see him pounding his little doggie weiner. Or do you?
Dr. Mabuse
March 27th, 2008 at 8:51 am [Reply]

#155 Poteet – Yeah, I thought the box was a bit small to be holding a crinolined wedding dress, too. And Dee’s holding it up as if it has one of those plastic insert lids, and Elizabeth can see it inside the box, like a corsage or a cake. Now, a drycleaner would give it back to you on a hanger, so did Dee go out and buy a box for it? Or – horrors! – did she put it back in the very same box in which it was stored in the crawlspace?
One-eyed Wolfdog
March 27th, 2008 at 8:53 am [Reply]

GA. Man. Non-stop “Hawhaw, look at th’ caw-widge boy, ain’t he funny” humor that’ll have you rolling in the aisles, assuming you live in the 1930s and are reading the panels via some sort of century-spanning scrying techniques.
One-eyed Wolfdog
March 27th, 2008 at 8:54 am [Reply]

Also: GET READY FOR TACO CASSEROLE!
Mardou Fox
March 27th, 2008 at 8:56 am [Reply]

FOOB: Dee: Try it on! Elizabeth: Should I? Mike: Sure!! Here, let me help you with that bra…. Elizabeth: I don’t know, guys. It doesn’t feel quite right. Mike: Why? Deanna, you must be doing something wrong. Here, let me show you. (boom chicka boom)

Honestly, today’s FOOB is like the creepiest porno set-up EVAH! Dee rushing out with the Undead Bride costume, all serious and nervous-looking about being pushed into a threesome with her sister-in-law. Mike, so eager for Liz to strip down in the kitchen and then put on the crawlspace dress! Mike and Dee both look like men. And what the hell is Dee doing pawing at in panel four? In panel five, Liz takes a quick moment to ask grandma for “permission” (forgiveness?) before surrendering herself to this unholy scenario.

I do not want to see what’s going to happen when Gwampa Chin-nuts gets a load of Lizzie in that thing.
bats :[
March 27th, 2008 at 8:57 am [Reply]

180. True Fable: what wouldn’t we do for you?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/katerainwater/167620319/

Plus a top o’ the morning and a tip o’ the funny green hat to Mr. O’Malley:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnola/1490988110/
Shoshi
March 27th, 2008 at 8:57 am [Reply]

213–No, dry cleaners will box up a wedding dress for you, as a regular service. However, Dee did say SHE was going to get a box with a window for it:

http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives/003011.php
One-eyed Wolfdog
March 27th, 2008 at 8:58 am [Reply]

Furthermore, and finally: I have been mightily enjoying the Indiana Jones arc in Heart of the City. Thank you.
Artist formerly known as Ben
March 27th, 2008 at 9:20 am [Reply]

#171 Arglebargle,
Wow, you really like Pearls Before Swine.
UncleJeff
March 27th, 2008 at 9:28 am [Reply]

FOOB: Panel 5: Liz asks dead grandma for permission to wear the dress/shroud
Panel 6: ZOT! (an oldie but goodie from BC)
Panel 7: Liz covered in ash and burn marks.

Bats :) #154: You’ve done it again, m’lady!
Braniff
March 27th, 2008 at 9:32 am [Reply]

68–I disagree. When Brad gets home, Dirk will be there with, perhaps with TJ.
Calico
March 27th, 2008 at 9:34 am [Reply]

#209 Re: MT – Yes, Kudos to whomever intimated that.
I’m beginning to find it a bit disturbing that Mark Trail seems to be turning into an interventionist, rather than an outdoors writer.
Homer named a duck after his ex-wife; they got back together (sans magical duck and family, but they’re all well for the time being).
Now, I will bet you all a dime to a donut that the kid’s Dad will see the error of his whoring, boozing ways that he will return to the fold-but the doggie will stay, because it’s a domesticated animal
Next on A&E – “Intervention, starring Mark Trail and his Healing Menagerie!”
/pseudo op-ed piece
Calico
March 27th, 2008 at 9:36 am [Reply]

#218 – El cheapo Mikey probably made Dee use a cereal box, which at one point contained some of that “Girl-cereal.”
John C Fremont
March 27th, 2008 at 9:37 am [Reply]

MW – “As the child of a broken home, I took note of the value of myself. That is, you know, my Worth. Get it, Toby? Oh, I used to crack myself up back then! Ah, memories.”
TheDiva
March 27th, 2008 at 9:37 am [Reply]

MW: As far as life-transforming spiritual experiences go, I would have thought hearing table grace at a friend’s house would rank pretty low on the list.
Calico
March 27th, 2008 at 9:40 am [Reply]

MW – “After dinner, Mary, we’ll be holding what’s called a ’seance’ and then a ’sacrifice!’ You’ll of course join us for both, won’t you?”
Kiesha
March 27th, 2008 at 9:49 am [Reply]

FOOB “One of us! One of us! Gooble, gobble! One of us!”
Spike
March 27th, 2008 at 9:59 am [Reply]

PBS/SF: A round of drinks for those two!
Dare we hope for a PBS/MW crossover? Oh, the possibilities!!!

MW: At last we have it! Mary *was* dining with the Meddling Angels! They’re making her one of their very own! BWU-HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!
Jaime M.
March 27th, 2008 at 10:01 am [Reply]

FOOB: Yes, Elizabeth. Ask permission. As all Patterson women have to do when they want to do anything with their lives: get a job, move, get married, have children, eat dinner, sleep, breathe, move, committ suicide…
Comcis Fan
March 27th, 2008 at 10:13 am [Reply]

Oh come on now, am I the only one wondering whether today’s Zits is referring to some sort of solo-car-date-type action between Pierce and his girlfriend, whose name escapes me at the moment? He had her sweater stuck in his braces?
gkl
March 27th, 2008 at 10:17 am [Reply]

MW: I’m using today’s strip as evidence of the lack of a “higher power”, actually. If there were an actual higher power, don’t you think that bird would be pooping on Mary’s head right now?

Pluggers: Oh, snap! Take that, Meals on Wheels, O symbol of bloated modernity that all true Americans despise.

GT: “And just who the heck are you?” Sort of the perfect summation of the past few weeks, eh?

GA: The last panel must have been hard to write. Scancarelli had to choose between the joke he did make and “Grovel? But we’re indoors and there’s no rocks around.” He chose wrong, but let’s face it, there really wasn’t any “right.”

Still, I love that in Gasoline Alley, “Smooch” is spelled with a “T.”

MT: Awww! Depressed Madeline is going to get to do all the things with “Bill” that she couldn’t do with her real dad. Namely, dress him in leather, tie him up, and clean up his poop. Hooray for nature!
Mardou Fox
March 27th, 2008 at 10:21 am [Reply]

#228: I am awed by your Freaks reference.
Kiesha
March 27th, 2008 at 10:38 am [Reply]

Today’s FOOB has pissed me off more than any other in this ridiculous series. I just hope that if Liz is forced to go through this wedding, she takes Grandma Marian’s dress and Anthony and heads for Vegas to elope. If she continues to just drift along, doing whatever everyone else says to do, it would just be the most depressing, lazy writing ever. It’s as if Liz turned 25 and someone flipped the Stepford switch in her brain. “Must give up exciting life. Must return to nest. Must marry first boy who paid attention to me. Must procreate. Must do whatever anyone else tells me. Must suppress all personal thought.”
I always liked Liz the best. Now she’s turned into LizBot.
Shoshi
March 27th, 2008 at 10:39 am [Reply]

How old ARE Pluggers, anyway? If they can remember roller-skating waitresses, you’d think they would have retired from their various jobs by now…
Big Sims
March 27th, 2008 at 10:41 am [Reply]

#228 Mardou Fox

We accept you! We accept you! One of Us, One of Us!
Widdle Jeffy
March 27th, 2008 at 10:46 am [Reply]

Since when did Mary Worth take over as grandmama of the Keane kids?
Loopina
March 27th, 2008 at 10:57 am [Reply]

GF: Oh, if only – I wish my dogs were scared to stick their heads in the litterbox. Instead, they feel compelled to excavate, examine, consume, and display the contents.
Brick Bradford
March 27th, 2008 at 10:59 am [Reply]

231 Comics Fan–no, you’re not.
Mardou Fox
March 27th, 2008 at 10:59 am [Reply]

Big Sims and Keisha: There’s no way anybody in FOOB could roll and light a cigarette if they were deprived of their arms and legs.
Joe, Upper-Evergreen FOOB-hater
March 27th, 2008 at 11:02 am [Reply]

FOOB:

Got another Coffee-Glarg Infiltration! Socre one more for the ‘Mudges.

“If you were to dry-clean a dress that old, one that was stored in the crawlspace, folded up in box for decades, the dress would not survive the dry-cleaners. It would be destroyed. Lynn, this just gets more ridiculous with each passing day.
Joe, Michigan”
Brick Bradford
March 27th, 2008 at 11:06 am [Reply]

FOOB Dare we hope that Lynne is actually setting us up, and at the last minute Liz will wise up and hightail it back to Michelobmackinaw, or whatever the hell it is? Dare we?

Probably not.
Joe, Upper-Evergreen FOOB-hater
March 27th, 2008 at 11:07 am [Reply]

159: Way to go True Fable!

Yet another infiltration of the foob Coffee-Stalk.
Gal Friday
March 27th, 2008 at 11:07 am [Reply]

Yes, #230!

Inevitably, Liz will ask ANTHONY’S permission–what do you bet? And he will say something bland like follow your heart . . . Blah, blah, blah.
commodorejohn
March 27th, 2008 at 11:08 am [Reply]

A3G – Alan’s quite the traveler: rural Mexico one panel, Tibet the next.

BB – “Gentlemen, our comic is getting stale and boring. We need to shake things up. Jenkens?” “Yeah, how about we have the dog looking at porn?” “Brilliant!”

Crankshaft – Forget granny; put this woman in a nursing home. The fewer people like this we have running around, the better.

Curtis – So, between the dumbass haircuts, Ron Paul-caliber political obsession, and general bitchery, what does Gunther see in these two? What, is he looking forward to all-night sessions of hot, sweaty sign-making and speech-watching?

FC – “If you confuse metaphor with reality, think about your Alzheimer’s.”

FOOB – So, what, she just stripped and put on the dress right there? In front of her brother? As if this strip wasn’t incestuous enough…anyway, that’s right, Liz, now you can be puppeteered into living out Elly’s Fantasy Life, congratulations.

FW – What the…isn’t that Les and Lisa in the second booth from left? Guess he’s having an absinthe-induced flashback. Where’s the cat?

GA – Yikes, is he getting a chin-rection?

GT – Ah, back to the Gil Thorp daily grind: people doing unspecified things in unknown locations for no discernable reason.

JP – Huh, given that Judge Parker started in 1952 and moves at the rate of about one or two days per year, I kind of expected he would’ve been injured in World War II or the Korean War.

Luann – Brad is…attracted to himself? Like, on a sexual level? Narcissism I can handle, but this is just vile.

Momma – So Momma can discuss her son’s junk with others, but can’t handle anybody mentioning the term “sex,” even out of context, as applied to herself. Sounds like the raciest TDIET ever.

PBS – No, Ted! That’s not how bagism works!

SM – Krandis, you just suck. You’ve set a grand total of two deathtraps, and you’re still going to be apprehended by a guy who’s been defeated by a brick. Time to hang it up and go home, loser.

Edison Lee – DIE YOU FUCKING BRAT DIE DIE DIE

Zits – He was…chewing on her sweater? Um…okay, then.
Jeanne
March 27th, 2008 at 11:16 am [Reply]

Perhaps, as Lizardbreath marches up the aisle, a vision in Grandma Marion’s virginal white, Grandpa Chinnuts will travel back in his mind to when his bride wore the dress, and there will be a miracle as he leaps out of his wheelchair, sweeps his granddaughter into his arms and has his way with her there are the snow white ailse runner.
He can then die a happy man.
Wally Limingbean
March 27th, 2008 at 11:16 am [Reply]

My take on today’s FW is that since Montoni died and was added as a special topping, the pizzeria has been going downhill.

All the people from the past are sitting there, but if you cut to today, nobody is there.

And on a weekend.

I just can’t wait for that one really hot day, when the gangs come down and burn Montonis to the ground.

That woudl be the right thing.
bats :[
March 27th, 2008 at 11:18 am [Reply]

Real and for true! This was suggested to me by a long-time ‘Mudge, who apparently stares at the comics just a wee bit too long:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9545446@N07/2366001883/
Mrs. Buck Tuddrussell
March 27th, 2008 at 11:21 am [Reply]

I’m just here to give megaluvs to the PBS/SF crossover. Now we know why Rat has been a concierge all week. I, for one, applaud this kind of dedication to the joke.
glutton4punishment
March 27th, 2008 at 11:42 am [Reply]

A3G: I wondered what Alan was doing talking all sweet-like to Margo. It’s so hard to keep up with these characters!

MW: I don’t even know what to say.

FOOB: You know how it is when you’re watching a really bad sitcom and the set up for some lame joke is so obvious it’s almost embarrassing? Then, when it is finally delivered, the canned laughter is just plain creepy because no real person would laugh at something so lame? Well today’s strip is sort of like that. We all saw it coming a mile away and cringed. The big set up for an event meant to be…touching? heart warming? sweet? Whatever it’s meant to be it fails. Unless of course it’s meant to be nauseating in which case–Congratulations Lynn!
threemilebay
March 27th, 2008 at 11:58 am [Reply]

So, uh, did Mary Worth just find God, or is she playing peek-a-boo?
Kurdt
March 27th, 2008 at 11:58 am [Reply]

Ah PBS, a beautiful flower in the vast shit field that is the comics page. Someone needs to start shoveling all that nasty dried up shit away, maybe more flowers will grow.
Rebochan
March 27th, 2008 at 12:03 pm [Reply]

Curtis: Come on Gunther, I know you got two free meals, but was it really worth this?
queek
March 27th, 2008 at 12:12 pm [Reply]

*adds some more love to the PBS/SF crossover*

I think that the people in the seats at Montoni’s in F(c)B are Les’s memories, not real customers.

F-: “yo-yo master” is full of win, even if the strip isn’t. Besides, its only been since Monday that I laughed at it, and thus it can’t be funny until sometime the week after next.
Kiesha
March 27th, 2008 at 12:12 pm [Reply]

Pluggers: If the older Plugger is supposed to be the little one’s dad, he must have been 45 when that kid was born.

Pluggers like to knock up their wives when there’s an element of danger to child birth.
Bunnë, Official Comic Execrator
March 27th, 2008 at 12:21 pm [Reply]

PBS/S4th crossover fans, I thought you might enjoy reading this from Ces’s blog:

http://francescoexplainsitall.blogspot.com/2007/10/looking-for-love-in-all-wrong-places.html

… a little glimpse at the inner workings of cartoonists. And, a riot.

So my question is, did Ces invent this entire trip-to-NY storyline just so that he could have Ted visit the concierge in S4th on the same day he appears in PBS? Because if so, that’s kind of awesome.
Gal Friday
March 27th, 2008 at 12:24 pm [Reply]

#255

LOL! COTW
bats :[
March 27th, 2008 at 12:27 pm [Reply]

241. Joe: take a bow! And to sweeten the deal, you share the Thursday Coffee Stalk slams with True Fable (again!). Shred ‘er, boys, shred ‘er good!
minor flood
March 27th, 2008 at 12:28 pm [Reply]

Man! all this time, I thought Jamaal had some sort of cool goatee/soul patch thing going on, but it turns out, judging from the overlap of his moustache over his mouth, that he’s really sporting something along the lines of Nathan Bedford Forrest’s waxed handle-bars.
Bootsy
March 27th, 2008 at 12:28 pm [Reply]

Hey, Big Sims, welcome back! Did it take you this long to recover from Mardi Gras?
Shoshi
March 27th, 2008 at 12:30 pm [Reply]

255–I considered that idea, but decided that “Pops” was a cutesy term for “grandfather”.
Big Sims
March 27th, 2008 at 12:42 pm [Reply]

#260 Bootsy,
Short answer – yes. Long answer later.
Wave Man
March 27th, 2008 at 12:55 pm [Reply]

Hey guys,

This probably will get missed this far down in the thread, but is anyone else creeped out by the fact that in today’s Family Circus, Grandma’s head is as big as Billy’s entire body? Is Billy 2 feet tall or is Grandma a ten foot giant?
WonderCat
March 27th, 2008 at 1:02 pm [Reply]

Admittedly, Liz’s grandmother’s dress looks almost exactly like my Nana’s dress, and she was married in 1943. I also tried on her dress before I got married, at my Nana’s request. It didn’t look all flowy and pretty. It didn’t even look white anymore. In fact, I had the distinct feeling the whole time that the dress was about to disintegrate into a pile of yellowed dust at the slightest provocation. Maybe that’s what she means about things not feeling right.

But more likely it’s just that the bleak reality of the situation she is in has started to kick in.
Islamorada Girl
March 27th, 2008 at 1:07 pm [Reply]

We can only hope Grandma comes back from the dead and warns Liz to run, run, run as fast as she can before she’s sucked into a zombie wedding.

Somehow, you just know seeing Liz in his first wife’s wedding dress is going to kill Grampa Chinnuts, one way or the other.
Poteet
March 27th, 2008 at 1:12 pm [Reply]

FC — As an amateur entomologist who enjoys the beauty of butterflies, I also vote to put Grandma Keane on an ice floe.

# 173 Mr. O’Malley — With my snail-pace dialup, I can’t play the game, but I do appreciate the proverbs. The one about the sandpiper is somewhat more graceful and less earthy than another version I read somewhere — “you can’t sit at two weddings with one fanny.”
Patrick now of the FOOB Contempt Division
March 27th, 2008 at 1:15 pm [Reply]

Congrats to the Mudges who got their posts in Coffee Glarge. Below is a post from someone if she isn’t a Mudge, she should be! My own gripes I’ll put in a separate post

NO. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. Rn, Liz! Sell the ring, take the money and run, far from Anthony, far from your mother’s expectations, and back to the life YOU want to live!

The whole Liz and Anthony storyline is cruel, senseless and SEXIST. The “villain” of the story is Therese, a hardworking career-woman who is browbeaten and nagged into having a child she didn’t want. Her “perfect” husband ignored her post-partum depression, and spent their entire marriage dreaming of the day he could be with his old high school girlfriend. How on Earth is Therese the bad guy, and Anthony the good guy? It seems like you want to punish Therese, Liz, April (and any young female readers) for having ambitions beyond Wife and Mother.

Fie and for shame, Lynn! You’re a career woman yourself–why the lack of sympathy for Therese? Why is Liz staying in her hometown, anchored to a boring and SELFISH man? She JUST started to mature and find her place in the world, and the second she started to face any real hardship and lonliness, she turned tail and went home to Mom and Dad.

I’m the same age as Liz, and while I’m probably immature and halfwild, I’m living the life I want and fulfilling the dreams I have. Should the day ever come that I become a mother, I can be secure in the knowledge that I won’t be punishing my children for all my thwarted dreams because I gave up to become a housewife.

Please let Liz come to her senses! She could be an amazing role model for April, Meredith and Francoise by choosing her OWN life–not the one her mother and Anthony want for her.

Jeannine, Buffalo
Gulielma
March 27th, 2008 at 1:18 pm [Reply]

Curtis: A repeat of the old “Gunter strings along/uses multiple women” gag, only this time politics are involved.

Jump Start: Joe’s afraid to give blood, ha ha!

Zits: To answer a question asked upthread, Pierce’s girlfriend is D’ijon.
Poteet
March 27th, 2008 at 1:19 pm [Reply]

Foob — I actually thought the moldy wedding dress revelation would take longer, but maybe there’s just so much ahead before September — something borrowed, something blue, something even more nauseating — that Lynn just has to keep moving this sucker along.
Gulielma
March 27th, 2008 at 1:21 pm [Reply]

Sorry, for the cereal post.

I had an odd hunch that today would be the PBS/Sally Forth cross over. I had the Philadelphia Inquirer’s comics section folded over as I read it on the bus. Saw Sally Forth first, and went immediately to PBS.

Voice of Pablo on the Backyardigans: Gold, I tell ya!
Saluki
March 27th, 2008 at 1:36 pm [Reply]

It would appear that Otto is a fan of soft porn. Otherwise he would have a subscription to Pethouse.
rich
March 27th, 2008 at 1:40 pm [Reply]

FW: I thought for sure someone had scrawled “ASSHOLE” on the window in the second panel.
Darkefang
March 27th, 2008 at 1:42 pm [Reply]

A3G: There’s nothing women enjoy more than when their boyfriend wants to hear all about their hot blonde roommate.

GT: “And just who the heck are you?” is a question we’ve been asking five times a day since Frank Bolle took over the artwork in Gil Thorp.

MT: It’s kind of sad to think of all the people who’ve spent years treating clinical depression with therapy and medication, when all along the cure was a new puppy.
Moss_Moses
March 27th, 2008 at 1:42 pm [Reply]

I’ve heard of “puppy love” before but is there any credible clincal evidence that proves puppies instantly cure clinically depressed patients? The miraculous turnaround sure is heartwarming! Maybe the little depressed girl’s father is Mark’s editor at Woods and Wildilfe Magazine, Bill Ellis, and she named her puppy after him even though he ditched her boring mother for an affair with Mark Trail’s occassional antagonist protagonist, Kelly Welly.
Patrick now of the FOOB Contempt Division
March 27th, 2008 at 1:44 pm [Reply]

I think that the thing that has been most killing me about all of the strips we snark about it is their relentless predictability. All of us knew from the moment Dee pulled out that impossible dress from the crawlspace, Lizardbreath would be wearing it and it would be miraculously perfect. All of us knew that Mary Worth would find a way to get rid of Dr. Drew once he didn’t drive himself off a cliff, or that Sarge and Beetle get into another stupid fight. All of us knew that Cathy would start another stupid round of complaining about her weight and go shop for more clothes that won’t fit or a style that is wrong blah blah blah. Or that the dreaded Keane kids or Dennis would make yet another stupid observation.

I won’t even bother with the lame predictability of A3G/GT. Andrew’s dad sitting at home wondering who just walked in the door. It’s not anyone didn’t see that coming. Or Margo bitching out another bland blond guy drained of all his blood before she launches into some self aggrandising self love fest that ultimately blond guy doesn’t approve of. Oh, wait a minute. I just bothered with their lame predictability.

Could someone do a serial strip that is somehow not ridiculously predictable but somehow doesn’t gut character development the way FOOB does in the process?

ACKTHPPT!!!

So, on that note, I add my delight in the crossovers being done on PBS. It’s not like crossovers haven’t been done before in the comics, it’s just that these are actually funny.
Gabacho
March 27th, 2008 at 1:44 pm [Reply]

PBS – The problem for me is that the joke sucks. Ha, ha, Ted needs to get away from the castrating bitch. It’s predictable and bland. It would have been much funnier if:

1.) Sally showed up looking for a boy toy.
2.) Sally’s Mom showed up looking for a boy toy for Ted.
3.) Ted was confused about the idea of a prostitute and thought an escort was someone to share playstations with.

But a straight on ballbuster joke? eh.

Mary Worth – well I see the Brown Bird of Happiness is about to crap on Mary’s head.

Apt 3G – Does anyone else think that Margo’s minion in a Chinese monastery may be the cause of the current unrest in Chinese monasteries? No, I don’t think so either but can it be ruled out?
aquagirl3
March 27th, 2008 at 2:10 pm [Reply]

Curtis: where’s Gunther’s McCain woman? If this was a funny strip, it would be an old white man that wandered in next. Hand on hip: “I met Gunther at a McCain meet’n'greet at the Golden Corral down on the feeder road! He held my hand under the table and whispered to me about campaign finance reform! Straight talk? I think not, buster! (In more ways than one!)”
JB
March 27th, 2008 at 2:20 pm [Reply]

275 — Patrick

Yep. Absolutely. You’re right. And of course, this is the reason we’re each hitting the ‘Mudge page every day, isn’t it? To bitch about the sludge we see in the papers/online.

I figure it this way: the clever writing and character development in Frazz, the so-bad-they’re-great puns in Get Fuzzy, the wicked take-downs in PBS, the way Dilbert nails my work environment, A&J having my wife or I laugh and hand the paper to the other each morning…each of those is setting the standard. It’s the good strips that make the damn-that’s-bad MW, MT, GT, A3G, FC, Foobs, the Professor and Mary Anne…sorry, lost it for a second there…look so awful in comparison.

Actually, the attraction is that we can see them being so good, were they written with wit, satire, and yeah, a healthy dose of pure snarkiness.
TheDiva
March 27th, 2008 at 2:25 pm [Reply]

267: Is it possible to nominate an entire rant posted on another site for COTW?

Let’s see, by my count Liz is less than a week into her engagement, and she’s already announced it to her family, selected the bridal party, got an engagement ring (with matching wedding bands) and has a dress all ready for her to wear. I think it took us the better part of six months to get those ducks in a row, but then again we weren’t “taking it slow.”
pear tart
March 27th, 2008 at 2:27 pm [Reply]

The perfect ending for FOOB would be if Creepthony left Lizardbreath standing at the altar in her grandmother’s ratty old wedding dress. Lizardbreath then assumes the Miss Havisham position, and moulders away in her tiny apartment, refusing ever to change out of that creepy old dress, letting cobwebs grow over her as she becomes more sullen and bitter, year by year, until one day she just disintegrates into a little pile of dust . The end. Except oh yeah, April, seeing what has become of her once beautiful, vibrant older sister, flees from the family home and carves out a career for herself as a super-star on the roller derby circuit, until the day, pursued by papparazzi, she drunkenly falls into a Mercedes being driven by a sinister (and equally drunk) agent of the Royal Family, and dies in a fiery crash in a Paris tunnel.
commodorejohn
March 27th, 2008 at 2:29 pm [Reply]

#279 TheDiva – I think “taking it slow” is a Lynn Johnston euphemism for “oops, I’m pregnant.”
LTBF
March 27th, 2008 at 2:46 pm [Reply]

Was there ver a strip that showed Rat getting hired at the Hotel. I remmeber he was fired from Starbucks after his clones took over his job and then he went to the Party Rental store. But was he fired there or did Pastis just let that one go?
Patrick now of the FOOB Contempt Division
March 27th, 2008 at 2:49 pm [Reply]

278-JB:

I think you nailed it. I think it drives me more nuts seeing that Mary Worth, RMMD, even FOOB could actually be good if someone cared enough to try. I think it was on a site called That Sixties Girl I saw early A3G strips and it was waaayyy better than the bland drivel they’re doing now. It wouldn’t take a lot of effort to make the old standbys into something enjoyable without trashing the original concepts.

All a person would need is some wit, intelligence and some imagination. And maybe some good source material for drawing different faces. God knows the A3g and the Mary Worth artists could use some.
Bunnë, Official Comic Execrator
March 27th, 2008 at 2:54 pm [Reply]

276, Gabacho, re PBS
You put your finger on something that frequently bugs me about PBS. The humor is supposed to be dark and edgy, but sometimes is just falls back on these standard ballbuster jokes… the kind of joke your coworkers tell, and you just smile politely.

The fact that the strip is usually better than that, and (IHMO) one of the better strips on the page, makes it more annoying. When Beetle Bailey is sexist or relies on tired stereotypes (which is what, daily?), I don’t care, because I didn’t expect it to be funny anyway.
kippetje2000
March 27th, 2008 at 3:00 pm [Reply]

#271 Saluki:
Other Otto Subscriptions:

Doghouse Forum,
Poppin’ Mongrels,
Puggs
Assawakh,
Petting Monthly,
Mushing (actual publication, but sounds dirty, doesn’t it?),
Barely 124
Leash, Collar & Muzzle
Big Mutts
Mastiff
Velvet Cur
Bitches Next Door
Golden Water Spaniels
boojum
March 27th, 2008 at 3:18 pm [Reply]

271, 285 –

And, although Otto is not its primary audience, let’s not forget BITCH: The Magazine for Lesbian Pure-Bred Dog Owners.
Les
March 27th, 2008 at 3:39 pm [Reply]

#211: Um, amazingly enough, the family dynamics in a gay male couple is usually such that they’re both men.

Sheesh. It’s bad enough to get the 1950’s every day from the comics page, but dated homophobia from ‘mudges? meh.
Mountain Mama
March 27th, 2008 at 3:40 pm [Reply]

#286–Boojum FTW! I love that movie!
gnome de blog
March 27th, 2008 at 3:43 pm [Reply]

275, Patrick:
Try reading Brenda Starr. Every time you think you have it nailed, it takes a hard left.

As for PBS, Sally Forth jokes aside, in its own way it’s just as predictable as Blondie. Rat’s a misanthrope. Pig’s a sentimental idiot. The crocs are too stupid to catch the zeebas (why haven’t they starved to death?). Yah. Yah. Yah.

Hey, Pastis – crocodiles never catch zebras anyway…until they have to swim across the river.
Bunnë, Official Comic Execrator
March 27th, 2008 at 4:17 pm [Reply]

287, Les… your comment reminds me of my own big gay wedding. (OK, small gay wedding. It was big to me.)

Setting aside the inevitable “who wears the dress” jokes, ha ha, we know the joke has to be made, so we endure it, one friend asked, “You’re not going to be wearing matching suits, are you?” I said, “Of course we are; we do want to look like we’re in the same wedding.”
OtherOpus
March 27th, 2008 at 8:00 pm [Reply]

Did anyone else get vertigo from trying to figure out how the dungeon window in the Wizard of Id should work?
Gulielma
March 28th, 2008 at 8:39 am [Reply]

289. The Crocs survive by eating KFC (and writing something zebra related on the bucket), ordering pizza, and insisting that their shamed wives put the spaghetti and meatballs on the floor so they can pounce on it.
Erik
August 27th, 2008 at 1:43 pm [Reply]

I had no idea the King personally paid his newspaper boys. You’d think that for being of such royalty his lords would deliver him his news in a singing telegram or something.
Erik
August 27th, 2008 at 1:43 pm [Reply]

I had no idea the King personally paid his newspaper boys. You’d think that for being of such royalty his lords would deliver him his news in a singing telegram or something.

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