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Arresting the messenger

Gil Thorp, 4/13/05

I admit it: I’ve only been reading Gil Thorp for a few months. I’m a Thorpie-come-lately. I’m not up on my Thorpiana. I have a hard time telling these square-jawed, flat-topped jocks apart. And so until yesterday I hadn’t given much thought to goateed radio personality Marty Moon, whose life is apparently so empty and meaningless that he has nothing better to do than to serve as lone play-by-play announcer for every game of every sport Milford plays. I always assumed that he mainly existed to help the reader follow the action on the court/field/diamond/rink/ring/cage/whatever, and that the Milford athletic department was probably to some degree grateful for his fanatical if somewhat puzzling dedication to high school sports in general and to their team in particular.

But now Marty (who, we’ve learned, is really named “Martin Munenhausen”) is being hauled off to the clink, while Gil and his freaky-haired assistant just smirk smugly to themselves. What gives? Is this another Barry Bonds-style falling-out between the athletic establishment and the media that fails to be sufficiently reverent? If so, Coach Thorp can’t find a more willing objectivity-eschewing media mouthpiece than his own injured player.

Anyway, the best part of this strip, apart from the rent-a-cops in neckties, in the crowd scene in panel three. Gil Thorp crowds are always full of wacky characters, as if a film studio’s entire complement of extras decided to take in a high school baseball game after a hard day’s work. I’m particularly fond of the creepy dude with the combover, dark glasses, and striped polo shirt at the bottom left. He looks like the type who really ought to be prevented by restraining order from coming too close to school athletic events. Meanshile, the guy behind him is waving his arms around as if to say, “Hey, ma, look at me! I’m on the radio!”

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 12:02 am and is filed under Gil Thorp. |

56 responses to “Arresting the messenger”

  1. Sammo
    April 14th, 2005 at 1:38 am [Reply]

    I think that’s radio personality Tom Leykis with the combover, always happy to see a potential airtime competitor go down in flames.

  2. Charles
    April 14th, 2005 at 1:49 am [Reply]

    Every time I see that radio guy in Gil Thorp the lines

    “Cooch…”
    “That’s GOOCH, SIR!”
    “Tell me Cooch, did I love Rommel? MY OWN FLESH I DIDN’T LOVE BETTER!”

    go through my head.

    This almost complete nonsequitur has been brought to you through a….

  3. Dub Not Dubya
    April 14th, 2005 at 2:32 am [Reply]

    Gil and his freaky-haired assistant look like a grown up Beavis and Butthead. As for the guy waving his arms to get on the radio, perhaps he is trying to start a wave, but no one is going for it. Either that, or they’re playing YMCA on the loudspeaker.

  4. WoodrowFan
    April 14th, 2005 at 6:13 am [Reply]

    He’s waving at the streaker that just ran across the field pursued by a couple of odd looking tanks with HUGE treads.

  5. amk
    April 14th, 2005 at 7:01 am [Reply]

    Is it just me, or does the rent-a-cop on the left look like GWB?

  6. valiant
    April 14th, 2005 at 7:21 am [Reply]

    The best thing about today’s Gil is that it is a shout-out to the gang at the Thorp message board, despite their brutal commentary. It’s like a tightly focussed “curmudgeon.”

    Check it out: http://forums.prospero.com/sp-bucket

  7. dimestore lipstick
    April 14th, 2005 at 7:35 am [Reply]

    amk—
    I wondered the same thing, about Dr. Good’s colleague in the 4/14 Mary Worth strip.

    Now I’m going to be looking for gwb in every strip today.

  8. Monkeys Uncle
    April 14th, 2005 at 7:46 am [Reply]

    I dont get to read Gil Thorpe so I cant comment on the plot, but creepy combover man is definatly the late Hunter S. Thompson. I know he has been dead for several weeks but he has been embalming himself for years so he still looks good. He always loved sports, so why not show up at Milford, high on ether and particpate in a wacky crowd scene. Then he will unload his gun in to the flagpole, steal a convertible, and speed to the nearest opium den. Hey, I’m starting to like Gil Thorpe.

  9. Monkeys Uncle
    April 14th, 2005 at 7:48 am [Reply]

    Creepy Combover Man has to be the late Hunter S. Thompson.

  10. Semi
    April 14th, 2005 at 7:50 am [Reply]

    Meanshile, having no access to Gil Thorp whatsoever, this strip has and will continue to make absolutely no sense to me.

  11. Jiggles
    April 14th, 2005 at 7:53 am [Reply]

    This might be the best description of a comic strip yet on this blog. I voted five.

  12. Smitty Smedlap
    April 14th, 2005 at 7:56 am [Reply]

    Nice to see that Christopher Walken finally agreed to play the role of Heat Miser, as witnessed in panel two.

  13. Joe D.
    April 14th, 2005 at 8:08 am [Reply]

    I don’t think the conversation in panel two refers to the fact that ol’ Mart is being hauled away. I think they’re referring to the homoerotically-charged baseball players in the background. Why does that one player have his hand on the other’s shoulder?

    “You don’t see that every day.”
    “Too bad.”

    I bet the artists tried to get away with an ass-slap right there instead but it didn’t look nearly as subtle.

  14. Monkeys Uncle
    April 14th, 2005 at 8:11 am [Reply]

    What is the small black rectangle at the bottom of the third panel supposed to be? The longer I stare at it the less sense it makes.

  15. yars
    April 14th, 2005 at 8:22 am [Reply]

    if my calculations are correct, the creepy dude actually appears to be on the bottom right.

  16. Scot
    April 14th, 2005 at 9:00 am [Reply]

    I haven’t read all the comments recently, so forgive me if this is redundant, but…

    is it me or has “Get Fuzzy” been absolutely outstanding the past two weeks or so? I’m laughing out loud at my desk at just about every panel, every day.

  17. Jennifer A
    April 14th, 2005 at 9:07 am [Reply]

    Is the rent-a-cop on the right a woman, or did the formerly fat kid get a part time job?

  18. Moesy
    April 14th, 2005 at 9:23 am [Reply]

    I don’t get Gil Thorpe. Why is the radio guy getting hauled away? Is he the “dealer” that was commented on last week? Nobody looks normal in this strip. Is Milford near a radioactive site? (btw, I agree with monkey’s uncle, that DOES look like HST in lower right)

  19. Moesy
    April 14th, 2005 at 9:31 am [Reply]

    OK, having never read Gil Thorpe before Josh posted the one last week, I just spent too much time reading a month’s worth of strips. I still have NO FREAKIN’ IDEA what’s going on here. Every strip seems like 3 random panels thrown together. What in the world? I makes no sense. I’m gonna stick with the highlights Josh picks out. At least they come with commentary & make a little more sense.

    (btw, I agree with Monkeys Uncle, the guy with the combover does look like HST)

  20. Mito
    April 14th, 2005 at 9:46 am [Reply]

    Surely there is a planned storyline about the cross-dresser in panel two.

  21. Chuckboy
    April 14th, 2005 at 9:57 am [Reply]

    There’s a long history of friction between Coach Thorp and Marty Moon.

    I can’t remember any specifics – it’s been years I got a paper that carried Gil Thorp, but Marty has it in for the coach, and has smeared the coach repeatedly from his position of media power, such as it is.

  22. fuzzmaster
    April 14th, 2005 at 10:01 am [Reply]

    Family Circus today — with the kid caressing his mom’s face in bed — is going to haunt me. Is it just me, or was particular attention paid to giving Thel bedroom eyes and tousled hair? Damn your fantasies, Mr. Keane!

  23. meagan
    April 14th, 2005 at 10:07 am [Reply]

    so if Marty Moon/Martin Munenhausen has been the Milford sports announcer for quite some time, why have the police only just now realized it? did they just now turn on the radio?

    i agree with Mosey that Gil is just three random panels thrown together. longtime readers, has this comic EVER made sense?

  24. Archivalist
    April 14th, 2005 at 10:12 am [Reply]

    I don’t know why Marty’s being led away by two bus drivers, or why Vanilla Ice is on the air, but I think Gil’s assistant is obviously ’70s icon Marjoe Gortner!

  25. TomR
    April 14th, 2005 at 10:16 am [Reply]

    “You can’t do this! I’m… I’m legendary!”

    Sounds like another phrase for Cafepress.

  26. Flasshe
    April 14th, 2005 at 10:20 am [Reply]

    fuzzmaster – agreed on today’s FC. That freaked me out so much I couldn’t finish my Special K.

    Monkeys Uncle – that black rectangle is censorship, pure and simple. It’s covering up the kid’s appendectomy scar, and also the hand gesture HST is making. The syndicate is ruthless.

  27. daChipster
    April 14th, 2005 at 10:30 am [Reply]

    Speaking of non sequiturs:

    In Mary Worth, did you notice that the obstetrician that Dr. & Mrs. Good are going to is named Dr. TOTT????

    This is clearly an anglicization of the German word for “death.” They’re going to see Dr. DEATH!

    All that’s lacking is for his first name to be “Mort” (close to the German word for “murder”. )

    In the immortal words of Obi Wan Kenobi “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  28. Semi
    April 14th, 2005 at 10:34 am [Reply]

    Off Topic:

    If you’ve been following Boondocks making fun of McDonalds, then you can’t miss today’s offering: http://www.msnbc.com/comics/daily.asp?sFile=bo050414

    Seriously, this comic has jumped to a whole new level for me.

    It’s infinitely more funny if you sing the comic in Snoop Dogg’s voice.

  29. Moesy
    April 14th, 2005 at 10:52 am [Reply]

    Looks like a job for St Chree (dramatic comic reading, anyone?)

  30. Deeply Disturbed
    April 14th, 2005 at 11:13 am [Reply]

    Thanks (?) for sending me to today’s Family Circus. It is pointing out a trend with the child characters in the strip:

    Billy — A Bully Satanist
    Jeffy — the Oedipul Doormat
    Dolly — born again Christian Reformer
    P.J. — just hoping for a chance to be adopted.

  31. jamison
    April 14th, 2005 at 11:29 am [Reply]

    Off topic– There is a graphic novel that the movie “Road to Perdition” came from, that has people mixed in with celebrities who aren’t really supposed to be there. Sometimes you look at it, and say, “Hey, I’ve seen that picture before!”

    Along the same lines– Near the beginning of “The Incredibles,” Mr Incredible is talking to a pair of cops. I *swear* one of them looks like Chandler from “Friends.”

  32. gg
    April 14th, 2005 at 12:24 pm [Reply]

    Where can one find a month’s worth of Gil Thorp, or a current Family Circus?

  33. Sting
    April 14th, 2005 at 12:31 pm [Reply]

    The man in the dark glasses is either:
    1) Hunter S. Thompson
    2) Roy Orbison
    3) Dr. Octopus (in which case, the “man” behind him with his arms outstretched is just a puppet strapped to his back so that his can disguise his mechanical arms)

    The black rectangle is clearly there to censor whatever Hunter/Roy/Ock is doing with his right hand. He is either
    a) Stealing that jock’s wallet
    b) About to commit a very public proctological exam on that jock

    Clearly the answer is b), especially given the barely-suppressed homosexual tendencies of all athletes.

    Also, I suspect that the jock is not wearing a radio mic headset, but a strap-on drool cup.

  34. Sting
    April 14th, 2005 at 12:33 pm [Reply]

    Oh, and:

    Munenhausen’s “I’m legendary!” comment clearly means that he is actually not a radio announcer named Munenhausen, but the legendary liar and adventurer Baron Von Munchhausen.

  35. PizzaBagel
    April 14th, 2005 at 1:04 pm [Reply]

    gg, for six months’ worth of Gil Thorp, see this page.

    For the current Family Circus, see this page.

  36. Sting
    April 14th, 2005 at 1:19 pm [Reply]

    Pizzabagel,

    That’s great. Now we can all enjoy the subliminal sexual connotations of this day’s strip in particular:

    http://www.comicspage.com/comicspage/main.jsp?catid=1153&custid=69&file=20050407csgtp-a-p.jpg&code=csgtp&dir=/gilthorp

    Ever played second base, Kenya? You could start there if you wanted to.

    Poker after the opener? Hell yeah, after an opener like that. She’s spreading it around, alright.

  37. Joe D.
    April 14th, 2005 at 1:33 pm [Reply]

    The guy wearing the molester glasses is clearly actor Stacy Keach.

    The lady with all the lipstick in panel three is clearly a whore.

    And the Gil Thorpe comic strip clearly sucks.

  38. TRest
    April 14th, 2005 at 1:36 pm [Reply]

    I have been reading Gil Thorp for years, it used to make more sense as a high school soap operal revolving around the sports teams of Milfor High. The originator died/grew ill several years ago and the strip was taken over by the current crew, who used to draw an Apartment 3G type soap strip. Suddenly, Gil and all the other characters looked extremely feminine, and the artist has been slowly trying to get the look corrected, but the characters still look bizarre to me. I no longer read the strip, but wouldn’t be surprised if Marty Moon was arrested for having a delivery of child-porn made to his home.

  39. CHA5NCE
    April 14th, 2005 at 1:56 pm [Reply]

    Those crazy doctors who are after Mim’s baby took her to see “Phantom of the Opera”?! I assume it was a Monday and all the other shows, operas, ballets, and concerts in NYC were dark. Or maybe this is just how things work in the odd Apartment 3-G timeline. In 2005, the characters finally get to see the hot new show from 1987.

  40. Kza
    April 14th, 2005 at 1:58 pm [Reply]

    What the hell is going on in this strip? This is more like Jess’ “Tricky Cad” cut-up than a daily soap opera comic.

  41. Doug
    April 14th, 2005 at 3:02 pm [Reply]

    Man, the longer I look at Gil’s expression in the second panel, the more it creeps me out. I think its the grin, combined with the elongated jaw and the dark eyes. Its not human.

  42. daChipster
    April 14th, 2005 at 3:09 pm [Reply]

    Want more Thinly Veiled Gil Thorp Sexual Innuendo?

    http://www.comicspage.com/comicspage/main.jsp?catid=1153&custid=69&file=20050401csgtp-a-p.jpg&code=csgtp&dir=/gilthorp

    “Mandy…stay down on it???”

    “Good hands, a quick release????”

    Does that come with happy ending, coach?

  43. Ali
    April 14th, 2005 at 3:42 pm [Reply]

    OMG! Gil Thorpe has Camilla for an assistant!

  44. Jay Nickola
    April 14th, 2005 at 4:00 pm [Reply]

    She’s right, you know. Left-handed second basemen are rare. I myself am usually relegated to the outfield.

  45. Incident
    April 14th, 2005 at 4:19 pm [Reply]

    What really makes this strip is Von Haney’s crazy diagonal smug leaning pose. I know in my heart he’s going to keep doing it throughout the entire game, ergonomics be damned, because he’s JUST THAT HARDCORE about being smug. Sally Forth is his bitch.

  46. N
    April 14th, 2005 at 6:26 pm [Reply]

    I… honestly, have no idea what the HELL is going on in that Gil Thorpe. Every example of that strip that you’ve shown seems to me to be three unrelated panels strung together. Comprised of not-so-subtle creepy sexual overtones. The winks, the weird phrasing (“you don’t see that every day!”), the bizarre come-hither body language…

    What is the deal?

  47. gg
    April 14th, 2005 at 7:31 pm [Reply]

    PizzaBagel, thanks…I think.

  48. Islamorada Girl
    April 14th, 2005 at 8:18 pm [Reply]

    The homoerotic tone of this strip wouldn’t be offensive if Gil and Heat Miser ran a Pottery Barn and cruised men their own age. But having them oozing seductively around minors is just plain pedophilia. Just the way Gil looks at the teenage hotties is creepy.

  49. PizzaBagel
    April 14th, 2005 at 10:08 pm [Reply]

    You’re welcome, gg. (You asked for it – although not in that abundance. Sorry ’bout dat.) Myself, I wouldn’t follow Gil Thorp for the story itself, but for its oddness – as brought to my attention by fellow commenters. Similar to Moesy – see his comment #19 – I had never even heard of this strip until Josh’s recent posts. But, like a bad accident, now I find it hard to avert my gaze from it.

  50. Charles Schulz's corpse
    April 14th, 2005 at 10:21 pm [Reply]

    You know, Marty looks just like General Zod.

  51. Hysterical Woman
    April 15th, 2005 at 8:12 am [Reply]

    Don’t worry, Islamorada, the school is filled entirely with 18 year olds.

  52. type_and_file
    April 15th, 2005 at 9:06 am [Reply]

    OK, I have just seen yesterday’s FC and cannot figure out why Doonesbury & The Boondocks are occasionally censored but this display of Oedipal pedophilia is here in all its creepy glory. Yuck!!

  53. Islamorada Girl
    April 15th, 2005 at 12:34 pm [Reply]

    I think I’ve figured out Gil Thorpe. Everyone in it is dead, and they’re all in hell, and Marty Moon is obviously Satan. I mean he does have that satanic van dyke, doesn’t he? Isn’t a well trimmed goatee and ‘stache one of the seven warning signals you might be…the devil?

  54. Toid
    July 2nd, 2005 at 1:27 am [Reply]

    I’ve been reading the “G” to the “Thorp” for a long f***ing time. Mr. Moon has been a thorn in our hero’s side for a long time. The man has a vengence for the T-man and has finally got his cummuppance(I can’t spell that). I remember as a youth developing a hatred for the Moon Man due to his incessant vendetta against the Thorpmister. I feel good. I think I’ll have a drink.

    Toid Out

    “That which does not kill you may kill me”

  55. marauder
    July 24th, 2006 at 12:50 am [Reply]

    No, they’re not in hell; they’re in the jungle.

    Marty Moon = Milford’s Pimp in the Box.

  56. 47ya
    April 21st, 2010 at 4:59 am [Reply]

    Funny comics! Thx!

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