The Comics Curmudgeon

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High art, low art (with Hi ironically being low)

Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois, 7/16/09

Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois may share the same offices over at Walker-Browne Amalgamated Humor Industries LLC (in a low-slung business park, just off the interstate), but that doesn’t mean that they march in creative lockstep! That’s particularly clear today. Beetle Bailey uses Otto, the strip’s most intelligent and self-reflective character, to contemplate serious philosophical questions. Since he’s a dog, one could say that he was put into this world to bark; yet, like so many of us, he suffers a crisis of identity, a belief that even the actions that reflect his innermost nature are ultimately unrewarding and unrewarded. One is reminded of Arjuna expressing his doubts in the Bhagavad Gita, before going into battle; however, whereas Arjuna had Krishna to explain to him the spiritual importance of fulfilling one’s dharma, or duty, Otto has no teacher or framework to show him the essential value of barking. In this way he is like us, who toil away in alienated post-capitalism, unsure of the larger connection between what we do and the world we would like ideally to help build.

Hi and Lois, meanwhile, takes a different tack. Did you know that vomiting is funny, and that babies are prone to vomiting? The first panel is a little crude artistically, but seeing as it’s probably the first point-of-view depiction in a nationally syndicated comic strip of what it’s like to have someone puke into your face, we should probably cut it a little slack.

Phantom, 7/16/09

Oh, hey, what’s going on over in the Phantom, where we’re being shown how the first two lady Jungle Patrolpersons are fitting in to this elite paramilitary unit? Well, the lady cop patrolhuman has been enlisted for her helicoptering skills, and has picked up the Unknown Commander from an urban location, from whence he had unceremoniously nabbed a suspect out of his own home. Now she’s dropped them off in an isolated rural area, where, without any wimpy liberal niceties like a trial, he will presumably be viciously attacked by a wolf or just shot in the back of the head. And our heroine’s main goal throughout has been to get a look at this human rights abuser’s handsome face. Ha ha, women, am I right, people?

Rex Morgan, M.D., 7/16/09

Hey, remember how the new Rex Morgan, M.D., plot was going to be some sexy story about adultery? In classic bait-and-switch fashion, it turns out that the promise of extramarital relations and the drama they cause was just to lure you into reading about something much more important, and depressing, namely the poor care that people with Alzheimer’s receive. Becka has been shocked — shocked! — to find that a private clinic is interested in cutting costs, even if that means lowering the quality of medical attention given to its paying customers! As we learn in today’s strips, the clinic’s revenue-generating ideas push the boundaries of medical ethics: they’ve set up an “Alzheimer’s enclosure” at the zoo, near the primate house, where members of the public can buy tickets to come and gawk.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 05:32 pm and is filed under Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois, Phantom, Rex Morgan, M.D..

142 responses to “High art, low art (with Hi ironically being low)”

Digger
July 16th, 2009 at 5:38 pm [Reply]

Does Lois really have to ask what happened? Isn’t a big loud “HROOP!” self-explanatory?

Phantom: I’m enjoying the way old-time pirates are now finding work as helicopter pilots. “Arrrrg, matey!”
Ben Carlsen
July 16th, 2009 at 5:45 pm [Reply]

Wow. Beetle Bailey exploring philosophical questions. Or, Otto exploring philosophical questions… man, I’d like to see Beetle actually think about a deep topic, though. Or Sarge debating over the morality of beating up Beetle all the time.

Nah, that’ll never happen. At least not until they get some updated uniforms.
tb4000
July 16th, 2009 at 5:45 pm [Reply]

I swear to God that first Hi and Lois panel added to the beginning of a strip that concludes with Hi and Lois post coitus would be the best strip of all time. I would frame that motherfucker,
tb4000
July 16th, 2009 at 5:45 pm [Reply]

I swear to God that first Hi and Lois panel added to the beginning of a strip that concludes with Hi and Lois post coitus would be the best strip of all time. I would frame that motherfucker,
Uncle Lumpy
July 16th, 2009 at 5:53 pm [Reply]

. . . first point-of-view depiction in a nationally syndicated comic strip of what it’s like to have someone puke into your face . . .

Hah! Every damn comic, Josh — every damn day.
Charterstoned
July 16th, 2009 at 5:54 pm [Reply]

RMMD – The building in that last panel bears an uncanny resemblance to my Catholic parochial grade school.
Uncle Lumpy
July 16th, 2009 at 5:54 pm [Reply]

Three patients walk off and she blames lack of oversight? Seems like oversight a’plenty to me!
SF_Reader
July 16th, 2009 at 5:56 pm [Reply]

JP – Another week of April showing off her big pendulous breasts while Randy sits silently terrified. Randy, get a libido!
Ktrout
July 16th, 2009 at 5:57 pm [Reply]

The structure of the first panel in today’s Rex Morgan made me think at first that it was the telegraphed. formulaic setup for a bizarre joke with an oblique punchline I couldn’t understand:

Woman one: I heard three Alzheimer’s patients walked off recently.

Woman two: That’s right…it was simply a *lack of oversight!* (inane laughter)
AirForbes
July 16th, 2009 at 5:57 pm [Reply]

The first women of the Jungle Patrol are confirming every prejudice that kept women out of the Jungle Patrol up until now. Way to break the barriers, ladies.

I’m sure the guys oogled the Unknown Commander’s butt too, but at least they kept quiet about it.
Charlene
July 16th, 2009 at 5:58 pm [Reply]

RM: This story arc fails so hard already. Alzheimer’s patients walk off all the time. Wandering is the most common trait of Alzheimer’s patients. You can provide the best, most caring treatment in the world and every patient who is physically able to walk will try to escape, over and over again. It’s what they do.
teddytoad
July 16th, 2009 at 6:02 pm [Reply]

Without Josh’s helpful context, I would have assumed the lady Jungle Patrol helicoptrix was remembering, in panel 2, that it’s “Talk Like a Pirate Day” and appending “Arrrrrgg” to her panel 1 remark.
Krazy Kat
July 16th, 2009 at 6:15 pm [Reply]

The “HROOP” panel in Hi and Lois was cut from our local paper today so this is a revelation to me. Actually, I’m kinda glad.
survivor
July 16th, 2009 at 6:21 pm [Reply]

“I heard three Alzheimer’s patients walked off recently. Supposedly, the patients don a full-length hedge constume and hide out in the bushes until the time is right to make their escape. If you see any unusual 5′ tall bushes, please let me know.”
Boxcar
July 16th, 2009 at 6:25 pm [Reply]

I’m pretty sure those bushes in Rex Morgan are giving me the finger. Yep, Definitely
White Rabbit
July 16th, 2009 at 6:30 pm [Reply]

Phantom: I thought the recruit’s “Argggggh” was a reaction to seeing the prisoner’s horrible fate, as Josh suggests. This is why nobody sees the UC, so they can’t pick him out of a lineup later on.
HR Paperstacks
July 16th, 2009 at 6:31 pm [Reply]

I had no idea that helicopter pilot was supposed to be a woman. I mean, I know you have the wear the jumpsuit and all that, but show a little cleavage for Gods sake. Everyone knows the Commander is a sucker for a nice rack.
Joe Blevins
July 16th, 2009 at 6:32 pm [Reply]

H&L: I’m not questioning the need for the big, white, milky vomit explosion in panel one. But that “HROOP!” seems off. Babies tend to be stealth vomiters. You no sooner turn around than the little fuckers have regurgitated all over themselves. “HROOP!” is the vomit sound made by a barrel-chested 50-year-old man.
BigTed
July 16th, 2009 at 6:45 pm [Reply]

I like the way today’s “Rex Morgan” starts out by taking a literal bird’s-eye view, “Mark Trail”-style.

Which reminds me: More information about old people escaping from their enclosures can be found on the Internet.
Tserrof
July 16th, 2009 at 6:46 pm [Reply]

The way that woman is describing the alzheimer’s patients and their residence makes it sound like she’s looking at an exhibit at Jurassic Park, not a health care facility. “Every one of the residents wants to escape! If that were to happen, we’d all be torn to bits and consumed!” I bet that’s 10,000-watt electric fence surrounding the enclosure.
^@^
July 16th, 2009 at 6:51 pm [Reply]

You don’t know who I am. Hell, I don’t know who I am but at least I’m smiling.
Patrick
July 16th, 2009 at 6:51 pm [Reply]

I love the overhead shot of the empty nest in panel 1 of Rex Morgan, M.D. Maybe the Alzheimers patients wouldn’t have run off if the nurses hadn’t kept trying to feed them regurgitated worms.
JC Lisbon
July 16th, 2009 at 6:52 pm [Reply]

It was a lack of oversight that allowed the patients to escape? Like maybe an oversight on the part of the sniper in the lookout tower?
Uncle Lumpy
July 16th, 2009 at 6:55 pm [Reply]

#21 ^@^ –

Hey, do we have to look up your nose like that? What is this, Rex Morgan?
Uncle Balustrade
July 16th, 2009 at 6:56 pm [Reply]

BB: I just had the extremely bizarre mental image of Otto dressed in a yellow robe, dancing and shaking a tambourine, annoying everyone at the local airport.
It's time to pay the price
July 16th, 2009 at 7:00 pm [Reply]

I can think of at least 20 comics that could just go ahead and add a “HROOP” panel to every strip. It would save the reader the trouble of being physically ill and the sentiment would pretty much be the same.
PeteMoss
July 16th, 2009 at 7:06 pm [Reply]

HROOP!
Survivor @ 14
AND
Boxcar @ 14

maka me laugh! score!

Honestly, Beetle Bailey goes to Otto for the philosophical bits? I guess that makes sense – a clear thinking man’s bull dog in uniform.
Anthony
July 16th, 2009 at 7:09 pm [Reply]

I just assumed that all characters, not only the alzheimy ones, wanted to escape RMMD.
Maratanius
July 16th, 2009 at 7:14 pm [Reply]

I just don’t think you’re looking hard enough at the “Hi and Lois;” just as Otto contemplates the place in the world his actions have, so Trixie contemplates the essential nature of matter. I actually think this is an Ovid shout-out: everything changes [into vomit]; nothing [lunch] is lost.
dale
July 16th, 2009 at 7:15 pm [Reply]

Beetle Bailey

Why is Otto wearing his cap sideways? Dress standards are going down the toilet all over the world.
Carly
July 16th, 2009 at 7:24 pm [Reply]

And what does the phallic bush there in RMMD symbolize?
Phil
July 16th, 2009 at 7:25 pm [Reply]

I think the “lack of oversight” is actually a cutting, cutting I say, criticism of the medical profession. If a patient vanishes, then that’s one more free bed for someone else. But if a patient vanishes, and some uninformed sod somewhere in the beureaucracy actually takes note of this, then we’ve got problems.
^|^
July 16th, 2009 at 7:29 pm [Reply]

24 Uncle Lumpy
Is this better?
wagmore barkless
July 16th, 2009 at 7:33 pm [Reply]

Here I am again, faced with the same question: To read the comics, or not to read? For instance, there’s Funky Winkerbean. I could read a great big single Sunday sideways panel of that. But is it worth the work? Who would remember it tomorrow?
SF_Reader
July 16th, 2009 at 7:41 pm [Reply]

An alzheimer’s patient donning a full-length hedge constume walks into a bar and the bartender says, “So, how’s your bush?”
Talking Squirrel
July 16th, 2009 at 7:46 pm [Reply]

“…whereas Arjuna had Krishna to explain to him the spiritual importance of fulfilling one’s dharma, or duty, Otto has no teacher or framework to show him the essential value of barking. In this way he is like us, who toil away in alienated post-capitalism…”

But on the other other hand, Krishna, if you simply change all the “BARK”s in Otto’s soliloquy to “BARF”s, this restores the balance and symmetry between the two strips — while still leading Otto to the same realization of the ironic Ozymandian grimness of the inscription on his doghouse: “Look on my barf, ye mighty, and despair!”
bats :[
July 16th, 2009 at 7:49 pm [Reply]

I think the Dells has more that the usual assisted health-care facility problems…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9545446@N07/3728209290/sizes/o/
Pozzo
July 16th, 2009 at 7:51 pm [Reply]

“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisi…er, Unknown Commander!”
bats :[
July 16th, 2009 at 7:53 pm [Reply]

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. (Proverbs 26:11)

One of my favorite Biblical quotes, and apparently the motto and/or Mission Statement for Walker-Browne Amalgamated Humor Industries LLC.
gldearman
July 16th, 2009 at 7:55 pm [Reply]

A Bhagavad Gita reference in a comics blog? In reference to Beetle Bailey? Kudos, Josh.

I’m especially pleased by the fact that, in the Bhagavad Gita, the revelation that Arjuna receives from his spiritual mentor is that he should just go ahead and kill everybody. It is in his nature, so why fight it?

So, who thinks that Beetle Bailey wouldn’t be better if Otto decided to just go on a killing spree?
anonymous
July 16th, 2009 at 7:58 pm [Reply]

#11 – RMMD – WORD! That is exactly the case with Alzheimers patients. They’re making is sound like they want to leave, as if they don’t like the accommodations or the food. They aren’t possessed of their faculties and therefore aren’t “planning” to escape! They just wander off and would do so even if they were living in the Plaza Hotel. Jeez, I hope this isn’t going to degenerate into a storyline with some pathetic old geezer begging Rex n’ June to help him/her “escape”!
Niall
July 16th, 2009 at 8:26 pm [Reply]

Just a little out-of-order note.. if anyone is going to Worldcon this year, or is near Montreal, Canada, or thinks of going there and likes chocolate.. click my name for a good list of high-quality hand-made chocolatier shops in that town. Just spreading the word. :)
Black Drazon
July 16th, 2009 at 8:27 pm [Reply]

“Trixie upchucked!”
“No I didn’t, I downed it!”

“Trixie tossed her cookies!”
“But not very far!”

“Trixie vomitted!”

And at that moment, Hi and Lois will commit a pun so vile it will cause the comic itself to twist and distort in an attempt to snuff itself out, leaving only a single round panel with text forcibly ejected to a caption at the bottom.
Muffaroo
July 16th, 2009 at 8:28 pm [Reply]

Phantom – “We gossip about our Commander’s powers,
We ferry him all over the place;
We talk on the telephone for hours
With a pound-and-a-half of cream upon our face!”
–from “I Enjoy Being a Jungle Patrol Girl”

Repeat of earlier announcement: six new Tricky Cad scans are up at my flickr page. Be the first to have a look!
Joe Btfsplk
July 16th, 2009 at 8:37 pm [Reply]

#12 teddytoad – Thank you for this word, “helicoptrix.” I will actively seek out opportunities to use it.
Poteet
July 16th, 2009 at 8:51 pm [Reply]

RMMD — I thought it was common knowledge that Alzheimer’s patients try to wander, regardless of where they live. I sure hope this storyline will try to redeem itself with more accurate information.

However, I suspect this side story may be in motion mostly so by the time we get back to Rex and June, she’ll be about to give birth, and we’ll have avoided the nine months of watching her belly get big instead of watching her lounge slimly around in her bikini.
Poteet
July 16th, 2009 at 8:55 pm [Reply]

# 46 — Just to clarify, I am of the school that thinks pregnancy looks beautiful. But since comic characters have the option of making pregnancy long, short, or mostly skipped, I wouldn’t be surprised if June opted for “mostly skipped.”
Poteet
July 16th, 2009 at 9:02 pm [Reply]

9CL — Don’t try trespassing and skinny-dipping like this in rural Iowa, is my advice. The odds of your chosen pond turning out to be owned by a farmer quite as tolerant as this one are not that high. Also, a lot of cattle pastures have bulls.
Naked Bunny with a Whip
July 16th, 2009 at 9:03 pm [Reply]

RMMD: “That’s the Alzheimer’s enclosure behind us! We call it ‘Charterstone’, and nearly every one of the residents wants to escape!”
klaus tommy baggs
July 16th, 2009 at 9:03 pm [Reply]

RM: “This story arc fails so hard already. Alzheimer’s patients walk off all the time. Wandering is the most common trait of Alzheimer’s patients. You can provide the best, most caring treatment in the world and every patient who is physically able to walk will try to escape, over and over again. It’s what they do.”

If you read this out loud in a John Connors from the Terminator voice it’s even funnier, as long as you end it with “It’s what they do! It’s ALL they do!”
commodorejohn
July 16th, 2009 at 9:05 pm [Reply]

A3G – Um, which Nora is this? The Marilyn Quayle-’do Nora? The dog-owning Nora? Or the actually-played-by-Haley Nora?

BB – Guest-written by Tom Batiuk.

Crankshaft – Uh…”suckers?” That’s not even a pun. If there’s a “joke” here somewhere, I’m missing it.

DT – Tracy, your entire strip is like a three-ring circus, or at least the freak show. For instance, your daughter, who has the arm of a six-year-old and the face of a suburban Lutheran pastor’s wife.

Garfield – The Internet has so corrupted my mind that I thought of multiple disgusting and/or pornographic interpretations before I even realized what the “joke” was supposed to be.

GA – “Wake up and listen! No, never mind, you’re stupid! Go back to sleep!” I guess the moral of the story is that finding God means being a total asshole to your mate. Charming!

GT – Since when does Ernie wear glasses? And where’s Bert?

Lio – I’m hearing “Larks’ Tongues In Aspic” right now…

Luann – Expressing sexuality in the Luanniverse results in pain and injury to your loved ones. But hey, now we have a whole new thing for Brad to be absolutely fucking clueless about. And just wait until his mom gets wind! I wonder how long it’ll be before she’s threatening to “scratch that little whore’s eyes out” and accidentally lets it slip that she wants Brad to herself?

MW – Interesting; I’ve never heard anyone phrase “what do I want to happen?” as “what do you want to happen?” before. That Mary certainly has a way with words.

NS – Hey, guys, say hi to Calvin and Hobbes while you’re there, okay?

RMMD – What is this, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest?

SM – Yeah, Logan, it doesn’t make sense to me, either. But hey, the more heroes are enjoying themselves in a given place at a given time, the likelier it is for a villain to show up. Go for it!
Josh
July 16th, 2009 at 9:19 pm [Reply]

#40 gldearman — Kill his friends and relatives no less, since the war in the Bhagavad Gita is a civil war. The yoga teacher I go to on Fridays quotes this bit a lot, somewhat along the lines I’ve outlined here, but always leaves out the context, for obvious reasons.

Josh
Talking Squirrel
July 16th, 2009 at 9:19 pm [Reply]

“They’ve set up an “Alzheimer’s enclosure” at the zoo, near the primate house, where members of the public can buy tickets to come and gawk.”

I hope that, in emulation of zoo primates the world around, the inmates cunningly fling their shit at the gawkers.
Shermy Glamrocker
July 16th, 2009 at 9:25 pm [Reply]

Say, did those Alzheimer’s overseers ever hear of this crazy new invention I’ve heard so much buzz about? It’s called “a lock.”
buckyswife
July 16th, 2009 at 9:32 pm [Reply]

#54 Shermy Glamrocker: Or what they’re required to have in any care facility in California (where my mom is): Loud chimes or buzzers on every door that go off when they’re opened.
Comrade Denny
July 16th, 2009 at 9:35 pm [Reply]

RxMD: I hope this plot actually involves the SEIU’s attempts to unionize the nurses, leading to a strike over staffing, hours, and wages, which in turn leads to a schism in the Morgan household with June marching on the line in solidarity with her fellow nurses and the patrician Rex tsk-tsking her for her “unprofessionalism.” Just when we’re about to learn that Rex owns controlling shares in the Alzheimer’s clinic’s parent company, Elder Industries & Organ Extraction LLC, the adultery storyline will rear its head distracting everyone with a good sex scandal.

With the strike broken, Rex & June will go on an 36-month (their time – 16 years, our time) tour of America’s most venerable Starbuck’s franchises – all of which will be crippled by a wildcat IWW strike and a latte-borne super-resitant strain of MRSA. While Rex tries to contain the deadly infection, June will make espressos for pseudo-cynical, caffeine-addled suburban teenagers and Sarah will discover that the dashingly, angularly handsome assistant VP from corporate has been using French presses to smuggle reanimated, super-intelligent fetuses, one of which she befriends.

It turns out that Rex was behind this scheme too and that Sarah is in fact a Gen-1 reanimated fetus, which explains why no matter how much she grows, her head is still a full 1/3 of her size and mass.

At this point Dick Tracy shows up and kills everyone.
Katya
July 16th, 2009 at 9:54 pm [Reply]

Why, Josh, I’m so glad you chose “Hi and Lois” on which to snark today. Coincidental? I think not.

This gives me a chance to tell my cute and funny (to me, ‘cuz it was my cute and funny little niece being all cute and funny-like) story! It really happened, and this is how it went down:

One day when my nephew was about five and my niece around three years old, my sister was in their kitchen getting them ready to go for a bike ride. She and her husband had a tandem bike at the time, with a couple of kiddie seats attached for the children.

Anyway, as my sis was turned away from my niece while helping my nephew put on his helmet, she heard a…shall we say…odd sound. When she turned around, my little niece had, for no apparent reason, as she wasn’t sick, vomited all over the kitchen floor. Here’s the kicker, though:

She looked up, with the most puzzled expression on her face and said in all seriousness, “Mommy, something just fell out of my mouth!”

Too funny (at least in our family)! Thanks for letting me tell my little tale and, as you see, it was meant to be!
Sheila Sternwell
July 16th, 2009 at 10:07 pm [Reply]

#49 Naked Bunny explains it all. Clarity has finally been achieved.
doug rogers
July 16th, 2009 at 10:09 pm [Reply]

“ARRGGG!!” ?

Somebody actually gets paid to write “ARRGGG!!”? “ARRGGG!!” ? WTF?

I could write that in my sleep!

“MMmmmmf!”, “Ummmmm”, “Gak”, “urgh….”, “ZzzzzZzz”…

Who do I send the bill to?
Nekrotzar
July 16th, 2009 at 10:15 pm [Reply]

Hey, I just watched the movie Mahabharat recently so I understand the Arjuna reference.

I think #49 may be the COTY.
Naked Bunny with a Whip
July 16th, 2009 at 10:26 pm [Reply]

Who do I send the bill to?

Josh Fruhlinger, c/o The Internetz.
Black Drazon
July 16th, 2009 at 10:32 pm [Reply]

#46 – Of course, the next time we see June, just in time for her to give birth like you said, could easily be during the 2016 presidential elections, when this Alzheimers storyline wraps up.
zerowolf
July 16th, 2009 at 10:51 pm [Reply]

Better Otto pondering the Bhagavad Gita than General Halftrack’s investigations into theKama Sutra
zerowolf
July 16th, 2009 at 10:53 pm [Reply]

Better Otto pondering the Bhagavad Gita than General Halftrack’s investigations into the Kama Sutra
Muffaroo
July 16th, 2009 at 10:56 pm [Reply]

buckyswife @55 – Dad had a latch on the front door that opened from the outside, to keep Mom from heading down the street. Seemed odd, but it worked. Last year it all became academic.
NoahSnark
July 16th, 2009 at 11:14 pm [Reply]

After a month of facial profiles, scenery shots, and dialogue cast in a linguistic style that was popular fifty years ago, Rex Morgan will solve The Great Alzheimer’s Escape problem by the simple act of canceling the daily showing of The Shawshank Redemption.
Sister Sestina
July 16th, 2009 at 11:26 pm [Reply]

64 Zerowolf – COTW! COTW! COTW!
commodorejohn
July 16th, 2009 at 11:29 pm [Reply]

By the way, Josh, remember those flocks of flying squid Mark Trail warned us about? They’re attacking California. Film at 11.
Elizabeth Helena
July 16th, 2009 at 11:41 pm [Reply]

I think an open to the public Alzheimer’s Enclosure is an excellent revenue-generating idea, but it doesn’t go far enough. They also need to set up a Terminal Cancer Corral in every city, so all of the Funky Winkerbean readers will have somewhere to go during their staycations. And don’t forget the Crohn’s Disease Camps for all the Marvin fans.
sugarpie
July 16th, 2009 at 11:51 pm [Reply]

y49, Josh Whew. I’ve looked at all the material in the link to A3G from yesterday. Wow. No wonder so many people are faithful to this strip. Kotzky was obsessed and the readers were/are the beneficiaries. Somewhere between the current deficiencies and its past glory is a balance I wish A3G could find. Having seen its previous bounties, I’m back on the bus (for now).

Improbably, I have a copy of the Bhagavad Gita or, As It Is. One Sunday morning, 30 years ago (or so) I was getting out of my car at the grocery store in the one-horse central Texas town where I was in college. Blindingly, stupendously hung over and easy pickings for the Hare Krishnas. Asked for an offering in exchange for a copy of The Book (hardback) I explained I had no cash, one check, and almost no money in my account. He talked me into making out the check to the church for $15, and then gave me the book, and a fin to get my groceries. I wish I could say I’ve finished reading the cursed thing, but I can’t. I have, however, kept it as a lifelong reminder of the dangers of Sunday mornings.
True Fable
July 17th, 2009 at 12:05 am [Reply]

Fist O Justice theater In all liklihood, it will be Joey who gets shot, and not Mark. Yes, shoot Joey, who has the best probability of getting scared into complying with your nefarious scheme, instead of Mark, who is nosy enough to ask around WHAT is going on, and will throw you into jail with one punch. Yeah, smart move. Later the gunman will repeatedly kidnap Rusty and his puppy in front of a town full of witnesses.
Jackuul
July 17th, 2009 at 12:18 am [Reply]

His and Lois could be vastly improved in Trixie had vomited up blood, followed by a harrowing story about cancer, and ending in a dark tone at a funeral – followed by a dancing clown.
AlphabetFish
July 17th, 2009 at 12:24 am [Reply]

I read that as “I heard three Alzheimer’s patients walked off a cliff recently!”

I laughed. That is the only time I have enjoyed Rex Morgan M.D. without jokes about Rex being gay.
Jumper
July 17th, 2009 at 12:26 am [Reply]

At first look I read “I heard three Alzheimer’s patients wacked off today.” This is just too much. If they keep shrinking the comics this will happen more and more often.

However, I heard of an advanced care facility in England that puts a bus stop right in front of an Alzheimer’s facility.

A FAKE bus stop. No bus ever comes. The escapees stand there for a few hours and by the time the orderlies come and fetch them, they are thirsty and ready to come back in.
commodorejohn
July 17th, 2009 at 12:40 am [Reply]

#73 AlphabetFish – So, three Alzheimers’ patients walk off a cliff…

…

…and so St. Peter says, “I got all that, but where does the duck fit in?”
veronica
July 17th, 2009 at 12:43 am [Reply]

#51 commodorejohn
Speaking from an arboricultural background, “suckers” is a legitimate term. It’s what the small, random offshoots from large trees are called. It is a fairly normal activity to trim them in normal tree care.
It doesn’t make it funny, though. All it says to me is “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” especially as those are hedge trimmers he’s using.
Also, there goes any hope of apples this year. :(
commodorejohn
July 17th, 2009 at 12:51 am [Reply]

#76 veronica – Ah, the more you know. Well, at least I can rest assured that it still isn’t a joke in any sense of the term.
Mdgoldrush1984
July 17th, 2009 at 1:06 am [Reply]

Today’s Beetle Bailey guest written by Tom Batiuk!

I realize the joke was already made, but dammit, it’s so nice, I’ll make it twice.
Emily
July 17th, 2009 at 1:11 am [Reply]

Wha?? No jabs at ‘Luann’ today? I totally expecting the usual, “I gag at the thought of the suppressed innuendos that will come out of Brad’s paralyzation.”

If nothing else, I was at least expecting a, “Panel three sums up everything that was ever wrong with ‘Luann.’ EVER!”
Baka Gaijin
July 17th, 2009 at 1:18 am [Reply]

#Y172 Dingo: Hillary Clinton in a gorilla suit is still more disturbing.
True Fable
July 17th, 2009 at 1:32 am [Reply]

Sweet and Shallow Well well well, Brad’s finally got up the courage to give Toni a kiss. We all know Evans is likely to leave the storyline Right. There. Oh, Saturday may have a strip about him floating home on the air, but he’ll be alone. Then Monday will rush back to Luann and her attempts to out-whore Tiffany for Quill’s affections.

If I am wrong, then I will eat a handful of goat kibble. If I’m right… well, I just might eat a handful of kibble anyway, that shit’s pretty good. :P
Mr. O'Malley
July 17th, 2009 at 1:44 am [Reply]

Talking about good names for bands, there used to be a band in Australia called Bhagavad Guitars.

It works a little better if you speak a non-rhotic dialect.
Jason1981
July 17th, 2009 at 1:54 am [Reply]

Luann: Brad just kissed Toni …without her needing to smack him upside the head and yell “kiss me, dumbass!”

…..Is…is it possible that Brad’s finally growing some balls? Nah, that’d be as unlikely as Spider-Man fighting crime isntead of watching tv.
Poewar
July 17th, 2009 at 2:01 am [Reply]

Don’t worry Jeffy, your mom has left your father’s hot dog blank for years.
True Fable
July 17th, 2009 at 2:02 am [Reply]

9 to 5 Viking Yeah, try “we’ve run out of ideas for our comic, so let’s shut it down.” No need for an oversized question mark then.
Meddle House Delilah’s so intent on getting Mary to give her low five, she’s developed a swollen misshapen hand. But that’s okay; Mary’s practicing her “Stop in the Name of Love” pose.

Line of the Week: “Dey very deemanding cheekens.”
KarMann
July 17th, 2009 at 2:22 am [Reply]

RMMW: Obviously, at least one of the Alzheimer’s patients has seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail one too many times, and is now convinced that he’s one of the Knights Who Say Ecce-ecce-… Ikki-ikki-ikki-P’kang… Who Until Recently Said “Ni”, and has been demanding shrubberies. With a nice two-level effect.
the angry black woman
July 17th, 2009 at 2:43 am [Reply]

oh my god, you guys! Delilah is about to go for a walk all by herself! Mary had best put a tail on that girl. Or a bell. because we all know what is bound to happen by Sunday: Charley is totally going to put his hands on that girl’s midriff and destroy her marriage with his flaming passion (and stripey shirt!). Mary is going to lose her shit. *whips out the popcorn*

Also, Brad is only just now getting around to kissing Toni? I haven’t read that strip in over two years and when I stopped that storyline had been going on for a year at least. 3+ years and JUST NOW? Luann is possibly one of the most useless wastes of newspaper ink in the world.
the angry black woman
July 17th, 2009 at 2:47 am [Reply]

and also, 9CL has gone beyond ridiculous to tedious. we get it, Brooke, you don’t believe in God. Or you do and you hate him. Honestly, we don’t care.
Mr. O'Malley
July 17th, 2009 at 3:19 am [Reply]

Pluggers special-order Sovtek vacuum tubes from Russia to maintain their ancient black and white TV sets on which they watch Westerns starring dogs. These are the simple pleasures of the denizens of the heartland? Yet they laugh at San Francisco for keeping the cable cars going.

If the horizontal and vertical hold are accomplished by adjusting trim capacitors from the back of the set (with a non-metallic screwdriver, naturally), what are the five knobs on the front? The big ones are tuner (channels 2 through 13) and volume. The small ones must be brightness, contrast and … plate voltage?

The dogged (ha!) single-mindedness of these Pluggers keeping their 1950s Philco functional when at any time since about 1970 you could have replaced it with a transistor-based color set with NO adjustments for a couple hundred dollars is mind-boggling. In fact I remember a previous Plugger taking one of these (with, I think, a coat-hanger antenna) to the pawn shop. And what pawn shop nowadays could find such Dickensian customers who would actually consider purchasing such an item?

In my neighborhood there was a Victorian gingerbread house that for years had a 1963 Mercury Monterey (with the roll-down rear window) parked in the driveway. Shortly after the car vanished, a gas stove appeared temporarily in the driveway—the kind where each burner had a control like a faucet with a china handle.

Yet I’ll bet even the people who used to live in that house had a color TV that could tune in UHF channels.

One wonders what other impractical outdated junk the Pluggers keep around their house. Why don’t we see them driving Stanley Steamers instead of those pollution-belching 1970s pickups they seem to love? Or how about the old wringer washing machine?

It’s funny that Pluggers hasn’t yet taken up the topic of indoor plumbing versus the good old outhouse. You’d think it would be a natural. The song Little Brown Shack Out Back should be a Plugger anthem.

Plugger STD—black widow bite on the scrotum? (Also available translated into Australian.)
Sheila Sternwell
July 17th, 2009 at 3:45 am [Reply]

Does anyone read Funky Winkerbean any more? What the hell is going on there, anyway? I get the feeling we’re supposed to stick around for this story so we get an explanation about why Wally and Becky were snuggling on Monday, not so we know where he’s been for the last several years.
Slobert Hink
July 17th, 2009 at 3:52 am [Reply]

I say that if you’re going to have an ineffectual frustratagrunt, you have to go for more than ‘ARRGGG!!’

An H or even another exclamation point would have helped plenty, but I personally would go for the Jimmy Finlayson “Doooooooooh!”
Alfred E. Neuman
July 17th, 2009 at 4:24 am [Reply]

Random thoughts from the graveyard shift—

#75 commodorejohn— Why a duck?

#81 True Fable— I doubt that Brad will be “floating” home after kissing Toni. He most likely will be “crouching” home in order to hide the dripping wet spot on his crotch created by the massive premature ejaculation caused by her kiss.

#82 Mr. O’Malley— I once had a girlfriend named Gita. If I’d met her in Baghdad, then she would have been… oh, never mind.
She was very ‘rhotic, though.
ck
July 17th, 2009 at 4:39 am [Reply]

Ohhhhh… oh, yessss….

(On the second link, be sure to check out #3 through #13…)

http://tinyurl.com/ktxsxs

http://tinyurl.com/lmezyt
One-eyed Wolfdog
July 17th, 2009 at 5:14 am [Reply]

Coming soon: Dick Tracy kills an elephant.
One-eyed Wolfdog
July 17th, 2009 at 5:26 am [Reply]

GA: “Remember that… thing… we did with your mother last summer? Get this – it says here we shall be burnt with fire. Now what’s that all about?”
dyslexic dog
July 17th, 2009 at 5:40 am [Reply]

9CL: …using the barter system?
True Fable
July 17th, 2009 at 6:48 am [Reply]

#87 the angry black woman – That wanton little vamp, how dare she trot around without Mary’s tepid guidance? You know she’s going to go flirt with Charlie so she can have the thrill of the forbidden!

The storyline might actually pick up interest if:

1) Charlie takes it further than she planned
a) and she’ll yell “rape!”
b) and she’ll be all “but we’re just friends!” and he’ll be pissed

2. Charlie turns out to be the brother of Ted Confrey and is not actually divorced from one of his wives yet

3. Lawrence will come looking for Delilah, and Mary will gloat as she leads him out to where Delilah and Charlie are getting it on

4. Drew Cory will return from Vietnam and will attempt to distract her even further

5. Delilah becomes intensely attracted to Tobey Cameron (w0000t!)

6. Dick Tracy hunts down Delilah and demands his misshapen hand back.

Pass the popcron, darlin’!
gleeb
July 17th, 2009 at 6:54 am [Reply]

Brenda: She can’t even remember that she’s undercover. She’s gonna be found in an alley, and the cheerful faux urchin will take over as the strip’s star(r).

A3-G: Dammit, a protocol failure! What’d the young lama do, address an orthodox archimandrite as “Reverend” instead of “Abouna”?

Archie: About to starve? Be eaten by a huge, legendary creature? There’s still just enough time to insult Veronica! Of course, we all know the winking AJGLU on Betty’s shirt took the food to set up this situation.

’shaft: “Now will you agree to ship him off to a neglectful Alzheimer’s facility?”

Dick: Hmmm, the circus. Wild animals…clowns…circus folks. Plenty of people for Tracy to shoot.

‘bean: Finally a character with a reason to be embittered. This’ll be fun.
Little Guy
July 17th, 2009 at 7:04 am [Reply]

9CL: Brooke can make even nudity boring.

Luann: IS it me, or did Gerg Evans just shit while on the pot?

MT: I wanna see Mark punch the bullets in mid-air. Fist O’ Justice FTW!

Big Nate: Hey, at least he isn’t making you read “Twilight”.

Curtis: Karma is a bitch bitcher than yo’ mama, ain’t it, Barry.
Little Guy
July 17th, 2009 at 7:06 am [Reply]

Or Greg Evans? Or did Gerg write this while Greg is on vacation? Or did Eneg, and Toni is an Ekosian seducing Brad, who is from Zeon?

(Or did I make too much about a simple spelling error early in the morning….?)
Straw
July 17th, 2009 at 7:10 am [Reply]

Okay, I need help. I need for someone to either explain what is going on in Apt 3G or tell me that you are just as confused so I feel validated.

Admittedly there were times when I tuned out the conversations because political blah religious blah blah and I’m frankly too fixated on Margo’s awesomeness to pay attention to vague hints and foreshadowing.

Eric’s brother Tim, who was in India for…some humanitarian effort?….went missing and was presumed dead. Eric decided to fly there and try to find out what happened to him. Ooh, there was a diary, right? And then he stopped communicating, too? And then Margot’s father decided to take her to India. And so far there’s been the blah conversations. And then a press conference where Tim shows up fresh as a daisy and Nora shows up and we wonder why Tim hasn’t bothered to tell his wife that he’s alive and fine. And now an ambassador is pissed because a happy ending took place at his press conference and it wasn’t his happy ending? And now we get to wonder what happened to Eric, who is probably in some prison and watched the press conference on a fuzzy b&w tv and realizes that he placed himself in danger because his brother was too busy canoodling with a young llama to keep in touch with his family.
Katya
July 17th, 2009 at 7:38 am [Reply]

Hey, Josh and readers –

First of all, I want to say that I sincerely hope that I don’t “piss everyone off and contribute nothing” with what I am about to say here. I mean no harm; I am just genuinely curious.

To back up a bit, I should let you all know that when I began posting on this blog, I brazenly ignored the “posting and discussion policies” and blithely started writing away. I saw what some of you guys wrote and got away with and sure didn’t think that I would do anything “worse.” Ha, ha!

Anyway, yesterday I finally, out of idle curiousity, got around to reading said policies. As I expected, they were predictably quite liberal, which was lovely to find; even more lovely was the fact that the posters have respected the few rules Josh lays down, as far as I can tell.

However, one rule threw me for a loop, and I’m not sure whether it’s an in-joke or a serious rule. That is, of course, the one that states that one shall not mention, under penalty of death (insert title of comic strip that must never be named here). I certainly hope that it may be alluded to, or I’m in big trouble!

So…what’s going on? I, myself, never read (comic strip that [definitely] must never be named here); I’ve checked it out a couple of times only and it just doesn’t interest me. Yesterday, however, it was actually good! Today, though, it’s back to stupidity.

I hope that Josh or a faithful reader or two will be so kind as to enlighten me in regard to (comic strip that [absolutely] must never be named here).

What’s up with this particular one, per se? There are lots of lousy strips from which to choose; why (comic strip that [certainly] must never be named here)?!
Boourns
July 17th, 2009 at 8:30 am [Reply]

Like many, I assumed the Jungle Patrol disappeared people Argentine style. But apparently, lately they’ve taken a much more hands on approach.
sugarpie
July 17th, 2009 at 8:35 am [Reply]

102 Katya. So long, it was nice knowing you.
buckyswife
July 17th, 2009 at 8:55 am [Reply]

104 sugarpie: Ha!

Katya, it’s not a joke; he means it. The Strip That Shall Not Be Named inspires unpleasant, endless political sniping from folks of various ideological persuasions.
the angry black woman
July 17th, 2009 at 8:56 am [Reply]

102 – Katya

I shall not be discussing that comic (that rule is new since I went on hiatus, but now that I see it I say: right on!). But my fuzzy memory recalls that there were always horrible, boring fights about it. ALWAYS. And they tended to have a political flavor, went on for a long time, were boring (for me) and also many times nasty.

I’m going to assume that’s why the rule was created (as I said, I was on hiatus).
buckyswife
July 17th, 2009 at 9:01 am [Reply]

#84 Poewar: Clearly, not blank enough. And we’ve all been suffering the consequences.

#101 Straw: I’m equally perplexed. A week or so ago, some kind soul offered an explanation for what the hell is going on here—essentially recapping what you just described.

But after today’s strip, I’m starting to suspect that there’s a parallel A3G out there, a strip in which everything else happens. In that strip, we find out what was so bad about the press conference and what was supposed to happen; we also learn Eric Mills’s fate. Luann’s actually painting in that strip, and Ruby and the Professor are developing their little love affair. And Tommy—well, I guess I already specified that in the parallel A3G, things happen.

SM: And it’s also ’cause if you live with Peter Parker, it ain’t nothin’ special.
mvg
July 17th, 2009 at 9:01 am [Reply]

74: “A FAKE bus stop. No bus ever comes. The escapees stand there for a few hours and by the time the orderlies come and fetch them, they are thirsty and ready to come back in.”

It’s right in front of the facility & yet the attendants don’t notice anyone’s standing there for hours? This is “advanced” care? Or do they deliberately leave them out there for hours so they’ll become dehydrated &, thus, more compliant?

101: “he placed himself in danger because his brother was too busy canoodling with a young llama”

In Tibet, you probably mean “lama,” unless he imported a South American ruminant for some special brand of bestiality.

Prickly City: Today’s strip (Fri) demonstrates, once again, the perils of a colorist who fails to read (or is incapable of reading) the cartoon his truncheon-wielding overseers have laid before him. In the 4th panel, Carmen has beaten Winslow so hard that she’s transferred the color of her skin & clothing to his normally “coyote-yellow” hide.

S-M: What the hell is Wolverine eating — a cow patty? How wonderful they could locate a NYC beanery that caters to his wilderness tastes.

FW: CNN apparently hired Cindy for her mastery of that basic reportorial skill: Insulting Your Sources Before You’ve Even Asked Them a Question. She even managed to rub in the fact that this poor drunken slob hasn’t seen a woman (including perhaps a WIFE back in the States) for months. What are the likely results of her clever conversational gambit?
a) The lieutenant will get her press credentials revoked.
b) The lieutenant will punch her lights out.
c) The lieutenant will throw her down, rip off her Nam-era fatigues & spend months of pent-up jism inside her.
d) The lieutenant will pull his pistol & plug her between the eyes.
e) The lieutenant will say, “I’ve just learned my wife/fiancee/daughter/mother (pick one or more) has cancer… you BITCH.”

S4th: Don’t you get it, co-worker? If you date Aria, it ruins the fantasy Ted has to visualize in order to be able to stomach knocking boots w/his dowdy wife w/her gelatinous squid-ink hairdo.
buckyswife
July 17th, 2009 at 9:04 am [Reply]

For Cul de Sac fans, from Richard Thompson’s blog:
“For the last year or so I’ve noticed a few odd symptoms; shakiness, hoarseness, silly walks, random clumsiness and the like. So the other day I went to see a neurologist and, after having me jump through hoops, stand on my head and juggle chain saws, he said I’ve got Parkinson’s. It’s a pain in the fundament and it slows me down, but it hasn’t really affected my drawing hand at all and it’s treatable. And it could be a useful ploy in my ever-losing battle against deadlines.”

That’s terrible for him—but the good news for us is that he’ll continue drawing.
Katya
July 17th, 2009 at 9:08 am [Reply]

#104 — sugarpie:

You noticed that I was very careful never to mention the strip by name; I think that ought to be respectful enough. And I think I have a right to find out why this rule exists, since on the surface it appears so bizarre.

Hopefully Josh himself will realize that I mean no disrespect and will give me me a serious response; I don’t expect anything from the rest of you, since you are all apparently too cowed to touch it with a ten-foot pole; again no disrespect intended.
buckyswife
July 17th, 2009 at 9:10 am [Reply]

Katya–See me at 105; that is the real reason.
Brick Bradford
July 17th, 2009 at 9:16 am [Reply]

DT: “Circus? My life is a damned circus! With heavily armed criminal clowns! And I have a wife named Tess Trueheart, a daughter named Bonnie Braids, and friends with names like B.O. and Vitamin. Do I look like I need a !@#$%! circus?”

RMMD: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

JP: Hey, he really is a randy parker!

MT: LOOK OUT! It’s Sideburns McSniper!

MW: Gee two days with Mary constantly yammering at her. Hard to imagine she’d need to be alone.

SM: Apparently mutants and bad actresses have eating like PIGS in common.
Hibbleton
July 17th, 2009 at 9:24 am [Reply]

Katya #57

Sounds like a perfect story for the NY Times Metro Diary.

Just throw in the fact that the kids parents are rich and that the father works on Wall street. Oh, and it wouldn’t hurt to add that this all happened on the upper east side.

Also, while “vomited” is more highfalutin than “thrown up”, the Times will demand “regurgitated.”
Katya
July 17th, 2009 at 9:24 am [Reply]

#105 — buckyswife, and
#106 — the angry black woman:

Thanks, you guys. You’ve helped clarify things for me in regard to this rule and satisfy my curiousity.

As I mentioned, I’ve never read the strip, so I didn’t know it was political, but now that I know it is, I can see why it might be a good idea to stay away from it on this forum.

After all, we all want to get along, That’s one of the things I love most about this website and blog. On most blogs, people are so nasty to each other (anonymously, of course!). I love Josh’s idea about “snark(ing) on the comics, not on each other.”

Thanks again for responding to me!
Phred22
July 17th, 2009 at 9:29 am [Reply]

Phantom: Has Devil been downgraded from an exotic wolf to an ordinary German shepherd? The shading and dialogue make it seem so here. Not that Devil ever looked all that wolflike to my eyes.
Sequitur
July 17th, 2009 at 9:30 am [Reply]

Howdy there. Back from Eurasia and let me tell you, those Turkish prisons are not what they’re cracked up to be.

Have I missed much? I got caught up by reading bats:[ Flickr page. She seems to sum it up quite nicely.

In my paper they have Judge Parker followed by Luann. Talk about the soap opera of the comics… (ellipses courtesy of Ted Forth)

Carry on.
Professor Fate
July 17th, 2009 at 9:38 am [Reply]

FW: This is called padding. Bitter padding but padding nonetheless.
bats :[
July 17th, 2009 at 9:59 am [Reply]

116. Sequitur: I’m not reading my mashups to get the gist of the last few weeks in the comics is really that good of an idea. A skewed idea, maybe…

What, what? We’re not supposed to snark on “At Home with Voldemort”?
TheDiva
July 17th, 2009 at 9:59 am [Reply]

117 Professor Fate: Is there any other kind of padding in Funky Winkerbean?

GT: You know what else girls like? The Twilight series. Maybe you should be encouraging him to become a vampire instead?

Marvin: Today’s episode of Marvin will be guest-directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

MW: Judging by Mary’s wistful gaze at Delilah’s chest in panel 2, I’d say Obviously Evil Charley has some unexpected competition.

Pluggers are still trying to figure out why they haven’t had television reception for over a month.
Sequitur
July 17th, 2009 at 10:08 am [Reply]

118 bats:[
Hey, with the way comics are today, skewed is better. Especially that skew that you do so well.

What?! You mean we can’t snark Wondermark?
ohyes
July 17th, 2009 at 10:09 am [Reply]

7 – Uncle Lumpy – Yes, “oversight” is one of the most pathetic words in the language, meaning both a certain thing and the lack of that thing. In my office we even have an “”oversight coordinator.”

11 – Yes, my father would very purposefully insist that he had to leave his house, because it didn’t look right, there were different things on the walls (from when he was a child), so it wasn’t his home and he had to go home.

… Which proves his family were dreadful comic strip villains. Fortunately, we were never startled by a dog to shoot ourselves.
Katya
July 17th, 2009 at 10:22 am [Reply]

9 Chickweed Lane:

Geez, this strip is so bad that I hafta keep reading it now, if that makes any kind of twisted sense. It’s sorta like a train wreck, I guess: you want to avert your gaze, but you just can’t.
boojum
July 17th, 2009 at 10:22 am [Reply]

118 bats :[ —

Oh no!! You said the NAME!!!!
KarMann
July 17th, 2009 at 10:27 am [Reply]

@Katya:I dare say nothing more than to include this link; down at the bottom of the main post.
commodorejohn
July 17th, 2009 at 10:27 am [Reply]

#102 Katya – As the angry black woman said, the Strip Which Must Not Be Named was often discussed solely in protracted and agonizing fights between a couple of the members (who also shall not go named.) It usually went something like this:

Random ‘Mudge: Sweet Jesus, is [the Nameless Comic] ever a shoddy, incoherent mess!
Crank 1: That’s right, and anyone who even vaguely agrees with the opinions expressed therein is a total idiot!
Crank 2: You suck, Crank 1, and the only criticism that anyone should be allowed to raise about [that one comic strip] is that the art is shoddy and the jokes aren’t especially funny!
Crank 1: You can have my political bitchery when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers!
Crank 2: Etc., etc. etc.

And even when this wasn’t happening, the only thing that anyone could really think to say about it was how much it sucked, which never really managed to be funny, probably because of the mighty anti-humor field that the dreaded Unspeakable Comic exerted on anything at all related to it. So eventually Josh just said “screw it” and told everybody to please stop talking about The Unknown Strip. Worked out pretty well, really.
boojum
July 17th, 2009 at 10:29 am [Reply]

katya: Too, you can’t tell from reading the rules, but the prohibition against the Unmentionable Strip is quite new – less than a month old, at most. Josh finally got tired of the flame wars and cut things off, as the poisonous candy of the strip was just too tempting for some to ignore. Many of us got tired looooong before Josh did. So we’re not cowed: just smugly content.
boojum
July 17th, 2009 at 10:32 am [Reply]

124. Wow — two months and counting? Really? Time flies when you’re having fun.
Artist formerly known as Ben
July 17th, 2009 at 10:33 am [Reply]

7/17

DtM: Hell with Mr. Wilson. Do Joey’s parents even know that the Mitchells took him on their vacation? Does the kid even have living parents, or does he sleep in Henry’s toolshed?

A3G: “Well I’ve just met the young lady. My educated guess is that she grabbed a bottle of tequila and somehow found a dressing room to lock herself in while she threw furniture.”

9CL: $12.95. That’s all it takes to make the farmer go away. Just out of curiosity, what’s Thorax’s asking price?

Archie: And so, seemingly at random, the bigfoot story arc resumes and ends on the same day. With the elusive woodland creature struck with diarrhea, apparently.

RMMD: “On a similar note was that poor old man who insisted we call him ‘Clambake.’ He claimed to have played in the Negro Leagues, but his story never checked out.”

S-M: From what I understand, Wolverine’s claws tear through skin and flesh every time he extends them, and he feels every bit of pain. So maybe when he’s in a restaurant and has to cut up whatever Mary Worth foodsubstance they’re having, he could learn the concepts of “knife” and “fork.”

Baldo: Out of context, “I never eat my mother’s either” is an impressively filthy line.

DT: Circus? The hell you say. No way anyone could have seen that one coming.

MW: “Take a walk” indeed. I think Delilah’s just had an epiphany. She’s going to pack a duffle bag, run down to the depot, and catch a Greyhound for somewhere, anywhere, that’s not Santa Royale.

JP: “Only one, but that’s enough for me. By the way, have I mention that I have $700 in outstanding speeding tickets?”
Uncle Lumpy
July 17th, 2009 at 10:36 am [Reply]

Katya –

The straw that broke the camel’s back was toward the end of this thread — which also contains your own first post!

Coincidence?
Sequitur
July 17th, 2009 at 10:37 am [Reply]

128 Artist formerly known as Ben
Just Thorax? How much to get the whole strip to go away?
Katya
July 17th, 2009 at 10:48 am [Reply]

#126 — boojum:

I take back my comment calling all of you “cowed.” Sorry.

I really appreciate that so many of you have responded to enlighten me as to what this rule is all about. What brave souls you all are! Ha, ha!

Seriously, I think it’s probably a good rule. I’ve participated in blogs in the past where all I’ve wanted to do was engage in some good old intellectual give and take; however, there are always those who just want to argue, and they ruin it for everybody else. I’ve had on more than one occasion just to stop taking part, even though the subject of the blog was interesting. So kudos to you, Josh, for making sure people here stay nice to each other!!!
Kajjansiblackmamba
July 17th, 2009 at 10:51 am [Reply]

130- Sequitur:

What ever the ammount I’ll help chip in for it.
Sequitur
July 17th, 2009 at 11:08 am [Reply]

131 Katya
You’re right. “Cowed” is not the best word. I think its respect. Respect for Josh and his hard work of putting together a blog comic lovers(?) can enjoy and at which we can snark away to our hearts content. If I catch Josh’s drift, I don’t think this blog was intended for political or philosophical debate. There are plenty of sites out there if you want to do that. This site’s about fun and lowering your blood pressure, not raising it. The problem that occurred was that some people were snarking on (actually getting downright angry) other people instead of the comics. This should never happen here. We need to respect Josh’s rules (they’re actually pretty free) and each other. This is his backyard he’s opened up to the public for a good time for all. We should keep it a good time for all and not get nasty at each other. He is quite right to ban anyone who disrupts this community.

Now that I’ve said that, ON WITH THE FUN! Oooh, is that Josh’s liquor cabinet I see over there?!
Katya
July 17th, 2009 at 11:23 am [Reply]

#133 — Sequitur:

I agree with everything you said and like the way you said it. Thanks.

As for my usage of the word “cowed,” if you look back, it was really meant for sugarpie, who, I felt, gave me a really cold answer to my post. But I hold no grudges, and it’s all water under the bridge.

So as you say, on with the fun, and is that really Josh’s liquor cabinet over there? It’s way too early in the day for me, but I’ll keep it in mind for later…

Ha, ha, ha!
Sequitur
July 17th, 2009 at 11:25 am [Reply]

134 Katya
As the song says, it’s 5:00 somewhere.
Professor Fate
July 17th, 2009 at 11:40 am [Reply]

119 – The Diva -well he uses dispair sometimes as a change of pace.

FW: I don’t know why this strip gets under my skin like it does – maybe it’s just the smug smirking pesimissm linked with the story telling ablity of a baboon on whisky or Ed Wood just after electroshock that does it.
Katya
July 17th, 2009 at 1:23 pm [Reply]

#135 — Sequitur:

Now, Sequitur, my dear, you are obviously far too intelligent not to realize that that is a really lame excuse. Either that, or you are in some seriously deep denial. In any case, 5:00 p.m. (or did you mean a.m.?) is still normally too early for me. But, wait…it’s Friday, isn’t it? Well, then, let the revelry begin!
annabanana
July 17th, 2009 at 2:28 pm [Reply]

Am I the only person here who thinks the line “I heard three Alzheimer’s patients walked off recently” sounds like the lead-in to a particularly tasteless joke?
Ktrout
July 17th, 2009 at 5:17 pm [Reply]

#138, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one, I mentioned it during post #9. It really does sound like that.
Phil
July 18th, 2009 at 1:06 am [Reply]

Did you mean “late capitalism” or perhaps “post-modernism?” We are not yet in the period of post capitalism, Josh.
Anonymous
July 19th, 2009 at 2:26 pm [Reply]

I admit, I find the implications about Alzheimer’s patients very offensive. Yes, they wander. They will sometimes wander into traffic and get hit and killed by cars, or die due to exposure to the elements. Yes, they get confused about where they are and sometimes (often) think they are living a past life. It is called dementia for a reason…

Is the comic strip trying to implicitly condemn families of Alzheimer’s patients for not being with them 24/7? Are they berating the world because life can be difficult sometimes? Are they insisting that all Alzheimer’s patients can carry on with their previous lives as usual if only given the chance?

IF the patients are trying to “escape” abuse at this facility, that is something different, and should be addressed, but aside from the appalling “fact” that three people have wandered away (indicating severe negligence on the part of the staff), what point are they trying to make?
Anonymous
July 19th, 2009 at 2:45 pm [Reply]

RMMD I figured out the plot line! The patients “wander off” and the institution keeps billing Medicaid.
Insurance fraud!!!!!!

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High art, low art (with Hi ironically being low)

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