The Comics Curmudgeon

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I’m thankful for all of you!

Gil Thorp, 11/26/09

Greetings, faithful readers! I hope those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving did so with your real friends, a whole bunch of beer bottles, and celebrated as our Pilgrim forefathers did, at a picnic table in some dark, lonely park somewhere.

Mark Trail, 11/26/09

Those of you who are criminals have a lot to be thankful for! Specifically, you can be thankful that in America’s forgiving justice system, you can go from being a law-breaker to being law-enforcement official simply by choosing exactly the right time to kick one of your erstwhile criminal associates in the face.

Dick Tracy, 11/27/09

As for me, I’m mostly thankful that Dick Tracy refers to any concert not performed by the U.S. Marine Corps Band or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as “long hair stuff.”

Mark Trail, 11/29/09

And I’m also pleased that Mark Trail decided to pass over more obvious animals on Thanksgiving weekend and go for the deep’s more terrifying tentacled monsters, offering us in the process a lovely image of a nervous human approaching the rotting corpse of 50-foot-long giant squid and a giant depiction of a living squid of indeterminate size regarding us inscrutably from his watery lair. And, sure, the bottom left panel is a repeat of one from a previous squid-themed Mark Trail installment, but what of it? If I had produced an awesome drawing of dozens of squids flying through the air like a barrage of betentacled missiles, I’d run it every damn day if I could.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 29, 2009 at 08:02 pm and is filed under Dick Tracy, Gil Thorp, Mark Trail.

182 responses to “I’m thankful for all of you!”

bats :[
November 29th, 2009 at 8:13 pm [Reply]

Happy Holidays to you too, Josh! Glad you’re back (but not before #1000).
Lou Shumaker
November 29th, 2009 at 8:15 pm [Reply]

They look more like be-penisculed missiles to me.

Welcome back, Josh! When you get a chance, check out Sunday’s Hi & Lois. C.h.u.d.’s on sale Only a dollar a can!
Bryan
November 29th, 2009 at 8:15 pm [Reply]

Holy cats, Josh is back early!
gnome de blog
November 29th, 2009 at 8:18 pm [Reply]

The Pope returneth! On with the show! Free Cue!

Just in time, as Rex Morgan’s getting to the verb. Becka and hubby are about to have the long-awaited heart-to-heart about trust, which is what thiw whole story was about in the first place. Maybe Tim will go wacko and kill them both.

Wonder if June has run out of bikinis yet.
Spotted HØrse, Jungle Steed
November 29th, 2009 at 8:26 pm [Reply]

Welcome back, Josh! Thanks for minding le dépanneur, Unca Lumpy! Thanks for another awesome Thanksgiving snarkathon, mudges!
Charterstoned
November 29th, 2009 at 8:31 pm [Reply]

MT – One of the ways we control wildlife, Bob, is to convert species that have overpopulated our forests into useful household items. We then sell these items in order to support our many lawful government programs. Take that duck, there, for instance. Overpopulation once turned that mallard into a menace. Thanks to the good work of our wildlife control department, ducks like that one are now being put to use as bookends, decoys, and the like. This planter is an excellent example of your government tax dollars at work, Bob. We’re glad to have you on our side!
Chyron HR
November 29th, 2009 at 8:32 pm [Reply]

More information about squid (and octopus) can be found on the interwebs.
Steve S
November 29th, 2009 at 8:36 pm [Reply]

Something tells me that ex-poacher Bob has innovative ideas for the Wildlife Control Department.
wossname
November 29th, 2009 at 8:38 pm [Reply]

Welcome back Josh! And thanks, Uncle Lumpy.

2 Lou Shumaker, I had the same thought on seeing the full-size version of the flying squid Rockettes. But I also wondered – what’s up with the fish? Why is he following the squid in their synchronized leap over the Elrodball?
Baron Bizarre
November 29th, 2009 at 8:41 pm [Reply]

I tihnk he’s trying to catch one to eat it.
dyslexic dog
November 29th, 2009 at 8:42 pm [Reply]

Josh, did you bring extra leftovers for us?
bourbon babe, unbuckled
November 29th, 2009 at 8:50 pm [Reply]

Welcome back, Josh—hope it was a great Thanksgiving!

1022 Nekrotzar: Well, I’m glad that someone around here is taking care of business!
loudfan
November 29th, 2009 at 8:55 pm [Reply]

I remember seeing references to “longhair music” in old, old Archie comics when I was a kid, and it confused me, because it seemed to be referring to classical music and I naturally assumed “longhair” would refer to the young men who grew their hair long in the late 60s and pre-punk-rock 70s. Here is an explanation of why classical music was called “longhair music” back then. In a nutshell, “In the nineteenth century, long hair was chiefly worn by intellectuals or artists.” It’s a bit odd to see this anachronistic use pop up in a 2000s comic strip, even if it is Dick Tracy.
Jamus the Bartender
November 29th, 2009 at 8:55 pm [Reply]

Welcome back, Josh, Free Cue, on with the show.
DtM: Whatever Dennis is on, I want some.
FC: According to Bil, today’s football game gets two snaps up. ( Does anyone remember that?)
Hi and Lois: I remember once, a friend of the family, who, when asked ” paper or plastic” for the carton of cigarettes he was buying , responded, ” Don’t be f*ckin’ stupid !” This guy also had enough automatic weapons to defend Uganda. Good people.
MW: I liked that last line better when King Gorilla said it to the Monarch in an episode of the Venture Brothers. They were in prison, and K.G. stuck his tounge down his throat. Cool episode.
My Cage: Ed, if you put today’s strip on a t-shirt, i’d buy it. Of course, if you were to draw a picture of Ashley and Maureen making out in wet t-shirts, i’d buy that too.
Sally Forth: True dat! Honestly, Ces, I think Mr. and Mrs. Forth the nasty and depressing , respectively, should move in with Ted and Sally. Salt of the earth, the elder Norths.
Luann: Aww, way to go, Brad. Now, she pretty much HAS to blow you.
Joe Blevins
November 29th, 2009 at 8:57 pm [Reply]

MT: Sure, it looks like Bob may have gotten off easy, but as the ominous foregrounds in panels 2 and 3 show, the animals have not forgotten. They know the truth, and they’ll be waiting. Wildlife control, Bob? I think we’ll see who controls whom here.
Patrick
November 29th, 2009 at 8:58 pm [Reply]

“You were under a lot of stress at the circus…How about a nice relaxing concert” sounds like the opening lines from a badly-dubbed Czechoslovakian porno.
Uncle Lumpy
November 29th, 2009 at 9:04 pm [Reply]

Mark Trail — “The smallest species of squid will barely cover a dime, while the giant squid will stick you with a bar tab for eight. Squid are fucking cheapskates.”
commodorejohn
November 29th, 2009 at 9:17 pm [Reply]

Oh, I think the squid is quite scrutable; obviously, it’s staring at Jack Elrod, who has dived down to the floor of wherever this squid makes its home in order to better study the majesty and edibility of Nature. “Is this creature crazy?” the squid thinks to itself. “I don’t pretend to understand how land creatures think, but Jesus! Don’t my numerous appendages and giant, peering eyes send a clear ‘I am utterly alien and not to be trifled with’ message? Maybe I should look into some warning coloration.”
DamienBixlan
November 29th, 2009 at 9:26 pm [Reply]

GT: My friends and I will go somewhere we’re appreciated. Like, Marty Moon’s car.
cj
November 29th, 2009 at 9:47 pm [Reply]

Thorp:
Yeah, Robb,why don’t you stay there with your other friends – the other guys with repeating consonants in their nicknames. Oh wait – you don’t have any!
Rusty
November 29th, 2009 at 10:01 pm [Reply]

MT: The only way to improve this calamari panel is to depict a side dish of marinara sauce.
Yoqi
November 29th, 2009 at 10:08 pm [Reply]

Man, all over thanksgiving break, nothing has delighted me as much as the depiction of “the father from the family circus” that just aired on Family Guy. Just so everyone knows.
Dingo
November 29th, 2009 at 10:11 pm [Reply]

Ahem.

Toni, oh Toni, the girl of my dreams
I cum like spumoni —
Thick ribbon-like streams
This happens at late night moments all alone
I think of you, Toni, and I start to groan

The sound of your voice
Your sweet, gentle kiss
Those vaginal farts and
The way that you hiss

Our love gets me heated!
I start to perspire
I fuck your puss hard
Smells of salmon on fire

My mother, she hates you
My dad disagrees
TJ is hurting
He says I’m a tease

You’ve told me you love me
Now don’t take it back
The thought of your loss…
Give me heart attack!

Toni, oh Toni, the girl I adore
I lay prostate before you
Let me be your whore!
zerowolf
November 29th, 2009 at 10:17 pm [Reply]

Welcome back Josh. Why is it Elrod can draw fairly decent wildlife, but utterly fails at drawing anything walking upright and a small dog?
treedweller
November 29th, 2009 at 10:28 pm [Reply]

does it seem to anyone else that MW has been getting drawn in standard TV-screen format but printed in widescreen?
Aviatrix
November 29th, 2009 at 11:03 pm [Reply]

@24 zerowolf: I’ve always assumed Jack Elrod traced the wildlife pictures out of a Big Book of the Natural Kingdom he received as a child.
queek
November 29th, 2009 at 11:42 pm [Reply]

more tentacled fun

PG-13 or thereabouts.
BigTed
November 29th, 2009 at 11:44 pm [Reply]

MT: You know you’re a bear Plugger when you stare at a faraway city and just know that some other jerk is getting a job, while you’re still living on scavenged hamburgers and half-full bags of Cheetos.
Isaac
November 29th, 2009 at 11:45 pm [Reply]

Gotta love Sunday’s Mark Trail- in panel one, it appears hapless maroon-shirted guy has vomited up an entire squid.
Dingo
November 29th, 2009 at 11:48 pm [Reply]

queek #27: And the frightened squid went back into the water and told his friends the horrifying tale of The Celaphapod Skank or Teuthida and the TaTas.
Digger
November 29th, 2009 at 11:51 pm [Reply]

Let’s be honest here. The reason Bob is not going to be prosecuted is because he shaves every day. If dude had so much as a wispy little mustache Mark would have kicked the holy crap out of him and had him locked up for life .
Alan's Addiction
November 29th, 2009 at 11:52 pm [Reply]

My first thought on that “Gil Thorpe” was, “Hey, I think I went to ‘Beating Central High School.’ It sucked, and not just because of the abuse.” I’m also delighted to see that the strip’s writers have decided to return to their fall-back theme of teenage substance abuse. Remember, kids, Nancy Reagan just says no.
I’m delighted to see that in the “Mark Trail” universe, there’s a “Wildlife Control Department.” That means that somewhere in Mark Trail’s twisted world of punching and moral absolutes, someone wrestles alligators for the government. Also, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine that the prosecutor would turn a blind eye to some minor poaching offenses; after all, we pay major drug dealers for information on their suppliers and clients.
Dick Tracy must be very jealous – his wife’s chin is even sharper than his (good for impaling villains and hors d’ouvres). Speaking of sharp chins, the villain in the third panel needs to watch where he points that thing or he’ll put out someone’s eye.
Today’s “Mark Trail” is truly horrifying, as it portrays squid out of water in two of its six panels. We can only assume that squid are starting to evolve amphibious abilities, and will be able to come on land within a few human generations. Our grandchildren will be terrorized by giant squid flying through the air, unless we combat the cephalopod menace the only way we can: eat more calamari. Or unleash Mark’s fists to deal with them, either way is quite satisfying.
bats :[
November 29th, 2009 at 11:53 pm [Reply]

23. Dingo: you’re just like Cyrano to Brad and Toni’s Christian and Roxanne! (I just thought Brad was too embarrassed to write “semen” or “smegma,” and he substituted “spumoni”…)
Poteet
November 29th, 2009 at 11:55 pm [Reply]

MT — I know I’m being pedantic again, but it’s the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, not “for” Natural History. But at the rate things are going, no one will care about correct titles in another few years anyway. Everything will be called “whatever.” *takes another large swig of Scotch*

# 16 Patrick — Bwahaha!

Welcome back, Josh!
bats :[
November 29th, 2009 at 11:57 pm [Reply]

22. Yoqi: thanks for the Family Guy/Circus tip. I made a point of watching it — more personality that Big Daddy’s ever shown in the strip.
Poteet
November 29th, 2009 at 11:59 pm [Reply]

# 23 Dingo — Please give Brad lessons. If he’s going to inflict his versification on us, we have a right to demand humor.

And I shall never eat spumoni again. Fortunately, I didn’t much like it anyway.
Naked Bunny with a Whip
November 30th, 2009 at 12:00 am [Reply]

If you’re long, hard, and willing to go into my mouth, you can most certainly be my real friend.
Larry Fine
November 30th, 2009 at 12:03 am [Reply]

I say let’s be thankful we live in a country where we can mock the hard work of comic strip artists with impunity!
Poteet
November 30th, 2009 at 12:04 am [Reply]

LUANN Monday Warning — Think twice before you look at the third panel. *shudder*
Poteet
November 30th, 2009 at 12:05 am [Reply]

# 38 Larry — I’ll drink to that!
mollificent
November 30th, 2009 at 12:07 am [Reply]

Oh man…I’m so sad I was at work when we passed 1000 and didn’t get to see it happen! But hey, we squeaked by by the skin of our teeth before Josh’s return. Yay us!

Josh, I do not envy you the job of picking COTW this week. Bring on the intravenous caffeine drip!
Alfred E. Neuman
November 30th, 2009 at 12:08 am [Reply]

#23 Dingo— “…I lay prostate before you…”
Snicker, chortle, guffaw! That’s my kind of humor. Bravo!
tb4000
November 30th, 2009 at 12:11 am [Reply]

Tracy’s Dick: “You were under a lot of stress at the circus.”

Only this comic could actually have someone say that line and not have it be ironic.
dyslexic dog
November 30th, 2009 at 12:15 am [Reply]

#40 Poteet – Here’s for you, and #41 mollificent – here’s for you.

Don’t mix them up!
Crankenstank
November 30th, 2009 at 12:22 am [Reply]

Actually, that Gil Thorp pretty well summarizes my memories of high school, minus the athletics.
kallista
November 30th, 2009 at 12:23 am [Reply]

27 queek: Eeek! Beak, sister! They have beaks!
Poteet
November 30th, 2009 at 12:28 am [Reply]

# 44 dyslexic dog — Thankee kindly! That’ll make my OJ more interesting.
mollificent
November 30th, 2009 at 12:46 am [Reply]

#44 dyslexic dog: It’s just what I’ve always wanted! Thanks!
worthinator
November 30th, 2009 at 12:58 am [Reply]

M. C. Mark Trail gets down with it and remixes SQUID:

Mark Trail 4/15/07, panel 2: Squid inhabit all oceans and are among the commonest of all sea life.

Mark Trail 11/29/09, panel 3: Squid inhabit all oceans and are among the commonest of all sea life.

Mark Trail 4/15/07, panel 4: Young squid are the favorite food of many sea creatures, and also many humans.

Mark Trail 11/29/09, panel 4: Young squid are the favorite food of many sea creatures, and also many humans.

Mark Trail 4/15/07, panel 6: The torpedo-shaped cephalopods live for about one year, dying after spawning, ALTHOUGH some of the giant species may live much longer.

Mark Trail 11/29/09, panel 6: The torpedo-shaped cephalopods live for about one year, dying after spawning, BUT some of the giant species may live much longer.

Mark Trail 4/15/07, panel 6: INDIVIDUAL SPECIE ARE FOUND IN CERTAIN AREAS AND are a big source of income for some fisherman.

Mark Trail 11/29/09, panel 6: THEY are a big source of income for some fisherman.

Mark Trail 4/15/07, panel 6: Fried squid is an especially popular dish, often known by the name calimari.

Mark Trail 11/29/09, panel 5: Fried squid is an especially popular dish, often known by the name calimari.
True Fable
November 30th, 2009 at 1:12 am [Reply]

#23 Dingo – Bravo!
Charlene
November 30th, 2009 at 1:15 am [Reply]

DT: Hasn’t this entire long, drawn-out clown episode taken place on the same day, and aren’t we still on that day? What does Locher think he’s writing – Apartment 3-G?
True Fable
November 30th, 2009 at 1:15 am [Reply]

Fist O Justice Theater 11/30/09 HOLY MACKREL, that is the most astonished, horrified look I’ve ever seen on Mark’s face! Claudia Colbert must be hitching a ride on the side of the road, and he’s just seen her hike up her skirt to flag him down with her exposed leg. Augh! Girl cooties!
Hinako-Sensei
November 30th, 2009 at 1:34 am [Reply]

Good grief, I am now officially convinced that Roman Polanski’s reputation can only be cleaned up by Rusty and Mark Trail. “Sure, he drugged and raped a thirteen year old, but that was so long ago, and really, he’s a good man!” Then, when the jury pauses and begins to consider the ludicrosity of such a statement, Rusty will shove his monstrous, gormless face into the mix with cries of “He did it for his family!” or something and the jury is all “Ah! A deformity of nature! Call it off! Call it off!” In the end, it is decided that Roman Polanski will get off with a good face punching from Mark. And now that I have written this, I realize that I would really like to see Roman Polanski punched in the face by Mark Trail.
Poteet
November 30th, 2009 at 1:36 am [Reply]

11/30 MW — I can’t remember who Iris is. I assume my brain is protecting me for as long as it can.
True Fable
November 30th, 2009 at 1:38 am [Reply]

Pool Party Bingo Mary is horrified that she missed a chance to meddle, all because she had to spend the entire crucial week listening to Adrian drone on and on about how much time she wasted putting Scott off. Damn! Mary missed her chance to wield her Doctorate in Meddleology!

Apartment of Doom You’re going to have to trust him, Bobbie. He’s the only guy whose hair isn’t like every other man’s in this strip. That must mean he’s serious.

Finiky Wondersnake Funky’s going to work you over like a blow-up doll, Les, because what’s the first thing we learn from the movies? Don’t go down to the basement!

Sam Driver’s Pretty People Posse! Steve completes his first assignment for the course he’s taking from the Sam Driver School of Total Bullshit Law. A+!

Scenes from Suburban Hell Lois’s wild evening romp with Henry Mitchell at the Suburban hell No-Tell Motel finally comes to light.
Danny Lilithborne
November 30th, 2009 at 1:43 am [Reply]

I’m thankful to Comics Curmudgedon, because without this site I’d have never known how truly awesome Mary Worth is.
Red Greenback
November 30th, 2009 at 1:46 am [Reply]

Poteet: Iris is Tommy the Tweaker’s mom.
True Fable
November 30th, 2009 at 1:49 am [Reply]

Canadian Zombie I think Lynn Johnston should have just run this text: “Today Elly is going to cave in to the whines of her children.” That will run in concert with her other daily texts: “Today John is a typically insensitive man because all men are lying cheating bastards (sob!)” and “Elly is screaming for no discernible reason at someone in her family. Oh, it doesn’t matter who. They all deserve it because they aren’t leaving her alone and are making her life so haaaaaard.”

But she didn’t, and what she did give today was strange because you’d think she’d want to encourage people to BUY BUY BUY for Christmas, since that is the only time of the year anyone’s going to even consider buying one of her Farley plushies. Maybe she didn’t get a good advertising deal from the networks and she’s pissed.
bats :[
November 30th, 2009 at 1:55 am [Reply]

Phantom: (said in a Brian Blessed Prince Vultan voice) Diana’s alive???

MW: who? What…wait? Should I care?

MT: if Mark’s run over Rex and June Morgan, I’m going to be pretty POed…

RMMD: “This is Tim Howard; his mother was one of the lost people from The Dell. And these are my perky, perky breasts.”
Mibbitmaker
November 30th, 2009 at 2:07 am [Reply]

the 30th:

S-M: Whoa, whoa, whoa! I don’t want to know about JJJ’s personal life!

Ghost Who: “Dead” woman walking.

Cranky: Don’t bother, lady — it’ll just be a perpetual recitation of dopey, awful malapropisms out of Cranky’s twisted little mind.

MT: All that excitment over some pelican??

MW: All that excitement over some pelican — wait…..
Poteet
November 30th, 2009 at 2:30 am [Reply]

# 57 Red — Thank you. I hadn’t found CC at the time of Tommie the Tweaker, so this will be exciting. Er, interesting. Okay, not interesting, but at least we’re getting away from Adrian, I hope hope hope.
Mr. O'Malley
November 30th, 2009 at 2:33 am [Reply]

Dick Tracy is starting a new plot.
Mark Trail is starting a new plot.
Mary Worth is starting a new plot.
Popeye is starting a new plot.
Rex Morgan is starting a new act in the same plot.
The Phantom is starting a new act in the same plot.
A-3G started a new plot thread last week.

Exciting times in the world of continuity comics.

Where are the B&Ws?
Jym the WIldlife Man
November 30th, 2009 at 2:48 am [Reply]

=v= MT (11/26/2009): So why couldn’t Bob have just run to Wildlife Control in the first place and turned in his ex-friends in exchange for a job?
Uncle Lumpy
November 30th, 2009 at 2:48 am [Reply]

The Chron is a little, um, relaxed about loading the B&W comics. So I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether Dick will be hearing The Pines of Rome or Ancient Airs and Dances.

Please, though, not The Birds. Anything but The Birds.
Charterstoned
November 30th, 2009 at 2:53 am [Reply]

#62 – You just made my day! I kind of fell out of reading the morning paper and once you’ve lost the thread, it’s sort of difficult to pick things back up again. Looks like now is the perfect time to jump back in. See you in the funny pages!
Poteet
November 30th, 2009 at 2:59 am [Reply]

# 62 Mr. O’Malley — Gasoline Alley might also be starting a new plot, though I find it hard to tell. On one hand, Walt has finally been found. On the other hand, to the best of my recollection, Rufus and Kitty are still trapped in a grave because Gertie was such an annoying wuss.
FOOBed again
November 30th, 2009 at 3:16 am [Reply]

A3G, first panel: “How can I tell, Alec? All the men in this strip look alike anyway.” And when and how did Alex become Alec?
Anonamuse
November 30th, 2009 at 3:19 am [Reply]

mollificent @ 41:

But who really knows when Josh returned? I have a sneaking suspicion that he let us all get to 1,000 comments out of the kindness of his sweet little heart.

Notice how quickly thereafter a new thread appeared? :)
Mr. O'Malley
November 30th, 2009 at 3:20 am [Reply]

67. Poteet. I missed that one because I don’t read Gasoline Alley. But yeah, that too.

There was a time when I was a regular reader, back when Mr. Pert used to come up with nefarious plots. But then it started to be Rufe and Joel (is that his name?) all the time, and it left me cold. I think a new artist may have taken over and changed the direction. I’ve never been able to regain my interest in it.
Flotsam
November 30th, 2009 at 3:31 am [Reply]

I like that Duncan’s case of beer is flipping off the other guys for him. Better to let the good people at Anheiser-Busch do your talking for you and keep that middle finger clean.
Sister Sestina
November 30th, 2009 at 6:24 am [Reply]

What’s with the decoy/planter thing in panel 3 of MT? Even the still lifes in Mark Trail conform to the Animal Giganticus model! For all the wildlife art Elrod must have studied, I suspect his real artistic hero is Claes Oldenburg.
Doctorb
November 30th, 2009 at 6:59 am [Reply]

I just wanted to say that “betentacled” is probably the best word I’ve seen this week.
John C Fremont
November 30th, 2009 at 7:32 am [Reply]

Luann – That last panel reminds me of that scene in “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” with Large Marge.

MT – “It’s Kelly Welly! And she’s being foolish again!”
Jason19181
November 30th, 2009 at 7:39 am [Reply]

Luann: Brad, watch out–she’s trying to sneak her left hand onto your ribs for a tickle attack! The kiss is just a distraction!
Jason1981
November 30th, 2009 at 7:40 am [Reply]

Whoops, I typed an extra “1″ in my user name. lol
Jason1981
November 30th, 2009 at 7:49 am [Reply]

Oh yeah, and

Luann 11/30: Oh, sure NOW you smile, b*tch (it’s a fake smile, but still….)
Écureuil Écumant
November 30th, 2009 at 7:53 am [Reply]

@27 queek says: “more tentacled fun”

I … I … recognize those boats in the background!
Pozzo
November 30th, 2009 at 8:31 am [Reply]

You know, Dick Locher, Chester Gould invented the two-way wrist radio, so if you don’t know how to draw people using a cell phone, YOU DON’T HAVE TO.
Mardou Fox
November 30th, 2009 at 8:53 am [Reply]

Mark Trail: Rusty screamed so loudly that Mark careened off the road and into the sea, where a giant squid quickly devoured their car, with them in it. The End!

Mark Trail will now continue without any humans cluttering up the scenery.
mordock999
November 30th, 2009 at 9:02 am [Reply]

Today’s Luann 11/30/09

“You’re a MOMBAT, Nancy DeGroot!”

“Your LIFE’S an empty Hooooole!”

“Your Brain is FULL of Bullsh*t,”

“You’ve got ACID in your SOUL!”

“Nancy DeGroooooooout!”

“Why, Frank WOULDN’T touch you with ah,”

“four and a half inch POOOOOOOOLE!”

______________________-

DEATH to Nancy DeGroot!!! (Oh, and TJ, Too!!!)
bourbon babe, unbuckled
November 30th, 2009 at 9:28 am [Reply]

(In a hurry, so apologies if I step on anyone’s snark….)

BB: Wow—Sarge’s surprise move knocked the ethnic stereotype right off the lieutenant’s face!

MT: Giant flying squid! Giant flying squid! Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease
Écureuil Écumant
November 30th, 2009 at 9:34 am [Reply]

MT: The rightside tire changer missed one of the lugnuts on the right rear during the last pit stop, and Mark’s about to hit the wall at 200mph.

Shoulda strapped Sassy in that dog seat.
Jonny Quest
November 30th, 2009 at 9:39 am [Reply]

Morgan: Becka removes her trenchcoat and says: Peter, Tim, the winner gets these.
anonymous
November 30th, 2009 at 10:23 am [Reply]

GT: Actually, my Thanksgiving would have been a whole lot more enjoyable if I was knocking back a six pack, alone in a park or not.

MT: I loved that Discovery Channel show about finding the (dead) giant squid, and all the geeky squid scientists were jumping up and down with glee and all jockeying for position to get a choice spot at the autopsy table. To find out, once and for all, the answer to the eternal mystery … what IS inside that thing???

Pluggers: Pluggers very best holiday memories revolve around what, and how much, food they crammed down their gullets at their gatherings over the years. You don’t turn into shabby, obese, prescription gulping morons overnight.
Amateur
November 30th, 2009 at 10:30 am [Reply]

MW: A Charterstone pool party! With flowered shirts and little electric blue shorts and combovers AND meddling! We all must have been very good this year — Santa brought us our Christmas present early!!
Mibbitmaker
November 30th, 2009 at 10:48 am [Reply]

Getting the black & whites from other sources:

Popeye: It’s an Elrodball! CRAWL FOR YOUR LIFE!!

ReFOOB: I was going to say, “favorite commercial??”, but I enjoy and am entertained by almost all the Geico ads, so nevermind.

Luann: Mrs. DeG’s inner ugly shows in her forced, fake smile. At least Mr. DeG is on our side (he did call her on her b.s. once last week, as I recall).

DT: With Tess, even perfectly normal plans become inadvertant Lucy Ricardo schemes. And, the ol’ Locher last panel glacially-paced non sequitur that keeps restating the plotline (such as it is) is there, too.

This strip is so ridiculous that even the gocomics comment section reads like the CC comments — including close-up complaints that mirror my own.

Oh, and…
CUE: NEVER FORGET!
queek
November 30th, 2009 at 10:48 am [Reply]

Yahoo Comics has most of the B&W strips, for those that are jonesing at the Chron.

77: that picture had a background?!?
Phred22
November 30th, 2009 at 10:50 am [Reply]

MT: Please, may Mark Trail finally be getting around to that almost totally ignored wildlife story, The Fate of Roadkill. Don’t let whatever Rusty is seeing ahead of them survive.
Écureuil Écumant
November 30th, 2009 at 10:58 am [Reply]

88 Phred22 says “MT: Don’t let whatever Rusty is seeing ahead of them survive.”

Yeeeeee-haaaawwww! You kill ‘em, we grill ‘em!
Peripheral Visionary
November 30th, 2009 at 11:24 am [Reply]

MT: After the old man is discovered to be dead, Mark and Rusty will dispose of the remains by throwing them off the end of a pier, and will make a pact that they will never speak of it again, assured that the matter is at rest . . . but it will only be the beginning of the Best Mark Trail Storyline Ever.

MW: Charterstone Pool Party! Yes, we have much to be grateful for.
commodorejohn
November 30th, 2009 at 11:46 am [Reply]

A3G – I’m kind of beginning to suspect that Alec here isn’t actually a PI. I’m thinking he’s just a wino Bobbie hired while hopped up on her meds, and he’s trying to lead her on to keep the money rolling in. Lucky for him she’s a junkie, or he might actually have some difficulty in so doing.

Bizarro – This is beautifully sick.

FW – …um, should we be watching this? Where exactly is this going?

GT – And the award for “Worst Thing You Could Possibly Compare A Girl To” goes to…

MT – I assume that the growth of the bold text will continue until one day we will see a Mark Trail where an entire panel is taken up by a single shouty speech balloon.

MW – POOL PARTY!!! There’s a lot to love about today’s Mary Worth, but my big question is: what are those two people on the right of panel two up to? Dig the lady’s blissed-out expression and the fact that she’s leaning against the wall. I don’t think Mary approves of that sort of thing, kids. Unless you’re trying to “start a real family,” so to speak. Also, ten bucks says that Iris left because Wilbur’s “Wendy” persona has been coming through a little too strong.

MC – I think I have a new favorite silent penultimate panel =D Terriffic job on the expressions, Melissa!

Phantom – Yeah, we knew this was coming. Still, major points to Team Phantom for not foreshadowing it all over the damn place while playing out the post-attack drama. Nicely handled, DePaul & Ryan!

Popeye – That was it!? I guess I should know to expect anticlimaxes from this strip by now, but even so, that was the anti-est yet.

RMMD – Protip: when writing an acronym in an all-caps font, it’s probably best to include the punctuation. Otherwise, it reads like “One of the, er, nurses told me you were here!”

SF – Is it weird that I find Young Sally very attractive?
Niall
November 30th, 2009 at 11:51 am [Reply]

Wow, haven’t had time to even read the Sunday comics until now… at work… been a busy weekend!

Sunday Comics

Beetle: Oh, it’s that darn Google again! Har har! The jokes, it writes themselves! GOLF TIEM!

Blondie: And how can she know he read the note? He could have just put it back and lied about ever opening the drawer. If she does know at a distance, then either voodoo, sympathetic magic, or Slylock Fox is involved. Hell, why not all three.

Curtis: And in throwaway panel 2, Michelle’s future career as a porn star is revealed. (She wouldn’t be the first starlet without enough talent to break through to find herself in that milieu…)

Dennis: Once again, not the least bit menacing, except for that talking white house – it took me a few seconds to figure out what was going on, and then it was Creepy City! Ugh!!

FC: And thus is explained today’s rampant obesity, in a wordless format understood in all languages. Bravo! Finally one we can put to good use! Just some nice text above: “WARNING, don’t let this happen to YOUR children!” and post it all around sport stadiums.

H&L: Chud? Chuff?? ???!! Also, wrong resolution: they’ll just make you buy more canvas bags until your house overflows with them.

Juggs Parker: Blah.. Blah.. Blah.. Ooo! Blah.. Ho.. Hum…

Mary Worth: Oh. Oh! Oh the snarking we must have done at “No, Adrian, just human“! I look forward to reading the choice entries on this little nugget. Also: geeze, I was wondering where all the Prince Valiant name-calling was from, but this is ridiculously easy here!

Phantom: “Gee, dad, if this is passport-stamping, what do they do when they have to inspect your… visa?” “Wait ’til you’re older, son.”

RMMD: And thus another gift to the Mudgeons was given today, and hence forth a new title shall be bestowed upon the strip, and it shall henceforth be known as “Morganergency”!

PBS: Today’s joke was brought to you by Abbott & Costello.

Slylock: In Six Differences, you see a tragic case of a babysitter moulding a young mind into delusional paranoia: “WAVE, Bobby, wave at the nice snowman! If you stop waving he’ll get angry and come in through your bedroom window and smother you in your sleep! WAVE MORE!”

My Cage: okay, so both stories are actually just two examples of the archetypical Quest story, but the parallels are nonetheless hilarious. Bonus point for the Dark Side of the Moon reference. (I need to do that experiment some day.)

And now to read Sunday snarks!
Hogenmogen
November 30th, 2009 at 11:54 am [Reply]

For any of you older ‘mudges, try to guess the car in GT above. I’m thinking 1956 DeSoto, which, if in working condition, would be more valuable than any of these idiots could pay for.

Spiderman: Those pics were taken in a dust storm? How are they clearer than the ones that Alec is showing to Bobbie Merrill of A3G, which presumaby were not in a dust storm?

MT (above): Panel 2: I can forgive Elrod for not being able to draw human beings – ok, I can’t, but I have accepted it as fact. How is it that Jack now renders a cityscape as a pile of greenish rubble? I’m beginning to believe that Mark Trail’s universe is some post-apocalyptic agrarian society where the law of the jungle is routinely applied. The gator poachers were sentenced without trial to be locked up in a cage with as many live gators as they skinned. Dirty men with copious facial hair place bets on how long they will last.
queek
November 30th, 2009 at 12:00 pm [Reply]

for those in need of a dose of kewt:

http://dailysquee.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/129035672930741070.jpg

insulin may be required. You have been warned.
fluffy
November 30th, 2009 at 12:04 pm [Reply]

Mark Trail’s establishing shots are just getting ridiculous. I fully suspect that within the next year he’ll just have a shot showing the entirety of planet Earth. Somehow there will still be a bear or a squirrel or other such thing in the foreground.
Hogenmogen
November 30th, 2009 at 12:05 pm [Reply]

A3G: I’m beginning to love Alec, the incompetent private detective who shows Bobbie useless information and whips out excuses faster than Wolverine snniks out his blades. “Yeah, that’s your husband and a brunette.”
“It’s out of focus.”
“Yeah, but it’s him.”
“In a crowd of two thousand people.”
“I can’t help where he was.”
“The Thanksgiving Day parade?”
“Yeah, but that’s your husband.”
“It’s not even a picture, it’s a magazine clipping.”
“I scour all media for my keen insights.”
“The date on the back says it’s 3 years old.”
“If you’d hired me 3 years ago, I would have caught it sooner.”
“Maybe you’re right. I don’t know. I’m so stoned right now.”
Batman Beatles
November 30th, 2009 at 12:08 pm [Reply]

Sf – Is it me or does young Ted look like a girl?
Li’l Bunnë FooFoo
November 30th, 2009 at 12:09 pm [Reply]

What, no mention of the most adorable squid of them all, the piglet squid?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5854355/This-rarely-photographed-piglet-squid-smiles-for-the-camera.html
Li’l Bunnë FooFoo
November 30th, 2009 at 12:10 pm [Reply]

(As for as I know there is no Pooh squid.)
Uncle Lumpy
November 30th, 2009 at 12:14 pm [Reply]

@Li’l Bunnë FooFoo (#98) –

That animal couldn’t cover a dime, and can therefore not be a squid.
mollificent
November 30th, 2009 at 12:15 pm [Reply]

GT: Oh, Jamarr. You poor stupid bastard. This should be fun. ;)

Luann: While I applaud Mr. DeGroot for trying to stand up to Nancy, he’s still being pretty wussy abou–GAH!!!! What the HELL is that in panel 3???

MW: Pool Party! Yeah! (Ian in shorts! Ugh!)

Awwww! #94 & #98 can battle it out for the cutest :)
Calico
November 30th, 2009 at 12:22 pm [Reply]

Hi Josh! Hope your holiday was good, and that you did drink gravy right from the boat.

After turkey and stuffing, I’m ready for some deep-fried squid with a side of marinara.
TheDiva
November 30th, 2009 at 12:22 pm [Reply]

C’shaft: Well, at least someone enjoys Crankshaft’s mangling of the English language.

Marvin: And my theory that Marvin is a malevolent changeling who enjoys making his “parents” suffer gains credence.

MW: Can you blame her? Usually I have to read Funky Winkerbean to see this potent an example of dumpy middle-aged depression.

PBS: “Oompa Loompas” is now my new favorite euphemism for the male anatomy.
TheDiva
November 30th, 2009 at 12:24 pm [Reply]

Also, where exactly is Charterstone? I always thought it was a quaint New England coastal place, but obviously not if they’re holding a pool party after Thanksgiving.
Uncle Lumpy
November 30th, 2009 at 12:28 pm [Reply]

@TheDiva (#104) –

Charterstone is SoCal, on the water but not too expensive. I think of Santa Royale as the slum district of La Jolla.
Buck Ripsnort
November 30th, 2009 at 12:29 pm [Reply]

Praise Nyarlethotep my local fishwrap doesn’t print Mark Trail. The sight of that THING on the beach (suuuuure, it’s dead– that’s just what it wants you to BELIEVE!) would undoubtedly make me holler IA CHTULHU! in public.
But it’s still less terrifying that what Mrs. DeGroot is doing to her face in Monday’s Luann. Damn lady, you gonna swallow that man whole?
gleeb
November 30th, 2009 at 12:32 pm [Reply]

‘bean: Another week of “Wally who?”, eh?
One-eyed Wolfdog
November 30th, 2009 at 12:37 pm [Reply]

DT: “Impaled by a trombone slide”. I’m calling it right now.
Aviatrix
November 30th, 2009 at 12:39 pm [Reply]

MW – Ba-boom! And we’re onto the next meddle. Will Iris need to have a baby, find happiness in attending to her husband’s every need, or hook up with a guy with trendier eyeglasses and no combover? It’s too much to expect that Mary takes Wilbur home and gives him a makeover, plus lessons in making sweet sweet love, isn’t it?

RMMD – And Tim gets socked in the jaw in 3 .. 2 ..

Sigh. I really have unreasonable expectations today, don’t I?

@68 Anonamuse – That was my suspicion, too. I’m thankful that Josh knows not to spoil our fun.

@91 commodorejohn – Thanks for noticing the couple making out against the wall in MW. Maybe the blonde in the blue dress has a sister for Wilbur.
Darkefang
November 30th, 2009 at 12:39 pm [Reply]

BC: LSD, mescalin and mushrooms inspired timeless works of art like the Beatles White Album. Sometimes, though, when hallucinogens are abused, they inspire artistic atrocities, like Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Or today’s BC.
Will
November 30th, 2009 at 12:42 pm [Reply]

GT: OK, I’m totally on the Jamaar boat now. This guy has a reality distortion field that rivals Steve Jobs’.

Luann: Don’t the Degroots live right around the corner from Brad? Why’re they driving.

Slylock: The guard meant that it was green as in environmentally friendly. He knew it was green because it was very quiet, like an electric vehicle.
Mardou Fox
November 30th, 2009 at 12:44 pm [Reply]

#95 Remember “Kimba, the White Lion”? It’ll be like those shots where you could see the earth spinning and Kimba running on top of it.
wossname
November 30th, 2009 at 12:44 pm [Reply]

104 the Diva: I’ve always assumed Santa Royale was in southern California – in rightwing Ronald Reagan/John Wayne territory.

Got a question re GA, which I’ve only recently started reading: (a) is that guy with the kitty the same one who was in the grave? I thought they couldn’t get out. and (b) why is there an IV bottle in the next room?
Artist formerly known as Ben
November 30th, 2009 at 12:44 pm [Reply]

11/30

GT: Hey, I’m starting to get the feeling that Jamarr Gaddis may be a self-centred fool.

DT: Dick’s newest adversary is some androgynous thing that shrieks into a phone while standing in a wind tunnel. I trust that Dick will be his usual brutal self when dealing with (appropriate pronoun).

Garfield: How long will it take Jon Arbuckle to notice that his cat is dead? Well, he has no nostrils, so it could be a few weeks.

GA: Why does Rufus have a blood bag hanging next to his beat-up armchair? No, never mind, don’t tell me. I’m just gonna eeeeease on out the door here.
Artist formerly known as Ben
November 30th, 2009 at 12:47 pm [Reply]

#109 aviatrix

It’s too much to expect that Mary takes Wilbur home and gives him a makeover, plus lessons in making sweet sweet love, isn’t it?

Be careful what you wish for. That just might be the most eye-scalding event ever.
Mardou Fox
November 30th, 2009 at 12:48 pm [Reply]

I miss Cue so bad. I just know he’s gone up the river for good. We’ll never see him again. *sobs*
Calico
November 30th, 2009 at 12:51 pm [Reply]

#114 – Today’s Garfield needs to be changed into a “Garfield minus Garfield.”
Muffaroo
November 30th, 2009 at 12:55 pm [Reply]

Color Chronicle Monday:

A3G – “How can I tell this is a photo of my husband, Alec? It could be just about any man in this city! I can only recognize you by your hairstyle and turtleneck… hey, wait… are you really my husband, gaslighting me? Damn this artist anyway!”

Smirky Schadenfreude – “Surprise smartass! You didn’t think I’d noticed how you’re taking over this strip? I’m going to deck you!”

Hägar – Anachronism alert: the strip is in Viking times, but it was only during the years 1679-1706 that the “I’m not insured against this” gag was funny.
Muffaroo
November 30th, 2009 at 12:56 pm [Reply]

Black & White’s back:

Dick – “What could possibly go wrong at a symphony concert?” “I don’t know, but didn’t you ask me that about the circus, the grocery store, a movie, a baseball game, a card game, a knitting circle, calling Information, picking up a penny from the sidewalk, looking at clouds, sitting in a closet with my eyes shut, punching the time clock at work, a man, a plan, a canal, and opening the fridge?”

My Cage – I got your warbringer right here.

Pluggers think they’re arguing when they’re talking about two different things entirely.
bourbon babe, unbuckled
November 30th, 2009 at 12:56 pm [Reply]

MW: Geez, it’s a sad state of affairs when you realize that you’re at the same place in your life as Wilbur Weston: crying into your Potato-ade over a failed relationship. Still, I have two major points of consolation: 1) I will not turn around in a moment and encounter a horizon totally blocked by the pink, yellow, and blue expanse of Ian Cameron, and 2) I am not, nor never will be, Wilbur Weston. (Oh, and I forgot: 3) I’m not crying.)

Still: Pool Party!
Muffaroo
November 30th, 2009 at 12:57 pm [Reply]

Popeye – “I ain’t no number! I’m a free swab!”

Slylock – What, it’s not “dogs are color blind”? Or the fact that he left the truck sitting a hundred yards away? Let’s just say the Magic Magnifying Glass told him, okay?

Zits – I find this humorous in all but execution.

Josh – Let’s not assume the worst. Maybe Robbb is not planning on drinking at all, but merely wants the cardboard box in order to fashion himself some distinctive swimming garb.

Hope you had a good one. There’s turkey gravy on your forehead.
bourbon babe, unbuckled
November 30th, 2009 at 1:02 pm [Reply]

93 Hogenmogen: Does this mean, then, that Mark and Rusty are re-enacting The Road—a man and, uh, young “boy” who lives with him, seeking safety and comfort in a post-apocalyptic world, trying to make their way to the ocean and the hope of refuge? Except, you know, with trees. And wildlife. And working automobiles. And no cannibals. And no spare, poetic prose.

But this post-apocalypse does have random boldface, so that’s almost as good.

94 queek & 98 Li’l Bunnë FooFoo: Those two links are the best things that have happened to me all morning!
Edgy DC
November 30th, 2009 at 1:05 pm [Reply]

Got to appreciate Rod Whigham and the class he’s brought to the Gil Thorpe artwork. Many’s the time I’ve wondered what All the Right Moves would look like if Tom Cruise’s face began melting.
Uncle Lumpy
November 30th, 2009 at 1:05 pm [Reply]

#120 bbu –

3) hairs > 4
Lucky
November 30th, 2009 at 1:08 pm [Reply]

Buckles – I’m pretty sure those were brownies in the original script.

Mark Trail – “Look out! Cliff!”

Prickly City – Stantis’s medication runs out at a crucial moment, offering us a glance at the world through his eyes, surrounded by multiplying liberals.
Sequitur
November 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pm [Reply]

It looks like Greg Evans has been taking art lessons from Brooke McEldowney.

Please, no.
Poteet
November 30th, 2009 at 1:15 pm [Reply]

# 69 Mr. O’Malley — You are wise. Trust me.

# 80 mordock — Har! Thank you, I needed that.

# 122 bourbon — Ooh, what an interesting idea.

I haven’t read the book (I skimmed some pages and decided I didn’t need the nightmares), but I have trouble figuring out what kind of catastrophe would kill all forms of life on earth except people. On the other hand, if it killed all life on earth except Rusty, that would confirm what I’ve suspected for some time.
Bryan
November 30th, 2009 at 1:18 pm [Reply]

Funky Winkerbean: I’m betting Funky murders Les. Well, I’m hoping Funky murders Les.
Luann: “How about you quit being such a fucking bitch to the only woman who has even shown the tiniest bit of interest in our son? Would that work for you?”
Rose is Rose: Why don’t you just look at your phone bill online?
bourbon babe, unbuckled
November 30th, 2009 at 1:30 pm [Reply]

127 Poteet: It’s not spelled out explicitly in the book (so this isn’t a spoiler), but all evidence points to nuclear winter. And the people are not long for the world, either.

And you’ve suspected that Rusty is a zombie? Or some kind of mechanized boy-machine, gone horribly wrong in a melding of misguided technology and aesthetic misjudgment?
dyslexic dog
November 30th, 2009 at 1:34 pm [Reply]

Heart of the City:
Ha, ha! It’s funny because he said shoe-in instead of shoo-in.
ROTFLMAO, I think.
dyslexic dog
November 30th, 2009 at 1:35 pm [Reply]

…and Heart looks more like Violet than Dean looks like Charlie Brown.
Mela
November 30th, 2009 at 1:40 pm [Reply]

Monday medicine:

A3G: Why do I get the feeling that this photo is of a woman hugging her Irish Setter?

Baldo: Remember, kids, don’t read. Because thinking is depressing!

‘Shaft: Please tell me he read “Final Exit” and will somehow compell the group into a mass suicide.

ReFOOB: Elly Is A Pathetic, Faux-Martyr Doormat, chapter 4,795,812.

FW: Either one of three things will happen. Either Funky will kill Les, or either Funky or Les will have a fatal fall. Or, ideally, Wally is hiding in wait in the basement to pick them off and to then pick off any schmuck that goes to look for them. Only Cory lives, because he has the good sense to laugh at the pile of corpses at the base of the stairs instead of examining it.

Garfield: So oddly depressing that it actually made me smile.

GA: … What?

Luann: I owe the Chron people a thanks for trying to spare me this sight by haivng a broken link until my last check. I don’t know if it’s because of the further “incestuously overprotective mom” pain or that last panel, which someone rightly compared to Large Marge. Whoever you are, I salute your valiant efforts.

MC: Aw, Violet has the same goals for her child as I do for mine!

OBH: This is, quite possibly, the oddest strip in the history of mankind. Vacuum licking?! WTF?!

Zits: I agree with Muffaroo (#121) on this one.
Fashion Police
November 30th, 2009 at 1:42 pm [Reply]

We too are thrilled to finally move beyond the Doctors Cory to another lovely Charterstone pool party!

Mrs. Cameron’s dress is quite fetching. It is gratifying to see someone raise the standards a little – although pink is not her best color. However, that does not make up for the crushing disappointment at seeing Professor Cameron in shorts and a hideous Hawaiian shirt instead of the kilt he must have purchased on his recent trip to Scotland. Where, sir, is your ethnic pride?
Aviatrix
November 30th, 2009 at 1:42 pm [Reply]

@124 Uncle Lumpy I’m impressed that you expressed that thought with the same scarity as demonstrated by Wilbur’s head.

@127 Poteet, I’m guessing the catastrophe was a cell-invading virus that destroyed all natural forms of life, leaving behind only those with the highest concentration of polysorbate 80 and sodium nitrate. No animal other than humans eats twinkies and artificially smoke-flavoured potato sticks.
Niall
November 30th, 2009 at 1:51 pm [Reply]

And now to catch up on comments for Sunday…

Y867. bourbon babe: a magnificent dissertation on the post-symptomatic treatment of ethereal memetic thoughts given form through collective participation!

Y878. Lanfranc: actually, in our household when I was a child, in a basically Catholic neighbourhood, it was until a couple of weeks before christmas that decorations were put up. So I really chafe at the Nov 1 decorations in malls. (Though we usually kept them up until the feast of Kings.)

Y890. commodorejohn: actually, I like the MT message “nature is wonderful, and you can eat it too” because it means “kids, don’t eat all this artificial goop, eat natural food!” And that’s a message behind which I firmly stand.

Y897. aloha_breeze: thank you very much to the link on the xkcd creator’s interview! It was most informative!

Y914. Spotted HØrse, Jungle Steed: well, it makes sense – isn’t it the point of a whore to get fresh with her?

Y933. bourbon babe: Yes. Definitely yes.

Y936. Calico: I’m firmly of the mind that Burlington, VT would join Canada, even Quebec, in a split if it was given the choice.

Y941. odinthor: wow, I think that Cue, Niki and Mom show (with squid and talking car) actually would find an audience on some cable network today. Pitch it!

Y947. bourbon babe: …”whey-skey”?? Oh, oh that was horrid. You should be spanked for that one!!

*whistles innocently*

Y984. Joe Blevins: forget Heart and Mary, there’s Cassandra Cat in that coquettish sweater/tartan skirt. Why isn’t she shown in those kinds of outfits anymore?

Y991. Mooncattie: Aww, Jane looks wonderful! Thank you!

Y1000. zerowolf: da Winnnaaaah!!
UncleJeff
November 30th, 2009 at 1:52 pm [Reply]

MW: I thought Wilbur Weston’s daughter was keeping him warm at night. Who is Iris? Or was Iris Wilbur’s daughter.
Oh forget about it, Jeff. It’s Charterstone.
Li’l Bunnë FooFoo
November 30th, 2009 at 1:56 pm [Reply]

Uncle Lumpy@100 — the creature is “the size of an orange”, and so it could cover a dime, unless it’s some sort of oversized novelty dime.

Bourbon babe — glad you liked it!
commodorejohn
November 30th, 2009 at 1:56 pm [Reply]

#135 Niall re: MT – True enough; it’s just still kind of amusing. At least it wasn’t an endangered species this time…
Niall
November 30th, 2009 at 2:09 pm [Reply]

Mark Trail above: …I for one welcome our new cephalopod invaders.

Welcome back Josh! I get the feeling COTW will be done very late tonight…

On dépanneurs: we kids called it often the “little store” – “le p’tit magasin” to differentiate it from the “grand magasin”, i.e. the grocery store.

14. Jamus: okay, be honest, would you really want Ed to draw Ashley and Maureen in wet t-shirts? Or would you prefer Melissa to do it? :) :)

27. queek: um.. eek? That’s almost disturbing.

And now, to watch Monday comics…
Generallylurking
November 30th, 2009 at 2:15 pm [Reply]

What? Iris left two weeks ago and MW’s meddling sense wasn’t tingling? Could it be she is not multi-meddler?
Mibbitmaker
November 30th, 2009 at 2:18 pm [Reply]

FW: Who’s Wally?

JP: Who’s Neddy?

RMMD: Who’s Cue?

…or Who’s Rex and June, for that matter.
Uncle Lumpy
November 30th, 2009 at 2:20 pm [Reply]

@ Aviatrix (#134) –

. . . artificially smoke-flavoured potato sticks.

Ah, therein hangs a tale. Creamily self-satisfied “branded-goods company” Reckitt Benckiser was responsible for both Durkee (”stix”) and French’s (”sticks”) brand potato snack food products, but dropped them in 2008. The tyranny of the crisp advances — fear the Pringle®!

Most smoke flavor is natural — it’s easy to make and a good zero-calorie flavor enhancer.
Artist formerly known as Ben
November 30th, 2009 at 2:22 pm [Reply]

#119 Muffaroo,
Ooh. Nice warbringer. Once her legs are long enough to swivel the chair, she’ll be unstoppable. :)
Artist formerly known as Ben
November 30th, 2009 at 2:27 pm [Reply]

131 dyslexic dog,
Actually, Dean could skip the hairpiece if he tried out for Linus instead of Charlie Brown. It’s not the lead, but it’s a good part and easier on the scalp.
Mibbitmaker
November 30th, 2009 at 2:30 pm [Reply]

GT: Uh, that’s supposed to be a… compliment ……..right?…
Farley's Revenge
November 30th, 2009 at 2:34 pm [Reply]

Yay! Head ‘Mudge is back, all rested and relaxed to wade through the mega thread for potential CotW fodder!

DT: Dick was under a lot of stress at the circus? What about poor BakaGaijin who couldn’t even look at the images for fear of seeing that you-know-what? That was stress!

As for the concert, I guess Tess saying, “You were under a lot of stress at the circus. How about we strip down and I ride you like we’re at the Kentucky Derby?” wouldn’t make it past the censors. Pity. That could make DT interesting for the first time in…oh…forever.
Mardou Fox
November 30th, 2009 at 2:38 pm [Reply]

135 Niall: Christmas decorations: Yes, as any old-school Catholic (or recovering Catholic) knows, Christmas season starts on December 25 and ends on January 6 (or the 13th, I think, if you are really old-school!) Which at our house meant decorations went up maybe a week before Christmas, but stayed up until my dad’s birthday (1/12; he liked having the tree up for his birthday).

So, the “Christmas starts after the Thanksgiving dishes are washed, and ends at midnight on 12/25″ paradigm that currently prevails feels odd, indeed.
Bryan
November 30th, 2009 at 2:47 pm [Reply]

14. Jamus: okay, be honest, would you really want Ed to draw Ashley and Maureen in wet t-shirts? Or would you prefer Melissa to do it? :)

I mentioned this as a thread-killer the other day so I’m not sure if anyone saw it, but it bears another mention. In the character section of the My Cage home page there are quite fetching pictures of our dear Maureen and Ashley. Wait, here’s the link (scroll down):
http://mycagecomic.com/?page_id=28
Yikes!
Sister Sestina
November 30th, 2009 at 2:52 pm [Reply]

Mardou Fox at 174 and Niall at 135: That’s how it was with our household as well, though our Catholicism was more ethnocultural than actual (as my Mom told me once — “it doesn’t matter what you believe, you’re still Catholic”). And our tree stayed up to Three King’s Day (the Jan 6 reckoning of Epiphany) with a persistence tinged with undefined dread of ill luck if it went down any sooner.
bats :[
November 30th, 2009 at 2:54 pm [Reply]

Poteet and bourbon babe: I don’t think Rusty is a mechanized boy so much as just being a plain little boy in the wrong place at the wrong time…
Sequitur
November 30th, 2009 at 2:59 pm [Reply]

150. bats :[
I love it. But now you did it. You’re going to have to keep the story going…day after day after day after day…..
And why not? Your mashups are better than the vast majority of stuff in the comics these days.
bats :[
November 30th, 2009 at 3:00 pm [Reply]

And in our non-practicing Catholic and Jewish household (I nearly consider myself an Ethical Pantheist), the decorations stay up until Epiphany. Well, there was the one year that we discovered that the “Christmas season” *could* include the time until Candlemas (when the person who’d found the coin in the Epiphany King’s cake was obliged to give a feast or a party), February 2 — and yes, the lights were up and lit until that day.
The neighbors wisely said nothing.
LaziestManOnMars
November 30th, 2009 at 3:02 pm [Reply]

Gil Thorp reminds me of all those shitty anti-drug PSA’s from the 80’s and 90’s. You know, the ones where people get all upset and make fun of you if you don’t drink their alcohol/ smoke their weed. Growing up I was constantly told about drug dealers that would just “give away” their stash for a “free trial.” I’ve never come across one of these free-trial drug kiosks, thou.

Also, I love how all the drug dealers in those PSA’s always sold pre-rolled joints. Now that’s service you hardly see in the black market these days.
Sequitur
November 30th, 2009 at 3:05 pm [Reply]

152. bats :[
Ah ha! Now we know. You’re Ben Stiller’s sister!
Will
November 30th, 2009 at 3:06 pm [Reply]

In our house, the Christmas tree and other decorations went up on Dec 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. They came down on Epiphany.

I can’t be bothered to decorate, living by myself, but I still get annoyed with the wall-to-wall Christmas dreck during what should be Advent.
Aviatrix
November 30th, 2009 at 3:07 pm [Reply]

@142 Uncle Lumpy, the potato sticks I had in mind are called Hickory Sticks. I would say that they haven’t been discontinued, but the fact that there are still packages in the vending machine down the hall is not evidence that they have been manufactured in the last five years.
Sister Sestina
November 30th, 2009 at 3:09 pm [Reply]

152 Bats: Maybe the neighbors thought you were trying to help the groundhog cast a shadow?

BTW, like the “ethical pantheist” label. Gotta keep that in the cranial filofax along with an ex-boyfriend’s declaration of being a fundamentalist pagan (no, no wicker-cage sacrifices insinuated) and my own tendency to declare myself a high-church agnostic (don’t know if it’s true but think the decor’s pretty…)
Cyranetta
November 30th, 2009 at 3:10 pm [Reply]

MW: I’m glad I’m not the only one so benumbed by the anesthetic effect of Adrian’s story that I cannot remember an Iris or her story.
Loppie Scaduto
November 30th, 2009 at 3:32 pm [Reply]

Lurking but not dead.
Red Greenback
November 30th, 2009 at 3:34 pm [Reply]

Hey, Gil Thorp “creative” team. It must be rather difficult to get your anti-substance abuse messages across when all your characters appear to be shitfaced.
Farley's Revenge
November 30th, 2009 at 3:40 pm [Reply]

When the offspring were but wee ones, Christmas decorating began officially two weeks before Christmas. It took me that long to work up the energy to decorate with the “assistance” of two small children.

Now, the offspring are no help whatsoever and decorating is left to me so I start whenever the mood suits me. The other day I hauled out a couple Christmas-y pillows for the sofa and on Saturday I stuck twinkly stars along the front walk. I’m on a roll now.
Uncle Lumpy
November 30th, 2009 at 3:46 pm [Reply]

@ Aviatrix (#156) —

. . . the potato sticks I had in mind are called Hickory Sticks.

Aha! Still made, by Frito-Lay Canada (formerly Hostess Frito-Lay). Can’t find the ingredients list online, though. I suspect the “smoke flavour” may not be natural (wasn’t Hostess’s thang, knamsain?)
nerowolfgal
November 30th, 2009 at 3:56 pm [Reply]

In our household, the tree goes up about the end of the first week of Dec and always comes down New Year’s Day.
cheech wizard
November 30th, 2009 at 3:57 pm [Reply]

9CL – Someone should tell Edna that the war is over and she doesn’t have to make us hate her anymore. She can stand down.

DT – Apparently it hasn’t occurred to Tracy that the reason all Tess’ “relaxing plans” turn into adventures is his tendency to see a villain around every corner – but Tess sure knows it. He’s probably turn the gun on her if she didn’t get him out of the house once in awhile.

Also, I never realized that Tracy was married to Venus from Fireball XL5. At least, she’s more human and expressive than he is.

FW – Bring out the gimp.

MT – The talking animals, waves and bushes are nice, but from the looks of the last panel, I’d say the acid is starting to freak Mark out just a little.
bourbon babe, unbuckled
November 30th, 2009 at 4:04 pm [Reply]

135 Niall: “Yes. Definitely yes.” —-Ah, an “all of the above” answer! I heartily approve!

150 bats:[ —If “Mark n Rusty’s Big Adventure” is going to continue, I very much like the idea of its continuing with squid roadblocks.

As for holiday decorations—I was raised old-school Catholic, too—Polish Catholic. But I don’t remember firm dates for decorating, other than that my mom would be embarrassed to have decorations up more than a day or two after New Year’s. Then again, we were also California Catholics, so I suppose that corrupted our sense of order and rigidity—once you have guitar-playing, bearded priests, everything goes all to hell.
Écureuil Écumant
November 30th, 2009 at 4:05 pm [Reply]

Luann: Yeah, Dame DeGroot. Find your warm place. Then stick that ghastly phiz all the way up it and don’t ever, ever let us see it again.

Stripey Butt: Those two poorly-camouflaged antitank mines inches in front of the car may signal an unexpected plot twist.

GT: Judging by those sofa pillows, zebra poachers may have struck LoFo. Also, @93 Hogenmogen, I think Saturday’s mysterymobile might be a vintage AeroCar — since it has an artificial horizon in the center of the panel rather than a speedometer.

MT: Apart from the fact that this was billed on Saturday as a side trip to the beach, it’s a bit unusual to take a back road because it leads to the interstate. Usually you take a back road to avoid the interstate, i.e., shunpiking. Maybe it’s time for Rusty to take the wheel.
wossname
November 30th, 2009 at 4:08 pm [Reply]

150 bats :[ – your mashup is wonderful, as always – but I liked it even better when I first looked and didn’t realize the squirrel in the penultimate panel was on a tree branch. Take another look and imagine that the giant squirrel is walking down the hillside on the far side of the car…

Anyway, I’m looking forward with joyous anticipation to tomorrow’s episode… and the next day’s… and the next day’s…

158 Cyranetta – I can’t remember Iris either, and I DO remember Wilbur. I guess it will all become clear to us in time.
Mardou Fox
November 30th, 2009 at 4:17 pm [Reply]

Gil Thorpe: I like the way the underage athletes are only objecting because it’s mid-season. Otherwise, party on!
Calico
November 30th, 2009 at 4:19 pm [Reply]

#133 – Ian Cameron is, unfortunately, trying desperately to look like “Uncle” Phil Collins from 1980:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uko0DYnIRYY
Mardou Fox
November 30th, 2009 at 4:21 pm [Reply]

@166: I love that you said “shunpiking.”
Calico
November 30th, 2009 at 4:27 pm [Reply]

And even though I was baptized Catholic, I still want a menorah.
Dr. Weird
November 30th, 2009 at 4:29 pm [Reply]

FW

Look, there’s not going to be a murder in the basement… that’d be random and have nothing to do with the setting.

I suspect Wally has killed someone else elsewhere. Funky is trying to help out family by covering it up and the body (or bodies) will be ground up for sausage for the pizza.

A heartwarming modern-day take on Sweeny Todd!
Batman Beatles
November 30th, 2009 at 4:32 pm [Reply]

Yesterday’s Baldo: JLo is so 2003.
Jamus the Bartender
November 30th, 2009 at 4:36 pm [Reply]

Gasoline Alley: Why does Clem have what looks like a plasma drip?
FOOB: I know it’s bad to take a hand to your kids, but in this case, Elly, not even Santa Claus would convict you.
Mary Worth: And we are a go…..
Judge Parker:I see Mister Burglar has his gloves on to keep the DNA doohickeys and Discovery Channel Gadgets ( tm) from sending him straight to jail…
Jamus the Bartender
November 30th, 2009 at 4:39 pm [Reply]

148. Good point, Bryan, and you’re right, those be some nice pictures, thanks :)
edp
November 30th, 2009 at 4:44 pm [Reply]

Dear Mr. Elrod,
I am seeply disappointed that you chose to run a strip entirely about squid. As you say, they are as common as dirt, and absoultely vulgar in shape as well! In the future please refrain from such low-brow subjects, and stick to respectable matter like enormous squirrels and talking shrubbery.
commodorejohn
November 30th, 2009 at 4:52 pm [Reply]

#176 edp – Silence, you insensitive cephalopodophobe!
Aviatrix
November 30th, 2009 at 5:32 pm [Reply]

@158 Cyranetta – It didn’t occur to me that Iris was someone we were supposed to have heard of before. I thought all Mary Worth meddlees sprung fully formed out of a pile of salmon squares during Charterstone parties.
Carly
November 30th, 2009 at 11:54 pm [Reply]

Why is Albert Einstein calling in a hit on his phone in Dick Tracy? And if Albert was in a band, would it be considered a long hair band? Has DT been taking lessons in being generic from Herb & Jamaal? These are the questions that keep me up at night.
Black Drazon
December 1st, 2009 at 12:07 am [Reply]

#98 – “Measuring just 3.9cm (10cm) in length”

My god, the squids can fluctuate in size! Their powers are growing! If only there were a rugged outdoorsy type to punch them into submission! Either that or we could sell them as adorable underwater balloons, either/or.
Lloyd S.
December 1st, 2009 at 1:26 pm [Reply]

So does Mark Trail have like a 2-yr. Sunday animal cycle? Are there 104 animals who have the honor of Trailian exposition, each in their turn? How does a species get on (or better still, off) “the list”?

Or does Elrod just really, really love his calamari?
LongHair
December 1st, 2009 at 6:18 pm [Reply]

The phrase “long hair” does refer to classical music. Maynard G. Krebbs (Bob Denver, a.k.a. “Gilligan”), a beatnik, used it frequently in a derogatory way on “Dobie Gillis.”

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