Metapost: Better late than never COTW
Post Content
Look, man, sometimes when it’s a holiday Friday you wake up and think “Ah, a holiday Friday! It’s just like a Saturday!” and you forget that there are certain sacred events that happen every Friday, holiday or no, and one of them is the beloved Comment of the Week feature on joshreads dot com, the Comics Curmudgeon website, and then you feel bad and post it a little late. We’ve all been there, right? Right????
“Sophie is so desperate for coffee that she’s gnawing on the mug. That’s not where the caffeine is!” –CanuckDownSouth
Anyway hopefully this hilarious list of runners up will ease the pain:
“One would think a soap comic character would be too used to nothing in particular happening to ever go stir-crazy.” –ectojazzmage
“‘I’m going to the mall, Dad … Tommy and I are going to check out the Teen Dance-Offs!’ Let us pause to marvel at this majestic piece of dialogue that could 100% be spoken by any young American in the year of our Lord 2026. Dawn (#1852 US girls’ name) and Tommy (#731 US boys’ name) are going to watch teen-agers dance off (sulk on their phones between rounds of Dance Dance Revolution) at the mall (closed in 2018, last recorded stores: Spencer’s and a Thai massage parlor). It’s low-key the start of a very chalant relationship, fr fr! (Or maybe it’s a skibidi relationship, who can say?)” –I’m Not Cthulhu, But I Play Him On TV
“Wilbur’s never looked better! Does wide-eyed shock take years off a man’s face, or has he been moisturizing?” –Victor Von
“Too late, Fritz Ann. No-one gambles on real gaming machines these days. They’re all addicted to psychologically perfected Skinner-box hyperspeed slot machine apps from online ghost casinos hosted out of Malta and Singapore. What do you think Mrs Wilson is doing with her husband’s social security while she watches her stories?” –Schroduck
“NO! No, Mrs. Wilson, NO! You are NOT trapped in the Funkyverse! You are in a different hell with an eternal 5-year-old where it’s somehow both the 1950s and the 21st century, but you do not have to let yourself be forced to do bad word play! Fight this incursion! FIGHT IT!” –Tabby Lavalamp
“‘Gaming machines,’ eh? I wasn’t aware Neo-Chicago had overturned their ban on pinball.” –Dr. Larry Erhardt
“It’s just boxes of RAM, which is worth its weight in gold.” –JERP
“I can’t believe the plot is setting up a scenario where the Morgans not tipping is heroic. Villains want you to tip, which is a scam by the way” –Dan
“These able-bodied young women with access to fancy matching outfits and expensive hair dye clearly don’t need to beg for money, any more than they actually know how to play the violin. So what exactly is the ‘scam’ they’re pulling by getting people to throw a buck or two into their tip can? The only possible answer is that they’re extracting DNA from the bills, then creating clones of the tippers that they can use to steal their identities and drain their bank accounts. Sure, it seems like an extremely difficult, complicated plan with major upfront costs compared to the potential profit — but the sisters’ cultish outfits suggest that the eventual goal is to create a clone army that will answer only to their leader, a genetics specialist who’s still mad that Rex beat him on a test in medical school or something. Just wait until he has clones of June and Sarah, which he can use for especially nefarious shenanigans after two or three decades of training! Anyway, that must be where this plot is going — because otherwise it would end up as something pointless and boring, rather than one of the thrilling tales we’ve come to expect from Rex Morgan, M.D.” –BigTed
“I won’t be lured into addiction by Tommy Beedie. He’s harmless. Unlike the guys running my social media, who have me so hooked I can’t look up from my phone.” –But What Do I Know?
“I’m actually looking forward to the upcoming gamer angle in Dick Tracy. Sam’s user name will be ‘Definitely NOT a Cop,’ as he wanders aimlessly in whatever MMPRPG she brought along.” –Chip Cayer
“Based on the name, I assume a ‘Roxx’ chair is actually an x-treme rebranding of a rocking chair. And doesn’t it say a lot about humanity that one person, even a criminal like the Hacker, can enjoy both the latest in interactive entertainment on high-end ‘gaming machines’ and the simple pleasures of wobbling back and forth while sitting down?” –Vulpes
“For a beautiful moment, I failed to notice the plugger’s dummy thicc ass, and thought the panel had arrived at a state of punchline-free nirvana of which Hi and Lois could only dream. This is a plugger! He drank too much last night, and now he’s quietly suffering the consequences! Behold, a man!” –Navigator
“He died as he lived, alone and in great pain.” –Lauralot
“‘Hey wait, why can’t Crankshaft drive his bus into a lake and die?’ thought everybody in this comic strip except Crankshaft, who was thinking about blowing up a grill this holiday weekend.” –nescio
“Crock has barely any trace left of the Foreign Legion and colonial France. For example, here we are supposed to think that French people would think a very big nose is unappealing and something to be corrected. Preposterous!” –Ettorre
“‘Am I supposed to … uh, relate to you emotionally in some way?’ ‘Chill. It ain’t that kinda party.’” –Joe Blevins
Remember: If you want an ad-free version of this site sent to you every day via email, for $3 a month you can become a Comics Curmudgeon newsletter subscriber! And if you never want to see banner ads on this site, and want to get cool comment-editing features to boot, for the same low price you can become a Comics Curmudgeon website subscriber! You can get each day’s post ad-free via Patreon if that’s your style! And if you just want to give me money directly, you can put some scratch in my tip jar! Thanks to all for your support and readership!


46 replies to “Metapost: Better late than never COTW”
Congrats to CanuckDownSouth and my fellow runners up.
I still daydream about creating a social media account dedicated to discussion of Crankshaft where I’d post each new strip and comment “Die, Crankshaft! Die!” every time, but he’s not worth the effort.
I just figured Josh was out there shooting at hamburgers or whatever it is you Yanks do on your patriotic holidays.
A good CotW list is worth the waiting for.
Congrats to CanuckDownSouth and the others on the float. Tips of the beret to Victor Von, Tabby Lavalamp, Vulpes, and Joe Blevins.
I’ll check in on the aligned vehicles later.
Thanks Josh, congrats to the COTWs, and hoping everyone has a great Fourth!
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
ValdVin
June 27th, 2026 at 4:33 am Reply
FC: “Great question, Jeffy! I’d say ‘the little koala on the changing table’ but that was thirty pounds ago. Oh, that reminds me, I have to buy more diapers for you.”
Hibbleton
June 27th, 2026 at 5:41 am Reply
FC: Thel has to explain why public toilets don’t have a
doggyJeffy door.The Quiet Man
June 27th, 2026 at 4:41 am Reply
RMMD: That’s right Sarah Plain and Tall! Sneer at those Poors! In fact, why don’t you just walk right up to them, snap that instrument over your knee, kick in that amp, then punch both of them in the head? When the cops come, they’ll arrest them and apologize to you!
Banana Jr. 6000
June 27th, 2026 at 8:26 am Reply
Luann: Ladies and gentlemen, the reason this ‘pregnancy’ storyline is going down the memory hole after this week.
Luann 2: The next words out of both their mouths was ‘I’ll get the coat hanger!!’
@The Quiet Man: I misread your RMMD comment as “Sarah Palin.” It still works.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Baja Gaijin
June 27th, 2026 at 5:23 am Reply
Mary Worth: A whole cereal aisle and zero boxes of Splak!? I call shenanigans.
BigTed
June 27th, 2026 at 4:50 am Reply
Mary Worth: “Tommy’s self-esteem is really low. I mean, he’s placing the generic cereal boxes on the higher shelves, and the more expensive name-brand ones at the bottom. That goes against decades of carefully researched grocery-store shelving science, and is clearly the sign of a sick mind!”
Ukranazi Stepan
June 27th, 2026 at 5:16 am Reply
Wary Morth:
For a wild moment I thought it was “Tommy can go down on himself”.
Anonymous
June 27th, 2026 at 7:18 am Reply
Dennis the Menace: “Sorry we have to cancel the orgy. It’s not because you’re Black it’s because our son is an insufferable shit.”
DTM: You know Dennis can’t wait to ask them if they’re made from chocolate or if they’ve never taken a bath. Waiting 20 minutes shows tremendous self control. Those obedience lessons are really paying off!
Pozzo
June 28th, 2026 at 4:43 am Reply
Pluggers: So, when bears hibernate do they…I don’t know…hibernate extra hard on Sundays?
Hibbleton
June 28th, 2026 at 4:47 am Reply
Pluggers don’t go to church on Sunday mornings anymore. In fact, their only involvement with organized religion these days is trying to establish bible studies in public schools.
I’m Not Cthulhu, But I Play Him On TV
June 28th, 2026 at 8:23 am Reply
Welp, there goes Pluggers’ Seventh-Day Adventist readership, all six of them.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Liam
June 28th, 2026 at 4:29 am Reply
FC-Bill wants advice on how to alter one of his dad’s old comics.
MKay
June 28th, 2026 at 5:32 am Reply
RMMD: If you think they’re the world’s biggest buzz kill and her spawn, then, yes.
CanuckDownSouth
June 28th, 2026 at 5:36 am Reply
MW A new fad for skinny lemonade glasses or the art got squashed horizontally a bit in the second row on comicskingdom?
ValdVin
June 28th, 2026 at 5:40 am Reply
MW: Mary’s zucchini muffins, by default, are
not as goodworse than her other muffins. (“Good”, even in the negative, doesn’t belong in a sentence with “Mary’s muffins”.)I speak Jive
June 28th, 2026 at 8:29 am Reply
Mary Worth – Mary needs a trip to the bathroom after pulling all those platitudes out of her ass.
Moy has let the plot wander all over the place. First, Tommy was all upset and carrying on because he and Brandy broke up when she went away, although the story didn’t really say that happened. Then Dawn and Tommy connected, and it looked like they might get together. But now it’s about how Tommy has improved himself over the years.
Say what you want about Moy’s writing, but in the past, she seemed to plan her stories, with a beginning, middle, and end. This is make it up one panel at a time.
Anonymous
June 28th, 2026 at 8:45 am Reply
MW- “Anyone can improve with the right attitude. But remember, Dear, the shit never falls far from the Horse’s ass. Have another zucchini muffin? More lemonade?”
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Anonymous
June 29th, 2026 at 5:30 am Reply
Dennis the Menace: That isn’t mud Dennis is tracking into the house, the neighbors septic tank overflowed.
Anonymous
June 29th, 2026 at 9:06 am Reply
Wilbur is thinking: “Wait, is Dawn dating Tommy? That will make things super awkward when Iris and I get back together.”
The Rambling Otter
June 29th, 2026 at 9:13 am Reply
What bothers me, is that Dawn seems oblivious to the fact that Tommy is Iris’s son, despite Dawn knows that Wilbur and Iris had a messy falling out, because she confronted Iris about it at a dance club wearing the worst Goth(?) outfit I had ever seen.
Liam
June 29th, 2026 at 5:27 am Reply
MW-“My daughter and my dealer? Whatever do I do?”
Lauralot
June 29th, 2026 at 5:28 am Reply
MW: I know this has been asked before, but it bears repeating. Why is Tommy still at Charterstone? Did Zak move out of his mansion into a two bedroom condo? Is Iris living with Zak but still paying for her condo so Tommy can feel like a big boy? Mary’s advice to Iris during the Vicodin arc was to spend more time with Tommy, which she took to mean accompanying him everywhere, including therapy. When Iris had her thyroid plot, Zak offered to “help out” with Tommy, indicating that he still needed constant supervision. And I’m supposed to believe Iris is leaving him unmonitored? Going against Mary’s advice? That’s an offense punishable by execution in Santa Royale.
I’m Not Cthulhu, But I Play Him On TV
June 29th, 2026 at 5:30 am Reply
Mary Worth: “I’m going to the mall, Dad…Tommy and I are going to check out the Teen Dance-Offs!” Let us pause to marvel at this majestic piece of dialogue that could 100% be spoken by any young American in the year of our Lord 2026. Dawn (#1852 US girls’ name) and Tommy (#731 US boys’ name) are going to watch teen-agers dance off (sulk on their phones between rounds of Dance Dance Revolution) at the mall (closed in 2018, last recorded stores: Spencer’s and a Thai massage parlor). It’s low-key the start of a very chalant relationship, fr fr! (Or maybe it’s a skibidi relationship, who can say?)
brendancalling
June 29th, 2026 at 5:33 am Reply
@I’m Not Cthulhu, But I Play Him On TV: As a teacher, I can tell you w/some authority that “skibbidi” is out, and “6/7” is about to expire as well.
Victor Von
June 29th, 2026 at 5:49 am Reply
Mary Worth: Wilbur’s never looked better! Does wide-eyed shock take years off a man’s face, or has he been moisturizing?
Hibbleton
June 29th, 2026 at 6:41 am Reply
MW: You’d think Wilbur would make a bigger deal out of Dawn interrupting him on the toilet.
UncleJeff
June 29th, 2026 at 8:37 am Reply
MW: I think “teen dance-off” is code for “summer tryouts for pole positions at the local strip club. Recent high school grads welcome!”
Batiuk’s Attic
June 29th, 2026 at 1:59 pm Reply
I just want to say drunk Wilbur is the best Wilbur. Bring him back!
CanuckDownSouth
June 29th, 2026 at 5:37 am Reply
RMMD Wow, did the writer get teased for not noticing someone doing lip-sync recently? This is getting downright weird.
Poteet
June 29th, 2026 at 8:23 am Reply
RMMD: I now suspect I saw and heard this going on in a supermarket parking lot a few years ago, and I still don’t care.
Horace Broon
June 29th, 2026 at 9:44 am Reply
RMMD: “Why would someone in desperate need of money not take violin lessons? Sheer laziness!”
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
I speak Jive
June 29th, 2026 at 7:15 am Reply
JP – Those hot dogs look like Abbey BOILED them, and she’s serving them with ketchup. The only dinner that would be tackier would be a pyramid of containers of McDonald’s sandwiches.
Guillermo el chiclero
June 29th, 2026 at 10:20 am Reply
FC: Mommy, every time Billy plays with his wiener it gets bigger. Will that work on me if I rub my whole body with vaseline?
Rover Berkeley
June 29th, 2026 at 9:21 am Reply
H & L: That would be “UNalienable right”, Mr. Flagston. Or didn’t you read the 250-year-old document?
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
TheDiva
June 30th, 2026 at 5:18 am Reply
RMMD: Oh, give it a rest, already! Wasn’t there anyone else at the grocery you can feel superior to for a minute? A person buying soda with food stamps, or maybe a sweet old lady who talked a little too long with the cashier about her grandchildren?
Little Guy
June 30th, 2026 at 5:39 am Reply
RMMD: On the one hand, this could be a setup, like mentioned before, that the Overlook Twins are playing with background music, or that the music is from a family member who needs the food and medicine. But since June can never be wrong, I’m going to go with Beatty never getting over wasting money on that Milli Vanilli cassette tape.
Liam
June 30th, 2026 at 6:13 am Reply
RMMD-“Let’s turn around and run them down.”
Horace Broon
June 30th, 2026 at 10:09 am Reply
RMMD: “Some would say that those girls don’t deserve to die of whatever they need medicine for just because neither of them can actually play the violin. Those people also deserve to die for being weak.”
(Of course, as I think I’ve noted before, because there is literally no such thing as a shade of grey in the Rexiverse, the fact June has identified these girls as liars and scammers automatically means that they are also lying about needing medicine. You can’t be a liar and be telling the truth, that’s like Epimenides’s paradox or something!)
CanuckDownSouth
June 30th, 2026 at 5:30 am Reply
MW “Well, too bad, young lady! With teen hangout malls back in action, we are slipping back to your adolescent years and I’m in charge – now go to your room and update your MySpace if you want to communicate with friends!”
Lauralot
June 30th, 2026 at 5:35 am Reply
MW: Of course Wilbur refuses to believe in self-improvement. This is like the time he saw Zak and Iris working out and had to cope by imagining Zak as an evil Grape Ape. People can’t change! If they could, how would he justify his endearing quirks?!
Professor Well Actually
June 30th, 2026 at 7:01 am Reply
MW: it seems Wilbur is unaware of the fact he is an unredeemed piece of shit asshole.
cheech wizard
June 30th, 2026 at 7:59 am Reply
MW – Wilbur can’t believe that Tommy’s gotten clean. However, he can suspect that Dawn might be smoking crack.
Doc Wonmug
June 30th, 2026 at 5:53 am Reply
There’s a 100% probability that the Dick Tracy artist has drawn Fritz Ann naked many times.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
The Quiet Man
July 1st, 2026 at 4:46 am Reply
GT: ‘I thought it was because I’m the White Male Protagonist. Didn’t I just solve the illegal immigration/mass deportation issue forever? Just in time for Prom too!’
MKay
July 1st, 2026 at 4:44 am Reply
GT: Ask any Cleveland sports fan; “We’ll do better next time” is NOT a template you want to use for marriage(s).
RMMD: So, the “scam” is, “Not only am I not really playing this violin, but I’m also NOT using your 75 cents for medicine?” Hardly worth that sneer.
Ken
July 1st, 2026 at 4:59 am Reply
RMMD: At this point the only explanation is that a busker ran over Beatty’s dog.
Ken
July 1st, 2026 at 7:04 am Reply
RMMD: This must be the setup for what Comics Kingdom persists in describing as “tackling contemporary and contentious healthcare issues with sensitivity and intelligence.” One of these two will be hit by a car. Rex has to operate — but recognizes the patient once pretended to play the violin. How will Rex resolve this moral dilemma?
A. Mulyak
July 1st, 2026 at 7:38 am Reply
@Ken: Or, as Shorty and the Beanpole would doubtless say:
“Doctor! Will I be able to play the violin after this operation?”
“Certainly.”
“Great, because I never could before!”
TheDiva
July 1st, 2026 at 4:57 am Reply
RMMD: Yes, getting the loose change in June’s wallet (approximately 78 cents, plus a ten peso piece that managed to get in there somehow) would have been the crowning achievement of your life of larceny.
Jesus Hosea Christ, but the smug, self-righteous superiority of this whole setup makes me want to throw things. Of course the busking violinist is only pretending to play her music. Of course this means they’re probably lying about everything else, including the need to pay their medical bills. Of course they are comically, sneeringly evil about the whole pretense and enjoy the thought of fooling the good, honest people of the town. Of course this means that they (and by extension all transients) are not to be trusted or given money for any reason, because they are criminals and leeches who deserve no empathy or kindness or any acknowledgement that they are fellow human beings sharing this brief, unpredictable and often painful journey through existence as we know it, only the haughty contempt of Good People like June and Sarah. Of course.
Little Guy
July 1st, 2026 at 4:29 am Reply
RMMD: Beatty: “Damn the interesting plotlines! They’re scammers! June is never wrong!”
A Grave Mind
July 1st, 2026 at 4:29 am Reply
Egad! Why could the creepy twins want to scam June out of her precious 37 cents? Unless they were…her ENEMIES!
Don’t worry folks, no need to get excited, this is all gonna end up at a Truck concert, with, I dunno, Augie there too?
Hibbleton
July 1st, 2026 at 4:46 am Reply
RMMD: The Morgans are the Mount Everest of donating in the world of panhandlers. Getting June or Rex to toss a few dimes into their hat guarantees the girls a photo and front page headline in the Hobo News.
Her Father, John Darling
July 1st, 2026 at 7:10 am Reply
RMMD. I know this is a family friendly comic strip and all but I can’t help but think that two attractive young red-headed female twins with no apparent scruples could earn a quick buck a lot easier by miming something else.
UncleJeff
July 1st, 2026 at 7:35 am Reply
@Her Father, John Darling: You missed the arc from several years ago where the Morgans got the local strip club closed…not because of the First Amendment protected content…but because one of the dancers asked Rex to leave something on the rail.
Little Guy
July 1st, 2026 at 4:34 am Reply
RMMD: Hey, when Mud was faking his crapfest in the bathroom, wasn’t he scamming? And using music as a pretext?
I speak Jive
July 1st, 2026 at 7:03 am Reply
Rex Morgan – This could have been a story about the high cost of medical care destroying lives, with a lesson in compassion and helping our neighbors. But, NOOOOO, June was immediately suspicious because -Gasp! Horrors! – the busker was faking playing her violin. Now, in the most anvilicious way possible, Beatty drops the development that the girls are evil scammers. Beatty now joins Batiuk in the Fuck You Club, as in, fuck you, Beatty.
Bob Tice
July 1st, 2026 at 4:37 am Reply
RMMD:
I haven’t seen a sneer like the one displayed in the first panel since Snidely Whiplash last appeared in Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties.
Ettorre
July 1st, 2026 at 6:43 am Reply
“Have you considered that pan-handlers are not just lazy and scammy, but actively conspiring to hurt you?” is the platonic ideal of bourgeois respectability
Tabby Lavalamp
July 1st, 2026 at 7:53 am Reply
This is a comic that used to give us Rene Belluso, and now the biggest scam they can give us is a pair of twins who are pretending to be buskers? I mean sure, buskers are famously wealthy and… Hold on. *scamming you by pretending to get a note handed to me* This just in, I hope those twins enjoy the gum they’ll be able to buy from the money they pull in.
Jerp
July 1st, 2026 at 7:57 am Reply
Those twins can’t be that evil if their idea of scamming is wearing modest clothing and pretending to play the violin instead of starting a Doublemint Gum themed OnlyFans.
Twat Edwards
July 1st, 2026 at 7:41 am Reply
June Morgan is a twat.
Ukranazi Stepan
July 1st, 2026 at 4:38 am Reply
Wrecks Moregone:
“And it wouldn’t have been any crime after their clinic’s negligence crippled mum and put us to busking in the street!”
__________________________________________
Wary Morth:
“Like the love affair Fabiana sold you for an emerald?”
Activist
July 1st, 2026 at 5:02 am Reply
MW: Daddy Wilbur drinks from Hello Kitty. Another of his endearing qualities.
Little Blue Bicycle
July 1st, 2026 at 7:15 am Reply
MW: I’m pretty sure that Karen Moy didn’t specify a Hello Kitty cup for Wilbur, so is this June Brigman quietly telling us that she knows he’s a ridiculous manchild? A cry for help? An ode to her favorite cup? A job application?
brendancalling
July 1st, 2026 at 7:27 am Reply
MW: I hope this ends with both Dawn AMD Wilbur addicted to meth.
taig
July 1st, 2026 at 10:18 am Reply
MW: Unfortunately, Dawn’s goldfish-like memory prevents her from asking Wilbur if he’s always going to be a drunken loser, based on his premise.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
I speak Jive
July 1st, 2026 at 7:03 am Reply
Frazz – Add cable TV to the long list of things Frazz is superior to.
But What Do I Know?
July 2nd, 2026 at 5:18 am Reply
MW — “I won’t be lured into addiction by Tommy Beedie. He’s harmless. Unlike the guys running my social media, who have me so hooked I can’t look up from my phone.”
DZ Hill
July 2nd, 2026 at 5:40 am Reply
Wilbur day-drinking sake from one of his hoarder’s collection of Hello Kitty mugs… what right does he have to talk about pernicious addictions?
cheech wizard
July 2nd, 2026 at 7:28 am Reply
MW – Wilbur isn’t worried that Tommy will lead Dawn into drug use. He’s afraid that Iris may have told him about some of Wilbur’s “eccentricities” that might reach Dawn’s ears.
ectojazzmage
July 2nd, 2026 at 7:52 am Reply
Mary Worth: I saw people mention yesterday how Wilbur seemingly never met Tommy while he was dating Tommy’s supposed own mother, and in fact, never gave any indication prior to this that he even knew Tommy existed. So where is all this frothing, self-righteous outrage about Tommy’s sordid past coming from? Why does he give a shit now? He didn’t care the first time Dawn met Tommy way back.
In any case, Dawn is right to channel only the bare minimum into this conversation. It’s probably the first smart thing I’ve seen her do.
I speak Jive
July 2nd, 2026 at 7:37 am Reply
Mary Worth – Oh, sure, it would be okay if he was a mayonnaise addict.
Re the Hello Kitty mug – remember several years ago when a man in a bar had a My Little Pony tattoo? I don’t remember the details, but I think it was shortly after June Brigman took over drawing MW.
Bob Tice
July 2nd, 2026 at 4:32 am Reply
Pluggers:
No skin, and not a, um, “crevice” exposed there. I call fake.
Tabby Lavalamp
July 2nd, 2026 at 6:03 am Reply
That plugger is definitely talking to a New York Times reporter, isn’t he?
Ettorre
July 2nd, 2026 at 4:37 am Reply
Pluggers don’t have regular hangovers. The trick is to keep drinking
Hibbleton
July 2nd, 2026 at 4:41 am Reply
An engineer Plugger rationalizes that his ass ain’t too big. It’s the stool that’s too small.
Uncle Lumpy
July 2nd, 2026 at 4:45 am Reply
@Hibbleton:
“… his ass ain’t too big. It’s the stool that’s too small.”
Not going there. There is a line, and I finally figured out where it is.
Gloria Swanson’s Frozen Dinners
July 2nd, 2026 at 5:24 am Reply
@Hibbleton: I’m not big. It’s the stools that got small.
All right, Mr. McKee, I’m ready for my close-up.
Maltmash3r
July 2nd, 2026 at 9:54 am Reply
How the hell does “pluggers” work?
Does someone write a note “pluggers are so fat, their ass ‘hangs over’ the diner stool”?
Or do they send a little sketch withe note ” now make it look funnier”?
Either way, it’s their faithful readers who selling pluggers short.
That, and the artist is getting paid not to come up with their own jokes.
Voshkod
July 2nd, 2026 at 7:12 am Reply
[Richard Attenborough voice] “The ass glacier slowly but inexorably advances across the stool, wiping out the local flora and fauna, but seeding the land with new life and gasses.”
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
TheDiva
July 2nd, 2026 at 4:52 am Reply
Dustin: “I mean, I’m okay with them knowing my location, viewing habits, political views, and medical history, but THIS is just too damn intrusive!”
RMMD: Great, so six bucks and an expired coupon for a dollar off when you buy three or more Hungry Man dinners?
Lauralot
July 3rd, 2026 at 4:57 am Reply
MW: I was going to make a comment about how Wilbur still routinely fantasizes about Iris, the character closest to Tommy than any other, but I’m too distracted by Dawn’s sudden shift into a Picasso painting.
MKay
July 3rd, 2026 at 5:17 am Reply
MW: If Wilbur has ever cooked potatoes, then I’m Miss Universe.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Liam
July 3rd, 2026 at 4:33 am Reply
FC-Dolly learned how to eat hot dogs by watching Mommy.
JP-Suddenly I have this urge for melons.
Schroduck
July 3rd, 2026 at 5:11 am Reply
JP: After years of being bogged down in endless CIA drama, I’m glad we’re finally getting back to the core of what Judge Parker is all about – rich, well-connected people getting handed success on a platter, and young blonde women showing off their breasts for no particular reason.
The Rambling Otter
July 3rd, 2026 at 5:37 am Reply
This is the moment where Sophie turns around to do something, then when she turns back, Charlotte is suddenly in her 30’s right?
Voshkod
July 3rd, 2026 at 5:40 am Reply
“My Father liked noir movies because of the leggy dames. He was a simple guy at heart.”
Hibbleton
July 3rd, 2026 at 4:48 am Reply
JP: It’s perfectly understandable, given her surroundings, that a child Charlotte’s age would believe that a woman’s IQ is inversely proportional to her boob size.
CS: Ed sees the rusted out remains of the repurposed schoolbus that Dinkle drove into the lake and says; “Hey, that’s my gig.”
cheech wizard
July 3rd, 2026 at 4:58 am Reply
Shaft – “Like I’ve always said, my father died peacefully in his sleep, not screaming in terror like his passengers.”
ectojazzmage
July 3rd, 2026 at 5:16 am Reply
Crankshaft: “It’s how my old man always wanted to go: screaming as his vehicle careened off the road and crashed into a lake where he began seizing from a massive heart attack, spending his final moments in a mixture of agony and horror. It’s so poignant.”
Special Scrotal Awards to the Best No. 69 and Beyond of the Week
69. Artist formerly known as Ben
June 27th, 2026 at 10:45 am Reply
BB: The only other condition is that Beetle has to wear the rugby shirt that Sarge tried to give his nephew, and which said nephew sent back.
MG&G: Will the school believe that a dead dog is on the phone talking to them? Well, by most belief systems, a live dog shouldn’t be talking to them either. Maybe, bordering on madness.
69. Guy Nerdlinger
June 28th, 2026 at 8:59 am Reply
Luann I guess she doesn’t shop at Trader Joes — “Hi, didja find everything you were looking for? Great, great! How’s your day going so far? Great, great! Whatcha got planned for today? That sounds great! Oh, you’re buying these, these are really good, have you tried the strawberry and guava version? They’re great too! Do you need bags? Oh you brought your own, great! Okay, that’ll be 97.56, do you need any help out? Great, great! Have a nice day!”
Special Scrotal Awards to the Best No. 69 and Beyond of the Week
69. cheech wizard
June 30th, 2026 at 7:49 am Reply
DT – So “Gaming machines” is an euphemism for “mechanized sex toys?” She looks absolutely gleeful thinking about what she’s going to do to Sam with these things.
Thanks Scratchy! :3
Congrats to CanuckDownSouth, and a thank you to Scratchy!
Thanks Josh and Scratchy!
I… wait… whaaa?!?!!
Thanks Josh and Scratchy!
Congratulations, CanuckDownSouth! Thanks, Josh and Scratchy!
Shadow COTW Contenders, Part 1
BigTed
June 27th, 2026 at 4:50 am Reply
Mary Worth: “Tommy’s self-esteem is really low. I mean, he’s placing the generic cereal boxes on the higher shelves, and the more expensive name-brand ones at the bottom. That goes against decades of carefully researched grocery-store shelving science, and is clearly the sign of a sick mind!”
But What Do I Know?
June 27th, 2026 at 4:57 am Reply
Mother Goose & Grimm: “What should I do?’
“Call in dead.”
“That’s terrible advice!”
“Well, who do I look like, Mary Worth?”
“Kinda.”
Ukranazi Stepan
June 27th, 2026 at 5:16 am Reply
Wary Morth: For a wild moment I thought it was “Tommy can go down on himself”.
Bob Tice
June 27th, 2026 at 5:33 am Reply
A little-known factoid is that Mary Worth herself was one of the original Spice Girls. She was the only Spice Girl to have two distinct (and alliterative) sobriquets: “Meddlesome” Spice and “Malodorous” Spice.
MKay
June 27th, 2026 at 5:38 am Reply
Dennis the Menace: Hard to believe that the Mitchells still aren’t on the citywide Do Not Visit list.
Anonymous
June 27th, 2026 at 7:18 am Reply
Dennis the Menace: “Sorry we have to cancel the orgy. It’s not because you’re Black it’s because our son is an insufferable shit.”
Tabby Lavalamp
June 27th, 2026 at 7:53 am Reply
Andy Capp:
Well, you can tell by the way he uses his walk,
He’s a drunken man, no time to talk.
The music loud and the beer is warm, he’s been kicked around since he was born.
And now it’s alright, it’s okay and we may look the other way.
But we can try to understand this comic strip’s effect on man.
Whether he’s a drunkard or whether he’s a bother, he’s Andy Cappin’, he’s Andy Cappin’.
Hannibal’s Lectern
June 27th, 2026 at 9:03 am Reply
Dennis the Meanass: Actually, Dennis is planning to go to his room and read a comic book. His parents are just saying this to get rid of those pesky Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Who’s menacing now?
Liam
June 27th, 2026 at 12:54 pm Reply
Mary Worth: Poor Tommy. He could have been Chief Table Wiper at Weeineworld.
Pozzo
June 28th, 2026 at 4:43 am Reply
Pluggers: So, when bears hibernate do they…I don’t know…hibernate extra hard on Sundays?
Bob Tice
June 28th, 2026 at 4:55 am Reply
Pluggers: You’re a plugger when you think that a green pattern armchair with a pink throw pillow against a blue wall, illuminated by a lamp with a polka-dot base and a white shade, is the epitome of interior design fashion.
Ukranazi Stepan
June 28th, 2026 at 4:58 am Reply
Wrecks Moregone: “Yes, they’re those entitled Morgans who think everyone should give them money. You know, the ones whose negligence wrecked Mum’s health and forced us to try and earn money by pretending to play music in the street.”
Hibbleton
June 28th, 2026 at 6:41 am Reply
Mary Worth: Dawn’s eyes show apprehension as Mary attempts to drink her fourth Arnold Palmer lemon slice first.
Joe Blevins
June 28th, 2026 at 8:11 am Reply
Pluggers: You know those occasional news stories about people who remain stationary so long that they fuse with their couches? Pluggers see those as aspirational.
Tabby Lavalamp
June 28th, 2026 at 8:59 am Reply
Pluggers aren’t comfortable unless their feet are bent at unnatural angles when crossed over each other. Try to replicate those angles and attempt to doze off. If you can do so, you are a plugger and the witch hunters are on their way.
Glod Glodsson
June 28th, 2026 at 10:03 am Reply
Pluggers: That’s not just a hideous beast-man. That’s a hideous beast-man with three legs. Look at the two red-spotted sock heels, perfectly aligned. Look at the angle of the bent leg, far too acute to lead to the second foot (paw?). Not just a hideous beast man, but a freakish hideous beast-man. Actually, I admire the body-positivity on display here: freakish hideous beast-men are pluggers, too.
GarrisonSkunk
June 28th, 2026 at 8:23 pm Reply
Phantom: Five minutes later, the AI’s hallucinatory math has it launching an attack on where it assumes the Python to be hiding out: Branson, Missouri.
oldgold
June 29th, 2026 at 5:12 am Reply
Judge Parker: The wealthy Abby Spencer knows how to throw a welcoming home dinner – hot dogs with no sides.
brendancalling
June 29th, 2026 at 5:31 am Reply
Crankshaft: I don’t understand why there’s suddenly this audience for Hairy Dingus, including a super-smug looking Crankshaft. Where did they come from? For the past several days, Dingus has been in his house reading his dad’s diary. Is he leading a parade of old people somewhere? Is he like the Pied Piper, except they’re all going to the cancer and amputation wards?
Victor Von
June 29th, 2026 at 5:49 am Reply
Mary Worth: Wilbur’s never looked better! Does wide-eyed shock take years off a man’s face, or has he been moisturizing?
Ettorre
June 29th, 2026 at 7:07 am Reply
Mary Worth: “Dad, I am going to the mall to check out the teens dance off!”
“Good idea! Just remember not to stare for too long and be discreet when taking pictures, trust me, I know!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Didn’t you say you want to check out teens?”
Anonymous
June 29th, 2026 at 9:06 am Reply
Mary Worth: Wilbur is thinking: “Wait, is Dawn dating Tommy? That will make things super awkward when Iris and I get back together.”
Shadow COTW Contenders, Part 2
Ukranazi Stepan
June 30th, 2026 at 4:30 am Reply
Wary Morth:
Dusk: “Its not as though he’s a crazed murderous psycho. Once a crazed murderous psycho, always a crazed murderous psycho!”
Wilbur: “That reminds me, I invited Belle Batsfrey to come for another visit today.”
Hibbleton
June 30th, 2026 at 4:47 am Reply
Dennis the Menace: “The Young and the Restless” are now “The Old and the Sedentary,” i. e. Pluggers.
TheDiva
June 30th, 2026 at 5:18 am Reply
Luann: Everyone around Bernice is living their best live. The sad thing is, so is Bernice.
CanuckDownSouth
June 30th, 2026 at 5:30 am Reply
Mark Trail: Most of the totally I swear they exist – despite the internet’s denial – they’re as common as Humane Society branches! – gorilla sanctuaries have good intentions, housing the many, many gorillas taken in from bad situations because loads of people are secretly keeping them as pets. Why, there’s probably a gorilla in your neighbourhood, folks! Have you looked closely at your neighbour mowing the lawn lately?
Hibbleton
June 30th, 2026 at 6:28 am Reply
Mary Worth: Dawn knows her dad’s anger is only about six on the Wilbur rage scale. He said ‘Tommy’ and not Thomas. It’s only at about level eight that he starts pushing people off of sidewalks into oncoming traffic.
cheech wizard
June 30th, 2026 at 7:49 am Reply
Dick Tracy: So “Gaming machines” is an euphemism for “mechanized sex toys?” She looks absolutely gleeful thinking about what she’s going to do to Sam with these things.
Abram Beazer
June 30th, 2026 at 10:48 am Reply
Dennis the Menace: You can tell Dennis and Mrs. Wilson are real homies because they have matching elbow tattoos.
Artist formerly known as Ben
June 30th, 2026 at 1:16 pm Reply
Dennis the Menace: Since most soap operas have been cancelled, Martha Wilson tries to recreate the old thrill with C-SPAN, but it’s just not the same.
Artist formerly known as Ben
June 30th, 2026 at 1:16 pm Reply
Dick Tracy: QX™ has gone into the video game console market after establishing themselves in the world of high value Scrabble tiles.
2+2=7
June 30th, 2026 at 2:32 pm Reply
Rex Morgan: So the “medical plot” in this arc is Rex performing emergency surgery to extract the gigantic bug that had somehow lodged up June’s ass?
A Grave Mind
July 1st, 2026 at 4:34 am Reply
BC: It’s because they don’t have souls, Red-Headed Caveman Guy! All your beloved pets pass into total oblivion when they die! There, you went and made it deep. Way to ruin a perfectly good day of rock leanin’ and starin’!
A Grave Mind
July 1st, 2026 at 4:36 am Reply
Look at Heathcliff. There is a guy who found the stash of quality shit, and nothing enhances the taste of ham quite like cat feet and sidewalk. It’s a good day, friends.
MKay
July 1st, 2026 at 4:44 am Reply
Mary Worth: There should be a law, an actual law, that forbids people from giving advice, based on the stupidity level of their past decisions.
Basil Wishbone
July 1st, 2026 at 5:01 am Reply
BC: The lore of ghost animals is really quite extensive, especially dogs and cats. As for viruses and bacteria… maybe you need a ghost microscope?
TheDiva
July 1st, 2026 at 5:15 am Reply
Mary Worth: Oh SHUT UP, Mister “Belle is a really nice gal, I’m sure once you take the time to get to know her she’ll stop trying to kill you!”
I’m Not Cthulhu, But I Play Him On TV
July 1st, 2026 at 5:28 am Reply
Rex Morgan: CHILDREN OF THE CORN, EXCEPT IT’S CHILDREN OF RENE BELLUSO (THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS SECRETLY BALD AND WEARS A WIG)
Hibbleton
July 1st, 2026 at 6:01 am Reply
Rex Morgan: Deep in sleep, Truck Tyler has the recurring nightmare of his illegitimate twins begging on a street corner holding instruments they can’t play while “Glenwood Motel” plays in the background.*
*This comment inspired by Sonja Hobbs
pugfuggly
July 2nd, 2026 at 4:41 am Reply
Mary Worth: “I wont be lured into addiction by Tommy Beedie! He’s cute and all but definitely not to get me into hard drugs. It would take a solid Pedro Pascal level hunk for me to even snort anything…”
Uncle Lumpy
July 2nd, 2026 at 4:44 am Reply
Hägar the Horrible: Hang around this blog for a couple decades and you start to figure out the Vikings were not nice folks.
nescio
July 2nd, 2026 at 4:44 am Reply
You’re a Plugger if you’re voted the winner of Fat Bear Week. And an alcoholic.
Peanut Gallery
July 2nd, 2026 at 5:19 am Reply
Hägar the Horrible: “I hope she comes home with a swineherd or something. Farmers tend to be tough and stringy.”
Voshkod
July 2nd, 2026 at 7:12 am Reply
Pluggers: [Richard Attenborough voice] “The ass glacier slowly but inexorably advances across the stool, wiping out the local flora and fauna, but seeding the land with new life and gasses.”
Artist formerly known as Ben
July 2nd, 2026 at 2:51 pm Reply
Mark Trail: Yes, it takes a special kind of diabolical mastermind to hide your criminal intentions behind something as inconspicuous as a gorilla sanctuary.
Ken
July 3rd, 2026 at 4:43 am Reply
Crankshaft: Yeah, my life motto is now “I want to die an utter failure, like a noir hero!”
Hibbleton
July 3rd, 2026 at 4:48 am Reply
Judge Parker: It’s perfectly understandable, given her surroundings, that a child Charlotte’s age would believe that a woman’s IQ is inversely proportional to her boob size.
Lauralot
July 3rd, 2026 at 4:57 am Reply
Mary Worth: I was going to make a comment about how Wilbur still routinely fantasizes about Iris, the character closest to Tommy than any other, but I’m too distracted by Dawn’s sudden shift into a Picasso painting.
Ukranazi Stepan
July 3rd, 2026 at 5:04 am Reply
Murky Tail: Tell Gail Trail the cheque’s not in the mail, hail a cab and bail or the scam will fail, and she’ll either be run out of town on a rail or hand in her dinner pail.
Shadow COTW
——————
The Quiet Man
July 3rd, 2026 at 5:02 am Reply
Phantom: ‘If that’s your actual voice, why does it sound like Ethel Merman?’
Congrats, CDS.
Thanks, Wary.
Thanks to Baja and Scratchy. Further beret tips to TheDiva, Horace Broon, I’m Not Cthulhu, but I Play Him on TV, nescio, 2 + 2 = 7, and Ukranazi Stepan.
Thanks to Scratchy and Baja, and a throwing of the horns to CanuckDownSouth, the Float, and all named. The Gravemind sees Chip Cayer, Lauralot, Big Ted, and Navigator. That’s more than three, but screw rules!
Thanks, Scratchy and Baja!
Thanks, Scratchy and Baja.
Well! Snubbed by Groucho, Harpo, AND Zeppo! Excuse me while I go drink Prussic acid.
(It’s because I recommended The Passionate Epicure, isn’t it? Lousy stinking Gallophobes…)
Much appreciated, Scratchy!
@Ukulele Ike: Whoops. Sorry, dude. I usually like to spread the cheer. So which one am I?
@Tabby Lavalamp: HAR! Some of us Yanks celebrate by being grateful our roof is wet from morning rain so our neighbors’ fireworks can’t set it alight. Also, congratulations on all your recognition this week, you were on a roll.
Thanks, Baja, and thanks for the two-fer, Scratchy!
Thanks, Scratchy and Baja!
@Tabby Lavalamp: Hamburgers and guns are America’s two most favorite things. And barbecue. Fishin’ is also good. Oh, and lynchings.
@Tabby Lavalamp: As a youngster I read Dave Barry’s stuff and he summarized US patriotic festivities as Americans celebrating the founding of their country by blowing up a small piece of it. And, uh, by the prevalence of oh-so-wholesome-we-support-local-nonprofits “TNT” parking lot tent stores, it’s pretty accurate. I note the one by our local Walmart lists its hours as till 11PM on July 4, in case you have an emergency need for sparkle or bang products(:
@Ukulele Ike: Well! Snubbed by Groucho, Harpo, AND Zeppo!
Tell us about it. We’ve lost count of the number of consecutive weeks we’ve been snubbed.
Forgetting to post anything for, well we’ve lost count of that too, might have something to do with it.
Kudos to Canuck Down South, I appreciate the scrotes from Scratchy, thanks to our host and Baja, and I applaud all named.
@nescio: It’s German for “The Crankshaft, The”!
Congrats to the winners and mentionees and thank you, Scratchy and Baja!
Thank you Baja and Scratchy.
@The Breathtaking Bonehead Brothers: When Gummo stops returning your agent’s calls, that’s a signal.
@Scratchy Scrotum LXIX:
Would’ve pegged for Chico, how did he get left out? Zeppo was basically Shemp!
Thanks for the mention, Scratchy!
One thing’s for sure, this group loves moisturizing!
Thanks for noticing me Senpai Josh, Ben, Scratchy, and Gaijin!
Congrats to the Canuck! Sophie and her Gnawin’ Mug will retain a place of honor in my memories!
@nescio: The Crankshaft, thee?