Metapost: It’s that time of week again (comment time)
Post Content
Welp, looks like another Friday has come and, in a few hours, will be gone. But we can’t let it pass without acknowledging the delightful comments of the week.
“I’m not sure which is funnier, the idea of Mary Worth having the fraud site memorized and ready to go at all times, or the idea of her memorizing it in a frenzy just before visiting Harvey. ‘Okay, report dash fraud dash FT — wait, no, report dot fraud dash — run it by me again one more time, Toby?’ –Austria
The runners up also make this day great, because they’re so funny:
“It’s to provide Sarge with a cover story. ‘I was … looking at porn! Drowning in mozzarella is a phrase the kids use now!’ Because that’s somehow, some way, less shameful than dreaming about pizza like a goddamn five-year-old.” –A Grave Mind
“The impending drama depends on where Scruffy McScrufface emerges after his incredible leap. If it’s Cambodia, he’ll have a helluva time trying to get out of the region. If it’s Charterstone, it will be even worse.” –Scratchy Scrotum LXIX
“Sarge was sleeping in that position because he’ll be damned if acid reflux will keep him from eating in bed.” –Tabby Lavalamp
“Pluggers haven’t noticed that the IRS stopped taking manually filled in paper forms because God hasn’t granted them the serenity to accept that things change.” –nescio
“March Madness for pluggers is when they come out of hibernation and their annual hormonal heat cycle kicks in, and they spend one month fighting other males and furiously rutting with any equally hormonal mate who comes within sniffing distance, before heading out to find a den and mark new territory.” –Schroduck
“I think Mary might be quite literally be talking about ‘backup’ here. Tomorrow the Santa Royale police will roll up and take poor Harney to jail for being stupid. Not really constitutional but the police chief just loves Mary’s muffins.” –pugfuggly
“Good to see Judge Parker getting back to uncut ‘Idle rich people on their vast estates whine about how their every desire is not satisfied.’” –matt w
“In all seriousness, I think Mary’s going to bring in Widower Hart’s daughter (Sharon? Barbara? Something like that). Somehow this will lead to a reconciliation between her and her father, and not with her having him declared mentally incompetent and shipped to a home while she gets power of attorney over his apparently vast fortune.” –TheDiva
“The only possible backup that Mary would consider is Mary herself. Time to head down to the basement lab and decant a couple more of the clones. Coming next week, the rebrand to Marys Worth.” –Dmsilev
“Troy and Hank came up through the ranks together. Matriculated at Juilliard. Got good notices as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They had big dreams when they began auditioning. But ya gotta work, and sometimes you take the gig that’s offered. Now Troy gets sweet residuals off all those toilet paper commercials, while Hank is scraping by as a regular on a one-panel strip, where he dons heavy makeup to play old and his character is married to a chicken or a kangaroo or something. They don’t have much in common anymore, and they’ll never be the friends they once were. Sad, really.” –Vice President John Adams
“Now, note that under infrared light we can see the alien parasite coiled in the chest of this young man. We turn the light off, and all is normal. Light on, and again the horrid visage of the parasite appears. Save him? Oh, no. We intend to witness the emergence of the beast during the 2 o’clock showing of Supergirl. It’s for science.” –Voshkod
“Look, pal, you’re in the wrong house. Pluggers don’t enjoy anything.” –Violet
“A character from a comic entirely devoted to bland innuendo sprained his finger on a date, and they’re just not going anywhere with that? Do your job or go home, Luann!” –Dan
“‘People have limits on which illusions they will accept.’ The parrots consuming the salad are the visual and parrotative metaphor of Toby’s literal word salad.” –Braxwell Brontë
“I appreciate that the artist has taken pains to give each parrot its own distinct plumage. But I am somewhat less appreciative of the way in which Mary and Toby have each been given their own distinctly improbable way of holding a cell phone.” –Guts Dozier
“Boys! No need to quarrel! You’re both unlikable in your own way.” –Victor Von
“Cookie, that’s not a compliment. It’s just … a fact. A fact about his dating life. Do you respond to all facts this way? ‘I’m five foot ten.’ Aww, sweet! ‘It’s going to rain tomorrow.’ You’re so nice! ‘The body was found in an advanced state of decomposition.’ I’m blushing!” –els
“What could Leroy and Loretta possibly have affixed to the front of their refrigerator? It’s not pictures of their non-existent kids, and I doubt if it’s ‘Hang In There Baby; Friday’s Coming’ memes. Divorce lawyer phone numbers? Funeral home ads?” –Pozzo
“Come on, Loretta: Why would you go to all the fuss of building an improvised explosive device? It’s a Le Creuset, probably weighs more than a Buick, just drop it on him!” –I’m Not Cthulhu, But I Play Him On TV
“‘Hah, good one!’ is what you’d say to your 4-year-old nephew who just botched a knock-knock joke. Mae Mae has been cloistered from reality for too long.” –Old School Allie Cat
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22 replies to “Metapost: It’s that time of week again (comment time)”
Oh my gosh – WHAT?! I’ve been having a terrible day and this just made it better. Thank you, Josh!!
Congratulations to Scratchy McScroteface and all the other float riders, even the winner Austria.
Great to be back on the float! Missed you guys. :)
Great stuff, and Voshkudos to Austria, Schroduck, Vice President John Adams (Voshkudo with Oak Leaf Clusters), and Braxwell Brontë.
Congratulations, Austria, and the Floaters (thanks, Josh and Ms. Fawker), and the future Shadowers, and the Scroters:
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Ken
March 28th, 2026 at 5:21 am Reply
RMMD: It’s strange to realize, although this conversation seems to be dragging on forever, in strip time the second customer hasn’t even finished his cup of coffee.
Liam
March 28th, 2026 at 6:01 am Reply
RMMD-Eh. Bad waitresses all look alike.
MW-Mary made a tuna Muffin casserole.
TK
March 28th, 2026 at 11:03 am Reply
The scammer / inmate looks up “‘hmmm…was that a tuna casserole that just got chucked over the wall’”?
BigTed
March 28th, 2026 at 4:38 am Reply
Mary Worth: Just wait until it turns out that this scammers’ prison is located on the vast grounds of the Charterstone Condominium Complex in Santa Royale, California. Wilbur, you scoundrel!
NobodyImportant
March 28th, 2026 at 4:49 am Reply
Scams sourced to human trafficking are typically endemic to the poorer corners of the globe, but given the architecture, the greenery, the ethnicity of unfortunate Trixie, and the limited capabilities of this storyline’s protagonists to go globe-trotting, I’m beginning to suspect that it will turn out that this hellish prison complex is located about three blocks away, on the Bad Side of Town.
The Rambling Otter
March 28th, 2026 at 5:29 am Reply
I misread today’s Mary Worth and thought that the money that “Trixie” grifted was put to use to build a giant wall, to keep him in. Which only made it seem even more depressing.
Lauralot
March 28th, 2026 at 5:34 am Reply
MW: So Grunge!Tommy has just been standing outside for several weeks, then? I’m beginning to think this human-trafficking scam center is inept.
Schroduck
March 28th, 2026 at 5:37 am Reply
MW: Mary doesn’t do anything by half-measures. If she thinks you might like a tuna casserole, she won’t bring you a little bit to try. She’ll bring the largest portion that will fit in her oven, carried in one of those huge thermal takeout delivery bags. Better eat it all before it spoils! (This is a joke, it’s actually already spoiled)
Hibbleton
March 28th, 2026 at 5:43 am Reply
MW: Trixie forlornly eyes the wall separating him from his beloved H___y.
Weaselboy
March 28th, 2026 at 6:55 am Reply
MW – “Mary, come in. Something’s happ…wait, did you say tuna casserole? I was hoping for salmon squares. Oh well…wait, what was I going to tell you. It seems like it was important. I’ll grab some plates and silverware while I try to remember.”
TheDiva
March 28th, 2026 at 6:09 am Reply
MW: The cuts to “Trixie” and his horrible plight bug me, because I can only foresee two ways of them playing out: 1) he will be forgotten entirely once Widower Hart sees the error of his ways or 2) Mary will somehow single-handedly bring down the entire criminal operation. I suspect the former is more likely, as it fits with the narrow, provincial perspective of the strip and characters, but the latter would have the advantage of being laughably absurd in the midst of its stupidity.
I’m Not Cthulhu, But I Play Him On TV
March 28th, 2026 at 6:40 am Reply
Honestly, if Mary Worth reduced its core functions to “shots of Mary chortling with manic and/or sociopathic glee while a resident of Charterstone and/or Dr. Jeff suffered,” I would become a #1 ultrafan. Except for the schmaltzy quotes, those would still suck.
Chance
March 28th, 2026 at 8:14 am Reply
Trixie’s going to escape and find his way to Charterstone to go live with Old Man Moneybags! It’s like a fairybook love story.
Banana Jr. 6000
March 28th, 2026 at 5:52 am Reply
MW: Yes, Mary, don’t do anything at all to help, but make a damned tuna casserole for HH so you can invite yourself over and learn the latest gossip.
Dustin: I love how Dustin, his dad, and his sister are all absolutely right, and also absolutely horrible people at the same time.
JamesBont
March 28th, 2026 at 10:35 am Reply
Dustin: “Our dad comes from an era where all you had to do is walk into the office and give a firm handshake, and you’re guaranteed a 40-year employment. Meanwhile, I have to submit hundreds of resumes on LinkedIn daily and get no responses. Enjoy your OnlyFans account after high school, because clearly the only thing you’re good at is using your mouth, you fucking bitch.”
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Little Blue Bicycle
March 28th, 2026 at 6:49 am Reply
GT: “Jim Nantz here. Great golf story in Milford today as former pro Emily Clover–you knew her as Mimi Thorp–hit a hole in one today using an outdoor barbecue spit. When asked why she used the spit, Clover said, ‘Ever try to roast a whole hog on a golf iron?’ She’s become a champion eater too.”
Ukulele Ike
March 28th, 2026 at 8:00 am Reply
GT: Barajas: “A hole-in-one is the best golf score, right? So a good golf player gets holes-in-one regularly? It’s NOT a weird fluke like being dealt a straight flush? Yeah, that’s the ticket.”
I speak Jive
March 28th, 2026 at 9:50 am Reply
FC – Daddy has to cook breakfast because Thel is sloshed again and sleeping it off. It’s too bad, because she knows how to cook dippy eggs without making the yolks rock hard.
Dr. Pill
March 28th, 2026 at 10:36 am Reply
Daddy Keane’s eggs may have crisp edges, but the yolks are undercooked so the three oldest melonheads will soon die of food poisoning.
Guillermo el chiclero
March 28th, 2026 at 11:23 am Reply
FC: Two beloved comics tropes today, men can’t cook and Mommy’s too sloshed to make breakfast.
Bob Tice
March 29th, 2026 at 4:32 am Reply
MW:
The anagram of “tuna casserole” is “scrotal unease.”
Coincidence? — I think not. Scratchy, what do you think?
BigTed
March 29th, 2026 at 4:48 am Reply
Mary Worth: So what happens when these actual scam-reporting sites suddenly get an uptick in visits from people worried that their great-grandkids might be using those newfangled dating apps? “Looks like we were mentioned in ‘Mary Worth’ today.” “Uh-oh, it’s gonna be a long couple of weeks!”
cheech wizard
March 29th, 2026 at 5:30 am Reply
MW – What would be an interesting plot development would be for “Trixie” to escape and resume fleecing the old goat all over again, only this time as an independent freelancer. But this is Mary Worth, so we’ll probably just get the guards machine-gunning him as he goes over the wall, so we can move on to a new story next week.
The Rambling Otter
March 29th, 2026 at 5:37 am Reply
MW: Sadly, this will probably end with “Trixie” escaping the facility, contacting the authorities, having the organization shut down, who in turn have to pay back all of the money that they scammed.
Harv gets all of his 200,000 back and learns NOTHING
But What Do I Know?
March 29th, 2026 at 6:04 am Reply
MW — Actually, AI is better at pig-butchering these days, so it’s likely that putting Trixie in a yard with a climbable wall to make his Leap of Faith was just the scammers’ low-effort method of getting rid of unwanted labor. To paraphrase Keirkegaard, When the people with money don’t need humans to kill or scam other humans, we’re all expendable. . . ,
Weaselboy
March 29th, 2026 at 6:09 am Reply
MW – Are we sure that quote is from Soren Kierkegaard? I thought it was Pete Townshend.
Lauralot
March 29th, 2026 at 6:13 am Reply
MW: Tomorrow: Trixie crouches on top of the wall, screaming “Sanctuary! Sanctuary!”
Tabby Lavalamp
March 29th, 2026 at 7:20 am Reply
Look at Mary memorizing URLs! She is a damned fine professional meddler, and deserves a meddler medal of some kind.
Austria
March 29th, 2026 at 7:26 am Reply
I’m not sure which is funnier, the idea of Mary Worth having the fraud site memorized and ready to go at all times, or the idea of her memorizing it in a frenzy just before visiting H*rv*y. “Okay, report dash fraud dash FT…wait, no, report dot fraud dash – run it by me again one more time, Toby?”
ectojazzmage
March 29th, 2026 at 7:47 am Reply
Mary Worth: Anyone notice that we haven’t really seen any, like, guards or such in these cutaways to “Trixie”? Why did it take Trixie so long to escape when there’s evidently nobody around preventing him from doing anything and all he has to do is jump a short wall? Starting to think he isn’t actually a slave, just a delusional employee at a local call-center.
Baja Gaijin
March 29th, 2026 at 8:06 am Reply
Mary Worth: One good thing about today’s strips is the “casserole” is wayyy in the background. It’s impossible to see the burnt dollar store tuna, the chunks of raw Splak!, and sprinkling of scorched pubic wigs as garnish.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Baja Gaijin
March 29th, 2026 at 4:39 am Reply
Judge Parker: Katherine (or Neddy, I can’t tell the difference) is gonna so cocktease Bogdan to extract information she’s looking for.
CanuckDownSouth
March 29th, 2026 at 4:45 am Reply
@Baja Gaijin: Ann – curlier hair and also calls the old judge “dad”. (If he not only married a near-twin of his daughter but also has her call him “daddy” as a pet name I do not want to know)
TheDiva
March 29th, 2026 at 7:35 am Reply
JP: Your son’s just come back from a Siberian private prison after months with no contact, and your main problem is “I don’t like the beard”? I think the alcohol is messing with your ability to prioritize, Alan.
pugfuggly
March 29th, 2026 at 4:51 am Reply
BB: The funniest part of this strip is that the pizza box seems to imply that Sarge was shoving pizza into his face to the point of passing out, literally eating himself to sleep. Wait, did I say ‘funniest’? I mean ‘saddest’.
A Grave Mind
March 29th, 2026 at 4:33 am Reply
It’s to provide Sarge with a cover story. “I was…looking at porn! ‘Drowning in mozzarella’ is a phrase the kids use now!” Because that’s somehow, some way, less shameful than dreaming about pizza like a goddamn five-year-old.
jnoble
March 29th, 2026 at 6:40 am Reply
BB: Who took the giant pizza out of the box between panel 1 and 2? And why would he drown in something that has little to no depth to it?
Boy I sure hope someone got fired for THAT blunder!
Sid, Agent to the Animal Stars!
March 29th, 2026 at 6:41 am Reply
MT: Hey Intern, I gotta prank call yesterday from some guy claiming to be Mark Trail! Said he wanted to order some “Great Basin Collard Lizards.”…. can you believe that? … so I asked if he wanted some Turnip Lizards, too. heh heh heh … he didn’t have any comeback to that.
So, anyway, I told him I didn’t have time for nonsense and to get lost … yeah,, was probably on drugs. Could you hand me the morning paper? I’d like to read the Sunday funnies…
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Ukulele Ike
March 29th, 2026 at 6:47 am Reply
SFx: Having the license plate number kinda makes all those other things superfluous.
I speak Jive
March 29th, 2026 at 7:12 am Reply
FC – My grandson sent me a balloon! I really appreciate him thinking of me. I’m going to reward him. He likes to play outside, so I’ll control the weather so he gets sunshine and no rain for the next five months. Fuck those farmers.
Ettorre
March 30th, 2026 at 5:25 am Reply
The only basketball-related madness Pluggers have is when they go ballistic trying to explain to their grandchildren that it is racist there are not more white players in the NBA
Baja Gaijin
March 30th, 2026 at 4:26 am Reply
Pluggers: Ha ha! Pluggers are too stupid to learn from the mistakes they make every year for the past half-century. Or is it, “Pluggers are too lazy to keep basic organization of receipts”? Or is it, “Pluggers are too poverty-stricken to afford 8 file folders to sort their tax records into”? I can’t seem to work “Pluggers are fat” and “Pluggers are disease-ridden meatbags” into this entry.
Banana Jr. 6000
March 30th, 2026 at 5:02 am Reply
@Baja Gaijin: My interpretation is “Pluggers pretend to be working-class when they actually have complex
inheritancesinvestments that require something behind H&R Block and a 1040EZ form.”pugfuggly
March 30th, 2026 at 4:43 am Reply
Pluggers have medical deductions out the wazoo, which reminds them: they really need toil have their wazoo looked at…
Schroduck
March 30th, 2026 at 4:54 am Reply
Pluggers: March Madness for Pluggers is when they come out of hibernation and their annual hormonal heat cycle kicks in, and they spend one month fighting other males and furiously rutting with any equally hormonal mate who comes within sniffing distance, before heading out to find a den and mark new territory.
The Rambling Otter
March 30th, 2026 at 5:06 am Reply
Pluggers: Doesn’t Gene J. Jones sound like a side-character in a superhero comic?
(Just thinking here)
Ettorre
March 30th, 2026 at 5:12 am Reply
“Gene J. Jones” is such a Stan Lee names! And he put the name of a state as the name of a city! Clearly someone who is faking his identity to cover his many, many crimes, but still feels the urge to contribute to “Pluggers”!
A Grave Mind
March 30th, 2026 at 4:29 am Reply
Today’s Pluggers makes me wonder if Indiana named a town Pennsylvania, solely for the sake of doing a bit.
Voshkod
March 30th, 2026 at 6:16 am Reply
March Madness for Pluggers is about remembering whether you file in your strawman persona or real name, where to put the purple wax seal that invalidates the power of the IRS, how to claim capital gains on your redemption account, and finding the red pen you use to cancel UCC debts. You don’t want your SovCit buddies in the militia to laugh at you, do you?
TheDiva
March 30th, 2026 at 6:52 am Reply
Pluggers: I was assuming that Pluggers, being of retirement age, shouldn’t have an overly complex tax profile. but then I remembered they’re probably working at least two jobs to supplement their meager Social Security check, as well as paying off enormous amounts of medical debt, so…yeah, this tracks.
Banana Jr. 6000
March 30th, 2026 at 7:23 am Reply
@TheDiva: Today’s strip is a good example of how Plugger is too broad a label. The “lower middle class work-until-they-die” Pluggers wouldn’t have complex tax returns. Only the “upper middle class trying to pretend they’re regular people but aren’t” Pluggers would have complex tax returns. And today’s submission is from Indiana, PA, which is a small, rural, and not especially wealthy locale. So I think Gene J. Jones just outed himself as a fake Plugger.
I eagerly await the beginning of the Plugger civil war. Hopefully with lots and lots of casualties.
matt w
March 30th, 2026 at 4:47 am Reply
Oh boy, the Mudges are learning of the delights that is Indiana, Pennsylvania! Fun fact: It is older than the state of Indiana, having already been in existence as a town when it was incorporated as a borough in 1816, the year Indiana was admitted to the union as a state. However if I’m reading the history right, the Indiana territory was organized in 1800, while the Indiana name in Pennsylvania originates with the creation of Indiana County in 1803, so the Pennsylvanians were still somewhat copying the Hoosiers. And California, Pennsylvania was absolutely a rip-off.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Professor Well Actually
March 30th, 2026 at 6:19 am Reply
Zits: will Jeremy return The Scarlet with pages stuck together?
Hibbleton
March 30th, 2026 at 4:51 am Reply
MW: The way Mary is rolling her eyes upwards as she says “you’ve been scammed,” she might as well have added “you fuckin’ asshole!” Save your self-righteous smug for your doctor boyfriend or Wilbur, Mary.
Asshole, indeed.
Lauralot
March 30th, 2026 at 5:05 am Reply
MW: It took me a good fifteen seconds to realize that “Long” was a last name as opposed to a modifier for “escapes.” And why not tell us his name from the start?
Hibbleton
March 30th, 2026 at 6:00 am Reply
MW: H___y and scammer finally meet through Mary when pornstar Johnny Lo-o-ong seeks out his favorite fluffer, Wilbur Weston.
Ken
March 30th, 2026 at 6:18 am Reply
MW: The “fraud den”? Were Moy and Brigman unable to think of anything better, or did they run out of room in the text box?
Hopefully they’ll focus on “John Long’s” escape, because Mary and Harv’s “Fraud!” “Not fraud!” routine has already worn out its welcome.
I speak Jive
March 30th, 2026 at 7:34 am Reply
FC – Jeffy: She’s worn out trying to memorize two lines of a poem? And they think I’m a moron.
PJ and Barfy: We’re the brains in this outfit.
Thel: She’s worn out, but she’ll spend all evening repeating her version of those two lines, probably saying something like “choppin’ down the bunny’s tail” over and over. Where did I put that new bottle of vodka?
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
TheDiva
March 30th, 2026 at 7:02 am Reply
Luann: Remember, kids, when someone lies to you because they’re trying to get into your pants, you should take it as a compliment!
Everything Is Better With Monkeys
March 31st, 2026 at 5:04 am Reply
JP – the first law of word balloons is that the tail needs to clearly point to the speaker… this hurts my very soul to see such an amateur mistake.
Tabby Lavalamp
March 31st, 2026 at 6:02 am Reply
Shush, young lady! Neddy’s shoulder is talking!
matt w
March 31st, 2026 at 5:34 am Reply
Good to see Judge Parker getting back to uncut “Idle rich people on their vast estates whine about how their every desire is not satisfied.”
Liam
March 31st, 2026 at 6:13 am Reply
JP-Don’t you hate it when complete strangers are riding your stud.
Philip
March 31st, 2026 at 8:33 am Reply
Judge Parker – “Bailey is letting other people ride her instead of waiting for me to return. That Whorse!”
Hibbleton
March 31st, 2026 at 5:39 am Reply
Marvin’s parents are straight up feeding him dog food. That’s it. That’s the joke
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Victor Von
March 31st, 2026 at 5:44 am Reply
THIS IS NOT A DRILL! MARY WORTH HAS ADMITTED SHE CAN’T SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM VIA MEDDLING!
Oh.
She admitted that she needs help meddling, not that meddling doesn’t help. Carry on.
Dondi’s Dad
March 31st, 2026 at 5:14 am Reply
It might help if Mary identified the actual issue. Anytime you send $200,000 to someone to pay for their medical bills, you are 100% expecting that you will never see that money again. Right? The issue is that your money didn’t help anyone, you were lied to, you were robbed. Is Mary implying that she expects to be reimbursed for that tuna casserole she brought over?
Charterstoned
March 31st, 2026 at 5:59 am Reply
MW: *Ring ring!* “Hello, Jeff. It’s me. Listen, I need your help….Yes, dear, as soon as possible. BACK-UP. Could you take me out on the Compensation this afternoon? I want to take a FRIEND along….Yes, he’s in trouble….No, I don’t think I can solve his problem, and of course that IS the problem. I can’t let word of this get out. It would ruin my image for good….I know, right? All I would have left is MUFFINS and SALMON SQUARES….Yes, and YOU, Jeff dear….No, I’m certain he won’t be missed. Pick us up in an hour, then….No, don’t come sooner. I need time to mix up the cement….Thanks, dear. See you soon. Bye-bye.”
Anonymous
March 31st, 2026 at 8:35 am Reply
MW- “My Trixie lies o’er the ocean..My Trixie lies o’er the sea…My Trixie lies o’er the ocean…and so does my 200G..
Navigator
March 31st, 2026 at 9:12 am Reply
Oh no, is “backup” a dog? It’s a dog, isn’t it?
Voshkod
March 31st, 2026 at 9:19 am Reply
Mary’s ‘Backup’ is a nail-studded baseball bat. Just be glad she’s not looking for ‘Outside Assistance,’ which is a sawed-off double-barrel 12 gauge shotgun.
Hibbleton
March 31st, 2026 at 6:10 am Reply
MW: Mary calls Dr Jeff for help with H@rv:
“It’s not another fish funeral, is it?
No
“Okay”
cheech wizard
March 31st, 2026 at 6:05 am Reply
MW – Mary’s been trying good cop and it just isn’t working. This calls for a pompous, condescending, arrogant bad cop to let H. know what a blithering full he’s been. Hmmm… where could Mary find such a person?
treetown
March 31st, 2026 at 5:45 am Reply
Mary Worth: Hmmm, who to call? Another sucker, ahem victim, like Wilbur.
Liam
March 31st, 2026 at 6:01 am Reply
MW-Mary then calls in for the assistance of Wilbur, a man who is well versed in denial but he would deny that.
BeckoningChasm
March 31st, 2026 at 5:11 am Reply
Luann: When Les becomes an adult (at least age-wise) he won’t be Les Moore. He will be Wilbur Weston.
ValdVin
March 31st, 2026 at 6:53 am Reply
H&L: Thirsty’s asleep in the broom closet because if he’s caught snoring on the toilet one more time he’s fired.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
GarrisonSkunk
March 31st, 2026 at 8:51 am Reply
The Familliar Mucus: (Insert joke about Mommy’s meth dealer)
Baja Gaijin
April 1st, 2026 at 4:30 am Reply
Pluggers: I hate to admit I laughed unironically at this strip. As if the Pluggerbearman uses TP. We all know he does that in the woods.
Vanya
April 1st, 2026 at 4:55 am Reply
Pluggers: “enjoy the go!”? What? When I left the US 15 years ago that was not an intelligible phrase to native English speakers, and I refuse to believe it is now.
A Grave Mind
April 1st, 2026 at 4:33 am Reply
It appears that Andy Bear is just getting home. How long has the Charmin being been in his house waiting to do this bit? And Andy’s porridge? GONE!
matt w
April 1st, 2026 at 4:45 am Reply
The Pluggers prank is pretending that Pluggers don’t get all that excited about toilet paper. They get very excited about toilet paper. Pluggers are obsessed with their excretory functions, which they have various difficulties with on account of being old. Why do you think they’re called “Pluggers”?
Activist
April 1st, 2026 at 4:59 am Reply
PLUGGERS: Yes, Virginia, there IS a Bath, Maine. With a burgeoning population of 8,000 fine wipers.
I don’t know if Mr. Whipple owns a dry goods store there, but I do thank him for leading me to watch the old ad on YouTube
Voshkod
April 1st, 2026 at 5:46 am Reply
“Oh god, your husband’s home early. What’re we gonna do?”
“Don’t worry; just run into the bathroom and grab a bunch of toilet paper!”
“Should I take off this blue bear fursuit?”
“Nope.”
Little Blue Bicycle
April 1st, 2026 at 5:48 am Reply
Pluggers hallucinate about bowel movements.
Violet
April 1st, 2026 at 7:12 am Reply
Look, pal, you’re in the wrong house. Pluggers don’t enjoy anything.
Victor Von
April 1st, 2026 at 6:02 am Reply
Pluggers: “I knew Mister Whipple. I worked with George Whipple. George Whipple defended our nation from excessive toilet paper squeezing for decades. And you, sir, are no George Whipple.”
MKay
April 1st, 2026 at 4:44 am Reply
PLUGGERS: So, we’re to infer that there’s an age group that DOES get excited about toilet paper? And it’s a good thing?
MW: “Please, dear. Your hair pomade is getting all over my face.”
Liam
April 1st, 2026 at 5:57 am Reply
MW-“Oh great,” Mary thinks to herself, “Do I have to host a funeral for a fake girlfriend?”
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Josh on Family Circus: Happy April Fool’s day, everybody! As I’ve noted over the last few years, the “trick” the passage of time has played on me is my growing appreciation of the Family Circus’s whole deal, which is that the kids are annoying on purpose, like that’s the whole joke. Look at Ma Keane’s face here! She wants to die, and maybe also to kill!
richardf8
April 1st, 2026 at 4:33 am Reply
FC – We’re supposed to look at Thel’s face, Josh?
A Grave Mind
April 1st, 2026 at 4:38 am Reply
I know Thel’s face. That’s a Half Pint Of Vodka Screwdriver Face. Mommy’s having her angry juice, kids!
nescio
April 1st, 2026 at 5:13 am Reply
FC: I enjoyed the implied joke that none of the kids expect their Dad to handle any responsibility.
Liam
April 2nd, 2026 at 4:34 am Reply
Luann-Tara blew Les and made it all better.
Luann-“Gunther, smell my finger.”
Dan
April 2nd, 2026 at 4:36 am Reply
A character from a comic entirely devoted to bland innuendo sprained his finger on a date, and they’re just not going anywhere with that? Do your job or go home, Luann!
Hannibal’s Lectern
April 2nd, 2026 at 6:55 am Reply
@Dan: “Innuendo” is where Les was putting his finger when he injured it.
Schroduck
April 2nd, 2026 at 4:38 am Reply
Luann: Disappointing failure to build on the rock climbing set-up. I really thought Les would say he broke that finger while working it into a slippery crevasse – or given Luann‘s usual celibacy, just trying an overambitious free solo.
Hibbleton
April 2nd, 2026 at 4:39 am Reply
Luann: ” I guess I don’t have to ask who the bidet belongs to. Er…Thanks, Gunth. “
Old School Allie Cat
April 2nd, 2026 at 6:04 am Reply
Luann – Gunther was originally intended to be a sympathetic character. Then he was a pathetic character, and now he’s just a douchey, prissy little bitch. He’s an Incel with a girlfriend, which is a neat trick. Anyone who can dunk on him has my loyalty. I also just prefer Les. Yeah, he’s a little slick, but he’s also a good friend to Tiffany, who started as a douchey bitch, and is now sympathetic (and occasionally pathetic). And, he has a pet that he takes care of – unlike some pets in the Lu-niverse [cough] Puddles [cough].
Banana Jr. 6000
April 2nd, 2026 at 6:43 am Reply
@Old School Allie Cat: Oh, I would pay real money to see watch Les break another finger on Gunther’s skull right now. Les’ only misdeed was fudging his interests to get a date, which is basically normal behavior in the age of dating apps. But here comes self-righteous Gunther, chomping at the bit to bash Les, not even acknowledging his injury, and. Note also how he announces how Tara is supposed to react to this, when she’s contradicting him with her mere presence in the room.
Gunther is the worst kind of incel: He’s a Niceguy(TM). He’s angry at Les for getting a date, because Gunther is a much nicer guy than Les, and only Niceguys(TM) like Gunther should get dates, ever. Being an incel with a girlfriend is actually easy if you know the trick: just be a male character in a newspaper comic, written by a male author who himself was a Niceguy(TM) and can’t accept that this approach doesn’t work. Because it doesn’t. Not even in any forms of fiction outside newspaper comics.
And, as you note, Les has some identifiable positive qualities, something that cannot be said for Gunther.
Artist formerly known as Ben
April 2nd, 2026 at 1:19 pm Reply
Luann: The nice thing about Tara being in the little backyard hut is that it keeps Les from saying that his finger wasn’t the only thing he jammed, or at least saying it in those exact words. The nice thing about Gunther being there is that he’s not here, with me.
Dunkelcopter
April 2nd, 2026 at 12:47 pm Reply
You could even say that all this toilet-related Luann stuff is really putting the “anal” in “anal retentive.”
…I’ll see myself out.
matt w
April 2nd, 2026 at 4:42 am Reply
“Ultra tidy side of the bathroom”? Does one piss on the left and the other on the right?
I do have to give Mary Worth credit for, after doing a storyline in which Toby gets two parrots, showing Toby with two parrots. Not every comic strip has attained object permanence.
Anonymous
April 2nd, 2026 at 4:43 am Reply
Mary Worth : This is a fakeout, right? Mary’s backup she was so desperate to seek can’t possibly be TOBY, right?
MKay
April 2nd, 2026 at 4:50 am Reply
MW: Mary knows a doctor ( two, if you count the vet) an academic and a girl with a magical “tummy brain.” And her choice for backup is a ditsy failed artist with a parrot fetish?
TheDiva
April 2nd, 2026 at 5:16 am Reply
MW: “Hey, hey, who’s the wise old woman here? You just keep your philosophical ruminations to yourself, little missy.”
Ken
April 2nd, 2026 at 5:31 am Reply
MW: Yes, Toby seems an unusual choice for “backup,” but what if Mary’s plan is to use Toby to distract Harv? Toby will disguise herself and pretend she saw Harv’s profile online and fell instantly in love. Six excruciating weeks of Moy trying to write a sex farce later, Harv has forgotten Trixie completely, and dies happily from his angina.
ectojazzmage
April 2nd, 2026 at 7:12 am Reply
Mary Worth: “So, yeah, instead of alerting law enforcement or anything like that about what’s going on with our eldery neighbor, I just decided to gossip about it with you. That’s the real way to help him.”
Abram Beazer
April 2nd, 2026 at 10:43 am Reply
Oh, so Mary Worth thinks “psychic powers are real and dormant in many people” is true, but “hot singles looking for an older gentleman in your area” is a lie. Which is it, Mary? Which world do you want to believe in? Don’t take this away from me, Mary! Don’t take my hot singles who want to meet me!
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Ukulele Ike
April 2nd, 2026 at 6:04 am Reply
9CL: She wants you to play the A with your dick, Al.
Horace Broon
April 2nd, 2026 at 11:47 am Reply
Crank: Seriously, there’s no joke here, right? We snark about the strip going from “Ha ha, that Crankshaft and his malapropisms” to “Crankshaft is suffering from dementia and it’s not funny” without Batty noticing, but I’m starting to think that’s actually what Batty’s doing here. He must be livid that Curtis is doing a Very Special Dementia Story in the same week!
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
2+2=7
April 2nd, 2026 at 9:38 am Reply
REX MORGAN M.D.: If that’s what you want to call the “Don’t accept checks from this person” wall, Mr Pompadour man, then go right ahead.
REX MORGAN M.D. (2): Greasy McSideburns, the Motel Owner: “We’ll fix Mud’s picture in the lobby, and we he services his 100th hooker here we’ll even put up a little plaque to commem…er…ignore that last part there, little missy.”
REX MORGAN M.D. (3): Seriously though, why would a flophouse like this merit a “wall of fame”? “Hey travelers, gaze at the shitty entertainers too cheap and unimportant to book anywhere higher than a glorified Motel 6! Aren’t you impressed?!
Activist
April 2nd, 2026 at 10:03 am Reply
RMMD: im absolutely loving this Mae Mae. Today she shows entirely credible acting skills plus comedy plus improv.
I speak Jive
April 2nd, 2026 at 10:10 am Reply
Rex Morgan – Aha! Chekhov’s broken photo of Mud Murphy.
Could something please please happen just once in this drivel? Take a tray of food to one of the tables. Something catches on fire in the kitchen when the cook leaves a dish towel too close to the stove. Suspicious patron pays his bill. Paint dries. Anything but this interminable jawin’ about Mae Mae and Mud knowing each other.
Hibbleton
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:53 am Reply
FC: Bil just ‘wham bammed” out of there and Thel pulled up her pants in time before the kids burst in. “Whew! That was close.”
What I thought the caption would be before I scrolled further down the page.
Lauralot
April 3rd, 2026 at 4:40 am Reply
MW: Why is it that every time we cut to Toby, we see parrot antics, but we haven’t seen Muffin since the poor cat was staring sadly at Hart’s abandoned plate of salad? Did Muffin starve on a nutritionally insufficient diet of salads and baked goods? Did Mary dump the cat on Estelle for failure to aid in meddling?
Charterstoned
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:15 am Reply
MW: Toby hopes to start a trend by using live parrots as “fashion statement” earrings.
richardf8
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:10 am Reply
MW – It sure helps with holding the phone when a parrot is pinning it to your ear. We all underestimated Toby!
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
pugfuggly
April 3rd, 2026 at 4:48 am Reply
RMMD: “Nobody’s ever called a skeleton before! Ghoul, vampire, monster even Bride of Frankenstein, but never skeleton! I’ll add it to the chart…”
Ettorre
April 3rd, 2026 at 4:35 am Reply
Wait, Murphy entered the caffè to have breakfast almost a month ago and in universe it is not even one o’ clock?! “Rex Morgan MD” is the Tantric Sex of comics writing except the opposite of enjoyable!
I’m Not Cthulhu, But I Play Him On TV
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:34 am Reply
Rex Morgan, M.D.:
[Lorna appears at office door, seductively pulling her shirt over her head] I’m ready
[Manager, shocked] What are you doing? I trying to tell you we pay in cash, don’t tell Social Security
#MaeToo
TheDiva
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:48 am Reply
RMMD: Maybe the problem isn’t staffing but that the cafe’s hours are just “eh, whenever.”
Luann: Can we not talk about Les’ “package” right after I’ve had breakfast? Or ever?
ValdVin
April 3rd, 2026 at 6:03 am Reply
H&L:
“And, lastly, no mixing it up on the couch while there’s babysitting going on.”
“But this one lives here!”
“I was talking to Chip.”
CanuckDownSouth
April 3rd, 2026 at 6:37 am Reply
H&L One of the insufficiently-snarked-at old-fashioned tropes of the comics pages is “boys can’t take care of kids”, on display here (and for weeks in the pseudo-1980s Crabgrass). You’ve got male teen siblings just… hanging around while a babysitter watches the younger kids.
By all means, no kid should be made into an auxiliary parent but when making plans to go out, isn’t it really, super normal to go over whether an older sib is going to be home and not get a sitter if the teen sib can stay? I’m thinking “it’s a school night and you’re just doing your homework, keep an eye on them and remind them to brush their teeth and go to bed and that there will be consequences x, y, z if they don’t do it” or even “yeah, that’s more bother than normal, but you’ll get Q$ for doing this bit above and beyond”.
I don’t have any funny way to put it but it bugs me. Having a sitter the same age as a boy in the family really makes it look like childminding = girls-only work
MKay
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:33 am Reply
H&L: Forget it, Chip. Lauren charges extra for that.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
I speak Jive
April 3rd, 2026 at 6:31 am Reply
JP – Raspberry haired brat doesn’t have to outrun Bogdan; she just has to outrun Neddy.
Ukulele Ike
April 3rd, 2026 at 7:06 am Reply
JP: Neddy probably should have told Charlotte which direction to run. “Wait! I meant FORWARD….crap.”
ValdVin
April 3rd, 2026 at 4:47 am Reply
Blondie: We’ve seen him block Alexander’s date goodnights. Dagwood’s at least an equal opportunity purveyor of courtus interruptus.
Dennis Jimenez
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:00 am Reply
Blondie – What’s a Vlog? Do you pay by the minute like Sex Panther….
Ettorre
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:17 am Reply
Well, Dagwood, you’re supposed to get cucked by your wife, not your daughter but kudos for your effo… What the hell am I saying!? Damn you Dagwood and your unspeakable filth!
Victor Von
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:32 am Reply
Blondie: I feel like there’s a double entendre embedded in Dagwood’s “not until I figure out what kind of influencer this guy is” comment, but it’s going over my head. Is he worried this guy’s trying to “influence” his teenage daughter’s pants, or just concerned about her date’s social media profile?
I swear, I usually have a dirty mind, guys! I can’t really see the gross sexual angle here, though, and I feel like I’ve let everyone down.
Fritz Holznagel
April 3rd, 2026 at 4:50 am Reply
Since when do the Lockhorns have a commercial range hood and Le Creuset cookware? Are they influencers now too?
Pozzo
April 3rd, 2026 at 5:09 am Reply
What could Leroy and Loretta possibly have affixed to the front of their refrigerator? It’s not pictures of their non-existent kids, and I doubt if it’s “Hang In There Baby; Friday’s Coming” memes. Divorce lawyer phone numbers? Funeral home ads?
Peanut Gallery
April 3rd, 2026 at 7:05 am Reply
Lockhorns – Loretta’s famous deathwatch beetle casserole is a little underdone.
moscowtheclown
April 3rd, 2026 at 7:02 am Reply
The Lockhorns: “Loretta is going to kill her husband and herself with a bomb!” Wouldn’t you?
Special Scrotal Awards to the Best No. 69 and Beyond of the Week
69. Ukranazi Stepan
March 28th, 2026 at 9:05 am Reply
Wrecks Moregone:
What happened to everyone’s teeth?
As a dentist, I demand an answer from the new artist:
What did you do to everyone’s teeth?
69. Anonymous
March 29th, 2026 at 7:54 am Reply
MW– Empowered by the sweet smell of tuna helper, Trixie leaps over the prison wall in a single bound…
69. Voshkod
March 30th, 2026 at 7:18 am Reply
Hey, kids, let’s learn some fun facts about Silver Nitrate! Did you know it explodes when exposed to ethanol? That it’s toxic but can be used to cure gonorrhea? That it’s a skin and eye irritant? That it’s a snitch who will soon be bleeding out in the library, dying somewhere between the graphic novels and the law books? Silver nitrate; don’t eat or drink or trust it.
Special Scrotal Awards to the Best No. 69 and Beyond of the Week
69. GarrisonSkunk
March 31st, 2026 at 7:59 am Reply
Gassed up Alleycats: “I’m gonna give him such a punch!” (sorry wrong old timey commedian)
69. Rover Berkeley
April 2nd, 2026 at 7:35 am Reply
JP: …And if I’m Neddy, I’m throwing snarky Charlotte to Bogdan.
That’s fantastic news about The Enthusiast, I’ve been meaning to check that out. Newspaper comics are a surprisingly complex world!
Thanks, Scratchy.
Thanks, Scratchy