Thursday quickies
Post Content
Marvin, 6/25/26
I would’ve put Marvin pretty low on the list of strips that offer what’s known as “fan service.” But Marvin wandering off from home, getting lost, meeting a little girl, and immediately getting karate-chopped by her? Well, consider me served.
Rex Morgan, M.D., 6/25/26
Buskers? Playing on a street corner in Glenwood? Without first securing a Public Performance License from ASCAP? Not on June’s watch.
Mary Worth, 6/25/26
“So I’ve decided that I’m going to stop using drugs, just like he did! What, did you think my life was in the state it’s in because I’m sober?”
81 replies to “Thursday quickies”
Rex Morgan, MILF Diver: Dagnabit, June is going to make sure Truck Tyler gets his royalties whenever and wherever Glenwood Motel is played.
RMMD: What does she mean “them?” Only one’s playing; the other is serving as a living music stand.
“Mary, Tommy made me believe in change more than Obama could! Does it mean I am racist?”
“No, it’s just your brand of stupidity”
You know those glurge videos of toddlers doing martial arts that refuse to hurt their friends? Luckily, this is not the case!
JP: Charlotte’s driving? Probably a good idea.
“You shouldn’t reward them, dear! They are just performers, they just reenact something a brilliant mind created!”
“This logic is asinine! Dad is a doctor, he did not invent appendicectomy or vaccines, he just does his job!”
“True. But what made you think your father deserves what he earns?”
RMMD: Are buskers only supposed to play original compositions? And if so, how would they know that? Is there a handbook that gets delivered to you when you decide to start playing music for tips that lays out all the rules and bylaws?
RMMD: Listen, June, it doesn’t matter if they’re miming violin antics while playing classical music from a speaker. You’re still hearing music, aren’t you? It sounds good, doesn’t it? You ought to be rewarding them for their initiative, not looking to tear down a small business.
Marvin: Is Marvin supposed to be at a bus stop? Is he school-aged? That makes his total lack of continence a lot more disturbing in retrospect. We Need to Talk About Kevin vibes. We need to talk about Marvin.
Marvin: This might seem at first like this is kind of a departure from the regular Marvin formula, but I think that’s deceptive: we’re going to watch someone literally kick the shit out of him!
RMMD: I like the idea that June only pays buskers, or any musicians, that play original compositions. What, is she going to listen to some rehashed ditty written 400 years ago by Johann Sebastian whoever? If you want my dollar bill you’d best come up with a new fugue.
MW: Savage burn from Mary: “Yes Dawn, he’s trying. You know, putting in effort? Actually doing something to change himself and his situation? Let that inspire you…”
RMMD: Those two girls sure hoped Petrillo didn’t hear about this!
JP: Gee, Charlotte immediately brings up CIApril, and Sophie was one of the last people to see CIApril in the flesh. I wonder where this could *possibly* be going??
Luann: Again, I’m only going to believe what they are ‘teehee!’ innuendo-ing about happened when I see the damn baby in Toni’s arms.
SF: Again, it’s not too late to back out of this, Mrs. Ted Forth’s mom. You *don’t* need to trap yourself in a moving vehicle with these three nitwits!
GT: Out *where*?
M: Girl, I served with Lucy van Pelt. I knew Lucy van Pelt. Lucy van Pelt was a friend of mine. Girl, you’re no Lucy van Pelt
@Lauralot: We live in a fallen world but luckily we do not, on an ontological term, “need” to talk about Marvin
Mary Worth:
“Inspire me to what, exactly?”
“[SIGH] Oh, never mind.”
MW: Dawn has done an incredible amount of babbling over the last few weeks, but I’m still unable to figure out what she wants to change into.
RMMD: “Well, they’re playing ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,’ and they’re CLEARLY not Mozart!”
DtM: Dennis, behind closed doors, eating a hot bowl of something that smells funny? We may be moving to a new level of MENACECON.
SF: Ronan’s most superhuman feat? NOT grabbing Jeanie and joining the Witness Protection Program after meeting her idiot family.
RMMD:
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“They’re doing ‘Gloria.’ That’s music by ‘Them,’ not ‘Theirs‘ !”
Wary Morth:
“I can change! I can get even more stupid and boring!”
________________________________
Wrecks Moregone:
July: “They’re playing Mud Mountain Murphy and Lorry Tyler songs! And not paying any royalties!”
Sawah: “I’ll go over and tell them that they need to pay Mud and Lorry royalties, then.”
July: “Mud and Lorry? Don’t be daft! They need to pay those royalties to me!”
________________________________
Curtis:
It’ll be a photo of Curtis.
Even though that makes no sense at all.
MW: “And if the Scat Man can do it, so can you! SCABADOOBOOBEEYADAKALOODEEFAKALALAWABEEDOOBEELEELEE”
“It’s not their music. They perform it without authorisation! It’s an abomination!”
“Why are you so passionate about this?”
“We receive a lot of gifts from pharmaceutical companies, we must defend the sanctity of intellectual property!”
MW: Tommy Tommy Tommy, all this talk about Tommy and no mention of how or when Charterstone and its residents were moved to a remote, possibley alien, wilderness.
Crankshaft : wait, so, Larry Dinkle DIDN’T die right before he played Sunrise over Killimanjaro, because Elvis is 1950s, and Eugene and Lucy danced AT LATEST in 1945. So what happened, why did he never play that song? Did Eugene actually REALLY steal the only copy of the music sheets?
Heh, he’d have something in common with Lillian then, stealing important papers from people leading to their lives being ruined*************
Flash Gordon : it’s
BRIAN BLESSEDPrince Vultan, who was established as being in the vicinity earlier. (Skade just wanted to describe his arrival as “a booming voice”)*************
Hagar the Horrible : Music might not tame the savage beast, but bad comedy does; the bear went from roaringly charging them to being frozen in its tracks!
*************
Marvin : “Karate-chopped”? How about “Jumpkicked”? Or even, might I dream, “judo-thrown into a garbage can filled with used diapers”?
************
Rex Morgan M.D. : “See that weird ‘trash can’ that’s usually not there next to them? That’s a loudspeaker. They’re miming over a recording.” “How can you tell, mom?” “There’s PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT to the violin music!” *Suddenly, the music stops and turns into weird, braying noises. The twins get redfaced, then quickly rewind the recording* “…Van Hoesen & Burber, huh? Well, no accounting for taste, I guess.”
RMMD: I love how the neighborhood is so pedestrian-hostile that this entire tableau – the buskers playing their music, and June and Sarah talking about it – is all happening in the middle of the street. They need to raise money for medicine to heal up after the last time they tried this and were immediately wiped out by an SUV.
(side note: I looked back through the last few strips to work out where this is taking place and my GOD I know comics move slowly, but the exact same thing has been happening in every strip since Sunday)
Okay, but seriously, where the hell are they? The curb where they’ve set up their filing cabinet/dog bowl full of salad says “traffic circle,” but the blindingly white void behind them says “edge of a nuclear explosion.” I’m guessing it’s the latter, as the resulting shock wave appears to have taken out the upper left quadrant of her violin, and soon will excise June and whatshername as well. Be snotty while you can, June. It’s nuclear winter from here on out.
CS: So Larry Dinkle was the equivalent of heavy metal in 1991-2; tastes were changing, and there wasn’t a damn thing he or anyone could do about it. I’m just struggling to see why I’m supposed to care, when his own son is just going through the motions. The bait-and-switched plot about Eugene moving into a new home had much more potential than this crap.
(…from Yesterthread…)
Curtis: A.I. broke Michelle. I’m okay with that.
Luann: Evansii: “Yes, they FUCKED IN THE SHOWER! That’s how she gets pregnant! That’s how it works! There’s no fucking STORK dropping off bundles of joy at the doorstep, like Amazon or UPS! DEAL!”
If this breaks the Trufans, I’m okay with it.
Marvin: The question of how old Marvin actually is has baffled generations, but it turns out the answer is “old enough to get beat up by a martial arts student” and honestly that’s fine with me.
MW: Not to make this a “nature vs. nurture” debate, but c’mon: Dawn has half of Wilbur Weston’s DNA, there’s only so much self-improvement she’s capable of.
RMMD: I’m guessing the violinist is miming to a pre-recorded track, which honestly is enough of a feat in itself especially for a preteen girl that I’m inclined to drop a buck in the hat just for the effort.
What a strange thing for June to fixate on. If you think they’re scammers and don’t need help, say that, while if you think they’re genuine but just playing it from a speaker, you could at least consider charity…oh wait, forgot the medium, here.
@Banana Jr. 6000:
I’m REALLY confused as to where this storyline is going, if anywhere?
Like, right now, what I’m thinking is that maybe it’s going to turn out that the mid-intermission disappearance that led to Sunrise over Killimanjaro never being played was Harry having a medical issue or something, and Larry’s journal entry about it being something like “My family, my SON, is more important to me than my music.”
…Though, from the way Harry has acted about his dad so far, that might get him to react with a “And that’s why you were a FAILURE, dad! Because you were SOFT! NOTHING is more important than music!”
@els: Parking lot outside the grocery store. Tuesday and Wednesday do show the rows of cars, Monday says it in the narration box. They’re standing on some small curb-enclosed bit that separates parking sections.
@Gil Bates: The Scatman was a genuinely lovable guy, and that song is one of the most memorable of the “any sound + thumpin’ Eurodance beat = instant hit” era.
RMMD – she’s played the same 4 notes over and over for days… June knows that sound well since it’s her ringtone.
RMMD June was one of the unimpressed-walk-on-by people in Joshua Bell’s “hidden maestro busking on the subway” social experiment, wasn’t she?
@Anonymous: Tom Batiuk’s favorite trope is And Then He Died. Papa Dinkle was going to play “Sunrise Over Kilimanjaro”, but And Then He Died. Since Elvis on TV, this must be at least 1955, so Lord knows what this was going to accomplish at that point. But it’s a dead person, so the entire cast stops what it’s doing and commences the search for artifacts, even though Harry Dinkle has been proclaiming his disinterest the entire time.
REX MORGAN M.D.: June: “Come on, Sarah. It’s like that lemonade stand I busted last week because they didn’t have a permit. ‘But we’re just five’, my ass! Anyway if we hurry, we still have time to complain to the manager of the store before having them arrested for solicitation and copywrite infringement.”
REX MORGAN M.D. (2): Um…June is aware that she’s not actually an America’s Got Talent judge and that the point of this more about giving to help those in need (because Terry Beatty is too clueless and set-in-his-ways to realize that this generation would do this on TikTok with a Venmo link) than giving talent-scout evaluations, yes?
MW “If *he* can change, so can *I*! I vow that by the end of summer, I *will* have a recognizable personality trait!” “Maybe set your sights on achievable goals, dear”
GT I’ll call you ‘mom’ when the artists quit giving me whiplash between jowls and thin-young-adult and I can *recognize* you
BB The target “shots” are what? stickers? Forget that it’s not drawn as a great shooting result, they’re not even practicing with actual ammo – this army unit is in worse shape than we thought!
C’shaft: Elvis Presley first appeared on television in 1956, Bill Haley’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll” was recorded two years prior, and both were just white interpretations of the rhythm and blues that had been dominating Black music for a steady decade. The parade isn’t passing you by, Larry; it marched away from you long ago and you’re still standing there watching the guys with wheelbarrows shovel up the horse poop.
Dustin: Yeah, she’ll make you watch something completely action-free like Dunkirk or The Northman.
Luann: Well, there goes my appetite.
@Little Guy: Luann keeps talking about “Water Babies” like it’s romantic and sexy and… Greg, did you not look it up on Wikipedia? That phrase means a few things, but they’re all grim as fuck – the Victorian novel about a drowned child going to heaven to learn about evolution is the least sad kind of Water Baby.
RMMD-What? Do you mean they can only play music they composed themselves?
MW-“Maybe at least one of you Westons can change for the better.”
MW-Tommy’s doing a better job at changing than your father, Dawn.
Rex Morgan: “See that speaker, honey? That’s not an electric Bluetooth violin she’s playing, she’s merely miming to something she found on Spotify. Wait until I tell you about Milli Vanilli.”
RMMD: June parts the hedges to show René Belluso playing the music on a portable Victrola.
MW – Dawn continues, “I’m going to stop being so mature and responsible. I should relax and party more! After ten years of college, delaying graduation a couple more years won’t make much difference.”
Don Abundio, translated:
“Chaining Gomez to his desk is working out great”
“Yes”
“He works nonstop, but he does get thirsty…”
“Maybe someday I’ll reward him by moving the water cooler closer!”
LUANN: Toni: “A child conceived in a shower will probably love water. I mean I’m a firefighter because my mom got knocked up in a burning building. That’s just how science works!”
Marvin – Leaning on the old “red-head with a fiery temper” trope is weak. Even by Marvin standards. But girl bullies are typical more into mind games than physical threats, so I’m not hating this completely.
Marvin rends his shirt to reveal the mark of Cain to his would be attacker and quotes Genesis:
“Back off, sister. If you know what’s good for you.”
DT: Sam is not happy because (a) interstate electronic crimes are a federal case which means he’ll be doing a lot of go-fer work for someone other than DT (b) they never settled the score with who broke the escapees out and who masterminded the drone thefts. He is not going to take this L lightly.
JP: Charlotte is just letting Sophie know what’s up and that she’ll be planning on talking with her (interrogating her) later in the barn.
RMMD: So the girls are playing music through the amp using a tape or CD? And it is some scam? Is Rene Belluso out on parole?
Luann-At least they didn’t do it outside or else we would be hearing about nothing but bush babies for the rest of the week.
Marvin’s old enough to venture forth on his own now, so I assume that means he’s finally potty trained, right?
He’s finally potty trained, right?
He’s potty trained now. Right?
***
June has no patience for classical violinists who don’t play their own original compositions and just try to profit off of other songwriter’s talents. How many Mendelssohn covers do we need, you brats!
***
“Yup! Life gave me a rough start so it’s time to forge a new path where it doesn’t matter how bad I am at anything, I will fail up! Say goodbye to Dawn Weston and say hello to the brand new Dawn Kennedy!”
“The music isn’t theirs, dear. They’re being forced to play this attractive music by a fungal infection in their brain stem. If you get too close, they’ll explode and you’ll inhale the spores. That’s how it reproduces. Any who isn’t just like us in color, race, sexuality, and social status, is infested by a fungus. So stick to your own.”
I get that the music is coming from the speakers, I just think it’s funnier if the roots country loving denizens of Rex Morgan, M.D. are weirdly dismissive of classical musicians because they don’t write their own music.
RMMD: June, give it a rest, all of those classical composers are long, long out of copyright.
RMMD: A lot of music snobs like to point out that Elvis never wrote the songs he peformed. I like to answer them with neither did Luciano Pavarotti.
Marvin:
“How would you like a nice Osakan punch?”
“Sure!”
THWACK
MARVIN: Finally, a remake of the Karate Kid that works!
MW: “Let that inspire you Dawn…because you’re a complete mess, you useless little hussy.”
RMMD-“I’m sorry but we are only relegated to two panels a day I’ll have to pick up that thread some other time.”
RMMD: June is understandably triggered by the “help buy medicine” part of the beg sign.
“First it’s copyright infringement. Next, it’s socialized medicine. Not on my watch!”
Rex Morgan, MD: I’m sure June’s about to launch into a story about how her aunt wrote the song in question or whatever, but right now it seems like she’s just mad at cover bands.
“They didn’t write this song! By performing it without paying royalties, they’re bilking the international conglomerate that owns the song’s copyright out of their rightful fee! Always remember, making the world more pleasant while failing to tithe to our corporate overlords is forbidden!”
That’s great to hear about Josh’s novel. I’ve been really enjoying his blog for a while now, and it’s cool to see him expand on that passion.
Mary realizes Tommy has made these changes for the better without her help. He must die.
FC: For the first time, Jeffy realizes “going to the bathroom” literally means going into another room to expel bodily fluids. Mind blown.
“Mary, what’s methadone?”
Marvin may not have a yellow belt but he does have a yellow diaper. (Let’s hope it doesn’t change to any other colors)
@comicfan1988:
spam alert
Rex Morgan, MD:
Like other commenters, I’m guessing June’s about to point out that this street violinist isn’t actually playing and is merely pumping pre-recorded music from the speaker set-up. There’s a few ways she could potentially tell, such as seeing a mismatch between the mimed performance and the music or recognizing the recording they’re using, but it seems more likely that she’s simply assuming the worst of people, as one is entitled to do as a medical professional in Glenwood. However she figured it out, she will explain to Sarah that even if they are actually poor, their dissimulation means they deserve no charity whatsoever, and furthermore their mendacious, conspiratorial nature was probably caused by their parents raising them to wear matching clothing and do everything together just because they are identical twins, in defiance of the recommendations of pediatricians and child psychologists.
Marvin – Meet Cora Kai….
RMMD – It’s AI – rendering honest, hard working street grifters obsolete….
MW – There is no try – only losers like Tommy the Tweaker always fuck up….
Adios Amigos, DJ.
@Schroduck: I’m sure the extent of any research the Evansii did was rewatching the episode of ‘Rugrats’ where the parents take the babies to the municipal swimming pool (which the babies think is a gigantic toilet to which the diving board is the handle*) for a session with a woowoo swim instructor (‘Introduce your children… to the water…’)
*The babies want to see this huge toilet flush, presumably sucking everyone currently in the water to a horrible asphyxiated death… that show could get DARK!
RMMD: Good thing those buskers are conspicuously white, or June would be whipping out her phone and calling the ICE hotline.
What is happening in today’s Dennis the Menace? Did he prepare himself some kind foul smelling substance and decided to eat it while sitting on the bed? Is he eating something spoiled just to give himself digestive issues? Is his plan to sit on the bed and eat this unpleasant substance until he gets explosive diarrhea? That seems too menacing even for this comic.
When I lived in Vancouver, there was a guy who would pop up on various street corners with a violin and a speaker that was hooked up to a CD player that was playing classical music, and he’d just play some simple background violin noises that literally anybody could do and added nothing to the actual song. If this Rex Morgan story is about June slapping someone for pulling a similar scam, I’m here for it.
Marvin-Marvin then discovers he likes getting beaten up by girls.
@Schroduck, Luann: The more they talk about “Water Babies”, the more I think Bwad is thinking of Aquaman, and not the Jason Momoa version, but the lame blonde “Super Friends” cartoon version.
@comicfan1988: Greetings fellow humans!
RMMD: This isn’t a cover act. Well, not strictly. I know the
OrangePeach Blossom Special when I hear it.Crankshaft: Yes, if there’s anything ancient TVs were known for, it was 110db crystal-clear 20Hz-20kHz frequency response from a 3″ speaker which could blast through a plate glass display window.
Hagar: Honi’s just invited herself to take place in a bear fight. Good going, smartass.
@Treetown, RMMD: Better yet, considering that he was last seen in the custody of certain large individuals who promised extreme violence, is Rene Belusso still alive?
@TheDiva: How about something Victorian like Zulu?
@Guillermo el chiclero, RMMD: Not necessarily, as Eric Carmen found out.
HtH Bear: “Geez, lady, maybe that isn’t the greatest cover ever of ‘Wonderwall’ but you don’t have to be a bitch about it.”
RMMD: “That’s not ‘Sextet from Lucy’. I should know — I wrote it!”
The existence of the Marvin strip is always regrettable, but this one in particular; it’s on Thursday instead of Monday, so we won’t get a full week of this violent amazon kindergartener (?) beating the literal shit out of him.
MW: Dawn needs to pivot toward social media influencing, specifically overconsumption restocking videos, until she and Wilbur go bankrupt and are forced to live in a car.
Lockhorns “Who are you, and what the hell are you doing in my house?”
MW: Mary, how come Dawn’s lumpish, self-centered, POS father hasn’t improved one iota since you knew him but you always give him a skate?