Metapost: Spooktacular COTW
Post Content
As we head into Halloween … the scariest night of the year … please enjoy your creepy, ookie comment of the week!
“I must believe, in these dark days, that along with walking the dog, Saul puts on a full suit to trim tree branches and return his ‘broken’ cell phone (it’s turned off). Live your bit, Saul.” –A Grave Mind
And the very SCARILY FUNNY runners up!
“If you fashion a chunk of flesh into a car, the ghost will be forced to possess the vehicle and compel it to move. On the one hand, it’s an atrocity to capture an immortal soul and bind it to labour for all eternity. On the other hand, it’s good for the environment.” –Schroduck
“Oh, just dump some dead leaves on the grill and burn them, Hi. No one will mind! Have a leaf huffing party. Definitely invite Thirsty.” –made of wince
“People will gossip about things they don’t comprehend, like me being attracted to a woman over 50. Speaking of which, I see you have a birthday coming up, but never mind that.” –Taylor Handsome
“The butcher explaining that this ham is haunted leads me to believe he’s the one who sold it to Heathcliff after the cat came in and nonverbally asked for meat so infested with the spirits of the dead it could be used as a means of self-propelled transportation. Heathcliff wanting such a whimsical thing is par for the course, but the fact that the butcher was able to provide it makes me think his MEAT store is hiding some dark secrets. What other unnatural flesh does he have in the back of his shop, where his normal customers can’t see it? Possessed pork? Ghostly guanciale?” –Vulpes
“The Rex Morgan narration box asked ‘Who shall we drop in on next?’ and then didn’t wait for an answer. Rude.” –matt w
“Pluggers regret so many of their life choices; this is simply one of them.” –TheDiva
“Ah, yes, two children running their Halloween algorithms on a tablet. Alboorithms? Alghostrithms! Anyhow, normal kid behavior! Happy Halloween!” –Victor Von
“Was it that obvious? I was hoping for a circular conversation that went nowhere for a couple of hours while we all got frustrated and eventually agreed to just go our separate ways so we can justify a bad review on Yelp.” –Anonymous
“‘Was it that obvious?’ Yes, you are in a legacy strip, jokes need to be spelled out or they won’t work (they don’t work anyway)!” –Ettorre
“I was about to comment that Superman on the shelf there has a horrifically broken humerus, until I realized that there’s no S on the chest insignia. Rather, there’s a C, possibly for Calcium Deficiency Man. But on closer inspection, the shopkeeper’s arms are equally mangled. So this is just a world where the majority of the population suffers from arm-rickets, I suppose.” –Lauralot
“The comics today gave us a glimpse of Dustin’s dad’s nipple, and the angry mob will be convening at noon. I have a few torches and a couple of extra pitchforks for anyone who needs them.” –Tabby Lavalamp
“Imagination, child? Oh, yes, we have items that run on imagination, belief, awe, and terror. Toys that will raise your soul to the heights of Paradise and the depths of the Abyss. Toys of wonder and delight and shock and depravity. Are you ready, child? Truly ready? Then I present you with this … fidget spinner. Now get the fuck out of my store.” –Voshkod
“You want to talk about truly amazing technology, Dag? Your own wife has a robot clone of herself capable of pretending to converse with you. It comes preloaded with phrases like ‘I’ll say!’ and ‘Don’t get ahead of yourself, dear.’” –Joe Blevins
“Mary will stop at nothing in her quest to find the rumor-spreader at Charterstone — including walking into Dawn’s bedroom unannounced. Hey, lady, get a warrant.” –TK
“‘Bring Your Own Booze?’ ‘No. Birds You Ogle Briefly.’” –Bob Tice
“How can you not be impressed by the utter genius of Mary Worth? Not only did they throw another long, drawn-out, utterly boring storyline with a stubby, dissatisfying resolution right in our faces, but now they’re making us sit through it again — backwards!” –Boomer
“I like to imagine that these quotes pop into Rev. Croom’s head in the form of one of those scrolling electronic sign boards. He has no control over it, might as well just sit back and enjoy the show!” –Peanut Gallery
“Hope Mary likes 20 minutes of Tommy looking thoughtful and going, ‘Let’s see … I know it was from a … person. They had eyes, and … I think hands. No, they had hands. I’m pretty sure.’” –Dan
“Where did you hear that false rumor, Tommy? I repeat — false rumor. No, I’m not worried about the true one, Mr. Allora and I find it titillating to hear the speculations about our activities. It spices things up.” –CanuckDownSouth
“Smokey is still capable of whacking potential meals with his shovel and pureeing them into smoothies, a fact that mockers would do well to remember.” –MKay
“The onesie may say ‘clown,’ but the hat shrieks ‘hobo.’ And I suppose the mask adds subtle hints of crazed supervillain. With such mismatched accoutrements, it is clear that Jeffy, as usual, doesn’t know what day it is and is just blurting out guesses.” –But What Do I Know?
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20 replies to “Metapost: Spooktacular COTW”
Gah, it’s “In on whom shall we drop.” Shame on you, Rex Morgan, M.D.
I’m just happy that I have “Dustin’s dad’s nipple” now enshrined for future generations.
What A Frazzhole! :Why doesn’t HAL have a self distruct device?
Congratulations to Grave Mind, A and the Floaters, Shadowers, and Scroters. I had a lot of time the past few days, so this will be a Long Balls Week:
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
BigTed
October 23rd, 2026 at 9:45 am Reply
A quick remembrance to Richard Riehle, the beloved character actor we lost this week, whose 400+ roles included Tom in Office Space. In Mary Worth context, everyone at Charterstone jumped to conclusions about Mary and Ian spending time together… and, of course, we all asked Toby, “What would you say you do here?”
cheech wizard
October 24th, 2026 at 7:00 am Reply
FC – The kangaroo looks unhappy and you would be too if you had a dog, a pig and a monkey performing a Pittsburgh Platter on you.
nescio
October 24th, 2026 at 6:03 am Reply
FC: The kangaroo likes to be down under to watch the ape take a dump on the glass table top. (I know they’re stuffed animals but the ape has the exact facial expression for it.)
That Would Be Up the Butt, Bob
October 24th, 2026 at 6:35 am Reply
FC – Dolly’s going to be thrilled in a few years when she learns what “going down under” really means.
Schroduck
October 24th, 2026 at 4:49 am Reply
FC: Nice glass table. Lots of sharp corners. Haven’t the Keanes heard of babyproofing? (They actually have, but unfortunately they thought it referred to contraception and was sinful.)
Doghouse Reilly (Minneapolis)
October 24th, 2026 at 8:17 am Reply
Family Circle Jerk: Kangaroos have the same scat fetish as Danny Thomas.
The Rambling Otter
October 24th, 2026 at 8:24 am Reply
Dolly, take Kanga and Roo back to the Hundred Acre Wood right now, and stay out of Christopher Robin’s subconscious.
Liam
October 24th, 2026 at 4:54 am Reply
FC-I thought it was going down under.
MW-It’ll be good that Ian and Toby will be away when Nelly suffers a fatal “accident”.
Lauralot
October 24th, 2026 at 5:21 am Reply
MW: Mary and Toby are fondling each other in public. This is the most tedious, most clothed version of the Eyes Wide Shut orgy.
TheDiva
October 24th, 2026 at 8:02 am Reply
MW: GAAAAAAH! That look was creepy enough on Toby’s face, but now she’s got MARY doing it too!
I speak Jive
October 24th, 2026 at 9:46 am Reply
FC – Holier than thou Grandma was shopping at the Creepy ‘n’ Ugly Toys Emporium again. The toys there are a bargain, plus the harlot seems to drink a lot more around those toys. However, Dolly had best not turn her back on them, especially that rabbit and that monkey.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
MKay
October 24th, 2026 at 6:13 am Reply
RMMD: If it’s possible for there to be an anticlimax in this flatline conversation, mango rice is it.
CanuckDownSouth
October 24th, 2026 at 4:33 am Reply
RMMD for dessert: sticky rice… and mango… Ew – Beatty, do _not_ go around sharing your sex code!
Hibbleton
October 24th, 2026 at 6:11 am Reply
RMMD: Eat Augie! A little fat might round off the corners on your octagon shaped head.
Ukulele Ike
October 24th, 2026 at 8:07 am Reply
RMMD: Augie, you’re dining with a human woman. If dessert isn’t made out of chocolate, there will be absolutely no sex later. Sticky rice with mango, indeed.
Little Blue Bicycle
October 24th, 2026 at 6:47 am Reply
GT; “Sure, our team suffered an important loss, but now everyone realizes how important the Thorps are, and that’s what really matters. Now let’s go TP the Jones house, losers”
Liam
October 25th, 2026 at 4:43 am Reply
RMMD-“I’m stuffed.” Not yet you aren’t.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Maltmash3r
October 25th, 2026 at 5:55 am Reply
MW– pretty vanilla guys. I thought she’d make Ian wear a parrot costume, or he’d make Toby wear a lilac cowl dress.
Taylor Handsome
October 25th, 2026 at 6:09 am Reply
“People will gossip about things they don’t comprehend, like me being attracted to a woman over 50. Speaking of which, I see you have a birthday coming up, but never mind that.”
Ettorre
October 25th, 2026 at 6:21 am Reply
“I’ll take you to Maui, where you will forget all about those false rumours!”
“Oh Ian!”
“And even about the real ones!”
“What?”
“Nothing!”
Little Blue Bicycle
October 25th, 2026 at 9:01 am Reply
Thank goodness MW stopped where it did. Ewwwww.
GarrisonSkunk
October 25th, 2026 at 11:22 am Reply
Mary’s Worst: “I’ll take you to Maui and you’ll forget all about those nasty rumors as soon as you have a drink of this potion, don’t worry about the skull and crossbones on the label, thats just Halloween branding.”
Artist formerly known as Ben
October 25th, 2026 at 2:16 pm Reply
MW: Toby will forget the rumors and much else after she spends the first day of vacation in their hotel suite smoking pineapple flavored sativa.
I speak Jive
October 25th, 2026 at 7:13 am Reply
Mary Worth – They’re not going to sleep yet. They have to talk for a while about how thankful they are to Mary for setting up the trip to Maui and how wonderful she is.
What did you think they were going to do? Get your mind out of the gutter.
FC – At first I thought that this was another Dead Grandpa strip, but it’s worse.
It’s a good thing that kids today don’t read comic strips, because this one would surely keep them awake and scared shitless.
Hibbleton
October 25th, 2026 at 6:53 am Reply
FC: Jeffy makes the logical leap that when fighting harm and sickness guns and vaccines are merely a concentrated form of prayer and frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if such a church existed in America.
Horace Broon
October 25th, 2026 at 10:55 am Reply
JP: Honestly, if I were Abby, I think my plans for reassuring Neddy would be less “Charlotte will still visit” and more “Since the mass murderer recently rehired by the CIA is absolutely lying about never being in a situation where she abandons Charlotte again, you just have to wait for the next time she’s on the run, or arrested, or killed, or just ruled to be an awful person who shouldn’t be in charge of a kid!”
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Poteet
October 25th, 2026 at 12:39 pm Reply
H&L: The little towns in Greater Cowplop prohibit leaf-burning, but we rural residents outside the towns can still legally do it, even though we are reminded every autumn that it’s a dumb thing to do, which it is, and that there are better alternatives for leaves, which there are. Perhaps, if Hi lives in an area like G.C., he could make friends with a nearby rural family and enjoy their smoldering leaves.
Lauralot
October 26th, 2026 at 4:31 am Reply
MW: I think there are enough of us to form a class action lawsuit due to the eye pain and emotional damages caused by reading “Toby and Ian renew their love for each other.”
Everything Is Better With Monkeys
October 26th, 2026 at 6:37 am Reply
MW – She will not sleep until the culprit is in the stocks by the Charterstone pool. See, she’s already started not sleeping.
Hibbleton
October 26th, 2026 at 4:43 am Reply
MW: From the way Toby’s eyes are cast down in P1, I guess we’re supposed to infer that she’s got both her hands clasped around Ian’s manhood. Fair enough, but a second panel, all black, save for a word balloon saying; “Renew me! Renew me!” would have brought the scene to its natural conclusion. Instead we abruptly cut to a scene of Mary in bed questioning her public image while reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.
Plugger jolts out of a chair saying ‘what have I done?’ is probably when most people quickly leave the room.
Liam
October 26th, 2026 at 7:07 am Reply
Pluggers-Pluggers regret the time they killed that hooker.
Tonio
October 26th, 2026 at 6:25 am Reply
That facial expression and word balloon? The Plugger just had an accident in his pants and now he can’t get up to clean himself.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Vulpes
October 26th, 2026 at 4:45 am Reply
Dustin:
Is it just me, or is Dustin hanging out with this kid a lot lately? Normally I’d complain about this, but today he expresses a desire for an eternal autumn that inevitably leads to a global ecological disaster and mass extinctions, so he’s more interesting than he first appears.
But What
October 26th, 2026 at 5:37 am Reply
Dusted — To quote Shakespeare, “If all the year was reading Dustin, the jokes would be as tedious as the rest.”
Peanut Gallery
October 26th, 2026 at 6:42 am Reply
RMMD – I do not approve of this familiar and chatty tone from the Narration Box. Narration Box, we have not even been properly introduced! I’ll thank you to stick strictly to business! Also, it’s “whom.”
Rover Berkeley
October 26th, 2026 at 7:24 am Reply
RMMD: That’s “WHOM shall we drop in on next?”. You want to get it right because impressionable youths are reading…….oh, wait. Never mind. They’re not.
Gil Bates
October 27th, 2026 at 4:34 am Reply
RMMD: How about Leopold & Loeb?
I speak Jive
October 27th, 2026 at 7:47 am Reply
Rex Morgan – Thank goodness Shorty explained what the alleged joke was. Their routine must take forever if they have to explain every “joke” to the audience. Don’t quit your day job, kid.
Al of the Christian Singles Jungle Patrol
October 27th, 2026 at 8:19 am Reply
RMMD: Abel and Cain. One was killed, and the other exiled.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Charterstoned
October 27th, 2026 at 4:44 am Reply
MW: Mary needs a dog she can dress in a purple cowl neck collar.
pugfuggly
October 27th, 2026 at 4:53 am Reply
MW It’s might seem weird for Mary to double back in her little gossip search, but the Mary Worth readership just can’t get enough of Wilbur! More! More of that weird little man! More, we say!
InvasionOfTheZIM
October 27th, 2026 at 5:00 am Reply
Wilbur has been a vassal of Mary’s sphere of influence for quite some time now (did you really think that his foray into advice column writing was organic?), but after an over reliance on his connections, Mary is coming to learn that she allowed him too much leeway. Either he’s getting reined in over the next few weeks or, in the unlikely event that he realizes how much of Mary’s power he has consolidated into his own control, the Weston Rebellion may begin.
Bob Tice
October 27th, 2026 at 4:36 am Reply
MW:
Yeah, I normally put on a suit and a tie when I take my dog out for a casual walk.
Maltmash3r
October 27th, 2026 at 7:19 am Reply
MW- I read a short story in 10 grade, I believe it was by Chekov ( I’ll let the more literary refined among you remember the title), where the person who thinks he was scandalized tells all the other party goers about the rumor trying to dispel it only to spread the rumor even further. So, good luck with your inquest Mary.
Cab
October 27th, 2026 at 7:33 am Reply
Mary Worth – Nixon himself wasn’t as dogged at trying to figure out who leaked Watergate as Mary will be about who is shit talking her.
Little Blue Bicycle
October 27th, 2026 at 7:28 am Reply
MW: I’ll write Nelly a check if she also pins it on Wilbur.
H&L: I too have assumed that Thirsty was Chip’s father, but let’s admit it, the garbage man comes every day.
treetown
October 27th, 2026 at 5:52 am Reply
Hi and Lois: This is Lois’s standard come-on line. She’ll follow that up next week with an offer to come in for a cup of coffee.
Ettorre
October 27th, 2026 at 5:25 am Reply
“I pump garbage bags”. That’s not a very nice way to describe the neighbourhood’s housewives!
A. Mulyak
October 27th, 2026 at 5:54 am Reply
HI AND LOIS: Hey, pumping garbage is the comics syndicates’ job!
A Grave Mind
October 27th, 2026 at 4:35 am Reply
Dot and Ditto’s carcasses are in those bags. Now WE’RE the ones who are smiling!
Joshua K.
October 27th, 2026 at 7:24 am Reply
H&L: I find it amusing that Walker & Browne named the garbagemen in this strip Abercrombie and Fitch after the sporting goods store, and years later the Abercrombie and Fitch store reinvented itself as a clothing store for young people with half-naked people in their advertising, making it even more ironic that the garbagemen share their name.
UncleJeff
October 27th, 2026 at 7:43 am Reply
H&L: if certain websites have taught me anything about human sexuality, when a housewife comes outside wearing a robe, she wants more from the garbageman than the usual banging of the cans.
Liam
October 27th, 2026 at 10:18 am Reply
Hi and Lois-“How would you like to pump me,” Lois asks.
Rover Berkeley
October 27th, 2026 at 9:52 am Reply
H&L: Yeah, I’d be worried if I were Hi and my wife was out there hitting on the garbage man. I’m always curious, why did they name the garbage men after a clothing company? It’s kind of like writing a comic strip with a porta-potty company named Foot Locker.
Banana Jr. 6000
October 27th, 2026 at 6:29 am Reply
CS: Really, “Batton”, you won an essay contest by writing about feeling safe in America, gave it a subtext of white women not being safe in America, and gloated about it to your strip’s one black character?
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Abram Beazer
October 27th, 2026 at 7:44 am Reply
I know these strips are made months in advance, but was the Blondie team really expecting the Edmonton Eggbeaters to play in the World Series? Pretty long odds, if you ask me. For one thing, their bullpen is terrible, and for another, I just made them up.
Ukulele Ike
October 27th, 2026 at 7:57 am Reply
@Abram Beazer: I swear I watched the Eggbeaters defeat the Gas House Gorillas on their home field back in 1973.
Lauralot
October 28th, 2026 at 4:31 am Reply
MW: “Yeah…I realize that! Didn’t stop me from spreading it, though!”
Guillermo el chiclero
October 28th, 2026 at 4:42 am Reply
MW: Tomorrow it will be a bound and gagged Dawn with electrodes attached to her nipples being interrogated by Mary.
Everything Is Better With Monkeys
October 28th, 2026 at 4:53 am Reply
MW – I like to think that we’ll see Mary confronting a new person, ratted out by the previous person, for a few days. Maybe Saturday, we can also watch the police as they find the elaborately mutilated bodies of Charterstone residents in the exact same order. It’s a coin flip as to whether Mary spares the goldfish.
Cleve Barrister
October 28th, 2026 at 5:06 am Reply
MW- “I realize that” , meaning you DID think it was true at some point. If you never believed it, you’d say “I KNEW that” If Mary is paying attention at all, she should be mentally crossing off Wilbur’s name from the muffin list.
CanuckDownSouth
October 28th, 2026 at 5:44 am Reply
MW “I *realize* the rumours were false – I mean, I did as soon as I saw the party and was told about the planning meetups you’d had with Ian. That’s why I babbled about them to you, I was freaked out. ImsorryIdon’tknowwhyIfellfortheminthefirstplace – please don’t hurt me! My fish depends on me, see? Have mercy!”
I speak Jive
October 28th, 2026 at 8:07 am Reply
Mary Worth – Mary is as tenacious as Lt. Columbo in identifying the heinous villain who started the rumor about her. She’s spent more time getting to the bottom of these rumors than she ever spent thinking about anyone she’s ever meddled.
Why doesn’t she just leaf through her Big Book O’ Platitudes? Surely there’s a hoary old platitude that will cure whatever anger she’s feeling. It works with everyone else.
Charterstone: Dune
October 28th, 2026 at 8:37 am Reply
@treetown:
MW: We are now in the procedure phase. We saw the “crime” of the rumor mongering. Now we can get to see Mary meticulous trace the rumor like a CDC case worker tracking down Ebola contacts. Next up is Dawn who will give up Tommy, who may or may not even remember it was Nelly.
Hating myself for going through the archive, but Tommy heard it directly from Nelly, who shouted it at him at the grocery store, so with only one degree of separation left it shouldn’t take more than twenty or thirty more strips for Mary to confront Nelly. As for what form the confrontation will take, let’s just say that Mary’s been researching “human compost” with Wilbur’s Ask Wendy login credentials and the community garden’s gonna have a bumper crop next year.
GarrisonSkunk
October 28th, 2026 at 1:13 pm Reply
Mary’s Worst: “Now that I think of it, Mary, I heard about it first from Sunny the parrot! That cheeky buzzard was bragging about how he broke up the Camerons’ marriage, and refused to shut up about his part in the resulting three way. That’s why nobody says ‘Birds are good’! ” A dreamy eyed Mary nods “Sunny WAS good!Darn good! Tell me, Mr Wynter, ever have a parrot peck at your…..” (Mary leans in to whisper in Wynter’s ear, which makes both his and his dog’s bow ties to spin comically.)
lynn
October 28th, 2026 at 7:27 am Reply
DtM: I’m more concerned that the guy’s name badge is written in Arabic. How far away from home has Dennis wandered?
made of wince
October 28th, 2026 at 6:11 am Reply
DT: “Sorry, kid, I only sell products that defy imagination. Look at these boxes. Squiggly lines, tiny squares, a triangle… I’ve asked my boss what we actually sell, but all he ever does is giggle and hang up on me.”
2+2=7
October 28th, 2026 at 9:07 am Reply
DENNIS THE MENACE: “Do you have anything that runs on imagination?”
Certainly not this comic.
nescio
October 28th, 2026 at 4:36 am Reply
DtM: “My fucking retirement fund, unless you stop asking questions and actually buy something.”
Comrade Gordon
October 28th, 2026 at 10:27 am Reply
DtM:
Kid, I’m standing at a display case featuring action figures, toy cars, and what may or may not be a demonic Pikachu. I don’t know how much more “imagination” you’re wanting. This is not Calvin and Hobbes, so either buy something or piss off.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Bob Tice
October 28th, 2026 at 4:38 am Reply
Dustin:
“Actually, Ed, I’m more concerned about your wife than I am about you. Does she have to look at you on a regular basis in this state of undress?”
TheDiva
October 28th, 2026 at 5:10 am Reply
Dustin: Knowing Dustdad, he probably hasn’t put any thought into life insurance or long-term care arrangements, so this is just one more way he plans to stick it to his family before he goes.
Tabby Lavalamp
October 28th, 2026 at 5:40 am Reply
The comics today gave us a glimpse of Dustin’s dad’s nipple, and the angry mob will be convening at noon. I have a few torches and a couple of extra pitchforks for anyone who needs them.
Voshkod
October 28th, 2026 at 5:56 am Reply
“Yeah, well I’m going to get a second opinion from a real doctor, not an Easter Island mo?ai who attended medical school in Grenada!”
Navigator
October 28th, 2026 at 8:20 am Reply
“Ed, I’ve got to tell you I’m concerned. You don’t need to be fully nude to hear your bloodwork results. In fact, I asked you to put your clothes back on 10 minutes ago.”
BigTed
October 28th, 2026 at 9:15 am Reply
Dustin: “Ed, you can turn things around with diet and exercise — or else take these five drugs, and seven other drugs to deal with the first drugs’ side effects.” “Can you send the prescriptions to my drugstore right now? I have to stop in for potato chips and ice cream anyway.”
Schroduck
October 28th, 2026 at 5:26 am Reply
Dustin: Here’s a sentence no-one’s ever said before: I love that Dustin’s dad is naked. There’s no reason to take your clothes off just to pick up some lab results, but why not humiliate him in every way possible at the same time?
Blondie: Wow, they just launched another rocket into space! That marks 7,440 launches in the past 70 years! I think this whole “rocket” thing might just, heh heh, TAKE OFF!
Victor Von
October 28th, 2026 at 6:02 am Reply
Blondie: Has Blondie broken her neck trying to watch TV? I know we call strips that outlive their creators “zombies,” but I didn’t realize things had gotten so literal.
Liam
October 28th, 2026 at 8:43 am Reply
Blondie-With the way Dithers beats Dagwood it wouldn’t surprise me that Dagwood hasn’t eaten food out of a tube.
InvasionOfTheZIM
October 28th, 2026 at 6:12 am Reply
Dagwood might just pivot from playing solitaire when the boss isn’t looking to compulsively checking his SpaceX stock. Not as great a use of time, but given his credulity, he’ll be taking out a loan to buy that “flying” car next
Vanya
October 28th, 2026 at 9:07 am Reply
Blondie: they didn’t really rearrange the TV table, the artist inserted a clip art flat screen TV so readers wouldn’t realize this is simply a rerun of a strip from 1967.
UncleJeff
October 28th, 2026 at 7:01 am Reply
Blondie: The owner of a radio station I used to work at took pride in his days as a news reporter and would always grill his staff on the local happenings when he would stop by.
In his retirement, he bought a house on Cape Canaveral, right across the bay from the Kennedy Space Center.
One morning as he was picking up his newspaper, Bob heard a familiar roar and saw a space shuttle lifting off.
Bob said to himself: “Oh. There goes another one”, went inside his house and took a nap.
When he woke up an hour or so later, he learned that about a minute after he looked away from what he thought was a routine launch, the space shuttle blew up and he missed the biggest news event he could’ve ever witnessed.
Ukulele Ike
October 28th, 2026 at 9:02 am Reply
Blondie: Ever since watching Ren & Stimpy eating astronaut food out of tubes 30 years ago, Dag’s had an unexplainable craving for braised giblets.
Hibbleton
October 28th, 2026 at 6:18 am Reply
Not to subtle Dagwood inches closer to the TV to read subtitles trying to convince his wife he needs a new 85 inch television.
H&L: Kinda cute that Trixie’s first words are “bullshit motherfucker.”
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Guillermo el chiclero
October 28th, 2026 at 7:04 am Reply
JP: Oh, it’s the sweater. For a second I thought one of the horses died and you were keeping its carcass in here.
treetown
October 28th, 2026 at 7:31 am Reply
RMMD: Please let the twist be that Shorty and Beanpole dress up as Rex and June Morgan! Please make this happen!
I speak Jive
October 28th, 2026 at 8:07 am Reply
Crankshaft – Yesterday a Mudge nailed it – this week’s strips are Batiuk’s annual Pulitzer bait. The Pulitzer committee will surely be impressed by this heavy handed take. Maybe Batiuk could call the committee a shithole committee and threaten them. That always works.
Horace Broon
October 28th, 2026 at 12:44 pm Reply
Crank: I’ve said this before, but it never fails to annoy me that Batty’s politics seem to be roughly in sync with mine, because he’s so bad at it.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Guillermo el chiclero
October 28th, 2026 at 8:25 am Reply
FC: You know what look better inside this pumpkin, Billy? Your severed head.
ValdVin
October 28th, 2026 at 8:49 am Reply
FC: Listen to the kid, Thel. Especially remember his history of clumsiness leading to fire truck visits.
Human-eared Dragon
October 28th, 2026 at 10:21 am Reply
Family Circus: Poor Jeff Keane hasn’t noticed all the LED candles on the shelves for the last 10 or so years.
Bryan
October 28th, 2026 at 1:42 pm Reply
LUANN: Notice they always take the extra time to draw Brad’s wedding ring every time Toni talks about being pregnant.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Lauralot
October 29th, 2026 at 4:43 am Reply
MW: Dawn knows that Mary’s wrath will be swift and brutal. In a final, desperate act of love, she tries to spare Tommy by implying that he’s too stupid to realize what he’s done. Unfortunately, her efforts will be for naught, because Mary has no mercy and has also held a grudge against Tommy ever since the day she smelled cannabis through the air vents.
GeoDad
October 29th, 2026 at 4:39 am Reply
Um, Dawn…. He only passed along the rumor he heard. And you did likewise. So you also didn’t “get things right.” Poor girl.
pugfuggly
October 29th, 2026 at 4:49 am Reply
MW: “Still, didn’t stop me from repeating it to others. I’m pretty dumb too!”
Ukranazi Stepan
October 29th, 2026 at 4:51 am Reply
Wary Morth:
Mary: “Oh, Tommy must have dreamt it up when he was high as a kite again. Never mind, then.”
Ettorre
October 29th, 2026 at 4:59 am Reply
A lesser strip would have the people who spread the rumour be very apologetic to Mary and bemoan their foolishness. Not “Mary Worth”! Everyone is a weasel, not even saying a little “sorry” and unloading the blame on someone else. I love it!
But What Do I Know?
October 29th, 2026 at 5:16 am Reply
MW — Dawn calling someone else stupid–that’s rich. . .
Tom
October 29th, 2026 at 5:18 am Reply
MW: “He often doesn’t get things right”
So why on earth did you repeat what he told you?
Victor Von
October 29th, 2026 at 5:56 am Reply
Mary Worth: Mary just happened to bump into Dawn… in Dawn’s bedroom? Interesting, interesting.
Charterstoned
October 29th, 2026 at 5:25 am Reply
MW: Okay, I threw up a little in my mouth after we were treated to Ian and Toby “renewing their love” in their bedroom, but today’s interplay between Mary and Dawn in another “bedroom scene” definitely makes me afraid to see what happens in tomorrow’s strip, when the two women patch up the misunderstanding and renew their friendship.
Vulpes
October 29th, 2026 at 6:25 am Reply
Mary Worth:
Dawn is sitting cross-legged on her bed with her computer in her lap, which is not normally a position you’d take when you have guests. I have to assume she was in the middle of something when Mary burst into her room unannounced, determined to get to the bottom of the rumors about her. Dawn is taking it in her stride, because her quick reflexes ensured she minimized the porn she was looking at before Mary got out a single word.
The Rambling Otter
October 29th, 2026 at 7:41 am Reply
@Vulpes: Of course, Mary couldn’t possibly see Dawn’s screen from that angle.
Hahaha… MARY SEES ALL!!
Old School Allie Cat
October 29th, 2026 at 6:49 am Reply
MW – I want this to go full Sweeney Todd. Mary needs to off the rumor spreaders and turn them into batches of the “Worst Muffins in Santa Royale”.
Peanut Gallery
October 29th, 2026 at 7:50 am Reply
MW – Even as the words were leaving her mouth, Dawn realized that hanging around with a woman much older than herself was causing her to start using expressions like “poor boy.” She hated it, but it was too late to take it back.
BigTed
October 29th, 2026 at 7:32 am Reply
Mary Worth: “Oh, ha ha, Tommy often doesn’t get things right! In terms of rumors… or girlfriends, ha ha ha! Poor guy doesn’t know who’s best for him, ha ha ha ha! When the perfect person has been here in front of him all along, ha ha ha ha ha ha! Come to think of it, he’s also often incorrect about the atomic weight of tungsten. Oh well, what were we talking about?”
Jym Dyer
October 29th, 2026 at 9:15 am Reply
MW: Next arc is going to be Tommy asking around to see who started the scurrilous gossip that he “often doesn’t get things right.”
Boomer
October 29th, 2026 at 7:19 am Reply
How can you not be impressed by the utter genius of Mary Worth? Not only did they throw another long, drawn-out, utterly boring storyline with a stubby, dissatisfying resolution right in our faces, but now they’re making us sit through it again — backwards!
Activist
October 29th, 2026 at 4:48 am Reply
JP: Ned, a conversation hint– if you don’t like being pried, turn the question around. “So what are you doing with your degree, Sis? Helping with traffic tickets?
The Quiet Man
October 29th, 2026 at 5:25 am Reply
JP: Tune in tomorrow for DRAMA!! as Sophie follows through on that surly expression in panel two, yanks Neddy to her feet and bitchslaps her two dozen times.
TheDiva
October 29th, 2026 at 5:20 am Reply
RMMD: Do you have any options that won’t result in you getting beat up in the hallway?
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Anonymous
October 29th, 2026 at 5:42 am Reply
Pluggers are too cheap to buy individually wrapped candy for Halloween and instead are planning on giving out loose off-brand candies that may or may not be laced with THC
Anonymous
October 29th, 2026 at 5:36 am Reply
Pluggers: “The Green Ones Make Me Horny”
Anonymous
October 29th, 2026 at 5:37 am Reply
Pluggers: “The Blue Ones Are Boner Pills”
Liam
October 29th, 2026 at 5:45 am Reply
FC-That’s it, Dolly. Dump Mommy’s nose candy all over the place.
ValdVin
October 29th, 2026 at 6:15 am Reply
FC: Dolly, it’s not going to happen anyway. Somehow Olympic Downhill Barbie didn’t come with her own mountain; maybe put her on one of Ditto’s Hot Wheels tracks.
Hibbleton
October 29th, 2026 at 6:01 am Reply
B. Bailey: The gag, such as it is, would also work if Beetle was standing their with a huge erection. Just saying.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Ukulele Ike
October 29th, 2026 at 6:53 am Reply
GT: Oh, Borys Orlov! You simply do NOT shout FWEET! at Coach Thorp. Just see his eyes widen in murderous rage in that last panel!
Baja Gaijin
October 30th, 2026 at 4:32 am Reply
Blondie: I wonder what Sigmund Freud would say about the fact that Daggy prefers to snuggle with his dog rather than his extremely hot wife. Something about “sometimes a cigar is just a dildo substitute” I guess.
Liam
October 30th, 2026 at 4:43 am Reply
FC-How cute. Jeffy is going as Gacy.
Hibbleton
October 30th, 2026 at 4:50 am Reply
FC: Saying “April Fools!” is exactly the kind of ‘trick’ a kid Jeffy’s age would play on Halloween and then giggle uncontrollably. Wear it with pride, little man.
The Mighty Finn
October 30th, 2026 at 5:58 am Reply
I’m amazed the Keane Kids are allowed out of the Kompound to partake in the pagan/Irish-Catholic ritual of Trick-or-Treating.
I speak Jive
October 30th, 2026 at 7:19 am Reply
FC – Dolly is dressed like a witch! Holier than thou Grandma will have a conniption when she hears about that. “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.” Smack!
Cab
October 30th, 2026 at 7:20 am Reply
Family Circus – That smiling clown mask will hide the tears of Jeffy’s disappointment that his art is not appreciated in its own day.
ectojazzmage
October 30th, 2026 at 7:28 am Reply
Family Circus: Jeffy was actually desperately trying to signal through code his living situation on the Keane Kompound to the neighbors. His failure to convey his need for rescue and Dolly’s snitching mean he’ll now be spending the next month in The Box. Sad!
Hoyt
October 30th, 2026 at 9:14 am Reply
Four of us decided to wear costumes on Easter and walk around our neighborhood carring bags as mid-teens. The things you do after getting high.
Scratchy’s Scrotums of the Week
Charterstone: Dune
October 30th, 2026 at 5:26 am Reply
MW: I feel that as a recovering drug addict in a soap opera strip, who calls his girlfriend “babe,” Tommy’s hip-lingo greeting for Mary would be something like, “Hey, Mrs. Dubs.” As far as the gluten-free pasta goes, Freda’s probably has some Trader Joe’s-esque policy where the managers, Freditos or Freditas, as they are called, require the Fredistas to make at least one sales pitch per customer interaction to deliver that cherished “Experiencia de Guau.”
Charterstoned
October 30th, 2026 at 6:05 am Reply
MW: Only in the Worthiverse is “GLUTEN FREE-PASTA” an enticing opening line, second only to “How’s your herpes?”
Pozzo
October 30th, 2026 at 4:47 am Reply
MW: Not sure who this guy “Sal” is, but he’s sure trying to make his presence known.
GarrisonSkunk
October 30th, 2026 at 9:37 am Reply
Mary’s Worst: Tommy looks behind Mary and blames Sal.
treetown
October 30th, 2026 at 6:06 am Reply
MW: “Well, gee Mrs. W, it gets real busy around here, and I don’t remember exactly. It was an older woman like yourself. She was from Charterstone, like yourself. She knew me from the Westons, like yourself. Come to think of it, you told me!”
Schroduck
October 30th, 2026 at 4:48 am Reply
MW: Sometimes I think Mary Worth doesn’t have its finger on the pulse of modern-day California, but sometimes they drop a nugget like “Mary buys gluten-free pasta even though she doesn’t need it, just because she thinks it’s somehow superior” that makes me reluctantly admit, maybe they’ve still got it.
Voshkod
October 30th, 2026 at 6:36 am Reply
“False Rumors are in aisle six, along with Innuendo and Slander. We’re having a sale on Libel, buy one get one!”
Cab
October 30th, 2026 at 7:20 am Reply
Mary Worth – Tommy is just mandated to promote whatever sale is going on. He’s like Ron Burgundy, in that whatever you put in front of him he will repeat. Like Toby’s parrots, but less smart.
The Rambling Otter
October 30th, 2026 at 4:50 am Reply
And… Tommy gets fired for casually chatting during work hours.
Old School Allie Cat
October 30th, 2026 at 5:37 am Reply
MW – Maybe I’m just too easygoing, but I think if I were Mary, I would let it drop. It’s been proven false, and I could see where the casual observer could have misread what they were seeing, and, whatever, man, people are nuts.
The more she chases down “the truth”, the guiltier she seems.
cheech wizard
October 30th, 2026 at 5:40 am Reply
MW – Next week – Mary learns about the Streisand Effect. Unfortunately, what she doesn’t learn is when to keep her big mouth shut.
ComicallyChallenged
October 30th, 2026 at 5:48 am Reply
Tommy will struggle to remember where he heard it from as long as Nelly is out of his immediate vicinity, what with his lack of object permeance and all.
Little Guy
October 30th, 2026 at 5:38 am Reply
GT: So Milford is going to win this one because a taunting penalty sets up the winning score? Or is Orlov going to sack the quarterback so hard that Goshen gets a safety?
Ukulele Ike
October 30th, 2026 at 7:40 am Reply
RMMD: ”Hey! I’m not THAT fat anymore! If the kid wanted to go as “fat,” she should have dressed up like my girlfriend Mae Mae.”
Special Scrotal Awards to the Best No. 69 and Beyond of the Week
69. Victor Von
October 24th, 2026 at 8:28 am Reply
Okay, so now we know that Ed Crankshaft’s going to die while he’s napping on a riding lawn mower. He wants to die as he lived: needlessly grim and driving things.
69. Quiggle
October 25th, 2026 at 8:49 am Reply
DT: Based on the drawing, I wondered if this was a topical “Crimestoppers” wearing people of what to do if Kimberly Guilfoyle emails you for credit card payments…
69. GarrisonSkunk
October 26th, 2026 at 7:32 am Reply
Dennis Minus Menace: “Know what we should do today, Joey?” “Same thing we do every other day, try to take over the Wilsons!”
.
They’re Joey and the Brain/yes, Joey and the Brain/one is a menace, the other insane………
Special Scrotal Awards to the Best No. 69 and Beyond of the Week
169. Ukranazi Stepan
October 26th, 2026 at 4:37 pm Reply
Wary Morth:
“I know! I’ll hire a private investigator to track the perpetrator down! Now who’ll be the lucky one to get a call from me? Holmes? Poirot? Marlowe? Archer? Warshawski?”
69. Ettorre
October 28th, 2026 at 7:21 am Reply
If you take just the second panel, it looks like Dustin’s dad is being berated by his secret lover for his performance in bed
69. ValdVin
October 30th, 2026 at 7:00 am Reply
Blondie: Have we ever seen Daisy sleep on the bed?? This might have worked if they’d set it up sometime since FDR was in the White House.
Thanks, Scratchy.