Post Content

Dennis the Menace, 4/8/18

At first I was going to say “I can’t believe I actually have dedicated mental energy to this,” but obviously I have a blog about comic strips so it’s pretty obvious that I would dedicate mental energy to this, so let me pose the question to you, the reader: doesn’t Dennis’s grandpa look kind of off-model here? He usually doesn’t have glasses and his hair isn’t usually doing that in front and, perhaps most importantly, he usually looks kind of smug and self-assured, like he does here. Anyway, the reason I’m going through this whole thought process is that today’s strip never actually identifies this man as Dennis’s grandfather, which means that maybe he’s just some random old man feeding Dennis cookies for his own no doubt horrifying purposes, and who has been caught and punished in possibly the least effective manner possible.

Gasoline Alley, 4/8/18

Gasoline Alley isn’t always hip to the latest trends, but today it’s here to tell you that there’s a third dimension now! Crazy, right???? I’m mostly posting this comic to point out that Gasoline Alley is extremely scrupulous about respecting the intellectual property rights of Magic Eye, Inc., who, though they would appreciate being referred to, falsely, as “today’s rage,” would probably be angry if their brand name were put above the “puzzle” in the second-to-last column, not least because you can stare it all you want and nothing 3-D is going to happen inside your brain.

Post Content

Gasoline Alley, 3/24/18

Ha ha! It’s funny because alcoholism is a serious condition that can ruin lives!

Pluggers, 3/24/18

Ha ha! It’s funny because a few European countries used to control much of the world, imposing their political systems and even new names on subject peoples, but that phase of history is over now and pluggers simply don’t care for this new state of affairs!

Mary Worth, 3/24/18

Ha ha! It’s funny because Wilbur and Mary have nobody to hang out with except each other, and they’re each trying to make the other think they’re happy about it!

The Lockhorns, 3/24/18

Ha ha! It’s funny because Leroy’s … dead? I’m pretty sure the implication here is that Leroy’s dead, guys.

Post Content

Dick Tracy, 1/21/18

Dick Tracy is one of the lucky few sci-fi-ish franchises that have run so long that they’ve seen real life overtake their signature gee-whiz future tech. Just as Star Trek’s 1960s-era communicators look ludicrously bulky compared to the actual communication devices of the year 2018, Dick Tracy’s signature wrist wizards are basically everyday technology in the ’10s. Whatever advantages they have in sleekness (presumably they don’t need to sync to a cell phone) or style (is that an analog clock taking up a good quarter of its UI?), they lose a million points for subtlety, especially if, for instance, they’re being used by an police officer working deep undercover within the criminal apparatus. It looks like T-Bolt (actual name “Lee Ebony,” and I’ll leave it up to you as to which is more cringeworthy) should’ve just used a burner phone from 7-11 like a normal person.

Gasoline Alley, 1/21/18

Hey, uh, do the first two panels in the second row imply what I think they’re implying? Gasoline Alley HQ is going to find itself on the receiving end of a Blue Lives Matter protest in short order if so.

Panel from Slylock Fox, 1/21/18

Oh, snap, sexists, I bet you failed to figure out this mystery because you forgot that girls can be gamers too! This is like that “the surgeon was his mother” riddle, but updated for our current era (our current era, it goes without saying, is extremely stupid).

Spider-Man, 1/21/18

Finally, after months of build-up, it’s time for the super-powered battle between Spider-Man and the Lizard that we’ve been waiting for! [one panel later] Ah, well, uh, let’s see if the Hulk can handle this.