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The Lockhorns, 10/29/22

“Heard joke once: Man goes to doctor. Says he’s depressed. Says life seems harsh and cruel. Says he feels all alone in a threatening world where what lies ahead is vague and uncertain. Doctor says, ‘Treatment is simple. Great clown Pagliacci is in town tonight. Go and see him. That should pick you up.’ Man bursts into tears. Says, ‘But doctor … I am Pagliacci.’ So he went on a killing spree. Upon reflection, doctor should’ve referred him to a qualified therapist who could have assessed him for clinical depression. Anyway. Made an opera out of it. Good opera.”

Marvin, 10/29/22

You know what would make pretty much all comics better? If, when the artist was stuck for an idea, they just came up with a flimsy excuse to do a sweet drawing of a train.

Dick Tracy, 10/29/22

Look, we’re all thinking it, so I’m gonna say it: The Dick Tracy creative team didn’t have to make Steelface’s eyes so darn dreamy. But they did, and I think most of us sincerely appreciate it.

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Hi and Lois, 10/15/22

My first thought reading this was “Wow, who funded this strip?” because I refuse to believe that any ordinary person would just place pro-in-person-banking propaganda in dozens of newspapers just on a whim. It’s certainly not the banks themselves, who have been trying to shed the labor and facilities costs associated with bank branches since the ATM was invented. My guess is that the money trail either leads back either to the Communications Workers of America, the union that has organized tellers at bank branches in a number of cities, or some lobbying group of old people who absolutely refuse to figure out how to set up direct deposit for their Social Security checks.

Marvin, 10/15/22

So some guy who’s never been in the strip before? Just came out of the bathroom at Marvin’s house? And I guess he had never even heard of the concept of a bidet? So he just disassembled a fairly substantial plumbing appliance?? In somebody else’s house??? This is definitely one of the more puzzling ways for the great Marvin bidet caper to wrap up, and I must reluctantly respect it.

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Marvin, 10/13/22

Well, Marvin’s been at it for 40 years now, with the “it” that it’s been “at” mostly consisting of poop/piss jokes about the title character, but also sometimes about the old people, dogs, and even passing birds in his life, but we’re finally reaching the final frontier of excretory narratives and getting into Jeff and Jenny’s bathroom situation. Specifically, we’re getting a week’s worth of “jokes” about how Jenny wants to get a bidet installed. I particularly enjoy her sly look in the final panel. “Padding out a list of things to talk about related to shitting until it’s not interesting anymore? That’s the syndicated comic strip Marvin’s turf, am I right, folks?”

Judge Parker, 10/13/22

“She doesn’t really know Steve particularly well or anything; we’re just at the stage of our divorce where I text her ‘thinking of you!’ and then send graphic crime scene photos.”