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Happy New Year, all, I am getting back in the saddle after my long winter’s nap and as usual am beginning the year by just straight-up flinging a bunch of comics at you from the time I was gone! I cannot keep away from the siren song of the continuity and continuity-ish strips so brace yourself for a wild sleigh ride of horror!

Dick Tracy, 12/23/17

Aww, isn’t that sweet? Dick Tracy’s beloved half-alien granddaughter is “sure” Ugly Crystal is pretty “in her own way.” What a kind thing to say that isn’t back-handed and passive-aggressive at all! Well, Merry Christmas! [hears “happy holidays” in response] HAPPY WHAT? GO TO HELL YOU BLUE HAIRED FREAK

Gil Thorp, 12/23/17

When we last saw our heroes, they were about to reveal why Gary’s sister shouldn’t feel bad for him even though he was bankrupt and had his law license suspended. Turns out it’s because … he’s sleeping on a friend’s couch! Ha ha, that does make him unsympathetic! I had actually assumed he was living with his family? Anyway, he’s also trying to groom Rick Soto as a boy band singer or whatever, which was his last hope before he falls away into the financial abyss. Not sure how Gil figured all this out, including his living situation, from Kelly’s Internet ninja-ing, but no matter, Gary’s definitely going to lose everything now, just like he deserves for being a nerd who hates football!

Mary Worth, 12/24/17

Meanwhile, in Mary Worth, Wilbur is so crazed with jealousy that he can’t even hear Mary’s extremely sensible advice! But, as the great John Steinbeck pointed out, most people don’t listen to advice. Ha ha, Mary, John Steinbeck basically says your whole deal is pointless! He’s a Nobel laureate, so he probably knows what he’s talking about.

Mary Worth, 12/25/17

One of my favorite things about Christmas in the comics is how some of the soap strips just grind to a halt to bring a little moment of Christmas cheer. Like, Mary obviously isn’t dwelling on Wilbur’s sullen rejection of her stern warning to leave Iris alone, because she’s too busy serving up an enormous ham that she and Dr. Jeff and going to eat apparently by themselves, just looking at each other lovingly while the ham juice dribbles down their chins. I’m pretty sure we haven’t actually seen Dr. Jeff in “action” in this strip since last Christmas, when he was similarly besotted with a ham. Good to know he’s still alive, I guess, although his lack of dialogue in both Christmas strips leaves open the possibility that we’re dealing with a Weekend at Bernie’s or Lars and the Real Girl situation here.

Gil Thorp, 12/25/17

Meanwhile, Gil Thorp can only spare a single panel for holiday greetings, because it needs to use the other one to set up an exciting cliffhanger! Who has been lurking just outside Gil’s office, ready to say that Rick’s own mother’s opinion doesn’t matter?

Gil Thorp, 12/26/17

Why, it’s Rick’s dad, of course, who’s come home from Dubai to clean house and reclaim his wife and son from the clutches of his nefarious brother-in-law. All’s well that ends well, and our only question is: did Gil know Richard was listening from the hallway this whole time? Did they plan the whole thing out in advance, maybe by drawing X’s and O’s on a chalkboard?

Mark Trail, 12/26/17

Mark Trail’s Christmas week storyline is more chill by an order of magnitude. Look, everyone, it’s Andy the dog! He’s clever and alert … and he smells something.

Shoe, 12/27/17

OK, I know technically Shoe isn’t a continuity strip, but I do think you all need to know that, according to the inscrutable but implacable commands of a soulless computer, the Perfesser is going to have to have sexual relations with a major kitchen appliance.

Rex Morgan, M.D., 12/28/17

So, yeah, it turns out the old people lurking around the playground were in fact little Johnny’s biological paternal grandparents, whom Margie claimed didn’t exist because Johnny’s dad lied to her or maybe she just didn’t like them, who’s to say. Anyway, June understands why this kindly old couple would desperately want a connection to their lost son, but, like, she’s had this kid around the house for several weeks now and has kind of gotten used to him, you know?

Mary Worth, 12/28/17

So, Wilbur’s had a few days to let Mary’s advice that he should let Zak and Iris be happy together sink in, let’s see how he’s dealing wOH MY GOD HE’S GOING TO AMBUSH HER WITH FLOWERS IN THE PARKING LOT WHEN SHE AND ZAK ARE ALL DRESSED UP TO GO TO A WEDDING, THIS IS FANTASTIC

Mary Worth, 12/29/17

AH HA HA NO WAIT HE’S NOT EVEN GOING TO GIVE HER THE FLOWERS, HE’S JUST GOING TO STAND THERE BUG-EYED AND PARALYZED BY THE SHEER POWER OF ZAK AND IRIS’S RAW MUTUAL SEXUAL ATTRACTION

Mary Worth, 12/30/17

Oh, man, he even gets to see the moment where they profess their love for one another for the first time in English. You can grip those thorny roses as much as you want, Wilbur, but no mere physical pain will distract you from your broken heart!

Dick Tracy, 12/30/17

Ha ha, I may have implied up above that notorious fascist Dick Tracy and his strip don’t take kindly to ecumenical “Happy Holidays” bullshit, but that’s obviously not true, because here’s beloved ancillary character Sam Catchem lighting the menorah a mere eleven days after Hanukkah ended!

Mark Trail, 12/30/17

Anyway, it turns out that Andy was sniffing out a raccoon that was raiding the Trail family trash. Good ol’ Andy, always watching out for his family! Other families, like the family of this adorable baby raccoon, can go fuck themselves.

Curtis, 12/31/17

Curtis seems to have forever given up on wacky Kwanzaa stories, but at least we got this charming strip, featuring a delightfully cackling old man 2017 and a briefly muscular baby 2018.

Gil Thorp, 1/1/18

Now we’re rolling into 2018 and … hey guys, remember football? Remember the big win the Mudlarks had on the road against their conference rival? Well, no, you don’t, because you never got to see it, but at least you got to see Gil and Kaz aggressively high-fiving about it after the fact, and also gloat about how Uncle Gary is sleeping in the gutter tonight, probably!

Funky Winkerbean, 1/2/18

Oh, and you’re probably wondering: what’s the new year have in store for the Funkyverse? Well, probably Funky spiraling back down into alcoholism because the world is just too messed up right now and doesn’t a nice big bottle or twelve of whiskey sound great?

Anyway, my 2018 is going to include a normal, healthy amount of booze drinking and another year of making fun of the comics, just like always, so I hope you’ll stick with me and tell all your friends! 2018 is also going to feature me hosting my extremely fun and hilarious show, The Internet Read Aloud, every first Friday of the month in Los Angeles, except in February, I’m gonna be out of town in February, but including January, and that’s this Friday and here’s the poster!

Here’s the Facebook event! Let’s all have a fun new year together, guys!

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Hello everyone! Your slightly truncated end-of-year COTW in a moment, but first, a couple of important notes. First, as he does every year, faithful reader Wanders has put together The Worthy Awards, celebrating the best Mary Worth had to offer in 2017. Vote in classic categories like “Outstanding Floating Head” and new ones like “Outstanding Stunt!”

Secondly, if you are going to be in LA in the new year and already are worried about how you’ll entertain yourself, why not commit to attending The Internet Read Aloud at 8 pm on Friday January 5th! It’s a live show hosted by me that includes many jokes about the Internet that you’ll probably enjoy!

As is traditional, I’m taking the next week and change off, but will be back in the comics-mocking saddle sometime … oh, let’s say January 2nd-ish. Have a happy Christmas and New Year and I’ll see you in 2018! In the meantime, enjoy this final comment of the week for the year:

“Why is the bear wearing a hard hat? Alternatively, why is nobody else wearing one? Slylock really ought to be using those reasoning skills to see if maybe he’s underneath something heavy.” –Drew

These runners up are hilarious as well!

“Claude Manx is a very international name for a plugger. I wonder, what brought this cat from his Franco-Gaelic homeland to blue-collar America? Was he once a French millionaire who tried to hide his ill-gotten gains in the notorious tax haven, only to lose it all and flee to the States under a transparent assumed name? Was he the son of a Vichyste captured by the Allies and interned on the Isle of Man, trying to escape the shadow of his father’s crimes? Was he… oh, it’s meant to sound like ‘Clawed,’ I get it.” –Schroduck

“‘That’s it! We’ll go caroling!’ said Lois, to no one at all, in a manic kind of way that makes me worry about where her children are.” –pugfuggly

“Rex’s order from the Franklin Mint goes south.” Kevin on Earth

“The dove of peace looks pretty threatening to the cardinal. What’s he going to do, shit on the cardinal’s car?” –Northernlurker

“‘Kelly is on her computer all day…’ It’s called a webcam.” –Liam Astle, on Facebook

“He’s so well-groomed. If only I could grow stubble like that! Hmm, maybe a chin-combover?” –Peanut Gallery

“I want — no, I need — wallpaper of Wilbur stalking behind the landscaping. I don’t mean computer wallpaper. I want this on the wall in my kitchen, reminding everyone to use condiments responsibly.” –Nekrotzar

“Please God let this be a shrubbery costume he’s wearing all around town.” –Anne Elisabeth Dillon, on Facebook

“Is he a professional or into illegal activities? Let me stalk him, maybe install a camera to spy on him in his home, maybe go through his garbage looking for something incriminating. I’ll find out if he is a no good creep!” –Joe Momma

“I didn’t know that Wilbur could move like that! In that I mean he has the ability to crouch and hide. I hope his knockoff Members Only pants will be able to keep up with these new activities.” –Government Cheese

“I am puzzled how Mark Trail’s going to get involved in the diamond smuggling/incipient murder that’s going on in his strip. Maybe the murder of an endangered raccoon-bearded Tut cosplayer (Procyonbarba tutankhamun, if you need the binomial name) will get his attention?” –Voshkod

“I like that, even though Dirty is a criminal lowlife whose nickname suggests filth, he keeps his T-shirt blindingly white and his hair as well-manicured as the grass at a Major League ballpark.” –Joe Blevins

“She would’ve loved it. I, on the other hand, think it’s melodramatic, self-indulgent, and badly written. She had terrible taste.” –Ettorre

“This is just like The Jazz Singer … but with football … and no father … or jazz. Okay, it’s nothing like The Jazz Singer.” –Dennis Jimenez

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Funky Winkerbean, 12/22/17

I think we can all agree that the worst part of the Funkyverse is the endless smirking, and today’s strip contains what might be the most malignant example I’ve seen in years. This guy just bought a book about Les’s dead wife/Darin’s dead bio-mom for his wife — who, in a stunning third-panel twist, turns out to also be dead. Les and Darin smirk meaningfully at each other. Nailed it! they’re thinking. People who have lost loved ones are gonna make us rich!

Gil Thorp, 12/22/17

Hey guys, did you know that people who declared bankruptcy don’t have the right to have opinions about their nephews playing sports? True story! Looks like Rick Soto’s back in the game!

Mary Worth, 12/22/17

“I have plans… I’m going to be capturing Iris’s soul in a steaming hot cup of coffee, using Andean magic I learned on a remote Colombian coffee farm. That way she can never leave me! Wait, did I say that out loud?”