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UPDATE TO THIS: We are postponing this show because none of us feel very funny, what with what’s going in the US right now. But email me if you want your name added to the list and we’ll contact you with a new date and time when we know it!

A reminder to everyone: my beloved live comedy show, The Internet Read Aloud, is at long last going to be live online — specifically on Zoom, at 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern, on June 5 — a mere week from today!

How do you “attend” this show? Well, you’ll need a URL from me, which isn’t ready yet, and the easiest way to get it is to email me at jfruh@jfruh.com and I’ll put you on my list. (I won’t use use your email for any purpose other than letting you know about this specific show.) You can also say you’re going on Facebook, if that appeals to you!

I’ve never done anything like this before, so it’ll be a bit of an experiment, but there are four great comics on the bill and I’m very excited to try it out. So get hyped and I will hopefully “see” you “there”!

What isn’t experimental — what is in fact very tried and true — is sharing with you this week’s top comment:

“He called Buck ‘pal.’ Buck is nobody’s pal. Truck didn’t have Covid, he clearly has something more insidious that attacks the brain.” –Carl Karnuth

And the runners up! Very funny!

“Is Mark relaxing in the middle of his pot patch? That might explain his sudden fascination with politics and pigs. ‘It’s like, reverse 1984, man. You know, like under communism, hairy pigs weren’t equal? But under capitalism, all pigs are equal? Equal for the slaughterhouse, man.’” –Voshkod

“Martin and Mason make plans to sabotage their successful Hollywood careers together. Because in Funky Winkerbean you can either wait for the universe to ruin your life for you or you can beat it to the punch, experiencing the thrill that comes from outspeeding the Gloom Bringer. It all ends the same way, might as well go out on your own terms.” –Lionheart

“There’s only one director I trust with directing Lisa’s Story: Rian Johnson. Knives Out proves he can make medium-sized movies with unlikable characters. Last Jedi proves he will not refrain from killing some sacred cows. His Twitter account proves that he will deliciously irritate Lisa’s Story fanatic fan base, i.e., only Les.” –Ettorre

“In an acknowledgement of the arrival of summer, Fenris Ulfr vomits forth the sun.” –richardf8

“Don’t give her grief for getting the expression wrong; she probably hasn’t been talking that long. I mean, how old is she? (That’s not rhetorical; I literally have no idea how old these kids are supposed to be.)” –Pozzo

“So much has changed in this new age, as Dagwood bids a final farewell to his only real friend, locks himself in his concrete bunker marked only by an ominous warning on the steel door (tricked up to look like a normal door in an effort to thwart looters), and leaves Blondie, Alexander, Cookie and that asshole Dithers, nay, everyone, to their fate.” –Lawyerbob

“Dagwood should know superheroes never make the ‘ultimate sacrifice‘ since most of them come back from the dead all the time. Dagwood sobbed during the Dark Phoneix saga and wept tears of joy when Jean Grey came back only to break down when she died again — and came back yet again. Elmo is right. Dagwood really knows how to cover the important stuff.” –KMD

“Great flag, Mr B! It must be, what, 20 inches long and over a foot wide? The pride of the neighborhood!” –Just John

“I feel like the Venn diagram of people who watch internet concerts and people who buy CDs in 2020 doesn’t overlap at all.” –Rosstifer

“You guys, I think Mary Worth just cured everyone’s anxiety with a simple solution — just don’t be anxious. Brilliant! Why didn’t the rest of us think of this before? Sorry, Big Pharma and Big Therapy, you’ve been benched.” –Joe Blevins

“Buck’s head is so full of big ideas, his neck long ago gave up on trying to support it.” –Red Greenback

“I agree with Josh that the ‘eye dialog’ in this strip is annoying, as in Panel 1 where Miz Prunelli’s word balloon contains the word ‘enny’ in place of ‘any’, when of course they sound exactly the same. I believe the boldface ‘furst’ is in fact appropriate, however, since Jughaid is emphasizing that he knows what the correct word is, in contrast to his Unk Snuffy who would surely have said ‘fustest.’” –seismic-2

“We’re missing the real story here, which is that a Civil War reenactor is wandering around Camp Swampy, possibly violating the terms of his hobby by collecting information on modern warfare so he can change the outcome of the battle he’s taking part in. Why he’d do this is a mystery since he’s clearly on the Union side, and the 1861 capture of Parris Island was successful. Then again maybe the real story is he’s the one who really put Beetle to sleep with boring facts about daily life in 19th century warfare.” –Spunky The Wonder Squid

“The Lockhorns, ladies and gentlemen! Today, Leroy goes to extreme measures to get out of his gym contract! Remember gym contracts? Contracts? With gyms? You know, the hot, sweaty arenas where bodily fluids are continuously exchanged? Those brick-and-mortar businesses who, due to the pandemic and social distancing, have shuttered their doors and pivoted to pay-as-you-go online classes for a fraction of their usual membership fees in order to slightly postpone spiraling into bankruptcy? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s installment, where Leroy tries to get out of his marriage by shouting ‘Fire!’ in a crowded movie theater.” –Carsick Yankee

“Reprobate School has been good for Mike. The English department has already taught him a new word to add to his lexicon: ‘reprobate.’ Tomorrow: ‘lexicon.’” –Only Here For The Ads

“Part of me is sad that Hugo and I couldn’t make our romance work, especially after he moved to another country and we both started dating other people. I mean, we did everything we could, other than staying in the same country and not dating other people, right? Love is strange that way. Well, at least Jared will never leave me — it isn’t as if he could ever do better.” –BigTed

“Dawn had literally the easiest break-up in history, but if she didn’t stare wistfully into the middle distance and complain about it, she wouldn’t be the Dawn Weston we’ve come to know and… I mean ‘love’ is a little strong. Just ‘know’ is fine.” –Dan

“Yeah, I can see why they had to use Sam for this one and not Barfy.” –Zla’od

“‘Technically, we’re all part of the Universe, and the Universe is part of us. Connected together beyond time and the space between the stars, we are woven into a fabric that cannot be destroyed by any trivial differences of appearance or circumstance. Maybe the new hero could embody this idea?’ ‘Geez, who wants to think about any of that? I just want a guy who sparkles and hits people.’” –GeoGreg

Remember: If you never want to see banner ads on this site, and want to get cool comment-editing features to boot, for a mere three dollars a month you can become a Comics Curmudgeon Supporter! If you just want to give me money directly, you can put some scratch in my tip jar, or back me on Patreon! Thanks to all for your support and readership!

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Over the years, many have asked me: “Josh, when are you going to make your live comedy show, The Internet Read Aloud, available over the very internet that gives it its name?” Well, all it took was a global pandemic shutting down all live performances indefinitely, because now, two weeks from today: it’s happening, on Zoom, at 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern!

How do you “attend” this show? Well, you’ll need a URL from me, which isn’t ready yet, and the easiest way to get it is to email me at jfruh@jfruh.com and I’ll put you on my list. (I won’t use use your email for any purpose other than letting you know about this specific show.) You can also say you’re going on Facebook, if that appeals to you!

I’ve never done anything like this before, so it’ll be a bit of an experiment, but there are four great comics on the bill and I’m very excited to try it out. So get hyped and I will hopefully “see” you “there”!

But something you can “see” right now with your own eyes is this week’s … comment of the week!

“‘When love is involved, quirks are viewed as charm,’ the star creature mused. It grimaced as it took another sip of the undiluted H20 chemical compound, but endured the discomfort. ‘Another fascinating aspect of your– I mean, our species. Please continue relating these insights about our breeding habits, Earth female Dawn.’ The being from the dark vastness suffered another sip of water for the sake of appearances. Once the secrets of human reproduction were learned, they could be subverted, and the eradication of mankind could proceed.” –jroggs

Your runners up are very funny as well!

“Personally, I would have never thought to have an eggplant-colored lamp next to a toothpaste-colored couch.” –Joe Blevins

“The joke doesn’t even work, as set up by the writer. Dustin starts by specifying that it’s a ringtone to each friend. Then before today’s installment is complete, it’s a ringtone to each phone number. Q: How many comic strip writers does it take to change a light bulb? A: Two — one for each bulb. It’s kind of like that.” –Glycyrrhiza Glabra

“Actually, Mary, it’s ‘Whom did you choose?’ I know that sounds wrong, but ‘I’m with Jared’ sounds a hell of a lot wronger.” –BigTed

“‘Several days later,’ because talking with Mary is an ordeal and is not something you want to do as soon as you step out of the airport.” –Ettorre

“So Margaret is continuing her remote schooling, as all public schoolchildren are required, while Dennis’s parents let him wander around the neighborhood, barging into people’s houses, all the while ignoring his own education? I’d say the apple doesn’t fall far from the menace tree.” –Lawyerbob

“Mrs. Mayor’s Mom is facepalming in that second panel. She can’t believe she has a child so stupid as not to realize that his ‘home-schooling’ will be done online, leaving him plenty of time to troll people with punny nicknames on a Milford subreddit.” –But What Do I Know?

“The Turning Page should be a soap opera strip set in a boutique bookstore that inexplicably has a dozen sexy employees.” –RexDartEskimoPi, on Twitter

“You spent our life savings replacing your feet with those rocket boots, and they barely let you hover, Loretta! You’re what, an inch off the ground? That’s not Iron Man, Loretta, that’s just pathetic. Oh, the lawyer? He’s here to get you committed to the asylum.” –Voshkod

“Yeah, Buck — I gotta go lie down. You’re wearing me out. And call Doc Morgan — see if what I’ve got can be transmitted rectally, because you have been up my ass now for awhile.” –Old (Home) School Allie Cat

“The good news about today’s Hi & Lois is that it would be ridiculously outdated and out-of-touch even without a pandemic.” –2+2=7

“‘Geoff, your work has certainly made a difference tonight in all of these kids’ lives,’ says Mark Trail, in front of a smokey, burned-up forest.” –Clint Brawny

“I like it that the last panel makes it sound like those two facts are related: ‘Yes, with all that dead brush gone, this regenerated forest will make the perfect home for Kevin! Plenty of fresh shoots to graze on, fewer predators — he’s one lucky kid.’” –pugfuggly

“Trying to read Gil Thorp, but I keep getting distracted by how great a title Pardon My Funk, Coach would be a for a terrible 70s blaxploitation sports film.” –Schroduck

“You’re a social creature, Mike. I recommend you go find the biggest anthill or beehive you can, and live there for the rest of your life. Once you gain the insects’ trust, they will welcome you into the colony with open, well, uh, legs but don’t take that in the wrong way.” –Emmet Pismire

“Pretty sure at least one of the kids has been shown playing with a hammer, so why not? Show him where you keep the ropes, the gasoline, the flamethrowers. The injuries that they themselves procure must be their schoolmasters.” –Artist formerly known as Ben

“‘You need to show your pre-verbal sibling the ropes,’ Grandma says for some reason that isn’t at all difficult to imagine. And Jeffy doesn’t understand this expression probably nobody has ever had occasion to say to him before! Ah, young children. They truly don’t have an experienced grasp of idioms.” –pachoo

“Dawn and Mary are talking like Jared is sitting across the the room with a gun forcing them to say nice things about him.” –DevOpsDad

Remember: If you never want to see banner ads on this site, and want to get cool comment-editing features to boot, for a mere three dollars a month you can become a Comics Curmudgeon Supporter! If you just want to give me money directly, you can put some scratch in my tip jar, or back me on Patreon! Thanks to all for your support and readership!

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What’s that? It’s your comment of the week!

“And I want to talk to you about what Don Henley himself did for the love of it. That’s right, cocaine, lots of it! That and treating his band mates like disposable hired help. But mostly, let’s talk cocaine! You need it, I have it!” –Rhino Sandberg

And holy cow, it’s also your runners up!

“Cayla smirks for the same reason we all do. Les is hateful and his suffering is delicious.” –T.H. steady

“It’s Lisa’s story, not the world’s. Everyone should pay me just for being me, not demanding that I provide them with some kind of product or service.” –Peanut Gallery

“It takes a truly mature comic to stop their own narrative and just say ‘Look, over the last couple weeks we tried to bring forth a thoughtful and poignant message through the medium of daily comics, but we failed. Why don’t you just look up this popular song instead? It’s actually does much better job of conveying what we meant.’” –pugfuggly

“‘This is still a traditional and still-warm power lunch stop.’ It’s way too early in the day for me to feel like I’ve had a stroke. Goddammit Funky, just use normal people words.” –jeltranksss

“Gasoline Alley has its finger right on the pulse of the zeitgeist as usual. If there’s one complaint Don Henley gets the most about his music, it’s that it’s too loud.” –Chance

“Wait a second … he’s your ‘friend’? Meaning he’s going to pine for you, act like a jealous jerk, and ultimately try to steal you away from your significant other? Because that’s my definition of how a friend acts. I may have whew’d prematurely.” –Jenna

“‘Lisa’s Story is about Les’ is the smoking gun we all long ago lost our will to care about.” –C Trombley, on Twitter

“If Halftrack would invest in a door, this strip would lose a good 20% of its opportunity for ‘humor.’” –Pozzo

“The elevator pitch? ‘Like Love Story, but with bigger assholes.’” –Handsome Harry Backstayge, Idol of a Million Other Women

“At this point, I’m thinking Mason has arranged this whole trip as an elaborate ‘let’s humiliate Les’ exercise. The ‘producers’ they’re meeting with are actually just friends of his who are in on the gag, and they’re secretly recording all of the sessions and will distribute a highlights reel once this is over. It’s a lot of work, sure, but it’s for a worthy cause.” –Dmsilev

“A male plugger happily doing the dishes is difficult to believe, but his wearing an apron pushes it to impossibility. Today’s comic is going to provoke a bunch of protests at state capitals across the country.” –nescio

“Yeah, I thought Jared’s car would be held together simply by the sheer power of his overwhelming neediness.” –2+2=7

“Look, I may be bored as hell by the subject matter, or skeptical of Buck’s ability to unload Truck’s merch online — but I am amazed and impressed by the way these guys hold their cell phones. Do you smell something meaty with cabbage? Yeah, that’s right — it’s a Reuben.” –Old (Home) School Allie Cat

Remember: If you never want to see banner ads on this site, and want to get cool comment-editing features to boot, for a mere three dollars a month you can become a Comics Curmudgeon Supporter! If you just want to give me money directly, you can put some scratch in my tip jar, or back me on Patreon! Thanks to all for your support and readership!