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Hey, all, thanks for everyone who answered my pleas about a New York City reading location last week. It turns out that trying to schedule multiple events in mutiple cities in a relatively short timespan is a pain in the ass and that’s why people have professionals do this for them, usually? But I’m proud to announce that now I’ve got a whole novel-reading and -selling tour lined up for myself … and for you. Here are the dates and places!

• April 26: Upshur Street Books, Washington, DC
• April 28: Atomic Books, Baltimore, MD
• May 2: The City Reliquary, Brooklyn, NY
• May 5: Talking Leaves Books, Buffalo NY

Anyway, you’re gonna be reminded of these dates repeatedly over the next few weeks, but if you live in or near these cities, please add them to your calendar now and plan your lives around them! And … if you’ve been thinking “Gee, I keep meaning to buy Josh’s novel, but I haven’t yet” and you also want to come to one of these events, I’d urge you to hold off and buy at the store, so they won’t regret inviting me!

But, with that business out of the way, let’s enjoy the comment of the week:

“Sheesh, this G-rated reboot of The Reverent is the worst.” –Little Guy

And let’s enjoy these hilarious runners up!

“Yep, but not for the reasons you think! If you assumed I had any semblance of fatherly concern for you, you’re way off base! I’m your agent, pure and simple, and the fact that you seem to have some sort of belief that I would protect you makes me realize that I should be fleecing you worse than I already am.” –Doctor Handsome

“Sure, sure, she ‘binged on real life’ … those are the most LSD-y stars I’ve ever seen.” –handsome Harry Backstayge, idol of a million other women

“Look, buddy, you can order a ‘Wand of Watoomb’ from several sites online. They’ll even send it in discreet packaging.” –TheDiva

“Sorry, all traces of menace disappear when Dennis shows glee at the idea of living past 27.” –Irrischano

“Once they read this scathing hit piece, kids’ll put down their Ataris and their Colecos, and then newspaper comics will be back on top, baby!” –Purple Prosecutor

“Since the logo panel can only depict a moment from the unsuccessful Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark (why else would Spidey be crouching theatrically beneath a literal spotlight?), this conversation about MJ’s Broadway stardom must be killing him. That smile Peter Parker maintains throughout this chat might be his single greatest act of heroism in months.” –Joe Blevins

“The passage ahead is going to tighten up on us! That’s what she — No, I’m only teasing, that wasn’t sexual innuendo at all! I’m the world’s least interesting man!” –Alter Ego

“I hope tomorrow’s strip is of a senile Crankshaft arguing with a pharmacy building about why it won’t take his bet.” –nescio

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds [delivering garbage to cats]” –Marcus Theory

“In the first panel of Momma, there’s about five feet between the Momma and the Child. In the second panel, there’s about three feet. Be grateful it stops there, because in about three panels more it will become the worst kind of Oedipal nightmare.” –Voshkod

“Chicken wire is a bold choice when making your own playpen for the kids.” –Rusty

“Dennis indicates his father is no longer as physically fit as he used to be and needs to be replaced. Instead of joking it off, Alice ponders the question. Henry feels a single bead of sweat run down his forehead as he stoically awaits her decision, trying to look as manly and robust as he can while wearing loafers. The silence lengthens.” –Ekudamram

“Mary Jane’s frustrations with her husband have hit a new level of passive-aggressiveness: ‘Yes, Peter, isn’t it funny that you’ve devoted your entire life to the study of science and have nothing to show for it, while Dr. Strange studies ‘magic’ and has a luxury apartment in an upscale neighborhood? I guess you’ve wasted your life and your talents. But you are Spider-Man, so that’s something, except how you were rescued by a powerless woman in a lab coat last week.'” –Dread

“Those damn wizards, with their grimoires and their staffs and their Trader Joes” –garrett, on Twitter

“All well and good, but what if your batista serving your afternoon latte offers you financial advice which runs contrary to this gem? Rex’s ‘thoughtful face’ is in for a workout.” –Kevin on Earth

“‘What’s a geezer?’ ‘A grown man who doesn’t think he has to put his clothes back on when the exam is over, apparently.'” –Dan

“So I suppose the non-pluggers among us don’t bother using lids? We just sort of risk spilling our coffee, staining our clothes, carpets, and furniture? Maybe we like scalding ourselves like lazy, wasteful morons. If so, that’s our business, thank you; at least we have goals.” –made of wince

“No, Josh, pluggers buy their coffee in cups from 7-11. Good old American coffee, not that hoity toity frappacrappa stuff that the yuppies pay so much for at their I’m-so-trendy Starbuck Jones stores with those barristers who look down their noses at you when you can’t pronounce whatever the hell it is that they call coffee in those weird venty-lenty-minty sizes they have instead of plain old large, double, and lunchbox thermos-full. Whenever I’m at 7-11, I always… er, I mean, on those rare occasions when I’m at 7-11, I usually see… uh, I mean, I would tend to speculate that probably… ah, I suppose that… Never mind, I have no idea what pluggers buy or how and where they buy it. No idea at all. Wouldn’t know. Have no experience in that culture. Those pluggers, honestly! What strange folks they must be. Sure glad I don’t know any and will never ever become one!!!”–seismic 2

Thanks to everyone who put some scratch in my tip jar! And let’s give thanks to our advertisers:

• Strange World Cthulhu: Shadow Over Texas: Veteran Comics Curmudgeon fan Donald Saxman has a new Kickstarter campaign ad for an HP Lovecraft monster fighting role playing game set in Texas in the roaring twenties. Even if you aren’t an RP gamer the “Strange World Cthulhu: Shadow Over Texas” adventure modules are interactive fiction and the Texas sourcebook should confirm all your most horrible suspicions about the Lone Star state. If that doesn’t sell you, haven’t you every wondered what would happen if the steam-powered Battleship Texas fought the ancient giant Deep One Dagon?
• Bluebeards Original is proud to join The Comics Curmudgeon as an advertiser! Company owner Paul Kaniewski is a longtime follower of this site, to the point that it inspired him to created the famed Aldo Kelrast MySpace profile. Bluebeards has been making top-rated beard care products for ten years now, so any bearded folks or those that love them, please check out the site and try their stuff.
• Oh, yes, and my novel is something you should buy, in hardback, paperback, or ebook form! It’s called The Enthusiast, and it’s about trains, comics, stealth marketing, capitalism, and joy

If you’d like to buy advertising on the site, you can do so on a CPM basis through BuySellAds. To find out more, you can go to my BuySellAds page or just click here.

Post Content

NYC-based readers and pals, I am sending up: THE JOSH-NEEDS-HELP SIGNAL! I really, really, want to do a reading event for my The Enthusiast in New York City. I’ve written to a crapton of book stores (OK, like six or seven) and have either got all nos or no responses. And my timeframe is narrowing — it’s gotta be between the 21st and 25th of April or the 28th of April and 4th of May. I would be 100% up for doing this in any kind of venue you could name that would hold like 30-40 people. Doesn’t have to be a bookstore! Though I’d love to do this in one, because I love bookstores! Anyway, chime in on this thread and/or write me at jfruh@jfruh.com if you have IDEAS.

And with that out of the way, let’s cut to the chase, the “chase” being the comment of the week!

“I hope Beetle Bailey from now on devotes itself entirely to uncanny valley versions of Annie Hall jokes. ‘At first I didn’t want to join the club, but then they said I could be a member!’ ‘My brother’s crazy, he thinks he’s a chicken. But I’ve got too many eggs as it is!'” –OwenKije

And the runners up are as always also funny!

“For all the crap we give Momma for being terrible, we must give her credit for her moonwalking skills.” –Alan

“I couldn’t remember who ‘Max’ was, and for a few wild happy moments I thought maybe these two had an open marriage. Oh well.” –Poteet

“Max Mouse is really eating his feelings.” –Philip Rodney Moon, on Facebook

“The extradition rules there apply only to human beings. Minotaurs are a grey area.” –Shrug

“If you were a man made of snow and knew all you had to look forward to was the coming spring and the inevitable, slow, excruciating melt that comes with it, you might decide to take the quick way out as well.” –WLP

“Sing a Song of Sixpence (1744) – Goofs

Revealing mistakes
24 blackbirds could not fit in a pie, and if they could, oxygen starvation would soon kill them.

Anachronisms
The sixpence hasn’t been a valid coin since 1980.

Mistakes by characters (possibly intentional)
A pie filled with 24 oxygen-starved birds would not be a dainty dish, whether or not it was set before a king.

Suggested by BillyK. 0 out of 142 people found this interesting.” –Schroduck

“Ok, aside from the horrible ‘joke’, where the hell is this supposed to be taking place? In a darkened cave? Oh god, is this a crossover with Mark Trail? Is that … a cave cricket? You never told us they had thoughts and feelings, you monster!” –pugfuggly

“Notice how the ‘irises’ of Boog’s eyes appear to be attached to the upper arc of his orbit (or eye socket). Those aren’t irises, they’re uvula, and those aren’t eyes, they’re mouths. Screaming black mouths gibbering nonsense about fire.” –Voshkod

“Time out, Kenzie! Flag on the play! Illegal use of hands! Ha ha, sports everybody! Sorry, what were we– right, your boyfriend. So… holding? Look, somebody else jump in here.” –Dan

“Look. I spent $25.99 on this dildo. Are we going to use it, or not?” –RavenHawk

“I’m curious as to what a plugger thinks is involved in ‘calculating’ something. I’ll bet they don’t think it involves math.” –AndyL

“Dolly, did you know if you pray hard enough to the Patron Saint of The Pledge of Allegiance, ‘Red’ Skelton, Raleigh Cigarettes will appear under your pillow?” –Baka Gaijin

“Still working hard on that LIZ BELLMAN spin-off strip, I see. Unfortunately, superhero fans never got over the disappointment of finding out that LIZ BELLMAN is not, in fact, a space lizard with sonic powers.” –Aphthakid

“Good thing Thel didn’t go in until after Dolly was done. Time must have slowed to a crawl when she was struggling with ‘indivisible.'” –Artist formerly known as Ben

“Sarge may be in it for the gluttony, but Beetle is just happy that the Bill’s Diner buffet (‘Home of Green Mush!’) lacks both food heaters and a sneeze guard. Whether it’s food poisoning or the flu, something is going to get him out of doing any work tomorrow.” –BigTed

“Girls don’t date guys with big humps on their backs, but since I’m a camel, I’m literally swimming in *ahem* camel toes. Sorry; I thought we were doing a whole stretch-a-joke-to-its-absolute-absurdist-limit thing.” –The Might Untrained FOOZLE

“[cue a dozen male camels not wearing stupid hats walking by with dates]” –Doctor Handsome

Thanks to everyone who put some scratch in my tip jar! And let’s give thanks to our advertisers:

• Strange World Cthulhu: Shadow Over Texas: Veteran Comics Curmudgeon fan Donald Saxman has a new Kickstarter campaign ad for an HP Lovecraft monster fighting role playing game set in Texas in the roaring twenties. Even if you aren’t an RP gamer the “Strange World Cthulhu: Shadow Over Texas” adventure modules are interactive fiction and the Texas sourcebook should confirm all your most horrible suspicions about the Lone Star state. If that doesn’t sell you, haven’t you every wondered what would happen if the steam-powered Battleship Texas fought the ancient giant Deep One Dagon?
• Bluebeards Original is proud to join The Comics Curmudgeon as an advertiser! Company owner Paul Kaniewski is a longtime follower of this site, to the point that it inspired him to created the famed Aldo Kelrast MySpace profile. Bluebeards has been making top-rated beard care products for ten years now, so any bearded folks or those that love them, please check out the site and try their stuff.
• Oh, yes, and my novel is something you should buy, in hardback, paperback, or ebook form! It’s called The Enthusiast, and it’s about trains, comics, stealth marketing, capitalism, and joy

If you’d like to buy advertising on the site, you can do so on a CPM basis through BuySellAds. To find out more, you can go to my BuySellAds page or just click here.

Post Content

Want a good laugh? Read this week’s top comment. It’s very funny:

“Don’t feel sad, Boog, some day you and the bear will meet again in Heaven [pause, looks at Boog’s soulless eyes] …never mind.” –Droopy Says

Oh, man, you know what else is funny, though? The runners up:

“It’s kind of sad that Ol’ Snort’s story is about to end with him and his children getting shot and eaten, but history belongs to the winners.” –BigTed

“To us, the Perfesser is just making a slightly sexist judgement on a woman’s body. To the sentient birds in this strip, however, I think he just used a highly offensive racial slur. For once, the google eyes of horror seem completely justified.” –pugfuggly

“I’ve studdied that Blondie for a good few minutes, and the best explanation I can come up with is that Elmo is actually an undercover agent desperately repeating his codewords in the hopes of finding his handler. ‘Ol’ Stork Baby! Detention is in the gym! Please, someone acknowledge me, I need to get rid of all this classified microfiche!'” –Schroduck

“Poor Elmo, detention is really going to cut into his afterschool play dates with with an adult man to whom he’s not related.” –Chyron HR

Spider-Man: “Sure, Namor, you fucking hypocrite. All ‘Don’t pollute my oceans but don’t mind me while I fuck up your atmosphere with my bourgeois flying jet-submarine. Ta ta! I’ll be back to bone your young women soon.’ Good riddance, asshole.” –Mikey

“Look at that poor, beat-down plugger chicken-lady. You know she’s only got one thing on her to-do list — get a new husband — and yet again the year will go by with that item not crossed off. Watch your back, Funky Winkerbean, because Pluggers is kicking the despair game up the notch.” –Voshkod

“Pretty sure the editor added that cup to Olive’s hand so she wouldn’t be making a jerk-off motion.” –Dan

“In both panels, she’s been hypnotized by the animals to do their bidding. There is no version of this in which the man doesn’t die from scissor wounds.” –rbmalpha

“Who’s that standing with [name every character one by one for anyone who hasn’t been paying attention for the past sixty years]?” –Chris Rywalt, on Twitter

“To heck with these fancy schmantsy coal-fired or wood-fired oven pizza joints, with their high-falutin’ airs and high prices! Pizza Hovel’s ovens are garbage fired, and they pass the savings on to you!” –Nehemiah Scudder

“Wait, Alex, Blondie, Cookie, Dagwood? Finally, I have a mnemonic to help me remember how the alphabet starts.” –Irrischano

“…from the docks, struggling to keep my eyes open, this is Astound-o the Magician. Back to you, Ron and Deena.” –handsome Harry Backstayge, idol of a million other women

“Less self-control? Like … people who hurl cups of steaming hot chocolate at boring old women when they start to spout meaningless platitudes? Would we be better off if more people has less self-control, like that? Let’s see!” –seismic-2

“Mary’s been in New York too long. She’s already blasé about a dude getting mugged by a ghost.” –Doctor Handsome

Thanks to everyone who put some scratch in my tip jar! And let’s give thanks to our advertisers:

• Bluebeards Original is proud to join The Comics Curmudgeon as an advertiser! Company owner Paul Kaniewski is a longtime follower of this site, to the point that it inspired him to created the famed Aldo Kelrast MySpace profile. Bluebeards has been making top-rated beard care products for ten years now, so any bearded folks or those that love them, please check out the site and try their stuff.
• Oh, yes, and my novel is something you should buy, in hardback, paperback, or ebook form! It’s called The Enthusiast, and it’s about trains, comics, stealth marketing, capitalism, and joy

If you’d like to buy advertising on the site, you can do so on a CPM basis through BuySellAds. To find out more, you can go to my BuySellAds page or just click here.