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Blondie, 9/18/21

A strip like Blondie exists in a sort of eternal present, its world changing almost imperceptibly slowly over time to stay vaguely contemporary, so it doesn’t really have any fixed “lore” per se. But still, I feel like we’re getting a lot of information here that has no foundation in previous strips. Alexander is a musician? Alexander has friends? The Bumsteads have a vast empty room adjacent to their living room that can be turned into an impromptu stage for Alexander and the friends he seems to have suddenly acquired? At least this all is in the service of a really solid joke, about Alexander’s band playing a tribute (???) to concert crowds everywhere (????) although not here because they’re just playing in the Bumsteads’ house, for his parents. This punchline is both conceptually airtight and very funny, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Pluggers, 9/18/21

You may be a plugger if you’re still wearing clip-on ties. May! We’re not really sure. Despite this strip being named Pluggers, we’ve kind of lost the thread on what pluggers’ whole deal is and we don’t want to say anything we can’t take back. Will this offend pluggers? Non-pluggers? Clip-on tie wearers? Clip-on tie shunners? People who used to wear clip-on ties but stopped for some reason? Please don’t get mad at us!

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Mark Trail, 9/6/21

I’ve been enjoying Mark’s fish-out-of-water misadventures in wildlife-themed social media, and especially Cherry’s return to Elrod-era badassery. But it’s deeply satisfying to see Mark head back into his element, confident hand on the wheel and fully prepared for whatever’s ahead. And the fact that he’s leaving Rusty out of yet another fishing trip, well, that’s just the icing on the cake.

Mother Goose and Grimm, 9/6/21

It’s funny because John and George are dead!

Pardon My Planet, 9/6/21

I dunno, Jesse, somebody put a lot of care into inking those jeans.

Take It from the Tinkersons, 9/6/21

Oh no! Clueless boss Ed interrupted Joe just as he was about to spill the beans to Ted about the real culprit in Helen’s husbands’ deaths. Now it’s six months of “My son is lazy and my dog is fat” until the facts emerge. Why is there never a Time Drone around when you need one?

Pluggers, 9/6/21

Happy Labor Day, faithful U.S. and Canadian readers! Hot dogs are sandwiches—enjoy every one!

Welp, that’s it for me! Thanks, everybody; I had a good time. Tune in again tomorrow for Josh’s triumphant return!

— Uncle Lumpy

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Family Circus, 8/21/21

I have already shamefully admitted that I kind of like Billy when he’s being surly and aggressively ignorant, so this this panel is a real treat. The best part, though is how bored and antsy everyone else looks as well. Even Daddy is yawning while he’s trying to read about erosion or whatever! Billy’s just saying what we’re all thinking!

Gil Thorp, 8/21/21

“I just turned down a boring-ass sports story, which is normally the sort of thing we’d print, but it wasn’t a boring-ass high school sports story, so I figured it wasn’t right for us, even though — and I can’t emphasize this enough — we’re supposed to be a real grown-up newspaper, not the high school journalism club or anything like that. Anyway, it’s Saturday, so I assume there’s a new plot starting next week! Maybe it’ll be high school sports related!”

Pluggers, 8/21/21

Pluggers have no idea what time it is or where they are or where they’re going or when they’re supposed to get there, and that’s OK! Their journey is valid and I respect it.