Archive: Shoe

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Family Circus, 11/11/25

One of my favorite unintentional running Family Circus bits is when panels drawn decades ago that depict the Keane Kids in a car have seatbelts added in extremely half-assed ways. Just look at that shoulder strap vaguely dangling across Billy’s torso; he doesn’t even appear to have a lap belt, and there really is no way to overemphasize the degree to which none of this setup would restrain him in an accident. Presumably Big Daddy Keane knows this, and is more and more tempted to slam on the brakes and hurl his son towards the windshield as his blather becomes increasingly irritating. If only it weren’t for this blasted traffic!

Hi and Lois, 11/11/25

I was an early advocate for Hi and Lois returning Thirsty to his roots as a comical alcoholic, but even I have to admit that “Eat food? Produced via agriculture? No thanks, I’d rather drink an intoxicating beverage” may be going too far.

Mary Worth, 11/11/25

Similarly, I’ve had no complaints as Mary Worth does more and more animal-themed storylines, but “Ian acquires an erotic rival in the form of a parrot” is probably the point where I would start to register some mild complaints.

Shoe, 11/11/25

“Do you understand how much my spirit yearns to be free of this corrupt matter? Take this knife. Sacrifice the man that clothes me. Do it now.”

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Shoe, 11/10/25

“48 years” is relevant here because that’s how long Shoe has been syndicated. Shoe, dimly aware of the contours of his universe, knows that his seemingly eternal and unaging existence is somehow intimately tied up with the time he spends at Roz’s. But going beyond the simple correlation he lays out here would require perception that’s beyond his abilities.

Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, 11/10/25

Oh, so you think it’s funny that Sparkplug’s Grandson Li’l Sparky ate the nose right off that snowman’s face? Well, what if we drop the “snow”? What if Sparkplug’s Grandson Li’l Sparky bit off some guy’s nose, and that guy was running around screaming while blood geysered everywhere, and the accursèd horse, his huge teeth masticating flesh and cartilage, said “Are you kidding? I love men !!” Wouldn’t be so funny then, would it?

Curtis, 11/10/25

Greg looks truly stricken in that final panel. He knows coffee is unhealthy, and Curtis with his innocent child’s wisdom has reaffirmed that it doesn’t taste very good either. He’s left with the knowledge that he only drinks it because he relies on its stimulant properties, and what does that say about him and his life?

Pickles, 11/10/25

Hey, we haven’t checked in with the lovable old couple in Pickles lately, let’s see what they’re up to! [checks in with the old couple in Pickles in today’s strip] I, uh. I think they’re maybe going to get a divorce, guys.

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Shoe, 10/30/25

I love how genuinely sad the Perfesser looks in the second panel. He’s there by himself because he had planned to treat himself to something special at this fancy white-tablecloth French restaurant, only to find that somehow they’re out of almost everything on their extensive and presumably renowned wine list. Now he’s going to have to drink some shitty wine that you can tell he’s already had some bad experiences with. It really is a bummer of a situation! He doesn’t understand the wordplay, by the way; Shakespeare never existed in this universe of partially clothed bird-men.

Marvin, 10/30/25

Finally, Marvin has managed to pivot to something interesting other than poop jokes. It’s Marvin’s parents having an uncomfortably realistic argument over something stupid that’s dragging on and on with no end in sight! And good for them.