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Self-loathing punk

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Rex Morgan, M.D., 7/20/11

Philosophical question: Is it insulting to call someone a “punk,” when they’re totally decked out in all the accoutrements of a punk rocker, circa 1978? Does the intention of the speaker count more than one’s own embrace of a retro-punk image? I have to admit that, with all his whining about verbal assault, I’m not thinking very highly of Spider the Punk (also, FYI, punk names that are not badass: “Spider”) at the moment, and on the other hand am admiring the steely gaze that Mr. Geezer is leveling at him in the final panel. “Spider, would you like me to graphically demonstrate some of the techniques I learned with my commando unit behind Japanese lines in Burma during World War II? Or would you like to go to class? Your choice.”

Herb and Jamaal, 7/20/11

Why … why wouldn’t Herb’s mother in law just removed the “mortuary” signs from her car? I’m guessing that the artist came up with a joke involving her trying to loan Ernie a hearse, then realized, “Oh, ho ho, there’s no way I can draw a recognizable hearse,” then just slapped a sign on a generic drawing of a black car and called it a day.

Pluggers, 7/20/11

Oh, come now, pluggers don’t know big words like “diuretic.” They’ll totally pee all over themselves though! That I believe.

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If the thought of change unsettles you, then why are you always trying to change people, HMMM?

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Apartment 3-G, 7/19/11

Much to my irritation, Apartment 3-G seems convinced that hinting at but not revealing the details of Margo’s latest hilariously wrongheaded money-making scheme constitutes “building suspense.” Still, I have to admit that I’m kind of hypnotized by Tommie’s breakfast preparation. First she holds up her box of cereal (and kudos to her for finally graduating from “Cereal”-brand cereal to the slightly more exciting “Bran Bits”), then sets it down somewhere off panel, then picks up her carton of milk. Since her hand isn’t visible in either frame, I guess she’s holding both containers from the bottom, maybe to up the degree of difficulty for some reason? If we’re really lucky, maybe tomorrow we’ll see the bowl. I don’t know if we’ve earned that.

Marmaduke, 7/19/11

Ha ha, yes, “head of household” jokes, these certainly would have been interesting and relevant when everyone was filling out their census form (a year and a half ago) or during tax season (three months ago). Of course, it’s possible that Phil has been sitting there transfixed by Marmaduke’s huge terrifying demon-eyes for all that time, not daring to write anything on the form, not daring to do anything at all.

Mary Worth, 7/19/11

“Light up the sky?” Is that a sex thing? I dearly hope that’s not a sex thing.

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Exploring brave new frontiers of smug

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Funky Winkerbean, 7/18/11

Man, I was trying to figure out what the next angle would be in the continuing story of “Long-suffering Les becomes a literary bigshot and also totally insufferable.” Now we know: he’s going to track down everyone who’s ever slighted him and subject each and every one of them to a pompous, passive-aggressive piece of his mind. I dearly hope that this episode, in which Les berates a professor who almost certainly remembers him and his awful adolescent scribblings not at all, is not presented in flashback, but rather that we just get to see Les describe the epic confrontation over the course of the week. That way we won’t miss a single one of his smug facial expressions!

Mary Worth, 7/18/11

Ha ha, man, Mary’s gone from swinging around the dance floor with Jeff to heading out the sliding glass doors to the parking lot in what appears to be about 15 seconds. Girl can really move when someone asks her for an emotional commitment!

Six Chix, 7/18/11

Is … is this a comic about cheerful talking cows being led into an abattoir under false pretenses? Because I’m pretty sure that’s what it’s about.