296

A grip
Posted on December 26, 2024 by David M Willis

296 thoughts on “A grip”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    Sarah: …great, ANOTHER dude who’s shorter than I am

    1. Da Boy

      Give the short kings of the world a chance!

      1. ESB_Stringfellow

        Tony: I ain’t that short…

        Ginyu: Oh, don’t be getting all Vegeta on me!

      2. MK15

        He’s her density…
        I mean, her destiny

      3. Nymph

        Why though?

    2. Alan in DC

      He’s got the neck she likes

    3. Savail

      That was my first thought with Sarah’s face in the last panel: “Dammit, he IS shorter than me!”

    4. Julez

      Sarah: I’m not taller than him from down here…

    5. Newlland(Henryvolt)

      She only has a couple inches on him.

    6. anon

      I mean surely he’s got muscles making up for it lol

  2. NGPZ

    a new ship sets sail, and Sarah gets a WIN!!! <3

    such a wonderful gift, YIPPEE!!! ^^

    *plays “Loving You, Losing You Beat/Remix” on hacked muzak*

    1. Deanatay

      Sarah: Wait, is this one of those situations where not being sullen and antisocial actually pays off?

  3. Joe Moose

    [Careless Whisper blares out of hidden Bluetooth Speakers]

  4. shadowcell

    babe wake up new ship just launched

    1. jeffepp

      Oh, we announced it yesterday. Today it’s heading for the rocks, because Tony’s only average height. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.

      1. Thag Simmons

        I suspect this will be a Daisy situation, where he gets a bit of a focus arc but doesn’t get promoted out of the ancilliary cast

        1. Michael Steamweed

          I’d be happy to keep him around if only to keep punching incels, nazis, health insurance ceos, etc.

        2. BorkBorkBork

          This is going to be a classic sitcom situation.
          Because, you see, she only projects this pleasant, bubbly, optimistic person, and the longer this goes on, the more she realizes she can’t keep it up.
          But she HAS to keep it up because damn it she really likes this guy, and not just because he’s way better than what’s in her drawer.
          But the longer it goes on, the more it feels like a lie.
          And eventually, there’ll come a day where she just snaps and just lets someone have it who REALLY deserves it.
          And she’s terrified because, oh crap, he’s seen it, he knows I’m a monster.
          But – and here’s the thing – he confesses, he knew who she was *before* they started dating. And he liked her back then.
          And he never understood why she was acting so different, but it seemed awkward to bring up.
          But damn. Now that the mask is down, he can tell her straight-up that he likes her like that.
          And they can have an angry fight about how each of them was misleading the other.
          And then they can have angry make-up sex.
          And then everyone is happy, especially us in the comments section.

        3. Michael Steamweed

          Really looking forward to the angry make-up sexing on Slipshine. 😀

      2. Nono

        Do we have a yardstick measure of how tall Tony would be? Most the guys are either tall (Jacob/Ethan/Joe), or relatively short like Walky.

        My first thought was maybe he’s like the same height as Asher or Mike. Maybe slightly shorter?

        1. Needfuldoer

          I think the only character whose height has been stated in canon is Amber/Amazi-Girl, who said she’s 5’2″ in her boots. For everyone else, we can guess and make comparisons.

          Walky’s eye level is about at Sarah’s chin. Tony’s is at her nose, so he’s probably a couple inches taller.
          https://www.dumbingofage.com/glowin/

          Joyce’s eye level is about at Sarah’s collarbones. (She gets screen time with just about everybody, so comparison shots are easy to find.) If Joyce is average height for an American woman she’s 5’4″, so if we split the difference then Tony would probably be 5’7″ or 5’8″.
          https://www.dumbingofage.com/donttouch/

          For what it’s worth, I’ve always assumed Sarah is about 5’10” or 5’11”; tall but not exceptionally so. (Ruth is almost exactly the same height as her, and she’s only slightly taller than some of the tertiary characters like Agatha and Sierra.) Ethan’s probably 6′ or 6’1″ since he’s a little taller than Sarah, which would put Joe and Jacob around 6’2″ or 6’3″.

          Source: I threw some character names into the tag URL and looked for recent strips where they were standing on the same plane, then guessed.

        2. ValdVin

          Walky’s 5’7″, as mentioned in the strip where he describes his hoops ambition (like every Indiana kid has) as thwarted by his stature.

        3. BorkBorkBork

          There’s a strip where Tony and Walky are face to face. Walky’s eyes are at Tony’s uppper lip, so if Walky is 5’7, Tony is 5’9. Exactly average male height.

        4. Diane

          A woman who’s 5’11 is taller than 99.88% of all women in the United States. That’s pretty exceptional!

        5. BBCC

          Sarah being 5’10-11 is about the same as Willis has stated for her height, yes. We probably shouldn’t judge too much by visuals because Willis has stated he plays with that for visual contrast so all we can confirm for Tony is ‘a little shorter than Sarah’. I’d put him around 5’9ish – visibly taller than Walky and Jennifer but visibly shorter than Sarah.

        6. Sirksome

          I’m 6’7. I wonder if I would be a giant in the DoA verse. Even the likes of Joe and Jacob would cower before me. DoA is full of short stacks.

        7. John Campbell

          Galasso might still have you beat. I think he’s less ginormous in the Dumbiverse than in Shortpacked!, but he’s still noticeably taller than Joe and Ethan.

        8. David M Willis

          Galasso is about seven feet in both universes.

    2. not someone else

      Oooooooh yes

  5. Nono

    Oh wait he’s shorter than her

    Is this the deal breaker, or will she find room in her heart to accept short kings?

    1. Thag Simmons

      I hope it’s not. Tony seems cool and I wouldn’t mind getting to see more of him

    2. Doopyboop

      I think the fact that he’s muscular is gonna even it out for her. Also he seems to have a good personality so honestly Sarah if you don’t want him I’LL TAKE HIM LET ME HAVE THE SHORT KING

    3. True Survivor

      Oddly it appears that it is Tony who is disappointed (or annoyed), when Sarah stands up to her full towering height. Even if Sarah is smitten, Tony may not desire to date a girl taller than he is.

      1. Laud

        I interpreted his expression as a reaction to what she said, not about her height. Guess we will see tomorrow.

      2. Vanessa

        I noticed that too. Hmmm, I like this guy though, I hope we see more of him.

      3. ktbear

        That’s how you interpreted that look? Interesting.

        1. Effie

          Maybe Paul just hates everybody, like Sarah does, and they will bond over that

        2. Casi

          i hope you meant tony, cuz paul is the incelerator

      4. Michael Steamweed

        I saw his look as a recognition look. Like, I’ve seen you somewhere before.

        1. Jo_cubstar

          Huh. I was wondering what upset him?

  6. Throwatron

    wait is that the fuckin dude who is the deans son and also a quarterback or w/e

    1. Ty34er

      I read the like 5 comics he is in. Yes, blondie is the dean’s son.

      1. Shakes

        Also a quarterback or w/e!

    2. Thag Simmons

      He plays football, yeah

    3. Amelie Wikström

      It would be hilarious (if unlikely) if Sarah went on a date with him and instantly got more popular and well connected than Raidah.

      1. Masumi

        This. I like this.

      2. Throwatron

        It would be nearly guaranteed to happen. If you’re operating under Raidah’s twisted world-view, he is certainly the most “high-status male” on campus. Sarah might even just start dating him when she realizes how much it would piss of Raidah, lmao.

      3. Lingo

        Now that you mention it, it’s a wonder Raidah hasn’t gotten her claws in him already. Why bother with the Dean’s ex-wife’s son when you could get his actual son in your clique?

        1. Amelie Wikström

          It looks like she might have had a problem with Tony having integrity and something of a sense for bullshit. . .

  7. Morrison

    So no, Tony is NOT as tall as Sarah, as I wondered earlier. Guess this will never work out!

  8. Thag Simmons

    Goodbye Paul, please never come back

    1. Needfuldoer

      He can play in a band with Mary and Peter.

      1. staszu13

        Or John, George and Ringo

      2. Makkabee

        Or Peter, Ace, and Gene. He’ll have to really ramp up his makeup game, though.

  9. Jon

    FANTASTIC physical comedy moment here, A+ for real 😀

  10. Sirksome

    His name’s Paul. I don’t want to know that. Ew.

    1. Proxiehunter

      Wasn’t Mary’s last boyfriend named Peter?

      1. Thag Simmons

        Peter Paul, as I recall

        1. Proxiehunter

          Really hope this douche isn’t Paul Peter because he already feels like some web comic artist dreamed him up to date Mary.

        2. Thag Simmons

          Peter’s definitely a different dude.

    2. Bryy

      His name is Robert Paulson.

      1. Taffy

        The guy who voiced Coconut Fred?

        1. Leaflet Erin

          You are the first person I’ve come across that’s not family that knows about coconut Fred! Nice to know it wasn’t a word hallucination my family experienced.

      2. someone

        Not possible; he’s not dead yet.

      3. Morleuca

        every time I hear this, I get “Your name is Arnold Horshack!” stuck on a loop in my head

  11. JessWitt

    Had a feeling this would be a meet-cute and I’m all for this.

  12. Davus

    Alt text: “I’m not editing all the incelerator tags to paul”
    *Edits all the incelerator tags to paul*

    1. David M Willis

      I’ve had 7 months to think it over!

      1. Thag Simmons

        Can’t you edit all the tags at once?

        If you can’t my condolences about switching out all the Billie tags

        1. David M Willis

          yes editing the tags is very easy

        2. Nono

          Ghost of Mike: as easy as me paying a nickel last night

        3. Charles Phipps

          But what is his last name?

        4. DaisyFM

          Erator

        5. staszu13

          He’s like Leland and Ryan – he doesn’t get one

        6. David M Willis

          Robertson

        7. NGPZ

          …. Paul Robertson the pixel artist? :0

        8. Amós Batista

          That’s why I love to manage websites bty CMS.

          – “Is more expensive, adding one more layer to our project…”
          – Who cares? I can edit entire post tags once, dude!

  13. Vukodlak

    “Why do birds suddenly appear….”

  14. Doopyboop

    This is the cutest meet-cute I’ve seen in a while.

    1. Opus the Poet

      I’ve seen a lot of meet cutes, this is not the cutest recent, but the I read lots of lgbtq literature, and in the comics versions there are tons of meet cutes. this is barely a top ten.

    2. Thomas

      It would be a lot cuter if Tony didn’t look positively annoyed in the last panel.

      Look, I’d ship this if we knew more about Tony beyond him being a basically decent guy. Does he have a personality?

      1. Wilde

        This was his expression in all his appearances this far – I suspect there may be a point made for Sarah in this encounter about not requiring a smile to be a decent person.

      2. zee

        Of course he’s annoyed, his ex teammate and maybe friend has become an incel to the most publicly embarrassing degree possible. He’s allowed to not be all smiles

      3. Lingo

        Perhaps they’ll bond over their aversion to smiling! It’s perfect.

      4. Nymph

        Thank youuuuu.

  15. Mr. Random

    She fell for him the second he assaulted someone to stand up for his principles and frowned while doing it.

    1. Masumi

      Oh dang they’re going to be the next superhero pair, aren’t they. The type that calls themselves villains but keep saving people.

      1. Daibhid C

        The Sarahbolts!

    2. Miri

      It helped that those principles included “don’t be a dick towards women, WTF rabbit hole have you fallen down online you dickwad, this is why nobody likes you” – this aligns with Sarah’s views on incels lol

    3. Throwatron

      :O~ it would work on me

  16. butts

    sorry sarah

  17. Sirksome

    He’s short and got a better haircut during the time skip. The exact opposite of Jacob in every way. I approve.

    1. Thag Simmons

      Jacob’s haircut would probably be decent looking IRL, just not a great fit for the artstyle

    2. Nono

      I just realised that I very rarely see guys with blonde curly hair.

    3. Nymph

      Oh I love Jacob’s new hairstyle so much.

  18. Shakes

    “Can love bloom on the superhero battlefield, Amazi-Girl?”

    1. Deanatay

      AG faded quietly into the shadows when she heard the sappy meet-cute music rise in the background. She’s genre savvy like that.

      1. Michael Steamweed

        A-G, not so much, but Amber, def. I’m thinking Amber is telling her to stealthily fade out so the Sarthony ship can take hold.

  19. Coatl

    Oh…that last panel.

    There is interesting potential.

    1. RassilonTDavros

      Looks like everyone who said that last night called it!

    2. Michael Steamweed

      “Why are you glaring at me?”

      “I glare at everyone. Also, sorry I had to hit him; I didn’t have my bat with me.”

      “…We have much in common. We should talk.”

  20. RassilonTDavros

    Figures. Every time people have a good thing going, some guy named Paul shows up and tries to make it all about him.

    1. Newlland(Henryvolt)

      It’s becoming a trend, hopefully it atleast stays that way only within a certain medium.

    2. True Survivor

      Pauls are a dying breed. They need to build their brand somehow or soon there shall be no more Pauls at all. Can you imagine such a world?

      I can. I don’t think I personally know a single person named Paul – like a said they are a dying breed.

      1. Thag Simmons

        I know a Paul and he’s a pretty cool dude.

      2. Opus the Poet

        I have an adequate number of in-laws named Paul. They’re not a dying breed but they are not a popular boy’s name.

      3. Furie

        The surname Paul has been a measure for evil for some time now. It likely skews the metric and has first namers changing and hiding their names.

        All the Scouts, Busters, and other unlikely names you meet? All Pauls and Donalds and Elons.

      4. Daibhid C

        I’m entirely neutral on the subject of Pauls. The technical term is “apauling”.

        1. Michael Steamweed

          I am appalled at your humor.

        2. True Survivor

          That was rather rude, but I get it. You are just being Frank.

        3. Michael Steamweed

          How dare! Apaulogize right now!

    3. Florens

      I enjoyed that joke.

    4. Caninse

      As a Paul, I hate how many Pauls are the villains. Make them the actual bad version in the bible, Saul. Paul was supposed to be after he stopped being a villain!

      1. Taffy

        Paul is such a neutral name, in my head. McCartney, Rudd, Ryan, Reubens, Giamatti, -a Deen, there’s such a variety it’s like a plate of unflavored mashed potatoes.

      2. Aura

        Did he ever really stop though? *glares at the Pauline epistles*

    5. anon

      Is that a ref to willis’ other works or an existing popular movie? I don’t rly know any famous ‘paul’ charas (i know joyce mentioned paul from the bible but i don’t know sh*t about christianity)

  21. Newlland(Henryvolt)

    Maybe he’s juuust tall enough…Also got to feel for the guy, trying to unredpill his dumbass friend.

  22. guavajagular

    I was shipping this as a joke yesterday but now the final panel has made it legit

  23. Justnobodyfqwl

    Wow, this actually makes more sense than I would have guessed. Despite having like 5 lines in DOA, Tony seems to combine “gruff, no-nonsense” with “well adjusted voice of reason”. He’s been very blunt, but has been very cordial with both Walky and Danny being odd to him.

    That all seems like a good narrative development for Sarah- here’s someone who doesn’t have any patience for mean people, but also doesn’t go out of his way to be nice. It’s a good model going forward.

    1. Nono

      I mean he literally went out of his way to shoulder tackle Paul and then offered Sarah a hand up.

      That’s kinda nice.

      1. Deanatay

        That’s not nice, thats GOOD. Nice and Good are not the same.

    2. Michael Steamweed

      Tony seems to have a lot in common with his father (the Dean). Both are no-nonsense, quite direct, polite, and (possibly?) slightly-left-of-center.

  24. DailyBrad

    I am down to get to know Tony more.

  25. Versen

    This could be the start of something really cool.

    1. Versen

      Hell, maybe even the beginning of something really excellent.

      1. Mark

        ? This could be the start of something big ?

  26. Pocky

    I believe they call this a “short king”

  27. AbacusWizard

    Definitely saving panel 3 for future reference.

  28. HueSatLight

    It doesn’t look like Tony is feeling it (at least not yet), but at least he won’t send mixed signals as part of a plant to teach her to be sociable.

    1. Jeremiah

      Please tell me you don’t actually think that is what Jacob was doing.

      1. HueSatLight

        piss off

        1. Jeremiah

          You stop saying nonsense and I think about it.

      2. Taffy

        Who’s Jacob, again?

      3. Schpoonman

        A lot of people have bent themselves into knots defending Sarah since the time skip. She’s picked up Mike’s mantle of “Awful person who gets passes by the commentariat because reasons.”

        1. Taffy

          My reason is that she’s hot.

        2. Nymph

          I share Taffy’s reason.

    2. BBCC

      That could just be Tony’s face. He’s generally a stern person.

    3. Vanessa

      It did seem to me like Jacob was messing with Sarah. Her hopes were raised and she was dropped down into the pits of despair. He wasn’t ever that into her but he enjoyed her attention. I’m sure he sort of found Sarah somewhat interesting but then found out he liked a certain nice, uncomplicated, confident woman.

      1. Regret

        Seeing that someone is interested in you and saying that you’re not currently interested but willing to try it is not messing with someone. Not everything that hurt is villainy, sometimes people get hurt without intent, that’s just a part of life.

      2. thejeff

        I don’t think he was messing with her. I think he was interested, if she’d ever been able to open up far enough to make something serious happen. Then he just got swept away by Lucy.

        From what we saw in the Joyce story line, I think he’s naturally flirty, kind of oblivious and just goes with the flow a lot.

        1. Sirksome

          I think that’s a character flaw of Jacob’s. That was the second time he hurt a woman by getting swept up in the vibes of another. It wasn’t malicious but he should be called out a bit for it.

        2. Taffy

          He’s definitely got a habit of being easily distracted by the nearest interested woman. I wonder if maybe a committed relationship is a bad idea for him, at least right now, to avoid hurting people. Like, I’m not saying he should become a giant slut about it (any more than I usually am about any of these characters), but a brief up-front disclaimer that he’s not great at commitment and This™ isn’t likely to be permanent seems courteous at least.

        3. thejeff

          He said to Raidah early that he had a history of jealous girlfriends. There may have been a reason. 🙂
          The thing with Jacob though, unlike early Joe, is that he wants the committed relationship. And I don’t think he’s that bad at it. Raidah was a special case, with Joyce helping him figure out that she wasn’t what he really wanted and him still not getting with Joyce after he broke up with her. And he didn’t actually have any commitment to Sarah, so while it sucked for her, it’s not like a disclaimer would have helped.

          He just needs to become more self-aware about it and catch himself when he starts getting flirty.

        4. Jeremiah

          I think the implicit thing that his girlfriends tended to think every other girl was trying to steal him from them. (And considering the frequency of girls being attracted to him without him having to do anything in particular, I believe it.)

        5. thejeff

          That was a reasonable interpretation until we saw him getting all flirty with Joyce without even realizing it

        6. Jeremiah

          I mean, is he doesn’t realize it, I don’t think it counts as flirting, like I say, without having to do anything in particular, he is an attractive person with a nice personality, so falling for him is easy.

        7. Nymph

          I think he should become a giant slut about it, but that’s my general hope for most people.

        8. thejeff

          Absolutely.
          I don’t think he really did anything wrong this time, but it’s a character flaw he doesn’t recognize. It’ll be interesting to see that play out in his relationship with Lucy.

  29. Acebender

    Come on, Sarah, you can overlook Tony being a bit shorter, right?

    1. Vanessa

      Let’s hope so! But can he overlook being shorter?

      1. Throwatron

        I doubt he’s the kind of football player who struggles to be secure in his masculinity. That role is usually reserved for the kickers.

    2. Nymph

      Maybe, maybe not. No harm done if she can’t.

    3. anon

      depends on if she wants a ‘fling’ versus long term relationships, although while nothing wrong with being casual i’d expect stuff like hookups to where ppl would see a bit past it/not as big of a dealbreaker

  30. BBCC

    I only shipped him with Sal in the Walkyverse but I’m happy to fuck around and find out.

  31. JD

    finally tony’s boobs are as plot relevant as i always thought they should be

  32. IntangibleMatter

    Sarah with the possible romance! Maybe! This time! She needs a win!

  33. darkoneko

    Hey, it’s not her fault she’s so tall !

    1. anon

      are there anyone taller than her on campus? surely she’d probably have a mental list or notice ppl passing by tho i’d assume she’d avoid crowds and such

  34. peng

    i kind of enjoy pauls malevolent ventriloquist dummy energy in the first panel

    1. Jesse

      “Nyeah! Let’s go commit crimes, Arnold!”

  35. Charles Phipps

    Paul on the Road to Cheesmascus.

    He will have a vision of the Cheese and rename himself, “Raoul.”

  36. Jesse

    Can Tony also deck the Paul from the new Spider-Man comics?

    1. Lingo

      Deck the Pauls with fists of glory, fa la la la la, la la la la!

      1. Jesse

        It wasn’t intentional when I wrote it, but I appreciate you taking the opportunity.

  37. Bryy

    ….. he called a real person a Mary Sue.

    Because of course he did.

    1. Taffy

      Funny enough, so did she.

      1. Jeremiah

        Technically Amber was the one who said that. AG is on the clear on this.

        1. Taffy

          Close enough. Same ass.

    2. BorkBorkBork

      Yeah, well, I’m sure Willis has gotten that “criticism” before.

      Thing is – that’s kind of the *point*? That Amber gave her every single good, honorable, heroic attribute she had, along with the courage to act on it and the discipline to make a difference, so that the rest of her could just be *her*?

      1. BorkBorkBork

        Wait.

        … fuck.

        No, “Amber” isn’t ‘her’ either; none is the “real Amber.” The “Amber” persona is just the attributes that she’d normally feel embarrassed or ashamed for. Which means…

        OK, ten bucks says that there’s one more in there, one that just never presents, because even when she WAS presenting as a child she never had the courage to speak, and needed someone else to speak for her.

      2. thejeff

        But also she didn’t actually give AG all those attributes, she just says that’s what she is. Those are the roles they play. Amber as the monster and AG as the Golden Alter, but neither of them actually are that. Amber does good things. AG does bad ones.

        It was AG that did the stalking of Sal, for example.

    3. anon

      ‘amazigirl is immune to criticism’

  38. Wraithy2773

    …yeah, Tony, that’s right, go all catch-and-release on the violent asshole who apparently has a history of this bullshit and is showing no sign of stopping. Lets not bring consequences into the matter, I’m sure wagging your finger at the violent douchebag will solve this problem.

    Sigh. I know this is “Dumbing” of Age, but this boy’s club bullshit really got a whole lot less easy to tolerate recently…

    1. Moon

      As opposed to what, exactly? Assaulting this dude in broad daylight (more than he already did)?
      Like this whole plotline is just ridiculous, but social stigma is really the only lever Tony has here.

      1. Thag Simmons

        There’s stuff he could do to follow up, especially with his connection to the Dean, but that’s the sort of thing that you do later on

        1. Sirksome

          I think you make a good point. We will need follow up on this. The resolution to the Incelerator incident hasn’t truly happened yet. If he pops up after this with seemingly no change or repercussions for his mischief and assault we’ll know to be pissed. Although with masks involved, realistically I’m not sure the cathartic, long term, justice Wraithy might be looking for can happen.

        2. Wraithy2773

          What Douche-Paul needs is someone to mentor him and get him to realize that this sort of bullshit does nothing but hurt everyone, including himself. He needs correction on a deeper level.

          But other people also need to not be forced to deal with Douche-Paul’s bullshit. I am not going to accept “we can’t fight back or we’re no better” as a rationalization for doing nothing. Attacking two other students is absolutely grounds for some sort of punishment by the school, it won’t be satisfying, but I find an unsatisfying punishment to be far, far more appealing than seeing this asshole come back and attack more people.

        3. Mark

          Will you accept “we can’t fight back, in these circumstances, without winding up in jail unable to do anything useful”?

          “…in encircled ground, devise stratagems….”

        4. thejeff

          Neither Tony nor Sarah know he’s attacked two other students. While he was harassing Sarah, he didn’t physically attack her, which makes Tony attacking him a bit questionable – though they know each other, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

          Amazi-Girl does know he’s attacked others, but she’s not going to the cops. That’s not her thing. She also might well not be letting him go.

      2. Regret

        Take off the mask so everyone can see his face. Use his full name repeatedly to break his supervillain persona. Keep him with you while you talk to him trying to reprogram him into avoiding those corners of the internet / Escort him to the police / Call the police and hold him / Hold him while you call the school to get him kicked out / Escort him home / Call his parents and hold him until they get there.
        Lots of options if you take a few minutes to think of them.

        1. Sirksome

          A lot of these options don’t lead to resolutions or outcomes that address Paul’s actions immediately and likely won’t result in punishment. Any form of just escorting him home essentially ends with what just happened but with more steps. He needs to be followed up on.

          Calling the police or getting the authorities involved likely won’t result in arrest. They’re not gonna cuff a guy for annoying people on skates and the actual assault against Nightguy he committed would rely on Walky pressing charges. I’m not sure he’d even want to do that and if he did it could lead to more negative attention on the campus’ costume antics in general which he and his friend participate in.

          Tony could maybe get Paul academically punished or even expelled but it seems like that’s already happened to an extent. Tony also based just on the tidbits we know of him doesn’t seem like a guy who would use his clout to get someone expelled without really good reasons. To me at least, an incel’s pathetic cry for attention doesn’t warrant such extreme action. Yet.

          So yeah. We need more follow up. Actions you do later on like Thag Simmons astutely said.

        2. BBCC

          Frankly, I’m shocked he wasn’t kicked out of school for his involvement in the kidnapping. Although I suppose if trials haven’t come down yet, the school may be reluctant to do that.

        3. thejeff

          He got away. Simplest explanation.

          The authorities don’t know who he was. And none of our cast seem to have recognized him.

        4. Sirksome

          Paul apparently escaped, on heelies. At this point it’s unclear how many of those thugs were caught or if any were connected to the kidnapping at all.

        5. thejeff

          Willis commented on the escape being foreshadowed in those scenes, though I think we all read it as Malaya having caught him when he “tried” to escape on heelies.

          The obvious read is that the rest were caught, but it’s probably open enough he could bring back others if he wanted to.

        6. Mark

          Sorry to say it, but reporting him to the police at this point will likely result in news stories a few years hence noting that the authorities had received a number of complaints that weren’t actionable, so Today’s Big Story couldn’t be prevented.

    2. Taffy

      Murder is a felony.

      1. clif

        What? You’ve never heard of the (mostly historic and completely unofficial) Texas “He Needed Murdering” defense?

        1. Nymph

          Unfortunately they’re in Indiana :<

  39. Viga

    Predictions for the future:

    Tony is the deans son. Despite the height difference and insecurities they date.
    Radiah tries to get back in good graces with Sarah due to her close relationship with Tony, because he’s the dean’s son and she is all about connections as shown with her interest in Walky briefly.
    Radiah finally gets a fist to the face metaphorically or physically. Sarah fucks Tony in the aftermath.

    1. Taffy

      Is “aftermath” slang for a body part?

      1. Mark

        It’s an equipment storage room under the seats at the stadium.

      2. Deanatay

        I thought it was slang for the AV room in the Mathematics department.

        You know, ‘aft-er-Math’.

    2. thejeff

      Raidah’s not going to try to get in good with Sarah for connections. She’s interested in connections, but hassling Sarah comes first.

      She might try to disrupt any potential Tony/Sarah thing.

  40. Dante

    Oh hell, I called this (though I wasn’t around yesterday sdlkgjs.) This is going to be glorious, and I really hope it works for Sarah.

    A LATE MERRY CHRISTMAS TO Y’ALL BTW

    1. NGPZ

      Yee, happy Saturnalia and Sol Rebirth you you as well! ^^

    2. Queezle

      Can you imagine how much it would annoy Raidah?

      1. Holly

        Hell yeah. I’m on board.

  41. Qube

    they’re already holding hands…

  42. Charles Phipps

    Is Paul the Incelerator or is he a separate consciousness? One that is the result of being exposed to Blaine’s Green Goblin formula?

    1. Throwatron

      I think that stuff is just called “Absinthe.” Blaine is naturally a goblin.

  43. staszu13

    Sarah: Jacob who?

  44. Ray

    Mr. Boss from Smiling Friends:
    “It’s a Christmas Miracle!!”

  45. Moon

    Y’all are saying Sarah x Tony.
    But have you considered, Tony x Amazi-girl.
    There’s sort of nothing for her character to do anymore and she seemed to be *trying* to retire from the super-heroine gig.
    If nothing else, they both seem to have a strong sense of justice and a penchant for running into problems head first.

    1. Lingo

      Wouldn’t hate it. Would be an interesting variation on the Tony/Sal relationship in the Walkyverse.

  46. Bash

    Why does he look annoyed at the end?

    1. Taffy

      Did you read the rest of the strip? He was just interacting with Incelerator/Paul moments ago. The very annoying character who only exists to annoy everyone.

    2. Random832

      right but the fact that he has an annoyed expression there that he didn’t in panel 4 looks like it’s disconnected from that somehow. other commenters are speculating it’s a reaction to Sarah being taller than him.

      1. Taffy

        You can’t prove any of this

        1. Regret

          That’s what the word speculation means. Are you trolling accidentally or on purpose?

        2. clif

          Speculation means having an annoyed expression? What?

          He has an expression, but is it really one of annoyance, as opposed to disappointment or being slightly and unexpectedly overwhelmed? It could simply be his customary expression. People are reading a lot of meaning into the straight line of his mouth. It doesn’t mean they’re wrong, but …

        3. Regret

          “any of this” includes “commenters are speculating”.

        4. Nymph

          So you admit that you can’t prove commenters are speculating?

        5. Taffy

          Trick question. There’s no such thing as accidental trolling

        6. zee

          It’s taffy dawg if you fell for the trolling that’s entirely on you

        7. Taffy

          I’ll go even further and say that if you read something incongruous I’ve said, think I’m trolling in the first place and then fall for that, you’re being very silly.

      2. Wilde

        Per his prior appearances, he has resting angry face. Check out his tags.

    3. Da Boy

      Rather than annoyed I think he is just a stoic kind of guy. That last panel feels less like annoyance and more like a serious character going “Ma’am.”

    4. Mark

      Annoyed, or concerned?

    5. Michael Steamweed

      He’s had the same expression since he showed up. He’s an athlete; his expression is combined annoyance and concentration. And since he’s his father’s son, both have a similar always-annoyed expression. (then again, the dean’s constant annoyed expression might just be because of robin.)

    6. BBCC

      Honestly, I think that’s just Tony’s face. Even back in the Walkyverse, he was generally a pretty stern person.

  47. Nono

    I’d rather see all paul tags to incelerator. It sounds better.

  48. EtchJetty

    sarah x tony is amazing crackship material in the original IW context. those two have like nothing to do with each other despite both appearing in the same comic. and yet, and yet.

    i see it. i seeeeeeeeeee eeett………

    1. StClair

      Same.

    2. I Know Why The Mowed Lawn Screams

      truly what is doa if not a facilitator of incredible crack ships for those familiar with the old continuity. i remember feeling just as insane when walky x amber happened and that led to such a fun and dynamic relationship, even if it didn’t last long in the grand scheme of things.

      1. Wack'd

        hi sorry is your avatar amber in the style of what happens next because if so holy shit that rules

        1. I Know Why The Mowed Lawn Screams

          it is !!! thank you. i also have a doa style xandra for when i post comments on there 🙂

  49. APW

    Huh, looks like Paul goes way back…. Waaait, has the AG background scene always been ?

    1. APW

      *…there?

    2. Random832

      I think all the strips he’s tagged in now were tagged as Incelerator last week, even the ones where he’s not in any kind of costume (I definitely remember the sequence of him bullying Danny) – though I don’t know if he was tagged at all before that or not.

      1. Axel

        you’re correct, I discovered that by mistake while looking up Beef, and indeed he’s plain Paul everywhere now

    3. Axel

      and re: the background I think it’s new? The comments show there was always ‘amazi-girl commotion’ but I do not remember those being there, so maybe it’s been edited retroactively to be more plot relevant? But also maybe I just didn’t pay good enough attention

      1. clif

        Pretty sure the Amazi-background on that particular strip isn’t new.

      2. thejeff

        It was always there. The comments talk about flip kicking and beating up “glasses”.

        And amusingly, they also talk about “Didn’t see Amazi-Girl until I read comments”.

      3. Taffy

        I have the physical books, and Amazi-Girl is there. It’s not new.

  50. Chris

    Is Paul supposed to be Ryan (only 50-50 if we ever found out his real name)?
    Or did “Mark” and “Of course” from 2011 get mistagged?

    1. Chris

      Ignore this, just saw paul was in the background of those comics -.-
      (And also realized people were probably discussing this when the incelerator tag first appeared)

  51. Formerly Glenn

    I’ve always liked Tony, good to see him here.

  52. AGV/Ruby

    Hmmm I dunno gang. It might just be my chronic pessimism, but this makes me super sus of Tony for some reason.

    1. Michael Steamweed

      You think it’s a setup? That Tony got Paul-Incel to do this? I dunno…consider that Tony is the Dean’s son and the Hoosier FB team’s QB. He has no need for this.

    2. cachew

      yeah it’s probably your pessimism. Tony’s shown up before & his few appearances include: refusing to buy alcohol for Jennifer (a freshman), refusing to beat up Danny (who was asking him to), and being bewildered at Walky (it happens to most people). he’s seems to been like, literally just a regular football dude presumably enjoying college life not being kidnapped etc.

  53. Chubseus

    Thank you for this little gift.

  54. Bleuryder

    *crosses fingers* please, don’t be a dick, Tony

  55. Acher4

    wow! How tall is Sarah?

    Always felt Tony was big.

    1. Council

      On the other hand, the low center of gravity would make him a solid lineman!

      1. Rotunda

        During the football game on Parents Weekend, someone asks Dean McHenry if the “fast one” is his. I take this to mean that Tony is a running back.

        1. ValdVin

          And Tony wears 4, which was usually an RB/QB number.

          (Now all the rules are off except OL basically. Time marches on.)

    2. BBCC

      Willis usually lists Sarah around 5’10-5’11.

  56. Kyulen

    Tony is nicer to Paul than I would’ve been. Though I guess Paul did get his ass beat by Amazi-Girl already.

  57. Da Boy

    Good for you Sarah, you found yourself a short king

  58. ValdVin

    In a world where Captain Amazing can’t be Lance Hunt, because if he took off his glasses Lance wouldn’t be able to see, Tony Sussex out everything.

    1. BorkBorkBork

      He takes the glasses off when he transforms…

  59. Amós Batista

    … do you really took Tony’s height for Christ, huh?

  60. Colineo

    Merry Christmas Sarah

    1. MK15

      Please let this be a good thing! She deserves to have manifested herself some happiness!

      1. NGPZ

        VERY MUCH SO AAAAAAA T_T

  61. Alan in DC

    “I’ve survived worse”

    Yeah, if you could walk away from a kidnapping that resulted in three deaths, some doink in a costume tearing up a dining hall is a stroll in the sun.

    1. betsumei

      Some doink in a costume who was involved in the kidnapping.

  62. Adam Black

    I called it.
    Tony even vaguely looks like a whiter Jacob. square jaw, button nose.
    Even their hair now is both blonde and curly.

    He intervened in the same way Sarah had for Joyce. Plus a man intervened to rescue her, before she realized she needed it.

    But Why is Tony still cross eyebrowed in the last panel?
    Is someone else behind Sarah?
    ( does he recognize her from the Kidnapping survivors ?)

    it cant just be he dislikes tall women.

    1. Amós Batista

      He’s just taking it serious. I do this all the time. Man things…

    2. Jeremiah

      I think that is just Tony neutral expression. He seems like a very “Annoyed at the world stupidity” type of person.

      1. Adam Black

        so Tonys got resting Bongoface?

        eagle muppet eyebrows?

  63. Amós Batista

    By Tony’s speech, I don’t know if Paul was kicked from the Team because he was very bad, or dishonest at playing. Or if his incel behavior were since them….

  64. Vulcanodon

    Hope this isn’t a bit cooked up between Paul and Tony. (Pretty sure Sarah could have taken Paul.)

    1. TulipKitten

      I mean, I don’t think it is. Tony was the guy in past comics who Danny tried to get beaten up by so he could get saved by Amazi-Girl, and Tony was rightfully like “what the fuck dude?”

  65. hatman

    Tony’s expression tells me he doesn’t believe her.

    And yet, he really, REALLY should.

    1. Jeremiah

      I think that is just Tony neutral expression.

  66. zee

    Oh yeah, it’s all coming together

  67. Tim C.

    I am now boarding this ship!!!

  68. ESM

    Tony letting Incelerator go has caused him to rapidly drop the character rankings. Fucking centrist.

    1. Jeremiah

      To be fair, he doesn’t really know what he actually been doing, he just think he is being a weirdo and an asshole while wearing a costume and treta that with apropiate seriousness.

    2. Taffy

      Lmao he’s a centrist because he chop the guy up in a meat grinder.

      1. Taffy

        *didn’t chop
        This thing is getting aggressive

      2. Yak

        You don’t have murder in your heart? Fucking centrist.

        1. ESM

          I dunno, I feel like if a guy is advertising himself as a pedophile rapist and dressing up as a supervillain to attack women – again – maybe a stronger reaction that “Cut that out” is required. Like, Tony actively helped Incelerator here, by saving him from getting his ass kicked by Amazi-Girl.

          Incelerator should be getting the same kind of treatment as his fellow rapist, Ryan, and instead everyone’s acting like he’s just a funny little guy who’s kind of a tool. It’s not even that he’s saying Incel things, he actively participated in kidnapping women off campus! He is a legitimate danger to people around him and his demonstrated that with his actions just as much as with his choice of ideologies.

        2. cachew sequel

          ? if anyone knew he helped with the kidnapping he would’ve been arrested back then (& now probably be out on bail). that’s like, clearly not the case.
          also imo everyone’s reaction tracks. the public perception of incels isn’t /dangerous/ (though the are), it’s /pathetic/. it’s literally a gag character. not to say willis hasn’t contrasted “costumed dipshit” with genuine real danger before but that’s… not really the case this scene, at least. can’t say I’m much a fan of the writing choice, same with Mary, but it clearly works for a lot of readers.

          anyways, noone’s stopping AG from beating Paul up.

        3. yak

          Pedophile rapist? What?
          Is this assertion based on some comics I havenxt read in ten years?

        4. clif

          No.

  69. Rectilinear Propagation

    I get people being excited about this meet cute but I’m a little worried about this happening while Sarah is trying to be different.

    I am all for her trying to change but I worry she’ll decide she doesn’t like it or it’s too much at once (or something) but feel like she can’t change again because she’s met new people who only know and like her as this version of herself. Especially if Radiah does her usual thing of trying to anyone who’s just met Sarah that she’s secretly awful.

  70. KayleeDragonfly

    Man. More villains need to be defeated by somebody saying “Get a grip. Go home and stay off the internet.”

  71. Riley

    is this the same paul that helped kidnap everyone?

  72. Hof1991

    AG isn’t in frame because Amber is already on her third Tony /sarah fanfic. One that she won’t let Joyce see.

    So is Tony about to become the other other-Jacob.

  73. chuckroast

    Why does Tony look so pissed at Sarah?

    1. Da Boy

      He doesn’t really look pissed, more excessively serious

    2. morhek

      “I was aiming for the other girl.”

      “I just have long arms.”

  74. IncidentalNameTags

    Now that Tony’s got more of a storyline, when are we gonna see more of Arnold?

  75. Rabisch

    Love how the last panel looks like Sarah and Tony are about to start dancing a Tango. Also, Paul needs to see a psychologist, just take Internet away from him is not enough.

  76. Felian

    Somehow, i’m wondering how much of an incel personality is actually the IN part. Is it really *involuntarily* celibate if they build an entire identity and “community” (hate group, more like) around hating women and hating being single?
    Even IF a woman would like a man like that, i somehow doubt that he’d just easily transition into a decent person by the power of love….. i’d think that he’d just continue to be an asshat who just also happens to have a girlfriend to project his insecurities onto…
    Also, what is incel “community” like if you find a girlfriend? Does this mean you lose all access to your “friends” because you are now basically free of the curse? Or does that not matter because you are probably going to be dumped anyway once she finds out how misogynist you really are underneath all this “i really want to be with a woman” stuff…?

    1. Taffy

      It’s not just voluntary, it’s compulsory. If you get a girlfriend, you’re betraying the community and they shut you out. The entire thing is an excuse for worthless men to wallow in self-imposed misery, because they refuse to have anything good in their lives. They can all get in the sea.

    2. Yeet

      they’re largely committed to not understanding that stuff, not least because they will indeed lose their alleged buddies (mostly anonymous folks they don’t know that feel because feelings are for girls)
      you catch occasional stories of these dudes (and those adjacent to them who feel similarly hopeless but are less insane about it) realising things will be normal if they act normal
      we may actually have lost something with ritualised courting, just not in the way these guys think we have

      1. Shade

        Sounds like it might like part of the problem with flat earthers too, one of the reasons they’re so stubborn about accepting reality is because then they lose their community of other flat earthers.

        1. Yeet

          yeah, it’s true of basically all fringe groups

    3. ESM

      Incels are a cult that believes they’re entitled to have sex with 12-year-old girls, and any man who gets out is treated the same way all cults treat apostates: with maximum aggression and death threats.

    4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Incels are losers with women (lww) who choose to become misogynistic assholes about it. Plenty of lww choose not to do so, blaming themselves or fate or something not involving hatred of group.

  77. Professional asexual

    Oh thank goodness! It was all to introduce Tony! Thank the stars!

  78. Zamperla

    Sarah is going to experience genuine character growth: getting with a short king.

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