406

Answer
Posted on February 3, 2015 by David M Willis

406 thoughts on “Answer”

  1. Jen Aside

    *Mike drop*

    1. Tunaro

      *Slow clap*
      …Well played, Aside.

      1. Solenoid

        Fantastic!

        1. Hinoron

          I wish there was a way to upvote a comic strip without joining FB. This one had me giggling to myself with a hand over my eyes for about a minute. 😛

    2. Dreadhawk177

      With enough nutrients to last the next month, Mike is often seen eating extraordinary amounts of sadness in a single panel.

      1. Deanatay

        *buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp* excuse me.

    3. Crazy Dina

      Nickle?

      1. Dreadhawk177

        No silly, toll-free sadness….

        1. koms

          Love your gravatar

        2. Crazy Dina

          Question is: are you the next Plasma?

        3. Plasma Mongoose

          I need no sequel! ^_^

        4. Disloyal Subject

          I have a folder full of potential gravatars, mostly cropped from webcomics, that I will never use because I can’t pick just one and PM needs no sequel.

      2. Jason

        No, nickel.

        1. Crazy Dina

          No spelling.

      3. Mally

        Sometimes, fucking WITH someone’s mother is even better.

    4. Kamino Neko

      No, Joyce dropping Mike is next strip.

      1. Tunaro

        No, Joyce dropping is the next strip.

    5. Resulli

      There are no words to express the beauty of this comment.

    6. Architex

      Seriously well done!
      Willis made me laugh once, Jen Aside made me laugh twice.

      Also, I can’t help but imagine Walky’s expression in the last panel is saying “Damn, I wish I had thought of that…”

      1. Deanatay

        Make me laugh once, shame on you.
        Make me laugh twice, shame on me.

    7. a4lbi

      niiiiice.

    8. TachyonCode

      Oh dear, I have a case of the giggles, and I am all the way down here…

      1. Clif

        Also.

    9. Cheryl

      Sweet Jesus
      !

      1. Gigafreak

        No, Satan.

        1. Disloyal Subject

          Eh, sugar’s likely to be involved either way.

        2. Crazy Dina

          Like Frosting on a cake.

  2. Opus the Poet

    Yay Mike

    1. slicedtoad

      I’d like to revise my poll vote.

      1. Seth

        Same. Mike just passed Becky for 3rd place.

      2. Lord Geovanni

        the twins have the same amount of votes but id like to drop sal and pick up mike please sal should not be before walky simpily beacue what she is called is alphabetically first

      3. Lord Geovanni

        i also need to speed up reading the other continuity beacuse i dont know how Dina has such a loyal fan base

        1. Disloyal Subject

          You mean aside from being adorable?

        2. Crazy Dina

          I don’t know that there is a reason from the other continuities. According to someone in the forums on It’s Walky! Dina was never this awesome outside of the Dumbingverse.

        3. Aisling

          Dina is effing adorable, that’s the only reason needed.

    2. Cat

      I don’t know why I can’t use all three for Mike.

    3. SgtWadeyWilson

      Aye, verily!

  3. Kryss LaBryn

    Go Mike!! 😀

  4. Kk

    OH MY GOD MIKE

    1. lejwocky

      *OH MY SATAN MIKE

      1. Tunaro

        I would not be the least bit surprised, but Mike is devil spawn?

        1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          I think you mean that the devil is a Mike-spawn.

        2. Crazy Dina

          Yes. Because all others are lesser daemons.

        3. otusasio451

          Also because of what Mike did with Satan’s mother.

        4. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          Exactly.

        5. Crazy Dina

          Wasn’t Satan an angel formed by God? Does that mean… OH GOD NO! NO NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO

        6. Rycan

          When it comes to some Christian stories, parentage can sometimes be pretty messed up.

        7. The Wizard

          He wasn’t just some angel, he was the head of the angels, gods right hand and a seraphim. He was second only to god.

        8. Gigafreak

          I read somewhere that “Satan” was derived from “Shaitan,” a group of djinn that opposed the Islamic god The idea of djinn predate Islam though, so they might not even be originally from that.

          Seems that when they say the Devil’s greatest trick is convincing you he doesn’t exist, they really mean Christianity’s greatest trick is convincing you there’s only one of him (which is to say, convincing you that several of him don’t exist).

        9. Crazy Dina

          Guys, does it matter to any of you that this FORCES god to be a girl so Mike could technically have done EVERYONE’S MOM AT ONCE?!?!

        10. gwalla

          @Gigafreak: “Satan” appears in several places in the tanakh, predating Islam (and the Arabic language, AIUI) and is the noun form of a verb meaning “obstruct” or “oppose”: hence, “obstacle”, “adversary”. The Arabic “shaitan” is an adjective meaning “astray” or “distant”, but since Islam derives in large part from Judaism, it may be a borrowing that was re-analysed. A borrowing in the other direction would require time travel.

        11. Gigafreak

          Interesting! I may have misread it, mis-remembered it, or maybe the source wasn’t quite accurate to begin with.

        12. No Name

          Actually, Crazy Dina, it doesn’t. It could mean that Mike is God. So, which do you prefer?

        13. The Wizard

          @gwalla

          The bible took many things that predated even Islamic belief. Hell, many of the 10 commandment wee ripped right out of the Egyptian book of the dead.

        14. Crazy Dina

          Mike’s just a tad to good to be God in my opinion. But yeah, I can see it. (We can talk when Mike DEMANDS hipocracy and wars for his favor.)

        15. gwalla

          @The Wizard
          Um, yes, everything the Bible contains predates Islamic belief, because Islam came later, that was kind of my point.

          Not going to dispute borrowings from Egyptian belief because I don’t know anything about that. I know about the four source hypothesis but not any external borrowings.

        16. The Wizard

          @gwalla
          I was more or less adding onto what you said, I wasn’t saying you’re wrong or anything.

      2. MM

        Mike is my god now.

  5. rezby

    holy shit.

    uh, pun not intended.

    1. Tunaro

      Yeah, Joyce is super premarital hanky-panky’d.

      1. saltchocolate

        Ha!! “Best new verb” goes to this.^

  6. flicker

    Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fhtagn!

  7. Kris

    I really don’t see how Mike is in any way a bad guy.

    1. Arikel

      He’s not, I’ve come to believe he’s Willis’ plot forwarder. Every time something might begin to feel like it’s dragging, Mike comes and he throws a wrench in the plot. I think it’s awesome.

      1. jpic89

        Now, I know Willis frowns upon walkyverse talk, but if Mike in this universe is anything like mike in the other universe, I have a theory. I have always thought that Mike basically just gets people, like can read anyone and everyone like an open book (in the other universe due to alien powers, in this one just because), and as such, he just KNOWS all the terrible secrets that people have, and the terrible things they’ve done, and this in general is why he is always in such a foul mood. He’s seen the worst of humanity. However, he is at his heart a good guy (even if he has trouble showing it) so when he sees others acting in a way that they will just bring themselves pain, he takes it upon himself to be the bad guy, and do what needs to be done, so they can move forward.

        1. Morgauxo

          Can’t he be both?

          I think he has good and bad in him just like all of us. I think he truly enjoys BOTH hurting and helping. But.. unlike most people he manages to feed both urges at the same time.

          It’s genius! And that’s why Mike is my favorite character.

        2. Gigafreak

          Y’know the saying “in vino, veritas?” I kind of suspect that’s true of Mike in the other universe.

          He’s not old enough to drink in this one though, and “terrifyingly sudden mood shifts” are Ruth’s territory here anyway.

        3. gwalla

          Mike is what 4chan’s anonymous trolls like to think of themselves as: doing good by being a dick.

    2. Charles Phipps

      Because Mike likes to hurt people. I don’t like misunderstood heart of gold Mike. I like Mike who genuinely enjoys the suffering of others in a despicable Catcher in the Rye way. I don’t much care for the romanticized Mummy Twilight one.

      1. Clif

        Whereas I see Mike as genuinely loving to make other people suffer for their own good. The last part is important. Just being an asshole is insufficiently challenging. But I also see this universe’s Mike as an undeveloped dumber version of Walkyverse Mike. He’s still getting there.

        1. Clif

          Tho he’s hitting his stride in today’s comic.

      2. Derek

        Mike is basically the prime example of jerk with a heart of gold; there are very few instances of him doing anything that doesn’t have a positive effect on someone’s else’s life. That doesn’t make him any less of an asshole, but there’s a reason people love him. The guy is always out for people even if he goes about things in the meanest way possible.

        1. Spencer

          Besides convincing Ethan to go back into the closet.

          Or telling Amber she’s an abusive monster like her father.

          Or slutshaming Dorothy and humiliating Walky.

          Or repeatedly punching Joe in the face.

          Seriously now. Mike’s an asshole and he’s funny because he’s an asshole, but the minute you try to argue that his repugnant behaviour is meant to provide a positive result is the minute you say that Blaine was just totally trying to make his daughter a stronger person.

        2. timemonkey

          You keep saying this no matter how many times it’s pointed out that wasn’t the point of what he was doing.

          He never wanted Ethan back in the closet and was annoyed/disgusted Ethan decided to do so.

          He brought Amber’s attention to a very real problem, if she’s only picking guys she can control and then lieing and manipulating them well, that IS pretty close to her dad’s behaviour especially when combined with her rage.

          Dorothy being embarrassed is her own issue and she was treating Walky badly because of it.

          As for Joe, blame Joyce for paying him to do so.

        3. Crazy Dina

          Plus… Joe could have left at any time and avoided the punchings. Not to mention the timer didn’t start until Joe brought it up.
          Also, nice catch about Ethan. I couldn’t figure that one out.

          but there is still one Mike Move that I can’t figure out: giving away Walky’s CDs. What was that about?

        4. Scoops

          Well those kids needed something to hold up their skateboard ramp.

        5. Spencer

          It’s not his place to decide what Ethan does. He’s the one who told Ethan that his life would be so much better if he pretended to be straight, when he was at his lowest, most miserable point.

          Amber’s fears of following her mother’s footsteps and ending up with an abusive asshole is a perfectly justifiable fear that actually happens to tons of abused children. Specifically seeking a partner who doesn’t show any of those traits is kind of a perfectly valid idea. His point wasn’t even “oh you shouldnt lie to Danny”, he compared her to her father, and specifically cited her tendency to “not pick jerks” as why.

          Mike followed Walky to class specifically so he could rile Dorothy and him up. He outright said he was just targeting Walky. More importantly, if Dorothy wants to be wishy-washy about who she’s making out with, that’s none of Mike’s goddamn business. Why the fuck is he allowed to act like a complete fucking asshole and everyone treats it like it’s a perfectly okay thing to do? It was funny in IW! and Shortpacked, but in a more realistic setting like DoA, it’s fucked up, especially if you think he’s trying to Mr. Miyagi everybody.

        6. Crazy Dina

          But you forget a number of details about the middle point: he changed Amber’s mood from something difficult to handle to straight up rage, an emotion it is easy to transition away from. And he did so just before Amber’s mom got there, so her mom didn’t have to deal with the issues instead.
          What’s more, he said IF she’s following in her parent’s footsteps, which means she has the option of being careful NOT to and that she needs to be careful about being abusive, not about being weak.

        7. Rutee

          You know, failing to mock Ethan away from hiding from his sexuality was one of the times the narrative was most clearly saying “Mike failed”. He didn’t trick Ethan into some sort of absurdly long con that’d teach him something. He failed to get Ethan to make the correct choice.

    3. Trolldrool

      Mike is illtempered, spiteful, meanspirited and for the most part a complete asshole who uses tormenting methods to say the truth or expose others to their own hypocisry. So he is an ethical person with benign morals that deliberately chooses the most repugnant methods of helping others.

      1. Charles Phipps

        I think DOA Mike is trying to help people confront their own demons the same way Doctor Doom is honorable. Yes, you can argue that, but it’s equally possible and more likely he’s just an asshole who enjoys other people’s suffering.

      2. Crazy Dina

        Maybe he does that as a release valve. He’s filled with hate he can’t stop, so he chooses those who are not facing their own issues to release it on constructively. Better than most ways.

    4. Killjoy

      Please read the above comic for Exhibit #392.

  8. Doctor_Who

    Mike finally reveals his natural voice.

    Oddly, it sounds wonderful when he sings.

    1. Tunaro

      Like Muddy Waters musically threatening to kill you.

    2. newllend

      Anybody have any request for mike to sing in his Demonic voice ?

      1. Tunaro

        “Everyone Else is an Asshole.” Pretty sure it could be his theme song.

        1. No Name

          Is that sung to the tune of “Everything is Awesome“?
          Sorry (Not Sorry)

        2. Screwball

          What..is this strange, hypnotic….music… O.O

      2. Crazy Dina

        No. I want him to laugh evilly with lightning in the background.

        … I think I have a deeply rooted connection with evil.

      3. Deanatay

        “Amazing Grace”.

  9. Idon'tcarenomore

    That was worth it for the totally blown look on Joyces face.

    1. Doctor_Who

      D 8

      1. Dreadhawk177

        I know, right?

      2. pumacatrun2

        D 8 ;

    2. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      It reminds me of the expressions in Squid Girl, specifically.

      1. Jupiterror

        they had some good faces

  10. sun tzu

    “Well, yeah, but we ALSO wanted to avoid the consequences of doing it.”

  11. otusasio451

    Mike…you’ve just climbed to hallowed ladder of “fan-favorite character”, right behind Dina and Becky. Congratulations!

    1. Jordan

      He’s always been one of my favorites, along with Dina and Sarah (I don’t know why, I just do). This just confirms it.

  12. Cephalo the Pod

    New favourite strip?

  13. Emperor Kiva

    What the fuck, man?! Now her mom’s gonna come see what that was all about.

    1. Undrave

      Only after she comes out of the hospital.

      1. Keroshino

        true…I can only wonder how bad of a brick she must have shit!!!

  14. Triniking1234

    Mike why?

    1. Tunaro

      Because Mike. And becauser Joyce’s mom. And becausest why the hell not?

      1. Dr. Smart

        and because a nickel

    2. dmaxx

      Cuz he’s mike and thus can…..

      Oh, and lucifer is so bad at poker that on pokernights he kind of lose it all to mike so in some way mike is correct on hailing him for it:-P

      1. dmaxx

        Hmmm, satan’s name was lucifer right? Or did i mix it up again xD

        1. Mindsword2

          Depends on who you talk to. Christian literature links it, but the hebrew bible only ever uses Lucifer once and its been translated as “Shining One” or “Morning Star.”

          So… its common enough people understand it but really technical people may say no or yes depending on their belief. I say its common enough to make the point, lets move on.

        2. Deanatay

          Some sects say that ‘Satan’ and ‘Lucifer’ are both names for the same being, some say they are different beings. Among the former group, Lucifer was his name before he fell, Satan after. Lucifer means ‘Light Bearer’ (the name of an angel), whereas Satan means ‘Adversary’ (the name of a devil).

  15. quix

    I’m with Walky.

  16. alicemacher

    BEST Mike moment in the DoA universe to date.

  17. Rob S

    That face on Joyce… XD

  18. Crazy Dina

    Doesn’t Mrs. Brown’s religion now require her to be stoned? Just saying.

    1. Mr k

      I wish more religions required you to be stoned.

      1. Jen Aside

        Stoned, or hit with rocks? =o

        1. Deanatay

          That’s the joke, Jen.

      2. Crazy Dina

        … no. I’m on bad enough terms with them as it is.

  19. Bean

    I love that Walky seems completely fine with it. “Yes. Yes I did. Dammit, why did I let him do that before I could?”

  20. chris73

    I’m not gay but I’d probably blow Mike for that

  21. Luzahn

    Mike. Saving the day.

    1. Architex

      My hero!

      1. Keroshino

        He’s the hero Dumbing of age deserves!

  22. Animal

    He is the God of nothing,
    If that’s all that you can see.
    You are the God of everything,
    He’s inside you and me.

    1. Gigafreak

      I am he
      as you are he
      as you are me
      and we are all together.

      1. Animal

        Koo koo kachoo.

  23. Marc in MN

    I think Willis should have had Joyce’s eyebrows at least 3 times higher on that one.

    1. Deanatay

      Willis has to take certain comic license for the sake of the storyline. By all known laws of physics, Joyce’s eyebrows should have achieved low-Earth orbit just now. However, that would have majorly sidetracked the story, as her friends would worry about her sudden lack of eyebrows. Fior the sake of the storyline, Willis has kept them in place. He’s God, he can do that sometimes.

  24. Kaunisenkeli

    Mike… you are a spectacular asshole, and I can’t stop laughing (especially at Joyce’s face in the last panel). xD

    1. Bill

      I think the only other time we saw Joyce looking like this was back during first week of the semester, when Ruthless threatened her with bodily harm with her own femurs.

      1. Screwball

        *Sigh* Tempted to change icons, but I like this 1, & now I got even more to choose from…

  25. addude

    I wanted him to do that

  26. jadedcynic

    Well, since there’s no way to ‘win’ in this situation, you might as well lose GLORIOUSLY, right?

    Mike’s beginning to grow on me…

    1. Emperor Kiva

      I think they have a cream for that

    2. Mik

      Perfect motto 2k15

  27. Keroshino

    OMG! Mike for the win!!!

  28. Kernanator

    Great, now speak it backwards like a true devil worshiper.

    1. Crazy Dina

      !!!!!!!aniD liaH llA

      Yes, I did do that. Yes, it was wrong.
      .gnorw saw ti ,seY .taht od did I ,seY

  29. newllend

    Nice ! I’m nominating this for best Mike moment of 2015.

  30. A Scientist

    I was not expecting that. I couldn’t stop laughing. That was the second-hardest I laughed this week.

    1. A Scientist

      For those of you who may be curious, this is the only thing that topped this comic in laugh-making: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCPj4JPbKtA

      I assure you, with a money-back guarantee, that this will be 22 seconds well spent.

      1. Crazy Dina

        Okay, I laughed, but not AS hard.
        moc.liamg@aniD.liaH.llA

      2. neeks

        I didn’t laugh, where do I apply for my refund?

        1. Crazy Dina

          Unfortunatly, you have to go through the company your computer’s OS is from. If you’re using a Microsoft computer… you’ll never get it.

        2. Gigafreak

          Mike-rosoft?

        3. Crazy Dina

          … NO! I WILL NOT LIKE THEM AGAIN! I WILL NOT! I WILL REGAIN MY FREEDOM AND GET A LINUX!!!

    2. Breeze

      Glad I’m not the only one who could not stop giggling. Him popping out of no where with that face and the Satan line… XD

  31. Karfsma778

    Mike, you are an absolute bag of dicks. That [i]was[/i] funny, though.

  32. Crazy Dina

    OMG! Those TEETH! LOL! RRRAAAAAAAARRRRR

  33. Regalli

    OH MY GOD, Mike.

    I can’t remember the last time this comic – or any comic off the top of my head – actually made me giggle like I was sobbing and short of breath at midnight.

    Oh, Joyce, you poor soul, now her mom’s going to come pull her out of college.

    1. Regalli

      I was so caught up in Joyce’s LOOK OF UTTER DISMAY I missed Dorothy’s on the first look. DO NOT MAKE MY MISTAKE, FRIENDS.

      1. Crazy Dina

        About what just happened? Nope. Nope nope nope nope. Mike and Mrs. Brown are a thing now!

    2. newllend

      Na na, she can just play that off as someone pulling a prank witch is the truth really.

      1. tyersome

        Isn’t a male witch traditionally called a warlock?

        1. timemonkey

          Only by people who know nothing about the actual subject. Warlock isn’t a nice word.

        2. Deanatay

          And ‘witch’ is?

        3. Gigafreak

          This question sounds like “Sandwiches?” to which I would have to answer “yes absolutely.”

        4. tyersome

          Apparently I should have said “Wasn’t” … … @time monkey — you could work on being a little less defensive &/or more informative …

        5. timemonkey

          Who was defensive? My statement was 100% fact, it’s only considered common by people who don’t actually know what the words they’re using mean. Not my fault you didn’t do0 the research first.

    3. Plasma Mongoose

      God has very little to do with Mike.

      1. tyersome

        Does this have to do with that ‘virgin’ birth thing and his mom?

  34. Wonder Wig

    I too feel the same way when someone’s phone is constantly going off in a public place like a restaurant, a classroom, or a theater and they wont answer it.

    1. neeks

      I’m reminded of one of Randy Milholland’s (author/artist of Something Positive) convention anecdotes. A fan’s phone kept going off in the middle of a panel he was on, so he asked her for the phone, answered it, and said “she can’t talk right now, her mouth is busy” and hung up while the rest of the audience cracked up laughing. Turns out it the caller was an abusive ex, who left her alone after that, so it worked out pretty well in addition to being fucking hilarious.

      1. neeks

        Now that I think about it, “she can’t talk right now, her mouth is busy” would have been an equally awesome way for Mike to answer the phone in this strip. Though it could have been explained away later as “I was eating lunch”, so Mike probably wouldn’t have provided Joyce an out like that.

        1. Deanatay

          “He meant I couldn’t talk ’cause I was busy swallowing oh god that sounded worse”

        2. Gigafreak

          “I literally had a sausage in my– NO WAIT”

        3. tyersome

          Wait, why would her mom care if she was getting pork …

  35. Coco

    Mike is now vying for my top spot for favorite male character, very close behind Walky.

  36. Idon'tcarenomore

    In all honesty, Joyce would tell her Mom, she can’t lie to anyone, let alone her mother, at least not successfully.
    A parent is going to end up at Joyce’s dorm eventually. Either Becky’s mom if she has one, will come looking: or now you can bet Joyce’s parents will be there with bells on to check that voice out.
    Cool way to get the plot moving on ‘what does Becky do now she’s cannonballed out of the closet’.

  37. tbf

    Joyce makes the best faces.

    1. Emperor Kiva

      That she does

    2. JessWitt

      I call this one “The Scott Pilgrim”.

      1. Deanatay

        True, it’s VERY similar to Amber’s “OH MY GOD DINA” face, from earlier.

  38. JepMZ

    MIKE YOU TROLL!!!!!!!!
    I’m ashamed to read my own biography >_<

  39. lordoftheoneyedpurplepeopleeaters

    BECAUSE SATAN SOLD YOUR MOM FOR A NICKEL!

    1. newllend

      +1

    2. Crazy Dina

      Does that mean she WAS going to hell… but mike SAVED her? So Mrs. Christian needed to be saved by Mike. MIKE! I’d go for that.

    3. lordoftheoneyedpurplepeopleeaters

      than i remembered this is Joyce’s grandma we’re talking about so i laughed twice as hard

  40. dailybrad

    Okay, often Mike goes too far for my sake, but damn do I get his appeal here. heh

    Also, fun link. I like the premise, a webcomic talk show.

  41. Plasma Mongoose

    Best Joyce face yet! ^_^

    1. lordoftheoneyedpurplepeopleeaters

      she did this face earlier when Ruth told them if Joyce and Sarah didn’t show up to the floor meeting she’d rip their femurs and beat them with it i think she also said “I NEED MY FEMURS TO LIVE!”

      1. Screwball

        Indeed. Someone posted it above, but I’ll do it as well cause it’s funny… :p

        …Already made some icons off it…

  42. thebatman22

    For a nickel mike. For a nickle.

  43. MM

    I didn’t even have to read the alt-text to know that’s what Walky was thinking. Well done, Willis!

  44. Catullus

    Everything about this strip is fantastic

  45. Boomwolf

    Mike… Just… Just what the frick dude?!

    1. Crazy Dina

      No, what the hell. Satan, remember?

  46. Emoroffle

    I guess Mike wasn’t full yet and needed a second course.

    1. Crazy Dina

      No, he’s just unable to resist the frosting.

    2. newllend

      Hey he’s been on withdrawal for while now so.

  47. PSadlon

    As much of a dick move as that was, it was awesome in it’s own way.

  48. Mandy

    And my confidence in choosing Mike as one of my favorite characters in the poll just keeps going up.

  49. Vince

    It’s been a while since I’ve actually been mad at Mike. Coming from a home like Joyce’s, this might have serious ramifications. If not for Joyce, then definitely for Becky. Hope Dorothy steps in and tells him off.

    1. Crazy Dina

      But he doesn’t technically know about Daddy yet.

      1. Bagge

        So that’s one reason why he shouldn’t have answered the phone for her.

        1. Crazy Dina

          … up until now I thought he called her from Mrs. Brown’s phone, so I didn’t understand your comment. :/ #FAIL

    2. John

      If they didn’t haul Joyce out of college for dating an atheist, they’re not going to for some jerk grabbing her phone. And in the meantime, he’s provided a distraction from, “Where’s Becky?”

      1. Avery

        My parents were okay with me dating atheists, but not with me cursing or associating with people who invoked Satan. That sort of behavior earned me some serious lockdown.

        1. John

          Yeah, but Mike isn’t Joyce’s friend. She can, with complete honesty, say that he’s just some poopyhead who grabbed her phone. That means that if her parents get upset with her over him, he’s just shifted the focus from Becky, where Joyce is probably going to have to attempt to lie to her parents in order to protect her friend, to himself, where Joyce can be in honest and enthusiastic agreement that he’s an awful person whom she does not want to be associating with and who is going to burn in Hell forever if there’s a just God.

        2. Crazy Dina

          ??? Why would they have problems with you hanging out with someone who worships a different deity? Religious people make no sense sometimes.

    3. takashid

      yeah lots of people seems to be overlooking how seriously bad this is for joyce and becky as they applaud mike

      1. timemonkey

        Everything is bad for Joyce and Becky, might as well enjoy ourselves.

      2. Luzahn

        I’m still holding my judgment until the Mike Plot is revealed. Usually he has a reason for these things.

        1. Crazy Dina

          Agreed. Mike could easily be working an angle based on Joyce’s parents ariving, finding out about Becky almost being raped by her dad, Ethan being shamed into dating their daughter and his parents telling Ethan to practically rape her, and Sarah managing the final take down of Joyce’s parents’ problems.

          Or, Willis could have come up with something else and left us in the dark for several months as to what he was planning.

    4. Rycan

      I would think it would be pretty easy to explain that the class asshole grabbed the phone first. Then again, I’m not a fundie kid.

      That said, please don’t do this in real life. Being an asshole in a comic can be hilarios, but doing so in real life just makes you, well, an asshole.

      1. Gigafreak

        It’s possible to be a hilarious asshole in real life too. Prime example is that person who created http://www.shipyourenemiesglitter.com

        1. gwalla

          Apparently, running that site has become a major headache for the guy. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

        2. Animal

          Shit, that’s kid stuff. One of the best pranks I was ever in on, we almost got one of my buddies deported.

          Yes, deported.

        3. Henry

          How?

    5. Jams

      Yeah, I really don’t get why everyone seems so friggin pleased with Mike right now. This definitely crosses a line.

      1. Rycan

        Best guess, those of us not from a fundie background (myself included) find this hilarious. To us, it’s just another prank. But, judging from some of the comments here, fundie parents may take this more seriously.

  50. TheLurkerAbove

    I laughed.

    But this might actually work in a twisted and painful way (for Joyce that is). If you can’t lie, you can always distract. 😛

    1. Crazy Dina

      Indeed. Maybe that’s why Mike did it. He knew the others didn’t want to deal with the real issue, but for real and valid reasons (in his head. I SOOOOO say Becky’s father would get a beat-down from Mike. Didn’t he set that one dude on fire in Shortpacked!?) so he gave them a clear and obvious detraction while directing all the trouble at the person most likely to be able to hold his own in a fight of emotions, words, and fists: MIKE!

      Now I kinda want to know if he’s read the Bible and/or knows any biblical history so he can out-christian the parents…

  51. caesaria82

    Ok this is friggin epic.

  52. newllend

    Why the hell didn’t I think of that.

  53. hack

    Problem solved; problem staying solved.

    1. Deanatay

      Mike: Problem Solver.

      1. Rycan

        Never made it as a cheerleader, though. Just kept hurling insults at the home crowd through his megaphone until they took it away.

        1. Crazy Dina

          He never tried Billie’s team.

  54. Eric

    Best character ever.

    1. WeezerLuvr3030

      He was great in Paradise Lost!

  55. Gangler

    Mike’s teeth turn sharp when he does that voice. Bet Amber wishes she could do that. Would really put the fear of god into into the ne’er-do-wells.

    1. neeks

      Not the fear of Satan? Well ok, I guess that’s more Joyce’s schtick.

  56. Bluesnake462

    Mike does what we all want to do

    1. 3oranges

      Mike is breaking the fourth wall with his last line.

    2. Crazy Dina

      Ah yes. The comedic relief we are afraid to admit we want.

    3. neeks

      Mom’s in exchange for nickels? I can’t speak for everyone, but that’s not exactly on my bucket list.

      1. Crazy Dina

        DUH! Nets make MUCH better beds!

        Can I get a brainwash over here? Or at least a mind-wipe?

        1. Deanatay

          … and maybe a courtesy flush?

    4. Rycan

      In a world free of consequences, mind you.

  57. AgentKeen

    Ahhhh, finally Mike’s time to shine. I’ve really, really missed Mike.

    1. Architex

      And what a stunning re-appearance!

  58. Crazy Dina

    Yep. Still a great character.

    1. Crazy Dina

      … What happened to the comments this was in reply to?

  59. StClair

    Damn.
    I mean, really. Damn.

    1. Crazy Dina

      Who specifically? Joyce? Willlis? Mike? (Sure, he can come to our Hell Party! After all, it’s going to be one hell of a party!) Walky? Joyce’s MOM?!?!

  60. Tacos

    That face….

    PRICELESS

  61. sithknightgalen

    Yup, definitely wanted to do it. I must ask, was Mike breaking that fourth wall with his commentary? If so, he has surpassed comic dickish-ness to now troll the fans…love it!

  62. Nick Piers

    Joyce’s expression is amazing. It’s like she died right on the spot.

  63. Gram91

    Can I vote for Mike three times?

    1. Crazy Dina

      No. You can only vote for him two times. You must also Hail Dina. (Nah, if you really want to do it, open it in Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. You can vote three times, but not from the same browser, less you loose your cookies.

  64. Arianod

    Joyce’s face made my whole day, and it’s only 6:43 in the morning ^^ <3

  65. Kit

    ALL HAIL MIKE

  66. The King of Gingers

    HAIL SATIN!

    …wait.

    1. WeezerLuvr3030

      HAIL SAITAN

      1. The King of Gingers

        HAIL SANTA CHRIST!

      2. TheZachariah

        DAL MATIAN!!!

      3. Deanatay

        HAIL SHAITAN!

        1. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          HAIL SHITSTAIN!

      4. Machine of Slight Discomfort

        HAIL SEITAN!

  67. zmm

    OH HELL YES MIKE THE HELPFUL MIKE I LOVE AND HATE IS HERE!

  68. Ben

    OH MY GOD MIKE!!! YOU JUST KILLED JOYCE!!! XD

    1. Deanatay

      YOU BASTARD!!

  69. Kitschensyngk

    Hey guys…I think Mike’s here.

    1. Crazy Dina

      I’m not sure. Let’s ask Mike!

  70. WeezerLuvr3030

    Yesssss finally!

  71. shoeboxjeddy

    Best Joyce face. I wonder if her Mom will freak out hard enough to try to pull her out of college, or assume her phone was stolen or something…

  72. Ailorn

    That was probably actually helpful. Joyce can play it off that her friend got her phone and totally distract from the Becky thing.

    1. Ailorn

      I’m totally going to ship Mike and Joyce now.

      1. Crazy Dina

        Well, Mike can certainly keep any of the nonbelievers from doing more damage to her than he does.

    2. Avery

      There is absolutely no way that claiming Mike as a friend in front of her parents is a good idea.

      1. Rycan

        Just replace ‘friend’ with ‘doody-head’, and it will work out just fine.

        1. Rycan

          Wait, calling him ‘her doody-head’ wouldn’t help much. Oops!

        2. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          How about “horrible abomination against everything that is good and pure, except for the fact that he’s pure EVIL”?

      2. ahuh

        “Resident campus trickster spirit”?

        1. Luzahn

          They’d super pull her out for Paganism.

  73. EvergreenFir

    HAIL HYDRA!

  74. LazarusLong

    Is it wrong to say, YAY MIKE!!!!!

    1. Crazy Dina

      Technically yes. He said to hail him, not cheer for him.

  75. grantimusmaximus

    Just think, the Willis has been waiting for MONTHS to throw this moment at us. Bravo, sir. Bravo.

    1. Screwball

      And he wasn’t even home for it. Maybe he’ll log in & discover the…reactions he’s caused…

  76. TheZachariah

    Bwahahahahahahahaa!! 😀

    And here I thought I didn’t like Mike!

  77. 6Qubed

    Joyce be all D8

    1. Deanatay

      Yeah, but what did he roll?

      1. Tacos

        A D20 obviously.

  78. Avery

    Used to have a friend just like Mike.

    My homeschooling parents were not pleased.

    1. Avery

      Also, I have so much sympathy for Joyce right now. She is going to get in SO MUCH TROUBLE for Mike’s joke. People who didn’t have parents like Joyce’s have no idea.

      1. a4lbi

        I can’t imagine.

        Well, I can, but obviously it’s only going to get me so far.

    2. Rycan

      Makes you wonder if this is another case of Joyce’s experiences being autobio.

    3. Bagge

      And in Joyce case it is not even a friend, it is just the class bully who targets her because he thinks its funny.

    4. Deanatay

      All the more reason to have a friend like Mike.

  79. Random832

    Reminds me of when sometimes I get a call from my brother or one of his friends in the car, and my [other] brother hits the button to ignore / hang up.

  80. Matt

    Mike is my spirit animal

    1. Daisy the Downer

      Don’t wanna start a big fight here, but you are aware that’s cultural appropriation? Spirit animals are pretty darn important to Native American culture, and they’ve been stomped on enough as it is.

      1. Gigafreak

        I saw someone confronted with this. The started using “Patronus” instead, and in this case that gives hilarious imagery of projecting an apparition of Mike to ward off monsters, so I approve.

      2. George

        We may as well call out Willis for making light of Satan, and offending any satanists in the audience. They haven’t been too historically popular either.

        It would be one thing object to a serious mis-portrayal of spiritualism, but I don’t see the advantage to avoiding terms in an obviously humorous context because somebody somewhere might be offended… it’s an attitude damaging to open discourse.

        1. Daisy the Downer

          Two questions raised by that – firstly, have Satanists been appropriated/commoditised/erased like Native Americans have? No, I don’t think the two are comparable. And secondly does humour excuse offence? I wouldn’t say so. Obviously everyone has different boundaries but ‘Patronus’ is a perfect substitute, so if it can be avoided, why not do so?

          Also, there’s no ‘might’ about it. It is offensive. I learned it was considered offensive because I asked.

        2. George

          Sure they have… walk into any Hot Topic and you’ll find all manner of pentagram encrusted clothing.

          Video games, movies, books, they all use Satan as an open-source villain, and that’s on top of a few centuries where you could be executed for *any* kind of suspected heresy.

          If you want to play the persecution card, we’ll be here all week.

  81. Nope!

    I think I’ve officially started shipping Joyce and Mike.

  82. a4lbi

    Who will be the next to call Joyce!?

  83. Neonix

    Mike +10

  84. Rycan

    This is why I read DoA. Willis has his moments, and they’re incredibly hilarious.

  85. Torra

    Oh my god. Amazing. Mike has his moments, and this was definately one of them. Someone has to have that Mike face as a gravatar though, it is screaming gravatar

    1. Screwball

      You mean like this? Just don’t go putting a green boarder on it, that’s 1 of my customs…

  86. nothri

    Strangely enough, on my short list of ways to handle this situation never did the option “Hand the phone off to Mike” appear. Odd, that.

  87. TrueVCU

    The look on Joyce’s face in panel 4 is WITHOUT PRICE

  88. Marie

    Well, now all the missed calls can be explained as ‘someone stole my phone’

  89. Solenoid

    Holy fuck. That was well-played.

  90. Twinkle Toes the Berserker

    Willis has done the impossible. He has made me love Mike a little bit.

  91. Zaxares

    Congratulations Mike. You actually managed to make my Approval of you go up by 5 points. 😉

  92. WingedBeast

    Okay, yeah, that was funny… but, this is an example of how Mike needs to be kicked out.

    In Short Packed, this kind of thing is something I could see, because of the measure of unreality. Car couldn’t get through doors, but Spidercar could. There was a tag that kept drama from happening until accidentally pulled. When Mike did something really mean, it didn’t have much in the way of consequences.

    Here, Mike’s harassing people, he doesn’t like anybody, and in a world of consequences, he strikes me much more as a real threat.

    1. Rycan

      Mike, in DoA and It’s Walky!, tends to be an asshole in order to accomplish something. Whether it’s a good thing or not is a toss-up.

      Shortpacked! had serious consequences, too – although when they happened, it was usually Robin’s fault.

      1. Charles Phipps

        I like this version of Mike just being genuinely a bad person. He’s just a charming one.

        Those CAN exist and they can be enjoyed for who they are.

      2. WingedBeast

        Shortpacked! had consequences when it wanted to, when it served the storyline. That’s not an insult, by the way, it’s part of Shortpacked!’s unique charm. And, it’s to Willis’s credit that he can create, using the same characters, a semi-related but different unique charm.

        The Dumbiverse seems to have a different feel to it. One in which, regardless of serving the plot, consequences still happen. Sure, we’ll focus on the ones we focus on, but actions all still have consequences. That’s a part of the Dumbiverse charm. And, in that world, Mike’s harm is far less muted, even on those moments when he’s well meaning.

  93. Kani

    Totally getting Chick-fil-a today.

  94. OnyxIdol

    Mike, my man.

  95. ninja_jesus

    You know, I usually like Mike when he’s an asshole, but right now I think he honestly deserves to be punched in the face. I would never in a million years do that to someone who I knew had strict religious parents, having dealt with people like Joyce’s parents myself. It seems funny now, but later on, Joyce may have to face the consequences for this. Her parents may see this place as a bad influence and pull her out of school, similar to what Becky went through. Joyce may once again have to defend herself, her friends (especially Dorothy, AGAIN) and the reason why she goes to this school from her parents.

    1. Bagge

      What really gets me is how he just stomped over Joyce’s boundaries. You don’t just answer someone’s phone for them. You don’t know the situation, you don’t know their relationship with the person in the other end of the line and it is NOT YOUR CALL.

      Regardless of if it would have been funny (it wasn’t) or if it would have been harmless (it isn’t), stealing someone elses communication is incredibly shitty.

      1. Charles Phipps

        I’m glad he did it, really, but not because of emotional reasons but because I don’t like “Mummy Twilight” Mike. I like “Mike is actually a bad person. He’s not secret misunderstood, he enjoys causing pain in a very Joker-esque way. He just does it with STYLE.”

        1. ninja_jesus

          But this isn’t supposed to be a black-and-white morality comic, where people are strictly good or evil. Everyone has their own complexities here and Willis shows them in his characters fantastically. Mike, for instance, has never, ever picked on someone who couldn’t fight back in some way. And a lot of his bullying created a lot of positive outcomes for others who aren’t Ethan.

          Who knows, maybe this will have a more positive outcome, but for now I really don’t approve of what he did here.

    2. winter

      I still love Mike and think this is funny because I’m an asshole, but, yeah, he deserves whatever horrible things come his way for this one.
      My immediate thought was that I doubt Joyce’s parents would think Satan or devil worship was anything to joke about. And even if Joyce tries to explain that that was just this jerk she hangs out with sometimes being a jerk, it might not be enough to stop them from going on the war path about negative influences.
      Honestly, I wonder if Mike really had a grasp on the possible consequences of what he just did, or if he would have done it either way regardless.

  96. ShaggyDonahugh

    Ah Mike, What would we do without you?

  97. Anywhere

    I reallly DID want to do that, now that you mention it.

  98. Mitsukara

    Fifth Annual Favorite DoA character contest leader: Dina at 35%

    Sixth Annual Favorite DoA character contest winner: Mike at 100%

    Because of this one strip.

  99. Willoughby Chase

    LOL! IRL!

  100. Dirtysailor

    Diet Pespi spew being cleaned up as I speak. You just gotta love Mike.

  101. Bagge

    Asshole.

  102. Keroshino

    And thus, for once Mike actually used his asshole powers for good (technically)

  103. Alex C

    Here’s a pragmatic question: Assuming Becky’s over 18 why not tell Joyce’s Mother her whereabouts? What is the father going to do, disown her again? Drag her back to College that she’s been effectively kicked out of? Hell, I don’t remember Becky’s Mother’s point of view, this might be to ease the mind of the Mother part of the family.

    Before you ask, I about laughed my ass off when I first saw this strip today.

    BTW… did you know there’s a smiley face on the bottom left of the screen looking at you?

    1. Turbanous

      There’s a very good chance that Joyce’s mother will tell Becky’s dad where she is and he can pull her out of Joyce’s dorm (similar to the way he pulled her out of college) and since she isn’t allowed to stay there. Most likely Joyce’s parents will agree with having Becky “fixed”, especially since they were concerned with Jocelyn playing with stereotypical male toys.
      Even if Becky is 18 she doesn’t have a job and presumably very little money, short of running away again somewhere else Beckyvwill be forced to live with her parents. They can use her lack of independent income to force her to conform to their will and maybe into “being fixed”. Being 18 might make you an adult in the eyes of the law, it doesn’t make you able to live on your own and be pushed around by the family members with power over you.

    2. John

      I think the worst-case scenario basically boils down to “kidnap her, imprison her, and have her raped until she’s straight”.

      Shitbrick did not disown her, and the college did not kick her out. He dragged her out of college and took her home to “fix” her, and kept her there until she escaped and fled to Joyce. There hasn’t been any sign of Becky’s mother even existing; I kind of suspect she’s dead.

      (I have real difficulty finding a term to use to refer to Ross MacIntyre. “Becky’s father” seems to imply a level of paternal feeling that he doesn’t show. “Ross” seems to imply a level of comfort and familiarity that I don’t feel. “Becky’s dad” combines both of those. “Mr. MacIntyre” implies a level of respect I don’t feel. I’d use “Becky’s sperm donor”, but I’m not convinced that he actually is; she looks nothing like him. So I think I’m just going to call him “shitbrick”.)

      1. Bagge

        Becky called him “That butthole” which I think covers it pretty well. For clarification you could add “that butthole who looks like a toe”. “Second worst dad ever, and only in second place because Amber’s dad is shitty enough to exist” works too.

      2. Spencer

        Addendum: Toedad pulled her out of Anderson and was going to “fix” her when Becky ran away to IU. Becky’s wearing the same clothes in the flashback as she was yesterday, so chances are everything went down early yesterday morning, whereupon Becky fled with nothing but the clothes on her back.

  104. Bagge

    About bullying.

    The message Mike is sending Joyce is that she is not safe from him. If she wants to talk to her friends she has to make sure he is without earshots. If she wants to decorate her door she has to guard it from him. Now she can’t even keep her phone on the table.

    She has to limit herself. She has to stay alert and worried. Anything and everything can be used against her. Whenever Mike is around she is not in a safe place. That is the tactics of a bully.

    1. jengoci

      Glad to see I wasn’t the only one who saw it that way

    2. Killjoy

      DoA Mike is a pure bully, who has not even shown some of the vaguely redeeming qualities of his Walkyverse counterpart so far.

      1. Crazy Dina

        Even the time he saved Joyce from Joe?

        1. Spencer

          He repeatedly assaulted Joe, and then Joyce joined in.

        2. ShaggyDonahugh

          It was a thing of beauty.

    3. Bullardc

      And yet, no one has simply balled up their fists and worked him over. Mike’s antics as random, individual elements are funny, though this specific targeting of Joyce gets old after a while.

      The only reason Mike has power is because Joyce and the others give it to him. If they smack him around a few times like a rolled up newspaper to a bad dog, eventually he’ll get the message.

      1. Gamaran Sepudomyn

        Not really. Mike is a masochist, if his interaction with Amber-as-Amazigirl is anything to go by. Then again, he could just have been lying to creep her out.

      2. Bagge

        “They are the worst kind of bully, because they aren’t cowards and if you stand up to them they only hit you harder.”
        Terry Pratchett

      3. WingedBeast

        The Myth of the Perfect Option.

        There ain’t one. Mike that gets beaten can press charges or otherwise use that against the person who will be labeled an attacker.

        He can’t be ousted from the group because he’s not really a member. He’s just somebody being somewhere they don’t have the legal authority to ban him. That’s a standard bully tactic.

    4. tyersome

      Bagge: You’re probably right about him being a bully, but I was reading him a bit differently – as a sort self-elected anti-hypocrisy police. Joyce is starting to grow out of her little fun die bubble, but in the process she has lost her rigid moral certainties. In the process of trying to reconcile her new expanding reality with her indoctrinated beliefs a few little inconsistencies have emerged … and Mike disapproves …

      1. Bagge

        Even if you are right, there is lot of ugliness in their interaction.
        – Joyce and Becky are in real trouble. Joyce could be pulled out of college and Becky could lose the only support she has right now. Mike has as best an incomplete picture of Joyce’s situation. He is not in a position to move things along, even if he has good intentions.
        – He still uses harassment strategies. Is Joyce being frightened and powerless in the face of a bully really a fair price to pay for displaying “little differences” her morality?
        – Self-elected is a key word. Why should Joyce have to care if Mike approves of the speed of her personal growth or not?

        1. tyersome

          No question about that, Mike’s behavior is problematic to a similar degree and (I think) in a similar way to Amber’s … however, I’m not sure he has a similarly traumatic background to help explain his abusiveness.

      2. WingedBeast

        Self-elected hypocrisy police is exactly one of the self-images I expect bullies to have.

        1. Bagge

          That’s a very good point, and very obvious in cyber-bullying. Needless to say, it is no excuse.

    5. winter

      I can’t actually disagree with you. Mike’s a total bully.

      Except, there’s something really strange about his targets. Mostly that they not only tolerate him, but seem to invite his company. Mike’s not really the one in power here; he could easily be exiled from this social circle, but nobody really seems interested. The most anybody has done to exclude him is Ethan refusing to dorm with him, and Ethan still hangs out with him without issue. And Joyce isn’t really that afraid of him. Re: this conversation, there are lots of times, even among friends, where you want to limit who gets access to certain information. Joyce has gotten him back too, she kicked him in the shins earlier, and sent Amazi-girl after him when she was the one drawing dicks.

      Mike’s choosing targets that can take his shit and fight back, for some reason (I have no doubt he could find somebody who couldn’t take it). And more than once, he’s done what he does to call other people’s reasoning into question. And even the characters seem to see something valuable in him (why else keep him around?). Mike’s a bully, but he’s an atypical one. It doesn’t really excuse what he does, but it adds another layer of complexity to him that make just describing him as a bully somehow fall short, especially in explaining how much of a fan favourite he is.

      1. Bagge

        I… kinda buy into that reasoning. Or rather, I believe that’s the best explanation for what we see and don’t see.

        We have never seen anyone indicate that they actually like Mike or hang out with him by choice (except when Joyce invited him as a chaperon, but it’s obvious she didn’t know what she was dealing with back then). But we have never seen anyone try to get rid of Mike either.

        IF Mike is a friend who’s company Joyce actually values then the dynamic is something different than the prey/bully-dynamic I described (still problematic though). But I have never seen any indication that she thinks of him as a friend or that he contributes anything to the relationship. I really think they all would be better off if they ditched Mike and if Walky changed room mate, but for whatever reason they seem to tolerate him.

        As for why he is a fan favorite I don’t have anything to add. Many wonderful and beloved characters would be complete assholes or worse in real life. My discussion is from a pure in universe perspective.

        1. winter

          Argh, is Willis even moderating comments while he’s on that boat? Put too many links in another response post.

          Yeah, I wouldn’t say they’re friends, but I think there is something more going on than bully/prey here. Whatever it is is definitely problematic.

          I realized that, as fucked up as it is, Mike might be one of the few guys on campus that Joyce feels safe around after the whole incident with Ryan. Joyce knows exactly how awful Mike is, and while that extends to alot of things, it doesn’t extend to sexuality the way it does with Joe, or even Ethan. Joyce has no problem letting Mike trap her physically against her door if it means fending him off from her whiteboard.

          Kids are messed up. ;_;

        2. Bagge

          I REALLY hope you are right about that, otherwise the whole whiteboard incident is much more ugly than I thought, and I thought it was bad to begin with.

          Whatever the reason, Mike is treating Joyce (and other people) badly. If they tolerate him for some unseen reason then he abuses that tolerance. If they are just too scared or timid to get rid of him then he abuses that tolerance. And if he, as has been suggested, tries to help them he has chosen a really bad way of doing so.

          (I always put to many links in my posts – yesterday I got one approved in about one hour. Awesome moderation!)

      2. WingedBeast

        How, exactly, could they exile him from the group?

        Really, they’d have to make the case to the campus authorities that he was harassing them, and that’s a difficult case to make at the most obvious of times.

        1. winter

          You could not invite him to lunch with you. When he sits down next to you, you could move to a different seat. You can refuse to acknowledge he’s even speaking. You can tell him to go away.

          There are many subtle and unsubtle ways to let someone know they’re unwelcome. Mike might not heed these signals if they were given, but I don’t see anybody giving these signals in the first place.

        2. WingedBeast

          There’s no indication that he was invited. Even if he wouldn’t have moved with them, he doesn’t seem to have been sitting with them. There’s no indication that he’d respect their desire to have him gone.

          And, it’s no fault of theirs that they didn’t expect those signals to have a positive impact, given a probable experience with bullies in general and with Mike in specific.

        3. tyersome

          Actually, Dorothy invited him to lunch and in general if you look back through the recent comics you can see Joyce confiding in Mike … so while Mike’s behavior is clearly problematic, simple standard issue bullying doesn’t seem to quite fit …

        4. winter

          ??? Dorothy asked Mike if he was hungry outside the Chick’fil’a a couple strips ago. That is not something you ask somebody who’s not invited to lunch with you. And Joyce said that she wanted to talk about Backy before Mike sat down with them because it was understood he was sitting with them.

          And, yeah, if you don’t let somebody know, tacitly or otherwise, that you don’t want them there, it’s kind of your fault if they stick around. If you do let them know and they don’t listen, well, that’s probably around the time that campus authorities should listen to your harassment case.

          But, if you have friends to help you present a united front like Joyce does, most people, even bullies, don’t like being repetitively rejected enough to stick around people who don’t want them there.

      3. winter

        One more thing!

        Oddly enough, I would say Mike is one of the few guys at IU that Joyce actually feels SAFE around, even if it’s only in an the-assholishness-you-see-is-the-assholishness-you-get kind of way.

        For perhaps obvious reasons, she’s far more afraid of nicer guys that she’s attracted to:
        Joe – http://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-2/01-pajama-jeans/touch/
        Ethan – http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/02-guess-whos-coming-to-galassos/aprilfools/

        Whereas Mike, she’s willing to let him press her up against a door if it means keeping him from drawing on her whiteboard in a fit of righteous anger.

        I don’t know about now. I think he’s crossed a bit of a line mentioning devil worship to fundie parents, but idk… despite how sad it is that Mike of all people is one of the few people she feels safe around, it might be better than having one less person she feels safe around.

        1. Neonix

          I agree. I think Joyce does feel safe around Mike, even if she doesn’t really like him. At least with Mike, she knows he’s transparent and honest. It’s the ones that lie and manipulate that she needs to careful of.

        2. Crazy Dina

          I think everyone feels safe around Mike. He may be a pain at times, but in a way he marked everyone, setting the scene so that if anyone attempted to harm his posse, they would have to go through him. Were he to accompany any of his “marks” to a dangerous situation, I have no doubt Mike would get them out of it, then make sure this mark didn’t get into that situation again. He’d probably also do it in the worst way possible, but in the end, those he cares about will make it out okay.
          Whats more, he also has a way of dealing with psychological issues. It’s a controversial method for sure, but it works. Everyone who sticks around him tends to become slowly better because of his jerkiness, and that leads to people near him accepting his existence.
          Unless you’re Joe. Never be Joe.

      4. Killjoy

        It’s the fictional contrivance in which someone is absolutely repulsive, but continuously tolerated by the people around him for the sake of funny, drama, or something.

  105. Bill

    Tomorrow’s strip:
    Scene is shifted to Joyce’s parent’s house.  Joyce’s mom puts down the phone, turns to Joyce’s father, and says, “I think our Joyce has found a boyfriend at college.”

    1. Gigafreak

      Nah, they already know she has one.
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/easy/

  106. 2K

    XDDDDDDDDD Oh my God!! XDDDDDD Fucking Mike, XDDDDDD.

  107. Les

    And once again we can rely on Mike to toss gasoline on that smoldering fire – watch the pretty flames shoot up!

  108. Kim

    Awesome!
    Hail Satan!

  109. JA

    https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M0sb-bXjM-U/TlQBLKsVSPI/AAAAAAAAAbo/nUT9s3K1hfg/mj_popcorn.gif

  110. WebComicGeek11

    This is why Mike is my favorite. This is literally something my friends would do. No joke, if I leave my friends alone with my notebooks, they write “I love Satan” and other stuff like that in huge letters. I have the friends that shout stuff like this in the background while I’m on the phone. Mike would totally be my best friend.

    1. Killjoy

      Your “friends”, huh?

  111. Robbzilla

    I’m a practicing Christian, and I wanted to do that! /snicker

    1. Roborat

      How long do you have to practice before you make the team?

  112. Saelmve

    MIKE NO

  113. Aprion

    AHAHAHAHA! I normally hate Mike’s guts, but that stunt earned him some brownie points.

  114. Killjoy

    DoA Mike is going to pull the wrong stunt with the wrong person at some point, and get his butt kicked up through his neck.

    1. timemonkey

      But will he care?

      1. Rycan

        He will enjoy it, and continue to hurl verbal abuse.

        1. Crazy Dina

          Ya kidding? That aint gonna be an attempt to hurl verbal abuse. That’s gonna be Mike’s Mating Call.

  115. lordhaw

    Shouldn’t have read this one at work…made me give a loud snort of laughter! Mike may be a dick but this is still awesome looking at the situation from our perspective.

  116. LiamAldam

    Dina and Mike have really stepped up their A game during favorite character season.

  117. JohnnyO

    And I thought that time I yelled “pass the joint” while my friend was on the phone with his mom in middle school was bad.

  118. Cattus

    I shit myself when I read that – hahahaha. Luckily I was already on the throne.

  119. Flame_Warp

    Oh, Mike, you loveable scamp

    1. Ikaru

      Lovable might be debatable. XD

  120. Derek

    It looks like Mike didn’t actually hang up the phone; he presses the middle of the screen which is usually about where the speaker is…..

  121. Bilal Kalyal

    Aaaaand it’s the one and only M-I-K-E.
    With the now traumatized J-O-Y-C-E
    “ALL HAIL SATAN”

  122. Trolldrool

    And now that I’ve gotten past how awesome that looked, I can look on with dread as Joyce’s mother comes over, demanding an explanation, sees Becky, demands another explanation and Joyce is forced to tell everything or abandon her morals along with a ton of her self-esteem.

    1. Crazy Dina

      Or Mike steps in to defend Becky by working his magic on Mrs. Brown instead of Joyce? It could happen. Maybe Becky’s Dad will arrive soon, Mike will being out the truth in front of everyone, then Ruth will come in for the beatdown. That… Okay, I want to see that combined with Becky meeting Daisy Needsadate.

  123. Sir Ercon

    Hail Satan!

  124. Nobody

    I like how Mike shoots up in the character poll after this comic

  125. Nagash1959

    Mike once again saves the day.

    Also, he and I both answer the phone the same way.

    If he never gives the phone back, Joyce can tell her mom it was stolen without lying.

    1. Crazy Dina

      That would redirect any and all questions and conversations. Also, I JUST realized that Mike picked up JOYCE’S phone, not was calling from her Mom’s phone.

  126. Rodimiss

    Maybe Mike did a good thing? Maybe this will deflect Joyce’s mom from the Becky situation to a long explanation of what on earth that was about.

    Or maybe his fuckwittery will just make thing worse, who knows.

  127. AnvilPro

    Clearly the greatest Dumbing of Age comic yet

  128. Amazi-Stool

    Time to link to this modification by vsophi!

  129. Roborat

    I didn’t know Mike was related to Richard.

    And Mike, I think you broke Joyce.

  130. Adork

    I look at Joyce upside down and it looks like she’s extremely happy with Mike.

  131. Betty Anne

    This is exactly why I love Mike. XD <3

  132. Boomwolf

    Also I love how Joyce’s face is the literal definition of mortification right now. Like you look up mortification and all you’ll is a picture of that face.

  133. Reltzik

    Mike just fucked Joyce’s mom AND Joyce at the same time.

    1. Reltzik

      …. and I’m betting that the cost of that phone call was exactly one nickel.

      1. Lord Geovanni

        Im sure that the phone was right next to Joyce’s mom’s FAAAACE

  134. Lord Geovanni

    I imagine everything in a certain space implodeing into nothing for a 10 seconds and then the rebounding explosion that takes out half a solar system

  135. Lord Geovanni

    I Like to mess with people too but i concede to Mike he is truly the better man in the endeavor and i Grant him an Earldom

  136. Lordess of Madness

    Well that settles it. Mike’s a servant of the devil.

  137. Tenn

    Aaaaand we have a new best face!

    1. Lord Geovanni

      Prefer the walky Face for my profile pic but Joyce’s face is really awe some

  138. Hoboturtle

    Is it too late to change my vote for favorite character to Mike. All three votes.

  139. JenQPublic

    I laughed for a solid 5 minutes a Joyce’s face in the last panel. Thanks for that.

  140. Ingrid

    JOYCES FACE.
    i’m DYING

  141. Jon the B

    I think this might be my favourite comic that you’ve EVER done. Ever. I mean, it’s moved me to post and I just don’t DO that.

  142. Sonja

    THIS….THAT FACE…..oh the face of utter horror on Joyce’s face….its so…..So lovely. schaudenfreude is the greatest….I hope I wrote that word right.

  143. Streben

    This is just great. One of the few times I really approved of Mike’s actions.

  144. David Byrnes

    Okay, that one made me REALLY laugh.

    1. Onion

      Same here

  145. Onion

    Joyce’s face, OH YES

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