361

Bruce Wayne
Posted on July 21, 2016 by David M Willis

361 thoughts on “Bruce Wayne”

  1. Ana Chronistic

    “IF YOU USED PRISMS TO FORM LIGHT ITSELF INTO A NONILLION COOKIES PER SECOND THERE STILL WOULDN’T BE ENOUGH FOR ME TO DEAL WITH THIS”

    1. Ana Chronistic

      fuckin necrophiles!

      1. TachyonCode

        That’s the way the cookie crumbles.

    2. Mr. Random

      I enjoyed that game, pointless though it was.

      1. Rowen Morland

        The only wining move is not to play. Unless there is a winning move when you play it. I didn’t play it so I don’t really know.

        1. Ana Chronistic

          yeah, it’s called “Ruin the Fun” (see below)

      2. Reltzik

        It struck me as half-baked.

      3. Meowserita

        I still enjoy it, as pointless as it is.

    3. Jake

      damn it, don’t you get me started playing that game again. I can’t go back there.

      1. Ana Chronistic

        do I gotta ruin the fun every time I so much as hint at “watered-down Candy Box”?

    4. Shay Guy

      …The base CpS of a Prism is 2.9 billion. How many Heavenly Chips do you need to get to nonillion?

      1. Mr. Random

        So originally, when I played, I did it for about eight days straight, and racked up about 12 Prisms and a good couple dozen of the one below it. When I finally decided, screw it, and cashed in. I hit 1 million cookies so fast I felt a surge of POWER!

  2. Doctor_Who

    Carla’s final line makes it sound like she was writing a fanfic that went wrong at some point.

    I bet Amber has that problem sometimes.

    1. Nemirthel

      And now I’m imagining this fanfic. Thanks.

      1. Reltzik

        Write the fanfic about Amber writing the fanfic. Have Amazi-girl make a few contributions unbeknownst to Amber, so that there’s new material when Amber wakes up.

        1. Anorak

          Fanfic-ception. Also, I probably will write this fanfic.

        2. blackaeon

          I will write one about you writing about it.

        3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Fanfics all the way down!

        4. Ana Chronistic

          until the fan ART

    2. Orion Fury

      Doesn’t that happen with most fanfics?

      1. Bagge

        Nah, most fanfic are exactly as they are intended to be.

        1. Woobie

          Crap?

        2. Bagge

          Emotion over style

      2. David

        Most shark fanfics deteriorate into finfucs.

    3. Bagge

      It’s like one of those “mad artist snaps and her art becomes grotesque” stories, but with boners and butts.

      1. pjeseb

        For some reason, I don’t think there’s going to be a whole lot of boners in a Ruth x Billie fanfic

        1. Bagge

          But LOTS of butts

          (Slipshine spoiler: There IS a boner… kinda)

        2. Deanatay

          Is it rubber? AND SPARKLY????

        3. begbert2

          In Willis’s art style I dunno if you could tell the difference between rubber and plastic…or the difference between sparkles and silicate sandpaper.

        4. Ana Chronistic

          O-oh, it’s HUGE!

          Like, nine inches!

    4. Stu

      Well, some of Amber’s fics DO involve Guro (and for those that don’t know – it’s like “Goro” from Mortal Kombat, but just involving the over-the-top deaths of the combatants).

  3. Some1

    And now for the sixth Dumbing of Age tournament battle!

    Announcer: Our next battle is Ethan Siegal vs. Joe Rosenthal!

    Both of the step into the ring

    Ethan: Hello, Joe

    Joe: Did you see Sal and Marcie fighting, hot right.

    Ethan: Wouldn’t know.

    Joe snaps his fingers and two robotic naked ladies crawl onto stage.

    Ethan: What the hell!?

    Joe: Like them, reprogrammed sex robots! Designed to fight for me!

    Ethan (looks at announcer): is this legal!?

    Announcer: Technically…yes.
    Ethan: Damn.

    Joe: Of course, I prefer real women, but you can’t bring them onto stage with you.

    The robots rush at Ethan, attacking him with a flurry of punches and kicks. Ethan leaps out of the way, and tries to get into their blind spots. He sends a kick and one of their heads, only to have it bounce of.

    Ethan: Damn.

    Ethan pulls out two Windblades, and attacks one of Joe’s robots with them. Only managing to do minor damage.

    Ethan: Wait a second.

    Ethan puts himself between the two robots and waits for them both to attack him, dodging at the last minute.

    Ethan: Ha! (as the robots accidentally punch each other)

    The robots stagger, and Ethan takes both Windblades and rushes at them, aiming for a small wire just under their throats. He strikes true, and both robots begin to glitch behind him.

    Robot 1: What a man..man… (both robots explode)

    Ethan rushes at Joe, and punches him in the face sending him s taggering. Joe manages to regain his footing, only to see Ethan in the air above him.

    Ethan: UN…I…CRON…SMASH!

    Part of the stage collapses as Ethan slams into Joe with a massive Unicron toy.

    Joe collapses.

    Ethan is the winner!

    1. scrollin on

      if you linked these, those who wanted to read them could click them and it would be great

    2. Cerberus

      Yay, the DBZ-style battles are back!

  4. AnvilPro

    Ruth is majoring in Culting

    1. Doctor_Who

      So, Marketing then?

  5. I Write Monsters

    “The Courtship of Two Cute Queer Ladies,” now on TGFI every Friday at 8 pm!

    1. Orion Fury

      I’d watch it. And before 9pm too? Progress!

    2. Undrave

      Carla thinks Billie and Ruth are cute!

    3. Z

      Isn’t that basically Steven Universe?

  6. Umbrella Paint

    Not just a death cult, a sexy lesbian death cult.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Statistically the best kind of death cult. Most of the others aren’t very sexy at all.

      1. Disloyal Subject

        The Imperium of Man agrees with you.

        1. Rukduk

          And the inquisition will be here in three…two…one…
          (meanwhile in space)
          Inquisitor: Better just be safe about this-ALRIGHT PURGE TIME!!! *bangs head repeatedly on Exterminatus button*
          (In the background: “Fucking heretics!”)

        2. Roborat

          I wasn’t expecting some kind of space inquisition.

        3. Emperor Norton II

          What -were- you expecting, then?

        4. Omniscientearl

          I’d say the Spanish Inquisition, but no one expects them.

    2. Steph

      hey friend I know you definitely did not mean anything malicious by this comment at all, and you’re going off of the source material, but as both a cult survivor and a lesbian I’d really appreciate never having to see that phrase ever ever again.

      I have an issue with the comic itself but that’s a comment for another time.

      1. Znayx

        You sound a little sensitive to be reading this, but it’s your own free will. 1. Wondering how you got by this far through the comic and comments, and; 2. Hoping you’re currently doing better than the past you have experienced.

        1. Steph

          ….????? thanks for your weirdly condescending concern but I’ll be okay.

          I’m only saying something because nobody knows what cults actually are, so people might appreciate being made aware of how horrific they are and uh, aren’t really a joking matter. But ok

        2. Bratty Roger

          You are clearly operating under the… delusion«?»… of there being only one (very narrow) definition of “cult”.
          There has never been any religion in the history of human culture(s) which could not be catagorized as a cult.
          The vast majority of cults are actually pretty harmless, and don’t even pretend (even in a self mocking way) to be religions.
          In other words: religion is a subcatagory of cult!

        3. Steph

          hey pal never fucking talk down to me about my experiences again. Religion is not inherently a cult. You are mocking cult survivors with this rhetoric.
          This is why nobody takes cult survivors seriously lmao

        4. Cerberus

          Dude, what the fuck?!?

          Really uncool!

        5. Cerberus

          Should specify this is towards Bratty Roger rather than Steph and I’m really sorry Steph that people are being assholes towards you after sharing this.

        6. Steph

          Par for the course 9_9 everyone thinks cults are either 1. wacky tribes living in the woods and doing blood sacrifices, or 2. Religion apparently

          Cults are a lot more subtle and a lot more harmful than that. I don’t blame people for not knowing, but it’s exhausting being the only one educating ppl you know.

          Thank you though Cerberus :’) your compassion and understanding truly mean a lot.

        7. zoelogical

          wow steph it’s really shitty how all these people feel the need to talk down to you about your own experiences

          i’m sorry you have to deal with assholes like that

          i really wish they could learn how to take a hint

      2. Cerberus

        *hugs* I’m sorry this one has been rough for you. And I’m sorry you’ve had to go through that.

      3. Bagge

        Ouch, so sorry to hear that. I’m really glad for the “survivor” part.

  7. miados

    it is normal right? I mean usually its only normal for very short times right? its when you think like that more than once or twice a year that its a problem?

    1. Council

      As long as you don’t actually think it seriously, and fully considered it a serious option afterward.

      *reminded to take her meds*

      1. miados

        Well I haven’t thought of it to serously for a while but i still think of it more than i should. usually for like a few seconds but bah ill shut up now.

        1. Dana

          As one person who thinks of it more than he should to another, even if it’s not dangerous it could be a sign that getting some help could have real benefits. Better quality of life, not just safety.

    2. Cerberus

      It’s been a normal. I’m so grateful to my anti-depressants for making that way less of a normal for me and my partners.

      1. miados

        my downs are why i have never tried to date personally. I feel like if i hated myself so much why try to force someone else to be with me. I am feeling better now though and look forward to trying to finally date soon.

        1. Cerberus

          Yeah, I’m still working on the having the self-esteem to believe I have worth to offer my partners half of it, but nonetheless they stick around and seem to be happy, so I must be doing something right at least.

        2. miados

          or you are so cute they can’t help but want to stay.

          sorry if that seemed flirty i was trying to make a joke

  8. Mr. Random

    Its more of a suicide pact. But yeah, you had no idea what you were getting into.

    1. Reltzik

      More like Mutually Assured Destruction, except where personal destruction is desired but the other party’s is not.

      ….

      … man the Cold War would have been so different if it played out like that.

      1. Solenoid

        “From Russia With Love” would have been a more literal title.

        1. Lou

          From Canada With Femurs

      2. Mr. Random

        Isn’t that what some suicide pacts are? Some are made to make it easier to leave, others are made to make it harder to go.

  9. Batman

    Carla has her priorities straigh, er gay

    1. JepMZ

      Wasn’t she asexual in the short packed universe? Hmmm

      1. Emily

        Nothing about this runs contrary to her being ace.

      2. Will

        Asexual homoromantic. Still gay.

      3. Cerberus

        She’s both!

        Homoromantic asexual. Two great oppressions for the price of one.

      4. Kamino Neko

        She likes girls, she just doesn’t want to bang them.

        1. tim gueguen

          Hence her comment last strip that Billie should be doing “gross things” to Ruth.

  10. Party like a pornstar

    Amazi-girl IS batman. If he was in a college. And a female. And had parents.

    1. Vex Godglove

      And poor

    2. MM

      And if one of those parents had been a complete asshole. (Although I suppose there have been continuities where that was true for Batman, too.)

    3. bhtooefr

      You keep using that plural. I do not think it means what you think it means.

      (Sperm donor, sure. Parent, no. So, she has one parent.)

      1. Dana

        Sadly, she’d be better off if you were right and her father were just a sperm donor.

        1. Needfuldoer

          But if that were the case, she might have never created Amazi-Girl.

        2. Neeks

          …which would not necessarily be the worst thing, since at this rate amazigirl is going to get amber killed, and the extra identity in itself is a sign of a worsening mental disorder.

          So like.

          There’s that.

        3. Cerberus

          Yeah, things that tend to spawn more alters in a person aren’t always… great.

        4. davidbreslin101

          “I will go back in time to…er…er… subtly alter the epigenetics of my father’s sperm so that I am born but my dysfunctional superhero identity isn’t! [pause] Shazam!”

      2. Reltzik

        The problem isn’t that Amber does not have a parent/child relationship with Blaine.

        The problem is that she DOES.

    4. Kamino Neko

      Batman: My parents are deeeead.
      Amazi-Girl: Lucky you.
      Batman: …

      1. Disloyal Subject

        …if Scandal Savage has never had banter like that with the Bat, I’ll be very disappointed.

        1. Viktoria

          I’d peg it as more of a Raven thing to say than a Scandal thing. Or Stephanie Brown. Actually, damn, there’s a lot of female chars with supervillain dads these days.

        2. Cerberus

          I think that Stephanie Brown conversation actually did happen early on in Spoiler’s comic arc with Batman essentially empathizing with how complex it must be to have a parent but not want them given his own background.

        3. Cybersnark

          There was a similar scene in one of the Batman/Superman books during the Luthor Administration, where Batman teamed up with Lois (to uncover evidence of Sam Lane’s crimes). He was deeply impressed at Lois’ determination to see her father put behind bars.

  11. Catullus

    Carla’s last line has got to be up there with my all-time favorite DoA moments.

    1. rezby

      book title? i think its book title material

      1. Reltzik

        This whole storyline is coming to a header.

        This scene is truly the title match.

        Indeed, you can even say it’s the titula-

        *vaudeville hook*

    2. Kas

      Agreed. Especially coming from her.

    3. Cerberus

      It’s so so good!

    4. OpticianOfUrza

      Definitely a strong contender for Quote of the Year 2016.

  12. madock345

    It’s actually a cute queer death cult. So 2/4, not bad.

    1. Shaunock

      But with poisoned cookies instead of Kool aid?

      1. Anorak

        Is that why ruth stopped eating them?

  13. Amanda

    Little did Carla know she was managing the spring 2016 TV lineup of character deaths…

  14. Luzahn

    …Why not both?

  15. chris73

    She thought she was managing a courtship? Is it a bit messed up that she thinks Billie and Ruth are/were/should be courting?

    1. Doctor_Who

      If shipping them is unhealthy, then most of us are in trouble.

      1. Viktoria

        You can support a couple in fiction that you would never want to see in reality. Billie/Ruth is definitely that for a lot of us.

        But, Carla doesn’t have our perspective. She didn’t have significant evidence of problems other than the power difference until recently, and she freaked out appropriately when she started figuring it out.

        1. Cerberus

          I think the problem between us and Carla is that the couple for us is in fiction and for Carla is very much “in reality”.

    2. Disloyal Subject

      We’ve seen sides of them they don’t willingly show. She’s just now realizing how fucked up they are.

      1. chris73

        Yeah true

    3. John

      She’s not wrong.

    4. Reltzik

      All in all, that’s the least messed up thing about this relationship.

      ….

      Well, no, they had a nice hand-holding scene after watching Frozen at Joyce’s party, THAT was the least messed up thing, but you get the idea.

  16. DinaWho

    Panel 2 is more evidence for the closet geek Billie theory.

    1. Doctor_Who

      I dunno, there have been 9 theatrically released Batman films in my lifetime (I count Phantasm), and a couple of them have grossed a billion dollars. I think at this point it would be odd NOT to know who Bruce Wayne is.

      1. Woobie

        Barracuda Batmobile?

        that movie can still give me nightmares.

    2. MM

      Yeah, it’s kind of incredible she managed to utter that sentence without some kind of denial she would know anything about that stuff.

    3. Amber

      Ehhhh not really, Batman is kind of a huge cultural icon. I mean, if she said that Amazi-Girl can jump like Super Mario, that doesn’t inherently mean she’s secretly a massive fan of Nintendo.

      1. Dana

        Your comment doesn’t read the same to me now that I’ve noticed that you’re “Amber”.

        1. Amber

          Muahahaha, my plan worked!

          (okay no it’s a coincidence)

  17. TheAnonymousGuy

    You know, right now is usually when someone should say something profound, maybe even wise. (Looks around at other viewers) what are you looking at me for, I got nothin’.

    1. Orion Fury

      I’m just here for the fish.

    2. DarkVeghetta

      Give Sal a chance. She’ll say… something in the next comic. One can only hope it will be somewhat wise.

      1. Clif

        Points to the name of the comic.

  18. Disloyal Subject

    Your nerd is showing, Billie.

    1. inqntrol

      “One of us! One of us!”

  19. Vex Godglove

    It can be both, Carla.

  20. JessWitt

    1. JessWitt

      Whoops, invisible comment.

      *cough* SCREAMING INTENSIFIES

      1. Bagge

        Now I just imagine you had a panel of internal screaming before the external.

        1. JessWitt

          Err-uh, yeah sure, let’s go with that!

      2. Orion Fury

        scream

        1. Orion Fury

          Damn it, something went sideways.

          scream

      3. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Invisible bitextuals?

  21. Jay Eff

    Carla’s dialogue in the final panel is totally the title for the next book, guise

  22. tim gueguen

    I wonder how soundproof the dorm walls and doors are. Seriously, Carla should be worried that Mary will overhear this and have even more ammo for her campaign of evil.

  23. Van Jealous

    Only one thing to say at a time like this………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….I’m Batman!

    1. JessWitt

      Na-na. Na-na. Na-na. Na-na. Na-na.

  24. Bagge

    Should have read the fine print there, Carla.

    Nice deflection of Billie by the way. It would have worked if Carla hadn’t been so hung up on the little detail of Ruth being suicidally depressed.

  25. newllend(henryvolt)

    Sal: Amazi-girl is a dangerous Lawless vigilante.

    Me: *cough* *cough* kind of like you *cough* *cough*

    1. newllend(henryvolt)

      You know what actually I take that back that’s more like alternate Universe version.

    2. Needfuldoer

      Sal’s not a vigilante…

  26. Cephalo the Pod

    I…
    I think this just might be the most entertaining strip of Dumbing of Age yet.

  27. John

    “I’m not Batman!

    … i’m batman.”

    1. Reltzik

      Run! IT’S SHROEDINGER’S BATMAN!

      1. DarkVeghetta

        xD

  28. -Sentinel-

    Just realized that all five people appearing or mentioned in this fairly standard DoA strip are women, which is a detail that I find noteworthy in its lack of noteworthiness.

    That’s the nice thing about representation done right: you just get used to it, especially when combined with good characterization. DoA never struck me as a “story about women”. At no point during the course of DoA did I ever think: “This story needs more straight white guys just like me”.

    1. Orion Fury

      I don’t think there are any straight white males in the comic, discounting part time characters like the assorted dads. No, wait, Joe. While more of Joe’s character growth would be good, we don’t need more Joes. I think a good number of the comics here pass the Bechdel Test.

      1. Viktoria

        Minor note, Joe is Jewish, which is iffy to count as white.

        Mike, Jason, and Galasso are all Straight White Males, though, so it’s not as bereft as you’d think.

        1. John

          Mike’s not straight.

          Galasso can’t tell the difference between boys and girls, so I’m not real sure about assigning him a sexual orientation.

          Jason being the token Straight White Guy is pretty funny, because, IIRC from IW! commentary, his original character trait was basically “the gay one”. Which somehow translated into “British”.

        2. Clif

          Mike is straight. He’s just willing to deviate to cause sufficiant pain.

        3. Orion Fury

          I thought I’ve read that it’s a bit of a spectrum, and Mike in the past has show to be with guys in the Walkyverse, mainly for revenge based things, I believe. But not ‘pure’ straight. I also didn’t count Jason or Galasso, for I consider them to be minor recurring characters.

          Sorry about the Jewish thing with Joe as well. Old preconception.

        4. Leorale

          Mike is whatever you don’t want him to be.

        5. Neeks

          Spitesexual.

        6. Clif

          For a nickle.

        7. Anorak

          Why are we not considering all the straight white male dads this comic has? like toedad, blaine, joyce’s dad whose name i forget, etc.

        8. Anorak

          also, joyce’s asshole brother

        9. Gamaran Sepudomyn

          Cos, statistically, they’re probably bi and in denial.

        10. Mara

          Well, Orion Fury explicitly excluded them: “discounting part time characters like the assorted dads”

        11. DarkVeghetta

          Jewish is white, just not Caucasian.
          As for straight white males… well… *thinks*: Joe (read above), Walky, Jason. Think that about covers it for the main-ish characters. Rest of them are side characters, many of whom are parents and we really have so little to go on with them that assigning sexual preferences is somewhat of a guessing game.

        12. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          Walky is ‘generically beige’.

        13. Viktoria

          I’m not Jewish or a PoC, so I don’t want to get into this too much, but:it’s complex. Ashkenazi jews tend to have passing privilege to a degree, but they still experience discrimination along ethnic lines. Theyre not PoC, but a lot of people will only too happily tell you they aren’t white either. Like I said, it’s a mess of an issue.

          Also, Caucasian is a ridiculous category, since it’s used to mean “white” despite many white people not having ancestry from the Caucaus Mountains and many people from there not being white. That’s not really aimed at you, I just really don’t like that word because it’s so fundamentally inaccurate.

    2. Bagge

      Absolutely. Someone made the same point during the parking lot scene. It’s wonderful, and it only get’s better as you realize that we have black women, trans women (plural), LESBIAN WOMEN!!! (yes Becky, we know), neurodivergent women, mute women…

      The amount of people in the comment section who say that they see something of themselves in the cast, and how rare it is, is heartwarming and heartwrenching at the same time. Representation is not THAT hard. It should not be as notable as it is when done right.

      1. Cerberus

        Yeah. And that representation matters. There’s identities, including identities in this very strip that just don’t happen anywhere else that I can find. And it can be easy when you don’t see yourself in anything to assume that that’s just because you’re nothing or not worth seeing in a work of fiction.

        And it’s beautiful that this strip just has that diversity and that it’s just there, with no character whose role is just to be the token and nothing else or worse the bundle of stereotypes so people can laugh at the marginalized identity.

    3. hof1991

      There’s probably another comic to be written about the other wing of the dorm, focused on Sayid and Manny and such. Walky when he isn’t with Dorothy or Sal. Mike when he isn’t doing a cameo appearance. The deep inner life of Galasso. There must be male RAs and building staff. That’s not the one DYW is writing. For which we are grateful.

      1. Bagge

        A day in life for Ethan’s RA:
        “Maaaaan, Picard sure is bald today.”

        1. DarkVeghetta

          … you know, that doesn’t sound too bad, actually.

  29. AgentKeen

    Only Batman and someone who’s not Batman would say ‘I’m Batman’.

    …wait

    1. Clif

      For the record, I’m not Batman either.

      1. zoelogical

        i’m batman

  30. Chief_of_Staves

    The rich one is Batman, because superman never made any money for saving the world from Solomon Grundy… https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ihUIPlLw2ZE

    I should feel bad for playing a song for Supe’s funeral here. Luckily, I think he gets better.

    1. Clif

      But Billie and Carla are the rich kids and so they must be Batmen.

    2. DarkVeghetta

      To be fair, there’s little Superman would need money for. And if he does, he can just do a temp construction job (in ~2min or less) and rake in a few million. Or assist in combating climate change with his arctic breath for another few billion. It would be SO EASY to make money as Superman, if he realistically ever cared to do it.

  31. Mav

    Why does Billie think Sal is Amazi-girl? There are obvious physical differences.
    “I’m not Amazigirl!” is something I would say if I didn’t want the police/random campus folks potentially coming after me, especially after the Toedad incident. From Sal’s perspective, it would also be something someone with a previous record would say. shout out to Sal calling it for what it is too.

    Also, I wonder if Ruth could see someone for her depression. On college campuses, there are mandatory reporters, but she doesn’t have to tell them WHY she’s feeling the way she is, just that she is. It’s a pretty scary situation either way, on both sides.

    1. Viktoria

      Ruth COULD see someone. Step 1 is wanting to get better. Step 2-7 is getting out of bed, looking for their phone number, making an appointment, showering, dressing, and going to that appointment. Step 8 is discussing your personal problems with a total stranger and listening to their advice. Good luck doing any of that when you’re depressed.

      1. Agemegos

        You left out waiting eight weeks for an appointment.

        1. Dana

          My experience on more than one college campus has been that it’s a lot easier to get help than if you’re out in the “real world”. I have no idea about IU specifically though.

        2. Mav

          It’s been my experience that it’s way easier too.

          College campus counseling: Long wait, $0

          Outside counseling: a few weeks to a long wait – especially reduced price. Lowest I’ve found in NYC is $35/session. Highest – $ 300+.

          Generally, it seems to me that the cheaper the trend, the longer the wait, regardless of where you are. But on college campuses, it’s usually a short walk away, and they will see you if you are in crisis. This doesn’t mean there are 0 issues with it, but it’s way more accessible, monetarily speaking, sadly enough.

        3. Eyebrow

          My first depressive episode was in first year university. I made an appointment with counselling.

          The guy listened to me talk for a while, staring at me in a strange way which turned out, after a while, to be an unsympathetic stare. Finally he said, “It’s up to you. I can’t help you.” And walked me to the door.

          Maybe you get what you pay for.

        4. DarkVeghetta

          … I’d file that under ‘not trying at all to do his job’, but you have a good point.

      2. Mav

        It has to be worth a try, though. And she could do it with help. As a former RA, I have actually had to coach people on why it’s not alright to do nothing in situations like this. It’s this weird thing where the risk of a friend’s health is somehow less than the risk of “ratting them out” a la Sarah’s situation. When you are that age, especially right out of high school, socializing and its costs and benefits seem to trump all else.

        And they will see you immediately if you are in crisis. Alternatively, a stay in the hospital can also be helpful. Therapists an also be helpful. Think of when you’re depressed, and you think of solutions, and the little voice in your thoughts that goes “what’s the use (of anything)?” – that’s the depression talking. Everyone’s life is worth a chance. And besides, what’s the alternative – doing nothing on the chance that Ruth MIGHT simultaneously exit withdrawal AND come down from her crisis? Not likely without help.

        1. Cerberus

          What she needs is the Trevor Project Lifeline:
          http://www.thetrevorproject.org/

          Specific support for suicidal youth. Not tied to campus services, so she can freely talk about her relationship and the blackmail without worrying about it coming back to bite her position. Queer-specific so she doesn’t have to worry about some holy roller ranting about the gays when she tries to talk about her girlfriend. Not a mandatory reporter so she can be honest about the abuse from “sir” and her suicidal thoughts.

          And most of all, it’s a phone service, not something she needs to show up in person for, so she’ll need to work up far fewer spoons than something she’d actually have to work up going outside for.

          And then after that, yeah, probably hospitalization. I mean, she’s at risk enough and she could probably use the observation and opportunity to try some meds in a safe-ish environment.

        2. Mav

          Thank you! I didn’t even know that existed, and I tend to forget about phone hotlines. Outside of this comic, yeah it’s so important for everyone to get the help they need.

          There was one case when I was in school where a girl didn’t and they found her in her room nearly a day later. Another I was acquainted with called 911 in time. I had no idea until she told me. For that reason I will never disparage getting any form of help. A person is here and then they’re gone. Dammit.

        3. Cerberus

          Yeah, I’m very much of the mindset that anything that prevents a suicide that doesn’t actively harm someone else is always to be prioritized. Or at least it’s an ideal I try to live up to as a teacher. So far I’ve kept my little crew of outcasts alive and ticking and I’m knocking furiously on wood that I’ll continue being able to keep it up going forward.

        4. DarkVeghetta

          I’m sure you will, Cerb. I hope they all find tranquility or a reason to struggle on.

      3. LeRoyEstMort

        You left out paying for her therapy. Which is no joke. Especially if you have very serious issues like Ruth’s that will require years of work with a Good therapist.

        Ruth is on a very tight budget. Even if she gets the motivation to find a therapist, even if she lucks out and finds a therapist who can actually help her, even if she can manage to get out of bed and get to therapy every week for 2-3 years, she’s still going to have to pay for it. And that means working more. While trying to cope with suicidal despair.

        It’s no joke. I do hope it works out for her. Just as I hope it works out for all the people I know who are facing a similar situation.

    2. complex

      Because Amazi-girl is wearing a mask, of course. 🙂

      I went looking for the time Amazi-Girl’s mask slipped and wound up re-reading Dumbing of Age for the past two and a half hours.

    3. Greenygal

      I couldn’t remember why Billie thought Sal was Amazi-Girl either, so I went back and hunted it up:

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-2/01-pajama-jeans/hero/
      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-2/01-pajama-jeans/what/

      …and Sal, I know you’re not a lawless vigilante, but I can see how advice like “taking the law into your own hands is the only way to deal with this” might have given Billie the wrong impression on that. 🙂

  32. Shiro

    Now you know how we feel, Carla!!!

  33. Flame_warp

    I see you don’t know Billie very well, Carla

  34. Kernanator

    In which Carla briefly channels the DoA commenters.

    1. Orion Fury

      I thought she constantly channels us.

    2. Cerberus

      We really are all Carla, aren’t we?

      1. Kernanator

        Maybe the real Carla was the friends we made along the way.

      2. David

        Are you ordering from the menu or all are Carla?

  35. Kris

    Carla doesn’t actually read the comic she’s in.

    1. detective boomwolf

      Well yeah, if she did, she’d be Deadpool

      1. inqntrol

        But does she like chimichangas?

      2. Disloyal Subject

        Or She-Hulk if she doesn’t advertise her awareness.

      3. Orion Fury

        I think the comment section would be ok with that.

    2. Bagge

      Pfffft, as if she has time for that when she is busy being RAD!

    3. tim gueguen

      She will once Ruttech perfects their alternate dimension observation device.

  36. Architex

    Aw, Carla thinks Billie and Ruth are cute.

    1. Bagge

      She is not wrong.

    2. Cerberus

      I love this aspect of her character so much. That she’s such a strong cheerleader for all queer relationships and thinks all women-loving-women pairings are cute. It’s just such a nice positive glimmer under all the snark armor she piles on.

  37. Anonee-mouse

    Real talk here, why hasn’t anyone gotten professional help involved? Ruth is SUICIDAL. She needs to see a therapist at the very least. Remember how Sarah called her roommate’s dad because the other girl was in a downward spiral? That was the right thing to do!

    1. Disloyal Subject

      Because until just now, only Billie knew?

    2. Orion Fury

      I’m trying to come up with a funny, slightly glib way of directing your attention to the webcomic’s title. I don’t think I’m succeeding.

    3. Mav

      That’s exactly my question! Ruth can’t be an RA or be with Billie or one up Mary. She can’t do any of that or enjoy her life if she’s not alive to see it. Even if a person is not literally about to do it, it’s a medical emergency that should be treated with urgency.

    4. Cerberus

      The irony of this comment is that I’m genuinely convinced that Sarah calling her roommate’s dad was probably actually the wrong decision in that particular case.

      That said, no, you’re right, Ruth needs therapy yesterday.

      1. Mav

        I don’t know about that. Maybe she could have told an RA or an actual school official, but her friend still would have had to detox and everything like that. That’s very hard to do while you’re juggling a full time school schedule and extracurriculars. A college education isn’t worth as much as it could be if you’re in a stupor throughout. I say that from experience, I spent app. half of mine in a depressed and anxious stupor till i got help.

        1. Cerberus

          True. But there’s a difference between telling a school official or mental health professional and emphasizing the depression and telling a family member of the “remove them from school instantly” school and emphasizing the “drug addiction” to frickin’ pot of all things.

          Like, Dana’s semester was wrecked and Sarah was in a panic state because her semester was in crisis as well, so it’s understandable that Sarah felt like she needed to act fast, but I’m really reading a lot of red flags in how Dana talked about her dad or rather pointedly did not, how quickly he removed her, and how the friends who are still in contact with her report that she’s stated she’s not in a better or safer space because of Sarah’s decision.

        2. Mav

          You make a good point. I guess that’s why it’s difficult. Dana would have had to go somewhere to detox, though- but if home’s not the place, then where? She certainly couldn’t have stayed the way she was – even if it was weed, she was doing it because she was depressed, rather than recreationally. What would have happened to her if she hadn’t got help?

          I must admit I understand part of Sarah’s disposition towards pot though- I have numerous issues with its legalization, particularly the lack of retroactively releasing the many people (of color) that got jailed for up to decades for possessing and selling – it’s so racialized it’s not even funny. Besides that, to me it’s not cocaine but it’s like alcohol. People use it, many do because they have demons they need to fight, and if I ever participated in drug use. With my past, I’d have been strung out long ago. So I don’t judge, because we all have demons, but I’m not in the camp that there’s nothing at al problematic with it.

          So for people to call it nothing- it’s not really, otherwise people wouldn’t be paying up to hundreds of dollars an ounce for “nothing” and people wouldn’t be going to jail over it.

        3. Cerberus

          I’m not sure she would have even needed to detox.

          Like she was on pot, not heroin. What she needed was an actual therapist so she wasn’t treating her roommate like a therapist and had a trained professional who could help her with the grief and mourning and not just over-using medicine to try and numb herself out of that process.

          Though, I think without help, she’d honestly probably have just lost a semester or two. It happens when a loved one dies. Having seen a lot of people self-medicate through bad times with weed (because of my job as teacher of students going through all sorts of shit including regular parental abuse), it’s honestly not the worst of strategies.

          Really, the worst part of what she was doing was simply not doing anything to healthily process her emotions and pulling Sarah into a role of unpaid therapist and thus putting her own academic standing in crisis.

          And as far as the second half, I dunno, I think it’s racialized and that’s why it’s illegal. It’s a convenient way to criminalize a large portion of the black community by selectively enforcing drug laws. Hell, a large part of the reason that marijuana is illegal and tobacco isn’t has to do with it being seen as the drug of essentially three groups that the status quo of the time hated (black people, queer people, and the counterculture youth, which was heavy on both of the previous categories).

          And in my position, I live in a state where medicinal marijuana is legalized and so, I can see a lot of examples of the why of that. I’ve got kids that wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for all the anxiety if it wasn’t for pot or who wouldn’t be able to handle their chronic pain without their topicals and the like. And I’ve seen kids using it entirely to prevent slipping into states like Ruth while they try and survive and ride out abusive family situations or regular sexual assault.

          And these are kids whose parents are being regularly reported to CPS and yet they are still stuck for likely another 2 more years before they can fully escape.

          People turn to it, not because it’s “nothing”, but because it’s a genuinely helpful medicinal plant and the fact that people are thrown in jail over it is appalling and infuriating. Like, I think it’s the worst thing in the world for all the people who’ve been thrown in jail over that bullshit, to keep doing the injustice. It should have been legalized years ago and regulated like every other medicine.

          And if that means making it a scheduled substance and limiting its access to those who have a prescription, so be it, but I just can’t pretend that some kid strung out on pot is in as much danger as one strung out on a harder drug or using alcohol to get through their days.

        4. Cerberus

          And it’s worth noting here that I come from a very specific set of circumstances where I have a lot of suicidal people around me. So if pot helps them not kill themselves or have enough spoons to get out of the house and take care of their necessities or ride out a really awful abusive period of their life, then holy shit, go pot!

        5. Mav

          I just saw your second comment! I heartily agree with that!

        6. Mav

          I have considered your points. Hmm..

          As per the comic, Dana was on it and she still wasn’t able to handle her issues on her own. Additionally, the point I was trying to make before is that it’s a bit complex when you’re using an uncontrolled substance because your situation is complicated by depression, fragile emotional state, etc. rather than recreational use. You have more life experience with situations like these than I do. Do people just get off it, do they become dependent, or do they take time and then get off it when they’ve replaced that coping mechanism with something else? Do they ever replace it with some other coping mechanism You’re definitely right about the system for children being royally fucked up, though.

          Secondly, I want to let you know that the work you just mentioned now and the work you’ve done in the past is fabulous and you are an absolute asset to the community. There are not enough caring people in the world who do the work that you do.

          That being said, you have a point that there are medical and other uses for its benefit. I am glad that it helps people like the ones that you are working with, and it occurs to me that I wouldn’t think to try pull the rug out from those that need it, legally speaking.

          For many of the reasons that you indicate in the latter half of your comic, as I said before that’s where most of my consternation lies. I am aware of the war on drugs and the devastation it has caused communities of color. When pot was first campaigned to be legalized, one of the arguments I heard, often from people who only used it recreationally, was that it was not “really” a drug and completely “harmless”, all while ignoring the decades long treatment of POC sellers and buyers. Many of the reasons you state are excellent reasons, but I doubt they would have been taken seriously had they come from POCs.

          as to the last part, I would actually consider those to be similar situations, if the person, like Dana’s case, was on it and couldn’t FUNCTION (I don’t know how to use italics, sorry! I don’t mean to “yell”). like if it’s not helping at all, then I’d be like, “okay, let’s start from scratch and see what we can do”. If it’s the only thing that helps, then by all means, it’s just that for some people any kind of substance – food, sugar, alcohol, etc can become an *unhealthy* dependency. Although if it gets you through an awful situation with no harm done, then no harm done. I freely admit I’m biased that way, though because of my particular situation. I know I have a potentially addictive personality and there are people in my family who are addicts/very mentally dependent on stuff.

          Lastly, I think the term “drug” has negative connotations colloquially, particularly when used to modify the word “addict”. I use it in the clinical sense, and would refer to things like Advil or Claritin, as well as alcohol or any kind of substance as a “drug”. So I mean anything that can be used to alter the body’s chemistry in that way, not like “eeurrgh! drug addicts” or anything like that.

        7. Cerberus

          Oh yeah, addictive personality makes things a lot more complicated and you have all my sympathy and *hugs* for coping with that.

          And yeah, I fully agree that my statements would not be taken as seriously if I was a TWoC and that I’m benefitting from white privilege to even be able to make the arguments that I’m making. It’s kinda like feminist men being taken more seriously on things like rape culture or the male gaze in media than any woman speaking on the subject ever will.

          To answer your specific questions, I think first, it’s worth noting that Dana was functional. Like, she wasn’t doing well. She was in mourning and depressed and was using her roommate as a therapist and was actually negatively impacting her roommate’s sleep as Rutee pointed out. But she was functional. She was getting out of bed, getting to class, showing a relatively ok face to her friends. She was muddling through and hanging in there and we can see that in contrast to say, Ruth, who’s really crashing hard against rock bottom on the functionality chart.

          And in my experience, yeah, I’ve seen folks get off of pot relatively easy when another medication has worked better or had less side effects, but that it requires building that different coping strategy or acquiring that different medication first. Similar to someone needing a different anti-depressant to jump to before going off their current anti-depressants.

          And it’s worth noting that I come from a perspective of safer coping strategies, so if something’s a bad coping strategy and an unhealthy dependency but is keeping someone going when otherwise they wouldn’t, then be all means, abuse that now and we’ll build you a better coping strategy to get you off the dangerous stuff and on to things that are safer and less overall harmful to one’s health.

          And thanks, I try. I dunno, I’m just so tired losing so much of my community to suicide and so if I can throw in a lot of effort to try and keep a small group of it going from one day to the next, then maybe that’s something at the end of the day.

        8. Rutee

          Weed itself was criminalized because it endangered standing meriken business interests (Or rather, hemp did). If there’s drug laws – any of them – the police will abuse the shit out of them to arrest black people. Hell, white people have done more pot than black people, proportionally, for at /least/ a generation now. But as far as ‘we need laws on the books to be able to harrass black people properly”, it serves its intended role, and making it legal hasn’t actually helped incarceration much because there’s still every other law on the book to disproportionately enforce (DWB is all but an offense, after all, outside of a rare few cities where you’d never stop pulling people over if it were). “Legalize pot”, from the perspective of racist enforcement, is like putting a bandaid on someone’s shoulder, when they’re bleeding out from the leg.

          None of that means it /shouldn’t/ be legalized. I’m pretty sure it’s majority use /is/ recreational. /And that’s okay/. It’s not like it would be better to control it if it were recreational, but not harmful – which it mostly is. We have limits on alcohol, and alcohol is probably more harmful. And yes, everything you’re saying is valid, and unsurprising. I hope everyone comes out okay.

          I will note, tho? The problem that Sarah had wasn’t just that she was therapist – it was that she couldn’t get any god damned sleep (Presumably from the smell of weed, based on the image in that shot.) And tbh, I’m not sure that’s a thing that’d be helped by legalization in this exact instance. Dana clearly had places to light up that weren’t their room in the general, but was most likely relying on doing it even more in her room because she needed a place of safety and isolation to do it in. And that’s valid on its own – except that the consequences were hurting someone else, someone who could ill-afford to deal with that coping mechanism disrupting her sleep schedule. Sarah made the right call, at least as far as her own sake. Whether it was what was best for Dana, I don’t know, but Dana can afford to deal with it better, because she isn’t riding on her one shot.

        9. thejeff

          I also wouldn’t be surprised in that situation that if Dana had gotten busted for pot it would have spilled over onto Sarah, due to that racist enforcement – black girl with pot in her dorm room. Sure, she says it’s all her roommates …

        10. Cerberus

          thejeff-

          That’s actually a really good point I hadn’t thought of, but yeah, that’s completely true. If the campus police had decided to investigate, she probably would have been screwed over in that exact way.

          And that probably was at least partially on Sarah’s mind as she was figuring out what to do. And raised the stakes for her somewhat. And that might have been raised even more if she actually knew someone personally growing up who was busted for possession. Because the black community tends to be heavily targeted for that.

        11. Yumi

          thejeff-
          I agree that’s a good point. One of my friends had a roommate freshman year who used pot a lot, also dealt and at least a couple times smoked in their room. My friend complained about his living situation regularly (the guy would also play video games on a large TV screen throughout the night, making it harder for my friend to sleep). Anyway, at one point it seemed that legal charges were about to emerge against the guy, so the RAs helped my friend move rooms immediately so that he wouldn’t get in trouble as well.

      2. hof1991

        When we look at Sarah’s decision on her roommate, it’s important to remember that she was a freshman then. The grumpy more adult seeming Sarah we see now is the product of that decision, not the author of it.

  38. Nakams

    I love Carla’s perspective as an outsider vs. Billie who is so used to the situation she doesn’t see how fucked up it is anymore.

    I think it’ll be Sal who will provide a solution. I doubt her solution would be to “notify the authorities”, though. That’s not her style. But then what?

    1. Mara

      Well, if Sal of all people is going to suggest talking to the authorities, then we will know that things are really, really bad. Like when smiling Joyce struck down an authority figure.

    2. Cerberus

      Yeah, sometimes fresh blood can be critical to a situation like that. Because it can become very easy to slip into a space where that sort of stuff is just normal and you’re mostly just looking for the critical signs of a really bad turn.

      And so it can be helpful to remember, oh right, this shouldn’t necessarily be the normal. And that can mean remembering that the act of caretaking really can be draining and self-care is important too or can mean things like noting that the fucked up state of affairs for your marginalized identity are that way because of oppression and not because that’s what you inherently deserve.

      And given the toxic co-dependent, slightly abusive hole that Billie and Ruth were in, an outside perspective not stuck in NRE and fetishization of the tragically flawed romance is very very critical if they are going to build either a healthy relationship or a healthy friendship.

    3. hof1991

      In many situations, the solution to a problem must come from a meta-level (outside the seeming ground of the problem). Billie and Ruth may just not be capable of solving their problems from within the problem.

      If the house is on fire, try to put it out from outside the house. Doing it from inside the house doesn’t work. (both a Hamilton cite and a valid scientific and mathematical concept)

  39. Kitschensyngk

    Only the true Messiah denies his divinity!

    1. DarkVeghetta

      Or an honest person. Either one is to be commended.

  40. NF

    “I thought I Was Managing The Courtship of Two Cute Queer Ladies Not a Goddamned Death Cult!” should be the title of the book.

    1. Orion Fury

      It’s a bit wordy.

      1. Cephalo the Pod

        Not that much longer than I Beg You, do not Cast your Body into the Cragged Shame Pits of the Lustwolves.

        1. Anorak

          what is this from?

        2. Cephalo the Pod

          Book 2 of this comic.

    2. Scoops

      I was seriously going to say this exact same thing, but had the sense to search for anyone else saying it.

    3. Emanuele

      Sadly, I don’t think “goddammit” would ever make it in a title.

  41. Nick Piers

    There’s only one way to really figure it out:

    See if Sal can breathe in space.

    1. inqntrol

      Or dance.

  42. Mara

    To continue yesterday’s cast of “The Willis strikes back”:
    – Ewok Walkerton, called Walky, made friends with
    – Dorotheia Organa, future President of the New Republic (though their relationship was endangered by his strange preferences);
    Maryhuff Tarkin: uses extortion and destruction to make things go her way and cares for nobody but herself;
    Mike Fett: can be hired to do violence;
    Jocelynbail Organa: doesn’t openly join the rebellion, but supports them behind the scenes and helps two friends break into their former home to do something important;
    Marci Windu: calm and wise;
    Count alayooku: friend or foe? Ad then there were those epic fights against Amberkin and Obi-Sal Kenobi;
    Raidah the Hutt: Sara Solo’s nemesis;
    R2Dina: has her own way of speaking, but her special skills set wll come in handy; close to Amberkin.

    Any ideas for Ruth, Carla, Joe and Jacob?

    1. inqntrol

      Jacob: Jacdo Calrissian
      Joe: Jowbacca(?)

    2. Mara

      Marcie, Malayooku…. Stupid typos.

      We’ve got Chewbecky already, but maybe we can add Jowbacca as well. More Wookies can’t be bad.

    3. Rukduk

      I hate to ask it, but…do we have a gungan yet? Wait! Before I’m burned alive I have only one think to say: Joe Joe Binks. Hesa tinka hesa good wid da ladies an’a come off like a jerk, but deep down hesa okedaye.

      1. Mara

        Jar Jar Billingsworth was already listed yesterday.
        But perhaps the Gungan has been cloned, and now there’s Joe Joe as well …

    4. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      I prefer Galasso the Hut.

      1. Gamaran Sepudomyn

        Makes sense if he eats a lot of his own pizza. Also, according to the novelization, Jabba’s hairlessness wasn’t normal for his species, so choosing a balding guy for his role makes sense.

        1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

          “Makes sense if he eats a lot of his own pizza (and subs!).”

          FTFY

  43. Cephalo the Pod

    Man, I honestly think the final line of this strip is a way better title for Book 6 than “The Mechanations of my Revenge will be Cold, Swift and Absolutely Ridiculous”.

    1. Cephalo the Pod

      And I liked that one.

      1. Clif

        I cannot agree. The earlier one was classic.

      2. Clif

        Wordless panel 3 Sal is the best Sal.

        1. Clif

          How did this wind up here?

  44. Orion Fury

    I’ma gonna head off now. Gonna leave a top level comment for a reply to Cerberus critique that’s most likely forthcoming.

    Sal’s had a pretty wide range of facial expressions today, and the last one for me appears to be concern/worry.

    Also, “Me thinks the lady doth protests too much.”

    1. Cerberus

      Yeah, I see that too. I think Sal is definitely deeply reacting to the “no, no, I’m not being hyperbolic, Ruth genuinely wants to die and that’s freaking me out” from Carla and that’s super interesting.

      I feel there’s either serious backstory there or just she’s really empathetic and this is getting her to worry/freak out too.

      1. Mav

        I agree. I feel like Sal is way more empathetic than she lets on. Given that she robbed a convenience store at one point, she probably has been in that place where she feels as though she’s not worth anything.

        1. Spencer

          Yeah, it’s only shallowly buried, and whenever it’s needed Sal basically cranks it up. She’s not always great at knowing when to, though. I think with Sal, the idea of openly expressing emotion is difficult for her because it makes her think she’s open and vulnerable.

          Even with Amazi-Girl, someone she has every right to hate, she basically pleaded with Danny to try and stop her because she was grateful to her for saving Becky.

        2. Clif

          You saved people so you have to stop it.

        3. Spencer

          More like “I know you mean well but you’re going to fucking die and hurt other people if you keep this up. Also your continued reliance on your alter is causing you significant mental damage and is now causing you to actively push away people who want to help you.”

  45. Cerberus

    Comic Reactions:

    There is so much packed into this one, it’s like a smorgasbord of crucial character moments.

    Panel 1: Poor Sal. Like, this isn’t just about the fact that she seems to be one of the few people on campus who isn’t going “yay, superhero” about the masked vigilante on campus or the fact that Amazi-girl has straight up decided to stalk and harass her on multiple occasions and treated being rescued as an excuse to abuse and harass her some more.

    It’s also tying into what has been happening in the world for black kids. The endless news story of overzealous justice types gunning down unarmed black folk. When she says that Amazi-girl is a dangerous vigilante, she means it on a whole nother level on top of just the worries about her stability.

    Sal doesn’t just disapprove of Amazi-girl, she straight up wants her to be stopped before someone gets hurt or killed and she’s very convinced that this is where that’ll end and it might even be her or a loved one that it happens to.

    But I also like that despite how angry she is, she’s still trying to speak calmly and de-escalate the situation. She has her temper that prevents that being a reliable strategy, but I like that she tries it nonetheless as it shows that intentional effort to push down the righteous fury that still burns within her.

    Panel 2: I genuinely forgot how much Billie likes to latch on to a notion and then refuse to drop it despite all the evidence to the contrary. And it’s tragic, because she’s not as wrong about everything as she assumes, but the things she decides to get stubborn about and not listen to people over tend to be the things she’s most off-base on.

    And that, I think, is a major source of a lot of her self-esteem problems and her tendency to view herself as useless. And she’s not. She just needs to get better at hearing things and letting go “good notions” when it doesn’t look like it’s true.

    Panel 3: And here, you can see the Sal at the exact moment all of her fucks violently leave her body. She’s now completely out of fucks to give about the tactful response to Billie’s accusation. Let us see the carnage that will now ensue.

    1. Bagge

      Panel 1 – yup. And sadly, Sal KNOWS that Amazigirl is gunning for her, and she doesn’t even know about the Danny connection.

      Panel 3 – We dodged that bullet for now… or rather, Carla did!

    2. Orion Fury

      I took it as ‘Critical Error, Reboot in Safe Mode‘.

  46. Thanatopia

    But I’m not the Messiah!
    Only the true Messiah would deny being the Messiah!
    Then I AM the Messiah!
    HE IS THE MESSIAH!

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Follow the Gourd!

      1. Rukduk

        No you truly are the messiah! I should know, I’ve followed a few!

  47. Cerberus

    Comic Reactions 2, the Strip Strikes Back:

    Panel 4: Damn, there’s so much here. Um, okay, let’s start with Sal. There’s that anger flare up and it’s understandable why. There’s a reason she starts with the attack at the parking lot. Because that was an incident where she was doing nothing to hurt anyone, but Amazi-girl came in and enforced a petty rule to try and instigate an excuse to commit violence on her.

    And if that last sentence sounds extra awkward when you think about Black Lives Matter and folks like Philemon Castle, then yeah… that’s why she’s out of patience for being called Amazi-girl and having that direct comparison made between them.

    And I like the moment of self-awareness on Billie, where, she notices that she’s just royally pissed Sal off in a way that rarely happens, even if she presents it in a vaguely tone policing sort of way.

    And then Carla, oh Carla, I fucking love your character so much. Like, yes, this. This argument is pointless and dumb and you didn’t just nope straight from Ruth’s room to watch this unfold while people are in suicidal crisis that you are massively underequipped to handle.

    There was a conversation about Romeo and Juliet and Mercutio yesterday, and this is a prime Mercutio moment from Carla, a pox on both your houses, cause there’s some suicide shit that needs to get dealt with right the fuck now.

    She may be freaking out, but she’s focused when she wants to be and she’s using that to excellent end now.

    1. Bagge

      Carla is very goal oriented. “MY NOPE IS STILL IN EFFECT!!!!”

    2. Tan

      “And I like the moment of self-awareness on Billie, where, she notices that she’s just royally pissed Sal off in a way that rarely happens, even if she presents it in a vaguely tone policing sort of way.”

      I don’t think that’s tone policing, or remotely self-aware. Billie is using the same silly pseudologic Rachel applied to Carla a bit ago: the accusation draws a reaction, therefore it must be true. After all, if it were false, Sal would have no reason to care. What, the possibility that it is so untrue as to be offensive, or just generally caring about the truth? Nah, pretty sure that’s not a thing.

    3. Emperor Norton II

      I first read the subtitle as “the strike strips back”. Which frankly isn’t even any sort of sexy, just plain weird.

      In other words, just like me sometimes.

    4. Kernanator

      On the subject of Sal bringing up the parking lot fight, I think the more pertinent reason for her using it is the fact that there is a third-party witness in the room, Carla, who can attest to the fact that Sal and Amazi-Girl are two different people because she saw them fight.

      Not to say that you’re wrong, of course, but that subtext/context is more likely to be in the back of her mind, not the forefront.

      1. Cerberus

        That too.

  48. Imp

    22 minutes, 126 comments. Goddamn, Willis, your fans are nuts.

    1. Cerberus

      We are the swarm.

    2. inqntrol

      We are numberless.

    3. Rukduk

      We are the harbinger of Willis’s works.

    4. Orion Fury

      We are Carla.

    5. Clif

      We are pecans.

    6. StClair

      Is this the part where we all get banished into a herd of pigs?

      1. Clif

        Herd of pigs? Sure we’ve herd of pigs.

  49. Cerberus

    Comic Reactions 3, Return of the Carla:

    Panel 5: Oh Billie… 🙁 This is all her fears about the breakup. That her not being there for Ruth would lead to Ruth ending it all and that not happening being the only pot she put her remaining self-esteem to.

    And that face conveys so much sadness and concern.

    Panel 6: And Sal is back to stunned silent. Hmm, never handled suicidal people before or all too well identifies with that particular feeling from a pained and alienated youth?

    And Billie, her face stuck in blank rictus. Her pain and depression this arc has been largely overlooked, but this is the last thing her mental health needed this day. And that sorrow in noting that oh yeah, heh heh, I might have put you on suicide watch, because she’s kinda always suicidally ideating and cripplingly depressed, ha ha is just heartbreaking.

    And Carla. Noting immediately that this doesn’t seem to be engendering the same panic in everyone else and angrily trying to figure out why. And that last line…

    Is just perfect in every way, because, oh yes, of course Carla was like hell yeah, queers, in her baby tranarchist queer activist self. And yeah, she would have been all over playing cupid to the other baby queers in the hall. And hell yeah, that she feels a bit betrayed that she was sold slightly emo teen women-loving-women romance and was delivered into playing suicide watch for a sexy lesbian suicide pact.

    And I love the strong betrayal in her voice there. Like, look at her face, she’s genuinely hurt and upset that this cute budding closet romance she thought she was helping out with at a difficult time is also kinda a toxic mess filled with broken people in serious crisis mode.

    And I get the feeling that finding this out and finding out what she was signed up for without her permission is going to trigger her problem-solving brain hard and we’re gonna see her start to cut through some of the communication problems in Ruth/Billie’s relationship or ex-relationship with a chainsaw.

    Cause Carla is done and when Carla feels done about things, shit’s about to go frickin’ down!

    1. Rukduk

      Honestly, Carla has finally become my favorite character with this arc. And it’s because she is, at her heart, a problem solver. And pretty damn effective one at that. And that just adds layers onto her already formidable awesomeness.

    2. Ryan

      Lovely comment, excellent headcanon, and yes, Carla for newest (only slightly problematic) fave of 2016. We don’t deserve her, and she knows it.

    3. ischemgeek

      … I hate to point it out, but it’s something that is bugging me: Carla being both trans and reasonably self-adjusted means she is probably a trans person with a lot of trans friends (that kind of self-assurance is very difficult to have if you don’t know a decent number of people like you IME). I understand that this is a fairly big assumption to make but let’s consider the fact that I live in a smallish city of roughly of 75K people (115K in the greater metropolitan area), and I know six trans people in meatspace, two nonbinary people who don’t want to be called trans (both because they’ve unfortunately absorbed truscum shit about how Thou Must Be This Trans To Call Thineself Trans), and an agender person who also doesn’t want to be called trans (in xir words, “Trans implies I have a gender, and I don’t.”), and of course I myself am questioning. That’s in a smallish region. And not including the online trans people I know. The US has a much greater population density, so I’d imagine it’s easier for trans people to meet up and get to know each other in a typical US city (which are bigger than typical Canadian citites).

      Working on that assumption, that means, given the stats on the trans suicide and attempted suicide rate, she’s probably had friends in this situation before. Hell, in my case I’ve had to accompany friends to the hospital four times in the past three years.

      And odds are quite good she’s been through the trauma of a friend’s suicide attempt or (I hope not but it’s possible) death from suicide.

      My guess is that’s why, unlike Billie, Carla is entirely willing, ready, and able to err on the side of caution with this stuff and treat it as the emergency it is: She’s got the life experience to recognize it as an emergency.

      1. Cerberus

        That makes sense.

        And might mean that her “wait, what” moment overhearing Mike would have been more of the “oh shit, I wasn’t even thinking of that, cause I was all in cute closet queer romance land and wasn’t thinking about hanging with my trans friends online kind of stuff”.

        And yeah, if she’s lost someone, then yeah, I can see her being extra emphatic about “no, if she is suicidal then we need to intervene now, cause I’m not losing another one”.

  50. Reltzik

    Carla, Carla, Carla….

    ….

    Why would you assume that the two are mutually exclusive?

    Sanity? SANITY HAS NO PLACE WITHIN THESE WALLS!

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Carla is the Only Sane Woman?

      1. Orion Fury

        That’s dangerous.

  51. Cerberus

    Also, I have a strong feeling that Carla is the type of person who seeks out obscure happy queer romance comics and e-books and reads them for hours on nights she doesn’t feel like skating.

    I dunno, it’s something about her whole last panel stance that just screams “ugh, this is not at all like my yuri manga”.

    1. StClair

      Once again, she is us.
      (How often has this very comment section wished it were so, despite being shown it is not?)

    2. TheHorseCouncil

      How old is carla? Can she be R.A.?

      1. Spencer

        You need to be a sophomore to be an RA, so the only eligible candidates are Ruth, Sarah, Carla and maybe Rachel.

    3. Emily

      This is too much like a lot of yuri manga I’ve read D:

      1. Orion Fury

        I think my only exposure to yuri/yaoi Manga was Cardcaptor Sakura.

        1. Emily

          Fuck Cardcaptor Sakura.

        2. Orion Fury

          I’m going to assume a disdain for the work, and not a literal statement.

        3. Emily

          I just wanted Tomoyo to get the girl okay?

        4. Orion Fury

          Unhappy with the ending, gotcha.

    4. Nightsbridge

      If so:

      Carla, stop channeling me, it’s uncomfortable.

  52. Peter

    Carla’s reaction in the final panel is absolutely justified.

  53. chris2315

    Alt text has a point. Everyone says “I’m (the goddamn) Batman” all the time, so obviously Batman must be the one dude who says he’s not Batman.

    1. davidbreslin101

      It’s important which version they say. Batman could honestly say he’s not “the Goddamn Batman.” (Spotter’s guide: the Goddamn Batman is all in dark colours with a temprement to match, but the non-Goddamn Batman has some yellow and pale grey plumage too.)

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        The plumage don’t enter into it!

      2. Orion Fury

        I’m the Goddamned Grey Fox!

  54. BenRG

    Panel 3 is the real treasure today: Sal’s realisation that’s she’s in a perfect logical trap and that Billie will view anything she says as confirmation.

    Additionally, it is interesting (and tells you a bit about Sal’s personality) that her view of Amazi-Girl balances primarily on her first direct, personal experience with her. It’s pretty clear that she rejects all other evidence as hearsay.

    1. Spencer

      Well, it’s the truth. Amber has only ever been the paranoid violent masked vigilante to Sal.

      Danny, Dina, Dorothy and Becky are right to think the world of her, but Sal is right too, because she’s at risk of being attacked by Amazi-Girl.

      That, and I’m guessing when Sal sees Amazi-Girl push herself to ridiculous lengths to prove some kind of point, she’s reminded of that dumb kid who once took someone hostage with a knife.

      1. Clif

        Sal’s position is perfectly reasonable. Danny’s is not. After telling her “You take care of the bad guys and I’ll take care of you when you’re done,” and then doing a complete reversal without a long conversation before is a brutal emotional betrayal.

        1. Spencer

          Wanting Amber to stop getting hit by cars is not unreasonable. It’s just, y’know, he finally realized this when Amber’s mental breakdown had progressed to the point where she sacrificed him instead of her alter.

          It’s a betrayal only because Amber’s so devoted to her perception of Sal as a villain that she can’t help but think of it as such, but that’s not exactly a healthy thought process for Amber to be carrying, especially since she’s using it to further her reliance on Amazi-Girl.

        2. Spencer

          Also he wanted to have a long conversation with her. It’s just, y’know, he had the bad luck to try it when Amber went PTSD over Sal, and was now in no position to actually listen to him.

    2. Rutee

      When you have someone blatantly state they’re using a law as a pretext to attack you, to your face, it rather strongly colors the second or thirdhand (at best) news you’re getting for others, especially if you have any experience with how people can Telephone it up.

  55. Rukduk

    I love how Carla’s basically saying “Oh hell no you are not out of this conversation that easily!” when Billie tries to get into the whole AmaziGirl thing. Also, her “Seriously?!? What the fuck?!?” reaction to Billie’s admission about that being Ruth’s normal behavior.

  56. Indiana Bones

    y’know, Queer Lady Death Cult would be a pretty solid band name

    1. Cerberus

      I would attend every metal concert of theirs.

      1. BenRG

        This is the arts we’re talking about; they’d just as likely be a folksy acapella group.

      2. vlademir1

        I don’t know, a band name like that kinda screams that it’s a punk/gothic influenced flavor of melodic deathcore band to me, which in turn suggests a very different concert flavor than what “metal concert” does.

        1. Willoughby Chase

          My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult were industrial electronic goth metal thing sort of.

          Great band.

        2. Amazi-Stool

          Also Southern Death Cult!

  57. Raibean

    Those darn death cults, ruining everyone’s college experiences

  58. Key

    Carla thinks Billie and Ruth are cute! … S-Silver lining?

  59. Undrave

    Cometo think of it… we’ve never seen the Whiteboard Dingdong Bandit and Billie in the same room! Maybe she’s actually Amazi-girl’s most devious supervillain and we never knew!!!

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Framing and gaslighting Joyce both?

  60. Clif

    Speachless panel 3 Sal is the best Sal.

  61. Arianod

    tfw you’re the only sane person in the area and you’re beginning to feel like it’s not even worth it

  62. feli

    Well, Carla, it’s actually both.

  63. Zip

    I mean, ngl Carla… those are often the same thing…

  64. deathpigeon

    Poor Carla didn’t know what she was getting into.

  65. Joe

    Just so you know, guys, I’m not Batman.

    1. Orion Fury

      Don’t worry Joe, I believe you.

      1. Clif

        But I’m not Batman. There can’t be two of us.

        1. Tenn

          I’m also not Batman, and so isn’t my wife!

  66. Odditude

    The strips have been on fire lately.
    Damm, that’s some good!

    1. Roborat

      Yea, it’s amazing what sleep deprivation dealing with newborn twins does for creative inspiration.

  67. caesaria82

    Carla’s last line is like how everyone who gets into Ruth/Billie eventually feels lol.

    1. Darkoneko

      Sort of.

  68. Stairmasternem

    It’s weird that Carla is the only one here with decent priorities.

  69. LWS

    “I’m Brian and so’s my wife!”

  70. Reltzik

    And today I’m Grace. Okay, Grav Roulette, I’d been wondering why you’d stopped giving me background characters, so this isn’t entirely unexpected.

    Grace has had zero character development. Not just character development in the sense of overcoming flaws and growing, but also character development in the sense of do we know who she is at all. She has had about four comics with speaking parts and about twice as many just loitering in the background. In an alt-text, Willis describes Grace and Mandy together as being Dumbing of Age’s Greek Chorus.

    And…. that’s everything. That’s the ENTIRETY of our experience with her.

    In Walkyverse she was part of the all-woman, sorority-porn-fantasy squad… dammit, I forget the squad number and I’m too lazy to go looking it up in the untagged depths of haven’t-gotten-there-just-yet-in-the-reposted-comics. She had an emotional couple of comics in the climax of Its Walky, which were a bit touching but IMO would have had more impact if we’d known her better prior to that. (Being vague to avoid spoilers.) And… that was about it. We didn’t get to know her well in that comic either.

    I could actually get on board with being part of the Greek Chorus. That’s almost a bit like what we’re doing in the comments anyway, isn’t it? …. kinda? In an incoherent sort of way?

    I’d definitely be second-fiddle in the Chorus to Cerebus’s lead, though. Probably further down around #8. That’s fine. But I’d demand more screen time for all of us, dammit. If there’s going to be a Greek Chorus, we need to hear from it a lot more.

    1. Bagge

      Grace and Mandy seem to have a fun time in college. Hanging around, gossiping about super heroes, inspiring naughty thoughts in innocent little bible girls… Sure, some lovers spats now and then, but nothing an ex cheer leader AAAAAALPHA BOOOONGO!!!! can’t sort out.

      1. Cerberus

        I love Willis’s comment a while back that Grace and Mandy together felt like a fundamental fact of the universe, like that was as crucial to any world they are in as anything else. I think that’s really beautiful.

        And huzzah for Reltzik finding a potential grav that fits. And hell ya to the great Background Character Strike of 2016. What do we want? Screen-time!

        1. Orion Fury

          When do we want it? Anytime would be nice.

    2. Stairmasternem

      When the cast page has 18 characters and counting, it’s hard for all the background characters to get developed. I mean even in the Walkyverse, Grace and company didn’t much screen time. Now they’re competing with the mixing in of Shortpacked! cast into the original It’s Walky! cast.

    3. Reltzik

      On reflection, the comments section doesn’t make for a good Greek Chorus. We aren’t unified enough in our commentary to perform that role on stage, and aren’t nearly classical enough in our format. For this, I hereby deduct the letter ‘r’.

      1. Roborat

        Ok, but then what is a Greek Chous?

        1. Reltzik

          Obtuse, apparently.

        2. Clif

          Arrr.

      2. Bagge

        Heh, ‘the geek chorus.’. I LIKE that.

  71. Wendy

    Did Carla really just say “courtship”.

  72. Joe

    Your QC guest strip is possibly the best thing I’ve seen come out of PoGo so far.

  73. sfgf

    i didnt know what a big deal wanting to die was to others until mom suddenly stopped disbelieving my depression and decided to get me a dog after i said “yes” when she asked if i wanted to kill myself

  74. Clif

    I wonder what it would take to make Sal’s brain explode?

  75. Reltzik

    …..

    Also, how the hell is it that no one has said anything about Sal possibly groping Billie’s boobs in panel 4?

    1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      And does Carla get an eyeful? Does she want to?

    2. stairmasternem

      Considering how Sal swings, she’s probably just grabbing shirt in anger.

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Like a pendulum do?

    3. Willoughby Chase

      more of a grip than a grope … ouch!

  76. elinoria

    Carla mvp

  77. Amazi-Stool

    Note to future archive bingers/bingerettes:
    This is the guest strip Willis is talking about!

    1. a snow ʍousɐ

      Welcome, future readers!
      Have they invented time travel yet?

      1. Slartibeast Button, BIA

        Answer hazy, try again later

    2. evknucklehead

      The title of the guest strip is a little off, since Bellsprout is #69, not Clefairy…

  78. Sageress

    Billie is a fucking idiot.

    1. StClair

      They all are. They’re college freshmen.
      With time and experience, some will grow out of it. That is the process we are witnessing.

      1. Sageress

        No but Billie is a special idiot.

        The “how does she function” kind.

  79. Emperor Norton II

    If DoA was a first person shooter video game, Carla would be the one that always made headshots. Always. With a pistol. From 500 meters away. No crosshairs on the screen.

    She’s Just. That. Good.

    1. Reltzik

      Mike would be the teabagger.

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