276

Get to class
Posted on June 11, 2014 by David M Willis

276 thoughts on “Get to class”

  1. Shadic

    Luckily, they don’t have to worry about Amazi-Mike.

    1. Jay Eff

      Amazi-Mike wouldn’t punch Dan in the face.

      He’d just kick him in the nuts.

      1. Jen Aside

        THEN punch him in the face

        1. Mike

          And I’ll snark about it after.

        2. ZORK

          While he has sex with Dan’s mum.

        3. Kevin

          For a nickel

        4. Dibullba

          I am questioning this Amazi-Mike view of peoples =P. If it is his alter ego, wouldn’t he just compliment people and give them hugs =P. Nickels still apply.

        5. Jen Aside

          Amazi-Mike is just the name for his punching persona [SPOILER: they’re EXACTLY THE SAME]

  2. Resne

    …I can see what’s happening.

    1. LiaHansen

      I HOPE I see what’s happening.

    2. Marc in MN

      And they don’t have a clue?

      1. LiaHansen

        who?

        1. NCP19

          They’ll fall in love, and here’s the bottom line.
          They’ll be in the DOA Slipshine #2

        2. Leorale

          –oh.

        3. Leorale

          PS I wish this would happen.

        4. The Doctor

          The sweet caress of comics.
          There’s geekery in the air.

        5. The Doctor

          The sweet caress of comics.
          There’s geekery everywhere.

        6. Pangloss

          And with all this bromaaaantic atmosphere (in a Willis comic)
          DISAAAASTER’S IN THE AIR

        7. Jordan

          *Cue the rest the of the song*

      2. Yotomoe

        If he hangs out with danny, his problems will be up to 2.

        1. Historyman68

          Looking for trouble? Better make it double!

        2. Kernanator

          To protect the dorm from devastation.
          To unite all peoples within our nation.

        3. RevenantBacon

          To denounce the Evils
          Of Truth and Love

        4. Jacknoir

          To Extend our reach
          to the stars above

        5. Plasma Mongoose

          Pocket Rockets ‘blasting off’ at first sight
          Surrender your arse or expect a bite

        6. Roborat

          Mike that’s right.

        7. Deanatay

          He’s got 99 problems, but a girl ain’t one.

          ‘Cept… Amber.

  3. luxlucis

    Well, what the hell. I’m shipping these two now.

    1. Viktoria

      I can’t do that, because Danny, for all his faults, wouldn’t cheat. And neither he nor Ethan would want him to break up with(and hurt) Amber.
      …
      Neither he nor Ethan would hurt Amber…
      …
      POLYAMORY! The solution to all your shipping problems.

      1. luxlucis

        Well, yeah. That’s a given.

        Joking aside, I know Danny would never cheat and I guess Ethan wouldn’t either, at least directly but a yaoi fan can hope, right?

        …which is pretty weird. I hate the prospect of cheating. Maybe my shipping includes the prerogative that when it happens all the space/time-continuum is going to rewrite itself so that they are never with Amber and Joyce.

        1. Cody B

          You could always use this approach:
          http://itstime-to-begin.tumblr.com/post/43584948199/no-thats-confusing-hes-dead-is-seriously

      2. DudeMyDadOwnsADealership

        You’ve been tipped off that Danny, for all this problems, wouldn’t cheat…..It wouldn’t happen to do with the fact Danny boldly advertises that that’s his policy, say, about twice as often as Geico advertises it’s Car Insurance on TV, would it?

    2. PsychoKineticEX

      I suppose if Danny turns out to be bi, then that means that straight white males (such as myself) lose all of their representation in this comic (not that I mind)

      1. luxlucis

        Doesn’t Joe counts as white? I know he is jewish but I didn’t think those two were mutually exclusive. You do have a point otherwise.

      2. Rabid Rabbit

        Only if you insist that those who wear bowties are by definition not straight.

        1. LuckyStar7

          Grav for the win.

      3. John

        Um. Joe?

      4. PsychoKineticEX

        I had the horrible realization that I forgot some characters immediately after I posted that comment

        1. PsychoKineticEX

          Kinda forgot Joe and Jason because they haven’t been center stage characters in years. Whenever they are relevant, it’s usually fleeting.

      5. Kerry

        if danny is bi, that means in the walkyverse, he and billie are a bi couple, which just freaking warms my heart holy crap
        I hope willis introduces more multisexual (including pansexual) characters

        1. -Sentinel-

          I’m unclear on the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality.

        2. David M Willis

          Pansexuality takes into account, I believe, that there is more than two genders to be attracted to.

        3. Kerry

          nope
          bisexuality has two commonly accepted definitions:
          1. attraction to same and different genders
          2. attraction to two or more genders
          a bisexual person can like the same range of genders as a pansexual person

        4. Rachel

          So then the difference, potentially, is that all pansexuals are bisexual but not all bisexuals are pansexual…?

        5. -Sentinel-

          Indeed, but if you’re attracted to both “default” genders (whatever that means), it stands to reason that you should be attracted to people who are somewhere in-between.

      6. GWRando

        Think about it this way Psychokinetic, at least with Joe and Jason you have representation… I’m a mixed White/Native American male with an attraction towards androgyny with no specification of gender preference. Which if I remember my sexual psychology class from almost a decade ago makes me… pansexual? It’s been a while so I could be wrong on the term. Either way I don’t think there will ever be a character in this or any comic that represents whatever group I may belong to.

      7. Gigafreak

        As opposed to straight Asian males like myself, who are currently represented solely by Faz.

        So thanks, you’ve somehow made me eager to see Ken show up.

        1. Kerry

          oh, I’m pretty sure faz isn’t straight

        2. Gigafreak

          Wen’s a dude?

        3. Kerry

          no…?
          did you forget about ninja rick (among other things)?

        4. Gigafreak

          Okay, that means straight Asian dudes have never been represented at all in DoA.

          I don’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved, considering, wel, Faz.

        5. Gigafreak

          Wait a sec, Ethan’s also banged Conquest and Amber in that universe. Does that make him as bi as Faz, or does it somehow not count since he didn’t realize he was gay at the time?

          …DoA Ethan is right. There DOES need to be a manual for this.

        6. Kerry

          gay people sometimes have sex with different genders
          with amber, he felt obligated, and with conquest, he did it for his job
          faz actually seemed to enjoy it, so

        7. Gigafreak

          http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=276
          So did Ethan.

      8. Jerden

        And I’m me, so there isn’t anyone that I can relate to outside of Two Guys and Guy.
        Still, I enjoy it.

    3. LuckyStar7

      EthDan for the win.

  4. Wonder Wig

    DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?

    1. Yotomoe

      When you are happy with laughter to spare, Fun is twice as fun with someone to share.

      When you are lonely and filled with dispair, things are half as when somebody cares.

    2. Vibbles

      YAY FRIENDS!
      You crazy kids enjoy having a plantonic friendship with someone who isn’t one-note and intentionally impossible to connect with. Go have adventures, yay!

    3. PsychoKineticEX

      And it only took the span of one elevator ride.

    4. Blackbird

      Roommate swap! Danny and Jacob will swap lanky Jewish Transformer collectors!

      1. Swerve

        Neither Joe nor Ethan are lanky.

        1. Dean

          And Dumbiverse Joe isn’t into transformers. Ethan currently fills the ‘tall Jewish Transformer fan’ ecological niche in this strip.

  5. GenericScreenName101

    something will be SUPER Hard I bet…

    1. GenericScreenName101

      …like rocks…

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      …like calculus?…

      1. tinfoil theory

        … Chinese algebra? …

        1. LuckyStar7

          …Diamonds?

    3. Yotomoe

      …like Ninja Gaiden?…

      1. Barf Ninjason

        Bah… I can beat Ninja Gaiden without dying! I videotaped myself doing it and everything. My friend said it was the most boring thing he’d ever seen.

        Ninja Gaiden 3, on the other hand… gah.

        1. Crimson Magick

          Calculus is much harder to get through without dying at least once.

        2. Maveric1984

          I always died once we started talking about sequences & series. Calc III kicked my ass.

          Calc IV on the other hand was easy as all getout. Take the integral and then take it again? Yes please.

  6. Jen Aside

    Well, he’s not Blaine, Sal, or a spider, so maybe??

    1. EEWWW

      Unless she walks in on her prom date and her college boyfriend “embracing”… then there will definitely going to be some AG violence.

      1. Yotomoe

        She’ll just punch the earth in half.

        1. Jen Aside

          “Is that why there’s a hole in the moon?”

        2. LuckyStar7

          Is that a Trigun reference?
          …Please let it be.

        3. Yotomoe

          I was thinking Scott Pilgrim.

      2. LeslieBean4Shizzle

        Amber did specifically ask Danny if he was gay.
        On the other hand, Danny and Ethan are weirdly cut together. I think I ship it.

        1. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          At least, I think she did. Now I have to go through the archives and check.

        2. Jen Aside

          She did

        3. Kerry

          doesn’t preclude bisexuality
          I would be freaking psyched for another bi character, especially a dude since they/we don’t get as much as their distaff counterparts due to skeezy straight guys dominating the media, but I doubt danny’s gonna be the guy, unfortunately

        4. gwalla

          Danny isn’t cut, just skinny.

  7. John

    I think Danny just asked Ethan on a date.

    1. newllend

      Ya right and I guess he’s also going to get to second base with Sal…Oh shit

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        Dan wants to be meat in an Ethan/Sal sandwich?

        OH MY!

      2. Kerry

        poly bi danny dating amber, sal, and ethan all at once
        /shot

        1. Betty Anne

          I still kind of wish Ethan/Jocelyn would work out, but since that’s not likely to happen…

          I could probably handle this poly bi Danny thing. :3

  8. Doctor_Who

    Taking a vote: which of these two has the more fucked up love life, the guy with the superhero girlfriend on the verge of a mental breakdown, or the guy who installed a revolving door on his closet so he can date the one person on campus more terrified of their sexuality than him?

    1. luxlucis

      Oof, hard one. I say the second one on account of him making nice eyes to every guy he mets.

    2. Yotomoe

      I’m gonna say…Ethan. Cuz I still hate what he’s doing.

    3. Vibbles

      Technically Danny’s choice involves a much higher likelihood of face-punchings so it might be the formally correct answer… but I still find parts of Danny/Amber kinda sweet and sad. So Ethan.

    4. Leorale

      Definitely Ethan. Amber has herself an imperfect but basically level-headed support network now, whereas Ethan, if he continues on this course, will likely destroy himself and the girl who’s trying to help him.

    5. Fluffy

      ETHAN.
      …totally Ethan. Danny might really need to get laid, or grow a spine or whatevs, but he’s not suppressing his real self! Plus, Ethan is… he is less closeted than Marik from Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged.

    6. Crimson Magick

      What other kind of door would you have him install on his closet? A sliding door? A louvred door? A trap door? Maybe a Door of Durin?

      1. Gordon

        A trap door would be an interesting addition for the closeted gays, speaking as a former one myself.

        1. Kaoy

          Would a trap door involve unknowingly interacting with a cross-dresser?

    7. EnerPrime

      I’m gonna say Ethan’s is more fucked up. Becasue Danny and Amber at least have the possibilty of getting a happy ending to their story. Unless Ethan suddely has an asspull revelation of actually being bisexual, him and Joyce is headed for nothing but pain for all involved parties.

    8. Betty Anne

      Ethan and Joyce. It wouldn’t bother me as much if Ethan had told Joyce that he is gay and they still wanted to mutually date because of their hangups with themselves (I’ve known more fucked up couples than that), but him hiding it from her is an asshole thing to do.

      1. John

        Um. Ethan told Joyce that he’s gay. They still want to mutually date because of their hangups with themselves.

    9. Doctor_Who

      So, the vote seems pretty unanimously in favor of Ethan.

      Not sure if that means Danny finally found someone less lucky than he is, or if he’s even MORE unlucky because he loses at losing.

  9. Jerk

    Blue Elevator is love.

    Blue Elevator is LIFE.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      Blue Line is pregnant.

      1. Yotomoe

        Blue Blur is Sonic.

        1. Jay Eff

          Blue Bland is Bobby.

        2. Jen Aside

          Blue Cross Blue Shield

        3. AndromedaRage

          Blue eyes white dragon

        4. Usayasha

          Da ba dee da ba die.

        5. Gigafreak

          Blue Bomber is Mega Man.

        6. begbert2

          Blue moon blue moon blue moon, dip de dip de dip

        7. LuckyStar7

          Blue fingers is frostbite.

        8. Roborat

          Blue Balls is painfull.

  10. newllend

    It Might happen if things go down the worse case scenario.

  11. Bunk

    And thus, Danny actually makes another friend. CALL THE PRESSES.

    Guess it is just foretold he needs to have a Jewish friend who likes Transformers.

    1. Kerry

      joe still likes transformers in this universe, so now he just has another one… only gay

      1. Kerry

        at least, I think he does? hm

        1. Maveric1984

          Yaknow, I’m pretty sure Joe has expressed an enjoyment of Transformers in this universe, but I can’t recall for sure.

        2. David M Willis

          He has not.

        3. Kerry

          welp, nevermind then
          my memory must’ve gotten mixed up from reading roomies, sp!, and doa all at the same time

  12. ShaggyDonahugh

    Wow, I’m now shipping this so hard, and there’s definitely at least one gigantic hole in the stern *wink wink nudge nudge*.
    No really, Amber’d flip the fuck out.

  13. Dr. Worm

    These two would be awesome friends and also SHIP PLEASE YES

    I haven’t seen any signs from Danny but then again, I haven’t been looking.

    1. newllend

      No, No we’ll actually…yes, I don’t know I’ve been hoping something would come along and break up the Joyce/Ethan thing but Danny, Eh that seems like it would bring too many problems even for him

    2. Vibbles

      Dunno if it counts as a sign, but he did acknowledge that Ethan is pretty hot when he first met him (while telling Amber he was glad he was dating Amazi-Girl and not Amber ’cause he wouldn’t stack up to her ex.)

      Dunno yet if I ship it, but there y’go~ =D

    3. Suitora

      No, no, no, no, no!

      This shipping, I call a pox on it! If Danny’s bi, at least make him break up with Amber first! There’s way too much stereotyping about us bi/pan people being promiscuous assholes with no regard for how other people feel.

      1. John

        Given that Danny’s objections to “romancing” Sal included, “I’m uninterested in dating, at least for a while,” but did not include, “I’m already dating Amazi-Girl,” and that he rejected Billie’s journalistic overtures just on the prospect that he might date Amazi-Girl, I think he may be assuming that Amber refusing to talk to him and setting the Raptor on him meant that she already broke up with him.

        I’m not sure if that’s actually the case – I think she probably just wants some space to sort things out – but it’s a really dumb thing to assume without further evidence anyway. But Danny.

        1. begbert2

          I’m not sure he’d bring up the fact he is/was dating Amazi-Girl anyway. I mean, he was talking to Joe. Can you imagine the stream of questions and comments revealing that fact would dig up?

          Not to mention the whole ‘maybe I shouldn’t draw attention to the fact I know who she is’ thing.

        2. John

          He already told Joe. Or at least attempted to. After they made out the night of the sign vandalism.

  14. Rybridge

    Danny is meeting Sal and Ethan, Dorothy is meeting Amazi-Girl and Joyce…lots of crashing is possible.

    1. Doctor_Who

      Throw in some Faz, the one ingredient guaranteed to mix well with no one, and blammo.

      1. LuckyStar7

        Well, Dina.

        1. Doctor_Who

          You call that mixing well? She tied him up with a grappling hook.

          Though I suppose he could be into that.

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      All we need is some iceburgs and there will be shipwrecks ahoy!

      1. Fluffy

        …Exploding shipwrecks?

        1. Ancestral Hamster

          “Naked, exploding porpoises!” {10 point reference}

        2. RuncibleSpoon

          Bloom County. Boy, that imagery must have had some staying power for me to summon it up from the depths…

  15. JessWitt

    SPOILERS if you haven’t checked smash bros yet.

    I’m looking forward to fighting with DoA characters when the game comes out. Think about it: Sarah with the home run bat. Too perfect.

    1. LiaHansen

      Faz’s smash attack is just standing there with a smile on his face while everyone beats him up.

      1. Doctor_Who

        Faz is the sandbag you beat up in bonus levels.

        Though Blaine might be more satisfying.

        1. LuckyStar7

          With Mike’s Mr. Punchyface attack.

    2. JessWitt

      *By which I mean as Mii fighters. Forgot to specify that. Didn’t want to give Walkyverse fans’ hopes up.

      1. Doctor_Who

        Yeah, we ought to all design a DoA Mii and do a Mario Kart 8 tourney or something.

    3. dailybrad

      I… may already have much of the cast as Miis. *cough*

      1. JessWitt

        Kudos to you for thinking way ahead of me then.

        1. David M Willis

          No, he’s just been paying attention to my Tumblr:

          http://dumbingofage.tumblr.com/post/88133334472/dumbing-of-age-mii-codes-part-1-2
          http://dumbingofage.tumblr.com/post/88133451437/dumbing-of-age-mii-codes-part-2-2

          There is no Sarah or Dina for hat-having reasons.

        2. JessWitt

          I realized that yesterday when I was fumbling through your tumblr too. Shame about Sarah and Dina. Thanks for the Miis, Mr Willis!

  16. LiaHansen

    I love this. Two guys actually have a conversation in DoA and the shipping begins immediately.

    1. Doctor_Who

      As if we don’t also do that with any two girls who so much as acknowledge each other.

      1. -Sentinel-

        Have you noticed how we’re much less quick to ship straight couples?

        1. Fen_Star

          Nah, I think everyone gets shipped just about instantly. (make sure your shipments are prime eligable)

        2. Gordon

          Because straight couples are boring.

          There. I said it. The elephant has been acknowledged and everyone can marvel at how they got it in this room to begin with.

        3. Kerry

          heterophobia 2k14

        4. Usayasha

          To be fair, Kerry, there IS a precedent for what he’s saying. Things get boring after overexposure to them, and hetero-romantic couples are kind of over-represented. It’s why so many people dislike the romance genre; it got boring.

        5. Suitora

          I think she was being satirical.

          However, I think token shipping any same-sex characters who interact with each other is a bit homophobic. Not to say that the possibility doesn’t exist, but honestly, I feel like it just reinforces us as the “other” because people are only shipping it because it’s “odd”, trendy, or because of their masturbation fantasies, not due to actual fucking chemistry.

        6. Gordon

          Well, to some extent I agree with you, Suitora.

          But, the average piece of media does not contain enough queer characters to actually ship them. This is slowly changing, but it hasn’t yet. So the impulse to ship characters who may not have chemistry or whatnot(at least by queer people themselves, and not just fandom in general) is pretty understandable.

        7. Kerry

          /actually identifies as heterophobic

          when straight people do it, it’s fetishization a good amount of the time
          when queer people do it, it’s because we want to be represented/not feel ignored or alone
          I’m heterophobic because at this point, I’m completely over heteronormativity, and I’m not even going to bother with (fictional) straight couples
          I’m tentatively shipping danny/ethan, because it would be fantastic to have a bi dude
          that’s not homophobic

        8. Suitora

          It would be cool to have a bi character besides Billie, but Danny/Ethan are the last two I would ship because of the high level of asshattery and callousness towards Amber’s emotional state that would be required for both of them to go that route.

        9. John

          I dunno… I’m kinda shipping these two, and I’m a guy and straight to such extent that the concept of “attractive guy” doesn’t even really make sense to me. It doesn’t bother me or gross me out if two dudes do it, but I have no prurient interest in it.

          But I’m still kind of shipping Danny/Ethan.

          (I’ll admit that at least half the reason I ship Billie/Ruth is because I think it’s hot, though. But also, after the way things ended in Roomies!, it makes me really happy to see them get another chance.)

        10. Kerry

          that’s not to say every single instance of a straight person shipping two characters of the same gender is fetishization
          since you’re a straight guy, that seems unlikely in this case

          re: ruth/billie, an easy way to tell if it’s fetishization or not is if you’d still ship it if the two involved were the gender(s) you aren’t interested in
          if ruth and billie were male, would you still ship them together?
          if yes, then congrats, you’re golden
          if no, you’re probably fetishizing them

        11. Suitora

          Well, Ruth and Billie is complicated. I mean, Ruth has essentially shown herself to have the traits of a domestic abuser (continually bullies Billie both physically and verbally, is emotionally volatile and inconsistent, and blames Billie for her problems), and her relationship with Billie is in no way healthy to either of their well-beings. I personally wouldn’t ship them for that reason.

        12. Lel

          If you enjoy/don’t enjoy shipping of a specific sexuality, that says nothing about whether you’re a bigot or not. Also, the hetero/homophobic terms are endlessly aggravating. It’s not fear of the sexuality in question; it’s being a bigot. The two terms should not intersect.

          *drinks self to death in Linguistics Majors bar*

        13. Kerry

          it is always good to analyze your thought processes
          lots of straight people only like straight pairings, and to a lesser degree, same-gender pairings of the gender they’re attracted to
          there are reasons for this, and many of them are harmful
          but hahaha some linguistics major you are

          dictionary.com on phobia:
          “indicating an extreme abnormal fear of or aversion to”

          wiki on phobia:
          “A number of terms with the suffix -phobia are used non-clinically. Such terms are primarily understood as negative attitudes towards certain categories of people or other things, used in an analogy with the medical usage of the term. Usually these kinds of “phobias” are described as fear, dislike, disapproval, prejudice, hatred, discrimination, or hostility towards the object of the “phobia”. Often this attitude is based on prejudices and is a particular case of most xenophobia.”

          wiki on semantic change:
          “Semantic change (also semantic shift, semantic progression or semantic drift) is the evolution of word usage ? usually to the point that the modern meaning is radically different from the original usage.”

          (also, go ahead and tell chemists that their definition of hydrophobe is inaccurate, I dare you)

    2. BlackIo

      To be fair, I recall Willis mentioning on Tumblr that (a) Ethan would eventually hook up with another guy, and (b) it would be somebody Willis was more invested in as a character than, say, just wheeling out Young Manny. Danny kind of fits the bill.

      1. JessWitt

        Holding out for Drew still, a less douchey version of course.

      2. TARDIS With A Hat

        I kinda assumed he was talking about Mike, but Danny’s okay too, I guess

    3. Yotomoe

      I ship people Who don’t even LIKE each other.

      1. Gigafreak

        So they can pound each other every night in the most epic of hatefucks?

        1. Betty Anne

          Pretty sure that’s how most fanfic starts/ends/is. XD

    4. Roborat

      This is DoA, you could have a page with someone buying a snack from a vending machine and people would start shipping it.

  17. Yotomoe

    Well since Ethan’s wearing a batman shirt Amber will break his back.

    1. JessWitt

      So as not to harm the Batman symbol?

    2. newllend

      That’s Bane!http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GK3hrR5N24o

  18. rachel

    AAAHHHH I CAN NO LONGER SEE THE ALT TEXT!! willis help, you said you wanted a button like Danielle has!

    aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      alt=”the backgrounds in today’s strip are penance for yesterday’s blue featureless void”

    2. Maveric1984

      Are you on mobile? Touch the blue part under the comic to the right of the “latest” button in the middle. That’s where the “button” is.

  19. Plasma Mongoose

    I would be more worried if she went all teary-eyery, that’s much harder to deal with.

    1. newllend

      So dealing with your own physical pain is easier than dealing her emotional pain? You know what that was a dumbass question of course it is.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        Physical pain = relatively easy to deal with
        Emotional pain = like walking into a minefield

      2. John

        Yeah. Callously disregarding your own physical pain makes you tough. Callously disregarding someone else’s emotional pain (especially if you caused it) makes you an asshole.

  20. Idon'tcarenomore

    I think Danny just wants a friend and these two really each need a friend. Just a person to hang with. Check out toy stores. That sort of thing.

    Interesting poll Doctor_Who…I’d vote for Danny just because I know more gays with screwed up love lives that happy ones. And I don’t know anybody with a superhero girl/boy friend. That I know of.

    1. Anders

      You can’t know too many if you’re still referring to us as ‘gays’.

      1. Suitora

        I knew a gay guy who used the word “gays” occasionally. I, a bi person, wouldn’t have a problem with it unless they were saying something like “The gays are ruining America!”

      2. Oxyvolt

        I refer to myself as “faggot”. Frankly, being stuck up with how you’re called is silly.

      3. begbert2

        Wait, “gays” is offensive now? For serious? I probably should just stop talking to humans now because I cannot fucking keep up.

        1. Betty Anne

          Nah, just stop talking to SJWs. Everyone else is fine.

        2. Kerry

          oh fun, an anti-sj
          lovely

        3. Suitora

          Some people have more of a reaction to certain words than others. I would err on the safe side, mainly because you don’t know who’s had a bad experience with which word, or who attributes a different meaning to each.

        4. Anders

          It’s not offensive per se, it’s just what homophobic church ladies call us when they’re letting us know they’ll pray for our souls

          Bad associations etc

      4. Kerry

        “gays” is bad because it’s reductionist
        “gay people” is not difficult to say

  21. Kernanator

    I think this means they’re more than friends now. Ultra-Friends, perhaps?

    1. brionl

      International Justice League of Super Acquaintances?

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      More like Super-Friends, with Dan as Aquaman.

      1. Yotomoe

        The difference is Aqua man is useful in water.

        1. Blackbird

          This comment is why this comments section needs a like button.

  22. MrSirk

    That is a pretty sweet Batman shirt.

  23. An Average Loser

    The level of mis-communication is palpable. . .

  24. caesaria82

    I ship it.

  25. Aslee

    My secret wish for them to be best friends has been slightly validated. This makes me ridiculously happy.

  26. OmegaDez

    This will not end well for Ethan.

  27. Tacdud2

    Strange, I ship it.

  28. Van Jealous

    But David, there was no need for self penance! I LIKE the blue featureless void! It reminds me of Gene Dietch cartoon (but w/o the badly animated foreground action) or one of those UPA jobs from the late 50’s!

  29. SDHero

    Oh hey at this point Danny and Joyce might actually become acquainted in this universe, that’ll be interesting to see. I wanna say they’ve met by now, but I’m not even 100% sure of that.

    1. Jason

      They’ve met. A couple of times. http://www.dumbingofage.com/tag/danny+joyce/

    2. John

      They met when Joe asked Joyce out, and later crossed paths at Galasso’s when Amber yanked Ethan out of their pizza (and subs) date.

      1. Wack'd

        They’ve never had, like, an actual conversation, though. They’re vaguely aware of each other’s existence.

        1. SDHero

          Yeah, I kinda felt they’d run into each other, almost everyone in the cast has by now, I just couldn’t remember the two of them having anything near an actual conversation.

  30. nothri

    Someone else for Joe to be jealous of?

  31. Tomas

    Danny, don’t assume Ethan collects comic books just because he has a Batman shirt. He might be one of those fake geek boys who only saw the movies.

    1. Leorale

      Damn those fake geek boys. They’re just pretending to like stuff to trick us legit-geek girls into kissing them. And some of them aren’t even hot!

      1. Yotomoe

        I hate fake geek-boys so much. They go to conventions in cosplay trying to enjoy themselves. AS IF THEY WATCH WHATEVER SHOW THEY’RE DRESSED AS. GOD.

        1. tinfoil theory

          Filthy Casuals!

    2. Kerry

      this sounds familiar

  32. Jason

    Epic amounts of foreshadowing in that last panel, I think.

  33. motorfirebox

    now_kiss.gif

  34. Darth Cariss

    Dumbing of Age: Everyone Falls in Love with Danny

    1. Yotomoe

      Should be called Worsening of Taste.

      1. Kerry

        +1

  35. Ancestral Hamster

    Maybe they can start playing that new Avengers vs X-Men dice game. I’m sure the comic book store will carry it … at least when the storyline catches up to our timeline.

  36. Koms

    The background is amazing as always Willis.

  37. Nena

    Uh oh. Will this be a love triangle with Ethan, Danny and Amber?

  38. tinfoil theory

    How is it that in every superhero™ comic, the love interest inevitably happens to hang out with the vigilante’s arch-enemy?

  39. Kerry

    you know guys, it would be cool if danny was bi or pan or something, but can we just take a moment to address the fact that there are no queer men of color at this moment in time?
    it’d be cool if ethan got a non-white love interest for a change

    1. David M Willis

      *goes back in time, makes ethan jewish*

      there, addressed

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        I have to admit that I tend to think of Jewish more as a religious group rather than a race, mainly cos none of the Jewish people I have ever dealt with over the years were literal Jews.

        1. Swerve

          That’s hardly surprising, given that the ethno-religious group in question makes up less than .02% of your planet’s population. There are more self-proclaimed “Jedi” than Jews in some Earth torus-states.

        2. bearpelt

          “Literal Jews” WOW that’s incredibly anti-semitic.

      2. begbert2

        I KNEW you had a time machine!

      3. Kerry

        uh what
        white jewish people are not poc
        are you seriously telling me ethan isn’t racialized as white the majority of the time?

        1. David M Willis

          People of Color can be white-passing, and Ethan probably falls in those ranks, but I generally wouldn’t presume to tell him he can’t be a POC because “he looks white to me.” (Lord knows I’ve gotten in trouble for that as a kid/adult/yesterday.) Ethan definitely thinks his heritage others him, and I do color him with a slight olive tint, versus the other characters.

        2. Kerry

          yes, poc can be white-passing
          I’m mixed (black-white), and this is definitely the case for me
          however, according to the actual jewish person I linked below, a better term is “conditional whiteness”, because the fact is, in the united states, many jewish people are racialized as white a good amount of the time
          and yes, traits that are considered jewish are certainly signifiers of their conditional whiteness
          but when if a random person opened up this comic with no context, ethan would be assumed to be white probably a majority of the time
          thank you for representing jewish people
          they do deal with anti-semitism, but if they’re white, they’re not poc
          either way, this isn’t really even a criticism
          I just thought it’d be nice is all

        3. David M Willis

          for what it’s worth, there is a dude in this strip who is a guy-loving poc, but he’s only shown up as a background cameo. Negligible, which is why I didn’t bring him up earlier in the thread since he barely counts, but he’s there. If the strip were more about the guys wing, we’d probably see more of him.

        4. BlackIo

          Bryan?

        5. Kerry

          intriguing 0:

        6. Jen Aside

          Man, if Jeph Jacques knew what you said about him! 😉

          [nah, I take that back, I bet he knows]

        7. gwalla

          Jeph Jacques isn’t into guys.

          Only butts.

        8. bearpelt

          I was gonna add this (even tho it’s a long time later from when this first appeared) but you already got on it for me. I’m surprised to see such good allying from a goy! Thank you! Altho it would be fair to add that the reason for being CONDITIONALLY white is because white supremacists will NEVER see us as white and we’ve never been racialized as white before in history until VERY recently in pretty much just America. Race intersects with Jewishness in weird ways.

      4. rayrayravona

        I am Jewish. However, I am definitely still white. There is absolutely no sane white Jew who would identify as a POC.

        1. David M Willis

          Ethan is a passably white Jew, and his father is a white Jew, but his mother is not.

    2. dailybrad

      I am sure there may be one. I would prefer if this comic didn’t retread too many Walkyverse romances, just since hey, new world, new ground. Would be nice to see, and we’ve seen how he looks at Jacob. Ethan doesn’t discriminate in his tastes.

      1. Kerry

        to clarify, this is what I mean about being racialized as white
        it’s cool that jewish people are represented in this comic
        I’m not arguing for their exclusion
        I’d just like to actually see a qmoc is all

        1. Kerry

          whoops, replied to the wrong person, sorry

    3. Rybridge

      While not men, I think it would be fair to point out Robin is Hispanic and a lesbian. Also, Billie is Asian and a lesbian. So there is sexual diversity amongst racial diversity still.

      1. David M Willis

        neither of those characters are lesbians

        1. Dan

          True… bi sexual then… or at least in this stripverse (I mean the universe of this strip, not that weird strip club called Stripverse that features girls of “questionable” planetary origin, you know, the one with the slogan “barely legal…? Try barely humanoid!”) Billie is at most bi-curious, and Robin’s sexuality hasn’t been put on display yet…

        2. Sam

          Billie is bisexual.

          And I’m pretty sure Robin is bisexual too. As all sexualities were stated as going to remain the same as in the other universes, and in Shortpacked, Robin chases after Ethan for a long time, but in the latest pages of Shortpacked, is planning to MARRY Leslie.

        3. David M Willis

          Robin identifies as “generally kinda undefiniably queer.”

        4. Nightsbridge

          bi the way

        5. Rybridge

          Sorry Willis, my bad. I was think back to Shortpacked! on Robin, even then though, as uyou said, indefinably queer. Also Billie has all had relationships with men. I should of simply said sexual diversity.

      2. Kerry

        that’s why I specified “men”
        I always pegged robin as bi, but according to that one sp! strip from a while back, she identifies as queer (I think)
        billie is bi
        look, I’m not saying willis is bad at diversity or anything, it’d just be cool to see two guys together with at least one of them being non-white
        they exist

        1. Jen Aside

          JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL MY NEXT KICKSTARTER REQUEST

          =D

        2. Jen Aside

          Though in the Shortverse, Faz gets in on a technicality? =|

        3. Kerry

          yeah, faz doesn’t really count imo, because he’s not a recurring character

          and I’m guessing your kickstarter request involves jacob in some capacity?

        4. Rybridge

          I didn’t think you were, I was just adding to the conversation (and did a bad job, lol).

  40. p

    Danny, you tease!

  41. Flimsy

    Ok, let’s get this straight… Danny knows Amber, Danny now knows Ethan, and Danny is meeting up with Sal.

    This isn’t going to end well if all four end up running into one another at the same time.

  42. Dave

    Surprising, Danny is being less of a “Dan” these days…
    …We’re gonna need a new adjective for ‘f’ing all up’

    1. Crumplepunch

      I vote for goddamnitmalaya.

  43. Bagge

    A strong friendship is built upon the foundation of not getting punched in the face by amazi-girl.

    1. Swerve

      Or Whirl. Not wanting to get punched by Whirl has started many a friendship. And Cybertron’s deadliest civil war.

  44. Gigafreak

    Small talk died three days ago

    Small talk has come back to life today

    Small talk is clearly Jesus

  45. Bagge

    “Promise that if I hang out with you, your ex who I am now kinda sorta dating won’t hurt you.”

    Uh… much more disturbing on second reading.

    Violence – destroying relationships and hurting people close to you since the dawn of time.

    1. Swerve

      Ever want to make sure your bar empties out one cycle before closing time? Ask Kup about witnessing the Dawn of Time in the Dead Universe. Boy do I regret asking Kup if he saw anything interesting over there. He couldn’t just say “No” like a normal ‘Bot. Nope, he spent three megacycles talking about every boring thing he witnessed from The Dawn of Time till the Ark showed up.

      I think I’m straying off topic. So let me add concur: punching your ex-Conjex Endura’s new Conjex Endura is creepy behavior. ***cough*** Prowl ***cough***

  46. Dude

    So Danny somehow knows about the almost-fight with Sal? How? Unless he’s still talking about Blaine, in which case, kind of weird to call it “hanging out.” It was more like doing research at that point. I don’t ever think they were friends.

    1. Crumplepunch

      Pretty sure he’s talking about Blaine.

  47. SilverArrowArtemis

    But why would Amazi-Girl want to… Oh, I remember.

  48. Nrdr123

    I am sensing a hookup here between Danny and Ethan. What are the chances that Danny is also homosexual and hooks up in a relationship with Ethan? I am now officially shipping Danny x Ethan. We need a good nickname for them!

    1. 3oranges

      The chances:
      1. Danny was seeing Dorothy and hoped to someday marry her
      2. He has a picture of him and Joe as best friends but is later unhappy to see him without pyjamas
      3. He’s attracted to Amber and tells her he’s not gay
      4. He’s attracted to Amazi-Girl and tries to strike up a relationship
      5. He hits on and almost sleeps with Billie
      6. He had a friendly conversation with Ethan

      I would make sure your ship has enough lifeboats.

      1. takashid

        Danny could still be bisexual. just because he isnt attracted to joe doesnt make him hooking up with a guy impossible. Danny and Joe were friends since they were kids, i think? it doesnt preclude Danny possibly being interested in other dudes. idk if Willis will actually make Danny bi, but no need to dismiss the possiblity completely.

        1. 3oranges

          Nrdr123 asked the chances that Danny was homosexual. But with all the interest he’s shown in romance and sex with women, plus asking one man if he wants to hang out later, putting him near the middle of the Kinsey scale seems like long odds too.

        2. takashid

          True enough. I think the reason a lot of people are talking about this possibility is natural tho. Pretty much no one whose a fan of ethan is happy with the thing he has going with Joyce; we want to see him get out of that and hook up with a dude he can actually love. Since he and Danny are developing a friendship and we know ethan likes dudes, its natural to speculate if anything could come of it. I suppose we shall see what will happen. I suspect you are right, and that Danny and Ethan will just be friends, and Danny heterosexual, but no harm in wondering.

  49. takashid

    first Sal, now Danny is hanging out with Ethan. this is good. It show he is getting other friends besides Joe, and could allow him to move on ok, if things dont ever get better with Amber and him.

  50. demoncat_4

    and thus the begining of a new friendship for ethan does not have to worry about amazing girl showing up and punching him to save danny. for amber would never hurt her old friend ethan.

  51. LiamAldam

    What’s wrong with you guys? You want Amber’s previous boyfriend and her pseud-current boyfriend to get together? She’d break like paper-thin glass.

    1. LuckyStar7

      Kinda the point.

  52. Boba Fettuccini

    *reads comments* or they could just end up being friends, cuz, like, not every human relationship is romantic or sexual. *shrug*

    1. Pier

      But, but.. the ship….

  53. Vree

    whoa WHOA what are you doing Danny

    you’re totally cheating on Joe there

    when was the last time you took HIM out for comic books? 🙁
    I thought you had something, I thought the dinosaur drawing meant something for you.

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