148

Respawn
Posted on April 14, 2025 by David M Willis

148 thoughts on “Respawn”

  1. shadowcell

    Dumbing of Age Book 15: You’re Dumb to Feel That Way

    1. Armadillo

      Not bad, but I’d consider the full line from panel 4.

      Dumbing of Age Book 15: Tell Me About Your Dumb Day and I’ll Tell You You’re Dumb to Feel That Way

      With your selection getting the big block text.

      1. Clif

        I’m partial to Dumbing of Age Book 15: It’s Nothing You Can Fix

        1. BorkBorkBork

          I would put money on Dumbing Of Age Book 15: All The Frickin’ Little Mousey Nerds Keep Bagging All The Buff-Ass Fuck Machines.

          Followed up by the very first DOA “adult” book: As God Is My Witness, I Will Find Us A Gazebo.

        2. David M Willis

          No F-Bombs on the book covers!

        3. YetAnotherThing

          What about on the back cover instead of the front? Surely that’s OK?

        4. David M Willis

          i try to avoid sample strips with f-bombs in them on the back cover, too

  2. NGPZ

    ? *plays MAYDAY (feat. Ryo) by coldrain on hacked muzak* ?

    1. YBAlex

      Alternatively, you can play cut the bridge from Linkin Park : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f9b0NB5o4E

  3. Getes

    Old Ruth would grab the matches.

    1. Clif

      New Ruth grabs the matches but isn’t compelled to set herself on fire.

  4. mindbleach

    That bridge is made of asbestos, and somehow even more toxic.

  5. Armadillo

    I find no fault in Ruth’s system.

  6. Dave Van Domelen

    Burn Me Down, to the tune of Wake Me Up.

    1. Opus the Poet

      Is that the one by Avicii? Good tune!

      1. CianM1301

        I think they meant the version by Evanescence. However, I’d think it’d be better with the version by Wham.

        1. Daibhid C

          Burn me down before you go-go,
          But don’t confuse Kit Fisto with Han Solo.

        2. stePH

          The Evanescence track is called “Bring Me to Life”.

        3. stePH

          Nothing is improved by the Wham song. One of the worst songs of the 1980s.

        4. Taffy

          If that’s one of the worst, I figure that says a lot about the overall quality, because that song’s a jam.

    2. Needfuldoer

      (Before You Go-Go)?

    3. Trisar

      I prefer “Burn me to the ground!” aka Operation Pyrite from the Arknights lobby themes tracks.

  7. Davus

    Ruth is honest, I guess. She said she what she was going to say, and then she said it, which I find funny.

    1. Clif

      We find it funny because we are bad people insensitive to the unfolding drama and suffering.

      On the positive side, we are easily amused.

  8. Sirksome

    Jennifer Freakin Billingsworth!

    1. Mada

      When the tag changes from “Jennifer” to “Billie”, she’s going to appear with a blonde stripe in her hair.

      1. Drew Hargrave

        Can you explain this joke? Idgi

      2. Olofa

        Is that a Frozen reference?!?

        1. Sirksome

          They’re references to WWE pro wrestler Seth Rollins. He is often introduced as Seth Freakin Rollins. Mine was in reference to his music and catchphrase “Burn it Down.” since Jennifer said “burn me down”. Mada may be referring to the fact that Seth often in the past had a blonde streak in his hair when he returned post breakup with his faction The Shield.

          https://youtube.com/shorts/dJ9FyHgh1mI?si=NVN_ENsvZEofGFp-

        2. Sirksome

          Here’s hoping Jennifer gets a huge push after the likely incoming repackage.

  9. Tofusmith

    See, she has changed! Billie was all about toxic lack of introspection, but Jennifer has evolved to toxic introspection

    1. Clif

      Progress.

      Ruth helped.

  10. Fartmaster Supreme

    That strip where the tag changes from “Jennifer” back to “Billie” is gonna hit like crack, as they say.

  11. Laura

    Respawn? Can someone drop me a clue, please?
    Thanks!

    1. Thag Simmons

      Just a video game metaphor, a respawn point would where you restart from after you die or hit some other total fail state.

    2. Slartibeast Button, BIA

      Respawn is a video game term. When you die in a game, often you come back to life at the start of the level or some other special location. This is the respawn point.

    3. NGPZ

      Like, a player respawning in a video game after they run outta health or fail a challenge

    4. RassilonTDavros

      The place in a video game where the player character reappears after dying or losing a life.

    5. APW

      In some video games, when you lose a life, you are then revived (or: you respawn) in a certain location.

      1. APW

        Heh, I forgot I had this avatar. Would’ve worked better if I had been first to explain

    6. HueSatLight

      Salmon

      1. Clif

        Spawn is the Iglotnig word for spiteful lesbian sex.

        Re is the Iglotnig modifier for doing it with many tears.

    7. Laura

      Got it! Thanks, all!

      1. Marianne

        Just to be a pedantic nerd, this can also be used to describe things like items or enemies reappearing after they’ve been used/defeated, although in this case the comic is alluding to a player character respawning. And the first instance of a character or item being placed is just a spawning, not a respawning.

  12. Megan

    god this sequence is raw as fuck

    1. Opus the Poet

      +1! This is raw as fuck.

  13. Joe Moose

    Roast Jennifer, with fava beans and a nice Chianti.

  14. Suet

    “You’re dumb to feel that way”? If only she knew what comic she’s in…

    Jennifer roasting on an open fire…

    1. Reaver

      *Joyce Brown taking off her clothes*-

      1. Clif

        “Damn You Willis”‘s being sung by a choir …

        1. Opus the Poet

          +1?

        2. Deanatay

          And Dina dressed up in formal clothes…
          Everybody knows
          A jerky, grumpy misanthrope
          Knows how to swing a baseball bat
          Although it’s been said, many times, many ways,
          You are dumb to feel that!

        3. RoyanRannedos

          Oh yes we neeeeed kneecaps to live,
          and it looks like Billie’s out of fucks to give,
          and every crisis, Booster’s gonna spy
          Because the anguish is how they get high…

    2. NGPZ

      heh that actually smells good :0

      maybe with some onion and paprika…

      1. Opus the Poet

        FWIH human meat can be cooked with any recipe you would use for the same cut of pork. That’s why some people refer to human meat as “long pork”.

        1. Taffy

          Just to be a rebel, I’m gonna use catfish recipes for my people steaks.

        2. Clif

          Technically, human meat can be cooked with any recipe. It’s fine as long as you don’t actually eat it afterwards.

        3. Taffy

          Who am I to insult the chef? They put time and effort into the meal, I can at least try it.

        4. Clif

          I admire your devotion to the bit.

        5. NGPZ

          Jennifer Pepperami: It’s a Little Bit of an Animal

        6. Taffy

          More like commitment to a bite, heyoooo.

        7. Clif

          badoom!

        8. Thag Simmons

          I do think there’s more similarities than just how you cook it, I think there’s a lot of shared properties. Pigs are where you go if you’re looking for a human-sized human meat substitute in scientific testing or other applications

  15. Taigan

    This is why Jennifer needed (needs?) Ruth. Absolutely blunt honesty. It was when Ruth wasn’t honest with herself that they got in trouble.

    1. Yarrr

      Agreed, Ruth is being honest, Jennifer has gone the other way, and needs to reminded change is possible just very hard sometimes.

  16. Dante

    Oh, the toxicity. It’s fucking exquisite, and oh my god it hurts.

    Love it. “Burn me down” and Ruth is refusingggg. Is it growth or just the return of their push/pull dynamic? Please, Willis, give us more of this.

    PS: Ruth looks gorgeous.

    1. Amós Batista

      PS: finally someone figured out about Ruth here.

    2. Mr D

      Accurate Gravatar for the comment.

  17. Animedingo

    But she can make it worse!

    1. anon

      So how soon til jason walks in and assumes the worst lol

      1. Tessea

        They are still clothed and there’s no physical contact. If Jason is the type to jump to wild conclusions like that, I would call that a massive red flag.

      2. Animedingo

        Hes in no position to judge

  18. thakoru

    Every word these two say to each other sounds like an emo song lyric. I can hear the power chord under “burn me down.” Ruth is straight up rhyming in panel 4.

  19. Charles Phipps

    I am very anti-Ruth and Jennifer.

    But Ruth is clearly getting that Jennifer isn’t just being her usual self.

  20. Taffy

    Nobody else said it yet,l and I can’t fit it anywhere, so I’ll just drop it and run

    Ruthlike

    1. Clif

      No one has said “Ruthlike” before? I’m pretty sure they have. Though probably they were referring to the biblical Ruth.

      Goes off to start searching through back comments for the word Ruthlike.

      1. Taffy

        There are apparently video games called “roguelikes” where you respawn a lot, and Ruth mentioned respawning in her room, and Billie seems to keep coming back here a lot.

        1. Clif

          That makes more sense than what I was imagining.

          Who doesn’t like a rogue?

    2. Drew Hargrave

      Ha. I got that joke. It was a good joke

  21. BBCC

    I mean, she told you what she’d say.

    1. Clif

      And she complied with Jennifer’s request as well.

  22. IntangibleMatter

    I need what these two have even if it isn’t romantic anymore

    1. Clif

      Someone to give you shit?

      1. Mr. Random

        Someone to call you on your shit.
        Though, I’ve always felt that sorta puts the burden of monitoring your own behavior on someone else.

        1. StClair

          your own
          personal
          Ruthless

        2. Steamweed

          Your own personal Ruthless
          Someone to say you’re dumb
          Someone who’s numb

        3. Taffy

          Reach out and touch faaaaaaaaace

    2. UrsulaDavina

      NO you don’t you dont need that toxic relationship.

  23. HueSatLight

    wait, wait, wait. you can’t fix things with arson?

    1. 3oranges

      Arson is more in the “right away you have a different problem” category.

      1. Clif

        Nothing that can’t be solved with a larger flame thrower.

        1. Freemage

          Jason Mendoza: “Anytime I had a problem, I threw a Molotov Cocktail, and BOOM! I had a different problem.”

        2. UrsulaDavina

          Jason Mendoza a true Floridan Philosopher and certified Flordia man.

          Also the old adage “if you can’t solve a problem with fire your not using enough fire.”Probably something Donkey Doug told Jason

        3. BarerMender

          I’m happy to see the old demonym for a Florida person. “Floridian” never made sense.

        4. SillyGoOse

          But then since Florida doesn’t make sense, doesn’t it make more sense?

        5. mindbleach

          Maxim 6: If violence wasn’t your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it.

      2. HueSatLight

        right away someone has a different problem.

    2. Mr. Random

      If I can’t, I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it.

    3. Kyulen

      Depends on the thing you’re trying to fix, I suppose.

    4. Astariel

      Only if your problem is that something that needs to be on fire is not.

  24. ADLegend21

    anyone being shot form below gives them giga Aura. Don’t let Ruth know she has Aura, she’ll abuse it.

    1. Wereg

      Ruth doesn’t need to be told because she does not care. This, ironically, makes her aura even stronger.

    2. Aura

      o.o

    3. Thag Simmons

      Ruth is well aware that she has a terrifying presence and employs it frequently

  25. luin

    is the shame new? no. is it more accurate? hmmm it’s warmer

  26. Amós Batista

    Jennifer’s used to cry , hiding her face, huh?

  27. Freezer

    And suddenly “Burn It Down” by A7 starts playing in the background.

  28. Miyto

    So… I was today years old when I noticed that Ruth has yet to call Jenifer by any name since breaking up with her

    1. Taffy

      I’m not sure that’s true.

      1. Clif

        In this very strip she called her by her pet name, Weirdo.

    2. Yumi

      She doesn’t seem to address her by name in a lot of their interactions, but she has at a few points.

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-11/05-as-long-as-its-free/filledmein/
      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-12/04-dont-stop-billie-ving/checking/

      (I thought the point/idea was interesting, so I went to check on it. I don’t have the energy right now, but I wonder how often Ruth addressed her by name in pre-timeskip interactions.)

      1. Clif

        Thank you for your service.

      2. Miyto

        huh, I missed those two when doing an archive crawl earlier. Thanks for spotting them

      3. Yumi

        And these ones:
        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-11/03-see-you-in-the-funny-page/dropping/
        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2021/comic/book-11/03-see-you-in-the-funny-page/rightleft/

        It has been a couple years since any of these strips.

  29. Odditude

    Panel 3 feels so powerful, that’s a lot of focused emotion from Billie

    1. Clif

      And yet without context, it’s just Jennifer’s eye reflecting a light. Willis is one hell of a visual storyteller.

      1. Thing2

        Aye

  30. Juanoku

    OH YOU BEAUTIFUL IDIOTS JUST KISS ALREADY

    1. BarerMender

      Oh, yes, please.

    2. Scolopendra

      PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE

    3. Taffy

      But then Billie would be cheating on Asher.

      1. Lee

        I’m fairly sure since he’s playing tonsil tennis with Ethan that boat has already sailed.

        1. Taffy

          Don’t let silly frivolities like “linear time” get in the way.

  31. Bryy

    Ruth literally just fucking cut through all of Jennifer’s performative bullshit with that last line.

  32. Thag Simmons

    Want to call a shot, where the last time Alice rejected Billie drove her into Ruth’s arms to do the “I am coming down with you, hand in unloveable hand” doom spiral, I don’t think that’s going to repeat.

    Ruth has changed, Jennifer has changed, and I think even though both of them kind of want to get back to what they had they can’t

  33. Tessea

    I think that’s one of the most genuine smiles I’ve ever seen Ruth make.

    1. Rabid Rabbit

      Which is one of the most dangerous things about this relationship. It’s toxic, they both know it’s toxic, it was dangerously co-dependent — and this is exactly why it was co-dependent, because no-one else can get to either of them emotionally the way the other can.

      1. Freezer

        Ruth knew it was toxic. I’m still not sure Billifer has fully groked that yet.

        1. thejeff

          And yet Ruth is the one who said she’d throw Jason out to have Jennifer back

  34. Maddie B

    I love Ruth.

  35. Daibhid C

    “Tell me about your dumb day and I’ll tell you you’re dumb to feel that way” kind of sounds like a rhyming couplet. In fact I’ve got the weirdest sense that it fits the tune, and possibly even the sentiment, of a song, but I can’t quite place it.

    1. Schpoonman

      She is an English major.

    2. morleuca

      Needs another syllable in the first half. Add a so before dumb.

  36. Rabisch

    Let’s see if Ruth will be able to do the miracle and help her come back with Alice. Maybe that would save her from the unpleasant surprise to find Jennifer crying in her bed wetting her pillow.

  37. darkoneko

    “I’m not heating you up in other ways, either”

    (woops I accidentally messed up the nickname field when posting. Sorry)

  38. aSnowyEvening

    Aw, that’s not fair Ruth. When Jennifer first secretly disappeared to your room for a few days Walky was worried and came to you for help. You burned that RA Trust Bridge on your own when he found out she was with you.

    Also Joyce likely wanted you facilitate the fix her messed up toe that time.

  39. Carla's #2 Fan

    5th panel Ruth looks really good. The angle, the coloring, the lighting, the skills! I’d take a print of it without words.

    1. Needfuldoer

      Ruth just looks really good in general this chapter. (Then again I’m a sucker for an unbuttoned plaid button-down…)

      1. Carla's #2 Fan

        And you’ve got the Gravatar to best support that sentiment!

  40. AnonGrouch

    A lot of people are voting for this to be toxic yuri because of the past relationship, some in excitement and some in disgust. I feel like while it’ll probably still be a little toxic if they go back to being romantic, there’s a chance it’ll be a new exciting and possibly less dangerous type.

    Obviously can’t really tell for sure, but I do know that they are two fairly different people than before. So I’m not expecting the same reactions and enabling self hate.

  41. Ivy

    I love Ruth and Jennifer for this exact part of their relationship: Ruth is one of the only people Jennifer lets down all of her walls for. She is very rarely honestly vulnerable with anyone, she falls back on bravado and constructed identities and shallow images of competence that she doesn’t have. With Ruth, there’s no point for any of it- they’ve been at their worst to and with each other. They’ve been at rock bottom together and see each other clearly. Jennifer has no need for any of her usual defenses and she’s just…open and real.

  42. Hof1991

    Ruth is posed much like a transformer.

  43. Looney

    willis’ bluesky profile pic makes its grand debut!

  44. Falcon

    Ruth is in safe territory here. Of all the characters in Dumbing of Age who have done any on-screen introspection, Billie is the emotionally dumbest.

  45. Nathan

    I really like panel 3 (Jennifer’s eye)

  46. Adept

    Are you actually, finally ready to learn something Billie? Can you learn to be less shitty?

  47. Joyfulldreams

    *God* I love the shit out of these two. I don’t even need them to get back together necessarily, just keep doing whatever the hell this is forever. The toxic yuri is exquisite.

  48. Dot

    Inject it directly into my veins, I missed these two so much

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