234

Rich
Posted on November 5, 2017 by David M Willis

234 thoughts on “Rich”

  1. Doctor_Who

    Are parents just allowed to walk into dorms? No keycard access or anything?

    1. Yumi

      I mean, I went around half a semester without keycard access to the dorm I was living in at one point. Of course, I looked college age, so I guess people were less suspicious, but it’s not that hard to get into dorm halls, is my point.

      Also, if the dorm building has other things, like classrooms or a campus store in it, it may be general access to the part with that stuff, which might be where Stacy is.

    2. DrWattson

      In my experience, dorms and residence halls require an ID or key; however this appears to be a dining hall, which are a bit more open.

      1. NotPiffany

        I don’t know about the comic’s campus, but the college close to me lets anyone go to the dining hall and pay for food, not just students, staff, and faculty.

        1. DrWattson

          It was the same at my college. That’s kind of what I was getting at with “a bit more open”. Meanwhile, the residence halls required an ID swipe, although the scanner was honestly sensitive enough that I rarely even had to take my wallet out. Just stand close to it with your ID nearby and it’d unlock.

        2. Amazi-Stool

          “the scanner was honestly sensitive enough”

          It was a sensitive scanner?

        3. ValdVin

          Your flippant remark has not gone unappreciated.

        4. dn3s

          i regularly make use of a nearby university’s library. they have comfy chairs, outlets, and wifi.

        5. dn3s

          oh um, and i’m not a student. if that wasn’t clear from context

      2. BBCC

        Wait, wait, wait, do dining halls not exist in the same building as dorms at your school?

        I think my mind was blown.

        1. Benwhoski

          Meanwhile my mind is blown by the revelation that dorms and dining halls are in the same building at some schools. There were multiple dining locations on my campus, but they were all separate buildings separate from the dorms.

          So yeah, the dining halls were more or less open to anyone. If you had a friend or family member visiting, they could eat by just paying for their meal rather than using a student meal plan.

        2. BBCC

          I mean, like, we have other dining halls in like the student centre and some of the buildings that also have classrooms, but we also have some in the dorms. Both of the ones I’ve visited to see my friends had somewhere to eat.

        3. HeySo

          I’ve been to maybe a dozen universities, never seen dorms with food services of any sort (other than occasional vending machines) within the same building.
          Of course, all the ones I’ve been to have been in southern and central states, so perhaps it’s more a regional affectation by specific parts of the northern, mountainous, or western regions.

          Dorms in all the places I visited tended to have both an outer and a room lock, unless they were outdoor access, in which case they only had the latter. Dining halls and libraries were always open to the public, though you could only check books out as a student, with the exception of any dining areas within student centers. This of course makes sense, since you generally get a lot of guests visiting campus, and tethering them to students for dining purpose is generally more a waste of security funding than it is beneficial to anyone.

          In the end, though, I imagine a lot has to do with not just the region and local habits, but the specific safety concerns of that school- extra security measures and easier access to dining may be of higher importance to schools with higher crime rates both on and off campus.

        4. BBCC

          I’m in Canada. Maybe that’s it?

        5. Yumi

          Well, I’m in the US and my experience was more like what you described.

        6. thejeff

          When I was in school, lo these many years ago, dorms had locks, but no other security. Those doors were usually propped open for the convenience of visitors.
          Dorms came in clusters – some each had their own dining area, others had one big one for the whole area.

      3. The One Guy

        Where I went to college, anyone could enter the dorms, just not the specific rooms. The dining halls, however, required either a meal plan or for you to pay for your visit.

    3. BBCC

      Yes? The door only locks at night.

      1. Egg

        Our doors were always locked and we were forbidden from letting people in after us instead of making them swipe their cards.

        Of course, we tended to ignore that rule.

        1. BBCC

          Oh, yeah, I’m sure it’s different everywhere. My friend has to buzz me in to her dorm. But word of willis has been that this dorm only locks at night, iirc.

    4. Marsh Maryrose

      Word of Willis was that these scenes take place in the Landes Dining Hall. It existed in 2014 but appears to have been renovated out of existence by August 2016 if not sooner.

      IU seems to have moved to a mostly cafe/food court model. I can’t tell from casual mousing around, but the food courts at least seem to be mostly open to the public.

      Of course, in the modified-Brigadoon world of DoA, it could well be that Amber and Richard are in some sort of closed-access cafeteria, and Dr. Rosenthal has managed to waltz in by acting confident. Who knows?

      1. Yumi

        In my experience, dining halls are almost always open to the public. The I don’t think the comments are about Richard being in the dining hall but about Stacy being in the dorms.

    5. BenRG

      Richard explains that his presence is due to ‘Chutzpah’, pure salesmanship and brazen self-confidence. He probably waited until some older students were going in and inserted himself into their group, ignoring their questions or throwing up a smokescreen of irrelevant observations and small-talk until he was in.

    6. Bagge

      They might walk in…
      They might not walk out…

      http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/approved/

  2. Diner Kinetic

    he’s so… benign

    1. Gwen

      Aside from just having said “doing your mom on the regs.” Because that is in no way creepy. Nope.

      1. JessWitt

        Good god, turn on your filter, Dr. Richard.

        1. StClair

          “filter”?

        2. JessWitt

          Cerebral filter for suppressing inappropriate statements, actions, and the like, especially in public.

        3. Yumi

          I’m pretty sure the joke was that he’s lacking in such a filter.

        4. JohnF

          Where can I get one?

      2. monkyvirus

        I’m not sure if that was a response to her initial sass (yo, old Joe isn’t particularly polite) or he would say that kind of stuff anyway. Still seriously inappropriate possibly not unprovoked.

  3. Cheshrin

    Huh. That was not the reason for Richard’s appearance I was expecting.

    I don’t know what I was expecting, but “I’m here with your mom because she’s worried about you” wasn’t it.

    1. Badgermole

      It’s Willis lulling us into a false sense of security to magnify the inevitable assholery of Dad Rosenthal when the other shoe drops.

      1. Havtorn

        I think you’re right. I was trying to think of a non-female sexual aggressor in this comic that hasn’t become a villain, and the only I can think of is maybe-sorta-kinda Joe because he’s getting an arc. As much as I’d hate to see it, I think the “What could have been” juxtaposition between Joe and Richard would be the only reason Richard is really in the story at all.

        1. Gaia

          Sarah would fit the bill. (Female, sexually aggressive, and trying to break a couple up out of spite…villain)

        2. Havtorn

          Didn’t mean to say that the women of the comic were all depicted as saints. Just that, as far as I can tell, among the cast the division between sexual initiators is something like:

          Dorothy, Amazi-Amber, Sal, Ruth, Billy, Roz (assumed) and Penny(assumed)
          vs.
          Joe, Mike (assumed), Richard

        3. Havtorn

          And of course Ryan

        4. CJ

          @Gaia:
          From a story perspective she can’t be the villain, because Raihda definitely isn’t the hero.

          Definition of villain

          1 :a character in a story or play who opposes the hero
          2 :a deliberate scoundrel or criminal
          3 :one blamed for a particular evil or difficulty
          automation as the villain in job … displacement —M. H. Goldberg
          4 :villein
          5 :an uncouth person :boor

          So 1 is out, 2 no, nothing criminal here, 3, well that’s the role she has in Raihda eyes concerning Dana, 5, hm, Raidah would probably agree with that one, but it’s a rather outdated usage.

          @Havtorn: maybe you need to clarify which definition of aggressor you are using when and if sexual modifies to motive or method?
          I still think that where sexual assault is concerned, the aim is power not sex.

        5. Frederic Garber

          Raihda’s not the hero she’s opposing, it’s Jacob.

        6. Jothki

          There’s definitely room here for an archetype that goes so far to prove that someone else is evil that they become just as bad themselves.

        7. the final pam

          “non-female”

        8. BBCC

          What’s wrong with that phrase? There’s more than one non-female gender.

        9. the final pam

          I’m aware.

          I was pointing out that Havtorn specified “non-female sexual aggressor” in their original comment, that was promptly ignored in the reply that I commented on.

    2. Dean

      Note that this is Doctor Dick at minimum creepiness.

  4. King Daniel

    So I guess nothing came of Stacy’s cameo in the bar with Leslie last we saw her…unless we’re just about to find out that something did.

    1. JessWitt

      Dang, I forgot about that cameo. And regarding that last sentence, maybe Leslie and Stacy had a chat that somehow got Richard involved here?

  5. Cattleprod

    “I’m here to help because I remember the conversation we just had when I was younger.”

    1. Doctor_Who

      Is he gonna tell her that Tailgate turns out okay? Because I need to hear that too.

      1. SgtWadeyWilson

        Actually, can I say it instead? I’ve always wanted to lie to the Doctor! *Coughs.* I mean… Tailgate will be fine.

  6. Derek

    what scene on youtube?

    1. Doctor_Who

      Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when the guy drinks from the grail.

    2. huttj509

      “He chose poorly”
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA7J0KkanzM

      1. GLaDOS

        Boy, do you have a gift for understatement.

  7. Tacos

    Well I didn’t expect him to meet Amber for that reason.

  8. AnvilPro

    Is that some actual emotion on Joe’s Dad’s face in the last panel?

    1. ozzi

      It’s also his sex face.

  9. Marsh Maryrose

    Stacy chose…poorly.

    1. Gaia

      Compared to her last guy, this is a massive improvement!

      1. Lingo

        I’m not sure about that. He seems intent to be as much of an asshole as humanly possible here.

        1. Reltzik

          Not really. All we’ve seen Dick do is sleep around and be crass and insensitive. Blaine was and is actively abusive, to the point of kidnapping Amber’s friend just to force her to talk to him.

        2. TemperaryObsessor

          The issue with Richard appears to be he wants one thing but will pretend to be different. I don’t see this not hurting Stacey since she said they were getting serious but I also don’t see this as potentially killing her.
          Blane most likely didn’t want one thing but all of her. As in he wanted her entire life to be about keeping him happy, and has been showed to be willing to use violence to get what he wants.
          I believe the bar for massive improvement from Blame is underground. I don’t think Richard is about to dig it up. I don’t see him clearing any bar above his knee any time soon either.

        3. thejeff

          Exactly. Richard will cheat on her, but it won’t be a deliberate campaign of abuse.
          Yay for Richard?

  10. Nono

    I don’t know how, but Joe’s dad seems a bit… paunchier? than his son?

    1. Leorale

      He is. It’s almost a Dad Bod, but not quite.

    2. JessWitt

      We never did see Richard from a sideview before so interesting difference.

    3. Needfuldoer

      He’s also at least twenty-something years older; that happens.

  11. Shiro

    squints

    I do not like this man. I think, in fact, I hate him a lot. Everything from “doing your mom on the regs” to “yes but I barged in anyway” to feeling like he has the right to lecture Amber about her mom after THAT fucking shitshow of a conversation.

    I think I would like to release the raptor on his face.

    1. MatthewTheLucky

      Well someone needs to lecture Amber.

      1. Shiro

        How about he does it WITHOUT being an arrogant shitface first?

        1. Averien

          The irony here is overwhelming.

        2. Yumi

          Wow, that seems incredibly uncalled for.

        3. Shiro

          Aren’t you just a charming and pleasant individual

        4. Woof

          Because the use of the word “shitface” is “charming” and “pleasant?”

        5. adjudicus

          Swearing does not automatically make a person uncharming or unpleasant, and right now shitface is a perfect description of Richard

        6. Reltzik

          I dunno, he looks reasonably sober to me.

        7. Jamie

          I am going to claiming I am a charming and pleasant individual after releasing raptors on people’s faces.

        8. Shiro

          Man, I wish this comment was phrased more smoothly so I could use it as one of those quotes in my tumblr bio, because the spirit of it is making me unreasonably happy

      2. Viktoria

        I would say his intentions are probably good. And his actions seem like they’re reasonable. It’s the details of how he’s doing it that are creepy as fuck.

        1. Shiro

          Exactly. If he’d come in and addressed her in a friendly and courteous manner before telling her that Stacey was worried about her, that’d be fine. Even if he was a bit lecture-y. But you don’t get to tell a total stranger you’re “doing [their] mom on the regs” and THEN pull out the lecture face.

        2. Gaia

          You are demonstrably wrong, Richard just did that.
          Though I wouldn’t call “Talk to your mother” lecturing.

        3. Shiro

          True. Amendment: you don’t do those things I said unless you want the Raptor

        4. adjudicus

          Er… No, he didn’t. He approached Amber in a way that evidently surprised her and probably made her feel weird, went straight to the fact that he’s banging her mom, refused to leave when asked, THEN chose to tell her that her mom was worried

        5. Yumi

          No no no, you misunderstand. Shiro said, “But you don’t get to tell a total stranger you’re “doing [their] mom on the regs” and THEN pull out the lecture face.”
          And Gaia was basically saying, “Ah, but in fact he does *get* to do that. Because he just did.”

        6. adjudicus

          Oh, sorry, forget I said anything then!

    2. Mari

      Jesus, dude, do gradations not exist in your world? You’re so determined to hate this character that you’ve invented a completely different scene where he ‘lectures’ Amber. That’s not even a reach, it’s just plain making stuff up to justify hating a fictional character.

      Yeah, the ‘doing your mom’ comment was weird and creepy, but take it easy, he’s not a murderer or something.

      1. Shiro

        I find it interesting you chose to quibble over the word “lecture” in my comment when the much more relevant facts of the situation are: we have a character with a history of being creepy and predatory towards damn near every* woman he’s encountered, even the ones half his age, admitting he is in a place where he shouldn’t be and making one of those women half his age extremely uncomfortable. Gee, I can’t fucking IMAGINE why I might dislike that character. Let’s ponder that for a moment. Surely I must just be making up reasons to dislike him arbitrarily, in a vacuum, where no greater real world context for men like him exists.

        *the sole exception, apparently, being Stacey

        1. thejeff

          Stacey’s not an exception. It just worked on her.

        2. Shiro

          Pretty much. My reasoning was that creepiness partially depends on the reaction of the person receiving it, but you’re totally right, his technique didn’t change–just her reaction to it.

        3. Mari

          Now you’re just deflecting from the fact that you felt the need to make up reasons to justify wanting to, uh, throw a raptor in his face or something. The only actually untoward thing he’s done in this scene is that bizarre and creepy ‘doing your mom’ comment. Otherwise, all he’s actually done is go into the cafeteria to tell Amber her mother is worried about her and doesn’t have the courage to face her.

          I wouldn’t like him very much after that comment either (you know, if he were an actual person and not a character in a slice of life comic that often plays with absurdity anyway). I’m not really seeing how anything else he’s doing in this scene is all that horrifying, though.

        4. Shiro

          He’s inserted himself into a space where he’s not welcome or wanted, spoken to a young woman half his age who is a total stranger to him in an incredibly condescending and sexually aggressive way, and then tried to impose himself as an authority figure in her life by guilt tripping her about not answering her mother’s texts. Like…honestly, if you feel this is a person worth defending, I’m not particularly bothered about what you think of me.

          Do you even read this comic regularly? Because aside from being very clearly not literal (as I am not a character in this comic, and dinosaurs are extinct), releasing The Raptor on both unpleasant fathers and people who are threatening towards Amber is kind of a Thing.

        5. thejeff

          A character in a slice of life comic that often plays with absurdity and often foreshadows how awful characters are with small hints before they reveal themselves.

        6. Liliet

          Don’t forget the ‘I’m not supposed to be here, but I have the chutzpah to barge in anyway’ comment. This is the one that really gave me the creeps. Because once grown-ass men stop respecting rules about where they are not supposed to be (because safety of teenagers), the only thing left between you and them in the middle of the night is a lock on your door, and for all you know it can be picked with a bobby pin in 1.5 seconds flat.

          Like, he’s not saying ‘yeah, but I have a good reason to be here’. He’s saying ‘yeah, but the rules arent’ stopping me’. That’s so fucking creepy.

      2. Liliet

        Dude.
        The point is, he creeps Amber all the way out by being as sleezy as possible, and then when she has responded to it by being (completely appropriately) dismissive, switches to adult mode and tells her about her mom. This is a tactic to make Amber feel guilty not only for ghosting on her mom, but ALSO being dismissive of Richard, because suddenly it turns out that not only was he there for a reason, but by ditching him she risked missing out on information about her mom.

        Hopefully Amber has the presence of mind to fully understand that it’s Richard who’s responsible for getting the message across to her, that he was the one risking not delivering it by skeezing her out first, and that he acted incredibly inappropriately regardless of having a good reason to be in the dining hall in the first place.

        Just, augh. He’s fucking terrible.

        1. Mari

          I still feel like you’re assuming the most negative possible interpretation of what’s happening in this scene. Can’t fault you for taking something different from it than I did, I’m just genuinely not seeing how he’s a /terrible/ person in this scene. Sleazy, sure, but I feel like it takes more than a sleazy, stupid comment to condemn somebody then and there to being a terrible person.

        2. adjudicus

          I think the condemnation was also based on prior instances of Joe’s dad being a dick, with Richard hitting on Sarah and Joe saying that his attitude was commonplace and that he cheated on Joe’s mom. Perhaps it just was a sleazy comment, nothing more, but based on his past history here, it probably isn’t just that

        3. Liliet

          Sleazy to a kid half his age, okay? That’s pretty terrible on its own, no further interpretation needed.

    3. Needfuldoer

      I just hope Joe’s watching from off-panel, thinking “holy shit is THAT what I was doing?!”

  12. Kernanator

    So Amber is avoiding her mom, I guess?

    1. ValdVin

      And Stacy stayed all night somewhere near the campus, I think.

      (Do we even have a hometown for Amber, Ethan and Mike? How far is it?)

      1. ValdVin

        I mean, Stacy has literally been pacing the halls for 24 hours? I took that as hyperbole.

        1. CJ

          I’d think Asma would have asked her to leave it she’d done that? Or send the RA to check on Amber before asking her to leave?

      2. Nono

        I imagine it can’t be too far, probably like La Porte distance, for three people from the same high school to all go to it.

        1. Yumi

          La Porte is a decent distance away in my opinion*, but you’re right that they really couldn’t be from much farther away, since they’re in-state.

          *How far is far is kind of subjective based on your own college experience and things like the size of wherever you’re from, so it may not seem too far away to others.

        2. Norah

          Not necessarily, if it’s one of the biggest universities in the state, which I suspect it is. For instance, I grew up in Bay City, Michigan, which is about 100 miles from Ann Arbor, MI where the University of Michigan is. And I don’t know the number, but Way, way more than three people from my high school went there!

        3. Yumi

          1. Wooo, Michigan! (The state, not the school.)
          2. Yes, IU Bloomington is the largest university in Indiana.
          3. This is actually a good example of what I was saying– Nono said it couldn’t be too far and then compared it to the distance to La Porte. The distance between La Port and IU is like double the distance between Bay City and UMich. I personally would consider Bay City not too far from UMich.

        4. Norah

          Are you from Michigan? Cool!

          I still believe, even though La Porte is that far away, there’d be more than 3 people from the whole high school there, unless it was a very small high school (and I guess that’d be another thing to take into account, the size of their high school.)

      3. BBCC

        Amber (and presumably Mike and Ethan) is from Indianapolis, according to the book PDFs.

        1. ValdVin

          Okay, so where does Richard live? Asking anyone, not just you.

          Joe learned of Galasso’s when his mom took him there during orientation. Which parent did Joe live with? If Richard lives in Indianapolis, and is seeing Stacy, who lives in Mishawaka…,

          That could indicate this is serious for them, from the center of Indiana to almost the NW corner.

          (If.I could buy the books I would.)

        2. BBCC

          I’d presume Mishawaka, since that’s where Joe’s from iirc.

        3. ValdVin

          Okay, I totally mistyped things.

          Joe is from Mishawaka, Richard may have stayed there after the divorce (medical practice built up…). In Indianapolis, Stacy is the parent Amber lived with after the divorce.

          To totally geek out, that’s ~140 miles minimum, one way.

          (And if you really want to appreciate Willis’ research, Dorothy’s Mishawaka high school running uniform is the proper color for the real one.)

        4. BBCC

          Joe’s parents, as far as I can tell, seem to have a joint custody arrangements. Mom brought him to orientation, and his dad came for Freshman Family Weekend, so maybe his mom will show up for Parent’s Day (which is a separate thing and is apparently in this month).

    2. Reltzik

      Her mom, and everyone else.

  13. DailyBrad

    I wonder if Richard and Stacy are formally dating or just getting to know each other in the Biblical sense.

    Also, wondering if Joe is going to deal with him any. He rather obviously has issues with Richard, wondering if he’s going to talk to him in regards to his recent revelations about himself and women.

    1. MatthewTheLucky

      I really can’t see either Rosenthal being up to a man-to-man chat about feelings, even with recent character development.

      1. Leorale

        They’ve got to bump into each other, it’s just too perfect to have them in the same room, and just as Joe is confronting what happens when he acts like his dad.
        They don’t have to enjoy it.

    2. Marsh Maryrose

      Richard and Stacy have been knowing each other biblically since minutes after they first met at the Freshman Family Weekend. “Getting kind of serious,” to quote Stacy, I think implies long-term dating — i.e. getting to the meet-the-family stage.

      1. Gaia

        Or maybe Stacy is seeing something that isn’t there.
        I don’t trust her ability to evaluate men or their intentions in any way. (Considering Amber’s father)

        1. thejeff

          This suggests formally dating. That she enlists him to help with her daughter and he goes along with it implies something.
          Mind you, that doesn’t mean Stacey isn’t taking it more seriously than he is or that he isn’t screwing around on the side.

  14. Passchendaele

    ew. just, ew.

    also, if he’s a doctor, does he have any specialty, or is he a general doctor, or does this question really matter?

    1. MapleAmber

      As long as he isn’t a gyno that’s what matters.

      1. Passchendaele

        Yeah, that was my distant fear. I’m pretty happy he isn’t, as the below comment shows (thanks, BBCC!)

        1. Yumi

          I’d be concerned about him being a gyno, but at the same time, gynecology just seems so non-sexual to me. Like, obviously it involves some private parts, and I am personally a fan of vaginas, but I feel like the context of gynecology just takes all the sexuality out of it. Though I guess he would probably try to sex it back up.

        2. Liliet

          On one hand, gynecology SHOULD be completely non-sexual.
          On the other hand, this ‘SHOULD’ provides a perfect smokescreen to pervs who allow themselves -just- enough to make their patients feel incredibly uncomfortable and yet still maintain plausible deniability that might make the women feel like they’re the ones making it weird.

        3. vividgrim

          I actually remember reading an article a while back about a creepy attitude among a group of male gyns who used their position to ogle women. And the women knew it. it’s definitely not inherently non-sexual.

    2. CK

      The specialty didn’t matter to him, he got his doctorate just so he could refer to himself as the Doctor of Love.

      That’s at least what I’m assuming, anyway, until and unless we hear otherwise.

      1. Bluewind

        Not that far fetched. I knew a guy who was in my class going for an associates who had a doctorate in philosophy because he wanted Dr. in front of his name and that was the easiest one he found. When I asked him why, he answered why not *facepalm*

        1. Suzi

          I mean, I hope one day to get a Doctorate because my last name starts with a “D” and I want the alliteration.

          Though the only doctorate I could get would definitely not count as easy ;_;

        2. Dean

          Is the D for ‘Doom’? If so, you should definitely get a doctorate.

    3. BBCC

      he’s an osteologist.

      1. Dean

        A BONE doctor.

        1. Tacos

          *GROAN*

    4. Deanatay

      is the a MEDICAL doctor? He could simply have a Ph.D in, like, mechanical engineering, or some such.

      1. BBCC

        Yep, medical doctor.

  15. Keulen

    Well I’m glad Richard’s not trying to hook up with Amber, because that would be majorly creepy.

    1. brionl

      I don’t know. I used to work with a guy who liked to tell people that he was married to his sister.

      At their wedding, his dad hit it off with her mom (or vice versa, I forget) and they ended up getting married. So technically, they are step-siblings.

      1. Roger

        you sure your friend isn’t that guy from how i met your mother?

      2. DSL

        Is this the story of a man named Brady?

  16. CK

    Also, I gotta say that I love how Richard looks just like an older Joe, because he represents what Joe had the potential to become, if it wasn’t for the positive growth he (Joe) is currently experiencing.

    He’s Bad End Joe, if you will.

    1. MM

      I don’t know that he’s Bad End Joe. Bad End Joe probably wouldn’t be regularly seeing a woman around his own age. More like Mediocre Ending Joe.

      1. Insanenoodlyguy

        Yeah, Bad End Joe’s a successful doctor who’s dating again and found a wonderful woman he hit it off with quickly in both an emotional and a sexual sense.

        Bad End Joe’s life sounds pretty goddamn awesome!

        1. Liliet

          Yeah, but he’s gross and horrible to everyone around him. I second Bad End.

    2. Tori

      100% this. And I’m interested to see how Joe continues to reflect on who Richard is and what that means to/for Joe.

    3. Doom Shepherd

      Now I want to know what you get when you 100% Joe on Legendary difficulty. Who is… SECRET ENDING JOE???

      1. MatthewTheLucky

        He becomes a billionaire genius who invents AI, interuniversal travel, gene-overwriting, and humanoid super-robots.

        It’s already too late for that ending, though, as he picked the wrong dialogue option last comic, and thus failed to unlock the ‘Transformers Geek’ class, which is vital to getting the ending.

      2. Felgraf

        Secret Ending Joe reveals the dog was behind everything.

      3. 3oranges

        And who is Scooby Doo ending Joe? After the mask comes off, I mean. The earliest innocuous secondary character is Asma, but that doesn’t seem right to me.

        1. Liliet

          Joyce’s mysterious brother we haven’t seen yet. Jordan

        2. adjudicus

          Nah, its gonna be bloodrose

        3. Deanatay

          Scrappy.

        4. Needfuldoer

          Don Knotts.

        5. MM

          Lucy. Nobody’s that nice unless they’re desperately trying to hide something.

      4. Reltzik

        Danny.

        …. the less it makes sense, the more it makes sense!

  17. Roger Sterling

    That’s the fastest turn around from heel to face I think I’ve seen this whole strip.

    Last strip I was like “Did someone order Chippendales because this comic’s become nothing but dicks.”

    1. Roger Sterling

      *series

    2. C.

      He’s more of a tweener, maybe.

  18. JessWitt

    Judging from Richard’s vernacular, he must be midlife crisising to the point of imitating his son’s speech patterns.

    1. Rambling Idiot

      Or Joe copy’s Richard’s speech patterns, since birth, like a parrot or child.

      1. JessWitt

        Oh yeah that’s the common idea.

        But what if – plot twist – it was the opposite?

  19. Mada

    OH I get it, he’s several kinds of dicks.

  20. Rambling Idiot

    Chutzpah: The willingness to be bold for better or worse (worse).

    1. UniqueSnowflake2

      I like the definition from Paranoia: chutzpah is the quality of a man who murders both of his parents and then pleads for mercy on the grounds that he is an orphan.

  21. Cmd1095

    Huh, gotta say I wasn’t expecting Joe’s dad to be here for such an benign purpose, like I know he’s probably doing it just cause he’s banging Amber’s mom and is playing the nice guy for her and whatnot, and his attitude and all that shows how he really is just a grown up pre-improvement Joe, but he’s legitimately doing a good thing for another person right now.

    Of course, I don’t believe for a minute this is going to last, we all know the tally sheet for parents being good or bad people in DoA and how it does not look favorably upon most of the parents so far. And I seriously doubt Joe’s dad is gonna be the trend-breaker here. Still, it’s a nice moment of decency before the degeneration begins

    1. Liliet

      Benign purpose or not, he DID start with massively skeeving out Amber, and that had to be on purpose. He’s pretty much grooming her to accept skeevy behavior from him as a ‘substitute dad’ entitled to her time and attention. He’s gross.

      1. Cmd1095

        Yes, he is, I just expected SO much worse. And I’m confident my expectations will be met, I’m just enjoying this moment of him being relatively not gross before the projectile vomiting begins.

        1. Liliet

          True. He actually took a small break in being actively gross for the last two panels. Better than Blaine and Ross ever did.

  22. NoHeart

    Not gonna lie, I was expecting…worse. I’m still fairly certain we’ll get worse out of Richard, considering this comic’s history of shitty fathers and especially since Joe has issues with him, but for now, if him being creepy is the worst of it I’d say that I’m almost pleasantly surprised.

  23. Lapin

    This is…holy fuck…this might be Joe’s dad beng seriously committed. Amber’s mom is too anxious to go in and directly confront her daughter and Joe’s dad has no idea how to be cool about this but he wants to help his gf out shows he is…trying…and the fact he’s trying kind of shows he really values Amber’s mom in longterm relationship goals…

    Amber’s mom might have found the sheep in wolf’s clothing.

    1. NotPiffany

      Oh, thank goodness, I’m not the only one who read the comic and said “wait, are they actually dating?”

      1. Agemegos

        I seem to recall Amber’s mother dropping a pretty heavy hint earlier on that they were.

        1. NotPiffany

          I thought that was a reference to their hooking up during Freshman Family Weekend. I didn’t think it was ongoing. More specifically, I didn’t think Richard thought it was ongoing.

          Also, I’m not sure how long after FFW this comic is.

    2. Insanenoodlyguy

      Considering how he called this his “Chutzpah” i don’t think he actually cares about being cool about this. He just thinks it needs to happen. And lets face it, he’s kinda got a point, however he’s going about it.

    3. Liliet

      I reeeeally doubt about the ‘sheep in wolf’s clothing’ there.
      More likely, he found a woman naive and trusting enough to commit to him without requiring him to stop being gross, to her OR her daughter (because he IS gross to Amber here).
      Thanks to traditional gender roles, men generally get more out of marriage than women. HE would be the one striking the motherlode.

      1. MM

        I don’t think a guy like Dick is going to see the benefit in commitment unless he genuinely wants to try. Doesn’t mean he’ll be any good at it, of course.

        1. thejeff

          Dude got married. Lots of creeps get married. And cheat.
          There’s benefit in having a steady reliable woman while still playing around.

          Doesn’t mean he has any interest in actually not being a creep.

        2. Liliet

          ^^^ this

  24. motorfirebox

    So, is Richard what Joe could be if he used his powers for good instead of using them for grossishness?

    1. Roger

      uh, no I wouldn’t imagine that’s the case considering he massively cheated on his wife and hit on Sarah before. His good/gross ratio isn’t skewed in the way you say

      1. Insanenoodlyguy

        Wait, the first part was pretty shitty of him, but what’s wrong with hitting on Sarah? So far that’s worked out well for both of them.

        1. BBCC

          A 40 something hitting on a 19 year old is generally considered creepy.

        2. Yumi

          Did you maybe confuse Sarah with Stacy?

        3. Kamino Neko

          Definitely reads that way.

        4. Insanenoodlyguy

          Yeah that’s what happened here.

    2. Liliet

      No. He’s what Joe is actively trying to avoid being.

  25. Nobody

    Is Dick not being a dick for once?

    1. Reltzik

      No.

      He’s got a perfectly legit and reasonable reason for being here.

      And he’s being a dick about it.

      1. Nobody

        Maybe it’s Mike in disguise

  26. D.S

    I got unexpected feels from this one.

  27. miados

    while i dont know enough about richard to have an opinion on him as a person but this at the least i think is good of him to help a worried mom

  28. BenRG

    Stacey O’Malley is a remarkable woman. Not only has she come close to taming Richard Rosenthal, she’s got him doing her errands! Can a ring and maybe even a settled relationship be far off?

    Still wondering if Joe and Amber are going to end up step-siblings! 😀

    I can’t blame Stacey for being worried. Whilst I wouldn’t normally characterise Amber as a suicide risk, she’s been under unusual and very specific stresses over the past in-universe week or so that would make me very concerned for her safety.

    1. Liliet

      Taming? He’s just grossed out her daughter and made her feel unsafe, for no perceptible reason, when she’s actually worried about her mental wellbeing.

      Stacey O’Malley is an unfortunate woman, cursed with finding one horrible man after another.

      1. Ansel

        This

  29. Danni

    richard’s being a total dick.
    doctor dick.

  30. Bagge

    What the fudge? Could he have expressed that in any way more aggressive, condescending and downright sleazy?

    1. BenRG

      Probably not; at least we now know the source of Joe’s problems in interacting with people as if they are human beings!

    2. Liliet

      Well, he probably could, but then he wouldn’t have gotten half the readership on his side with plausible deniability of ‘not skeezy at all actually look being a dad’.
      He’s striking the exaaact right balance for being the worst fucking human being.

      1. MM

        We can both think he’s generally skeezy and withhold judgment on the sexual predator part for the time being.

        1. thejeff

          Always. We must always withhold judgment on creepy, skeezy men who seem like they might be predators. Until it’s been proven, at which point we can switch to “Everyone knew what he was like. Why didn’t somebody do something?”

        2. Liliet

          ^^^
          “Assume dangerous until disproven” is the safe path to take, and the 100% justfied one with ‘kinda sleazy’

    3. JBento

      “Well, you can call me Richard, seeing as I’m bangin’ your mom. You look SO MUCH like her, anyone ever tell you?”

    4. Kamino Neko

      Probably not without trying.

  31. Rukdug

    And with Chutzpah being used, I now picture Dr. Rosenthal to speak with a middle aged New York Jewish accent, despite the fact he lives in the Midwest. I have absolutely no idea why, but in my head he sounds exactly like my once removed cousin Ez (short for Ezikiel).

  32. Liliet

    Oh.
    Well.
    Huh.
    He actually has a good reason to approach Amber. I didn’t expect that.

  33. Heather

    Five points to Gryffindor for being there for an understandable even somewhat nice/non-selfish reason.

    Minus 30 points for being a creep before getting to the freaking point.

    This guy is like a mix of teenage James Potter and McLaggen I swear.

  34. DarkoNeko

    Joe’s dad is… thoughtful ?

  35. Guest42

    Richard, no need to be formal, if your doing her mom on the regs, she can call you Dick.

    1. JBento

      Plenty of US do, and he’s not banging OUR moms.

      …

      That we know of.

  36. Bagge

    Somehow I don’t think Amber regards dads who barge in where they aren’t allowed to go as something to be admired….

    Dick, don’t be an asshole.

    1. adjudicus

      Seeing as Dick’s already a motherfucker…

      1. Reltzik

        Most dads are.

        1. Mydnyt

          Because no matter what you do… your dad… will always have f****d your mom…

  37. SlothfulCobra

    Y’know what? Joe’s dad ain’t bad.

    Amber went through a whole thing shutting out everybody who cared about her, and here he is checking up on her for her ma.

    1. Jimmy

      He could have done without the “doin your mom on the regs” part though

  38. ǝ snow ʍousɐ

    AO’M: Huh. I guess now I know where Joe got his DICKishness from.
    RR: Oh, that’s RICH.

    (I’ve been in a bad-pun mood lately. Sorry.)

    1. Rukdug

      Don’t apologize. That was actually a pretty good name pun IMO.

  39. nothri

    “Richard, huh. So since we’re being casual here, you don’t mind if I just call you Dick, right?”

  40. FrivYeti

    I have profoundly mixed feelings about you, Dr. Dick.

    For now, I am bumping you down from a 6 to a 5 on the “Bad Dad” scale, putting you at “generally awful, but with glints of promise”.

    1. Bagge

      Don’t rate dads, FrivYeti…

      Actually, I change my mind. Feel free to rate dads in terms of awfulness in this comic. ´

      Personally I put him in Tier 3 of bad parental figures (kinda crappy) together with Danny’s and Ethan’s parents.

      Tier 2 is Actively Damaging (Carol, Linda) and Tier 1 is GET IT AS FAR AWAY FROM CHILDREN AS POSSIBLE (Ross, Blaine, “Sir”).

      There is a huge overlap between Tier 2 and 3, and I’m fully prepared to bump all of the 3:s up to 2:s if they do something extra crappy. In fact, I’m pretty sure Ethan’s parents will go there as soon as I see more of them.

      1. Bagge

        Another context where I find it acceptable to rate dads: http://store.steampowered.com/app/654880/Dream_Daddy_A_Dad_Dating_Simulator/

      2. Shiro

        Passive threat, active but not immediate threat, immediate threat–remove ASAP

      3. BBCC

        So, we got

        Tier 4 (Good parents/not actively harmful parents) – Hank, Deborah, Jeremiah, Haruka, Ryou, the Ruttens, the Snowes, Stacey, Bonny, Warners, Mrs. DeSanto from what we know

        Tier 3 (Kinda crappy) – Billingsworths, Wilcoxen, Siegals, Richard,

        Tier 2 (Actively damaging) – Carol, Linda, Charles (Charles is awful, fight me), Beans,

        Tier 1 (GET IT AS FAR AWAY FROM CHILDREN AS POSSIBLE) – Blaine, “Sir”, Toedad,

        We dunno much about Marcie, Malaya, Sarah, Lucy, or Jacob’s families, although what we have heard about Sarah’s isn’t good. And we don’t know about Raidah or Mary’s either.

  41. JBento

    Hi. Just heard about Texas. Again. Hope no-one the commentariat loves got hurt. Again.

  42. Jhon

    Notice how his tie gives up the struggle after panel 4.

  43. figureaddict

    Took me a bit, but I finally got the Last Crusade reference.

  44. MissFortune

    I know there are some conflicting things to think about Joe Ultimate Evolution here, with his concern for Stacy making him seem more benign than before and “sleeping with your mom on the regs” making him just as creepy as we assumed he would be, but…

    Is anyone else concerned about the bullshit commanding way he informed Amber how she could and could not address him? “That’s Dr. Rosenthal to you” is a dick-slinging power play, and I do not like it. Seems like one step from “Sir.”

    1. the_space_walker_deluxe

      Amber did throw shade first, so…

    2. timemonkey

      Look at his face, that’s not a serious expression. That’s the ‘adult speaking to a friend of their child’s’ voice not the ‘you better show me respect or else’ voice.

  45. Vi

    People were talking about Richard’s creepy eyebrows, but I think he might have just been triumphant with how he seems worried about Stacy and willing to do something about it. I dunno, he seems better than Amber’s dad at the very least, so far. (We never know, but I hope so, and am happy for Stacy if she’s gettin’ some in a good mutual respect and communication way.)

    Also, what if they got married and Amber and Joe became stepsiblings? That’d be INCREDIBLE.

    1. Jhon

      ‘Incredible’ as in I refuse to believe in it?

    2. CJ

      Better than Amber’s dad is a pretty low bar to clear.

  46. D.S

    They were somewhat acting like unwilling siblings in the previous strip.

  47. D.S

    Richard in this strip seems more likable than the other dads by comparison here.

    1. drs

      He’s sleazy as opposed to violently abusive, so it’s a big step up!

  48. Roborat

    I don’t think Dr. Dick is being an asshole here, I think he knows what Amber thinks of him, so he is trying to be funny by playing into that.

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