346

Stylized
Posted on August 31, 2014 by David M Willis

346 thoughts on “Stylized”

  1. Jen Aside

    WHY INDEED DANNY

    1. JessWitt

      Why anything, really?

    2. Wereboyscout

      I… Its not like I want you to like me or anything…
      BAKA!!

  2. Camachri

    And then Danny was tsundere.

    1. Cosman246

      Danny? I think it’s Ethan who’s reverting to tsundere at the 4th panel

      1. Shadow12000

        They’re both too tsun-tsun and not enough dere-dere.

        1. Nothri

          Ethan is too tsu. Danny is too durrrr.

        2. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          quit dissing Danny-chan >:/

        3. Dibullba

          When he stops Danning things up, then we can talk =P

        4. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          and by “Danning things up,” I continually see people mean “reacting normally for his character in a really difficult situation.”

          seriously, stop it, it isn’t very funny.

        5. nothri

          When he ceases to display a cringe-worthy level of obliviousness to his surroundings (and I am happy to say he is making some amount of progress in this direction….some) then I will stop. Until then I and others will continue to tell it like it is.

        6. Ally

          Danny? No way. Total dere-dere.

        7. Kryss LaBryn

          Dere-dere, Danny. It’ll be alright. ;-P

        8. Jen Aside

          They should play Tsun or Dere

      2. okay

        hey cosman, long time, no see. i see you’ve kept that icon for… what? five years, now? :p

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      Ethan no BAKA! *hammer time*

      1. nothri

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEbNlzjTQ-M

    3. Keroshino

      It’s not like I wanted you to show me affection or anything…Baka!

      1. Jen Aside

        This feels like the time I got over an inappropriate crush by realizing he used “lol” as punctuation

        1. AgentKeen

          “Going to get dinner lol
          See you tonight lol
          My grandma died lol”

          That’s not annoying at all.

        2. Jen Aside

          Take out the line breaks, and that’s exactly it =p

        3. Tenn

          Well, it’s one less character than “STOP”.

        4. JustCheetoDust

          There isn’t a font based on this idea, is there? (yet)

        5. AgentKeen

          lmfao instead of !
          wut instead of ?

        6. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          omg instead of ?!
          wtf instead of …?

        7. JDavis

          I once dated a girl who, if I didn’t end every text with a smiley :), would assume I was angry or otherwise in a bad mood.

          She was really hard to communicate with over texts.

        8. Jen Aside

          http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115726/period-our-simplest-punctuation-mark-has-become-sign-anger

        9. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          that piece kinda scares me, to be honest. I only ever leave out punctuation marks for effect or when I’m in a rush, and I’d hate for people to take it the wrong way.

        10. ensiform

          That’s weird

        11. Jen Aside

          Then add in proper capitalization, too.

          Maybe?

          See, now I wonder if the sentence above looks angry, ’cause I can’t tell. No objectivity and all.

        12. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          But that’s hard on a phone! It’s an extra movement of the finger and everything!

        13. AgentKeen

          If only there was a way to communicate remotely that carried the intonation in our voices!

          No, wait, I hate talking on the phone, too.

        14. Jen Aside

          Fucking phones!

  3. BigDrahma

    It’s shameless the way they flirt while denying they flirt.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      They’re both hussies. 😛

      1. Shadow12000

        Their lips are nowhere near big enough to be Andrew Hussie.

        1. nothri

          You fool. They are clearly followers of the proto-Protestant martyr Jan Huss executed in the 1415 at the Council of Constance.

          Boom! I defy you to make a reference more goddamn obscure than that, son!

        2. JWLM

          Well, you can easily look at Wycliff as a predecessor of Huss, since his primary heresy, like that of Huss, was the assertion of consubstantion instead of transubstantiation, which led the modern Episcopal Church to allow gluten-free wafers at the Communion real.

        3. Rani

          …he ain’t all that obscure to the hussites let me tell you. He, and the way he was unceremoniously thrown into the next life, won’t be obscure to them for a long time…

        4. JWLM

          Wycliff died of natural causes. He was exhumed and his remains were scattered later on.

        5. JWLM

          And besides, you haven’t spoken to consubstantiation and gluten-free wafers.

        6. ensiform

          No way. I haven’t spoken to consubstantiation and gluten-free wafers since last Christmas. They know what they did. THEY should be the ones who approach me. Then we can talk.

        7. Rani

          I was talking about Hus

    2. Leorale

      Everyone’s gonna figure out that Danny and Ethan have crushes except for themselves. It’s going to be delightful.

      1. Plasma Mongoose

        And then they can share a glass closet for two. 😀

        1. Doctor_Who

          Then Joyce will start pursuing Danny and the DoA universe will reboot into the Walkyverse.

        2. Jarawara

          Will we then get a slipshine of Head Alien making out with Monkey Master?

        3. Leorale

          Monkey Master and Sensitive Scanner OTP

        4. Rani

          Or Joyce will start pursuing Walky and then Dexter and Monkey Master will turn out to have been intercepted propaganda from Head Alien’s interstellar empire at around the same time Head Alien notices the SEMME-less Dumbiverse. Boom.

        5. Volkai

          You mean a phone booth?

          Wait are there still any phone booths at IU? I seem to recall there being one/some in the same room as a large rotating globe in I forget which building.

        6. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          So they share the Tardis?

          I can get behind this.

        7. Arkadi

          Glass snogbox?

        8. Doctor_Who

          That is not approved Tardis behavior! Last time I allowed it, the resulting baby had a time head!

        9. Arkadi

          Born a head of time, yeah.

        10. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          I thought last time you allowed it, your wife was born.

        11. Vic

          and then amber catches them goes realy quite for a moment and then burst out “not again!”

        12. Ally

          “My ex boyfriend is dating my current boyfriend! OH WHAT A WORLD”

    3. derick

      Danny is probably not even aware that he is flirting.

    4. J-Debs

      There would actually appear to be a great deal of shame involved 😛

    5. Nono

      Is that a Calvin and Hobbes reference?

  4. Doctor_Who

    But without Jack Kirby, there would be no Kirby Krackle.

    How would we know when shit’s getting cosmic?

    1. Kiggy

      ^^^THIS^^^

    2. Thrabalen

      Furthermore, where would we get awesome songs like “Ring Capacity”?

    3. Mr. Miracle

      Nevermind the Kirby Krackle (which owes as much to inker Joe Sinnot http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/dynamics/2011/09/05/kirby-crackle/)

      Without Jack Kirby there would be…
      …no Galactus
      …no Silver Surfer
      …no Thing, Fantastic Four, Dr. Doom, Inhumans, X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America (not to forget the great Joe Simon), Incredible Hulk, Thor (least not in the Mighty Marvel Manner), Darkseid, Orion and a whole host of New Gods.
      …none of the dynamism of Kirby’s figures and layouts that have come to define the language of Superhero/Action comics.

      1. MutantSentry

        Red Skull, Eternals, Deviants, Machine Man, OMAC, Kamandi, Avengers, Magneto, Skrulls, Kree…

  5. LiaHansen

    YES BACK TO THE FUNNIES

    1. Cosman246

      I dunno, I wanted to see more Ruth and Billie. Probably because out of all the DoA and Walkyverse characters, I identify with Ruth the most

      1. Itama

        you should probably see a doctor about that… :/

        1. Pink Freud

          And then an exorcist.

        2. begbert2

          If he’s identifying with Wv Ruth being dead, wouldn’t calling an exorcist be just the sort of suicidal behavior they’d be seeing the doctor to prevent?

    2. newllend

      But things was getting good over at- ah forget it.

  6. Rani

    Did Danny just backsass Ethan? And did he just emote something other than shock, longing or surprise? Is Danny *emoting*?

    Jesus fucking Christ he IS bi.

    1. Pat

      Emoting = bi?

      That is a new one to me.

      1. Rani

        Let me explain:

        Ethan appears to be the first person in this entire strip that Danny shares genuine, reactive chemistry with. You must know of somebody that is withdrawn and absent until that one person enters the room and suddenly it turns out they’re just a firecracker waiting to get lit.

        1. Rani

          In fact, on the strength of these past few strips, if we’re talking Kinsey scale here, I’d say Danny is closer to the homosexual end of the spectrum. Something’s always seemed off with the way he’s interacted with the women he’s wanted to get into a relationship with.

        2. Beachfox

          I don’t think this is a case of Danny being more into guys than girls, I think it’s a case of Danny being… Well, Danny. When he’s dealing with girls he likes, he’s over-thinking everything. Am I saying the right thing? Am I doing the right thing? How do I be romantic? How do I flirt? How shall I plan out our future. So on, so forth.

          With Ethan, he’s just this guy. They went out to get comics, they’re talking about comics, there’s no need to over-analyze or subconsciously stress about doing The Perfect Relationship Thing here. Because of course this isn’t a relationship thing. That’d just be silly.

          I’m 99% certain that if Danny was aware of his bi-ness and his attraction to Ethan, he’d be acting just like he does with Dorothy and Amber.

          What he’s doing now is how I imagine he was with Joe back before both their hormones kicked in and made everything weird.

        3. TheOthin

          He’s not unaware, though. At least, not fully. Although he’s denying it, he understood at least what was running through his head when they were on the ground earlier; that’s why he’s been reacting this way in the first place.

        4. Rani

          He’s verbally denying it. But notice: he knows Ethan’s definitely really attractive to him. He caught himself fantasizing about him. If he was really in a closeting mind set, he would have had every opportunity to make some excuse and just walk away. Because that’s what you do when you’re confronted with a part of yourself you really don’t like. And that’s certainly a Danny thing to do.

          So what, I ask you, is he still doing there then?

        5. Camachri

          Catching fleeting but glorious glimpses of Ethan-booty, what else?

        6. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          he’s trying to preserve their friendship, because ethan is more to him than a hunk of a man – he’s also a great friend.

        7. Nogre

          Agreed. The kind of chemistry that would make a good romantic relationship can also make for a pretty good friendship, too. And if you’re not out or know the other person can’t reciprocate, that’s often better than ending things with the person entirely. Because, hey, it’s cool having friends. Not everything has to be romance.

        8. DSL

          I hope I am incorrect in inferring from your comment that being open and dynamic with one other person in particular is necessarily a sign of a sexual relationship. I mean, I can see how it would be a prerequisite, but necessarily a sign?

        9. Rani

          Not sexual, but something about Ethan brings out the light in him.

          His relationships with women, in a way everyone noticed was unhealthy, diminished him.

          He’s not a misogynist; he clearly tries his best to respect them. But this is the most expressive he’s ever been around anyone, even his good old Joe.

        10. Kerry

          danny was pretty damn expressive in this strip, imo…?

        11. AgentKeen

          It’s twue wove.

        12. Zach

          What is this emotion,”wuve”?
          It confuses and angers me!

          From Omicron-perciey 8

        13. Opus the Poet

          You cold at least get the address right, it’s Omicron-Persei VIII.

        14. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          hell yess Futurama references

    2. Plasma Mongoose

      Isn’t backsassing also a sex move?

      1. J-Debs

        I think that was spelled a bit differently. Also, who calls porn sex movies?

        1. Plasma Mongoose

          I said sex MOVE not sex movie.

        2. J-Debs

          oh, duh my bad.

    3. gwalla

      Back dat sass up.

  7. Wack'd

    Meanwhile, in Shortpacked!, relationship drama!

    1. Doctor_Who

      Sydney Yus just wants Galasso-senpai to notice her.

  8. Nono

    Those Danbrows.

  9. Itama

    owww….. i think i’ve got whiplash from this mood shift.
    and yet something seems still seems oddly the same….

    1. LiaHansen

      what do you mean bi that?

      1. Jen Aside

        Jack Kirbi

        1. David M Willis

          boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

        2. David M Willis

          stealing it

        3. Mass Confusion

          I was drinking Dr. Pepper when I read that and it came out of my nose. DAMN YOU WILLIS!

        4. LeslieBean4Shizzle

          And this is why I read the comments.
          The strip was adorable (yay bi Danny) – but this comment made me laugh like a fool. ^^

  10. Kerry

    daMMIT ALL

    1. Kerry

      things I’m wondering about: how the hell danny played off the “I’m not gay” comment without it getting HELLA awkward

      1. Belegcam

        Probably because Ethan was just as willing as Danny was to move on and forget about it.

      2. John

        There’s a certain base level of hella awkward you’ve just got to accept and compensate for when dealing with Danny.

  11. Wack'd

    Also, this is like three days late.

  12. LiaHansen

    Y’know, since Danny started being okay, I’ve started giving him Dipper’s voice from Gravity Falls. I think it works.

    1. Keroshino

      If Danny is Dipper….Who is Mabel?

      1. Sam

        Danny doesn’t have a Mabel. He drove them away.

        But it could also be applicable to Walky as then Joyce could be Mabel.

        1. Sir Robin

          To me, Joyce sounds like Pinkie Pie

        2. Sam

          Mabel is suitable to me if you apply voice by personality – cheerful, firmly sticks to beliefs, annoys the Dipper character yet they still somehow get along etc.

        3. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          I think Girly Tedd from the recent El Goonish Shive strips sounds like Pinkie Pie. Meanwhile, Ashley is Fluttershy.

          But the real question is, who does Ethan sound like? I imagine he sounds like Danny from Bravest Warriors for some reason.

        4. Plasma Mongoose

          I would choose Twilight Sparkle’s voice when it comes to girl-type Tedd since she’s the nearest the show has to a sciencist.

        5. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          No, I mean the Ultra girly tedd, the one with pink hearts on her skirt and pigtails.

        6. Sir Robin

          To me, Dorothy sounds like Twilight Sparkle … and Amber like Sari Sumdac

      2. Mattyos

        last I checked…this was mabel

        http://media.joe.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/king-of-the-ring.jpg

      3. SonicBlueRanger

        It all depends on who sounds best with Kirsten Schalls voice. So you know basically anyone.

    2. JustCheetoDust

      I give him Andre Braugher’s voice because I’m being fatuous.

      1. LiaHansen

        and of course Joyce is Patrick Warburton

        1. AgentKeen

          The real reason Ethan wants to date her.

        2. JustCheetoDust

          That would’ve been great for her struggles with cursing.

        3. Lieutenant Dan

          Patrick Warburton would be a great Galasso.

    3. Sir Robin

      Seconded, up until now all DoA voices have been coming from Futurama or MLP but Gravity Falls can work too. Who sounds like Mabel?

      1. Sir Robin

        Dina sounds like Fluttershy, don’t even debate this

        1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          no, she has Applejack’s voice actress, for realz. Sarah sounds like Wendy from Gravity Falls, though.

        2. Keroshino

          Nope! Sal is voiced by Applejack…get it right!!!

        3. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          but then who is Rarity, and who is Rainbow Dash?

          Because Dotty is definitely Twilight.

        4. Plasma Mongoose

          Roz or Sarah as Rarity cos WHY NOT! ^_^

        5. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          And Amber is Rainbow Dash, because athleticism.

        6. Sir Robin

          Dorothy is Twilight Sparkle, I agree, and Amber is Sari Sumdac. Billie sounds like Rainbow Dash

          No one sounds liek Rarity, she’s best pony and will NOT be imitated

        7. Jen Aside

          Dina: HEY HEY HEY STAY OUT OF MY SHED

          hmmm, no

      2. Sir Robin

        I take it back, Danny sounds like Nitz from Undergrands. I can’t unhear it

  13. Katie

    THE DANNY DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH.

    1. JessWitt

      Great idea, DoA cast in Shakespearean garb.

      1. JustCheetoDust

        Maybe two of those characters in said garb asking each other questions.

      2. Ntrovert60

        Or Tom Stoppard. “Ethankrantz and Dannystern Are Dead”

  14. Wonder Wig

    The straightness quivers

    1. Thanks, I'll Have Another!

      In more ways than one!

      1. JessWitt

        As does the audience.

  15. newllend

    That came out of no where this time.

  16. Boomwolf

    So the awkwardness is still lingering I see…

  17. Leorale

    Yay, more Danny!!

    ….wait, when did this happen?!

    1. newllend

      Its long story I think everyone else encouraged.

  18. Rani

    Also, of all the ways the Joyce/Ethan bubble could have gotten burst, this is actually the best.

    1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      but they don’t realise that they’re totally into each other yet, it might take a while to pop the bubble of sexual repression.

  19. Kernanator

    Sh-Shut up, it’s… yeah yeah, we know the drill by now.

  20. Emperor Kiva

    Aaaaaand we’re back to these two.

  21. Sam

    Pff, yeah, what kind of person doesn’t draw nostrils and fingernails?

    …Wait a minute…lack of fingernails, lack of nostrils…THAT’S THE WAY WALKY’S ART TEACHER FORCED HIM TO DRAW. I’VE CRACKED THE MYSTERY, HE DREW ROBO-VAC.

    1. Jen Aside

      nah, that was for drawing lips

      and earlobes, maybe

  22. JessWitt

    Flirtations abound and I’m all the more happier for them.

  23. Glacirus

    From one same-sex ship fuel to another!

    1. Catullus

      I would argue that Billie/Ruth has gone beyond just fuel by this point…

      1. Rosicrucian

        I would argue that Billie/Ruth needs to have the fire department called.

        1. Jackson

          And fast.

        2. John

          Been there, done that, puked on the T-shirt.

    2. timemonkey

      From the least emotionally healthy development to possibly the best.

  24. Dani Kelley

    Ethan is kinda hot in that last frame. Ya know. Just sayin’.

    1. Leorale

      He’s a tall chunk of well-chinned dude.

    2. JessWitt

      The second-to-last frame is lovely, too.

    3. Koms

      Which is why even Joyce wants to go town on him..whatever that means

  25. Lonas

    I see Danny finally has someone he can exchange witty banter with,he feels attracted to,and makes him feel liked. Now how can we help ease him into being comfortable with the attraction part? Roz?

    1. Dr. Zeus

      As well intentioned as she may be I don’t think Roz would help.

      1. Lonas

        I wonder if the same result would happen with Joe. Dorothy will probably mention not being surprised if she finds out about this.

        1. Rani

          You know that cliche about an ex feeling really insecure because his/her ex discovered his/her sexual orientation after their relationship ended…?

          …yeah…

        2. Lonas

          Rani….I think I heard that name somewhere….Doctor Who maybe? And didn’t that cliche technically happen to shortpacked Amber?

        3. TJ Baltimore

          “Rani” (रानी) is Hindi for “queen”.

        4. Kerry

          rani (רָנִי) also means “my joy” or “my song” in hebrew

        5. Lonas

          Considering Rani’s gravitar, the hebrew translation works. Hindi works, but in a number of other ways.

        6. Rani

          You’re all right, but you’ve all missed the one translation that applies.

          It’s my actual name. It’s Arabic for “Vigilant”. And in case you’re wondering, I have run into hilarious situations due to the fact that at least a sixth of the world’s population understands my first name to be traditionally a feminine one.

          And I HAVE been vigilant for the reappearance of The Rani in Doctor Who. My family motto might as well be “Every female character in Doctor Who is The Rani until she isn’t.”

        7. Lonas

          Hooray for learning! Also, my theories/hopes for that Missy lady in recent episodes are The Rani,the eternal known as Death, or The Master. Super hoping for The Rani or Death though after learning more about them and how it could work after the 50th anniversary stuff.

        8. Rani

          Missy’s probably as high probability as it’s ever gotten. But between her name being a possible abbreviation of Mistress, and Moffat chomping at the bit to do a sequence like the one where Doctor Ten connected the dots and realized YANA meant “You Are Not Alone”, all signs are pointing to The Master. Who apparently beat The Doctor to a female regeneration. (Now what does that say about Moffat’s opinion of female Doctors?)

        9. Dr. Zeus

          … You know I could really see Danny going to Joe about how he is confused only for him to say that he “should hit that ’cause he’s an 9 and you’re a 7” or something. I, oddly enough, could see him being a good influence on Danny accepting this part or himself.

        10. fogel

          Joe has certainly been upset about Danny not getting any even when it was right there…

  26. Opus the Poet

    Age does not make things good, good things last longer.

    1. LiaHansen

      Not necessarily.

      1. Kamino Neko

        Once again, case in point: Kirby. >_>

  27. Cattleprod

    I eagerly await the Kirby fans who will complain about Danny’s position. And the Kirby detractors who will be equally angry at Ethan, both sides firmly convinced Willis is arguing against them, personally.

    1. Aubri

      Man, I was going to say something, but you’ve made me not want to anymore.

  28. Keroshino

    My Little Danny Can’t Be This Cute!

    1. Leorale

      My Little Danny, Boyfriend-Ship Is Magic

    2. Kerry

      do not sully this ship with references to siscon anime/manga

      1. Lonas

        Siscon?

        1. chisci

          like lolicon but instead of little girls with sisters I guess?

        2. Kerry

          abbreviated form of “sister complex”
          it’s a thing
          a creepy thing

        3. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          an unfortunately common thing in the darker parts of Japanese media

  29. newllend

    I think there’s a large portion of fans in comment section that will ship anything.

    1. timemonkey

      I find it weird you make this comment in a strip where shipping is very much being encouraged. Hell Danny being bisexual specifically so Ethan could be shipped with him.

  30. Dr. Zeus

    Well, I guess Dan isn’t a wine snob.

  31. William Donohue

    And what’s up with the Robo-Vac guy drawing ears with 5’s in them? SOME KIND OF CODE?!

  32. T Campbell

    I’m mildly surprised to see these two hangin’ out and being snarky-flirty so soon after that awkward “I’M NOT ATTRACTED TO DUDES, WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO ONE SAID I WAS, SHUT UP” bit. If not for things David’s leaked elsewhere, I would’ve expected Danny to retreat to his dorm room for a little while (Joe’s company is nothing if not heterosexual).

    The fact that he’s still around, even if still in denial, is probably a sign of just how into Ethan he is right now. Which is partly cute genuine attraction and partly his almost OCD serial monogamy, but that’s the whole Danny package.

    1. Kerry

      /dies of cute

  33. AgentKeen

    Quick, everybody stop shipping it or we’ll get a repeat of yesterday!

    1. Ryune

      Man-on-man kissing? Yes please.

      1. AgentKeen

        I meant man-on-man kissing in the most f’ed up way that makes it hard to watch.

        1. Lonas

          So one man standing on another man’s shoulders while kissing a different man on a different other man’s shoulders?

        2. LiaHansen

          there is a certain website I am known to frequent with a border quite similar to that which you describe, and I assure you it is quite lovely.

        3. Zach

          Link please!

        4. JustCheetoDust

          …the Aristocrats! (rated PG version)

        5. J-Debs

          Hard to watch not hard to do.

      2. Kerry

        psh, of course danny would want some man-on-man kissing

    2. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      But these two started out as friends, they’ll be fine.

      ^Famous Last Words 😛

      1. AgentKeen

        Instead of alcohol, they have Amber.

    3. timemonkey

      But neither of them are depressed, self-destructive alcoholics. The only way they could approach that level of fucked up would eb to have a threesome with Blaine.

      1. AgentKeen

        Don’t challenge Willis.

        1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          Don’t ever challenge Willis. This is Rule 0 of Willis comics.

  34. Ryune

    Guh, stop being so adorable guys.

  35. Lea

    Now kiss.

  36. jose231ful

    Its not that I want you to like me or anything baka!

  37. Beachfox

    Danny and Sarah need to get together and have coffee while comparing notes on denying your attraction to someone while you blush and look at their butt.

    Their love interests are roommates, after all.

    1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      Actually, all three of them should get together and squee about how cute Jacob’s butt is. They can be Jacob groupies!

      1. Kerry

        /is now wondering what kinds of guys danny is attracted to

        1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          nerdy guys?

        2. Kerry

          walky…?

        3. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          nerdy, muscular guys?

          I’m not sure Danny likes caramel. Besides, Walky would probably annoy Danny a lot.

        4. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          Thinking on it and looking at the art, I’m not actually sure if Ethan is muscular or just broad-shouldered and tall.

        5. Kerry

          I would hope danny wouldn’t be racist…?
          also, if he’s into beefier dudes, I’m pretty sure he’d be into jacob
          (how can you not be into jacob, tbh)

        6. timemonkey

          I’ve never understood Jacob’s appeal to be honest.

        7. JWLM

          To hazard a guess, Danny seems to be more panromantic than panerotic — he has to develop a romantic relationship with someone before he can really develop an erotic relationship with him or her. There’s no romantic chemistry between him and Jacob, and so there’s no erotic chemistry between them.

          (Remember that Danny and Amber/Amazi-girl had the same kind of thing. Amazi-girl shared many of Danny’s interests, and they developed a friendship before things started to get physical.)

        8. timemonkey

          Danny was into Amazi-Girl before he found out anything about her.

        9. Kerry

          @timemonkey: I didn’t understand jacob’s appeal until I saw him in glasses and suspenders
          @jwlm: I think you mean demisexual? and idk, I doubt it, since willis has outright stated danny’s bi
          danny obviously finds people attractive before he develops feelings for them – just look at billie

        10. JWLM

          Sweet, kind, supportive nerdy guys who share his interests?

        11. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          ^This.

  38. jose231ful

    darn it someone beat me to it ;-;

  39. Rosicrucian

    Prediction: Joyce will ask Ethan how his day went, he’ll gush about Danny, and she’ll overreact that Ethan is catching the gays again.

    And then she will Sink. This. Ship. But not before setting it on fire.

    1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      Stop injecting reality into our ship, you might sink it prematurely!

      1. Rosicrucian

        Unless Willis really wants to spite us, they’re already both in counseling at the point he’s writing from.

    2. timemonkey

      It’s funny you think Joyce has enough influence over Ethan to sink a ship. She’s his beard, he’s using her to fool others and her naivite to fool himself. It’s doomed to failure and the fun is watching them not realise they’re already on fire and spinning out of control towards the earth.

  40. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

    Happy not-death day, Opus the Poet! May you continue to be an unkillable badass.

    1. Opus the Poet

      Thank you, so far my Death Day has been super badass, less than an hour away from the confetti shower.

      1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

        I’m totally using today as an excuse to have a Crunch Bar covered Drumstick icecream. 😀

        1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

          aaaaaaand that sounded like product placement even though I didn’t mean for it to. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!

    2. Leorale

      Oh man, that’s right! Happy Death Day, you unstoppable biking machine.

      1. Opus the Poet

        Thank You!

  41. SaveTheKakapo

    Everyone’s bi-curiouuuus~
    Everything is cool when you play on both teams~

    1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      except when it’s not because of biphobiaaaaa~

      oh wait is that too sad for a version of “Everything is awesome”?

    2. gwalla

      Speaking of which, I imagine whenever a shipper gets canon confirmation their reaction is something like this.

  42. Lonas

    So is Danny gonna pull a J.D. or actually come to grips with being bi? Maybe I’m reading far too much into J.D.?

  43. Black Bumblebee

    Odd… If you told me last month that I’d want Danny and Ethan to be in a relationship, I’d have laughed… yet, they seem to really work well off of each other.

  44. Khaner

    Dan continues to Dan things up. Even his own bisexuality is Dannable.

  45. epershannd

    “‘It’s just stylized’ is often an excuse for awkward art” –God, I’ve wanted to say this to so many people during art school critique…

    1. Heavensrun

      Art is inherently subjective. The best criteria I can come up with to refer to whether something is “bad” or “stylized” is whether the author made informed decisions when drawing or if they just don’t care or know about anatomy, but that is often impossible to tell. How an artist responds to criticism will usually, in my experience, tell you more about their worth as an artist, but even that still comes down to my personal ideas of what a good artist is or isn’t. Speaking in objective terms like Ethan is always strikes me as a bit pompous. It is okay, you know, to say “I don’t like the look of it” without trying to argue that there’s some objective flaw there.

      1. Opus the Poet

        Exactly, I’m reminded of the Agatha Christie novel where a major character said there was a difference between artists that won’t draw, and “artists” who can’t draw.

      2. epershannd

        i get what you’re saying, and i do respect that everyone has different styles. but i know a lot of classmates who use “style” to excuse their poor technique and/or laziness. they’re super stubborn about valid critiques from the professor and other peers about the way they draw, and the same excuse keeps getting said: “i just like to draw this way” or “this is just my style”. like you said, informed decisions are important. i know it’s okay to just not be into a certain artist’s style–it can be subjective, so when that happens i just leave my feelings out of it and critique objectively. it’s just that the certain people i was thinking about in my original comment aren’t making informed decisions, or paying a whit of attention to anatomy, or are otherwise just drawing thoughtlessly and passing it off as style.

  46. J-Debs

    As a straight guy who likes straight people doing straight things, I ship it.

  47. highvoltage988

    Dissing Jack Kirby? Danny can go fuck himself.

    1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      Bu-but(t), he wants Ethan-senpai~

      1. Usayasha

        When he apologizes for what he said about Jack Kirby, Ethan might fuck him. But until then, he’ll have to go fuck himself.

  48. Idon'tcarenomore

    Ethan knows damn well he himself is gay.
    Danny crossed his legs to hide the physical proof of his feelings after Ethan tackled him and he then had his little fantasy day dream.

    Yeah right. Nothing to see here guys, move along. Just a closet gay and an oblivious guy rolling in the grass.

    1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      You sound… angry regarding this ship.

    2. spw44

      More like closet bisexual… We do exist, you know. People don’t have to be exclusively gay or straight.

      1. Leorale

        Original poster said closet GAY and oblivious GUY, referring to Ethan and Danny, respectively.

  49. TheOthin

    Did… did Danny just pass the Reverse Bechdel Test?

    1. LiaHansen

      hmm. Does it count when they’re also flirting?

      1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

        Probably not, I mean, DoA Danny is pretty much unable to pass the Reverse Bechdel Test.

      2. Heavensrun

        It does if they’re not flirting with girls.

      3. TheOthin

        Lesbians flirting passes the standard Bechdel Test, so I’m gonna say yes.

      4. John

        I think the point of the “not talking about a dude” clause of the Bechdel Test is that the focus is on the ladies, not that it’s not a romantic focus, so I’d say they passed.

        Though it’s an interesting point: If guys get to star in action movies and dramas and romances and comedies and so on, and ladies only get to star in romances, is that less sexist if some of their romances are with other ladies?

        1. Usayasha

          Technically, being in a romance isn’t sexist, but the trend of ladies being in romances is. So a lesbian romance isn’t sexist, but if ladies don’t show up in any other genres, sexism will still exist. The fault is on the other genres for not including ladies, not the romances for being the only ones to include them.

  50. Ben

    I can almost hear Danny calling him a Baka.

  51. Idon'tcarenomore

    Not that I don’t think they’d be great together. They really seem to be drawn to each other.
    Ethan needs a friend and so does Danny. Looks like they may be that.

    The way they were flirting and rolling in the grass: yeah they are cute. Just stop bs and go for it.

  52. Tom Speelman

    Bonding through arguing over comic books: now THAT is love!

  53. chouji

    cant wait for the confused rants in his own head while staring at the ceiling

  54. thatindianguy

    Hmmmm it’s been a while since it happened but I still don’t know if I like this development. I have zero problem with Danny being bi but I was really hoping for a solid friendship between these two. Plus it kind of changes Danny’s place in the story and I liked him where he was.

    1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      being a sort-of enabler for Amber?

      1. thatindianguy

        No I meant as a sort of straight man for the rest of the crowd bouncing from story to story. I feel like he provided a nice contrast because unlike them he does not have a lot of internal issues. Be sided Amber has Dorothy to be her enabler now.

        1. Kerry

          lol “straight man”

        2. thatindianguy

          I walked right into that one.

        3. Lonas

          I was wondering how long this set of comments would happen.

        4. timemonkey

          He’ll probably keep his role as straight man. He’ll likely react to his newfound bisexuality the same way he reacts to everything. Remember, he still has a girlfriend, for now at least, so while this is a bit of a surprise for him it’s not something he’s currently looking to pursue.

        5. thatindianguy

          Yeah but I doubt that Willis is going to let sleeping dogs lie on this one. Also I think he might be breaking up with Amber.

        6. timemonkey

          WE can only hope.

  55. Nothri

    Ohh look someone doesn’t like Danny! How original!

    1. Clif

      Hey, I personally liked Danny jist fine until I just learned he dousn’t appreciate the greatest comic artist ever.

  56. TemplarKnight

    Who knew a storyline named The Whiteboard Dingdong Bandit would be this gay?

    1. Kerry

      you mean this bi?
      (and slightly gay on ethan’s part, but mostly bi)

      1. JWLM

        Nah — Amber was merely Ethan’s first beard. Somewhere, there’s canon about Amber and Ethan in bed after the prom in a strip entitled “Bad times to realize you’re gay”. (It shows Leslie in bed with Leo and saying ‘Hey, is your sister still single,’ and Ethan in bed with Amber, and…somebody on the phone with his mother and one other.) Joyce is Amber v. 2.

        1. timemonkey

          I think they were saying the story was mostly bi on account of the multiple bisexual characters getting focussed on (Danny, Billie, Ruth) and a little gay on account of the one gay character (Ethan).

        2. Kerry

          timemonkey got it V:

        3. Gigafreak

          I think you’ve got that mixed up with this Shorpacked page.

        4. JWLM

          You’re right, I did. The scene with Ethan and Amber is in one of her flashbacks.

  57. Dubstowel

    Another Slipshine perhaps?

  58. acher4

    Great smiles on the last panels.
    Sth nice after that train wreckage from yesterday :(.

  59. Yarrr

    He’s got a point though.

  60. Kerry

    /tries to erase the memory of devastating billie/ruth awfulness by repeatedly reading this strip

    1. Leorale

      I’m right there with you, Kerry.

  61. motorfirebox

    Aw yiss, it’s about to get Slipshine up in here

    That’s my new new favorite euphemism for sex. “Hey baby wanna go make a Slipshine?”

  62. beege

    Between the last few strips of Ruth/Billie and now Danny’s burgeoning sexual identity crisis I’m beginning to suspect that someone pulled the drama tag in DoA too.

    1. Crumplepunch

      Did DoE ever have the drama tag left in? Pretty sure it was pulled in the first week of story time.

      1. Blackbird

        It seems to have been pulled between panels 3 and 4 of the first strip:

        http://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/01-move-in-day/home/

    2. hubble

      maybe there is only one large universal drama tag with immediate effect in every single comic universe there is?

  63. Sean

    Oh god, it will take them FOREVER to realize it AND do something about it, right? *sigh* ^^;;

  64. Darkflame

    I hate it most when people use style to excuse impossible twisted (normally female) bodys.
    The excuse would be more believable if it wasn’t selectively stylized in that way and at least attempts to be realistic elsewhere. [/rant]

    1. John

      But… but… you can see her boobs and her butt [i]at the same time[/i]. The same time! Isn’t that worth any artistic sacrifice?!

      1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

        Not when your spine hurts just by looking at the poses.

        1. begbert2

          Yeah, at some point in my late twenties a switch flipped in my brain and I started saying “ouch, my back” to grotesque twists, superheavy breasts, organless waists, all that.

          It was a sad day; my experience appreciating media got substantially less sexy after that.

  65. MrSirk

    You’ve countered my criticism with a legitimate criticism of your own that makes me reanalyze everthing I’ve thought about it up till now. I didn’t realize I was talking to Mike.

  66. Reece crump

    Poor Amber… Don’t get me wrong I ship to the end of time but… Poor Amber.

  67. Mr. Morningstar

    B-baka Ethen… it’s not like I like you or anything….

  68. Jake

    Can someone explain Ethan’s reaction to Danny’s “better with age” comment? Was it a reference to something Ethan said earlier? Was it something to do with Jack Kirby? What about it needed a pause for Ethan to work out what Danny was saying?

    1. Blackbird

      Pretty sure it was just a simple, lighthearted “dammit, I don’t have a response to that” sort of response. The pause was just when Ethan was trying to come up with a comeback.

    2. DSL

      You have to take the facial expression into account as much as the words. Without the grin, it’s a declaration of dislike. With the grin, it’s sarcastic messin-with-ya. Possibly even banter-between-friends.
      Danny’s response, of course, is another can o’worms.

  69. Yu'Karaya

    My ships are sailing and they won’t stop!

    1. Lonas

      Somewhere, beyond the sea,

      Somewhere, waiting for me,

      My shipping lands on golden sands!

      1. Lonas

        Unless you want a song inviting people to your ships.

        Come sail away with me
        Come sail away, come sail away
        Come sail away with me

        1. Doom Shepherd

          Let me sail, let me sail,
          let the orinoco flow,
          Let me reach, let me beach
          On the shores of Tripoli.

  70. Lonas

    Does Ethan actually suspect Danny’s mini-revelation of being bi/gay?(either/or speaking from Ethan’s perspective) I am either reading too much or too little in these EthanD comics. Also,I never hated Danny and didn’t realize that a lot of people actually did until I first found out about Danning it up.

    1. timemonkey

      Ethan’s likely so blinded by his own surpressed gayness he couldn’t see Danny’s revelation if it was cockslapping him in the face.

      1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

        This is the best sentence.

      2. clodia

        I could not have said it better myself.

    2. neeks

      I think Ethan is too busy repressing and denying his own interests to even consider the possibility of other guys being interested in him. Or he could wave off hints of mutual interest as wishful thinking on his part.

      1. Kerry

        I mean, last time he thought somebody else was gay, they turned out to be a trans woman, so…

  71. Jimbob

    >ctrl+f “baka”
    >only 5 results

    I’m disappointed

    1. Opus the Poet

      Not everybody is in to anime rom-coms You just have to learn to accept that…

      1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

        but everyone should be.

    2. Jen Aside

      bakabakabakabakabakabakabakabakabakabakabakabakabakabakabakabaka

      which becomes silly after a while because it’s basically saying “horse deer”

  72. Aolbain

    Oh thank God. I don’t think I could handle another day of Ruth/Billie (Buth? Rillie?) messiness.

    1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      we decided upthread that Billie/Ruth is known as Worthless.

      So we have Dorky and Worthless.

      1. Aolbain

        Oh, fitting.

      2. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

        Ooops, this was in yesterday’s strip’s comments, not today’s.

  73. Regalli

    God, stop being cute you two.

    Where’s Lucy and her powers of “now kiss!”ing when you need her?

    (Yeah, yeah, Danny needs to sort out things with Amber first, and come to terms with his own bisexuality, and they both need to realize the other’s romantically interested… But that last one could be easily dealt with via now kiss magic.)

  74. SonicBlueRanger

    There is good Stylized art though. I’m a huge fan of Tracy Yardley of Sonic The Hedgehog fame.

    1. StClair

      Ken Steacy. Bruce Timm.
      in game illustration (mostly), David Deitrick.

  75. Deg

    This whole webcomic is just one big cock tease, isn’t it?

  76. bertha

    And so Ethan/Danny/Amber became an item….

  77. Nena

    Ah, the late teens early twenties. Such a confusing time.

  78. Chengrel

    The sexual tension here is palpable.

  79. Commander Clash

    Jack “King” Kirby and Stan “The Man” Lee are the heart and soul of Marvel Comics. And The Man is about the only thing that is keeping Disney from totally bastardizing in IMO. It will be a sad, SAD day for comics when The Man leaves us for the Great Comic-Com in the Sky.

    1. gwalla

      Other than obligatory cameos in the Marvel movies, Stan Lee doesn’t actually have much to do with Marvel anymore.

      Not sure what you mean by Disney totally bastardizing it. The comics have been pretty good lately, and the movies have been rocking.

  80. begbert2

    I can’t handle Danny’s smart guy/flirting eyes; they’re creeping me out.

    1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      Yeah, well, that’s just like, your opinion, man.

  81. Jacob Newburn

    I was holding back on telling you guys this because
    1: I didn’t want to seem like a douche
    and 2: I wanted to wait until this was at least a few hours old before I posted anything about this here.
    Anyways, I dubbed the first chapter of Dumbing of Age and thought you guys might like to see it. It’s got a lot of talented people behind it and if you guys would take the time to watch it, that would be great! Thanks :).
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFoC2zoQq7A

    1. Gadgeteer Smashwidget

      OMG I love it ^_^

  82. Nogre

    This ship came out of nowhere, and I’m loving it. However, I’m in the middle of an archive binge and I have to admit that this chemistry did exist on occasion with Amber, too. I’d forgotten that. It still seems stronger here between these two, though. Also, this is the first time I had a M/M ship in this strip that I could really get into, and I’m really hoping it’ll survive somehow. A Slipshine would be great, too!

    1. John

      Nowhere? They’ve both been talking about how attractive they think the other is since the first time they laid eyes on each other.

  83. Stranger

    Hey, rather Kirbys art style than Stan Lee’s bizarre writing.

  84. Grace

    Um Danny, your bi is showing.

  85. Voiddragon13

    *crossing fingers* I am wishing that this ship into reality. Please let this ship be reality. It is just so cute of a ship!

  86. S'toon

    How will Amber/Amazigirl react when her boyfriend leaves her for her ex-boyfriend?

    1. timemonkey

      “Gee, I probably shouldn’t have lied and manipulated him”

      But Amber’s likely the one who will end things, Danny’s a clinger.

    2. Orangey

      i know right, one part of me really loves danny and ethan together because damn they are adorable, but then i remember that amber has been dumped once because of ethan’s preference for boys and man if she has to go through that with danny and for him to go and get with her ex-boyfriend i think that would just tip her over the
      edge and she has been through enough already

      but dang they are so adorable together. so adorable.

  87. Jade

    I never thought I would go “aww” over a squiggly text balloon tail, but there you go; perfect way of expressing a faltering/embarrassed voice (≧ω≦). Seaworthy or not, I want this ship to sail, even if it ends in a viking funeral 😀

  88. Lord Geovanni

    Don’t worry Willis we don’t think your art style is bad.

  89. Timni

    Awwww look at that little BI. So cute!

  90. CleverCrumbish

    A computer science undergrad awkwardly discovering his own bisexuality in college while making foolish mistakes and trying to be a good person? Why would I identify strongly with Danny that is a ludicrous idea.

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