107

Lust
Posted on February 7, 2011 by David M Willis

107 thoughts on “Lust”

  1. Jen Aside

    Woo Animaniacs reference!

    maybe

    1. Mud

      /me doesn’t get it

  2. Scott

    I can’t believe I never thought of coming up with a list of questions before hand. Would have saved me a lot of awkward silence…

    1. Azumango

      How much does a polar bear weigh?

      1. Vabolo

        Because your ass is outta this world?

  3. cappadocius

    Mike, she only said one lust. Easy there, yellow bear.

  4. Coppermouth

    Second panel Mike is punching me…in the soul.

    1. David Herbert

      It’s like his stare is fucking my mom for a nickel as we speak…

    2. StevenXC

      I did not see that the first time. Catching it the second time was creepy.

      1. W31RD0

        When you see it, you’ll shit brix.

        1. Mirenheart

          I saw it, and I shit a brix wall

      2. Church

        OMG Mike why

    3. arjay2813

      i heard the jaws theme when i saw that panel

    4. Aisling

      LOL I totally didnt see him the first time I looked. xD

  5. John Biles

    Faster Mike, KILL KILL!!!!!

    You can tell she doesn’t date much. Even I am not that clumsy.

    1. Seraph

      It’s entirely possible she’s never been on a date in her life. There are real-world fundamentalist Christian groups that are just that grim and joyless. Of course, if her parents belonged to such a group, they’d probably be encouraging her to marry a boy from her church and start a family, rather than sending her off to college to earn her MRS, so it’s kind of a toss-up. Whatever the reason, it certainly isn’t shyness.

      1. boomchuckpixyniki

        There are some of us, even who are not fundamentalists, who haven’t dated just because no one non-creepy has asked us out and our crushes have gone nowhere. Oh, and I’m 28. Christian, yes, fundy, no. Admittedly, I have been on two dates, once as a college freshman, and once this year, but that’s about it. And it’s nothing to do with grimness or joylessness.

        Just… you know, sayin’.

  6. Steven

    She was just about to list all seven of the Homunculi– err.. I mean Deadly Sins!

    1. Cassidy

      thank you. now im not the only one who thought that first.

      1. TemplarKnight

        Oh yes the humonculous of jealousy, he was a tough bastard to take down especially with that one power he had.

        . . . Wait, what?

        1. Amarula

          I do believe Jealousy’s original name was known as Envy.

          Well that’s what was said in the film ‘Seven’ anyway…

        2. John Q. Public

          Envy could shapeshift.

    2. Daibhid C

      The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man.

      SHAZAM!

      1. Strephon

        That had Intolerance in place of Lust, though (classic version, anyway).

    3. Cheredarenee

      YES!!!

  7. sun tzu

    Adorable as this Joyce may be, I look forward to seeing her crash and burn.

    1. goatman95111

      I concur. It’s just painful watching her think she can brainwash people into a relationship where it’s a threesome with Jesus.

      1. sun tzu

        It’s not just the Jesus thing. Her approach to romance, her approach to the people around her…She needs to get smacked down by reality, hard.
        …And yet, she’s still better adjusted than Rommis!Joyce.

      2. dchorror

        I know it’s wrong, but I got a good giggle out of the thought of a threesome with Jesus.

        1. Pagannerd

          Don’t feel bad. Jesus got a good giggle out of it too.

      3. friartuck

        Oddly enough in retrospect, I had a (very shortlived) relationship just like that in high school, and actually enjoyed answering questions like this. It probably helps that I was mildly uncomfortable about her age and had no interest whatsoever in joeing her.

  8. TheSoundDefense

    This date is starting to approach terminal velocity.

    1. Soundbucket

      Terminal velocity is the BEST velocity.

  9. Dierna

    Down Mikey down! Heel!

  10. Joebo

    2nd panel Mike is my favorite thing ever.

    1. Joebo

      So much so that it is now my new gravatar for the time being.

      1. NF

        Awesome. On first impression everything is all good and smiley — and then there are Mike’s Eyes of Doom!!!

        1. NF

          Dooooooooom!!!!!

  11. Ragnal

    Second Panel Mike is watching you lust.

    1. ADHadh

      And that is awesome.

  12. ScytheAkse

    GO JOE!! (did anyone else just have a childhood flashback?)

  13. Tristan J

    I’d like to take this moment to say that I really like Dumbing of Age, and strips like this are why.

    /fanboy

    1. Azumango

      /seconded

      1. Jackson

        /thirded

        Mike has powers.

  14. Black_Fedora

    Second panel I hear a Remix of the Jaws theme playing in my head for strange reason….must admit though, mike in panel two does give me the chills.

  15. Wackd

    I have to say, I gave Mike more credit than this. Punching your employer in the face, regardless of prior arrangements, isn’t a smart way to stay employed. Even if he’s not doing it for the money, it’s clear he only punches people when paid to, so by giving up his employment he’d also be forgoing potential future punching opportunities.

    Having said that…forget peeking Mike, Joe’s eyebrows in panel two give me the jibblies. I feel dirty just looking at him.

    1. Jackson

      He also earned himself +1 Worst Chaperone Ever Points.

      (I don’t know how much actually punching the person you’re chaperoning is worth, but it’s certainly more than +1 Worst Chaperone Ever Points.)

    2. Iasthai

      Mike’s payment is he gets to punch people in the face; it’s its own reward. Fear the day he figures out the power of punching people in the face was always his, and decides he doesn’t need an employer…

    3. TemplarKnight

      Hrmm I disagree. He was hired to prevent hanky panky and make sure everything stays above the table. Therefore preventing even HER from crossing the line. So if he has to punch her to prevent her from losing control then it is fully within his job description to do so and with as little hesitation as possible.

      1. Mally

        Mike is an equal opportunity puncher. Of FAAAAAAACE.

    4. dchorror

      Joyce hired him to keep the date pure. I suspect she did so out of fear that she would be the one to initiate something just as much as Joe might.

  16. wynne

    I didn’t even notice Soul Piercing Mike in the second panel until everyone else pointed him out. Those eyes will haunt my dreams.

    In the meantime though, I’m proud of Joe for acting like a gentleman and preventing the chaperone from punching out his date.

    1. wynne

      Ahh! New avatar!

      1. ScytheAkse

        me 2!!!! i again have no idea who i am…

        1. Black Bumblebee

          You’re the head alien! Congrats!

  17. Zap

    Joe has more restraint than I would in that situation. I’d either start making lewd Jesus jokes or just let Mike punch her.

  18. DrDVD

    I can see it now, joe says date’s over, disperse, he runs into her passion + bad choices = chaos.

  19. Ryune

    Galasso really should have sat Mike in the booth behind Joyce. Soulgaze Mike likely doesn’t have an effect on her Sunny rays of Sunny Sunnyness.

  20. OhNoUDiNt

    I see where this is going now. Conquest will appear and “out-sex” Joe on campus. With his penis. Mike and Sal will have a ruthless competition, which will break Joyce and cause her to become the new bad girl. Ruth and Billie will end up in some hot angry girl-on-girl action, Ethan will discover that Amazi-girl is Ninja Rick (or Faz) and other black-hole-consuming-the-universe hilarity. Whee!

    1. friartuck

      My god… It’s full of foils.

  21. NF

    Believe it or not, this is not the first universe where Mike has had a hankering to punch Joyce: http://www.itswalky.com/d/20001116.html

    1. NF

      Sal avatar! Hell yeah!

    2. dchorror

      In what universe does Mike not want to punch someone…probably in the soul, if not physically?

    3. Gianni

      Mike at his absolute most vicious. Love it!

  22. numaron

    Does anyone else (not so secretly) want to see Joe and Mike fight?

  23. Pingback: Tweets that mention Dumbing of Age - Lust -- Topsy.com

  24. Cratacon

    Someone needs to edit Shaggy staring from behind Joe in panel two, just to take me back to the days where he was the one staring from the background.

    1. wnderjif

      nice galasso.

      and this should be a fun project.

  25. Schornforce

    I <3 Mike soooo much!

  26. Shift

    And by list of potential conversation topics, she actually means a list of ways she can try and convert him in accepting her faith over his own, so she can bully him into marriage, when all he really wants is sexy-fun-time…

    Subtle Joyce.

    I honestly have to respect Joe’s commitment to this date. I’m pretty sure that if most people were on a date where the other person was either trying to convert them or force them to talk about topics I don’t feel comfortable discussing with someone they hardly even know… well, the date would be over rather quickly.

    Or they would have let Mike punch her as a distraction to escape out the bathroom window.

    1. dchorror

      You know, I would say this is strike two as far as the religion thing goes. Surely Joyce must know that insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

      1. Zaffino

        Good work, Einstein

  27. Tristan J

    So is anyone else wondering if DOA!Mike is gonna grow beyond being a joke character, and if so, how? My current theory/hope is that DOA will serve as almost an origin story for IW/SP! Mike.

    See, in SP!, Mike tends to do/say horrible things that force people to face the worst parts of themselves and grow. He also has an art and subtlety in the way he works – see his relationship with Amber. DOA!Mike has, so far, pretty much acted like a thug whose greatest act has been dragging Amber away from her computer. My hope is we see Mike go through some event that changes his perspective and makes him into the Mike we know and love.

    Wow, that was more longwinded than I thought.

    1. dchorror

      Maybe we’re involved in a bit of time travel that explains why Mike is still around in Shortpacked! considering that resurrection wasn’t supposed to be possible for him.

      So I support you’re above post.

    2. Gianni

      Uhm… have you read It’s Walky? The Mike/Dina relationship was HUGE character growth for Mike, and some of Willis’s best work, in my opinion. I definitely recommend going back to read that series, not only because it’s great but because it helped make Mike as beloved as he is today.

      1. Tristan J

        I have to be honest, I never got that far. To put it gently, Willis has improved greatly as a writer and artist.

        And I wasn’t saying Walkyverse!Mike was a joke character, I’m saying DOA!Mike is, and I’m wondering what direction he’ll go in.

  28. Kumata

    Why didn’t you just bang her at church? Seems to me like the obvious solution.

    1. Pagannerd

      Because it would make the angels weep.

      And ANYONE who’s even slightly nerdy can tell you why that would be a bad idea.

      1. Shift

        Yeah… it’ll make them weep… with their penises!

        Filthy Angel perverts. You know they like to watch.

        1. bionelly

          They might like to watch, but the thing is, then you have to watch them. And don’t blink.

  29. TemplarKnight

    A. This effectively destroys the possibility of a kinder gentler Mike, oh well. I guess hauling amber away from the computer is about as kinder gentler as we’ll get.

    B. Wow, Joe didn’t jump all over that “lust” line, nice restraint.

    1. begbert2

      Joe is still making a serious effort to get into her pants – which requires more subtlety than jumping on the lust line.

      Which of course raises the question of exactly *why* he’s still making a serious effort on such an obvious lost cause/train wreck. At first I thought it was just optomism/overconfidence, but I think we’re far beyond that. Even contractual character stupidity isn’t plausible any more. I actually now think it’s *pride* – Joe can get into any girl’s pants, dammit, and so he can’t admit that this one is impervious to his advances and has ‘beaten’ him.

      1. Gianni

        I actually wonder if he’s not a virgin in this universe. Sure, he can talk a good talk, but that doesn’t mean it’s no more than a smokescreen.

        1. Iasthai

          Ooh! I like this idea!

    2. NF

      Drunk Mike is weird enough, a kinder gentler Mike boggles the mind.

  30. Compass

    Maybe they should just give Mike some beer. You know… for the nerves.

    1. katie01

      Yes.

    2. dchorror

      They’re freshman.

      1. Shift

        It’s Glasso’s restaurant. Do you honestly think he cares for the inane drinking laws, when he will one day take over with is pizza armies?

        1. Gianni

          But he can’t risk bringing the authorities down on his head, not when his plans are so close to fruition!

  31. Crow

    I really want to see Jerry “The King” Lawler vs Mike in a Punching match.

  32. Robert in San Diego

    I can see some harassed, overworked pastor, after about a dozen too many “couples counseling” sessions with married couples who’d nothing in common, in a really bad month, advising the young adults in his flock to “get to know them before you ‘know’ them,” maybe even going so far as to mention written checklists. And Joyce taking it WAY too far.

    TIP: If you’re going to have date talking points, keep it on paper. I’ve been to a presentation where someone DID have their bullet points written on their arm….

    1. begbert2

      Joyce’s pastor would tell her to say ten miles away fro Joe. She’s only supposed to date faithful, who she already knows, because aside from the religion everything else is irrelevant. As long as you agree on religion that refusal to get a divorce will take care of the rest.

      (And no, I’m not kidding.)

      1. Pagannerd

        Why do I suddenly have the urge to give your inner child a comforting hug?

        1. begbert2

          I didn’t mean to sound bitter – I was just laying down the facts (with some snark): There are in fact religious factions where the religion is not just the main factor; it’s the ONLY factor. (From the perspective of the leadership, not necessarily the hormone-crazed young adult membership.) And Joyce’s sect seems quite likely to me to have such priorities – note the wide variety of subjects she’s focusing on.

          (But yes, I am bitter.)

  33. dchorror

    I miss my Billie avatar. I look all sad and wistful now, instead of grumpy.

  34. MeFailWords

    Joe’s hand… last panel… looks like a cross between a hand and a foot

  35. Lord_of_pins

    mike is a fan of cruel and hilarious punishment

  36. agentksilver

    GALASSO’S PIZZAS (and subs) FEATURES HIGH-HANGING LAMPS AND TALL BOOTH DIVIDERS. IN TIME THE ATMOSPHERE WILL CHANGE, SO THAT THE ARCHITECTURE WILL APPEAR MORE LIKE A MILITARY BUNKER. THE CHANGES WILL BE SUBTLE ENOUGH THAT LONG-TIME PATRONS WILL FAIL TO NOTICE SUCH CHANGES, BUT THEY WILL BE USED TO THE MILITARISTIC SETTING, AND COME TO CONSIDER SUCH AESTHETICS HOMELIKE. THUS THEY WILL BE MORE COMFORTABLE WHEN THEY JOIN GALASSO’S DARK ARMIES TO CONQUER THE MULTIVERSE.

    1. Mud

      Yeah, can I just get a slice of cheese and a coke or whatever?

  37. airfox

    OMG! Panel 2 Mike is the best!

    -airfox

  38. Steven

    Regardless of what people think of Joyce and her methods, so far I think she’s been good for Joe. Ridiculous as her overzealous attitude has been, she’s already caused Joe to open up socially and emotionally as a character. We’ve learned more about Joe’s human side in the last few strips alone than we have in the entire comic so far. And I think Joyce’s earnestness has been a major catalyst for this, so I appreciate that.

  39. Dahlia

    Oh Mike…always eager to punch something…and we wouldn’t have it any other way XD

  40. Gianni

    Love panel 2 Mike! Woo!

    1. Mikehatesyou

      Joe has a huge mole on the back of his neck.

  41. Socks

    i just realized the mike in panel 2 XD that made me laugh haha

  42. Kelsey

    No no, Mike. You only get to punch the guy.

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