205

Olympus
Posted on April 8, 2021 by David M Willis
The Dumbing of Age Book 10 Kickstarter is live! This book will collect "Year Ten," spanning the four storylines that start on August 18, 2019, and complete on September 9, 2020. This includes new commentary, behind-the-scenes artwork, and new character designs into an 236-page tome with luxurious glossy paper all bound up into a sturdy presentation.  Our biggest book yet!  And there will be a foreword by Seanan McGuire!
The book is titled Renounce Magical Thinking and Embrace Empirical Evidence, and it's the culmination of a full decade of Dumbing of Age stories!  This is the big one!  With kidnappings and van chases!  The Ending With A Huge Timeskip one!  
20 days to go!

205 thoughts on “Olympus”

  1. Thag Simmons

    They know each other from before college, right?

    1. Shitbird

      Yea, but not very well and Walky likely dislikes him

      1. miz

        Likely…well, he did punch him in the face. But I’m sure that means nothing!

        1. Suet

          oh no he’s all our supervillain origins

        2. Wizard

          If superhero comics have taught me anything it’s that punching people in the face is a great way to make friends.

        3. I am Nothing

          Just like throwing toys at someone!

        4. Romanticide

          so have shonen manga hahaha and the ocasional other demographics haha

    2. Mr D

      Kinda? Walky apparently knew that Sal used to hang out with him.

      1. Demoted Oblivious

        Given the punch, it seems that Walky knows that Asher is why Sal got sent away to boarding school. And now he sees his other sister hanging out with Asher. This doesn’t bode well for future peaceful relations between Walky and Asher.

        1. Demoted Oblivious

          Clearly I’m very late to the party on this as Olav laid it out very well.

        2. Tadpole7

          Nah, Asher is guilty of a fair bit but the boarding school was not his fault. That was firmly her parents fault.

    3. Cattleprod

      Yeah, I remember thinking ‘Oooooooh, right’ that Walky and Sal would be passingly familiar with each other’s friends way back in a strip involving Billie or Marcie.

    4. Olav

      Walky knew that Asher was a bad crowd that Sal hung around back when they were 12-13 ish, then after going with Amber to see if he was still bad news, Asher admitted that he had ditched Sal in the middle of the second robbery and called the cops on her to throw them off of him and the rest of his pals. Oh, and as a 13 year old, he thought it would be “funny”. Walky then punched him, seeing as Sal was sent to Catholic (?) boarding school for 5 years by their parents as a result of all of that.

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/04-vote-for-robin/resteasy/

      Asher is obviously still bad news, despite his protestations to being straight and narrow at the time of that strip. Definitely much worse than he was a dumb 13 year old.

      1. Yenklette

        Honestly, at this time, the worst Asher’s done is being complicit in some bad shit, which he *was* blackmailed into. Not saying he’s a great guy, but we don’t know him too well yet. It’s anyone’s guess if he’s a “Ruth/Joyce/Malaya” shitty person or a “Blaine/Mary/Toedad” shitty person.

        1. cbwroses

          He’s bad new enough to seemingly be notified about a successful murder by a dirty cop.
          He might not be full on bad news, but he’s more than bad news adjacent. He’s someone bad news keeps in touch with.
          Bad news emergency contact?

        2. Thag Simmons

          He’s the grandson of a Mafia don. He may want out of that life, but his family are definitely bad news

        3. SadnessWithASmile

          I’ve still got hope for Asher, myself. He clearly didn’t want to help Blaine with whatever was going on, and considering the extent of his involvement (literally just pulling a fire alarm and sending an innocuous text), I don’t think he knew just what he was a part of. Personally, I don’t actually think the text was even part of it; Blaine and Ross would’ve gotten out of there by then. I’m guessing he tipped off his family that their money launderer was acting like a loose cannon, and they wanted updates. Which would also explain getting the exact same text back from someone who was definitely not Blaine by that point. Granted, that still implies involvement with said family, but he may also have just been covering his own ass regarding whatever he used to do for them, or he just doesn’t want to see his family go to prison.

        4. Thag Simmons

          He’s one of the more interesting characters right now, in my opinion, since he definitely seems to want to be a good dude. He’s done some pretty shitty things but he feels guilt and shame about it.

          DoA antagonists tend towards just being an uncomplicated sort of awful, and so far Asher hasn’t been that. We’ll see if he keeps it up.

        5. Chris Phoenix

          DoA isn’t just protagonists (good but flawed) and antagonists (hopelessly bad), it also has bad-but-learning. Mike, Faz, Joyce’s dad. Maybe Asher. It’s true that the hopelessly-bad crowd seem to be bad-and-getting-worse almost from the moment we meet them, so yes, Asher seems to fit better with the maybe-he’ll-improve set.

        6. Mishyana

          I mean, he was at least tangentially involved in the kidnapping of nearly half the main cast and the deaths of two people, something which I’m guessing he hasn’t explained to his new “babe”. Some things you don’t get to just “Whoops, my bad, guess I’ve got some learning to do! We’re cool, right guys?” your way out of.

        7. Demoted Oblivious

          Ruth/Joyce/Malaya shitty person? What kinda category is that? Sure Joyce isn’t an angel, but damn, them’s some rough wingmen… wing-persons?

          Ah! Wingpeeps!

        8. Yenklette

          People forget that Joyce literally tried to convert a gay guy to being straight. Like, I know she has big pretty eyes and a sweet redemption arc, but yeah, at the start of her arc, most people in these comments would have hated her.

        9. thejeff

          To be fair to Joyce, the gay guy was into it. Or at least into pretending.

      2. Thag Simmons

        Aware of that stuff. What I’m curious about is how much they would have known of each other before college.

      3. BBCC

        Walky also thought he and Sal had a thing when they were younger.

  2. Suet

    Hey, indeed.

    “And this Olympus is a camera, Asher, get it right!”

    1. Suet

      He really sticks the skidding

      Panel 2: *comedically, but also legit, gags* Love, eugh.

    2. Rabisch

      Olympus used to do great cameras, then, the decline. For 20 something years they just have do cheap cameras. Now they try to return to grea things. I hope they will be able.

  3. MatthewTheLucky

    Walky is now hot enough for Asher to greet.

    1. VanVelding

      Hot Walky is on his way to steal your man.

      1. Undrave

        Billy is thinking threesome…

        1. Despite Rage

          Asher’s the one that initiated contact, so I’m guessing Asher’s the one thinking threesome…

  4. Elf Royalty

    hey asher can you park normally or

    1. Bryy

      It’s a Chehkov’s gun, and I don’t like it.

    2. ESM

      He is very almost doing an Akira slide but not quite doing it and it’s driving me mad

      1. FacelessDeviant

        Ah yes, the Akira Half-slide. I remember that from driving school.

    3. Keulen

      It looks cool, but parking that way has to be bad for the tires on his motorcycle.

      1. Demoted Oblivious

        Sliding tires is always hard on them. Whether locking up your brakes, skidding, or a dry turn. None of them are necessary and introduce extra wear. (maybe dry turns sometimes are needed, as in parallel parking, but even that can be finessed). Now, whether or not the driver cares is another matter. Tires are an expendable component of the vehicle. Some people like doing tire burnout justs for giggles.

        1. thejeff

          And most of those people are around 18 🙂
          You haven’t had to pay for a lot of replacements yet.

        2. milu

          also, looking cool is really important.

        3. zee

          I mean, it is a comic, a visual medium. It’d be a lot more boring if he rolled into screen and slowed to a stop.

  5. Jade

    Hot people only see other hot people, apparently 😛

    1. StClair

      That is definitely how it works.

    2. Bogeywoman

      I feel like there was some Disney channel show in the mid 2000s that had an episode about it. Like, one of the mains got popular for 20 minutes and developed hot-peiple-vision and literally couldn’t see anyone who wasn’t cool anymore.

      1. Loki

        I am like 90% sure it was The Weekenders. Underrated series imnsho.

        1. BBCC

          It was in the Weekenders and it was hilarious.

    3. thejeff

      Heat vision?

    4. milu

      “I’m hot. You’re hot. We’re hot people. Let’s make every else hate us more.”

      1. Schpoonman

        God, Malaya is the fucking worst.

        1. milu

          whaaaat she’s awesome. in a…terrible sort of way

        2. Lys

          Malaya is just Kevin from Steven Universe with a wig and less money

        3. timemonkey

          Please do not compare Malaya to Kevin. Kevin goes out of his way to make people feel bad for his own ego, Malaya just doesn’t care and is dismissive because of it.

  6. Newllend(henryvolt)

    …Did anybody else feel a bit of flirtation there or is that just me? All he did was say Hi but still.

    If I was Walky and I knew what was going on I can’t say if I’d be into that or not but I’d definitely would get an ego boost knowing that someone most girls consider hotter and then me was digging me.

    1. Olav

      I’m not reading any flirtation. Walky’s awkward reaction is likely because he had punched him a few months earlier.

    2. Nono

      Oh gosh, if this is how we get another bi guy into the cast… (since Ethan’s MIA for now and Drew probably won’t show up much in direct relation to that)

      1. drs

        Asher: “Can I collect all three Walkerton kids?”

    3. DailyBrad

      I honestly kind of read it as maybe flirty from Asher’s side, with Walky more just confused about Asher acknowledging him.

    4. RassilonTDavros

      I was getting that vibe as well. I definitely don’t ship him with Walky, though, considering he’s still the guy who called in a hit to avoid having his role in the kidnapping exposed and might well do the same to anybody else if it was “necessary.”

      1. RassilonTDavros

        Come to think of it, if Asher is bi, then that would mean that every single major long-term love interest Jennifer/Billie has had in either continuity has been bi.

        Bi-ception.

        1. a/snow/mous/e

          Bi-llie.

        2. timemonkey

          Having a bi boyfriend would also make her denile of her own sexuality much harder.

      2. Newllend(henryvolt)

        Well you can still “Friend-ship” them, Walky could use more companions outside of the opposite sex. As for Blaine to be fair he probably really would have killed himself anyway the minute he saw the second medical bill.

    5. VanVelding

      ♬Something always brings me back to you♫
      ♬It never takes too long ♫

      1. Jade

        I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation ;P

    6. Undrave

      A little. It just seems to come out of nowhere that Asher would be all buddy buddy with Walky like that. Is it me or Asher seems… liberated? Now that Blaine got rubbed off??

    7. thejeff

      Definitely something. Whether it’s actually flirtation or just Asher deigning to notice Walky because of his newfound hotness, I couldn’t say.

      Jennifer seems confused by it too.

    8. Demoted Oblivious

      I read it as more of a, “yeah you punched me, but we’re cool.”

      1. Demoted Oblivious

        And Asher’s probably happy from having got laid the night before. Maybe even a morning sunrise.

        1. Roborat

          Most sunrises are in the morning.

    9. reekat

      Definitely felt very subtle but flirty vibes from Asher, and a heaping of genuine confusion from Walky.

  7. Doctor_Who

    People who aren’t at least a 7/10 are invisible to Asher.

    …Yes, it’s a major problem and he probably shouldn’t be allowed to operate that bike.

    1. Diner Kinetic

      there’s a scientific theory that states people are more easily aroused when undergoing elevated adrenaline levels, esp. due to danger or near death experiences. So when asher’s on a bike everyone probably looks like a 7.

  8. Kyrik Michalowski

    And then in the greatest plot twist of all, Asher falls in love with Walky.

    1. RassilonTDavros

      I’d say Walky would never date a murderer, but then again his alternate counterpart did marry a woman who shot her own clone in the head…

    2. Rabisch

      YEEEES!!! We need to see Asher go desperately after Walky and the final, emotional hug! And Billie go away. Far, far away.

  9. Nono

    Is Panel 3 Asher’s nose just weird to me, or do other people see it too?

    1. Demoted Oblivious

      As they said in Life of Brian, “Good morning Big-nose.”

  10. Maikeruu

    I am reading it as Asher having some respect for Walky after he stood up for Sal and punched him in the face.

    1. zee

      Same, feel like he earned some respect that day

  11. RassilonTDavros

    Now that Jennifer has re-entered the plot, I think I’ll share my theory on what’s going on with her post-time-skip.

    Apart from alcohol, Jennifer/Billie’s primary struggle over the course of the strip has been with her own identity. She has a tendency to deny aspects of herself that don’t fit with whatever image she wants to project to people at any given moment. Sometimes it’s over relatively minor stuff, like her secret love of Star Wars not fitting with the Head Cheerleader/Alpha Bongo persona she wanted to project last season. But more often, it’s over things that are a lot more fundamental to who she is. Since the time skip, she’s been insisting that her attraction to women (she’s only mentioned Ruth by name, but there was also Alice before her) was merely a phase that she was going through and is now out of. Even while she was dating Ruth, her response to Becky saying she was her “first queer role model” was “I’m not– I mean, everyone thinks about girls, like, eventually. I’m not different.” Likewise, she claimed to both Ruth and Howard that bisexuality “only exists in porn.”

    When she’s trying to prove that some aspect of herself that she’s previously let slip isn’t really a part of her, she goes above and beyond. In this case, it isn’t enough for her to not be in a relationship with a woman– she has to be in a relationship with a man, and she has to make this fact known to people like Ruth and Becky, who both associate her with the particular trait she’s downplaying. As per usual, her denial isn’t actually fooling anybody who knows her, and she knows that it isn’t. She isn’t really doing it for them, she’s trying to convince herself. And as part of that self-denial, she tends to push away the people who know her too well to fall for it, like she did with Walky all through high school and is doing with Ruth now. Out of sight, out of mind.

    So with that in mind, what part of her identity is she struggling with that led her to stop using the nickname she’s used since she was a child? What is she trying to convince herself of? For some people, doing this would just be trying to appear grown-up, but I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. “Billie” is gender-neutral, maybe even leaning a bit towards masculine if it’s spelled with a “y”— and the difference in spoken conversation is non-existent. (Hell, according to Willis, the very first mention of Billie in their pre-Roomies text stories was as an anecdote Walky told another character “to prove some dumb point about girls with names that sound like boy names.”) “Jennifer,” on the other hand, is pretty unambiguously feminine as a name.

    To me, all of this suggests that Jennifer is trying to convince herself that she is… well, female. Which, given Jennifer’s long and well-documented history of denial, makes me think that at some point she began to realize that she isn’t… and then backed the hell away from that train of thought because she’s “normal,” dammit! Oh sure, there’s nothing wrong with being trans, but it’s not “normal!” Which she totally is! The second thing! Not the first one! It’s a thing other people are, not her! She’s not different! See, she’s using her birth name now and everything! And she sure as hell doesn’t like girls, no, that’s a thing guys do, not “normal” girls! She just wants to be “normal”… and because of all her internalized hetero- and cisnormativity, she can’t accept the person she is as being “normal.”

    tl;dr I think Jennifer is either a trans guy or non-binary, and in deep denial over it.

    Note: I don’t really know how to handle pronouns when you’re talking about a fictional character that you think may be trans, so I’m erring on the side of using the name and pronouns she currently prefers. I appreciate criticism and feedback on this issue.

    1. Nono

      That’s a…. very interesting read. In my completely respectful argument, I’ll contend that:

      * Jennifer has absolutely no issue with dressing up girly. She did it for her date with Ruth, etc.

      * In terms of narrative, we already have multiple characters that’s dealing with gender identity or have already dealt with it (Carla, Jocelyne, Malaya, Booster). None of them are guys, but at least I think there’s plenty of storyline to already explore with them.

      * Jennifer’s issues have always been deep-rooted in insecurity of self-worth after being an alpha fish in a small pond. She was head cheerleader, then she wasn’t. She denied having drinking problems, but thinks that she can’t fix anyone. And so on. She couldn’t even set Walky up with Dorothy on her own.

      Like, it’s definitely a… out of left field take, and if that’s how the story goes, sure, but I’m not seeing a lot of reasonable argument for it.

      1. Athedia

        Not saying I totally agree with the read, or disagree. However:

        *You can be NB and like being femme presenting or “dressing girly”. Just like you can be a cis female and like dressing masc. Presentation =/= identity.

        * None of those characters is really at the not being comfortable with it stage. 2 we were introduced to post realizing their identities, 1 (Jocelyne) is dealing with knowing her identity but not being able to talk about it openly and Malaya just… is? I don’t know how to put it but it isn’t questioning/coming to terms with.

        * Self-worth and identity are deeply tied. The desire to been known as the head cheerleader and therefore in a role that is unquestionable femme, to be considered ‘normal’ (in this case not as an alcoholic).

        So I can totally see this take being *plausible*. Nothing gets verified obviously, but in a strip that deals a lot with the vulnerability of figuring yourself and developing your own identity it does make sense.

        1. a/snow/mous/e

          Malaya definitely seemed like she was more on the questioning side of things in season 1, though. Maybe more confused about labels. (oh that’s probably what you meant by “stage 2” sorry) Billie’s in denial already about being bisexual and I don’t think it makes narrative sense to expand that, tbh.

          I definitely think her change in attitudes that don’t directly relate to her same-sex relationships are more of a presentation crisis than an identity crisis.

        2. Hopeluminous

          Please use “enby” or “nonbinary” for nonbinary people as “NB” stands for non-black people of colour.

        3. Roborat

          Huh, learn something new every day, I thought it stood for New Brunswick.

        4. Yenklette

          I actually hear “enby” criticized more often as a diminutive than I hear the “NB” take. I’m not saying NB is fine to use, but language is complicated and it’s worth looking into terms before condemning or recommending them.

      2. Cmasta1992

        Respectfully, this feels like a stretch

    2. brute

      well i can see it and appreciated the input.

    3. a/snow/mous/e

      For some people, doing this would just be trying to appear grown-up, but I don’t think that’s what’s going on here.

      Why not? It fits with her explanation that it was all a phase that she’s grown out of.
      I could see her thinking her nickname’s too masculine, I guess, but there are stereotypes that gay guys are girly and lesbians are boyish. She has a reputation as a tomboy and was wearing a dress, which seems like it would be out of character for Billie; this does seem like she’s making a conscious choice to act more in accordance to traditional gender norms. But to me, this reads as “oh, I’m over that rebellious phase where I hang with the boys and fool around with girls” (idk if she sees her lesbian relationships in the same way though. i guess it would be more like a combination of two quasirelated phases (ie rebellious tomboy phase and experimentalist queer phase), which doesn’t really make sense; but she’s compartmentalized it all into “Billie Phase” in her mind)…
      anyway this is also just a way of rebranding and saying “that wasn’t me! that was Billie! Billie was a mess. I’m over the alcoholism, I’m over the same-sex relationships, and I’m over acting and dressing like a boy. I’m just a normal straight girl now.” but i don’t think the tomboyish behavior she’s rejecting, or the traditional femininity she’s projecting now, is at all indicative of transness. idk

  12. Nono

    Also, Asher says hi to Walky but not Sal?

    1. Varangian

      Asher knows that while Sal is hot and cool, she uses her powers of being such to watch over the masses as a silent protector, and respects this.

      1. Demoted Oblivious

        Also, she owes him a stabbed hand for setting her up.

  13. Stephen Bierce

    “OLYMPUS, The luxurious home of ancient Greece’s first family–the gods!
    Starring: Marvin Garvin as Oedipus
    Ed Bagels as King Laius of Thebes, his father
    Linda Masseuse as Queen Jocasta
    Peterkin Tickly as Doctor Aesclepius
    Duke Sandwich as Midas, the King with the Golden Touch
    Alexander Q. Textile III as the inventor Daedalus
    Eric Mayfair as Icarus
    Morgan Bottoms as Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and the lover of gods
    Patrick Mahogany as Minos, King of Crete
    Ogden Barrymore Jr. as the Minotaur
    Greg Posture as Theseus, the globe-trotting Prince of Athens
    Doug Douglas as Odysseus the Adventurer
    Pamela Tail as Penelope, his estranged wife
    Luke Veranda as Penelope’s bodyguard
    Dick Blouse as Perseus
    Kylie Wiley as his fiance Andromeda
    with Meryl Catty as Hera, Queen of Olympus
    and Charlton Wigg as her husband Zeus, in all his many forms

    1. Stephen Bierce

      BTW, over the least weekend I did some quick research into Asher’s motorcycle and found that the best Maisto diecast match for it is their BMW R Nine T “Scrambler”–although Asher’s also has features from the R Nine T “Urban”, which isn’t available in diecast.
      (I hope to do a repaint like I had of a Honda bike into Sal’s ride a few years ago.)

    2. Demoted Oblivious

      Why do I feel like that should be directed by Mel Brooks?

      1. Stephen Bierce

        It was from the British comedy TV series ALAS SMITH & JONES (the follow-on to NOT THE NINE O’CLOCK NEWS).

  14. Octopus Ink

    I get the feeling that Walky’s gonna suddenly be un-invisible to a fair few folks in this arc.
    Then, freaking out over all the unexpected/unwanted attention, he will shave himself bald.
    (kidding!)

  15. Disastromatic

    Listen up, fives. A ten is acknowledging a ten.

    1. Varangian

      Your gravatar makes this chefkiss levels of perfect

      1. Zor

        The luck on this one is staggering

    2. cbwroses

      Lol
      So much lol I felt I should tell you.

      1. Icalasari

        A Sal and a Walky comment on an Asher

        Perfection

    3. Yotomoe

      Beautiful

    4. Keulen

      Best gravatar for this comment.

  16. Varangian

    “W-What’s up, guy who betrayed one of my sisters but she’s over it and is now dating the other one?”
    “Walky I’m not your SISTER you DWEEB UGH”

  17. temporalshrew

    That response/face combo is the about the most relatable Walky’s been to me for a while.

  18. Pocky

    So when is Walky gonna get to punch Asher again?

    1. MrSmith

      If you can’t drop someone with a sucker punch then you probably shouldn’t try again unless you get some training or get stronger

      1. Pocky

        alternatively; you can just keep punching.

        If X amount of punches doesn’t work, I think you may need some training then.

  19. Sirksome

    Having descended to the mortal realm, hotness god Asher acknowledges the potential of the newly formed fledgling hotness deity David “Walky” Walkerton. Now he will be whisked away to mount Hotlympus to learn the way the hot ones. But is Asher a trustworthy hot god? Or is this what hot goddess Sal had feared come to fruition?

    1. RacingTurtle

      Olympians are notoriously untrustworthy! *insert an “eyes on you” gif here*

      1. King Daniel

        Come on now, there’s nothing at all wrong with Hestia

        (and Hades gets a totally-undeserved bad rap, but he’s technically not an Olympian since he doesn’t live on Olympus so)

        1. Demoted Oblivious

          Well, he doesn’t live there now, but I beleive he can still visit and was from there originally, soo… I don’t think they revoked his membership. He’s just got a job to do.

        2. Demoted Oblivious

          Ugh… i before e except after c, or sounding like eh, and weird. Cuz it’s weird.

  20. ZerglingOne

    That bike is 100% about to flip.

    1. thejeff

      Nah, Asher’s far too cool for anything like that. Much like Sal and her stunts, the bike would never betray him.

      1. milu

        i think Zergling’s point is that if your bike looks like this in real life, it is 100% about to flip

        1. Demoted Oblivious

          Arguably not even ‘about to’ but rather, ‘is actively in the process of’. Maybe we’ve found DyW’s kryptonite. Moar bike physics! Like DeSouza with shopping carts and Milholland with cars.

  21. Lingo

    Now that Walky and Asher are in the same scene, is the Greek chorus going to compare their haircuts?

    And what’s with Billie’s look at the end? Is she unaware of Walky and Asher’s long-ago or recent shared histories? Is she just puzzled that Asher would greet him? Or is she too suddenly seeing something different about Walky?

    1. thejeff

      “Why is my cool boyfriend talking to my nerdy kind-of-brother?”

  22. Judas Peckerwood

    Welcome to Olympus, Walky!

  23. Yotomoe

    Even ASH loves Walky.

  24. WanderingLynx

    Soooooo, we already got Walky/Amber and it went down because [Convenience Store Baggage]

    Countdown for Asher/Walky?

  25. Nevermaker

    Same, Walky: like, is that friendliness genuine? If it is, is it based on guilt for what Asher allowed to happen (i.e. the kidnapping), a desire to be nice to his girlfriend’s old friend, or something else?

    EXPLAIN YOURSELF ASHER

  26. Beau Kirin Maysey

    [Your haircut gets the Official Asher Seal of Approval!!!]

    Walky: Thaaaankkss…???

    1. RowenMorland

      Motorcycle riding seal with good hair.

  27. Kravis

    Oh, Hi Mark.

    1. a/snow/mous/e

      You are tearing me apart, Asher!!!! maybe i need to watch The Room sometime so i can come up with wittier references lol

      1. Cmasta1992

        You are just a big chicken. Cheep cheep cheep.

      2. Schpoonman

        You really shouldn’t.

  28. AGV

    Walky is the Hercules of our generation, trully

    Also, I suppose that comic logic dictates that frost isn’t an issue (otherwise that bike would be drifting ad eternum)

    Also also, Jenny seems somewhat shocked by Walky being noticed by her bf

  29. BenRG

    JENNIFER: “Walky, are you doing your hair to look like Asher’s?”

    JOYCE: “Oh that’s what it is!”

    1. Sombrero

      WALKY: “And I’d have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for those meddling kids!”

      1. Geneseepaws

        Ok, take your up vote, and all the cookies.

  30. PiotrW

    Two questions: has Billie always been tagged as “Jennifer”, or is it a recent change?

    Also, how many girlfriends does Asher have???

    1. BigDogLittleCat

      Start of the semester, when she announced she’s not going by Billie any more.

  31. Rognik

    Is the alt text referring to Persona 3? Or is there some other more obvious joke I’m not seeing?

    1. CianM1301

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-11/02-look-straight-ahead/babe

    2. Hampsterpig

      I’m not the only one that thought that, good.

    3. Albi

      Aaand it’s in my head.

      BABY BABY BABY BABY BABY BABY BABY BABY…

  32. Proto_Eevee

    Am I the only one that noticed that the motorcycle, Asher, and Billie look mostly reused here?

    1. Rotunda

      If you point to the drawings you think they’ve been reused from, I can render an opinion. In the strip “Nuzzle” the drawing of Malaya seems largely reused, but it’s part of the narrative that Malaya is unmoved by the physical contact with Marcie.

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/nuzzle/

      1. Needfuldoer

        He pulled the same maneuver when they were reintroduced for Season 2:

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-11/02-look-straight-ahead/thecoolest/

      2. Needfuldoer

        Okay, here’s the two panels in question, and then superimposed over each other as best as I could line them up:

        https://i.imgur.com/rnFRtcQ.png

        Observations:
        – Most of the line work on Jennifer, Asher, and the bike has been reused, but the shading is new.
        – Asher’s scarf and the skid mark splashes are redrawn.
        – Asher’s not smoking this time.
        – Jennifer’s outfit is different and her boots have been reworked a bit.
        – Everyone’s wearing the same outerwear as last time (which makes sense)
        – The more I see Asher’s front fork, the wonkier it looks to me. It almost looks like the two sides are trying to meet in the center of the wheel. They should be parallel to each other, from the triple tree (where they meet the handlebars and frame pivot) down to the wheel axle. Sorry if you also can’t unsee it now.

        1. thejeff

          There are enough subtle differences it looks like it’s redrawn to me. Definitely a conscious attempt to copy the scene and the pose, but too much is different even though it doesn’t need to be.

        2. milu

          if you follow Needfuldoer’s link you will find quite a lot has been recycled from the earlier scene

        3. thejeff

          I followed it and the basic outline is the same, but if you compare the details, they basically blur together in the combined image. Look at the lines on the shocks or on the inner circle of the wheel, for example.

        4. milu

          true, well spotted, yet the broad outline is exactly the same so i can’t believe Willis redrew the whole thing from scratch. my guess as not-an-artist is that he reused the original what’s it called, sketch, or er, outline, and the differences are only in the inking and colouring.
          (the inner circle of the wheel is the brake disc i think.)

        5. Needfuldoer

          I think he freshened up the line art from last time with some detail tweaks (like the aforementioned lines on the brake rotor) and all-new coloring and shading.

        6. milu

          @Needfuldoer: hah good job! also yeah you totally spoiled Asher’s bike for me now thank you

        7. Swissaboo

          Combining them just makes it into an unclear blur, the it’s easier to see the actual differences as a gif https://i.imgur.com/Qg1dRfb.gif

    2. woobie

      No! No pulling back the curtain!

  33. Bagge

    “Wanna ride on my hog?”

  34. Keulen

    Somehow I never noticed how big Asher’s nose is until this strip.

    Also, how does he do that with his motorcycle without damaging the hell out of the tires?

    1. Lone Duck

      Dad has money, machismo is good for the family business, so my guess is he replaces tires more frequently.

      1. StClair

        This was almost exactly my series of thoughts earlier this evening.

      2. Roborat

        Nah, just pulls out a new bike, he has a warehouse full of identical ones.

  35. Opus the Poet

    The vehicle dynamics of the first panel are all wrong, the motorcycle is leaning the wrong direction to not be falling over into a highside if the visual effect is from sliding the tires. And lets just say they aren’t dressed to survive a highside and keep their skin somewhere close to their bodies.

    1. Sombrero

      Hot gods from Olympus do not abide by the laws of physics.

    2. Needfuldoer

      100% correct.

      ATGATT or meat crayon. Fashion leather and normal denim are completely useless in a motorcycle crash.

  36. Rabisch

    Time to Walky for having a new best friend, adapt to his new cool status. Together, they will conquer the whole university! Go Walky! GO!!!!

  37. Eldritchy

    Okay, it’s official. It’s Joe’s beating-induced nightmare where Walky gets all the babes and dudes.

  38. Needfuldoer

    Still trying to figure out what Asher’s bike is. It looks kinda sport-cruiser-ish, like a Honda CB900 or Nighthawk 750.

    1. milu

      you should talk to Stephen Bierce

    2. Stephen Bierce

      Like I said, most likely to be a BMW, with the next choices a Triumph or a Ducati.

  39. Josh Spicer

    I suppose ingratiating yourself with your girlfriend’s oldest friend/surrogate brother isn’t a bad idea even if you only noticed him because of his “new hair.”

  40. C.T Phipps

    Asher shall be Walky’s closet key and open up the possibility of Walky/Jason.

    No, I will not abandon that ship!

  41. Lightpunster

    Oh NO Billie and Asher are each other’s beards….

    1. Alex

      I want this to be true so hard.

      1. C.T Phipps

        Hey, they can both date Walky.

    2. RassilonTDavros

      Y’know, for most of my life I would’ve thought it was impossible for someone who’s genuinely bi, which (according to Word of Willis) Jennifer is, to have a beard. But honestly, considering all the stuff Jennifer has said about her attraction to Ruth being a phase and her emphasis on how having a boyfriend specifically proves she’s over Ruth… yeah, he’s probably her beard.

      Asher does seem like he might be into Walky a little, though that doesn’t necessarily mean Jennifer’s his beard.

      1. Spencer

        If we define “beard” as a way to create the impression of heteronormativity then yeah I think it fits. If Jennifer is dating Asher for any other reason then it wouldn’t be a beard relationship, and even Jennifer going “I’m sick of girls” wouldn’t be that since that’d be acknowledging a capability of being attracted to women, which right now she pretty blatantly refuses to.

      2. Romanticide

        there is this term of compulsory heterosexuality and bi people many times shows up as a pressure to conform into aparent heterosexuality. Other bi might be told stuff like “oh I thought you were hetero as you are in a hetero relationship” no matter how many times they say they are bi… Billie on the other hand closets herself if she feels the slight pressure in the wind and it’s in lots of denail the other times.. :S

  42. milu

    for Billie to have had time to walk all the way behind Walky, assuming she wasn’t running (not compatible with being a cool cucumber), Asher must’ve had to pause for an awkwardly long time before saluting Walky

  43. Falconer

    Asher and Jennifer might explore more low-key ways to announce to the world that they had sex this morning, but I expect they don’t want to.

  44. Alex

    I’d like to believe that despite appearances Asher has grown into a good guy.

  45. Victor Riley

    I teach a playwriting class, and the metatext hits on something I see a LOT. Characters who call each other “babe” WAY more than anyone realistically would.
    “What’s up, babe?”
    “Nothing much, babe. Wanna hit a movie, babe?”
    “I’m kinda hungry, babe. Can we eat first, babe?”
    “Sure, babe. Just let me get my coat, babe.”

    Seriously, they do it after EVERY sentence. Even at my most infuriatingly sickly-sweet relationship phase, I’ve never repeated a sound so often.

    “Babe” is no longer a word to me, it’s this weird presence of juxtaposed letters that I just wonder how it became a seemingly logical sound.

    1. Needfuldoer

      See also “like” and “um”.

    2. milu

      so are you saying Willis is a bad writer, or that Asher and Jennifer call each other “babe” suspiciously too much?

      1. Victor Riley

        I think Asher and Jennifer have it in them to be bad writers.

        Willis is just making fun of them for it.

    3. Smooti

      Idk, I have definitely known couples where even if they weren’t calling each other “babe” that frequently, it FELT like they were every other sentence

  46. Varangian

    Actually, despite my JOKES many many comments up, I think Jennifer just proved herself to be Walky’s sister indelibly. Like, indelibly. Look at her look of total fucking confusion. She doesn’t know why her hot bf is greeting Walky, but everyone else do.

    It’s because they’re hot boys, and Asher knows it.

  47. Jimmy

    *Plays “I Got You Babe” on Muzak*

    1. Reltzik

      *sets it to replay it every morning starting at 5:58:20 EST*

    2. milu

      hahaha well done

  48. Ziggy78eog

    Has Jennifer become aware of the hotness?

  49. bcb

    Did Jennifer and Asher know each other before college? We know Jennifer grew up with Walky, and Asher and the Walkertons are from the same area, so it’s possible, but is it confirmed one way or the other?

    1. Joyfulldreams

      I’m almost certain they must have at least met before. Jennifer has known both Walky and Sal since they were practically babies, and Asher was friends with Sal for quite a long time.

      What I want to know is if Jennifer is aware of the fact that Asher is the one who sold Sal out and caused her to get sent away. Like. Both Sal and Walky know about that, it’s not exactly a secret. And if Jennifer knows but just doesn’t care, even a little…..well. It’s a level of selfish shittiness I would expect from her at this point, I guess.

      1. thejeff

        It’s not confirmed. And it’s not even clear how long Sal and Asher knew each other.
        There’s one flashback panel from before the robbery and while they obviously know each other, it’s not clear how well.

        1. bcb

          I’m amused at seeing two Desanto avatars respond:)

  50. Wakeangel2001

    could this be it? “the hot guy with a motorcycle casually addressed me? OMG I AM A HOT GUY NOW!”

    1. Needfuldoer

      And Sal’s plan to keep him in the dark goes *poof*.

  51. DarkoNeko

    so, Asher is bi and walky is now very hot

  52. mrnoidea

    I’m hoping this is a dumb red herring, like the “Walky Goes Nucking Futz” stories over on IW!

  53. thumb

    Asher is bisexual: confirmed.

  54. Rotunda

    Both times we’ve now seen Asher drop off Jennifer on his motorcycle, she takes his scarf. Compare this strip with the sequence https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-11/02-look-straight-ahead/thecoolest/ and https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-11/02-look-straight-ahead/babe/

    1. milu

      ooooh also that second comic is what the alt text was referencing
      am i the only one getting it just now

    2. milu

      also, yeaaaah what’s up with that scarf thing is that a cute babe babe baby babe sort of thing to do, what

  55. JepMZ

    Not sure why he said hi to Wally as opposed to Sal who he knew more

    1. CorporateDronesDontHaveMissiles

      Per panel 1, Walky’s in front of the group by a good bit

    2. Romanticide

      He has no peace or at least not an open truce with him already, so better to see if there is a chance there or know early enough how the soil is on Walkyroad before trying to stay and chat to everybody else.

  56. BBCC

    Wonder where this is gonna go?

  57. Gizaru

    Did Jennifer and Asher go to some gay conversion camp or something?

  58. Chester

    I hate this so much

  59. Rheinman

    I’m reading Jennifer’s expression behind Walky as “Da fuq is going on here?”

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