What in heck
Posted on December 31, 2025 by David M Willis


Tags: amber, walky

271 thoughts on “What in heck”

  1. ReFlex76

    SS Garbage Scow, ready to sail once again.

    1. Rose by Any other Name

      Womp womp!
      (that was the sound of the garbage scowl horn sounding)

      1. Clif

        But no Amazi-gymnastics yet.

        1. Gigafreak

          How exactly do you think Amber got into Walky’s bed

        2. Steamweed

          Careful climbing, ledge-walking, and while tripping balls.
          Gymnistics judges would assign her 3s and 4s for scoring at best.

      2. eh, whatever

        WOMP WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMP WOMP

  2. EpochFlame

    merry christmas to amazigirl and nightguy

    1. Yumi

      Merry Christmas to Amazi and to all a good Nightguy

      1. Clif

        Willis bless us every one.

        1. Decidedly Orthogonal

          After following their work for two+ decades, I think I’ll duck out before any “blessings”.

          “May you have an interesting plot,” isn’t what I’m looking for.

        2. Clif

          That’s a Decidedly Orthogonal Point of View

    2. Vulcanodon

      Does Walky still have his Nightguy costume? I wonder what cops would make of it? They’re not famous for making subtle distinctions.

  3. IntangibleMatter

    Walky and the perpetual cycle of situationships

    1. Newlland(Henryvolt)

      This could be the title of an entirely different webcomic.

  4. Tequila Mockingbird

    Wait… which prediction is Walky referring to here? The only prediction of Sal’s I remember is the one about Walky and Lucy…

    1. SunflowerBanjo

      “Give it like an hour and you’ll have a new girlfriend”
      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-16/02-im-the-problem-its-me/rescinded/

      1. Frelance

        Blessed are those that come with the receipts!

      2. Aubrey

        Thank you, I thought I was having a stroke because I had no idea what that text was in reference to.

      3. ValdVin

        We all figured it wouldn’t take long for Walky.

        1. Clif

          Gee there were a lot of comments that day.

      4. Tan

        Really, this is the first Walky’s been back to his room since that comment and he doesn’t know how long Amber’s been there. For all he knows it *could* have been within an hour of Sal’s comment.

      5. Whirlakitty

        I started scrolling back through comics to find out what Sal said, then was like “nah, I’ll just look at the comments, somebody will have linked it”. 😀

        1. Azhrei Vep

          I caught it before comments had the answer, so I just hit up Walky’s tag and went back through the pages he’s shared with Sal most recently. Thankfully, it was pretty recent.

    2. Yumi

      Here ya go: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-16/02-im-the-problem-its-me/rescinded/

  5. tim gueguen

    Walky will probably have lots of relationships with many attractive women, but most of them will last shorter than the life of a carton of milk.

    1. Thag Simmons

      In the beginning, the Walky relationships were lasted twelve weeks, then six. The last one with Dorothy was a week. In four days, we could be seeing a Walky girlfriend every eight hours, until they are coming every four minutes.

      Marshal, we should witness a double event within seven days.

      1. Rose by Any other Name

        **Ignores obvious Pacific Rim reference to instead giggle about a single phrase within**

      2. apocryphascribe

        Every four minutes? I hope they stay hydrated!

        1. Steamweed

          ‘Twas my first concern too.

        2. Poppakat

          Very 4 minutes? They are going to need to set up saline solution ivs.

        3. tim Rowledge

          A long time ago I had a girlfriend who could manage that, and keep it up (snerk) for an hour or more

      3. Twinsword

        All the internets, plus a big ol’ grin from me. Bravo.

    2. apocryphascribe

      The Walky situationships will continue until self-esteem improves. So, likely never.

    3. Pocky

      he’s basically a sticom protagonist, so it tracks.

  6. Mr. Random

    Love his first instinct is to sass his sister.

  7. Yumi

    I am pleased both that Amber is off the ledge and that she is in Walky’s bed.

    1. Clif

      Things are looking up.

      1. John Campbell

        Fortunately, the cops weren’t among those things.

        1. Proto

          Thankfully for Amber, it seems neither are any security cameras or passing students either. (The security cameras I get since they’ll mostly be pointed at the ground where 99.9% of students are, but I figure a bunch of cops raiding a building would get a few onlookers to gather/rubberneck and maybe point cameras around, if not start a whole dang anti-cop protest themselves)

  8. Bajja

    Lol

  9. Bajja

    MUST AVOID FEELINGS
    ONLY JOKE

    1. Needfuldoer

      Just imagining this text flash across his field of vision like Robocop’s directives.

  10. Bittersweet

    Bit presumptive of you there Walky, but I adore the SS Garbage Scow so I do not care and cannot be made to. Go play games with Amber and make her feel less like crap, be adorable together.

    1. Xaeon

      If it’s been longer than an hour the text is accurate no matter what happens between him and Amber.

      1. Bittersweet

        I mean, he’s presuming he’s got a new girlfriend, that’s what the text to Sal is about lol

  11. Icalasari

    Ok, she would not get away with that in Calgary. We actually look up here sometimes

    1. Ray Radlein

      OF course; you never know when the Northwest Territories might fall on you from above

      1. Steamweed

        One can never know when the Polar Lords might invade southward.

  12. Dot

    I think it’s sweet that this is where she thought to go. I still don’t really ship them but I’ll give them this one.

    1. Nono

      Huh, why here instead of Ethan’s?

      1. Stormtide Leviathan

        She and Ethan have not been very close since mike died

      2. Alongcameaspider

        I dont know if we know where the boy’s rooms are in relation to the girl’s but it may have been as simple as his was the easiest accessible room that she knew wouldnt immediately sell her out

      3. Pocky

        I know she’s desperate to watch Asher and Ethan go at it, but I think she needed somewhere potentially safer in the men’s dorm lol

      4. DashWallkick

        Ten bucks says she’s going to make a comment about the most plausible deniability of hanging out in his room since everyone knows Ethan is gay and his room is closest.

        Both because “this is a smart plan from Amber” but also because “This is the sort of thing Amber would say to forcibly push away people who want to get closer to her.”

      5. Tan

        I think there are a few factors here

        A: She feels potentially worse imposing on Ethan than on Walky

        B: Ethan’s room would also include Jacob and/or Asher, who are People(tm) in a sense that would be difficult to be comfortable around, whereas Walky’s would “just” be Booster

        C: She explicitly wants to be around Walky but doesn’t think she deserves it (see https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-16/01-not-so-smooth-criminals/rewarded/ ) and this is a great fuckin excuse

        D: Maybe the geography worked out that way who knows besides The Willis

      6. Steamweed

        Ethan might have Asher as a guest. Amber isn’t certain about safety re: Asher. (plus Walky isn’t all gay)

    2. Yotomoe

      My desire to draw Walky x Amber is increasing by the minute.

      1. Yumi

        Suggestion — Walky: “Sal said we’d be boning by three o’clock. Hafta wait ten more minutes to prove her wrong.”
        Amber: “Okay…(removes an article of clothing)”
        [immediate fucking]

        1. Yotomoe

          (vibratingeyes.gif)

        2. ZombieKyrik

          You are the hero we need.

        3. Steamweed

          If they finish before 3:00pm, then it doesn’t count. Then when they bone again after 3pm, they can (by some measures of English interpretation) they can say “nyeah you’re wrong” to Sal.(1)

          (1) who will immediately see through their bullshit anyway

      2. Justnobodyfqwl

        Suggestion: walky/amber, but amber is writing slashfic about Joyce & Dorothy out loud in order to rile him up and give him something to prove

      3. Twinsword

        Yes, please!

      4. Clif

        Yotomoe, maybe just some nice cuddling until we’re sure the knife wound won’t start bleeding again. Amber is literally being held together with glue.

        1. Chris Phoenix

          “For the record, it is not easy to make love to a man with badly bruised ribs.”
          – T. Kingfisher, in Hemlock & Silver

        2. Adept

          Yes, no sex while recovering from abdominal surgery please.

      5. ValdVin

        Do it. Doooo eeeet!

    3. Thag Simmons

      For some reason I assumed this was Amber’s room and Walky was checking in on her. Her coming to him makes more sense

    4. zee

      Ngl the depths of my dojo fatigue have pushed me into actually liking this ship by comparison. That and their respective character changes have made them more interesting together to me

    5. Dot

      I came back on to see a million replies to my post and braced myself for someone being weird and hostile to me again. Glad that wasn’t the case!

      1. Yotomoe

        Never underestimate the power of yoto being thirsty. No bullying here only shipping.

        1. Clif

          Weird and hostile. Hmm.

          Dot, how dare you post so little this vital and important development. Your letting your side down (whatever it is).

          Okay, I’ve got nothing.

    6. Big Z

      I don’t necessarily ship them myself, but I do think their interactions always have the potential for excellent storytelling, given how they somehow both cover for and exacerbate each other’s weak points as people.

  13. Yotomoe

    I’m bracing myself like I just saw a deer in the wild and don’t want to startle it.
    Please. Please. PLEASE.

    1. NGPZ

      I’m just so fuckin releaved both of them are ALIVE rn ? ?

    2. Rose by Any other Name

      To quote the CG Cats comic about Chocobo Breeding, “Have sex damn it!” and “Just have sex already!”

      1. StClair

        I see you are a Rose of culture.

      2. Dara

        [inuyasha monocle]

        …did someone say VG Cats? My gods, it’s been 84 years

    3. ZombieKyrik

      I’m hoping this will go well for both of them. Walky doesn’t necessarily /need/ a new girlfriend, but he definitely needs someone to talk to. If Amber can be both then I’d say Walky would be ok.

      1. Nono

        Honestly sounds like it’ll last as long as it takes for Amber to tell him that she sorta pushed Dorothy and Joyce together (not entirely her fault, but she has guilt and he’ll want someone to blame).

        1. apocryphascribe

          Walky already knows that, Booster told him. His response was “it wouldn’t have mattered because those two were gonna get together anyway, so Amber didn’t change anything.”

        2. Irreleverent

          Firstly, he already knows.

          Secondly, Walky does Not have the self esteem to stand up for himself like that.

  14. Astariel

    Yay, Amber’s okay! That’s a relief, and pretty impressive making her way along the outside of the building. No more painkiller bubbles, though. I hope she’s not hurting too badly.

    1. Adept

      Most likely she’s in massive pain

  15. Dave Van Domelen

    He doesn’t even need to look down at his phone to taunt Sal. Respect game.

  16. Fail Earnhardt

    So we’re potentially 3-for-3 in “questionable relationships Walky jumped into to stave off emotional collapse.” Good stuff, can’t wait to see how this blows up on them.

    1. Bittersweet

      In Walky’s defense, she literally just appeared in his bed like magic. He didn’t jump into this, it fell in his lap and crushed him from the third story.

      1. Bittersweet

        Also, I’m hoping they just have like some good, solid friend time. As much as I want cute cuddles and doting, both these people absolutely need someone to check in on them desperately.

        1. Steamweed

          Plus, Amber has dermal containment issues, is held together in places with just surgical glue, and is experiencing pain.

  17. Stormtide Leviathan

    Those papers are still falling did she *just* scamper up there?

    1. Ray Radlein

      Could be blowing because she left the window open?

  18. Yotomoe

    Oh my god I just realized she’s pantsless.

    1. Amós Batista

      Pantless is my weakness

    2. ZombieKyrik

      That’s the best part; she’s in too much pain for anything, but it’s still great.

  19. Amós Batista

    Okay, I’m more relieved that Amber got out from window.

  20. PersonMcPerson

    no. nooooo. for gods sake walky youve had… what, four relationships with three girls to learn your lesson by now? pleeease dont do this walky what would the point even be

  21. Bill Erak

    WALKY CAN’T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS GODDAMN IT, (S)HE CAN’T KEEP GETTING ON AND OFF WITH THE SAME GIRLS

    1. Effie

      Walky’s hair has delectable feminine energy and it makes him a snack

      (crucially, a “snack” and not a “meal”)

      1. Effie

        okay fine I can cite my sources

        1. Ray Radlein

          Aw, and the Ecce Homo lady just passed away, too

  22. ZombieKyrik

    I know that Walky found her in his bed, but I sincerely doubt she’s up for anything other than lying still and sleeping.

    Also my second favorite ship is happening <3 and this is the best news I've had all day.

    Anyone else excited for Wamber? Amky? Still don't know what to call it.

    1. Bill Erak

      Garbage. It’s Garbage.

      1. Tawnee

        Delicious delicious garbage.

    2. Shadowsnail

      Awmablekry.

    3. Bittersweet

      It’s the Garbage Scow!

  23. apricot

    Taking shoes off makes sense but why the pants, Amber

    1. ZombieKyrik

      Pants could be too constrictive, and too painful to keep on right now. Another theory is that if they were old pants that she just grabbed before getting to the ledge then she might not want to wear dirty pants in Walky’s bed.

      That, or she’s planning to seduce Walky into letting her stay there until the cops are gone.

    2. Nymph

      Abdominal injury + pants = no bueno

    3. Taffy

      Why would she keep wearing pants on purpose, if it wasn’t required?

      1. eh, whatever

        In bed no less?!?

  24. Tricia

    So two days ago we couldn’t be trusted to remember what happened the previous day so it all had to be recapped. But today we have to figure out this is Walky’s room based on tiny easily missable clues and remember a throwaway line from nearly a month ago to understand the punchline. Right…

    That being said, if this actually goes somewhere it might be interesting. We’ll see.

    1. Doopyboop

      Skill issue.

    2. Reaver

      I mean Walky is there, in the doorway, the lights are off… so it’s safe to assume it’s his room..

      You sure like to whine a lot I’ve noticed, and not about anything interesting.. shame

      1. Clif

        Oh, good. I thought it was just me over-reacting.

        1. nadamás

          No they really are like that all the time.

        2. Taffy

          If nothing is ever good enough for someone and yet their approval is constantly being held hostage, how much value does their opinion really have?

        3. Reaver

          This is why Taffy is my favorite

    3. Taffy

      Gods, you’re such a crybaby.

    4. Needfuldoer

      At first I thought this was Walky checking in on back Amber in her room, too. The architecture and furniture are all the same, and the D&MM poster is mostly obscured.

      I think it would’ve been more obvious if today’s Panel 2 had the “camera” positioned behind Walky and over his shoulder, so we could see him opening the door with his and Booster’s names on it and notice Amber in the room beyond. Then the next panel could have been the tight shot of Amber in the Patreon strip to get her reaction in.

    5. DashWallkick

      The comics before this make it clear what happened just by context.

      On the 25th, she’s realizing she has to bail. On the 27th, she’s perched in the window. On the 29th, she’s standing against a brick wall. She’s in a different room than her own now.

      Walky just stepped into someone’s room that had the lights off, just having come back from class. Room is filthy and the window is suspiciously in frame. You can see a sheet of paper fluttering to the ground because she *just* got in his bed moments ago.

    6. zee

      Look fam i will defend the right to complain but this is literally such a nothing burger. You’re just looking for something to bitch about here. Skill issue

      1. nadamás

        it’s the “I am deeply negative all the time so i must be the smart one” mindset.

      2. thejeff

        I think this was more about why there was a recap in the DoJo running around strip than about this strip needing one. And I kind of agree that felt off.

        1. Yumi

          And complaining about it on that strip was fair. But here, it’s just kinda sad.

  25. Pocky

    aw

    I give them a week

    1. DashWallkick

      Amber is not exactly in a position to push him away again!

      1. Pocky

        those wounds would make pushing hard, yes.

  26. C.T Phipps

    Walky will have to hide Amber for the rest of her life.

    1. Clif

      Not that that’s a problem.

  27. moon

    got mustard on my titty reading this #walkymoment

    1. NGPZ

      hahaha happens with me all the time XD

    2. Clif

      This is either too much information or not enough.

      1. Tawnee

        Didn’t even say what kind of mustard, so clearly not enough.

    3. Steamweed

      Be right back; got great alternate version of the old “Grey Poupon” commercials to script out.

      1. Throwatron

        How much mustard do you need to put on a tit, for it to no longer count as naked? Science needs to know.

  28. Reltzik

    Well, we relaunched Dorky, now we’re relaunching Garbage Skowl.

    1. John Campbell

      This will last like a day and a half until he finds out that she deliberately broke up him and Dorothy, and then he’ll somehow end up back with Lucy.

      1. Matt Beardface

        He has been informed, and was unconvinced.
        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-16/02-im-the-problem-its-me/knob-2/

        1. Daibhid C

          And, just to be clear for people who don’t follow the link, he’s not unconvinced that she thought it would be funny if Dorothy responded to Joyce’s titpic, he’s unconvinced that this whole thing wouldn’t have happened anyway.

        2. Clif

          The question is not that she thought it would be funny if Dorothy responded to Joyce’s titpic, it’s that she encouraged it specifically with the goal of breaking Walky and Dorothy up so he would be available.

          But the point still stands that he’s unconvinced the whole thing wouldn’t have happened anyway, and he has a solid case.

        3. John Campbell

          This has been subjected to entirely too much analysis for a throwaway gag about the rate at which Walky’s recycling relationships.

  29. Vukodlak

    Walky please do not continue to allow women to use your penis as some kind Panacea

    1. Masha

      Walky continue to let women use your penis as a panacea and also advertise it as such on your online dating profiles.

      1. Effie

        penicea

      2. Doopyboop

        Hey so can someone please explain what this Panacea thing is because I am concerned and curious at the same time

        1. Yotomoe

          A cure all. Like Penicillin.

          Penisillin.

        2. eh, whatever

          Penicillin is an antibiotic, not a cure-all.

        3. Steamweed

          Penisillin is definitely not a cure-all. But a valuable scientific development nonetheless.

        4. zee

          There’s nothing real you can give as an example of a panacea bc despite what Wellness influencers and people in pyramid schemes will tell you, they don’t exist

        5. Clif

          You can have specifically limited panaceas, ie. a panacea for something. Example – The scientific method is a panacea for ignorance.

          This example is something Dina would say, not me.

        6. ZombieKyrik

          Panacea is a word for a theortical something that cures all ailments, and it is frequently in video games.

        7. ZombieKyrik

          theoretical*

        8. Clif

          Video games are a panacea for boredom.

        9. Doopyboop

          Thank you for the explanation! I thought it was a sex thing at first lmao

        10. Masha

          It will be once he starts telling women that his dick can cure depression.

        11. Throwatron

          His dick can cure any depression except his own. He’s got the Pagliacci of cocks.

    2. John Campbell

      So Amber’s here to heal her abdominal wound with Walky’s penis?

      1. Steamweed

        Mucho bad idea.
        (now, oral, with the other hand…i mean, on the other hand…)

  30. C.T Phipps

    Are the cops also investigating the boys’ dorm?

    1. Yotomoe

      Amazi-girl could be pulling a Cybersix.

    2. ZombieKyrik

      If they are then Walky, and Amber would have to pretend to be having sex, so if the cops burst in they will be likely to notice Amber’s wound/description.

      1. Steamweed

        All they gotta do is put a sign on the door. “Do not touch! Science project”

        Cops open the door; see the fuckin’; close the door.
        “Man, this college is really into science.”

      2. yak

        What a calamity! They’ll have to pretend it’s really passionate too, and that Wally is treating her really gently. And toake sure the buy it they might have to *gulp* take off their clothes.

        (Also I fat-fingered the report button, sorry)

    3. DashWallkick

      They wouldn’t have a reason to — they think they snuck up on the girls wing and gave no warning or notice.

  31. Wraithy2773

    Honestly, I’m at the point where I really wish we’d see Walky actually develop some more.

    He’s been pretty explicitly struggling with Mike’s death and his own kidnapping and all sorts of relationship and parental trauma and I’m just kinda tired of seeing him as a supporting character to other people’s stories.

    Don’t get me wrong, him being a supporting character isn’t bad or anything. But there’s this elephant that’s been in this room for in-universe months now, and it ain’t going away, and I just wish would get addressed at some point. Hazards of a massive ensemble story, I guess, not all of the characters can get the time their stories are calling for.

    1. Masha

      The way this webcomic is I’m pretty sure the second you’ve developed him at all and gotten him to any sort of stable place you’ve effectively written him out of the story.

      1. Wraithy2773

        I mean, Dorothy and Joyce have gotten a fuckton of development in the last few arcs, and people are complaining that they’re overtaking the story.

        I’m not saying he needs all his traumas to be resolved instantly, I just want him to have a story arc where those traumas are actually acknowledged.

        1. The Queer Agenda [frog memes]

          You mean like how he tried to apologize to Amber for not being there for her, because he was coping with Mike’s demise very poorly himself? The depictions of him struggling have been aknowledgment of his trauma.

        2. Clif

          Also, how can you develop perfection?

        3. JBento

          In a dark room.

        4. Clif

          But seriously, here Walky is being considerate and letting his sister know she doesn’t need to worry about him. He’s developing in front of our eyes.

      2. Bill Erak

        Girls, girls, relax.
        It’ll all make sense once the egg cracks.

        1. Adept

          So tired of this egg stuff. It’s like people are trying to manifest stuff, desperately.

        2. Stormtide Leviathan

          I mean, maybe a little. It’s a very easy reading to make that many of us want to happen. So I mean yeah, comments like this or like ones I’ve made before confidently asserting it’s gonna happen are partially just that we want it to happen. Though I will say, given how Willis has responded to things about it, and the fact that he’s trans himself (I think? Can’t remember ever hearing a specific gender label, but I know he uses he/they. But I have known people who use he/they or she/they and don’t consider themselves trans) I genuinely do think it has a pretty solid chance of happening.

          But even if it is purely manifesting it: so fucking what? Yeah, we want to see transfem characters. Sue us. personally, *I’m* tired of this exact same fucking reaction any time anyone anywhere says they think a seemingly-guy character is eggy.

        3. QueenofSodor

          it’s less “trying to manifest” and moreso “inferred from and informed by the way walky acts”, and the tgirl readings only ever get bolstered by paratextual word of god, so like skill issue, ig? sorry not everything in the world caters to men

        4. Bill Erak

          1) something something subtext something something tl;dr the comic’s been teasing T!Walky since its inception

          2) Even if it wasn’t. Even if I were making it up with absolutely no backing on the comic’s part. If I just headcanon Walky as trans because I think it’s neat: What would be the problem?

        5. Bill Erak

          And you know what? Fuck you, here’s another predict, though it’s less likely:
          Doyce aren’t endgame. Joyce and Walky are gonna end up together (again, I think?) after Walky transitions. There’s been just enough Joyce/Walky teasing for it to be plausible (Even though it’s probably just jokes about the old Willis works)

        6. ZombieKyrik

          Willis already said no repeat relationships that were in another comic.

        7. Clif

          You mean like Danny and Sal?

        8. Bill Erak

          Fairly certain hte rule has been broken before. Never take word of god at face value. Especially over such an old, ongoing comic.

        9. Yotomoe

          It honestly really bothers me too but I dont bring it up because I’m not trans and I know people are just doing it out of a desire to see more people like themselves but Golly seeing people willfully misgender a character that I identify a lot with definitely makes me a bit uncomfortable.

        10. JBento

          I literally do not give a fuck about whether Walky (or whoever) ends up being trans or not, but it’s incredibly shitty of people to keep talking about it when they have been told that it’s a trauma trigger for some readers.

        11. Bill Erak

          Ah, yes, we’re so shitty for *checks notes* thinking a character is trans. God forbid.

        12. Taffy

          Have people said that? I don’t recall.

        13. Yumi

          It be shitty to talk about it to/at someone who has stated it is a trauma trigger to them. It is not shitty to talk about it in general. Lots of things are trauma triggers to people and may be part of meaningful readings or discussions to others.

        14. JBento

          Except this already came up with the person in question, and these assholes QUINTUPLED DOWN.

        15. JBento

          It actually got so bad that Willis had to delete the thread.

        16. Bill Erak

          Alright, tell me who the reader is, I’ll make sure to never reply to them with this stuff.

        17. Taffy

          Don’t listen to the career victim, Egg Walky is canon and cracks April 27, 2026.

        18. Adept

          Still as toxic and casually cruel as ever, I see.

        19. Taffy

          SnooPING AS usual, I see.

      3. C.T Phipps

        Walky has grown a lot in the comic. It’s just that his changes are less dramatic than Dorothy and Joyce’s.

        Turning on his mother, understanding he has light skin privilege, his trauma with Mike, and so on.

        1. Clif

          Yes, but those don’t count. For mysterious reasons we can’t talk about.

    2. DashWallkick

      He’s grown a lot, and I think this arc is going to grow him further since he’s going to be spending a lot of time with a freshly incapacitated Amber forced to talk about his feelings and hers, and maybe come to some realizations about how she pushes him away out of fear.

    3. Astariel

      The whole arc of Walky’s parents visiting that ended with him calling out his mom for racism was a pretty significant development for Walky and happened about a week ago in-comic. The comic moves slow and there are going to be development lulls for every character, (except maybe Joyce).

      1. Throwatron

        I think “the comic moves slow” should just be a permanently pinned post at the top of every comments section. 80% of the complaints I feel are just directly addressed by that simple fact. It doesn’t make anybody feel any better about it, but it’s the reality of consuming a daily serial.

        1. Taffy

          It also updates every single day and has done for fifteen years, which is pretty friggin’ uncommon for a webcomic. The usual suspects (you know who you are) might actually die if they tried reading something like Dolmistaska, which basically updates when the creator feels like it and spent about 2 months on a single panel update of someone saying “By the way, welcome to Quebec.” and nothing else. Spoiled rotten behavior.

  32. Morrison

    The cops don’t think Amazi-Girl pulls. Fools.

    1. Juanoku

      All superheroes pull, just look at Spider-Man, he’s the biggest dork of all

    2. John Campbell

      She pulls aggro, anyway.

    3. Yotomoe

      Batman wouldnt go down on catwoman so amazi-girl won’t go down on night guy. Logic tracks.

  33. Juanoku

    We’ll see if it lasts longer than an hour too

  34. Davus

    I am excited to see amber alive. Also, I like this ship, so I hope it goes well.

  35. anon

    ll at walkyyping in ‘nyeah’ as opposed to having the text to speech pick it up

    1. anon

      (my bad didn’t mean to send this through twice)

    2. eh, whatever

      What text-to-speech? Is there any reason to think he’s ever used any?

      1. eh, whatever

        …or speech-to-text for that matter…

  36. Taffy

    Huh. My guess was Ken’s room. That’s what I get for remembering Ken.

    1. Nymph

      Don’t let it happen again.

      1. Ray Radlein

        Let him remain beyond our ken

    2. Andrusi

      Shortpacked character, partial credit.

  37. anon

    ll at walky typing in ‘nyeah’ as opposed to having the text to speech pick it up

  38. Kyulen

    Wait, did Walky go to check up on Amber in her room, or did she somehow manage to get all the way to Walky’s room despite her injuries? I’m confused.

    1. Kyulen

      I know she dresses up as Amazi-Girl, but Amber doesn’t have any actual superpowers and she could barely get out of bed due to her injuries not that long ago in-comic.

      1. Doopyboop

        The last time she was shown, she was standing on the outside of the building on the window. She used to climb windows to get places as Amazi-girl and Sal has that habit too, so the assumption here is that she shimmied her way to Walky’s and entered through the window.

        1. Doopyboop

          Mind you I don’t have the schematics for the building so I don’t entirely know the layout but these co-ed dorms are on the same floor so Amber pretty much just had to climb across windows rather than, say, dropping down or climbing up a story.

      2. CrazyJ

        I’d say it’s more likely for Amber to manage the short burst of adrenaline needed to make it to Walky’s room than it is for her to stay out the window long enough to outlast the manhunt. Especially since Sal has already established entering and leaving through windows in this universe doesn’t require any sort of superpowers.

      3. HueSatLight

        AG doesn’t have super powers either. She probably climbed to the roof, walked over to the Beck wing, and then climbed down to Walky’s room.

        Their building is shaped like an X, [i]in the Dumbiverse[/i]. The wings are also not in the same place as they are in real life, either because Willis made a geometry mistake early on, or they didn’t want to be drawing a map to where real life 18 year olds live.

        Both Amber’s room and Walky’s room get direct sunlight during sunrise, the only positioning of the wings where Amber wouldn’t be going around the ends of the wings is if Beck and Clark were the SE and SW wings. Because of the bend in the hall between them (shown in several strips), the geometry for that doesn’t work out. The geometry might not work out for any possible layout though.
        It’s all kind of moot though, Amber lives near the end of the wing. If she’s trying to avoid being seen, and straining her injury the least, up a story and a half and then sneaking on the roof is probably better than ducking under every window while moving on a ledge the whole wing.

    2. Odo

      It’s Walky’s room. You can tell by the Dexter the Head Alien toy doll on the desk

  39. eskimolos

    Aight. The first time this ship came around I found it so uninteresting, I liked danber and dorky more and the two kids checked out of their own lives getting together and stewing together felt boring.

    But this time I’m totally team Garbage Scow, this feels earned, they both are at their lowest and in desperate need of comfort and kinship and I think it would be good if they found it in each other.

    1. Zaxares

      Plus I’ve always been of the opinion that, of all the relationships Walky has had so far, Amber is actually by far the best suited partner for him. At his heart, Walky is a pleasant, unambitious person who just wants to coast through life doing the things he loves with the person he loves. However, he’s also a bit of a slacker, so his partner has to be someone with more responsibility and drive to keep him on track when necessary. Amber, Dorothy and Lucy all meet the second criteria, but only Amber meets the first. Dorothy, despite her recent breakdown, I feel still wants to do great things with her life and improve people’s lots. She may not do it as a politician anymore, but I could see her starting some NGO or not-for-profit charity assisting marginalized or minority groups to fulfill that need. But that kind of life demands a lot from you, and she needs a partner who fully supports that goal AND can also help her with it. Walky is too passive to be that partner, and stuff like his failing grades show that Dorothy cannot both help him AND keep her dreams going. Eventually, it will start to feel that Walky is holding her back, and the relationship will start to crumble under the weight of resentment.

      Meanwhile, Lucy doesn’t have such lofty goals, but she also doesn’t really share Walky’s interests. It’s also fairly obvious that Walky doesn’t feel as strongly for Lucy as he did for Dorothy and Amber. If they did get together, theirs would be a relationship where Lucy is always giving more than Walky is reciprocating, and that kind of unequal balance in the relationship typically winds up turning the relationship sour or rocky.

      Which brings us back to Amber. Amber is actually extremely talented and intelligent, and she can come up with innovative and clever solutions for their problems, but she also doesn’t have the ambition or drive to really do more than “fix local or small scale issues, then back to gaming”. I could easily see the two of them settling down in some smaller town or city, finding small jobs, and then living a life of gaming and TV while keeping each other company. “A beautiful, quiet life.”, in other words.

      1. eskimolos

        Yeah, heartily agree.

      2. apocryphascribe

        I’ve been saying this for years!! And this is also hard carried by the fact that their separations have been driven by external factors creating internal relationship drama. The second these two learn how to communicate properly (and Walky stops being avoidant as shit), they’re basically among the most solid couples in the comic.

        That’s also the reason I think they’re not gonna end up back together, at least not for a while — we’ve seen Amber get a lot of development in the comic, and Walky not so much. And unless there’s interest from Willis in actually developing him as a character, that’s probably not changing. He gets good moments, but those moments haven’t actually led to any notable or measurable changes in his character compared to Amber, or most of the cast in fact.

      3. Yotomoe

        I’ve said it many times before. Dorothy and Lucy push Walky to a higher standard but Amber doesn’t which makes Walky hold HIMSELF to a higher standard.

        1. Clif

          Well said.

    2. zee

      Same, it was weird and lame the first time. Unearned is a good way to put it. This time tho? This is good, this is interesting

      1. Yotomoe

        I dunno i felt like they OOZED chemistry the first time around. Less of a “unearned” and more of an “over too soon” I would say Becky and Dina had a similar beginning but they had time to develop. Garbage Scow just needed time.

        1. zee

          That’s subjective bc it felt like they had negative chemistry to me, straight to didn’t work for me. Square peg round hole. It feels more compatible now tho, idk

  40. Acher4

    Phew.
    Happy endings for all! 😛

    I lol so much how Sal was again right to the point.
    (and so much more lol, on how this disapproves once again the fantasy reality of the moral superiors, who were attacking Sal for not ‘protecting her brother’)

    1. Nymph

      Buddy… what?

      1. Taffy

        I wouldn’t question it, Acher4 doesn’t know what they’re on about either.

        1. Nymph

          A mystery we’ll never solve, I guess!

      2. Bittersweet

        A lot of people who dislike Doyce were mad at Sal for not getting onto Joyce for the cheating thing because they viewed it as her being a bad sister, and Acher4 is mocking them.

        For all my grievances with the Doyce arc, that wasn’t one of them because Sal and Walky just aren’t close like that at all. Walky would defend Sal, I don’t think Sal would defend Walky to anyone except their parents and maybe if they were like… super aggressively shit talking him. I feel like there’s still a high threshold people could get away with though, Walky has virtually no friends.

        1. Bittersweet

          And to clarify, I say that from a “if my kid told me their friends acted like that, I’d tell them to find better friends” angle, not a “grrr treat Walky special” angle. People like to be mean to him and I don’t think Sal is one of them, but I don’t think she realizes that it bothers Walky either.

        2. Clif

          Walky has lots of friends. He has virtually no male friends.

      3. Big Z

        Good ol’ Acher4, perpetually having an argument that only exists inside their own head with no one who actually exists.

        1. Taffy

          I mean, it’s right there in the post, “the fantasy reality of the moral superiors”. The “moral superiors” only exist in this colorful character’s fantasy reality. You can tell because no direct examples have ever been given of these alleged “moral superiors”, and none ever will be. This is the same person who spend days on end posting links to unrelated protest pictures with people kissing, surrounded by delirious manic gibberish.

    2. zee

      Breddah drop me your PayPal. I will literally pay you money for every day you don’t bring up the people who dislike your otp completely unprompted on unrelated strips

      1. Clif

        Oooo. Can I get in on this deal?

  41. Holly

    The text message is so cheeky but his face is so worried for her. Very sweet.

  42. darkoneko

    oh thanks fuck she’s safe

    1. darkoneko

      …did she enter from the window ? I hope the room didn’t lose too much heat

  43. Ray Radlein

    I find it interesting that Walky doesn’t seem to know why the cops are all over the place

    1. apocryphascribe

      I hope he’s about to find out.

    2. Big Z

      If there’s one thing we can rely on Walky for, it’s to be at least somewhat oblivious about things that aren’t part of his anxieties that he papers over with his goofball act.

  44. Hat

    “See, Walky doesn’t even CARE, why are you people complaining about this?”

    Sorry Willis, it doesn’t work like that

    1. Andrusi

      What

    2. Stormtide Leviathan

      Whoops, accidentally reported this when I meant to just hit reply.

      But when in the history of this comic has Walky being flippant and making jokes meant he actually doesn’t care?

    3. Reaver

      What are you talking about?

      1. Taffy

        No clarification will be happening, most likely. I’ll bet 8 bars of bass on it.

        1. Andrusi

          I’ll take that bet, not because I think you’re wrong but because I’m hilariously lame and want an excuse to say “all your bass are belong to us.”

        2. StClair

          all your bass
          your bass
          bass
          bass
          all your bass
          are belong to us

      2. Bill Erak

        Likely the argument that Walky should look more devastated about the cheating or that Joyce made fun of him. Like he himself hadn’t been making the prediction it was gonna happen Every. Other. Day.

        1. Bill Erak

          Ah shit I messed up that last link.
          I don’t even know how I managed that.

        2. Bill Erak

          … ok what?
          Anyways it’s supposed to be Overbearin’, go find it I guess.

        3. Clif

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

        4. Hat

          In short- yes.

          Or rather, it’s annoying that Willis treats it so nonchalantly. It has a strong vibe of “see? It’s not a big deal.”

        5. Bill Erak

          Because that’s how Walky would treat it?
          Even if he’s hurt, he’s Walky. Do you expect him to. What. Go and argue with Dorothy and Joyce over something he knew was coming from day 1?

  45. Nullset

    Walky Performs a Wound Dressing

  46. Rimwalker55

    Good choice to hide with Walky. He swore on garbage roof that he would never reveal her to be Agnes McMarshmallow.

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-8/02-this-is-the-way-that-we-love/shortround/

    1. Rimwalker55

      It would be much better to hide in Booster’s room though. They would be much better in misdirecting the cops.

      1. Throwatron

        I actually wouldn’t trust Booster to deal with cops.

        Not because they’d be a narc! I think they’d have that premise down pat just fine.

        I wouldn’t trust them to deal with cops, because I can’t imagine Booster passing on any opportunity to rile up or antagonize someone, even to their own immediate detriment.

      2. John Campbell

        … Walky’s room is Booster’s room. They’re roommates.

        1. Clif

          I was going to say.

  47. goggleman64

    I think the funniest possible move would be for Joyce to wait three in-story months to talk to Joe – only to have him switch colleges off-screen, so we fully never see him again. You could even write a Joe Spaghetti incident that Danny and Sal reference 😉

    1. apocryphascribe

      I don’t personally think it would be “funny,” but at least the bandaid would be ripped off and the waiting for something to happen in that regard would finally be over. He’s practically halfway there already.

    2. Taffy

      Who’s Joe?

      1. apocryphascribe

        Exactly!

    3. Big Z

      That’s interesting, I had a similar idea where we just got rid of YOUR favorite character for no reason.

  48. Steamweed

    1. Very darn glad that drug-addled Amber isn’t flirtin’ with death by walkin’ around on high-up ledges.
    2. Also darn glad that she clambered into Walky’s room.

  49. Morhek

    Our two favourite messes, being messy together.

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