I mean, he can just bleach his roots when that happens, if he still wants the blonde hair?
With no specific animus towards you, but putting it here because it has to go somewhere – I find it really uncomfortable how many people talk about his hair (or durags, wave caps, and bonnets on other black cast members) like it’s at all unusual. Have you ever worried about Carla’s hair “looking rough” when it starts growing out? Just something to consider.
zee
Yeah it’s, bleh. I can give people the benefit of the doubt and admit Willis’s style doesn’t capture Jacobs hairstyle as well as it could, hes not 100% when it comes to the intricacies of textured hair. But it’s uncomfortable just how much it comes up. Jacob doesn’t have a bad hairstyle, he has an extremely normal and pretty cool hairstyle for a 19 year old experimenting with their look for the first time . Also grown out roots always look cool
Thag Simmons
I was going to try to defend myself and say that Jacob’s really the only character whose hairstyle I don’t like, but I also don’t like Becky’s but I haven’t dunked on it is much because unfortunately “obnoxious ginger who hasn’t had a haircut in months” is not a criticism I can make without being deeply hypocritical.
Wilde
I feel this way too. There are some people that feel they simply MUST comment every single time a black person has a black hair style (or du rags etc) on panel. It’s a known Thing that people fixate on black people’s hair and have a lot of… opinions about it. Culture prioritizes white aesthetics, and black folk’s hair gets criticized because it doesn’t fit in with that. Some black people even intentionally style their hair in a way that white aesthetics dislike, as a counterculture political statement.
If folks don’t like Willis’s portrayal of the hair, they should comment on the art, but I think it’s awesome he attempts to portray black hair authentically. Also, Linda has showcased this specimen of microaggression on panel, let’s not be Lindas!
Also, not a sarcastic question, but genuine: do we know Tony’s hair is natural?
Sirksome
I mean I only like dunking in Jake’s hair cause I am black myself and used to. work at a barber shop. I know the look he’s going for. The short side swept dreads. It’s very popular in media right now specifically in animated stuff. It’s even been criticized for being overused. Miles Morales has in the most recent Spider-Man game as well as Eddie in Tekken 8. Frankly most interpretations of black hair are about 3-5 years behind the modern trends cause it takes a while to be absorbed by creators. We need more variations. Black hair is truly very versatile.
Makkabee
If we’re talking about white characters’ hair, I liked Becky’s shorter asymmetrical look from before the time skip better than her current do, but it never seemed like a big enough deal to bring up. I’m not the artist or writer, it’s not my call how she wears it.
By the same token it’s not my call how Jacob or Sarah wear their hair, so I’ve never expressed a preference about which of their styles looked better to me either.
You mean the extremely common hairstyle that a lot of college age people have? Heck, I am not in college and have shaved sides.
Wilde
Perfect Gravatar for this reply!
Also I’m realizing as I look at that picture, Tony’s hair really is super similar (in this art style, at least) to Jacob’s. Only difference is dread shape really. Interesting experiment, coincidental or not, to see how folks react to it on Tony versus Jacob.
This is how we find out he’s been angling to rail Tony from the beginning. For the influence of course. Him and Raidah had discussed the potential power throuple often.
Is Jacob beefier than Tony? We haven’t gotten to see a lot of Tony to compare but at an initial glance I want to say maybe Tony is wider but Jacob has height so he looks bigger?
Thag Simmons
I think aside from height they’re pretty much the same level of beef
Sirksome
Tony does play football. I don’t know what position but he was shown carrying the ball. Probably like a full back or half back. Short but strong guys to break through lines when you need guaranteed yards. He’s probably at least as buff as Jake. The male equivalent of Amber.
Throwatron
It was specified that he’s a running back, and that position seems to vary much more widely in side and build that most others. There are huge, strong ones, and small, agile ones…but the small, agile ones are still bloody strong. Jacob is definitely beefier than Tony, but it’s hard to say which one of them would actually be stronger, without additional evidence at least.
Or this is where we find out he’s always wanted to rail Tony but thought he was out of his league.
The person who you rejected “snagging” (urgh, I hate that word) the person you didn’t think you could get smarts.
Also allows Lucy to continue her “sweet but misinterprets her boyfriends” arc, furthering her journey to villain? “Aaw, it’s sweet you’re happy for the girl you chose me over! Wait, who’s he again? Principled, nepotically influential, college football player..? Does he know [Raidah’s version of] what she did to her roommate last year? Oh, he can hear me and knows the truth* and now he knows that was Sarah he’s even more into her and apparently I believed and spread lies and was nasty to Sarah over them…”
Jacob’s shown himself to be not exactly forgiving at times… Also, learning that Sarah was battling bullying with people putting out that sort of defamatory spin about her as Gospel could well help him understand her prickliness and why it’s so hard for her to open up to people: she thought Raidah and co were her friends, too, back then…
So: Jacob’s not-admitted-to-self[-yet?] bi-leaning plus that news about Sarah, plus “Lucy doesn’t verify sources properly”..? RIP Jacucy (pronounced like jacuzzi but with a soft “s” instead of the “z”s), hello Jacob trying to ingratiate himself with a “drew a hard line in the concrete, which has now set, and moved on” Sarah…
Yumi
Lucy’s comment was in response to what Joe said.
Sirksome
I mean…I just thought it was kinda funny that even Jacob seems to recognize Tony is a highly valued romantic partner. Like somehow all the soft power on campus is directly tied to Tony’s dick.
Mark
More like his shoulders.
I’m not at all surprised that Jacob knows who the school’s star atheletes are and considers them high-value. It’s probably weirder (to most people) that I didn’t, when I was in school.
I legit think that he thought Tony was utterly uninterested in dating, and his reaction to Sarah managing to pull him is a “holy shit she yoinked out Excalibur” type of response.
Snagged Tony. Yup snatched him right out from under absolutely no one despite him apparently being in very high demand. The couple meta is shook. You are shook.
I get the impression he’s been single due very much to his choice, like I imagine he’s not terribly interested in a lot of the people he runs into whom are interested in him due to his football prospects, etc, being kind of a pessimistic dude without being an outright prick about it.
That would line up with his first onscreen interaction with Billie, did not seem like his first time rejecting someone’s advances.
Throwatron
He’s like the Lawful Good version of Malaya. No fakey!
Miri
… Malaya’s Chaotic, I’m pretty sure, but is she Good, Evil, or Neutral?
Thag Simmons
Evil feels strong, but I wouldn’t call her Neutral either. Chaotic Bad I guess
Aura
They’re a chaotic baddie (did I do that right?)
Needfuldoer
Maybe Malaya is Tony’s Wario.
Mark
Yes.
Steamweed
Malaya has loaned out Fuckface on a few occasions to worthy people. I’d say she’s Chaotic Good. I might be convinced to say she’s Lawful (since she hates fakey-ness) Good. She’s a Paladin of a very niche morality set.
That’s what I’m leaning towards – that Tony’s been VERY selective in women he’s dated (if anyone during the semester), so Jacob’s genuinely surprised that the woman that grabbed his attention was Sarah.
ohhh i love a strip that caters to the sarah/joyce/joe agenda i’ve had for ten years since i started reading this comic as a wee high schooler. my fave trio fr
These two are actually completely adorable together.
I also look forward to this somehow, if we survive the two years needed to get to the right storyline, leading to Tony meeting Walky’s Mom via the Dean again, with Sarah and Sal and Lucy all in the same room, leading to Tony cracking Mrs. Walkerton in the jaw.
Interesting final panel, for sure. I imagine, judging by this, that Tony does not date a lot due to not finding a lot of girls who fit what he’s looking for.
Also, perhaps some stray feelings lingering from Jacob, but maybe don’t gas a girl up with stuff like “I like your arms”, and then immediately fuck someone else. Just a thought.
Glad I’m not the only one who found this odd judging by the comments. I don’t know if Jacob is slowly realizing what a catch Sarah is, or he’s still processing between this and now knowing why Sarah is the way she is.
I think Jacob is just wondering, “how did he do that? What’s he got that I hadn’t got?” He didn’t reject Sarah; she wasn’t responding and he gave up.
Chubseus
It’s not really true that Sarah wasn’t responding. Jacob coaxed Sarah into opening up and she straight-out admitted that she liked him, and not just physically but for his personality too. It’s true that he didn’t reject her outright, but I wouldn’t say Jacob gave up either. He was noncommittal, and fell for Lucy before he made up his mind.
Discussion (211) - “Rewarding”
NGPZ
*plays “Grouch Anthem” from Sesame Street: Follow That Bird Music CD*
RassilonTDavros
…I forgot that movie even existed until just now.
I think I wrote it off as a fever dream.
PASchaefer
I have never forgotten that movie.
Azhrei Vep
I have never heard of that movie!
spriteless aunty
I saw half of that movie as a child, and the cliffhanger bothered me for a long time.
JA
Same. I’ve never met anyone else IRL whose seen or even heard of it.
AnonGrouch
I of course, approve.
Jeremiah
The angry eyebrow are indeed very hot.
Dara
They are, but that “I like eyebrows that suffer no fools” in Panel 4 has as disturbing amount of Galasso energy.
Opus the Poet
+1. Tony is saying all the right things.
Needfuldoer
Their showdown will be the stuff of legend!
spriteless aunty
I need more Galasso energy myself.
Joy
*snatches the compliment and eats it with my pawsies since that compliment applies to me as well* :3
I get full Huey Freeman at times but thankfully it’s not my default facial expression ^w^ (Boondocks reference)
Nono
Alright Jacob, that’s just the woman you turned to have sex with your current girlfriend. Don’t make it weird.
Nono
THEY EVEN HAVE THE SAME BLONDE CURLY TOP PART OF HAIR
Of course, Tony’s is natural and Jacob’s is going to look a bit rough once his roots start showing again.
Thag Simmons
Hate to say it, frosted tip dreads would be an improvement over the current look.
Nymph
I mean, he can just bleach his roots when that happens, if he still wants the blonde hair?
With no specific animus towards you, but putting it here because it has to go somewhere – I find it really uncomfortable how many people talk about his hair (or durags, wave caps, and bonnets on other black cast members) like it’s at all unusual. Have you ever worried about Carla’s hair “looking rough” when it starts growing out? Just something to consider.
zee
Yeah it’s, bleh. I can give people the benefit of the doubt and admit Willis’s style doesn’t capture Jacobs hairstyle as well as it could, hes not 100% when it comes to the intricacies of textured hair. But it’s uncomfortable just how much it comes up. Jacob doesn’t have a bad hairstyle, he has an extremely normal and pretty cool hairstyle for a 19 year old experimenting with their look for the first time . Also grown out roots always look cool
Thag Simmons
I was going to try to defend myself and say that Jacob’s really the only character whose hairstyle I don’t like, but I also don’t like Becky’s but I haven’t dunked on it is much because unfortunately “obnoxious ginger who hasn’t had a haircut in months” is not a criticism I can make without being deeply hypocritical.
Wilde
I feel this way too. There are some people that feel they simply MUST comment every single time a black person has a black hair style (or du rags etc) on panel. It’s a known Thing that people fixate on black people’s hair and have a lot of… opinions about it. Culture prioritizes white aesthetics, and black folk’s hair gets criticized because it doesn’t fit in with that. Some black people even intentionally style their hair in a way that white aesthetics dislike, as a counterculture political statement.
If folks don’t like Willis’s portrayal of the hair, they should comment on the art, but I think it’s awesome he attempts to portray black hair authentically. Also, Linda has showcased this specimen of microaggression on panel, let’s not be Lindas!
Also, not a sarcastic question, but genuine: do we know Tony’s hair is natural?
Sirksome
I mean I only like dunking in Jake’s hair cause I am black myself and used to. work at a barber shop. I know the look he’s going for. The short side swept dreads. It’s very popular in media right now specifically in animated stuff. It’s even been criticized for being overused. Miles Morales has in the most recent Spider-Man game as well as Eddie in Tekken 8. Frankly most interpretations of black hair are about 3-5 years behind the modern trends cause it takes a while to be absorbed by creators. We need more variations. Black hair is truly very versatile.
Makkabee
If we’re talking about white characters’ hair, I liked Becky’s shorter asymmetrical look from before the time skip better than her current do, but it never seemed like a big enough deal to bring up. I’m not the artist or writer, it’s not my call how she wears it.
By the same token it’s not my call how Jacob or Sarah wear their hair, so I’ve never expressed a preference about which of their styles looked better to me either.
Athedia
You mean the extremely common hairstyle that a lot of college age people have? Heck, I am not in college and have shaved sides.
Wilde
Perfect Gravatar for this reply!
Also I’m realizing as I look at that picture, Tony’s hair really is super similar (in this art style, at least) to Jacob’s. Only difference is dread shape really. Interesting experiment, coincidental or not, to see how folks react to it on Tony versus Jacob.
Thag Simmons
Not quite sure how to read that reaction from Jacob.
Sirksome
This is how we find out he’s been angling to rail Tony from the beginning. For the influence of course. Him and Raidah had discussed the potential power throuple often.
Nono
Is Jacob beefier than Tony? We haven’t gotten to see a lot of Tony to compare but at an initial glance I want to say maybe Tony is wider but Jacob has height so he looks bigger?
Thag Simmons
I think aside from height they’re pretty much the same level of beef
Sirksome
Tony does play football. I don’t know what position but he was shown carrying the ball. Probably like a full back or half back. Short but strong guys to break through lines when you need guaranteed yards. He’s probably at least as buff as Jake. The male equivalent of Amber.
Throwatron
It was specified that he’s a running back, and that position seems to vary much more widely in side and build that most others. There are huge, strong ones, and small, agile ones…but the small, agile ones are still bloody strong. Jacob is definitely beefier than Tony, but it’s hard to say which one of them would actually be stronger, without additional evidence at least.
Miri
… FIGHT!!!!!!
?
Sillygoose
And now KISS!
Wereg
Tony is their Chief Ballsman, actually.
Needfuldoer
I think Beef is even taller than Jacob.
Miri
Or this is where we find out he’s always wanted to rail Tony but thought he was out of his league.
The person who you rejected “snagging” (urgh, I hate that word) the person you didn’t think you could get smarts.
Also allows Lucy to continue her “sweet but misinterprets her boyfriends” arc, furthering her journey to villain? “Aaw, it’s sweet you’re happy for the girl you chose me over! Wait, who’s he again? Principled, nepotically influential, college football player..? Does he know [Raidah’s version of] what she did to her roommate last year? Oh, he can hear me and knows the truth* and now he knows that was Sarah he’s even more into her and apparently I believed and spread lies and was nasty to Sarah over them…”
Jacob’s shown himself to be not exactly forgiving at times… Also, learning that Sarah was battling bullying with people putting out that sort of defamatory spin about her as Gospel could well help him understand her prickliness and why it’s so hard for her to open up to people: she thought Raidah and co were her friends, too, back then…
So: Jacob’s not-admitted-to-self[-yet?] bi-leaning plus that news about Sarah, plus “Lucy doesn’t verify sources properly”..? RIP Jacucy (pronounced like jacuzzi but with a soft “s” instead of the “z”s), hello Jacob trying to ingratiate himself with a “drew a hard line in the concrete, which has now set, and moved on” Sarah…
Yumi
Lucy’s comment was in response to what Joe said.
Sirksome
I mean…I just thought it was kinda funny that even Jacob seems to recognize Tony is a highly valued romantic partner. Like somehow all the soft power on campus is directly tied to Tony’s dick.
Mark
More like his shoulders.
I’m not at all surprised that Jacob knows who the school’s star atheletes are and considers them high-value. It’s probably weirder (to most people) that I didn’t, when I was in school.
Jeremiah
I think he is just surprised because yeah, she make quite a catch.
HueSatLight
A little disbelief/surprise. Like knows about, but does not grok, differences in personality and compatibility.
Bleeple Deeple Dew
That comment gives away the part of him that dated Raidah
GholaHalleck
I legit think that he thought Tony was utterly uninterested in dating, and his reaction to Sarah managing to pull him is a “holy shit she yoinked out Excalibur” type of response.
anon
https://www.dumbingofage.com/tag/jacob+tony/ honestly i’m surprised he even knows who he is b/c they dont’ seem to have appear in that many strips together
Sirksome
Snagged Tony. Yup snatched him right out from under absolutely no one despite him apparently being in very high demand. The couple meta is shook. You are shook.
Doctor_Who
She just grabbed him and ran out the door before the alarm went off.
DailyBrad
I get the impression he’s been single due very much to his choice, like I imagine he’s not terribly interested in a lot of the people he runs into whom are interested in him due to his football prospects, etc, being kind of a pessimistic dude without being an outright prick about it.
So, Sarah did still score something of a coup.
Thag Simmons
That would line up with his first onscreen interaction with Billie, did not seem like his first time rejecting someone’s advances.
Throwatron
He’s like the Lawful Good version of Malaya. No fakey!
Miri
… Malaya’s Chaotic, I’m pretty sure, but is she Good, Evil, or Neutral?
Thag Simmons
Evil feels strong, but I wouldn’t call her Neutral either. Chaotic Bad I guess
Aura
They’re a chaotic baddie (did I do that right?)
Needfuldoer
Maybe Malaya is Tony’s Wario.
Mark
Yes.
Steamweed
Malaya has loaned out Fuckface on a few occasions to worthy people. I’d say she’s Chaotic Good. I might be convinced to say she’s Lawful (since she hates fakey-ness) Good. She’s a Paladin of a very niche morality set.
Stu
That’s what I’m leaning towards – that Tony’s been VERY selective in women he’s dated (if anyone during the semester), so Jacob’s genuinely surprised that the woman that grabbed his attention was Sarah.
AbacusWizard
Dumbing of Age, Book 17: Eyebrows That Suffer No Fools
Effie
yes this
Steamweed
Appropriate gravatar is appropriate.
Miri
I like this! ?
Marianne
The Glalthian Mining Consortium disapproves of this alt text joke!
Clif
And therein lies a story?
Puppeteer Nessus
If I were Raidah I’d be nervous too
toby
ohhh i love a strip that caters to the sarah/joyce/joe agenda i’ve had for ten years since i started reading this comic as a wee high schooler. my fave trio fr
jeffepp
Rock dem eyebrows!
Saffy from Giant Days.
ZombieKyrik
I hope that Raidah(See: Psycho Bongo) fails to break up Tony and Sarah, and the whole thing blows up in her face.
not someone else
These two are actually completely adorable together.
I also look forward to this somehow, if we survive the two years needed to get to the right storyline, leading to Tony meeting Walky’s Mom via the Dean again, with Sarah and Sal and Lucy all in the same room, leading to Tony cracking Mrs. Walkerton in the jaw.
not someone else
Ooh, or Sarah with a baseball bat. Whichever is more cathartic to Sal.
Steamweed
Mayyybe all three working together? Sal, Sarah, and Tony all working over Linda, interrupting some racist-rant of hers?
DailyBrad
You and me both, Tony.
Interesting final panel, for sure. I imagine, judging by this, that Tony does not date a lot due to not finding a lot of girls who fit what he’s looking for.
Also, perhaps some stray feelings lingering from Jacob, but maybe don’t gas a girl up with stuff like “I like your arms”, and then immediately fuck someone else. Just a thought.
Grimey
Glad I’m not the only one who found this odd judging by the comments. I don’t know if Jacob is slowly realizing what a catch Sarah is, or he’s still processing between this and now knowing why Sarah is the way she is.
Mark
I think Jacob is just wondering, “how did he do that? What’s he got that I hadn’t got?” He didn’t reject Sarah; she wasn’t responding and he gave up.
Chubseus
It’s not really true that Sarah wasn’t responding. Jacob coaxed Sarah into opening up and she straight-out admitted that she liked him, and not just physically but for his personality too. It’s true that he didn’t reject her outright, but I wouldn’t say Jacob gave up either. He was noncommittal, and fell for Lucy before he made up his mind.