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Focus

Posted on December 31, 2010 by David M Willis

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Tags: jennifer
Whiskey!  An appropriate comic for New Year's Eve!  ...even though for Billie it's still August. That's why I drink, anyway, just in case I might be a character in a webcomic that somebody's reading on New Year's Eve.

Discussion (62) - “Focus”

  1. Joebo

    12/31/2010, 12:02 am
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    Ah, alcohol abuse. So many lawls.

  2. David Herbert

    12/31/2010, 12:04 am
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    Oh Billie. Billie, Billie, Billie. If you don’t start whipping out your tits we may not be able to have anything positive to say about you.

    1. JK9000

      12/31/2010, 12:40 am
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      I don’t know about that. She’s kind of an adorable little ball of hypocrisy and alcoholism.

    2. ADHadh

      12/31/2010, 7:22 am
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      Uh, she’s not Ruth? That’s a big positive.

      1. MrGBH

        12/31/2010, 3:36 pm
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        She doesn’t smoke either. That’s another one. Also, she owns a cheerleaders costume. That’s a big plus.

    3. Lokitsu

      12/31/2010, 8:11 pm
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      I’m positive that she drinks too much.

    4. DCHorror

      01/02/2011, 4:24 am
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      She drinks whiskey. That’s pretty okay in my books.

  3. Ragnal

    12/31/2010, 12:04 am
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    Wouldn’t alcohol blur her vision?

    1. Joebo

      12/31/2010, 12:20 am
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      This is what we call alcoholism. Her system is so blunted to it’s effects that her subconscious mind is quite convinced that she needs it in order to effectively operate.

      1. Mage the Observer

        12/31/2010, 3:07 am
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        If you’re paying attention to such things, it’s an easy way of noticing whether or not you’re addicted to a subtance. Alcohol is the drug of choice when pointing this out in fiction, but this behavior isn’t alcohol-exclusive. Ask anyone who needs their morning caffeine to function… like me, for example…

        1. gangler

          12/31/2010, 5:46 am

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7EONScLrHg&feature=related

          Me, but without all those diet colas.

        2. Someone

          12/31/2010, 3:52 pm

          There is the rare occasion where such things actually DO work as a helping hand. I’m much better at pool, darts and the like after a beer or two. Of course, I rarely drink so that’s just the alcohol relaxing my brain from the thinky stuff.

  4. Coppermouth

    12/31/2010, 12:07 am
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    Anybody else hoping for Billy to be the new Ruth?

    1. Joebo

      12/31/2010, 12:19 am
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      Not really no.

      1. Cassidy

        12/31/2010, 12:26 am
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        this:
        Joebo
        December 31, 2010 at 12:19 am | # | Reply

        Not really no.

  5. Dahlia

    12/31/2010, 12:09 am
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    :/ Or she could just, I dunno STAY THE HELL AWAKE so you can ask her when Sal gets home? Geez.

    1. A random reader

      12/31/2010, 12:15 am
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      But that would be the logical thing to do.

      1. Dahlia

        12/31/2010, 12:18 am
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        Yeah, I know, which is….”shockingly”…not what BILLIE would do.

  6. ME

    12/31/2010, 12:14 am
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    It looks like time is passing at a rate of a little over real month per comic day, right?

    1. Cassidy

      12/31/2010, 12:28 am
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      until one comic where it will suddenly be 8 years later, Billie is pregnant with Joe’s baby, Walky and ruth are in the back seat of a car making out (licky style) and aliens are taking over the planet.
      also Dorithy and Dina are lesbians together (with Faz). and Amber has moved on from WoW to play Starcraft.

      1. Cha

        12/31/2010, 1:11 am
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        You can’t be a real lesbian unless the Great Faz is involved! 😉

        1. dethtoll

          12/31/2010, 6:36 am

          i just went into the other room to get a soda to spit. thanks.

        2. Lokitsu

          12/31/2010, 8:13 pm

          Dammit Faz! Stop being a lesbian-enabler!

        3. Plasma Mongoose

          04/28/2011, 6:48 pm

          Why should he? Faz was created by SCIENCE to facilite the conversion of straight women into lesbians.

  7. Schadetj

    12/31/2010, 12:42 am
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    Am I the only one not liking this Ruth? The assaulting, stealing, bongoy Ruth? (As a past-RA, this is total cringe-worthy to me. How has she not been expelled from the dorm for instigating fights and stealing from other students yet?)

    1. Mimi

      12/31/2010, 1:24 am
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      Coz this is a fictional comic?

      (What am I saying, of course its real! I meant coz she’s just that awesome)

    2. creativerealms

      12/31/2010, 10:20 am
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      I liked her at first but really now she’s turning into a “female Mike with a purpose” meaning that she unlike Mike has reasons to be an ass besides wanting to be one.

      And that I’m not really liking. I don’t hate her though.

    3. xo

      12/31/2010, 1:01 pm
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      i like ruth only because i cant stand billie for her unexamined mental issues..

      1. Unconquered Sun

        12/31/2010, 2:01 pm
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        *waves agreement flags towards xo*

      2. MrGBH

        12/31/2010, 3:38 pm
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        So you prefer Ruth’s unexamined mental issues?

  8. Rowen Morland

    12/31/2010, 12:50 am
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    Billie needs to let this one go and not do what I’m assuming is Ruth’s job for her.

  9. Dahlia

    12/31/2010, 12:53 am
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    Oh crap! I was so fixated on Billie hate that I forgot to ask: Might I send a guest comic to help out since Willis and Maggie are busy? Does anyone know where to send it to?

    D: I mean, I feel awful enjoying this comic and not being able to donate anything (I’m broke) or purchase anything from the store or just contribute to show my appreciation… (I’m sorry if he’s already mentioned where to send it and I missed it).

    1. Clementine

      12/31/2010, 1:14 am
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      Could probably ask him on Twitter if all else fails.

      1. Dahlia

        12/31/2010, 2:14 am
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        D: I do have a twitter I rarely use…but I have no idea how to WORK twitter, I hate to admit…

  10. Shift

    12/31/2010, 1:16 am
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    This is going to end badly for her, ain’t it?

    1. NF

      12/31/2010, 1:35 am
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      “Sal, there you are. I have a problem. I need some money because I already lent all of mine to a friend to buy some stuff she needed for some reason she can’t remember right now, and I heard you robbed two convenience stores, so…”

    2. Lokitsu

      12/31/2010, 8:16 pm
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      *thinks carefully, then looks at the title of the series*
      Nah, Shift, I think this will all end just fine for everyone involved.

  11. merkury

    12/31/2010, 1:35 am
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    sign it yourself already

  12. TheAlucinaut

    12/31/2010, 2:05 am
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    hot

    1. Undrave

      12/31/2010, 12:04 pm
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      I want to see Billie in her cheerleader uniform :p

  13. arjay2813

    12/31/2010, 2:38 am
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    now that Faz has been mentioned, i wonder if he and his sister in shortpacked are siblings here. he’ll probably still be a creepy little slimeball..

    1. creativerealms

      12/31/2010, 10:22 am
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      Like if he knows he’s related to Amber but still tries to gat her? Since we are talking Faz here probably.

    2. Zem

      12/31/2010, 1:10 pm
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      Please please please not bring Howard back. That walking offensive stereotype was possibly the worst Roomies character ever.

      An embarassing little brother Faz is a lot more appropriate.

      1. Lokitsu

        12/31/2010, 8:18 pm
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        How was Howard an offensive stereotype? I knew folks like Howard when I was in my 20’s.

        1. Zem

          01/03/2011, 7:40 am

          The existence of stereotypes in reality does not validate their existence in fiction.

          …I think I have just said something very clever or really dumb, depending on what you read into it.

        2. Zem

          01/03/2011, 7:48 am

          (Probably one of my favourite D. Adams pieces ever: on a trip he’s reporting about he meets two German youths who embody the stereotypical German person (Aryan-looking, praising German technolgy etc.) This makes the author very worried, because, as he says, “Writers should not be in the business of propping up stereotypes.” After a while he decides to simply write them as Latvians.)

  14. nnnh.

    12/31/2010, 8:58 am
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    1. i hate australia.

    2. yeah. first thing i do on new years. read this.

    3. alcohol.

  15. Iasthai

    12/31/2010, 10:32 am
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    Ruth gets away with it the same way bullies get away with it : people let her. If no one makes an official complaint, there aren’t going to be official consequences. Billie is too proud to go and report her, and besides, she *did* attack Ruth, Ruth can plead legitimate defense. Ruth didn’t hit Billie, she threw her. There’s plausible deniability there, if someone was ever to speak up. But, you know, first day of college, you may not know how everything work, you might be too shy to go to higher authorities (Amber, Dina… Joyce?) and if you are Sarah, and you remember the last time you tattled you lost all your friends, you may be a little reticent.

  16. Robert in San Diego

    12/31/2010, 11:00 am
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    Notes for Billie:

    1. Watch out for hard spirits — they’re easier to smuggle into a dorm room, but they pack more of a wallop than beer.\
    2. Set a sound booby-trap on the door so you’ll wake up for Sal’s next appearance. Oh, wait, it’s Sal. Might want to trip-wire the window, too.
    3. Talk to David W. — he might know where his sister goes, works, etc.

    Rest of us:
    1. Dave’s setting us up for a big reveal on where Sal’s been, isn’t he?

  17. Undrave

    12/31/2010, 12:03 pm
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    So if Ruth managed to grab Billie’s uniform… think she also grabbed her booze?

    1. Gianni

      12/31/2010, 5:41 pm
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      I was wondering if anyone else was going to pick up on that, but the alcohol might be better hidden than the cheerleader uniform.

    2. Shift

      12/31/2010, 5:44 pm
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      Billie probably hid the booze better than her uniform. After all, she knows where her priorities lie.

      1. MJ

        01/01/2011, 12:43 pm
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        I bet Sal can find it

  18. xo

    12/31/2010, 1:03 pm
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    billie needs a walker in panel three. and some gingersnaps

  19. Xynide

    12/31/2010, 4:57 pm
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    http://www.m0ar.org/4958

    I enjoyed this, if only for the “I’m Batman”

  20. T Campbell

    12/31/2010, 8:00 pm
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    Another in Billie’s long line of shockingly good decisions. She’s on a real streak. At this rate, she’ll wake up in the gutter having made all her friends hate her and also having ruined world peace.

    1. Rognik

      01/02/2011, 1:10 am
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      I guess that’d make her the Anti-Robin?

      1. Undrave

        01/02/2011, 5:07 pm
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        Anti-Robin would ruin world peace and then make friends not lose them.

  21. coobee

    01/01/2011, 10:11 pm
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    I seriously don’t get all the hate for Billie or Ruth. I think they’re both great. Not my tippy top faves but still good, and I have a soft spot for Billie that I can’t explain.

    My least favourite characters are probably Dorothy and Danny, but only because their storylines have tended towards the meh for me.

  22. R

    01/02/2011, 7:07 pm
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    At first I thought these comments were fake because everyone was so literate. This comic rocks.

    1. Plasma Mongoose

      04/28/2011, 6:55 pm
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      That could be due to the fact that 13yo boys are not part of the typical Walkyverse demographic.

  23. Kelsey

    07/08/2011, 10:11 am
    • Reply Report comment

    YES IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT SHARPENS THE THOUGHT PROCESS IT’S A DEPRESSANT.

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