Maybe the stains don’t come from the fast food. Maybe the stains come from Walky because at this point he basically is fast food. He secretes his own sauces.
Honestly, the swing from the best arcs Willis has ever written to one of the funniest strips I can think of in the entire 11 year run of the comic has basically gone past whiplash.
You’re right. That was one hell of a well-written arc. I’m actually looking forward to seeing what’s next for Joyce. I’ve been hard on her in the comments section, but she really is one of my favorite characters, and watching how she’s been developing has been super fun and interesting.
My theory is that Willis has been IN a Taco Bell since the late 90s, and they haven’t been able to redecorate because they can’t close until he leaves.
Delicious Taffy
The real Taco Bell was the American Midwest we made along the way.
Jamie
There are so many depressing parts to that sentence.
I lived in a town where the Taco Bell kept its 90s look until about 2004. They finally redecorated, and the sign out front said “Check out our bold new look!”
…And then the place burned down, but for like a week the sign was still up. It was a pretty big local meme for a while.
The last comic was fairly final (ending with Joyce walking away, nobody following her). And I don’t think there was much more to say at that point. And Willis has always been good with balancing storylines.
I just didn’t know if it would jump to Walky/Lucy or Sal/Danny. (Or if it would go totally random and jump to Ruth/Jason or Billie.
Yeah I think a moment to breathe is necessary, one of the major status quos of the last seven years of the series just got nuked.
I think the last thing we’ll see is Joe, Sarah and Dorothy talking amongst each other on “what to do about it”, however that manifests.
RassilonTDavros
If I were in this situation, I’d be tempted to call Dina and warn her that this is really, really not a good day to say anything bad about a negative correlation between faith and intelligence to Becky.
Like, I’m fairly confident Dina has enough of an understanding of how important Becky’s faith is to her, and enough respect for that, that she can say Becky isn’t an idiot for having it despite not having it herself, but I’d probably think that a heads-up couldn’t hurt. And then I’d wonder if it could hurt, and if I’d be micro-managing my friends’ lives and telling something that wasn’t mine to tell. And then I’d wonder if Becky was even going to tell Dina about this in the first place, since she represses things so much, and if warning Dina so she wouldn’t say anything insensitive by accident wouldn’t be a good idea after all. And then I’d be back where I started.
Spencer
Yeah I could see this manifest as Becky telling Dina who just kind of shrugs because Joyce just thinks like she does but she and Becky still get along and it leads into a bit of a fight, or Becky not being willing to open up about it now scared of the potential drama.
I’m leaning towards the latter because in this chapter we already had a horribly painful conversation that shattered a status quo we thought would be unshakeable and Becky losing both her ladies in one night would hit some “first is tragic, second is careless” energy, and I think there’d be some major drama in Becky both doing the same thing Joyce has been doing (avoiding a complicated talk she’s not prepared to have) and losing that built up “Dina won’t hate me if I cry in front of her” stability Becky’s got where because she can’t say it out loud it makes her more wary of expressing any vulnerability in front of Dina.
Agemegos
Speaking of the supposed negative correlation between faith and intelligence, it seems to me from thirty years involved with GHG policy that the stupid are not particular credulous. Sometimes they can be stupidly skeptical. I am pit in mind of the old saying that no-one is harder to convince than an intelligent person whose interest it is not to understand.
Becky doesn’t believe in God because They seem to be real, but because she needs Them to be on her side against the lesser authorities that have persecuted her.
240 thoughts on “Bam”
Ana Chronistic
Walky’s Got Talent
Decidedly Orthogonal
He’s saucy too!
Seems he’s still connected to Joyce, Amber, Sal and Dina’s magical realism girl power source.
Clif
I was impressed by the sudden disappearance of the jacket into jacketspace.
Tan
He dropped it. It’s on the floor.
Ana Chronistic
Tbf a jacket that only exists temporally wouldn’t be much sauce defence
MacareuxMoine
I was impressed by the number of stripes on his shirt increasing between panel 4 and 5.
Fnord
I initially read this as “Joyce, Amber, Sal, and Dina’s magical realm” and was deeply disturbed for a moment.
Doctor_Who
Maybe the stains don’t come from the fast food. Maybe the stains come from Walky because at this point he basically is fast food. He secretes his own sauces.
y3k
Maybe the real stains were inside us all along.
Seventh-Sandwich
Maybe the real fast food was the friends we made along the way.
Reltzik
Not until next year. … wait, it was 2022, right? … yeah, 2022.
Svata
I mean. Blood DOES stain pretty good.
Needfuldoer
Hydrogen peroxide (or sodium percarbonate based “oxygen bleach”) take fresh blood stains out very easily.
Ryek Hvek
Fresh blood stains, maybe, but blood stains with quiet dignity are a tougher remove.
A Red Balloon
Who knows?
Maybe all those savory sauces will soon drive Lucy to eat him out….
Rose by Any Other Name
That would be very sweet.
Is it just me, or has this gone full graybles?
Delicious Taffy
These cartoon references are starting to sour my mood.
King Daniel
Are you feeling salty?
annarchy
How could you make such a terrible pun you’re disappointing **U-mam-i**, she is so disappointed.
Rose by Any Other Name
**tear in eyes**
You guys… make me so happy. ^^
Aphid
Comrade, while I admire your boldness I must say that this comment caused me to suffer psychic damage.
A Red Balloon
Psychic damage?
I should have known that would happen near a wall of psychic energy…
Twig the Troll
You are what you eat, huh?
Delicious Taffy
You callin’ me a pu- [is pulled offstage]
wwwhhattt
I just spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to work out why being a pudding is wrong
GeekRyuu
That is so adorably pure. So innocent. Must protect.
CrazyJ
So are you saying that Walky is a SCP?
Queezle
that’s okay I never wanted to eat again anyway
A Red Balloon
Aaaaahhh…. comic relief.
We ALL need a little of this after the last few strips.
Thag Simmons
Somehow I suspect this will only be a brief respite from the drama
Aphid
The taco bell turns out to be run by the cheese and everyone ends up dead again.
Schpoonman
Honestly, the swing from the best arcs Willis has ever written to one of the funniest strips I can think of in the entire 11 year run of the comic has basically gone past whiplash.
Wendy
You’re right. That was one hell of a well-written arc. I’m actually looking forward to seeing what’s next for Joyce. I’ve been hard on her in the comments section, but she really is one of my favorite characters, and watching how she’s been developing has been super fun and interesting.
Wendy
Sometimes it be that way, Walky.
King Daniel
It’s okay, Walky
Just stagger into the building like you’ve been shot, and beg them to print your comics as a dying request
You are the April Fool after all
Airyu
I’m excited to see Walky on in-universe April Fool’s day (several years from now irl)
Thag Simmons
I think Carla would be the undisputable queen of April Fools here.
King Daniel
Well, Walky’s birthday is canonically April 1st if I’m not mistaken, just saying
Thag Simmons
A birthright claim is meaningless if you can’t back it up, and Carla would absolutely annihilate Walky in this field
Regalli
It is an unfathomable skill. And sadly, a relatable one.
Reltzik
I’m… guessing he managed to spill some on the inside of his coat before he put his coat on?
GeekRyuu
Nonono…you don’t EXPLAIN how the trick is done.
Nono
You know, for the first time since the start of the strip, I’m happier to see a strip with Walky than Joyce.
Buli-Buli
…oh man. I agree with this sentiment. And it feels weird.
Buli-Buli
To clarify. It feels weird prefering Walky to Joyce.
BBCC
Look Walky, nobody claims it’s the BEST superpower, but it’s your’s. Just remember to only use it for good.
Thag Simmons
It’s the sauce’s superpower really, and it has chosen evil
Fist_of_Life
The sauce only wants Joyce to win. That doesn’t make it inherently evil.
Sam
Basically my dad whenever he paints. He gets it underneath the protective clothing somehow. It is a skill and talent to be that messy quite frankly.
RassilonTDavros
Was expecting more pain tonight, this is a nice surprise.
…hang on, purple booths… is this a 90s Taco Bell? DO THEY HAVE A TACO BELL THAT STILL LOOKS LIKE A 90S TACO BELL
Aphid
My theory is that willis hasn’t actually been to a taco bell since the 90s so he’s just writing off pure nostalgia.
Doctor_Who
My theory is that Willis has been IN a Taco Bell since the late 90s, and they haven’t been able to redecorate because they can’t close until he leaves.
Delicious Taffy
The real Taco Bell was the American Midwest we made along the way.
Jamie
There are so many depressing parts to that sentence.
Delicious Taffy
They say to write what you know.
Doctor_Who
I lived in a town where the Taco Bell kept its 90s look until about 2004. They finally redecorated, and the sign out front said “Check out our bold new look!”
…And then the place burned down, but for like a week the sign was still up. It was a pretty big local meme for a while.
King Daniel
Maybe the fire was set by someone who didn’t like the bold new look?
Black
God, I would love to see that photo.
Segnosaur
I was kind of expecting a subject change myself.
The last comic was fairly final (ending with Joyce walking away, nobody following her). And I don’t think there was much more to say at that point. And Willis has always been good with balancing storylines.
I just didn’t know if it would jump to Walky/Lucy or Sal/Danny. (Or if it would go totally random and jump to Ruth/Jason or Billie.
Spencer
Yeah I think a moment to breathe is necessary, one of the major status quos of the last seven years of the series just got nuked.
I think the last thing we’ll see is Joe, Sarah and Dorothy talking amongst each other on “what to do about it”, however that manifests.
RassilonTDavros
If I were in this situation, I’d be tempted to call Dina and warn her that this is really, really not a good day to say anything bad about a negative correlation between faith and intelligence to Becky.
Like, I’m fairly confident Dina has enough of an understanding of how important Becky’s faith is to her, and enough respect for that, that she can say Becky isn’t an idiot for having it despite not having it herself, but I’d probably think that a heads-up couldn’t hurt. And then I’d wonder if it could hurt, and if I’d be micro-managing my friends’ lives and telling something that wasn’t mine to tell. And then I’d wonder if Becky was even going to tell Dina about this in the first place, since she represses things so much, and if warning Dina so she wouldn’t say anything insensitive by accident wouldn’t be a good idea after all. And then I’d be back where I started.
Spencer
Yeah I could see this manifest as Becky telling Dina who just kind of shrugs because Joyce just thinks like she does but she and Becky still get along and it leads into a bit of a fight, or Becky not being willing to open up about it now scared of the potential drama.
I’m leaning towards the latter because in this chapter we already had a horribly painful conversation that shattered a status quo we thought would be unshakeable and Becky losing both her ladies in one night would hit some “first is tragic, second is careless” energy, and I think there’d be some major drama in Becky both doing the same thing Joyce has been doing (avoiding a complicated talk she’s not prepared to have) and losing that built up “Dina won’t hate me if I cry in front of her” stability Becky’s got where because she can’t say it out loud it makes her more wary of expressing any vulnerability in front of Dina.
Agemegos
Speaking of the supposed negative correlation between faith and intelligence, it seems to me from thirty years involved with GHG policy that the stupid are not particular credulous. Sometimes they can be stupidly skeptical. I am pit in mind of the old saying that no-one is harder to convince than an intelligent person whose interest it is not to understand.
Becky doesn’t believe in God because They seem to be real, but because she needs Them to be on her side against the lesser authorities that have persecuted her.
Spencer
Walky removes his coat with powerful energy.
He’s straight up fabulous.
Aphid
I for one welcome our hard cut to comedy because I was getting tired of unreadably long comments sections.
Thag Simmons
They’ll be back, soon you’ll see
King Daniel
They’ll remember they belong to we?
Reaver
You’ll be back, time will tell! You’ll remember that we’ve served you well~
King Daniel
Oceans rise, empires fall, we have seen each other through it all~
Reaver
And when push, cooomes to shove! I will send you Taco Bell to remind you of my love!~