Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
RSS
‹
›
  • Home
  • About/Read before posting
  • Archive↓
    • by calendar
  • Cast
  • Store↓
    • Main Store (books and stuff)
    • T-shirts
  • Patreon↓
    • Patreon (regular)
    • Patreon (NSFW)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Adult
First Previous Random 106Comments Share Next Latest
Reddit Digg Facebook MySpace Delicious Stumbleupon Buzz Up! Mixx Technorati Google Bookmarks Yahoo Bookmarks Yahoo MyWeb Windows Live Propeller FriendFeed Newsvine Xanga LinkedIn Blinklist Twitter
Discover more Hiveworks comics
Demon Studies
Miyuli
Four students summon and study potentially dangerous demons within the walls of the mysterious Summerland University.
Spinnerette
Krazy Krow, Rocio Zucchi, Pablo Rey
When a lab accident gives Heather Brown spider powers and six arms, she does what any midwest comic geek would do: Become Ohio's #3 superhero!
Sam & Fuzzy
Sam Logan
Troubled by gangster rodents, lovesick vampire stalkers, or confused ninja assassins? Don't panic! Sam and Fuzzy are here to help. (For a reasonable fee.)
Patrik the Vampire
Bree Paulsen
Patrik loves to knit, bake, and help his friends while dealing with his own demons... like his thirst for blood because, oh yeah--he's a vampire.
Paint the Town Red
Windy, Winter Jay Kiakas
Winona runs a werewolf shelter with partner in crime, Odile in the Gothic city of Merlot. One day they take in an injured vampire, and soon unravels many of the dark secrets of Merlot.
The Witch Door
Anni K.
Katariina Lehto discovers her neighbor is a witch called Jousia Muotka. Jousia introduces Katariina to the strange people and places beyond the witch door...
Star Trip
Gisele Weaver
Jas is a human taken from her home planet on a trip across the galaxy she will never forget.
Solstoria
Angelica Maria
After her brother goes missing, Samantha vows to become a Knight and help those around her in the Kingdom of St. Helena.
Awaken
Koti Saavedra/Flipfloppery
Superpowers, monsters and conspiracies. Piras, the spoiled Dameschi heir, fights to recover his identity after becoming a terrorist!
Heart of Gold
Eliot Baum, Viv Tanner
A pianist with failing eyesight seeks out a priest with a miraculous healing touch, drawing him deeper into a world of miracles and curses.
Demon's Mirror
Harry Bogosian
Based loosely off of "The Snow Queen", a story by Hans Christian Andersen, we see things take a different turn as the demons become central characters, and the side characters stick around. Yup, that's the only differences. Enjoy!
Tove
Severin
The end of the world is coming, and Tove doesn't want to be a hero, but SOMEONE has to look after her little brother.
Clockwork
Chikuto
Cog Kleinschmidt is a diligent, quiet worker at the Mercia Fortress, the world power's leading stronghold. His orderly life is thrown into chaos when an enemy kingdom sends a diplomat for peace talks. This diplomat needs something from Cog - whether he agrees to their terms or not!
Countdown to Countdown
Velinxi
Iris Black is a self-proclaimed inventor with the curious ability to bring his drawings to life, and yearns to find a space where he can use his powers freely.
Lighter Than Heir
Melissa Albino
A young Volant woman joins the military in an effort to upstage her war-hero father.
Monster Pulse
Magnolia Porter Siddell
Four kids run afoul of a creepy secret organization's experiments, which turn their body parts into fighting monsters. Part sentimental coming-of-age story, part monster-training shonen manga, with just a bit of sci-fi body horror.
Knights Errant
J.R. Doyle
Wilfrid's humble quest for revenge becomes bigger and bloodier by the day.
The Lonely Vincent Bellingham
Diana Huh
Vincent is an unkind man looking to disappear, and finds himself in the care of a vampire and her two wicked children.
El Goonish Shive
Dan Shive
WARNING: This comic often ignores the Laws of Physics
Atomic Robo
Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener
The robot punches monsters and bad robots and one time he was a cowboy.
Folklore
Adam Ma, Colin Tan Wei
A superhuman horror story focused on a small band of survivors trying to navigate a war-torn world in the aftermath of the Federation’s collapse.
Goblins
Ellipsis
A fantasy RPG as told through the eyes of the low-level monsters.
Empowered
Adam Warren
A sexy superhero comedy (except when it isn't) about the never-ending struggles of a plucky but very unlucky young superheroine.
[un]Divine
Ayme
A highschool senior thought giving up his soul for a demon was a good idea. It wasn't.
Fairmeadow
Kendra P. / KP
A wayward soldier finds herself in a pacifist commune deep in the wilderness of a war-weary land. Living in isolation brings her closer to those she was sworn to kill than she could ever imagine - but also threatens to tear the place apart.
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Drugs & Wires
Mary Safro, Io Black
Dan used to be a VR operator until his brain got fried by malware. Now he's stuck delivering packages in a post-Soviet hellhole all while trying to adjust to his new life and find some answers.
Between Failures
Jackie Wohlenhaus
The low stakes adventures of an assorted group of 20 somethings trapped in the declining years of American retail. They are naughty and say lots of swears.
Wychwood
Varethane
When Tiara's pyrokinesis is finally noticed, she is captured by a magical research organization for study. If she cooperates, she could be helping to save humanity from a dire threat - but can she trust them?
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Shaderunners
Alex Assan, Lin Darrow
A ragtag band of bootleggers open a speakeasy for bottled colour in the greyscale city of Ironwell.
Whomp!
Ronnie
A depressed, portly, hirsute anime fan stumbles through life in the ever-pursuit of chicken nuggets and other life-shortening indulgences.
Wilde Life
Pascalle Lepas
Oscar decided to rent an old haunted house, and that's when things got weird...
Far to the North
Allison Shaw
Kelu turns to the monsters of her remote mountain home when her family is held hostage by outsiders.
Hazy London
Scotty
A story about messy relationships. From friendly foes to crazy families. Nothing is black and white, just full of color. But, all colors can get a little hazy...
No End
Erli, Kromi
A queer romance about people attempting to build lives in a cold, post-apocalyptic world ravaged by hordes of undead.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
Real Science Adventures
Brian Clevinger
Spin off stories and other adventures from the world of Atomic Robo!
Obelisk
Ashley McCammon
In 1908 New York, a young woman struggles to put her life back together in the wake of her father's death - until she discovers a vampire in the shambles of her inheritance.
Sunshine Boy
Moosopp
New-kid Kelly is sweet but naive. Luckily, he's got his outgoing neighbor Grey in his corner.
Girl Genius
Phil Foglio, Kaja Foglio
In a time when the Industrial Revolution has become an all-out war, Mad Science rules the World...with mixed success.
Lunar Blight
Studio CARTRIDGE, Laura Lee
Lunar Blight is a gothic horror story about an elite knight serving a moon cult who must choose between upholding his honoured duty or condemning everything he’s grown to know.
Go Get a Roomie
Clover
Experience the queer journey of an upbeat hippie and the friendships she makes along the way! A tale of self-discovery and love of many forms.
The Otherknown
Lorian Merriman
Chandra is a 12-year-old accidental time traveler with a reluctant new dad, who happens to be a member of a feared galactic crime syndicate.
Anacrine Complex
Sae Cotton
A superhuman heist involving probably too many pigeons than entirely necessary.
How to be a Werewolf
Shawn Lenore
Malaya Walters was bitten by a werewolf as a child. After being raised by her human family, she faces the chance to learn what being a werewolf is really like as an adult.
2 Slices
RJ Morel
After a case of mistaken identity, will awkward Daisuke find help from excitable Mamo, or will his love life be thrown completely off track?
MASKLESS
kickingshoes
In a world where people can wield the magic of elemental Masks, all Ashe wants to do is help. Maskless and useless, with dreams of fire and smoke on the back of his tongue, he finds himself on a strange, dangerous path to uncovering the secrets of these incredible objects, and the source of the monsters plaguing his home.
Come Hell or High Water
Jenny/Star, Mori
Prince Gladimir was never meant to fall for a pirate. Swearing off love for duty, the threat of war propels him back into the Captain’s world of high seas and high stakes. Their relationship could be the thing to save the kingdom of Yvoire - or destroy it.
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Killjoys
Flatw00ds
When two disgraced ex-feds fall backwards into trouble with the clown mafia, getting out in one piece is gonna be no joke!
BOOKMARK
Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
Goto TagClear Tag


BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

May 12, 2026

Adult

by David M Willis on May 13, 2011 at 12:01 am
  • 05 - Media Rumble
└ Tags: daisy, dorothy, jennifer

Discussion (106) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Jen Aside
    Jen Aside
    May 13, 2011 at 12:01 am | #

    Being an adult sucks!

    • Mythril
      Mythril
      May 13, 2011 at 3:07 am | #

      I agree! But I do get paid.

      • liahansen
        liahansen
        October 19, 2015 at 6:54 pm | #

        hey i dont what the hell

  2. Wackd
    Wackd
    May 13, 2011 at 12:02 am | #

    Dorothy needs to get an inner monologue.

    • David Herbert
      David Herbert
      May 13, 2011 at 2:27 am | #

      Then she can be a superhero too.

    • Jackson
      Jackson
      May 13, 2011 at 9:15 am | #

      Remember, Dorothy: monologue goes on the inside, dialogue goes on the outside.

      • QueenThomas
        QueenThomas
        May 13, 2011 at 11:12 am | #

        Must… resist… urge… to correct… Gah!

        No, that’s not how it works! Monologue just means one person is talking, regardless of how many people can hear and does not have to be inside. Even a soliloquy involves speaking one’s thoughts aloud. Internal monologue is the one that goes on the inside.

        Phew, got the nitpick out of my system, methinks. Sorry I got it all over you.

        • Dr. Alex Horrible
          Dr. Alex Horrible
          May 13, 2011 at 12:28 pm | #

          He was saying that Dorothy SHOULD keep her monologues on the inside.

          • Jackson
            Jackson
            May 14, 2011 at 11:05 am | #

            Thank you, Dr. Horrible.

            • Dr. Alex Horrible
              Dr. Alex Horrible
              May 14, 2011 at 1:14 pm | #

              I’m here to rule the wo- I MEAN HELP.

    • Zem
      Zem
      May 13, 2011 at 3:16 pm | #

      I second this. It was the first time she did something of personality value (for me).

      Billie talks to herself all the time, doesn’t she?

      But while Billie’s are usually on the lines of “Next time I swear I’ll do this and noone can stop me” Dorothy’s could be about her superego in polite conversation with her ego. That’d be funny, because you expect them not to co-operate that well in most people.

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      May 13, 2011 at 11:10 pm | #

      Outer monologues are for villains.

      • Thomas
        Thomas
        May 13, 2011 at 11:19 pm | #

        Hmm.. Interesting… It would appear that there are two Billies’ in this discussion. The one in the comic and Dr. Alex Horrible’s avatar.

  3. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    May 13, 2011 at 12:02 am | #

    The last panel is basically my whole philosophy.

  4. addude
    addude
    May 13, 2011 at 12:03 am | #

    and thats why I will never be an adult

  5. George
    George
    May 13, 2011 at 12:06 am | #

    Walky realized that before he even tried adulthood.

  6. Digidestined of Trust (Tim)
    Digidestined of Trust (Tim)
    May 13, 2011 at 12:09 am | #

    Adult? Riiiiiggghttt.

  7. MM
    MM
    May 13, 2011 at 12:12 am | #

    When did Daisy regain enough control over her hormones to make a valid point?

    • Ridureyu
      Ridureyu
      May 13, 2011 at 12:15 am | #

      I know, right?

    • nothri
      nothri
      May 13, 2011 at 11:50 am | #

      After she learned the vigilante wasn’t sporting a view of her boobs, I’m guessing.

  8. Dedlok
    Dedlok
    May 13, 2011 at 12:14 am | #

    Aha! This is that strip with the Dorothy side view that was giving you such a hard time! (See? I pay attention to Twitter!)

  9. Cha
    Cha
    May 13, 2011 at 12:15 am | #

    I love Dorothy…
    I wouldn’t be surprised if they wound up trying to swap stories. xD

  10. Xartarin
    Xartarin
    May 13, 2011 at 12:26 am | #

    Maturity is boring. Fight each other!

    (It would probably bring out Amazi-girl)

  11. arjay2813
    arjay2813
    May 13, 2011 at 12:26 am | #

    I know exactly how she feels. i graduated high school and was like “this is it?,” felt the same at 21, and finally graduating from the college i went to. as much as my parents wanted to “prepare” me for adulthood, it was a real letdown to find out what it really is like

    • gangler
      gangler
      May 13, 2011 at 12:44 am | #

      I don’t know that adulthood is really all that different from childhood/adolescence. It’s just the same shit with more responsibility, a higher workload, and more independence. I hear about people being disappointed but I never know what exactly they were expecting. Was life supposed to become an American Pie movie? I’m grasping at straws here, I really have no idea. Suffice it to say I was a somewhat dull teenager and became an equally dull adult without too much friction in the transition.

      What I miss most about childhood is having someone take care of my bills for me. That was awesome ^_^ Never really even understood how awesome that was until it was gone.

      • dchorror
        dchorror
        May 13, 2011 at 2:00 am | #

        As a child, it seems that adulthood comes with far more freedom. This is a lie.

        • gangler
          gangler
          May 13, 2011 at 2:49 am | #

          Ah, that makes sense. “I get to make the rules” doesn’t seem quite so significant when you realize that responsibilities, obligations, and the preexisting societal and financial system still dictate your feasible options to a very real extent. You just move from “I work because my parents tell me to” to “I work because I have to”. Not much of a change, but from a perspective that equates adulthood with freedom it’s disappointing that it’s not an improvement.

          Fair enough. I guess it’s the same as with the drivers license. Spent years looking forward to turning sixteen so I could get my license. I hit sixteen, realized that if I got the thing I’d be expected to drive people places. I’d have to pay for gas and insurance. I’d start out with all these limitations and there wasn’t anywhere it would take me that the public transit didn’t already do without all that extra baggage. Within seconds the coolest thing became a needless responsibility and I never even bothered to get the license. Illusions shattered.

      • Rognik
        Rognik
        May 15, 2011 at 7:13 am | #

        Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

        • gangler
          gangler
          May 15, 2011 at 11:36 pm | #

          Faulty. They actually enjoy infantry.

  12. Janette
    Janette
    May 13, 2011 at 12:29 am | #

    It’s also a lot more work Dorothy.

  13. lord of dance
    lord of dance
    May 13, 2011 at 12:29 am | #

    movie glorifications aside, the real purpose of college is to teach youngsters through drunken mistakes and new found arrest records (not necessarily mutually exclusive) that being an adult really does suck

    • Tristan J
      Tristan J
      May 13, 2011 at 12:34 am | #

      What bugs me is that if you prefer to avoid all that crap from the start, you’re missing out on life apparently O_o

      • gangler
        gangler
        May 13, 2011 at 12:44 am | #

        Lol. So very true.

      • dchorror
        dchorror
        May 13, 2011 at 2:02 am | #

        But if you don’t miss out on life, you start failing on the other points of college.

  14. Sagara S.
    Sagara S.
    May 13, 2011 at 12:31 am | #

    I think this is my favorite comic of the lot. the artwork is splendid, the storyline is very good, and i actually get the jokes 90% of the time.
    that being said, i’ll now go re-read the other comics XD

  15. wlyteth
    wlyteth
    May 13, 2011 at 12:32 am | #

    No Dorothy! This is not the time to be an adult, this is the time to preform wacky shenanigans to try and write both stories at once! Which will lead to nothing getting done except inadvertently leading Danny on because he’ll think you are only talking to Joe to make him jealous.

  16. Plasma Mongoose
    Plasma Mongoose
    May 13, 2011 at 12:36 am | #

    That’s the problem with adulthood, not enough climaxes.

    • Fark
      Fark
      May 13, 2011 at 1:21 am | #

      Oh the irony – it’s illegal to buy climaxes unless you’re an adult.

      • Plasma Mongoose
        Plasma Mongoose
        May 13, 2011 at 3:30 am | #

        Life is sure cruel at time.

      • Rikushadow5
        Rikushadow5
        May 13, 2011 at 10:03 am | #

        I bought a climax with your mother. For a nickel.

        • Plasma Mongoose
          Plasma Mongoose
          May 13, 2011 at 10:54 pm | #

          I know this not to be true, we don’t have nickels over here in Oz.

          • 1Samildanach
            1Samildanach
            May 15, 2011 at 3:47 am | #

            We do have five cent coins, though.

    • Rognik
      Rognik
      May 13, 2011 at 3:47 am | #

      Only if you’re doing it right. Sometimes it requires practice to achieve a satisfactory climax.

  17. Pat
    Pat
    May 13, 2011 at 12:46 am | #

    I dunno, Daisy, I think “We have a superhero” is pretty up there as far as important newspaper stories go.

    “Dorothy knows the dude” and “Billie has encountered the superhero” are good arguments, however.

    • dchorror
      dchorror
      May 13, 2011 at 2:05 am | #

      A confirmed piece in which someone knows one of the people and the other is a registered student is more important than a piece than a criminal on campus that you’re not sure when or if you can see them. It’s a guaranteed piece rather than a possible piece.

      • Zanosuke_Kurosaki
        Zanosuke_Kurosaki
        May 13, 2011 at 9:56 am | #

        “a criminal on campus”? Oh, so they’re doing the piece of Ruth’s behavior that is both immoral and illegal in her job, then?

        Note: Criminal + Vigilante = NOT the same thing. Your wording, it is important. =P

        • Pat
          Pat
          May 13, 2011 at 1:11 pm | #

          Vigilantism is illegal. Thus, Amazigirl is technically a criminal.
          Interfering with Ruth’s villainy as a bystander? Acceptable. Going there with the intent of stopping Ruth? Iffy, but she had little time to do something else. Having a costume that indicated that she intended to do that, and watching out for criminals so that she could personally stop them instead of contacting somebody with the legal authority to deal with the situation (namely police)? Illegal.
          Criminal =/= Bad. Usually one implies the other, but it’s not proof.

        • dchorror
          dchorror
          May 13, 2011 at 5:09 pm | #

          If you commit a crime, you are a criminal. The moment she beat up those guys who were going to beat up Danny, she became a criminal.

          The thing is, it’s illegal so that people don’t get hurt putting themselves into stupid situations. You want to be a hero? Call the police or become a cop/firefighter. Help out the people who need help like the homeless and unprivileged kids. Don’t put on a mask and fight other crooks.

          • Zanosuke_Kurosaki
            Zanosuke_Kurosaki
            May 13, 2011 at 10:17 pm | #

            “were going to beat up Danny”

            http://www.dumbingofage.com/2010/comic/book-1/01-move-in-day/kick/

            They had already laid hands on him (the push), and punched him. What she did was defense of another, not a first strike. So, not vigilantism, and you can bet she’s already researched all of this before she started doing this. She’s too smart to make such a stupid mistake.

            Also, you speak as someone who sees everything as one or another, this or that. Try running afoul of a law system that’s been increasingly more and more restrictive of what is and isn’t “criminal”, then we’ll talk. 🙂

            • gangler
              gangler
              May 13, 2011 at 11:07 pm | #

              http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/criminal

              Regardless of how restrictive or unjust your legal system is, if your actions are not approved by it that makes you a criminal. This is not an issue of right and wrong. Everything is one of the other. It is a boolean value in the strictest sense.

              One can be in the right when opposing the law and in the wrong when following it. That’s not the issue.

              It’s fundamental to the very concept of crime.

              • Zanosuke_Kurosaki
                Zanosuke_Kurosaki
                May 14, 2011 at 9:54 am | #

                Ah yes, because doing something as heinous as pushing someone who’s yelling in your face because you committed the atrocious act of politely disagreeing with them is such a terrible thing it has to go right to “criminal” status, yes, of course! =D (note: speaking from personal experience, and sarcastically)

                Again – Go out and run afoul of the increasingly restrictive, increasingly -stupid-, and increasingly -WRONG- “justice” system. Then toss the word “criminal” around so lightly. G’wan, give it a try! =D

                • gangler
                  gangler
                  May 15, 2011 at 12:37 am | #

                  Hey, I can’t speak for how people react, but that’s the definition. If people where you live are committing crime and don’t like to be called criminals, then whatever. That’s cool. I won’t call them that (as if it was gonna come up). However, the word means a very specific thing. If you can show me a definition of the word that does not boil down to a boolean value, then we can chalk this up to a misunderstanding. The definition of the word I, and I imagine the rest of us, are operating under though is. It’s quite black and white.

                  If you own land you’re a landowner. If you buy things you’re a consumer/customer. If you kill people, you’re a murderer. If you steal, you’re a theif. If you fly planes, you’re a pilot. If you play music, you’re a musician. If you rape, you’re a rapist. In the same fashion, if you commit crime, you’re a criminal. That’s what the word means. “One who commits crime”.

                  There’s nothing in the word that indicates magnitude, quality, variety, or ethics. Johnny Cash and the garage band down the street are both musicians. Whether they sing goodly songs that inspire or blatantly racist propaganda they’re still musicians. Anything else they may do when they’re not playing music does not make them not musicians. None of these things are specified by the use of the word.

                  Maybe pretend like I’m stupid for a moment. Walk me through, piece by piece, how one comes to a definition of criminal in which a non-law abiding citizen is not a criminal. You keep talking about restrictive and unjust legal systems. Perhaps that could be a good place to start.

                • Zanosuke_Kurosaki
                  Zanosuke_Kurosaki
                  May 15, 2011 at 2:02 am | #

                  @gangler: I shall put it this way. I, personally, refuse to answer to the label “criminal”, when my one-time offense was pushing a guy yelling in my face, after all I did was politely disagree with him. Hence “speaking from personal experience.” I was defending my personal space, and my right to go through my day without having my ears and dignity assaulted by a spoiled overgrown manchild’s boorishness. The law however, didn’t see it that way. The law rigidly defines that as “assault”, despite the fact that all I did was push him back a step. The attorney who worked my case, was appalled the officers took a single word about it for a statement. The magistrate who reduced my $2500 bond to a simple $75 fee also felt the system had no business bothering me the way it was. And yet, a year later, I’m still having to bother with it because I’m on probation – because the other guy started the whole mess. What’s even more alarming is how many people these days are on probation for either a minor infraction – or they were the -victim- in the first place.

                  I obey the traffic laws. I treat my fellow being with courtesy, dignity, and respect. I will never be of the mindset that I “need to get mine, so look out if you’re in my way!” And yet, by your lights, I’m a criminal.

                  If that’s not a good case of the law being restrictive and unjust, I honestly don’t know what -is- a “just” law, anymore. =\

                • gangler
                  gangler
                  May 15, 2011 at 5:34 am | #

                  @Zanosuke_Kurosaki: So you were in the right. I can accept that. You’re an overall swell human being. Nothing wrong with that. You didn’t actually go into the part where your behavior wasn’t criminal though. You were just. You were righteous. It sounds like you’ve only ever partaken in criminal behavior once.

                  One point that seems to be getting confused is the separation of the law and justice. Justice is a component of what influences the law. It’s often romanticized, but Justice and Law are two entirely separate things. One is an abstract concept relating to ethics, fairness, and equality, the other is a stringent set of rules designed to maintain structure and order within society. Many of the most righteous and just historical figures have been on the wrong side of the law, thus making them criminals. Just about any revolutionary.

                  Stories of people breaking the law to pursue justice or just to do what’s right abound. Nearly any story of a man protecting his family is bound to involve this. In fiction most characters built up as heroic are going to at least bend the law. The ideas are interrelated, but far from identical, and disagree with more issues than not.

                  Frankly, calling you a criminal would be a bongo move, simply because anyone likely to be pulling the word out in a situation like that is more likely to be doing so out of judgement rather than because it was relevant from a legal standpoint. You only committed one crime, it was incredibly minor, ultimately harmless. It’s unlikely to be relevant outside of the context of harsh and groundless judgement.

                  Still, if I may attempt to pull this back to the comic, when someone talks about a known criminal on campus, that is relevant. There’s a legal aspect to the story, which in addition to the general importance also makes it easier to spin. More likely to get a statement from someone with authority too. The nature of the crime brings safety into question. Especially since the stories are likely exaggerated, and all they really know is that someone’s allegedly running around campus assaulting delinquents. The campus vigilante being a criminal is quite relevant to it’s importance as a story and makes it more than a mere interest piece. This isn’t a situation where it’s unneeded harsh judgement. It’s a very important fact in relation to the decision in today’s update.

                • Zanosuke_Kurosaki
                  Zanosuke_Kurosaki
                  May 15, 2011 at 6:08 pm | #

                  @gangler: Yes, let’s get back to the comic. Sorry for the tangent, I just… find that particular word a bit of a “*twitch*” trigger, if you get me.

                  That does bring up some interesting questions, about what people have been -saying- about the “Campus Vigilante”. Who is obviously Ultra-Car. XD (who, now that I think about it, is probably never going to show up, since this is minus the aliens, their tech, and their influence. which makes me a sad, sad panda. :'( )

                • Pat
                  Pat
                  May 15, 2011 at 6:44 pm | #

                  “If you kill people, you’re a murderer.”

                  If you murder, you’re a murderer. You can kill without being one. Murder is a type of killing.

                • gangler
                  gangler
                  May 15, 2011 at 8:56 pm | #

                  @Zanosuke_Kurosaki: He’s getting rid of the sci-fi, but what he hasn’t said is that he’s bringing in the fantasy. Prepare for a magical car brought to life by Joyce’s failed attempt to become a disney princess.

            • Pat
              Pat
              May 14, 2011 at 2:42 am | #

              She wasn’t just a bystander who happened to be there and able to defend Danny. She was in a superhero costume and was presumably watching out for trouble.
              That’s the difference between a vigilante and somebody who can plead self-defense or defense of another.

              Is Ruth a criminal? Of course! Is Amazigirl bad? Probably not, although we don’t have much evidence yet.
              Neither of these things make Amazigirl not a criminal.

              Although superheroes do tend to get a pass on the vigilantism, as is necessary for their stories.

            • dchorror
              dchorror
              May 14, 2011 at 4:47 pm | #

              Not the person to be said thinking in black and white. The world is a gray and muddied place, but the law is not. It makes no distinction between theft because you can and theft because you need to.

              No, it is not right, but it is not wrong either.

          • Random new reader
            Random new reader
            May 13, 2011 at 11:47 pm | #

            Actually, unless you live in a particularly overly pleasant town in the middle of nowhere, you do NOT EVER want to become a cop if you aspire to being a hero-type person. Firefighter works, but definitely not a cop. Many of the cops that actually have really good hearts wish they hadn’t become them in many places, especially cities. Its not like the police are evil or anything (they are not), but they are definitely not a bunch of knights in shining armor, and anyone who tries to join them wishing to be such will be THOUROUGHLY disillusioned.

            • dchorror
              dchorror
              May 14, 2011 at 4:48 pm | #

              That sounds like a problem in the system. We need the good men who want to be knights in shining armor there to try and fix it, and get rid of those who just want the power.

      • Pat
        Pat
        May 13, 2011 at 1:12 pm | #

        More likely to get enough reliable information to write a good article I’ll give you. Still dunno about more important, though.

        • dchorror
          dchorror
          May 13, 2011 at 5:11 pm | #

          Editorially, it is more important. That’s why she assigned someone who she wasn’t going to give a story to in the first place. If it goes belly up, she hasn’t lost any talent to a story she can’t print.

  18. Joebo
    Joebo
    May 13, 2011 at 1:07 am | #

    Here Here!!

    • Doom Shepherd
      Doom Shepherd
      May 13, 2011 at 1:27 am | #

      Grammarnazifalconpawnch!

      It’s “hear, hear.” As in “everyone should take heed of what has just been said.” 🙂

      • gangler
        gangler
        May 13, 2011 at 3:18 am | #

        Wrong! Joebo was merely calling you over to him/her. Why don’t you oblige Joebo with a visit?

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      May 13, 2011 at 3:32 am | #

      I’m surprised that you can speak with your face stuck that way. 😛

      • Anon
        Anon
        May 13, 2011 at 4:25 am | #

        Pft. You’re one to talk.

        • Plasma Mongoose
          Plasma Mongoose
          May 13, 2011 at 10:59 pm | #

          Invocking hypocrisy is the modern mainstay of humour these days. ^_^

  19. Doom Shepherd
    Doom Shepherd
    May 13, 2011 at 1:26 am | #

    I like my adulthood way better than my childhood/adolescence.

    More toys than when I was a kid.
    More sex than when I was an adolescent.
    Go to bed when the f*** I feel like it.

    • dchorror
      dchorror
      May 13, 2011 at 2:07 am | #

      Paying bills.
      Struggling with rent.
      Unable to buy the cool toys.

      • gangler
        gangler
        May 13, 2011 at 3:10 am | #

        Both are true. I love my adult life. I get to live by my own principles. I don’t have to answer to anyone about my private life or hobbies. My days aren’t spent trying to avoid the wrath of an authority figure within my own home. Even just the peace of mind that comes with being able to put off doing the dishes until that afternoon without having to worry about terrible consequences is worth its’ weight in gold.

        I enjoy choosing my own diet, I don’t enjoy coming home to an empty fridge, or having to cook all my own food. Sometimes I wish I could just come home to a fridge full of sandwich materials like the good old days.

        I enjoy living in my own space and not having to worry about every minute action upsetting the owner of the house. Paying rent is a bongo. Eviction notices even more so. I do not fancy being without power in the winter, nor do I fancy the price of heating the place.

        I love not having to justify the amount of time I spend on my hobbies. It sucks not being able to afford as many videogames.

        As a whole, despite having a new set of worries, difficulties, and having to go without much of the time I must say I’m way happier as an adult than I ever was as a child or teenager. That was an angsty period of time where social problems seemed significant and where coming home meant spending my day walking on eggshells and justifying my every action or lack thereof. I’ve carved out a nice little life for myself. Got four walls, a swell roommate, and a small collection of all the things I love. I derive a lot of satisfaction from that, even if it does sometimes mean living hungry in a subzero environment.

        • desolation0
          desolation0
          May 13, 2011 at 3:34 am | #

          My mom probably regrets the day she said, “As long as you’re getting your education we’ll help support you as best we can.” That was 5 years ago now. Someday I’ll have to pay bills (student loans, yippee, way to get us into deep debt right on the verge of what would have possibly been freedom), but for now I get to boomerang between dorms and my home. That said, I do try to help out through part time jobs and such.

  20. Bean
    Bean
    May 13, 2011 at 1:36 am | #

    Dorothy has won me over. She’s made the transition off the list of characters I don’t care for. Even though she’s way more mature than I will ever be, I’m right there with her.

  21. Loki
    Loki
    May 13, 2011 at 1:42 am | #

    …And then they kissed, Ironically, Daisy had already left the room.

  22. Cranberrier
    Cranberrier
    May 13, 2011 at 2:05 am | #

    I was promised Okapi Facts, Willis. DELIVER THEM UNTO ME.

    • David
      David M Willis
      May 13, 2011 at 2:09 am | #

      The okapi is one of the last remaining ancestors of the common giraffe.

      • Alex
        Alex
        May 13, 2011 at 7:29 am | #

        Willis and Jaques both dropping Okapi facts?

    • Anon
      Anon
      May 13, 2011 at 4:29 am | #

      I’m not ashamed to say that I had no clue what an Okapi was until around 5 minutes ago when I searched it after reading QC.

  23. Plasma Mongoose
    Plasma Mongoose
    May 13, 2011 at 3:36 am | #

    Childhood had its moments, adulthood was pretty interesting with loads of highs and lows, but it has taken old age to remind me that my teenage years are truly well behind me.

  24. Mike
    Mike
    May 13, 2011 at 4:58 am | #

    Dammit! I just saw your ad on Questionable Content and already read through the whole archive. Now I need more updates!

    • Cranberrier
      Cranberrier
      May 13, 2011 at 12:30 pm | #

      If you haven’t yet, go read through It’s Walky, it’s a lot longer (since it’s finished) and very good reading. Also it makes everything that happens in DoA drip with dramatic irony.

  25. Aslee
    Aslee
    May 13, 2011 at 6:31 am | #

    … Danggit. Is anyone else dissapointed that they’re not forming an epic journalism duo? And Billie finally gets a friend? No? Just me? … Well, it could still happen! Eh, I’m just glad Billie got the cool story.

    Though I am liking Dorothy more and more with every strip.

  26. prime_pm
    prime_pm
    May 13, 2011 at 8:32 am | #

    Called it

  27. ADHadh
    ADHadh
    May 13, 2011 at 9:54 am | #

    The punchline:
    TRUER WORDS HAVE NEVER BEEN SPOKEN.

  28. begbert2
    begbert2
    May 13, 2011 at 11:17 am | #

    Am I alone in thinking that this assignment of stories is actually a bad idea, on the principle that if the reporter is not interested in the story, then they will not pursue it vigorously and will not write it engagingly? Dorothy would pursue Amazigirl, whereas Billie will write “Meh, there’s some geek who doesn’t appreciate cheerleading running around in a stupid jumpsuit. The end.” And Dorothy will write “Joe is a horndog. Duh. The end.” (Though maybe Billie would too – she’d much rather be writing a Ruth hate story.)

    Sure if these guys were both professional adults, they would take the assignments given and do them because they’re paid to. But…they’re not. So their level of interest matters. Doesn’t it?

    • taekwondogirl
      taekwondogirl
      May 13, 2011 at 12:17 pm | #

      I was thinking that too, and I also think it’s hard to write something unbiased when you’re involved in it.

    • David
      David M Willis
      May 13, 2011 at 2:23 pm | #

      The IDS pays its writers. It’s a self-sufficient newspaper. I got paid for drawing Roomies! for it, back in 1997.

      • begbert2
        begbert2
        May 13, 2011 at 3:18 pm | #

        That “…they’re not” was also in regards to their status as professional adults. Which I’m still not thinking they qualify as.

        Though the fact that they’re paid gives some reason to think they’ll actually obey Daisy…at least long enough to grudgingly write something.

        • gangler
          gangler
          May 13, 2011 at 5:16 pm | #

          If they can’t write about something that isn’t directly related to their own interests then they don’t belong on the paper or really in journalism at all. Plain and simple.

  29. nothri
    nothri
    May 13, 2011 at 1:40 pm | #

    No offense, people, but if you find adulthood anticlimatic and boring then do something about it! Meet people, go out and have fun, enjoy all the freedoms you never had when you were a kid! No sense crying over being an adult as if you were a little kid.

    • begbert2
      begbert2
      May 13, 2011 at 3:21 pm | #

      Adulthood and its direct side effects are anticlimatic and boring – or worse. The transformers and dvds and the like that I can now buy in the periods I’m not chained to my desk, on the other hand, are fun.

  30. Roborat
    Roborat
    May 13, 2011 at 3:26 pm | #

    Wow, discovering that adulthood is anticlimactic and boring at her age? Perceptive she is. Guess what, it gets worse as you get older (Cue Dennis Leary: “lifes going to suck when you grow up…”). Also, if adulthood is anticlimactic, you are doing it wrong, try a vibrator.

  31. wnderjif
    wnderjif
    May 13, 2011 at 4:39 pm | #

    do we really need dorothy? im not seeing her as making a contribution to the funnies quite yet, aside form making Walky faceplant over himself.

    • dchorror
      dchorror
      May 13, 2011 at 5:15 pm | #

      She’s a good normal. You can compare her to the rest of the cast to see how abnormal they’re really being.

    • taekwondogirl
      taekwondogirl
      May 13, 2011 at 7:26 pm | #

      Because people can only exist if they’re there to contribute to lulz. ಠ_ಠ

    • Plasma Mongoose
      Plasma Mongoose
      May 13, 2011 at 11:08 pm | #

      I believe that Dotty is an example of a comedic ‘Straight Man’.

      The ‘Straight Men’ serve as a wall to bounce comedic balls off of.

      • iSaidCandleja-
        iSaidCandleja-
        May 14, 2011 at 1:01 am | #

        “The ‘Straight Men’ serve as a wall to bounce comedic balls off of.”

        Is that her purpose as it relates to Walky?

        • Plasma Mongoose
          Plasma Mongoose
          May 14, 2011 at 3:19 am | #

          Only if they get that far in the relationship. 😀

  32. Dahlia
    Dahlia
    May 13, 2011 at 5:13 pm | #

    Thank Goodness. Finally, some sense out of Daisy *was worried for a second* ^^;;

  33. dork chick
    dork chick
    May 14, 2011 at 2:00 pm | #

    hah- anticlimactic, Daisy?? eh? eh? well, maybe not

  34. A random reader
    A random reader
    May 15, 2011 at 1:04 am | #

    …and now I’m picturing some Dorothy x Amazigirl.

    • Heavensrun
      Heavensrun
      May 15, 2011 at 11:53 am | #

      Nah, Billie’s the “Lois Lane” here.

  35. Cinder
    Cinder
    May 15, 2011 at 5:17 pm | #

    I think Billie would agree.

  36. Chiatroll
    Chiatroll
    May 16, 2011 at 12:35 am | #

    obviously dorothy is amazigirl and if she covers the story herself it’s easier to keep her identity a secret. Like how peter parker always covers spiderman.

  37. RandomPerson12
    RandomPerson12
    October 23, 2014 at 6:59 am | #

    Exactly, that’s why I don’t bother acting like an adult..

Who should be the default doodle for Book 14?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
CONVENTION APPEARANCES


May 3, 2025 - FCBD @ Laughing Ogre Comics in Columbus, Ohio

©2010-2025 Dumbing of Age | Powered by WordPress with ComicPress | Subscribe: RSS | Privacy Policy | Back to Top ↑