Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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May 22, 2026

Neglect

by David M Willis on December 28, 2014 at 12:01 am
  • 02 - Three's a Crowd
└ Tags: becky, dorothy, joyce

Discussion (221) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Solenoid
    Solenoid
    December 28, 2014 at 12:01 am | #

    You run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it’s sinking…

    • thebombzen
      thebombzen
      December 28, 2014 at 12:15 am | #

      Racing around, to come up behind you again!

      • Cheryl
        Cheryl
        December 28, 2014 at 12:32 am | #

        Wait….did you just drop pink floyd……*confetti*

        • tyersome
          tyersome
          December 28, 2014 at 2:24 am | #

          Well, don’t forget this has a dark side …

      • Lord Geovanni
        Lord Geovanni
        December 28, 2014 at 4:48 am | #

        if you wanted to you could count exactly how much times the sun has overlapped you but if you make the race from west going east you can count how many times either you overlapped the sun or the sun just ran in the wrong direction like an idiot.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      December 28, 2014 at 12:20 am | #

      Don’t chase the sun. Icarus will tell you. That shit’s not fun.

      • newllend
        newllend
        December 28, 2014 at 12:23 am | #

        What are you talking about he can’t tell anyone anything his ass died from that shit.

        • Disloyal Subject
          Disloyal Subject
          December 28, 2014 at 12:30 am | #

          Yeah, okay, you need to get past Cerberus on the way into the Underworld, but THEN I’m sure Icarus would be glad to share the wisdom of experience.
          Getting back OUT past ol’ Cerby is the hard part.

          • pumacatrun2
            pumacatrun2
            December 28, 2014 at 12:40 am | #

            Well if your wife also happens to be there and you want to free her you might be able to strike a deal, just don’t look back on the way out until you hear her voice.

            • nothri
              nothri
              December 28, 2014 at 2:47 am | #

              Also, don’t eat any of the fruit while you are there.

              • lekoppa
                lekoppa
                December 28, 2014 at 4:18 am | #

                Seriously. Though, you know, if you do get hungry, pomegranate seeds are pretty small. No one’s going to notice if you eat two or three, am I right?

                • Lord Geovanni
                  Lord Geovanni
                  December 28, 2014 at 4:50 am | #

                  may be not but if you eat six it will definitely not go unnoticed

                • Deanatay
                  Deanatay
                  December 28, 2014 at 10:29 am | #

                  I think that was the point – Persephone was committed to Hades over such a tiny quantity of food, but it still broke the rule.

                • Paradox
                  Paradox
                  December 28, 2014 at 5:36 pm | #

                  How do you even grow fruit in that heat? Probably make more sense for Persephone to eat nuts, roasted over an open fire.

                • Makkabee
                  Makkabee
                  December 28, 2014 at 6:05 pm | #

                  He probably gets it shipped in. If Charon can handle passengers, branching out to freight shouldn’t be too much of a stretch.

                • Lord Geovanni
                  Lord Geovanni
                  December 29, 2014 at 4:04 am | #

                  the underworld in greek mythology isnt all a burning hell every one has their own punishment on the underworld

          • Bizze
            Bizze
            December 28, 2014 at 3:10 pm | #

            Icarus wouldn’t remember after he’d drunk from the Lethe anyway.

        • Lord Geovanni
          Lord Geovanni
          December 28, 2014 at 4:52 am | #

          Yea no reason to tread all the way to the underworld when Daedalus can just tell you the story himself….. but then again Icarus didnt listen to him why would you.

          • Jadedcynic
            Jadedcynic
            December 28, 2014 at 6:50 pm | #

            *passes out bottles of Bactine™*

            Whale plaid, good sir, whale plaid. 😀

  2. Em
    Em
    December 28, 2014 at 12:02 am | #

    Oh no. 🙁 Sad comic.

    • otusasio451
      otusasio451
      December 28, 2014 at 12:06 am | #

      I dunno. Seems alright to me.

      • Pantheon the Mantheon
        Pantheon the Mantheon
        December 28, 2014 at 12:23 am | #

        Ya, it actually has a kind of feel good feeling to it. Like the moment after the storm when everyone is too exhausted to do anything but sleep but there’s that one person watching over them all, basking in the collective acknowledgement that they all are just so happy to be alive and together…. Sorry, didn’t mean to wax philosophic there. Basically what otusasio said.

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          December 28, 2014 at 12:29 am | #

          I liked your version! There is definitely a touch of “sader but wiser” to Joyce’s last line.

    • 0kami
      0kami
      December 28, 2014 at 3:07 am | #

      Certainly has a slight melancholy feel to it, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a sad comic. Joyce has grown a lot in such a short time, and she seems to have learned that her past can grow along with her.

    • SonicBlueRanger
      SonicBlueRanger
      December 28, 2014 at 1:16 pm | #

      Well sad to an extent. Joyce clearly is going to defend Becky should/when the time comes and that is insanely sweet.

  3. Rachel Roth
    Rachel Roth
    December 28, 2014 at 12:02 am | #

    Aww. 🙁 Come on smart girl – figure it out. 🙁

    • Solenoid
      Solenoid
      December 28, 2014 at 12:04 am | #

      That “enough running” comment ought to spur some curiosity at least.

      • Luzahn
        Luzahn
        December 28, 2014 at 12:06 am | #

        Well, I’d assumed that Dorothy was leaving during that beat panel.

        Hopefully she does catch on soon, though. Dorothy could be useful.

        • timemonkey
          timemonkey
          December 28, 2014 at 12:36 am | #

          Considering Becky basically told her whole story to a hostile Sarah I doubt telling Dorothy everything will be much of a problem.

          • Kintrex
            Kintrex
            December 28, 2014 at 1:27 pm | #

            Becky didn’t tell Sarah despite her hostility, she told Sarah because of her hostility, and because her hostility showed that she was looking out for Joyce.

      • thebombzen
        thebombzen
        December 28, 2014 at 12:19 am | #

        Run, rabbit, run. Dig that hole, forget the sun.

        • jackthepyro
          jackthepyro
          December 28, 2014 at 2:59 am | #

          And when, at last, the work is done, don’t sit down it’s time to dig another one.

          • 0kami
            0kami
            December 28, 2014 at 3:43 am | #

            Long you’ll live and high you’ll fly; smiles you’ll hide and tears you’ll cry.

            • Gamaran Sepudomyn
              Gamaran Sepudomyn
              December 28, 2014 at 5:48 am | #

              And then you’ll die.

              I have no idea what is being referenced with this thread of comments.

              • Chris
                Chris
                December 28, 2014 at 8:16 am | #

                A very classic Pink Floyd song from Dark Side of the Moon. Time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-OytmtYoOI

                • oldFart
                  oldFart
                  December 28, 2014 at 5:24 pm | #

                  Man, never really heard the words before. How’d those fuckers know me so well? Damn them. (Referencing the Pink Floyd song. Never know where your comment will end up.)

                • Chris
                  Chris
                  December 29, 2014 at 5:10 am | #

                  Gorramit… I need to pull out my Floyd collection and give it all a listen all over again… It’s Breathe, not Time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrojrDCI02k

                • Chris
                  Chris
                  December 29, 2014 at 5:12 am | #

                  Breathe, including reprise… Time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqswNr2B874

            • Jess
              Jess
              December 28, 2014 at 10:57 am | #

              And all you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be.

  4. Tlaurence
    Tlaurence
    December 28, 2014 at 12:02 am | #

    I still don’t understand why Joyce thought she needed to hide Becky from Dorothy. Any theories?

    • TheZachariah
      TheZachariah
      December 28, 2014 at 12:03 am | #

      Because Joyce didn’t know how Becky had changed. She didn’t want a repeat of what happened when she introduced her parents to Dorothy.

      • Tlaurence
        Tlaurence
        December 28, 2014 at 12:06 am | #

        Oh. That makes perfect sense. Thanks

      • Mercimary
        Mercimary
        December 28, 2014 at 12:21 am | #

        Yeah, that’s what I’m, in general, assuming too. But honestly, it felt more like she was hiding Becky from Dorothy instead of Dorothy from Becky. Dunno.

      • Joe
        Joe
        December 28, 2014 at 10:32 pm | #

        I had assumed it was because she didn’t want her two best friends to meet and get into an argument about who was the bester friend.
        I don’t think it would have happened, I kinda think that Joyce would think it would have happened.

    • Rosicrucian
      Rosicrucian
      December 28, 2014 at 12:05 am | #

      Didn’t want to deal with the whole atheist thing with her (to her knowledge) super-religious friend.

    • newllend
      newllend
      December 28, 2014 at 12:05 am | #

      Thought she would over react like her parents did.

  5. newllend
    newllend
    December 28, 2014 at 12:03 am | #

    Wow Becky is a heavy sleeper.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      December 28, 2014 at 12:04 am | #

      She’s been through a lot, and she is now hugging Joyce which may be the only safe space in the whole world. I would sleep too.

      • newllend
        newllend
        December 28, 2014 at 12:08 am | #

        Ya, boobs make me feel safe too.

        • Yotomoe
          Yotomoe
          December 28, 2014 at 12:19 am | #

          I wish I had a lady who would make me feel safe with her boobs. Any volunteers?

          • Pantheon the Mantheon
            Pantheon the Mantheon
            December 28, 2014 at 12:32 am | #

            Remember Rule #1 of the internet Yotomoe. There are no girls on the internet. This means any volunteers will only be able to present the dreaded man boob.

            • Yotomoe
              Yotomoe
              December 28, 2014 at 12:34 am | #

              Foiled again! *Gets into my hovercar and zooms away cursing the name of my nemesis, the internet*

              • HMRC4EVR
                HMRC4EVR
                December 28, 2014 at 1:16 pm | #

                So, is Nemesis The Internet all black and teal, with red eyes and chrome highlights? Possibly sporting either a Decepticon sigil or an upside down G2 Autobot symbol?

                For the sake of aligned continuity we have to know so everything will fit perfectly together!

                • gwalla
                  gwalla
                  December 28, 2014 at 11:11 pm | #

                  It looks like this.

    • JessWitt
      JessWitt
      December 28, 2014 at 12:18 am | #

      It’s been a late dramatic night.

  6. Tandel
    Tandel
    December 28, 2014 at 12:04 am | #

    I am eager to see Dorothy’s response to the whole situation.

    I am envision similar magnitudes of pride in Joyce as when she stood up to her parents for Dorothy’s, though tempered with caution and concern.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      December 28, 2014 at 12:25 am | #

      That’s sounds a lot like the commentator fields these last weeks, coupled with “now kiss, NOW kiss”.

      So, we are basically a combination of Dorothy and Joe. Quick – we need to talk more about Nachos and MonkyMaster to channel Walky and Joyce as well.

      • timemonkey
        timemonkey
        December 28, 2014 at 12:38 am | #

        I don’t want to channel Walky, he’s an ass.

        • Tandel
          Tandel
          December 28, 2014 at 9:32 am | #

          The only thing that needs channeling is the aforementioned imagery to a TV screen.

  7. Onions
    Onions
    December 28, 2014 at 12:04 am | #

    What’s it called when a punchline doesn’t make you laugh, but instead blindsides you with this profound sense of empty sadness?

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      December 28, 2014 at 12:05 am | #

      Feels? At least that what internet’s calling it.

    • Kk
      Kk
      December 28, 2014 at 12:05 am | #

      I think that’s just a metaphorical punch to the gut

    • Luzahn
      Luzahn
      December 28, 2014 at 12:07 am | #

      Damn you Willis.

    • dr-calamity
      dr-calamity
      December 28, 2014 at 12:09 am | #

      Catharsis

      • Disloyal Subject
        Disloyal Subject
        December 28, 2014 at 12:18 am | #

        Nope. That’s the satisfaction of unpleasant feelings – such as by beating their source into a pulp of gore and bone chips.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      December 28, 2014 at 12:18 am | #

      Tragedy. But luckily Tragedy + Time= Comedy so it’ll be funny EVENTUALLY.

    • JustCheetoDust
      JustCheetoDust
      December 28, 2014 at 12:46 am | #

      Milking [of tears], for whatever Willis would use your tears for.

    • DSL
      DSL
      December 28, 2014 at 10:04 am | #

      It’s still a punchline. The tools of humor are used to make a serious point.

    • Foxhack
      Foxhack
      December 28, 2014 at 5:32 pm | #

      That’s a Peanuts punchline.

  8. zebrathinker
    zebrathinker
    December 28, 2014 at 12:04 am | #

    ahhhhh i want them to meet while Becky is awaaaaake

    • newllend
      newllend
      December 28, 2014 at 12:07 am | #

      But first, where’s Ethan ? >:-)

      • Luzahn
        Luzahn
        December 28, 2014 at 12:09 am | #

        noooo

        • Solenoid
          Solenoid
          December 28, 2014 at 12:18 am | #

          Oof, that’s a bomb that just waiting to go off.

          • newllend
            newllend
            December 28, 2014 at 12:21 am | #

            *Tick-tock *Tick-tock* any day now.

          • JessWitt
            JessWitt
            December 28, 2014 at 12:21 am | #

            But a bomb that will make everything better – I hope…

            • Seerow
              Seerow
              December 28, 2014 at 9:41 pm | #

              It just occurred to me that this is right, and the bomb is about to go off…

              and that bomb is what is going to push Ethan to try to pursue things with Danny, making the whole situation with Amber that much more complicated.

  9. wonderaday
    wonderaday
    December 28, 2014 at 12:04 am | #

    Dang, right in the feels.

  10. Plasma Mongoose
    Plasma Mongoose
    December 28, 2014 at 12:05 am | #

    “Watch where you put your hands “sleeping” Becky.”

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      December 28, 2014 at 12:16 am | #

      Really, watch. Neither is on a boob a butt or at least a face. If you’re not gonna cop a feel at least make yourself a nuisance.

    • pyrophobia
      pyrophobia
      December 28, 2014 at 12:27 am | #

      But a few inches away from 2nd base… She could steal if she wanted. (Not that she should.)

      • Bill
        Bill
        December 28, 2014 at 12:50 am | #

        Is is still stealing second base if no one tries to stop you (fielder’s indifference)?

    • nothri
      nothri
      December 28, 2014 at 2:51 am | #

      I know that one! Genocider Syo! Didn’t know you were a Danganronpa fan mongoose!

  11. TSB
    TSB
    December 28, 2014 at 12:05 am | #

    Confused by Joyce’s dialogue in panel two. Is there more to her segregation of Dorothy and Becky than we realize, beyond keeping the atheist away from the (former?) fundie? Or was that really just it and she’s embarrassed that Dorothy realizes it?

    • Screwball
      Screwball
      December 28, 2014 at 8:41 am | #

      Yeah, I think it’s pretty much the fact she was keeping her keeping her old life’s #1 best friend ever who went through the same brainwashingvery strict Religious upbringing as her from her new life’s #1 best friend (perhaps even #1 overall, but possibly even seatings) who’s an Atheist. She gave Becky no contact at all with Dorothy, & yet Dorothy somehow knows about Becky, which confuses Joyce.

      Got no problem with Religion, not big on such closed minded versions tho…

      • 0kami
        0kami
        December 28, 2014 at 10:59 pm | #

        Screwball, link to your gravatar image, please? 😀

        • Screwball
          Screwball
          December 29, 2014 at 4:56 pm | #

          Hmmm, possibly a bit late, but this is the best I can do…

          • 0kami
            0kami
            December 29, 2014 at 8:45 pm | #

            Many thanks! Works just fine!

  12. Triniking1234
    Triniking1234
    December 28, 2014 at 12:06 am | #

    Obligatory “awwwwwwww”

  13. Idon'tcarenomore
    Idon'tcarenomore
    December 28, 2014 at 12:06 am | #

    Joyce can be caring towards others when she thinks of it. Sometimes she is really good. Like now.
    Dorothy is cute, and she knows Walky.

  14. showler
    showler
    December 28, 2014 at 12:07 am | #

    Why does Becky’s hair look better in the last panel?

    It doesn’t seem that different, just better.

    • Hoboturtle
      Hoboturtle
      December 28, 2014 at 12:09 am | #

      Bed head.

    • Watson The Snail
      Watson The Snail
      December 28, 2014 at 12:10 am | #

      It’s because the sun has moved slightly, so the light coming in through the window behind them is hitting at a different angle.

    • JustCheetoDust
      JustCheetoDust
      December 28, 2014 at 12:50 am | #

      …Soul Glo?

  15. Hoboturtle
    Hoboturtle
    December 28, 2014 at 12:09 am | #

    Joyce drapes Becky’s sleeping body like a cape the whole storyline.

    • grantimusmaximus
      grantimusmaximus
      December 28, 2014 at 1:25 am | #

      I’m just imagining calculus class with snoring Becky, lovingly hanging onto Joyce’s leg in the middle of the aisle, and everyone pretending not to notice.

    • Screwball
      Screwball
      December 28, 2014 at 8:43 am | #

      “I’m wearing the Becky-Cape, I make the F#(%ing whoosh noises…”

    • SonicBlueRanger
      SonicBlueRanger
      December 28, 2014 at 1:19 pm | #

      Words can’t express how much I want that to happen.

  16. Swoop
    Swoop
    December 28, 2014 at 12:11 am | #

    Don’t leave Dorothy! You Joyce and Becky need to become best friends!

    Also, Joyce could at least ask if she wants to go. I don’t think she’s literally tired of running.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      December 28, 2014 at 12:15 am | #

      She didn’t take the bus. She City Escape Free ran her way all the way home.
      She had places to go and had to follow her rainbow.

      • Swoop
        Swoop
        December 28, 2014 at 12:58 am | #

        I’m sorry, but what do you mean by that? I don’t understand.

        • Yotomoe
          Yotomoe
          December 28, 2014 at 1:47 am | #

          Someone doesn’t know of our lord and savior Sonic Adventure 2.
          (Sonic Heroes is better)

          • raptorsaurus
            raptorsaurus
            December 28, 2014 at 4:29 am | #

            Does that make Sonic Boom! the equivalent of Satan?

            • Yotomoe
              Yotomoe
              December 28, 2014 at 2:27 pm | #

              That is Sonic 06. Sonic Boom is the anti-christ.

          • Triniking1234
            Triniking1234
            December 28, 2014 at 7:05 pm | #

            But Sonic Heroes makes play through the same stages FOUR times to get true ending. 🙁

    • Carriethedragon
      Carriethedragon
      December 28, 2014 at 12:16 am | #

      She looks like she’d be really hard to wake up. The kind that you don’t even wake up at a sleepover in the morning when you’re bored. If you’re smart, you don’t mess with that. You just let their parents drag them kicking and screaming into wakefulness.

      • Disloyal Subject
        Disloyal Subject
        December 28, 2014 at 12:21 am | #

        Or you make bacon and let the fumes wake them. If that fails, remove the aroma and try baking cookies or chocolate cake.

        If both sugar and bacon fail to wake them, then fetch a wooden stake or somesuch; those tend to work on aliens and monsters alike.

        • Swoop
          Swoop
          December 28, 2014 at 12:31 am | #

          You must really hate diabetic vegetarians.

          • timemonkey
            timemonkey
            December 28, 2014 at 12:40 am | #

            Just because they can’t eat it doesn’t mean they won’t react to the smell.

            • JustCheetoDust
              JustCheetoDust
              December 28, 2014 at 12:52 am | #

              But that would be a cocktease smell! It teases their cocks!

              • Lone Wolf
                Lone Wolf
                December 28, 2014 at 9:14 am | #

                Well, they should’ve known better to bring their roosters to a sleepover to begin with. Especially given that the damn things didn’t even bother to crow when the sun came up.

                • DSL
                  DSL
                  December 28, 2014 at 10:07 am | #

                  At that point you cook the chicken, too. By then it’s getting on toward lunchtime, so you might as well.

                • tyersome
                  tyersome
                  December 28, 2014 at 12:03 pm | #

                  But are you going to choke the chicken before putting the cock in the oven?

                • JustCheetoDust
                  JustCheetoDust
                  December 28, 2014 at 6:10 pm | #

                  I was wondering if the discussion would go in the direction of wordplay even though I was making an MC Chris reference.

                • JustCheetoDust
                  JustCheetoDust
                  December 28, 2014 at 6:12 pm | #

                  Having said that, who doesn’t choke the chicken to help pass the time during oven preheating?

                • tyersome
                  tyersome
                  December 28, 2014 at 11:57 pm | #

                  Chicks?

        • Kelly
          Kelly
          December 28, 2014 at 1:02 am | #

          Don’t stake me, bro!
          I’m not alien or a monster, I just can’t smell!

          • JustCheetoDust
            JustCheetoDust
            December 28, 2014 at 8:31 am | #

            Aliens? That’s what the sunglasses are for.

            (some people may have difficulty with using sunglasses)

        • Kryss LaBryn
          Kryss LaBryn
          December 28, 2014 at 1:30 pm | #

          We had three smallish dogs that would go to extremes to get kibble.

          We’d toss kibble onto our sleeping guests. Nothing like insistent dog noses in the armpits and stompy little beagle/basset feet to the guts (bonus points for the crotch) to get people vertical, lol.

          We did wait until the coffee and breakfast were ready; we’re not monsters. But lord it was funny.

      • Swoop
        Swoop
        December 28, 2014 at 12:52 am | #

        Are you kidding? If someone’s asleep and you’re bored, you’re obligated to mess with them. Put a fake spider on their face, or maybe give them a Hitler mustache with a sharpie. Are you ignorant of sleepover etiquette?

      • Jess
        Jess
        December 28, 2014 at 2:18 am | #

        I was always the kid that’d wake up ungodly early at my friend’s sleep overs and out of boredom, start going through their stuff…
        lol.
        I’m a terrible person, but whatever.
        Worst thing I’ve ever found was a petrified cat in the back of my friend’s closet.

        • tyersome
          tyersome
          December 28, 2014 at 2:26 am | #

          How catastrophic — what did you do to the poor thing that had it so scared?

          • JustCheetoDust
            JustCheetoDust
            December 28, 2014 at 8:33 am | #

            Barked at it?

          • Deanatay
            Deanatay
            December 28, 2014 at 10:40 am | #

            icwutudidthar – assuming you only take its butt, of course.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      December 28, 2014 at 12:16 am | #

      If Joyce wake Becky up at six o clock without prior permission it would give Becky legal right to push her out of the bed.

      • Disloyal Subject
        Disloyal Subject
        December 28, 2014 at 12:28 am | #

        If they stayed up even longer to draft a contract like that, no wonder they’re so wiped outpooped.

        • Bagge
          Bagge
          December 28, 2014 at 12:39 am | #

          Oh, they did that when they were eight. They updated their friendship contract regularly to include things like candy, music and cooties.

          • John
            John
            December 28, 2014 at 4:11 pm | #

            Joyce is currently looking at the part about how if they hadn’t both found husbands by the time they were twenty they’d marry each other in a new light.

            • Bagge
              Bagge
              December 28, 2014 at 4:23 pm | #

              HEADCANON!!!

    • Yotsuyasan
      Yotsuyasan
      December 28, 2014 at 12:22 am | #

      No, probably she isn’t. But the is still asleep, and knowing how rough she’s had it, and that she is finally getting some rest, Joyce is likely hesitant to wake her.

  17. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    December 28, 2014 at 12:13 am | #

    “I assume that has a deeper meaning but metaphorical running away from life problems aside, would you like to join me for jogging? That shit’s boring as fuck alone.”

  18. Bagge
    Bagge
    December 28, 2014 at 12:14 am | #

    Dorothy is nice. Just look at this. She immediately backpedals the snark, make sure to let Joyce know that everything is all right and that she won’t gossip. Then she extends her invitation of company to Becky.

    A few lines of dialog and she has diffused almost all potential sources of misunderstanding and drama between these three. And that’s without knowing just how serious the situation is.

    • pyrophobia
      pyrophobia
      December 28, 2014 at 12:19 am | #

      Fitting practice for the future President of the United States of America.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        December 28, 2014 at 12:22 am | #

        It’s either that or plant bombs under metropolis in a convoluted plan to kill superman. Either works.

        • Luzahn
          Luzahn
          December 28, 2014 at 12:29 am | #

          Just make sure you don’t kill Flash or the whole thing will go to hell.

          • Makkabee
            Makkabee
            December 28, 2014 at 6:17 pm | #

            I get that reference!

            I got that reference.

            • Kelly
              Kelly
              December 28, 2014 at 7:59 pm | #

              Ok Cap 🙂

  19. Stern Look
    Stern Look
    December 28, 2014 at 12:15 am | #

    Escaping your problems is not a replacement for exercise.

    • Disloyal Subject
      Disloyal Subject
      December 28, 2014 at 12:23 am | #

      Exercise can be a decent escape from one’s problems, though.
      Provided one stays properly fed & hydrated, & doesn’t overdo any particular areas.

    • Lawzlo
      Lawzlo
      December 28, 2014 at 12:48 am | #

      What if exercise IS your problem?

      • tyersome
        tyersome
        December 28, 2014 at 12:06 pm | #

        Try not to get exercised about it?

  20. dailybrad
    dailybrad
    December 28, 2014 at 12:21 am | #

    Becky’s got to be wiped out. Emotional exhaustion’ll do that.

  21. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    December 28, 2014 at 12:22 am | #

    “Damnit Joyce. Another way college changed me was I love Jogging. And Jogging with hot chicks!? Why would you turn her down you fool!”

    • newllend
      newllend
      December 28, 2014 at 12:30 am | #

      I Guess wet bouncing juggs and tight girl shorts aren’t her thing.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        December 28, 2014 at 12:31 am | #

        Joyce, stop Twat-blockin’ Becky!

  22. chantecler
    chantecler
    December 28, 2014 at 12:24 am | #

    It’s sad because Becky looks so happy and comfy right now, but when the haze off sleep will be gone… Reality won’t be fun to face.

  23. Johnathan Joestar
    Johnathan Joestar
    December 28, 2014 at 12:25 am | #

    Aw that’s a cute cuddle pose. Reminds me of a napping sibling clinging to my grandpa when I’d get home from the library sometimes.

    • Swoop
      Swoop
      December 28, 2014 at 1:05 am | #

      You shouldn’t have said that here. People are going to try to ruin That cute memory with incest jokes.

      • timemonkey
        timemonkey
        December 28, 2014 at 1:07 am | #

        Or they’ll say nothing and YOU ‘ll be the creepy person talking about incest.

        • Swoop
          Swoop
          December 28, 2014 at 1:08 am | #

          I never said I wouldn’t be the person to ruin it.

        • Swoop
          Swoop
          December 28, 2014 at 1:13 am | #

          And yes, I regret saying that creepy thing. Sorry Johnathan. I should’ve thought about what I said before I said it. I’m working on that.

          • tyersome
            tyersome
            December 28, 2014 at 1:50 am | #

            Well, on the plus side you just made me feel a lot better about hitting you with the duck dick a couple of days ago 🙂

            • Heavensrun
              Heavensrun
              December 28, 2014 at 6:25 am | #

              That is a comment that probably sounds much worse out of context.

              • tyersome
                tyersome
                December 28, 2014 at 12:09 pm | #

                I do occasionally try to rise above the situation … but usually I sink to new depths.

  24. Rabid Rabbit
    Rabid Rabbit
    December 28, 2014 at 12:32 am | #

    It’s taken me this long to notice that Dorothy’s glasses don’t have temples, but just perch on her nose. Even, apparently, when she’s jogging. Somehow panel 4 brought this fact home.

    • Pantheon the Mantheon
      Pantheon the Mantheon
      December 28, 2014 at 12:48 am | #

      We don’t take kindly to logic ’round these parts.

    • artemi
      artemi
      December 28, 2014 at 8:14 pm | #

      Panel 4 is perhaps the most adorable Dorothy in the entire comic so far…

  25. Mrlannderson
    Mrlannderson
    December 28, 2014 at 12:33 am | #

    “Cause she’s been running through my head all night!”
    Ba dum tssss

    • liahansen
      liahansen
      December 28, 2014 at 1:09 am | #

      +1

  26. grantimusmaximus
    grantimusmaximus
    December 28, 2014 at 1:27 am | #

    I’m sorry, I’ve been mesmerized by Dorothy’s shoulder freckles this whole time. What’s going on?

  27. Megatron
    Megatron
    December 28, 2014 at 1:35 am | #

    I like the angle in panel four.

    • Heavensrun
      Heavensrun
      December 28, 2014 at 6:24 am | #

      Well, high angles would feel more at home for you.

    • poofdepoof
      poofdepoof
      December 28, 2014 at 8:13 pm | #

      I noticed it, too! I think we’ve never seen Dorothy from that angle before.

    • artemi
      artemi
      December 28, 2014 at 8:15 pm | #

      Ah, crap, responded to the wrong comment. I was just saying that’s perhaps the most adorable Dorothy so far. lol

  28. Thor
    Thor
    December 28, 2014 at 1:36 am | #

    Over the last two days, I have watched a marathon run of Seasons 2-4 of Legend of Korra. I’m not sure that there’s a DoA drama bomb that could even make me blink at the moment.

    That said, this was not really a drama bomb, or even a feels grenade. This was just a quiet moment of Joyce’s world continuing to click into place after the last drama bomb.

    • Orangey
      Orangey
      December 28, 2014 at 4:08 am | #

      Woo for Korra! im on a korra marathon at the mo, though ive only finished the first series so far. (though to be fair i have also only started to watch it 2 days ago…)

      • Deanatay
        Deanatay
        December 28, 2014 at 10:44 am | #

        We were going to, but decided it was best to start with Avatar. We’ll get to Korra eventually.

  29. OsoPescado
    OsoPescado
    December 28, 2014 at 1:40 am | #

    Awwww Joyce…. that was so sweet.

  30. Shadow12000
    Shadow12000
    December 28, 2014 at 1:51 am | #

    Damn, she is sure holding on to Joyce tightly with those unclenched hands.

    • No Name
      No Name
      December 28, 2014 at 8:44 pm | #

      They were wrapped around Joyce when she stood up, but now that she’s lying back down, they’ve relaxed.

  31. Aeron
    Aeron
    December 28, 2014 at 1:56 am | #

    Save some energy for all those LGBT marches.

  32. tyersome
    tyersome
    December 28, 2014 at 1:58 am | #

    She has been acquainted with a brusque Walky … but I’m not sure that counts as ‘tried’ …

  33. Gate of Seven Ores
    Gate of Seven Ores
    December 28, 2014 at 2:26 am | #

    “Get ya anti-grav glasses here! Pesky handles annoying you? BAM! They’re gone! Glasses keep falling off? SHWING! Apply directly to your FACE! Comes in oval AND rectangle varieties!”

    • tyersome
      tyersome
      December 28, 2014 at 2:30 am | #

      … that doesn’t seem quite right … we want eye glasses not eyebrow glasses!

      How about face hugger glasses?

      • tyersome
        tyersome
        December 28, 2014 at 2:32 am | #

        … after all the slogan could be “You won’t be able to give them up!”

        • Gate of Seven Ores
          Gate of Seven Ores
          December 28, 2014 at 2:34 am | #

          “Guaranteed to love and hold ANY face or your money back!”

          • Screwball
            Screwball
            December 28, 2014 at 8:56 am | #

            “pleasenotetheCompanyisnotresponcableforanyimmobilization
            causedbyuseofFaceHuggerGlasses,noranyresaultingdeathby
            ChestBurster. TheCompanyretainstherightstouseinfectedcustomers
            inscientificexperementstocreatetheultimateBio-Weapon…

            • Screwball
              Screwball
              December 28, 2014 at 8:59 am | #

              pleasenotetheCompanyisnotresponcableforany
              immobilizationcausedbyuseofFaceHuggerGlasses,
              noranyresaultingdeathbyChestBurster. TheCompanyretainstherightstouseinfected
              customersinscientificexperementstocreate
              theultimateBio-Weapon…

              ((Trying that again. Human tech’s more fiddly than my usual stuff…))

              • tyersome
                tyersome
                December 28, 2014 at 11:56 am | #

                Right, they can also come with a lifetime guarantee …

    • Kryss LaBryn
      Kryss LaBryn
      December 28, 2014 at 1:38 pm | #

      You mean like pince-nez?

      • Gate of Seven Ores
        Gate of Seven Ores
        December 28, 2014 at 11:08 pm | #

        I didn’t know those had a name. I always see them in documentaries.

        But no. Those were farthest from my mind when I made the original comment.

  34. feministicman
    feministicman
    December 28, 2014 at 2:55 am | #

    And she ran, she ran so far away.
    She just ran, she ran all night and day.

    – A Flock of Siegals

    • Bill
      Bill
      December 28, 2014 at 5:15 am | #

      I see what you did there…..

      • Amazistool
        Amazistool
        December 28, 2014 at 11:20 am | #

        But how do Ethans parents fit into this?

        • feministicman
          feministicman
          December 28, 2014 at 4:09 pm | #

          I would imagine they would give him the ultimatum:

          “The more you love, the more we hate:
          So please stay straight! The more you love, the more we go away.”

          Although in all fairness to Ethan’s father, he would probably sing it reluctantly.

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      December 28, 2014 at 1:11 pm | #

      I used to watch a really crappy re-scripted anime just to hear the Bowling for Soup version of that song.

      • Opus the Poet
        Opus the Poet
        December 28, 2014 at 1:19 pm | #

        And as usual the internet has that opening to the crappy re-scripted anime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpxrsEAIMT4 Knights of the Zodiac Opening (English)

  35. Bluesnake462
    Bluesnake462
    December 28, 2014 at 2:59 am | #

    You never really stop running.

  36. Lord Geovanni
    Lord Geovanni
    December 28, 2014 at 4:42 am | #

    Wonder if becky can pass for a Ginger so i can make that Gingerbread man joke or if that’s just white hair because i get the feeling that orange hair and freckles are ginger like

    • Neonix
      Neonix
      December 28, 2014 at 8:51 am | #

      Yes. Becky is definitely a redhead.

      • Lord Geovanni
        Lord Geovanni
        December 29, 2014 at 3:58 am | #

        its confuseing orange seems like a ginger color rathar than red head

        • Lord Geovanni
          Lord Geovanni
          December 29, 2014 at 3:59 am | #

          but thats probably because i dont understand why white and silver is ginger

  37. Lord Geovanni
    Lord Geovanni
    December 28, 2014 at 4:43 am | #

    Becky’s sleeping face and those sexy sexy freckles God Bless you Willis

  38. zmm
    zmm
    December 28, 2014 at 5:19 am | #

    JOYCE IS GROWING YAY!

    also I think Joyce really should go on her run.. It’ll set a better tone for the new dynamics.. Joyce gets some good Dorothy time, and excercise. And then Becky won’t wake up glomping the object of her affection.. As Becky won’t have classes it would be bad if she started off her new life like that.. It’d feel good but her and Joyce are going to have to be sure this doesn’t develop into a co-dependancy problem.

  39. StClair
    StClair
    December 28, 2014 at 5:23 am | #

    Joyce has not slept at all. Just lay there, all night, staring up at the ceiling. Trying to come to terms with this. Including the probability of literal damnation.

  40. Aolbain
    Aolbain
    December 28, 2014 at 5:37 am | #

    Joyce, you want her to feel at home, not give up exercising.

    • Paul
      Paul
      December 28, 2014 at 12:26 pm | #

      Do we have any evidence that Becky was ever into exercising in the first place?

  41. motorfirebox
    motorfirebox
    December 28, 2014 at 9:36 am | #

    Poor Beckster. She’s done all the running she can’t, and wasn’t even able to stay in the same place.

    • Crumplepunch
      Crumplepunch
      December 28, 2014 at 9:39 am | #

      I hear you can get a machine for that.

    • tyersome
      tyersome
      December 28, 2014 at 11:52 am | #

      … and while she’s got the red part down it would be hard to see her as a queen …

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        December 28, 2014 at 1:30 pm | #

        She has to get to the eight square to become a queen.

        • tyersome
          tyersome
          December 28, 2014 at 11:59 pm | #

          Are you suggesting she has a checkered past?!

  42. DSL
    DSL
    December 28, 2014 at 10:15 am | #

    Dorothy has a grandmotherly look about her, the way Willis draws her. Knew a girl like that in HS. Sweet as you please, drop-dead gorgeous, smart as hell, cheerleader captain, but somehow grandmotherly with a frisson of “I’ll take care of you whether you want it or not,” even as a teenager. I was not at all surprised when she became a nurse.

  43. concolor44
    concolor44
    December 28, 2014 at 10:21 am | #

    It looks to me as if Joyce is growing into a REAL Christian.

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      December 28, 2014 at 10:46 am | #

      Joyce has always been a “Real” Christian – just, a very young one.

      • Bagge
        Bagge
        December 28, 2014 at 1:29 pm | #

        “Same old Joyce”

  44. The Wizard
    The Wizard
    December 28, 2014 at 10:54 am | #

    Forget running, a spell of haste works just fine thank you.

  45. clodia
    clodia
    December 28, 2014 at 11:39 am | #

    Why. Why did I think that Dorothy being in the room meant that Joyce would confide in her. That makes things too simple. Gosh darnit. Okay. Sarah knows the situation. Sarah doesn’t want drama in her room for longer than a minute. Sarah also has a secret heart of gold, especially for Joyce. Sarah will help figure out a longer term situation in the morning.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      December 28, 2014 at 1:29 pm | #

      They did lay some important ground work. Joyce knows that Dorothy knows about Becky, that she respect and accepts what she knows about their situation (and don’t use it as teasing material) and she is willing to include Becky in their group. The step to confide in Dorothy and ask her for help is not long.

      Even if Becky wasn’t on the run I think Joyce would be nervous to how her two best friends would take to each other. Dorothy does a wonderful job to ease those fears.

      • clodia
        clodia
        December 28, 2014 at 4:19 pm | #

        Thank you. You lay out excellent points that ease my concerns. Man, I love how Joyce and Dorothy are friends that love and support each other.

    • John
      John
      December 28, 2014 at 8:07 pm | #

      Give ’em some time. Becky’s not even awake yet, and probably needs some sleep cuddled up with someone who loves her more than she needs her problems addressed right now. It’s not really Joyce’s place to unload Becky’s problems – which would have to include outing her in order for any of it to make sense – on someone whom, however well Joyce knows and loves her, Becky has never met before she’s even awake to say okay.

      Joyce unthinkingly outed Billie to Becky yesterday, and though that went okay, if Becky were her father’s daughter rather than a secret lesbian herself, it could easily have gone very badly, and it wasn’t Joyce’s place to make that decision. It’d be nice to see that maybe she’s learned that lesson from Becky’s story.

      And, really, Dorothy’s not going anywhere, and neither are Becky’s problems. They’ll still be around when Becky wakes up. And if she follows Joyce around like a puppy again like she did yesterday, in a few hours they’ll be in Gender Studies with not just Dorothy but Leslie as well, and I can’t think of a better pair for backup here.

  46. Chris
    Chris
    December 28, 2014 at 12:07 pm | #

    God, Joyce, you’re so deep!

    • Just Here
      Just Here
      December 28, 2014 at 10:20 pm | #

      Yeah, I’m keenly interested to know what Joyce means in the last panel there. Does she mean that Becky has done enough running in that she shouldn’t have to run, or that Becky is too exhausted to run more?

      • 0kami
        0kami
        December 28, 2014 at 10:57 pm | #

        Probably a little of both, but if I had to choose one option, I’d say she meant the former. Becky’s most likely pretty tired, having physically run away from home and mentally running from the issue that was eating away at her mind all day. She deserves this moment of rest by her best friend’s side.

  47. Vangeln
    Vangeln
    December 28, 2014 at 3:10 pm | #

    And if you want to join us in the bed, you’re welcome, too.

  48. RootyToot2oot
    RootyToot2oot
    December 28, 2014 at 5:16 pm | #

    Damn you, Willis, you write yourself some deep, textured, nuanced characters here. Terrific work. Thanks.

  49. John
    John
    December 28, 2014 at 10:35 pm | #

    Just catching up on Tumblr, and noticed this post: http://itswalky.tumblr.com/post/105941996217/a-search-term-that-led-someone-to-my-site-nice

    That was actually me. I was hunting down one of my earlier comments, where I remembered I’d used that phrase, so that I could link to it to prove that I totally called Becky’s crush on Joyce more than a year ago.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      December 28, 2014 at 10:53 pm | #

      That’s a much more boring explanation than I had envisioned.

    • ICSM
      ICSM
      December 28, 2014 at 11:29 pm | #

      Well, did you find it?

      • John
        John
        December 29, 2014 at 12:03 am | #

        Yep.

  50. Chengrel
    Chengrel
    December 28, 2014 at 10:35 pm | #

    Yay empathy!

  51. Kaidah
    Kaidah
    January 13, 2015 at 7:40 pm | #

    I’ve spent the last few days reading this entire series up to this point and was planning to comment when I finally got caught up later tonight, but I just had to do it now. Never, and I mean NEVER, have I ever had as much of an emotional response from any form of printed media as I have had reading the recent Joyce/Becky arc. I’m actually crying. I knew this comic was brilliant from the first strip, but I had no idea how much better it would get. Thank you. Thank you for one of the best things I have ever read. 🙂

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