Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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May 5, 2026

Bliss

by David M Willis on February 10, 2011 at 12:01 am
  • 03 - Men are from Beck, Women are from Clark
└ Tags: conquest, head alien, joe, joyce, mike, monkey master, walky

Discussion (143) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Rognik
    Rognik
    February 10, 2011 at 12:02 am | #

    No, Joyce! Stay good!

    • Lan Mikoto
      Lan Mikoto
      February 10, 2011 at 12:27 am | #

      Forget that. She wants a man who won’t stare at another woman’s breasts. Therefore she’s in every right. I know my special lady harmed me when I even said hello to my cousin….. All I did was hug her!

      • Crimson Magic
        Crimson Magic
        February 10, 2011 at 12:30 am | #

        Sounds like a very healthy relationship!

        • Tristan J
          Tristan J
          February 10, 2011 at 12:34 am | #

          Your avatar makes that even funnier.

      • The E-man
        The E-man
        February 10, 2011 at 12:24 pm | #

        Lan, here’s a website you might be interested in:

        http://theabusedhusband.com/

      • MJ
        MJ
        February 12, 2011 at 3:16 am | #

        Your special lady is in the wrong and you are encouraging her.

    • David Herbert
      David Herbert
      February 10, 2011 at 12:30 am | #

      But Joe getting punched for leering is good.

      • XMD
        XMD
        February 10, 2011 at 12:53 am | #

        Has Joyce ever read the New Testament? Like, ever?

        • George
          George
          February 10, 2011 at 1:40 am | #

          Given how extreme her beliefs are, I’d wager her minister’s the only one who even skimmed it. “Judge not” is kinda the red-headed stepchild of Jesus’ teachings among fundies.

          • ADHadh
            ADHadh
            February 10, 2011 at 7:02 am | #

            I’d say pretty much anything from New Testament apart from “Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior” is unknown to fundies, but I don’t want to start a flame war.

            • Rayri
              Rayri
              March 30, 2011 at 9:55 pm | #

              All I know is wear a hat in church, be quiet, and tear out your eyes if you feel lust! 😀

              /flamewarbegins

              Nah, both testaments are very…skimmed over, to say the least.

        • Pooga
          Pooga
          February 14, 2011 at 2:59 am | #

          What, you mean this New Testament?

  2. captainswift
    captainswift
    February 10, 2011 at 12:02 am | #

    Walky really is having the best day ever.

  3. Mkvenner
    Mkvenner
    February 10, 2011 at 12:02 am | #

    At least two people are have a good evening.

  4. Ragnal
    Ragnal
    February 10, 2011 at 12:03 am | #

    Yeah, that reminds me: I could only eat forty five McNuggest last week when I ordered those.

    It did NOT help I ordered a double cheeseburgers and fries. BLEH…gonna be a while before I order nuggets again…

  5. TC Internet
    TC Internet
    February 10, 2011 at 12:06 am | #

    Daggone… I’m not sure why, but I’ve never laughed harder at anything you’ve drawn. Best punchline ever.

    • Jon
      Jon
      February 10, 2011 at 6:29 am | #

      Was there PUNch intended there?

    • Jimmy Suzuki
      Jimmy Suzuki
      February 10, 2011 at 11:18 pm | #

      Punchline in the FAAAACE

  6. alicemacher
    alicemacher
    February 10, 2011 at 12:08 am | #

    It appears the strength of Mike’s punches is directly proportional to the amount of lust Joe is feeling.

  7. Teowulf
    Teowulf
    February 10, 2011 at 12:08 am | #

    Walky’s night reminds me of so many of my college nights.

  8. arjay2813
    arjay2813
    February 10, 2011 at 12:09 am | #

    Yessss Joyce. use the power of the dark side. >=D

  9. valis_kr3
    valis_kr3
    February 10, 2011 at 12:10 am | #

    She’s very fickle.

    • Scott
      Scott
      February 10, 2011 at 2:46 am | #

      Joyce: tough on lust, light on assault.

      • The E-man
        The E-man
        February 10, 2011 at 12:23 pm | #

        if we’re going with sins it probably should be:
        “tough on lust, light on wrath”

  10. addude
    addude
    February 10, 2011 at 12:15 am | #

    Lucky Walky when I ordered 40 mcnuggets I got home to find they only gave me 20

    • Schornforce
      Schornforce
      February 10, 2011 at 1:15 am | #

      You should have specified that you wanted them all at once!

  11. TheSoundDefense
    TheSoundDefense
    February 10, 2011 at 12:19 am | #

    Remember, punishing sinners with physical violence isn’t a sin!

    …that’s how it works, right?

    • maggiemarmalade
      maggiemarmalade
      February 10, 2011 at 12:36 am | #

      For the Bible tells me so.

      • Malph
        Malph
        February 10, 2011 at 2:04 am | #

        That reminds me, I need to play Bioshock again.

    • Seraph
      Seraph
      February 10, 2011 at 8:36 am | #

      Three words: Sodom and Gomorrah. Two words: The Flood. Last word: Hell.

      • Rowen Morland
        Rowen Morland
        February 10, 2011 at 9:15 am | #

        Is Hell actually in the Bible? I thought it just appeared in the supplementary material.

        • Andy
          Andy
          February 10, 2011 at 10:18 am | #

          Jesus mentions it.

        • Bill M.
          Bill M.
          February 11, 2011 at 1:58 pm | #

          Not really. There’s a place of torment (Hades in the original Latin) in Jesus’ parable about Lazarus and the Nameless Rich Man (although it’s the only time someone in one of Jesus’ parables was named, so scholars debate whether it’s officially a parable). There’s also the pit in which The Beast and his False Prophet are going to be imprisoned in Revelation. Finally, there’s the Lake of Fire, with the capacity to destroy body and soul (you are a soul, you have a body).

    • Madness
      Madness
      March 18, 2011 at 5:11 pm | #

      @Bill M.

      Hell and Heaven is mentioned all throughout the Old and New testament, but in the Old testament it’s more accepted than explained. It’s hinted, but they generally assume you already know it’s around.

      @TheSoundDefense
      The Bible is very specific with judging people, who you can judge and how.
      Christian people cannot judge outsiders, even though letting people know what you believe and why is completely acceptable. It is practically ground into you that you MUST judge your brothers and sisters in faith. Not publicly at first. You take them aside and talk to them privately. If they don’t listen, then you get a friend and face them again. If they still brush you off, you get a group of three people to tell him that what he/she is doing is wrong. If they still continue to do it, you meet him/her with the whole church, and if they still refuse you, they are kicked out. Churches are supposed to watch each other as well, to make sure they don’t stray. Unfortunately people don’t do this often anymore.

  12. Wolf
    Wolf
    February 10, 2011 at 12:21 am | #

    Wow, I never knew Joyce could be so malicious. Poor Joe may be a manwhore, but I still feel bad for him right now!

    • MJ
      MJ
      February 12, 2011 at 3:19 am | #

      I’m hoping he gets to make out with a sympathetic conquest as a result. Poor Joe.

  13. T Campbell
    T Campbell
    February 10, 2011 at 12:23 am | #

    I dunno if anyone else is having this issue, but for me the homepage seems to be changing later and later. I got to this page through the Twitter link, and the homepage still shows “Drinks” to me.

    • Kamino Neko
      Kamino Neko
      February 10, 2011 at 12:57 am | #

      It’s the universe balancing it out for the people who have that problem on P&A. >_>

    • Coppermouth
      Coppermouth
      February 10, 2011 at 4:11 pm | #

      My friend and I have had that problem too, in increasing amounts lately.

  14. T Campbell
    T Campbell
    February 10, 2011 at 12:24 am | #

    Who knows if all this trouble will make Joe give up on Joyce, or want her more.

    • alicemacher
      alicemacher
      February 10, 2011 at 12:45 am | #

      I think we both know the answer to that. XD

      • Mirenheart
        Mirenheart
        February 10, 2011 at 2:42 am | #

        What is your avatar from?

        • Viktoria
          Viktoria
          February 10, 2011 at 3:32 am | #

          Click T Campbell’s name, it’s the one on the upper left. A webcomic called Penny&Aggie. Fairly good story, but the cast is overlarge and some of the character design is less distinctive than it should be, IMO.

        • arjay2813
          arjay2813
          February 10, 2011 at 1:57 pm | #

          alicemacher’s avatar is the character lisa, and she’s awesome

  15. Black Bumblebee
    Black Bumblebee
    February 10, 2011 at 12:25 am | #

    …and in a strange twist of fate, Joyce’s trip to dark side ends with her falling in love with Mike lol

    • Nei
      Nei
      February 10, 2011 at 12:42 am | #

      That fourth panel really makes them look like a couple, doesn’t it?

    • XMD
      XMD
      February 10, 2011 at 12:50 am | #

      The babies they make grow to be 50 feet tall and made of pure angst. Their fists? Skeleton armies. Their feet? Cheap Transfyrmers Knockoff Toys made of pure lead.

  16. MercyDispensorMan
    MercyDispensorMan
    February 10, 2011 at 12:31 am | #

    Joe should’ve listened to Optimus Prime and just gotten McNuggets. Booyah!

  17. Jeff K
    Jeff K
    February 10, 2011 at 12:32 am | #

    This is really making Joyce totally unlikable. Grrr, what a jerk.

    • XMD
      XMD
      February 10, 2011 at 12:52 am | #

      Grr, role reversal! Mike’s no longer a bastard, he’s just a violent guy. Where’s the cold, heartless soul-destroying? All he’s doing is breaking faces!

      • Xartarin
        Xartarin
        February 10, 2011 at 1:01 am | #

        I think Mike has precedent for beating up people because a girl wants him to, actually.

      • Jason
        Jason
        February 10, 2011 at 1:24 pm | #

        This Mike is young. He hasn’t yet mastered the fine art of soul-destroying. That’s why he’s in college. His major is Soul Destruction.

    • JackNapier
      JackNapier
      February 10, 2011 at 1:00 am | #

      How so? I actually like this: it shows that, while she is still trying to hold onto what she learned at home, she is beginning to develop her own person. She may be a good religious girl, but she’s still a girl; Joe’s lucky she didn’t start punching him when he started talking about lust and staring at Connie.

      • Jeff K
        Jeff K
        February 10, 2011 at 1:14 am | #

        Yeeeah, because allowing some guy to beat the hell out of another is a perfectly religious thing to do. How would she react if he punched out Mike in self defence? Get all preachy and self righteous? Nah, this really makes Joyce unlikable to me, and has huge double standards.

      • laila
        laila
        February 10, 2011 at 2:05 am | #

        Wait, she’s still a girl and this makes wanting to beat someone up totally justifiable because them womens are just like that when they feel jealous? Thinking it’s acceptable to violently assault someone for looking at another woman isn’t some kind of malfunction in Joyce that she needs to get over before someone presses charges, but just part and parcel of being female and nobody should expect any better from her?

        Wow.

        • Doom Shepherd
          Doom Shepherd
          February 10, 2011 at 2:21 pm | #

          I believe the PC thing to say is “you just have to understand the roots of ‘Female Rage.'”

          That phrase gets tossed around a lot during riots and looting, so I figure it must be acceptable in these circumstances as well.

          • MJ
            MJ
            February 12, 2011 at 3:22 am | #

            Not seconded…

        • MJ
          MJ
          February 12, 2011 at 3:21 am | #

          Seconded!

      • Crimson Magic
        Crimson Magic
        February 10, 2011 at 4:18 pm | #

        Joe hasn’t stared at anyone’s breasts. Mike just said that so he could punch Joe some more.

      • Crimson Magic
        Crimson Magic
        February 10, 2011 at 4:19 pm | #

        Also, the lust? Joyce brought that up.

  18. Kavonde
    Kavonde
    February 10, 2011 at 12:42 am | #

    I was initially kind of surprised at Joyce, and then I remembered the time she blew her clone’s brains out for being a little slutty.

  19. NF
    NF
    February 10, 2011 at 12:50 am | #

    I’m trying to imagine what Joe and Sarah will say to each other the next time they meet.

    “Why didn’t you warn me about Joyce!?!”

    “I did warn you!”

    “You didn’t tell me she is insane!”

  20. JackNapier
    JackNapier
    February 10, 2011 at 1:02 am | #

    Yeesh. Joe’s face is going to be a bloody mess before the evening’s over, isn’t it?

    Oh, I’m sorry. I meant Joe’s FAAACE.

  21. TheAlucinaut
    TheAlucinaut
    February 10, 2011 at 1:09 am | #

    This strip is perfect.

  22. ScytheAkse
    ScytheAkse
    February 10, 2011 at 1:26 am | #

    joyce is freaking vindictive!!! and totally agree with the new testament comment above me somewhere. some christian.

    • goatman95111
      goatman95111
      February 10, 2011 at 3:31 am | #

      Joyce was cute and interesting initially, but yeah… she’s just getting psycho. Honestly, best way to resolve this all is to have Sal drag her out for a crash course in modern social standards.

      Or do they have an AA (“Amish Anonymous”) group on campus?

      • Björn
        Björn
        February 10, 2011 at 5:08 am | #

        Sal needs to jump in through the window RIGHT NOW. 🙂

        • ScytheAkse
          ScytheAkse
          February 10, 2011 at 5:50 am | #

          sal?

  23. brasca1
    brasca1
    February 10, 2011 at 1:39 am | #

    I’m curious about Mike’s strength. Joe’s a big guy and Mike doesn’t have any super powers so I chalk it up to one too many sucker punches.

    • Malph
      Malph
      February 10, 2011 at 2:07 am | #

      Mike’s powers are multiversal.

    • Pagannerd
      Pagannerd
      February 10, 2011 at 2:16 am | #

      Mike has Bastard Power. He’s always just strong enough to cause severe inconvenience to whomever he is fighting.

  24. Darth Cariss
    Darth Cariss
    February 10, 2011 at 2:24 am | #

    Poor Joe. Nobody deserves that. I hope Conni calls the cops and gets Mike and Joyce arrested.

  25. Henry
    Henry
    February 10, 2011 at 2:54 am | #

    So… Is joe dead? That punch was a date ending punch, not a chaperone punch.

  26. Dahlia
    Dahlia
    February 10, 2011 at 3:47 am | #

    I feel awful for thinking “If Joyce dated Walky She’d be cured of this psycho phase of hers” because technically Willis doesn’t have to put them together since this is another universe and all…I mean, I get women can be uber jealous…but the last panel was a bit much (staring was wrong but he was constantly getting punched beforehand anyway…) ^^;;;

  27. Lukos
    Lukos
    February 10, 2011 at 4:38 am | #

    Crazy ass fundamentalists. So much for God is Love. Oh, and WOO MIKE!

  28. Shift
    Shift
    February 10, 2011 at 5:05 am | #

    Is it odd that I’m happy with Joe and Mike’s behavior, but it’s Joyce who I’m disliking right now?

    Honestly, if this is going to be the way Joyce acts with all her dates (particularly if Mike is chaperoning), she’s going to be really lonely. I mean, no matter how cute she can look and act, who gonna wants to go out with the bible-thumping girl with judgmental tendancies, who tries and converts you against your will, and brings along a chaperon who beats the ever-loving heck because he’s bored but actually claiming its to deal with the boy’s lustful thoughts?

    Hmm… there’s a republic or Bobby Brown joke in there, but honestly, I can’t pull it together. Nerts.

    I bet Joe wishes he was having Walky’s night too! Hell, so do I!

  29. Björn
    Björn
    February 10, 2011 at 5:15 am | #

    This Joyce disturbs me. A sheltered girl would not act this violently and vengefully.

    The walkyverse Joyce is very dear to me, so this disturbs me a lot.

    • Zaratustra
      Zaratustra
      February 10, 2011 at 7:04 am | #

      She probably thinks this is what non-Christian people do all the time.

    • Kavonde
      Kavonde
      February 11, 2011 at 12:31 am | #

      http://www.itswalky.com/d/20010406.html

      Just saying.

      • Björn
        Björn
        February 11, 2011 at 7:20 am | #

        Yeah, that thing was always hard for me to digest, and am I wrong or did it not really ever get any proper attention afterwards? People pretty much just went on with their lives.

        • MJ
          MJ
          February 12, 2011 at 3:25 am | #

          She nearly got jailed for it, but managed to escape going to court due to impending doom afaik.

          • Kavonde
            Kavonde
            February 12, 2011 at 6:23 pm | #

            Yeah, the scandal of it sort of led to the downfall of SEMME just in time for the Martian invasion. It was kind of a thing.

  30. Chris M
    Chris M
    February 10, 2011 at 7:05 am | #

    WRATH

    Or maybe envy,

  31. Jackson
    Jackson
    February 10, 2011 at 7:09 am | #

    Wow, Joyce just went from sympathetic to zero in two panels.

    • Jack
      Jack
      February 10, 2011 at 4:58 pm | #

      I think she’s jealous.
      Which is a siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin

      • Jack
        Jack
        February 10, 2011 at 4:59 pm | #

        Also we have the same name. Bros.

  32. zuche
    zuche
    February 10, 2011 at 7:30 am | #

    You shall scan no other gourds before thee, for Joyce is a jealous date…

    In a world where Ruth and Mike and Joe can act out as they do without realistic consequences, I don’t have an issue with Joyce running toward similar levels of unacceptable. It isn’t inconsistent with the levels of crazy or conflicted we’ve seen from her thus far.

    Her own “impure” thoughts aren’t helping here either.

    • alicemacher
      alicemacher
      February 10, 2011 at 8:03 am | #

      Yeah, most of DoA thus far has fallen under the “wacky, consequence-free hijinks” tone category.

      That said, I can understand the viewpoint of those who’re coming down on Joyce, because there have been some dramatic and realistic moments: Doreen breaking up with Danny, Joe revealing why he doesn’t want any zany Parent Trap schemes to reunite his parents, Billie showing genuine loneliness when she’s alone and her guard’s down. It’s too early to tell whether those elements will be as frequent within the strip as the “wacky” ones, whether they’ll overtake the comic mostly or completely as in Roomies and It’s Walky (I hope not!), or whether they’ll be confined to isolated arcs, for variety, as in Shortpacked.

      Analysis concluded. Outcome: reserving judgement on Joyce, for now.

      • Kamino Neko
        Kamino Neko
        February 10, 2011 at 10:23 am | #

        Man, Dorothy is forgettable…you called her Doreen, and I had to consult the cast page to remember what her name really was when I started to correct you…

        Maybe we should all just go back to Blonde Amber…

        • alicemacher
          alicemacher
          February 10, 2011 at 11:10 am | #

          D’oops! And I’m usually good with names… >.<

      • zuche
        zuche
        February 10, 2011 at 3:28 pm | #

        As I see it, Joyce based this decision on a combination of guilty and jealousy. She’s considered thoughts about Joe that she doesn’t believe to be proper. She’s troubled to find that Joe has a very different view on the subject. She’s embarrassed that things aren’t working out as she’d intended with either the date or the chaperone. And now she’s (badly) expressing hurt and outrage that Joe, who she’s trying to defend, would entertain the sort of thoughts for another woman that she’s trying not to harbour for him.

        She’s contemplating making an exception for him, and coming to a more certain realization that she wouldn’t be making an exception of herself for him.

        It doesn’t justify what she’s said, but Mike is still the one doing the punching. Considering the comedy of the situation, it barely sits above the border of telling Mike she no longer cares what he does.

        We’ll see if she regrets this next strip. Even if she doesn’t, was there a better way to resolve this situation? Without this, we’re left to wonder why Joe’s stuck around through this.

        I’d rather not think it’s because he’s planning to manipulate Joyce’s guilt. I doubt that, but if Joyce was feeling guilty enough that she felt she’d have to make this up to Joe somehow, that might skew her thinking to suggest something of the sort.

        Let’s not forget that Mike is playing on her emotions here either. That still doesn’t excuse the words, but all we’ve got is words and inaction right now, directed toward a guy who seemed resigned to deserving that last punch.

        The situation is far too crazy to allow for any character to pretend to be the sane one.

  33. Ishdakitteh
    Ishdakitteh
    February 10, 2011 at 7:58 am | #

    Well, Joe was planning on converting her to post-virgin status, so he struck me as a douchebag from the door, and what woman can say they haven’t seen the man they’re dating check out another woman’s rack and wished she had a Mike there to knock him out?

    And none of this “sheltered girls wouldn’t act that way” crap, I KNEW a highly sheltered girl raised by over protective parents and she was the most tempermental, fickle, violently vindictive bongo you ever met. Because she was sheltered she had no concept of how to act in the real world.

    I am amused to see the womanizer getting a good face punching, and I love Mike. XD

    • The E-man
      The E-man
      February 10, 2011 at 12:21 pm | #

      See, yes Joe was kind of a jerk in wanting to joe her but I don’t think that gives her right to a total beatdown. Nor does the fact that he turns to see the server and her rack is at eye level so he can’t help but to look. Yes he probably stared a bit longer than he should have but Joe isn’t the kind of guy who ogles waitresses on a date. If was really that much of an asshole, I feel it would have showed up by now. On this date, he’s offered to change into something nicer, revealed emotional problems, and try to make non-religious conversation (even though he was derailed by her mentioning of lust) He doesn’t seem like such a bad guy

      I feel like most of us are stereotyping Joe….

    • laila
      laila
      February 10, 2011 at 1:09 pm | #

      Me. I’ve never actually wanted to punch my fiancé and it’s not because he walks around with his head in a bag. Women are not a hivemind and there are plenty of ways to show you’re upset with a date’s behavior without trying to knock his teeth out (or getting someone else to do it for you). That Joyce took Door Number 2 says something about Joyce, not about women in general.

      Sure Joe wanted to go to bed with her. But that’s all he wanted to do, there’s as yet no reason to believe he couldn’t have gotten over being shot down, and he hasn’t actually laid a hand on her yet, still less done so inappropriately. Of course that hardly means he wasn’t being kind of a dick, but he has done absolutely nothing to warrant this level of abuse. Even if he will in future Joyce is still out of order here.

  34. agentksilver
    agentksilver
    February 10, 2011 at 8:23 am | #

    GALASSO IS NOT STOPPING THIS BECAUSE HE FEELS THAT BOTH THE GIRL IN YELLOW ATTIRE AND THE YOUNG MAN IN THE BLACK SHIRT CAN BE USEFUL IN HIS MULTIVERSE-DOMINATION PLAN.

  35. ziggy78eog
    ziggy78eog
    February 10, 2011 at 9:09 am | #

    To be fair, any night not getting punched in the face is an awesome night. The McNuggets are just an added bonus.

  36. katie01
    katie01
    February 10, 2011 at 9:11 am | #

    Wow. That is…that is not how the world works, Joyce. You just don’t do that. I get being upset about discovering one’s date has no problem with obvious checking-out of other people, but this is uncalled for.

  37. Yoda123
    Yoda123
    February 10, 2011 at 9:17 am | #

    Yes, Joyce…. let the hate….. FLOW through you! Soon, your training will be complete……

  38. daryljfontaine
    daryljfontaine
    February 10, 2011 at 9:53 am | #

    RELEASE THE CRACKIN’ (of Joe’s jaw).

    D

  39. begbert2
    begbert2
    February 10, 2011 at 10:37 am | #

    Soon we will discover whether there are any cops in the DoA universe.

    I’m betting ‘no’, but I’m willing to be surprised.

    • brasca1
      brasca1
      February 10, 2011 at 12:24 pm | #

      Maybe the cop will be another familiar face. Maybe Robin.

  40. Luke
    Luke
    February 10, 2011 at 10:51 am | #

    Walky has head alien bedsheets.

    Once again, Willis teases us with awesome things we cannot have.

  41. Someone
    Someone
    February 10, 2011 at 11:36 am | #

    Poor Joe, stuck with Mike beating the sin out of him instead of washing the virgin out of Joyce.With his penis.

  42. Jason
    Jason
    February 10, 2011 at 11:46 am | #

    That’s right Joyce, give into the Dark Side.

  43. Pat
    Pat
    February 10, 2011 at 11:48 am | #

    Y’know Mike, I think instructing a psychopath to beat up on your unconscious date constitutes “inappropriate behavior”.

    Just a thought.

    • Lesharo
      Lesharo
      February 10, 2011 at 9:00 pm | #

      Sociopath, not psychopath. He’s apathetic, not necessarily insane

  44. Richie9999
    Richie9999
    February 10, 2011 at 11:59 am | #

    The transition to Walky made me laugh. Now I just wonder if we’ll have a full on fist fight between Mike and Joe.

  45. MLBlue
    MLBlue
    February 10, 2011 at 12:29 pm | #

    Personally, I agree with the wacky hijinks theory. I think Willis just wanted to make a cute joke, he probably didnt expect the backlash against Joyce’s character currently. But only time will tell.

  46. Jason
    Jason
    February 10, 2011 at 1:16 pm | #

    I like the implicit acknowledgement that 6 months into this comic, we’re only on Day 3 (Tuesday).

  47. Zetsumei
    Zetsumei
    February 10, 2011 at 2:55 pm | #

    . . . I want Mike’s job.

  48. skippy
    skippy
    February 10, 2011 at 4:11 pm | #

    I think that this Joe is getting a bad rap from his behavior the other universe. Even then, I think we’re often harsh. OK, he has one thing on his mind, but he may be successful in getting it frequently because he seems to actually be responding to what his date says instead of talking to himself in spirit. He doesn’t assault girls, doesn’t drug them, doesn’t (that I recall) try to get them drunk so they’ll do something they don’t want to. True, his conversation with Sarah about Joyce established him as a jackass, but on the date his behavior is ok. He accepts Mike’s presence. (I know; it’s a comic). He actually asks her to tell him about herself, and he seems to be listening to the answer (such that it was). A college freshman? Ignore Connie, who came upon him by surprise and touched his shoulder? Maybe you other guys, but not me at that age.

  49. skippy
    skippy
    February 10, 2011 at 4:12 pm | #

    Well, the Ruth Avatar is better than my last one.

  50. ArchSchnitz
    ArchSchnitz
    February 10, 2011 at 4:57 pm | #

    Welp, looks like it’s about time for Joe to get up and walk out.

    • alicemacher
      alicemacher
      February 10, 2011 at 5:17 pm | #

      If he can. Looks as though Mike may have knocked him out cold.

    • Gianni
      Gianni
      February 10, 2011 at 5:27 pm | #

      After he knocks Mike out good. I like Mike in general, but Joe totally needs to put the smackdown on him before laying the verbal smackdown on Joyce. It just has to happen.

      • ArchSchnitz
        ArchSchnitz
        February 11, 2011 at 3:33 pm | #

        I agree, and that’s what I’d do. Of course, now it’s the next day and we KNOW what happened, but I still can’t really fault Mike. He’s just being Mike, he’s a force of nature. Joyce is being, well, entirely too much like the girls I went to college with.

  51. JZab
    JZab
    February 10, 2011 at 5:36 pm | #

    Joe was warned. He should never have agreed to go on this date in the first place; lusting is all he was planning on doing anyway.

  52. Zem
    Zem
    February 10, 2011 at 5:47 pm | #

    It was her FIRST date! It was supposed to be PERFECT! And now you have RUINED it!

    • Jack
      Jack
      February 10, 2011 at 6:16 pm | #

      So tragic.

  53. Nakama
    Nakama
    February 10, 2011 at 7:27 pm | #

    It’s a comic. Violence here is like violence in Something Positive… or Tom & Jerry. Or the Three Stooges. It’s slapstick. It’s played for laughs.

    Joe is manipulative. It’s obvious Joyce is not the kind of girl to hook up with a guy. And it’s obvious he’s not looking for a relationship, much less marriage. Yet, he still pursues her.

    Why?

    Because he’s confident that if he’s charming enough, he can get her to let her guard down and sleep with him. Yay intercourse!

    And, in the absence of Mike, it’d probably work. Maybe not on the first date. But eventually.

    And then he’d move on to hist next Conquest (pun intended), leaving her hurt, like it happens way too often in real life.

    So, this strip is funny because we believe Joyce defenseless and yet found out she was more than a match for Joe.

    Just like in Tom & Jerry, the mouse always beats up the cat. It’s an unfair double standard, but then, who would laugh at, or root for, a cat beating up a mouse?

    (Also, wondering who my avatar is now…)

    • Lesharo
      Lesharo
      February 10, 2011 at 9:13 pm | #

      Except, Roz (as that’s your avatar), Joe is usually fairly obvious, if not completely straight forward, in what he wants out of a girl, as are most men who are like him in real life. The problem stems from women who are naive (pronounced stupid) enough to think that they can change people.

      Joe probably knew going in to this that nothing was going to come of it, but he agreed to take her on a date, and he is a man of his word. He could have, and probably should have, refused when Joyce hired Mike, but he didn’t because he’d already agreed.

      Is Joe a horndog? Yes, we all, including the characters in the story, knew that going in to this.
      Has he behaved like one on this date? No, he’s been attentive and supportive to most of his date’s ideas and conversation.
      Does he deserve to have the living tar beat out of him for noticing Conquest’s half-bare breasts that she basically shoved in his face? Not in the least. We don’t know how long he actually looked at them. It seems like a long time only because that was the last panel of the last strip.

      For the record, I dislike most people (not just men do this after all) like Joe, because they are dishonest about their intentions. Joe isn’t.

      • Nakama
        Nakama
        February 10, 2011 at 11:14 pm | #

        If Joe was 100% honest, direct, straightforward, blunt, no ambiguity at all with his intentions, there is NO WAY Joyce would have gone on a date with him. “I think you are hot and I want to have sex with you, but I don’t want to be tied down, I also want to have sex with a lot of other women afterwards, you cool with that?”

        Joe is obvious to the audience. But as you have pointed out, he doesn’t act like a horndog while on a date. Is it because he wants to get to know Joyce as a person, establish an emotional connection? Bullshit. It’s a process he has to go through to get into her pants.

        I don’t think he deserves to get beat up. But it doesn’t bother me, for the reasons I stated above. Joyce was definitely the underdog in this situation, the power rested with Joe. Cat vs. Mouse, you expect the cat to win. Coyote vs. Road Runner. Hunter vs. Rabbit. And so on. A reversal of it is funny. Notice how Joe, though unconscious, isn’t bleeding or anything. The next day, Joe is a bit glum, or maybe very glum, but he gets over it fast. He wont end up in the hospital, he wont have psychological trauma like might happen to a real-life victim of assault. Like Elmer Fudd, he heals quick and gets back on the chase.

        On the other hand, if he had gotten his way with Joyce, she would have ended up very hurt. Even scarred. This would have been a dramatic turning point in the comic.

        I was touched by the part when he talked about his parents who yell a lot. Probably the first time in DoA Joe had any depth to him. I would like it if Joe and Joyce became platonic friends, realizing they are not right for each other romantically, and ground each other in a healthier reality.

        • goatman95111
          goatman95111
          February 11, 2011 at 1:39 am | #

          Having them become friends… maybe a strained friendship at first as things are slowly patched together through their interactions with the whole crew. However, it would be more of a “Umm… hey…” kind of interaction rather than anything significant.

          It is good to see some depth to Joe, though. It would honestly make sense, though, for him to have a higher purpose in his college career than simply to bang anything on two legs (and possibly four). You could add depth to him by showing his academics, or the drive for attending college beyond the social side.

  54. clint
    clint
    February 10, 2011 at 7:35 pm | #

    I’m a fairly new reader. Just wanted you to know that this was a deal-maker moment, for me. The change that comes over Joyce when she says “…get him” is fantastic. Well done.

  55. Jack
    Jack
    February 10, 2011 at 9:12 pm | #

    I love how much people are looking into Joe’s value as a person when he’s getting punched every couple of seconds. Granted, he’s now unconscious, but something’s better than nothing.

  56. Shift
    Shift
    February 10, 2011 at 11:39 pm | #

    Quick note: Connie seems to be less of a slut than in the main universe. After all, she didn’t offer to sleep with Joe when she was taking his drink order.

    • Jen Aside
      Jen Aside
      February 16, 2011 at 12:07 am | #

      With the exception of Jacob as her perceived offering, Conni didn’t slut it up unless ordered by Galasso, which was where the sense of abusive father came about =/

  57. Nick Talberg
    Nick Talberg
    February 22, 2011 at 9:18 pm | #

    This hasn’t come up enough in these comments. FFFAAACCCEEE!!!!

    • Nick Talberg
      Nick Talberg
      February 22, 2011 at 9:19 pm | #

      Irony at its finest, my gravatar is getting PUNched in the FFFAAACCCEEE a lot.

  58. Kafloobop
    Kafloobop
    March 26, 2011 at 2:21 pm | #

    Ok it’s official, I love this comic.

  59. Plasma Mongoose
    Plasma Mongoose
    April 9, 2011 at 12:55 am | #

    And the lesson for today is:

    Breast Nuggets are less dangerous than Womens Breasts.

  60. Cynthia
    Cynthia
    April 21, 2011 at 3:13 pm | #

    Tell me were in indiana i can get that deal.NO EXCEPTIONS.

  61. Kelsey
    Kelsey
    July 8, 2011 at 10:32 am | #

    MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE FARM…

  62. Benjamin
    Benjamin
    August 28, 2011 at 3:16 am | #

    I just noticed how much Mike looks like Johnny Bravo.
    Get that boy some sunglasses.

  63. Maycroft
    Maycroft
    January 16, 2012 at 1:08 am | #

    Mike must be having the time of his life

  64. ProjectXa3
    ProjectXa3
    February 20, 2012 at 5:19 pm | #

    I’m with Walky on this one.

  65. Adam
    Adam
    August 17, 2013 at 5:06 pm | #

    I can’t stop laughing at the last panel with Walky just sitting in his dorm room, eating McNuggets.

  66. Marvelman
    Marvelman
    May 18, 2014 at 12:24 am | #

    Why does Joyce think it’s alright to go around hitting people?

    • ThatGug
      ThatGug
      August 19, 2014 at 7:47 am | #

      I think its safe to say that this is a comic that will take advantage of physical comic relief

      unless you mean her character, then thats there to show that despite her beliefs she’s still a person and prone to normal flaws.

  67. ThatGug
    ThatGug
    August 19, 2014 at 7:46 am | #

    Priorities.

    Dang Mcdonalds doesnt serve nuggets for another 4 hours

  68. The Paulosopher
    The Paulosopher
    September 7, 2015 at 8:13 pm | #

    Walky for the win!

  69. Julien Brightside
    Julien Brightside
    October 4, 2015 at 7:31 am | #

    If given the choice between 50 chicken nuggets and getting punched in the face, I`d go with the chicken nuggets.

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