Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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July 8, 2026

Hyperaware

by David M Willis on June 17, 2018 at 12:01 am
  • 04 – Of Mike And Men
└ Tags: jennifer, joyce, mike, sal, walky

Discussion (139) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Jay
    Jay
    June 17, 2018 at 12:01 am | #

    poor walky

  2. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    June 17, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

    Billie means well, but yowch.

    • butts
      butts
      June 17, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

      Does she mean well, though? Or does she mean to use Walky’s breakup as an excuse to ditch class and get smashed.

      • Jay
        Jay
        June 17, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

        why not both

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        June 17, 2018 at 12:11 am | #

        She doesn’t need an excuse, she was perfectly capable of coming up with one herself a few strips ago.

        What she needs is someone whose shoulders she can sit on while wearing a trench coat and a false mustache. That’s what Walky is for.

        • Jim
          Jim
          June 17, 2018 at 11:13 am | #

          THIS! This made me spit out my morning coffee.

  3. laladoria
    laladoria
    June 17, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

    I’m a little concerned about Billie’s motives, not gonna lie.

    They’re gonna skip all the rest of their classes and get completely smashed.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      June 17, 2018 at 1:38 am | #

      Very likely. Now when Ruth is doing better she can’t use her as an excuse to skip classes. OOOOOPS, TURN OUT WALKY NEEDS A FRIEND TO NAVIGATE HIM THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT TIMES. TO THE MURDER CAVE TO DRINK ROCKET FUEL!!!

  4. AnvilPro
    AnvilPro
    June 17, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

    Billie saying someone’s girlfriend wasn’t as good as they think. Glass houses.

    • Nono
      Nono
      June 17, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

      Considering how they started off, I don’t think Billie was ever in a stage of thinking that about Ruth.

      • jeffepp
        jeffepp
        June 17, 2018 at 12:18 am | #

        Considering how they started off, I don’t think Billie has ever stopped thinking of Wally as her not-my-boyfriend.

  5. Danni
    Danni
    June 17, 2018 at 12:02 am | #

    this could be good for walky?

    • Jay
      Jay
      June 17, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

      I feel like billies help is beer

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        June 17, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

        Not helpful enough. Dr. Billie proscribes at least 40 proof worth of help.

      • Danni
        Danni
        June 17, 2018 at 12:12 am | #

        she could recognize drinking wouldnt help

        • darkgloomie
          darkgloomie
          June 17, 2018 at 4:01 am | #

          And she’ll demostrate it first-hand.

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      June 17, 2018 at 10:59 am | #

      Walky is now learning the life lesson: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. All that worrying about depressed Billie? Now it comes back to bite him.

  6. Schpoonman
    Schpoonman
    June 17, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    I really hope Billie sticks around for a bit so Walky can really get going.

    Also: Hella side-eye from Sal, goddamn.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      June 17, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

      I’m having trouble reading her expression here. Is she being aloof? Is she angry? And if the latter, wonder why.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        June 17, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

        My best guess is she somehow knew he was behind her and is suspicious what’s up.

      • butts
        butts
        June 17, 2018 at 12:11 am | #

        I can’t imagine she hasn’t noticed Walky ditching.

      • Joseph
        Joseph
        June 17, 2018 at 9:39 am | #

        I think she’s going from “I’ll badmouth her a bit to make this seem better” (and perhaps letting out some restrained irritation at Dorothy) to “ooooops, fucked that up, better change tack fast”.

      • Nelly Dreadful
        Nelly Dreadful
        June 17, 2018 at 9:42 pm | #

        I personally read it as “deliberately over casual?” Like, when one is Tough and Cool, the acceptable levels of overt emotional display are low, so comforting someone in distress often involves intense sideways glances as one attempts to read the level of distress without looking directly at them or indicating that you are in any way worried.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      June 17, 2018 at 9:20 am | #

      Did I miss Sal finding out they broke up or is she commenting on something else?

  7. Passchendaele
    Passchendaele
    June 17, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    *class magically apparates behind him*

    • cbwroses
      cbwroses
      June 17, 2018 at 12:25 am | #

      I was about to question if they were old enough, but they should all be 17.

      • SgtWadeyWilson
        SgtWadeyWilson
        June 17, 2018 at 9:43 am | #

        *Looks up apparate.* Wait, are you saying that I’m old enough to magically teleport to or from a place?

        • Deanatay
          Deanatay
          June 17, 2018 at 11:01 am | #

          You had to look it up? I though everyone learned what ‘apparate’ meant from Harry Potter…

          • SgtWadeyWilson
            SgtWadeyWilson
            June 17, 2018 at 12:23 pm | #

            I uhh… *Mumbles something about reading other books, and not paying enough attention to the movies to learn new words.*

  8. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    June 17, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    I do notice that in contrast to her appearance of not caring before, Joyce does appear sympathetic here. Wonder what’ll come of that, especially since Joyce is… marginally more tactful than Billie?

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      June 17, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      She’s gonna wait until his back is turned before she breaks into a song and dance routine because she’s got Dorothy to herself now.

      Master of tact!

  9. SgtWadeyWilson
    SgtWadeyWilson
    June 17, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    Quick, Billie, how many strategies can you try for helping a friend with a break-up? You have thirty seconds, go!

    • Jay
      Jay
      June 17, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

      beer. lots if it

      • SgtWadeyWilson
        SgtWadeyWilson
        June 17, 2018 at 12:13 am | #

        I said many strategies!

        Billie: Okay, meet Jim, Jack and Jose.

        • butts
          butts
          June 17, 2018 at 12:18 am | #

          Don’t forget Jameson, Jerry, Juan, and… Jägermeister.

          • SgtWadeyWilson
            SgtWadeyWilson
            June 17, 2018 at 12:27 am | #

            Billie: …and that’s just the “J”s!

            I uhh… Okay, gotta admit, I’m a little impressed.

          • Tacos
            Tacos
            June 17, 2018 at 12:31 am | #

            How many alcoholic beverages begin with “J”?

          • Proxiehunter
            Proxiehunter
            June 17, 2018 at 12:34 am | #

            Surprised no one mentioned Johny. And if we bring in everyone’s favorite breakup experts Ben and Jerry we can make milk shakes as well as bad decisions. Although combining some of the aforementioned with some flavors of icecream is a bad decision unto itself (Tequila cookie dough strikes me as a particularly bad combination.)

            • Marsh Maryrose
              Marsh Maryrose
              June 17, 2018 at 1:30 am | #

              In Cannery Row, Doc orders a beer milkshake just out of curiosity.

              He tells the waitress, “It’s not so bad when you get used to it.”

              • Proxiehunter
                Proxiehunter
                June 17, 2018 at 1:44 am | #

                A good stout in a chocolate malt might even be good.

                • seregiel
                  seregiel
                  June 17, 2018 at 11:16 pm | #

                  Beer milkshakes are a thing in Colorado. And yes, yes they are. A vanilla porter goes nicely too.

                • Liquid Len
                  Liquid Len
                  June 18, 2018 at 3:49 pm | #

                  I’ve done Guinness ice cream floats…

            • butts
              butts
              June 17, 2018 at 10:34 am | #

              crap I forgot johnny

            • Hielario
              Hielario
              June 17, 2018 at 2:44 pm | #

              Vodka and gin probably go well with lemon ice cream.

  10. Derek
    Derek
    June 17, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    is Walky saying Billie is bad at helping in the last panel?

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      June 17, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      Probably, or implying it’s not something Billie is especially practiced in.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        June 17, 2018 at 12:13 am | #

        I mean, do we know how many serious relationships Billie had pre-Ruth? Especially since Alice seemed to be much less of a formal relationship due to Billie’s internalized biphobia, and who knows if Walky actually realized they were a thing at all. Certainly Billie responded to seeing/being confronted by Alice again badly, since that spurred the initial sexy lesbian suicide pact.

        … Yeah for all we know Billie might not know how to handle a breakup any better than Walky. At least not of a serious relationship.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          June 17, 2018 at 12:16 am | #

          Walky definitely knows Billie and Alice were banging. He joked about how being a drama hurricane was apparently sexually transmissible (implying Alice caught it from Billie. Or vice versa).

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            June 17, 2018 at 12:44 am | #

            Thank you! Yeah that definitely means that he knew, and now that I checked he witnessed the ‘I cut off contact over the summer to BREAK UP because you have a serious problem and are endangering people’ speech. So uh yeah, one breakup we know she had and he saw was seriously ugly.

            • BBCC
              BBCC
              June 17, 2018 at 12:54 am | #

              Yeaaaaahhhh, Walky knows Billie likes the ladies.

              • BBCC
                BBCC
                June 17, 2018 at 12:55 am | #

                *knew I guess. Everyone knows that now.

            • CJ
              CJ
              June 17, 2018 at 1:12 am | #

              I dunno if it’s reading this comic or real life but ” breaking up and no longer willing to talk to someone ” does not rank under “ugly breakup” to me. Ugly starts somewhere around “talking seriously bad about the other person to all and sundry” (venting to selected friends doesn’t count), works it way down with “intentionally telling lies about the other person to make them look bad” (i.e. the talker actually knows they are lies, not talking about the two side of the coin that look incredibly different), and from there on spirals downward into intentionally hurting, stalking, …

              Breaking up and no longer willing to talk says “stayed in far too long” to me.

              • BBCC
                BBCC
                June 17, 2018 at 1:14 am | #

                I mean, the actual break up was pretty ugly imo, even if their later treatment of each other isn’t.

                • CJ
                  CJ
                  June 17, 2018 at 1:22 am | #

                  What do we know about the actual breakup? I think Billie totaled the car and whathername never showed her face again?

                • BBCC
                  BBCC
                  June 17, 2018 at 1:24 am | #

                  I’m referring to the fight in the lunch room. Not much of a break up no but it was pretty ugly.

                • CJ
                  CJ
                  June 17, 2018 at 1:26 am | #

                  Which would be a coward’s breakup Billie had reason to resent, but still there’s some space still before “ugly”.
                  Or maybe you have a word that goes beyond ugly you can use for worse?

                • CJ
                  CJ
                  June 17, 2018 at 1:28 am | #

                  You have a point about the fight in the lunch room. Saying all that in public starts to go into “ugly” territory.

                • BBCC
                  BBCC
                  June 17, 2018 at 1:37 am | #

                  I generally use ‘ugly’ to refer to any unpleasant break up or post breakup interaction, yeah. Seems like different uses.

                  It seems like the fight in the lunchroom was confirmation for Billie that they didn’t just fall out of touch but Alice didn’t want her anymore and cut her off. So, sort of like a break up?

                • thejeff
                  thejeff
                  June 17, 2018 at 9:26 am | #

                  Sort of like a break up sounds right. Because it was sort of like a relationship.
                  But not an acknowledged one and probably more serious on Alice’s side. Or possibly Billie was just in denial. Couldn’t actually be dating a girl, just fooling around with her friend, like girls do. 🙂
                  And probably having drunken sex with boys all along.

              • Regalli
                Regalli
                June 17, 2018 at 1:00 pm | #

                For me it’s the ‘saying all of this in public, with friends around, including that detail about the drunken car accident that New Friend probably doesn’t know about’ combined with the ‘cut you off without explicitly telling you we were broken up* and you apparently didn’t realize this’ thing. Neither Billie nor Alice comes off particularly well from that detail.

                * Granted, we’re pretty sure there was some serious ambiguity about that relationship, but since Alice was invested enough to say she thought she loved Billie, still not a good way to do things.

    • cbwroses
      cbwroses
      June 17, 2018 at 12:27 am | #

      I’m afraid I’m also unsure about what exactly the punchline is trying to say.

      • CJ
        CJ
        June 17, 2018 at 1:18 am | #

        I’m not sure if he’s saying Billie isn’t good at breakup counseling or if he’s saying he will take 10.000 h to be good at not being with Dorothy.
        Or both.
        (And you know the saying that if you learn a new instrument (or craft) , you have to invest 10.000 h in practice to become good at it?)

        • Poofdepoof
          Poofdepoof
          June 17, 2018 at 3:32 am | #

          I thought he was joking that Billie had had 10,000 breakups, so that’s why she was good at it.
          Just, like, as a kind of mean banter to undermine her tone of superiority (and also because she seemed to be annoying him)

          • Schpoonman
            Schpoonman
            June 17, 2018 at 4:09 am | #

            Nah, it’s that Billie is doing a shit job of being comforting right now, in part because she hasn’t done it much before.

            • poofdepoof
              poofdepoof
              June 17, 2018 at 2:45 pm | #

              I mean, Billie /is/ doing a terrible job, and she’s also always assuming that her guidance is good because of her experience — so Walky’s comment is, like, poking at that presumption, /because/ she’s being so unhelpful and condescending?

              LOL the more I try to explain myself the more complicated it seems, but it really does make sense in my head. o.O

    • Jago
      Jago
      June 17, 2018 at 5:06 pm | #

      Is he wrong, tho?

  11. Nono
    Nono
    June 17, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    Walky has Jason to thank for this… “help”.

  12. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    June 17, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    As soon as forever is through
    I’ll Be Over You
    …

  13. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    June 17, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    I’m not sure what activity Walky is referring to practicing for 10000 hours to master, whether it’s for Billie or himself but I think she’s not the most helpful person right now.

    • Nono
      Nono
      June 17, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      Helping someone to navigate through breakup is what he’s referring to. Billie has not done a stellar job of it so far.

      • cbwroses
        cbwroses
        June 17, 2018 at 12:32 am | #

        Ah. That makes a bit more sense. Billie has said two negative things about the breakup/Dorothy already and it’s only been a few seconds.
        Imagine what more she can say over the next few hours.

        • Regalli
          Regalli
          June 17, 2018 at 12:48 am | #

          And this is Billie Helping While Sober.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          June 17, 2018 at 9:31 am | #

          Billie may be used to nastier breakups? Sometimes this kind of ragging on the ex works.

          Of course, starting off with “she was best thing that ever happened to you” kind of counters that.

          Still, it’s good to see her reaching out to help Walky, even if she’s not exactly doing a great job.

  14. Jed!
    Jed!
    June 17, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    I feel really bad for Walky and he seems to be in a bad place, but his disgruntled faces are pleasing to me. I don’t know why; they’re just so fun to look at…

    • Jay
      Jay
      June 17, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      honestly as bad as dorothy THINKS she was for walky (cause how hard he started working for her) she was really the opposite. i hope they get back together for both teir same; -;

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        June 17, 2018 at 12:33 am | #

        I think they both have individual issues that need confronting before they can get back together or date someone else,* but yeah they both brought out good sides in each other and could be a really good long-term pair.

        * Dorothy: leisure is not frivolous, it’s a necessity. You cannot literally do everything, all the time, but you also can’t go full-force to the detriment of your hygiene, sleep, eating habits, and physical and mental well-being. There’s more than one path to the presidency and/or Yale and Smarting Harder until you succeed probably isn’t the best one. (And even then, it doesn’t matter that you’re the perfect candidate on paper because Other People will always be tricky. Keep dreaming, just know that like, people suck.)

        Walky: OH DEAR GOD THAT SELF-ESTEEM/SELF-WORTH VIA EFFORTLESS ACADEMIC SUCCESS. Basically the Dorothy thing was a double-edged sword because while she inspired him to act better, she also inadvertently reinforced some of his underlying thinking he was garbage. This is actually the one that I think really needs to get dealt with before they get back together for long-term working out rather than just ‘Dorothy You’re Gonna Burn Out, Stop.’

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          June 17, 2018 at 9:41 am | #

          Dorothy also needs to work on her thing of setting boundaries and then casually blowing through them. Which ties into your “leisure is not frivolous” point, but isn’t quite the same.

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            June 17, 2018 at 10:35 am | #

            Also true. And probably, ultimately, some kind of readjustment about her priorities and the fact that they change.

  15. Regalli
    Regalli
    June 17, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    Oh Billie. You… have issues.

    Also, good to know that Walky told one sister he and his girlfriend broke up, and that one sister can express concern for his emotional well-being. Also explains why she wasn’t concerned he was missing class today, habit of skipping aside – this is his first major breakup, and if he was already in a bad headspace wrt this class, it would not help at all.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      June 17, 2018 at 12:12 am | #

      She called it back when they were on pause: http://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-8/02-this-is-the-way-that-we-love/coin/

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        June 17, 2018 at 12:45 am | #

        I really need to check the archives. But then it’s midnight.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        June 17, 2018 at 9:43 am | #

        Ah, that makes sense. She knew about the pause, assumed it was actually a break up. Probably knows nothing about the pause being a lie or the actual break up that followed, but she’s checking in on him anyway, because she already thought it was a break up.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          June 17, 2018 at 12:20 pm | #

          She probably heard ‘pause’ and figured ‘pauses almost never work, she pretty much dumped him’.

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            June 17, 2018 at 12:54 pm | #

            Yeah, especially since it was a ‘still like each other but one member Does Not Have Time’ thing, Dorothy needed to commit to the clean break.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              June 17, 2018 at 4:36 pm | #

              More I think that Dorothy had proven to herself that she couldn’t stick with the “pause”. Because she’s bad at sticking to the kinds of limits she thinks she needs to set.

              Mind you, I’m not convinced the break will go any better for her than the pause did.

  16. ShinyNeen
    ShinyNeen
    June 17, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

    Another classic Walky/Billie interaction, this should get framed too.

    • newllend(henryvolt)
      newllend(henryvolt)
      June 17, 2018 at 12:24 am | #

      These two are the best pair surrogate siblings.

  17. BBCC
    BBCC
    June 17, 2018 at 12:11 am | #

    Oh, Billie, I love you and your terrible brand of helping. Hijinks? Hijinks!

  18. newllend(henryvolt)
    newllend(henryvolt)
    June 17, 2018 at 12:18 am | #

    Well you can’t say she isn’t trying.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      June 17, 2018 at 9:44 am | #

      [Altogether now:]Very, very trying.

  19. Lingo
    Lingo
    June 17, 2018 at 12:19 am | #

    So I guess Billie managed to make it to class after all.

  20. Lingo
    Lingo
    June 17, 2018 at 12:25 am | #

    Billie’s thoughts: “Okay, how can I make Walky understand how little I think of him? What’s the worst thing I can say in a breakup?”

    Billie’s mouth: “She was the best thing that’ll ever happen to you.”

    Billie’s thoughts: “A good start, yes… but I can do better. What if she thinks the world of her? Then he might think he can still get a girl who’s almost as good as her, someone who’s still pretty good. I’ve got to crush that hope immediately. And also belittle him for liking her in the first place.”

    Billie’s mouth: “Not that she was that great or anything!”

    Billie’s thoughts: “This is working out great!”

    • Jago
      Jago
      June 17, 2018 at 5:08 pm | #

      Pretty much. Sometimes Billie’s the kind of friend you don’t need any additional enemies to.

  21. cbwroses
    cbwroses
    June 17, 2018 at 12:36 am | #

    I’m a bit surprised. I was hoping Billie would actually try to support Walky during this time, but I actually didn’t think it would happen.
    Though she’s not doing a good job of it, I’m glad she’s trying.

    • Bathymetheus
      Bathymetheus
      June 17, 2018 at 12:46 am | #

      I agree. She’s very trying.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      June 17, 2018 at 9:51 am | #

      Walky speaks fluent Billie, so he likely understands, even if he can’t quite appreciate it now.

  22. Goki
    Goki
    June 17, 2018 at 12:51 am | #

    Never have I liked Billie more than I did on Pannel 4. Thank you Billie

  23. Badgermole
    Badgermole
    June 17, 2018 at 12:53 am | #

    The irony of Billie calling anyone else sheltered and pampered…

    • Bathymetheus
      Bathymetheus
      June 17, 2018 at 11:44 am | #

      It is quite common for people to most strongly object to perceived flaws in others that are in fact their own flaws. Freud called it projection. Freud was an ass, but a very smart ass.

      A prime example these days is known for his orange hair.

  24. brasca1
    brasca1
    June 17, 2018 at 12:54 am | #

    Sheltered, pampered, nag? Words that could describe Billie too. While I do think Dorothy has a problem with workoholism Billie has a real problem with alcoholism and wouldn’t even be there if Jason looked the other way.

  25. Bagge
    Bagge
    June 17, 2018 at 1:02 am | #

    Aaaaaalpha bongo!

  26. Vee
    Vee
    June 17, 2018 at 1:32 am | #

    if you look closely you can actually pinpoint the exact moment his heart breaks in two!

  27. Josh Spicer
    Josh Spicer
    June 17, 2018 at 1:44 am | #

    You know what?

    Yeah. I’m down for this.

  28. Garnakan
    Garnakan
    June 17, 2018 at 2:11 am | #

    Nice of Sal to ask 🙂

  29. BenRG
    BenRG
    June 17, 2018 at 2:49 am | #

    You know, I really want to know what the gossip chain looked like leading up to this point. I’m guessing that Joyce told Sal but I can’t help wonder if she got told off for being a bit too gleeful about it. I’m basing that on her expression in panel 2.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      June 17, 2018 at 9:52 am | #

      No gossip chain at all, I think.
      Sal knew about the pause and assumed it would be a real breakup. That’s probably all she still knows.

  30. robertskitch
    robertskitch
    June 17, 2018 at 3:14 am | #

    I’m pretty sure that’s 10,000 hours before you become an expert at something. 😛

  31. stoodmuffin
    stoodmuffin
    June 17, 2018 at 3:28 am | #

    I love how Billie trying to be better is still messed up as ever.

    But You’re trying. Just not well.

  32. FacelessDeviant
    FacelessDeviant
    June 17, 2018 at 5:26 am | #

    Pretty uncool of Joyce, outing him like that infront of the others.

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      June 17, 2018 at 8:42 am | #

      The combination of her reflexive dislike for Walky’s life attitude and her jealousy about his relationship with Dorothy makes most of Joyce’s reactions to Walky fairly uncool.

    • Garry
      Garry
      June 17, 2018 at 9:37 am | #

      Joyce has been my least favorite main character for awhile now and just continues to dig her hole with every strip she’s in.

      • Nono
        Nono
        June 17, 2018 at 10:25 am | #

        She looks best when standing next to… well, Toedad and Roz and (in his uglier moments) Joe. When otherwise besides most of the other main characters… eh. Her best quality aside from that is managing to coax Sarah outside of her shell.

        I mean, when Billie comes off as more well-adjusted than you half the time…

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          June 17, 2018 at 12:32 pm | #

          I like Joyce a lot.

          She’s certainly not well-adjusted. She’s got a ton of nasty baggage from her religious upbringing. She’s got serious boundary issues.

          OTOH, we’ve seen her drop that baggage basically as fast as she’s seen it hurt an actual person. She’s fiercely protective of friends and family of choice – which she’s perhaps too intent on expanding.

          Everyone in this comic is messed up in their own way and I like all of them for it. (Other than the outright villains, of course.)

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            June 17, 2018 at 12:53 pm | #

            Yeah, Joyce has definite Issues with over-familiarity and boundaries, but at the same time she does legitimately seem to be working on them a bit. Slowly, but a lifetime of relatively limited social opportunities and probably pretty rapidly changing what contacts she had takes a while to readjust, plus whatever stuff she absorbed from church. (Remember, boundaries mean nothing to Jesus, Joyce was homeschooled, and her family changed churches regularly. She probably adopted some of this as a way to make new friends quick.) And she has a LOT of good qualities, as mentioned.

  33. Darkoneko
    Darkoneko
    June 17, 2018 at 10:03 am | #

    man, 10 000 hours of sex ?

    • Jarawara
      Jarawara
      June 17, 2018 at 4:18 pm | #

      At once. If you have to restart, you reset the clock.

  34. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    June 17, 2018 at 10:06 am | #

    That Willis has read Chuck Jones’ autobiography and knows of that alt-text surprises me not one bit.

  35. Jarawara
    Jarawara
    June 17, 2018 at 11:08 am | #

    Walky… is it possible that Dorothy dumped you because you weren’t… experience enough? That you didn’t know how to please her enough? Not enough time in the sack to know what to do?

    And Billie just confirmed that. You do need to do something for 10,000 hours to be good at that. And Billie just offered to help…

    Do I see another Slipshine coming?

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      June 17, 2018 at 1:51 pm | #

      Considering that Billie and Walky see each other as effectively being siblings (not biologically related, but nevertheless), I’ll pass, kthnx.

    • Schpoonman
      Schpoonman
      June 17, 2018 at 6:55 pm | #

      Dorothy has never been one to sugarcoat or lie to her friends and loved ones, so why would she have not brought this up? At what point has any evidence for this come up?

    • David M Willis
      David M Willis
      June 17, 2018 at 7:40 pm | #

      wtf

  36. Deanatay
    Deanatay
    June 17, 2018 at 11:14 am | #

    Hey, everyone’s missed THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of this comic!

    MIKE. Lurking just behind Walky, poised to strike.

    Remember, this is HIS chapter, we need to pay attention to him…

  37. Guest42
    Guest42
    June 17, 2018 at 11:43 am | #

    Anyone who says 10,000 hours equal mastery has never seen a cabbie drive.

  38. hof1991
    hof1991
    June 17, 2018 at 1:08 pm | #

    The 10,000 hours stuff is nonsense. I’ve played nearly that much basketball and am still no good. Uncorrectible eye issues, poor coordination, a bad knee. Practice doesn’t make perfect, especially if it is poorly conducted.

  39. C.T Phipps
    C.T Phipps
    June 17, 2018 at 1:43 pm | #

    I’m glad the Dorothy/Walky relationship is dead. Because it really does open up new avenues and stories for the characters. Dorothy has been kind of a dead end character arc for a while and this will force her to examine elements of her life and personality. Walky too.

    • Mr D
      Mr D
      June 17, 2018 at 3:24 pm | #

      Hey I think I saw one of your books on a audiobook download site

  40. SolomonK
    SolomonK
    June 17, 2018 at 2:02 pm | #

    In the hover text, who is addressing who?

  41. abysswatcher1993
    abysswatcher1993
    June 17, 2018 at 2:42 pm | #

    Fuck off, Billie. Walky doesn’t need romantic advice from a potential suicide practitioner.

  42. BenRG
    BenRG
    June 17, 2018 at 3:00 pm | #

    Sometimes you forget that Billie is Sal and Walky’s sister in all but blood. Sometimes, like today, you remember it.

  43. Spriteless Girl
    Spriteless Girl
    June 17, 2018 at 3:09 pm | #

    GOD DAMN YOU WILLIS THERE ARE 2 AMBER CLIFFFHANGERS HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME CARE ABOUT OTHER CHARACTERS!

    • David M Willis
      David M Willis
      June 17, 2018 at 4:18 pm | #

      you’ll be thankful for the days when there were only two

      • abysswatcher1993
        abysswatcher1993
        June 17, 2018 at 6:07 pm | #

        You are a mean one, Mr Willis.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        June 17, 2018 at 11:50 pm | #

        I just started nervous laughing because its keeping me from crying.

  44. Jago
    Jago
    June 17, 2018 at 5:05 pm | #

    Wow, that was unexpected. True, but still.

  45. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    June 17, 2018 at 5:43 pm | #

    Billie will be just the tonic for Sally that he was for her here.

    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2016/comic/book-6/03-when-god-closes-the-door/mccrankypants/

  46. TGS
    TGS
    June 17, 2018 at 10:12 pm | #

    Just passing along the Dina cameo in Questionable Content today. Well done.

    • Delavan
      Delavan
      June 17, 2018 at 11:11 pm | #

      Yeah, this was awesome 😀

      • vlademir1
        vlademir1
        June 18, 2018 at 1:56 am | #

        We just don’t know!

  47. OnyxIdol
    OnyxIdol
    June 18, 2018 at 8:23 am | #

    Completely OT Willis, but has anyone ever told that you look like Guillermo del Torro?

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