Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
RSS
‹
›
  • Home
  • About/Read before posting
  • Archive↓
    • by calendar
  • Cast
  • Store↓
    • Main Store (books and stuff)
    • T-shirts
  • Patreon↓
    • Patreon (regular)
    • Patreon (NSFW)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
somebody stop drew
First Previous Random 232Comments Share Next Latest
Reddit Digg Facebook MySpace Delicious Stumbleupon Buzz Up! Mixx Technorati Google Bookmarks Yahoo Bookmarks Yahoo MyWeb Windows Live Propeller FriendFeed Newsvine Xanga LinkedIn Blinklist Twitter
Discover more Hiveworks comics
Peritale
Mari Costa
A fairy godmother with no magic tries her best to successfully fulfill a Fairytale and win the respect of her peers.
Sam & Fuzzy
Sam Logan
Troubled by gangster rodents, lovesick vampire stalkers, or confused ninja assassins? Don't panic! Sam and Fuzzy are here to help. (For a reasonable fee.)
Devil's Candy
Rem, Bikkuri
A lush fantasy about boy genius Kazu Decker, the girl he constructed for his 9th grade science project, and the world of devils and monsters they live in.
Monster Pulse
Magnolia Porter Siddell
Four kids run afoul of a creepy secret organization's experiments, which turn their body parts into fighting monsters. Part sentimental coming-of-age story, part monster-training shonen manga, with just a bit of sci-fi body horror.
The Hunter of Insania
Aoi Maneki
Wiol Alkko sells fake magical objects to those desperate for cures. When he tries to scam a real witch, she curses him: within a year, Wiol must learn and respect magic, or succumb to corruption of body and mind.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Little Red & Wolf
Aoi Maneki
Delve into the daily lives of two famous fairytale characters, and their adventures in this big weird world we all live in.
Ozzie the Vampire
Eric Lide
Ozzie and her best friend Kimmy are your average everyday normal art students – except one is an immortal vampire with superpowers and the other possesses a magic talking grimoire. Also they have to save their town from a demonic invasion.
Knights Errant
J.R. Doyle
Wilfrid's humble quest for revenge becomes bigger and bloodier by the day.
Between Failures
Jackie Wohlenhaus
The low stakes adventures of an assorted group of 20 somethings trapped in the declining years of American retail. They are naughty and say lots of swears.
Empowered
Adam Warren
A sexy superhero comedy (except when it isn't) about the never-ending struggles of a plucky but very unlucky young superheroine.
Stand Still, Stay Silent
Minna Sundberg
A few generations after the end of the world, a small, poorly financed research crew is sent out to rediscover whatever is left of the forbidden old world in the south.
The Mash
L.F. Garcia, Danigami
In a world shrouded in mystery and threatened by great evil,a young mummy prince will use his new life to unite with other monster children to save it.
Ghost Junk Sickness
Studio CARTRIDGE, Laura Lee
Two hunters try to survive and end up being pushed to pursue a deadly bounty dubbed "The Ghost".
No Need for Bushido
Suburban Samurai, J W Kovell
The flash of a blade, the clash of steel! A runaway princess and her samurai companion navigate a fractured country on the brink of war.
Wilde Life
Pascalle Lepas
Oscar decided to rent an old haunted house, and that's when things got weird...
Spinnerette
Krazy Krow, Rocio Zucchi, Pablo Rey
When a lab accident gives Heather Brown spider powers and six arms, she does what any midwest comic geek would do: Become Ohio's #3 superhero!
Wychwood
Varethane
When Tiara's pyrokinesis is finally noticed, she is captured by a magical research organization for study. If she cooperates, she could be helping to save humanity from a dire threat - but can she trust them?
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Manly Guys Doing Manly Things
Kelly Turnbull
A weekly comic celebrating the finer things in life. Like manly men, lumberjacks, and time traveling special ops agents.
Lighter Than Heir
Melissa Albino
A young Volant woman joins the military in an effort to upstage her war-hero father.
Starhammer
J.N. Monk, Harry Bogosian
A teen girl inherits a powerful alien artifact and proceeds to make a series of increasingly poor decisions
The Sanity Circus
Windy
Magic, monsters and mysteries await in the odd city of Sanity. It's up to Attley and a colorful group of characters to find out just what is going on.
Elephant Town
Danielle Corsetto
The long, slow tale of Kris, Paul, Berto and Mirando, four people who live in the same creaky old house, but don't know each other. New chapter updates every 2 months.
[un]Divine
Ayme
A highschool senior thought giving up his soul for a demon was a good idea. It wasn't.
Sufficiently Remarkable
Maki Naro
Two young women living in Brooklyn discover that you're always coming of age.
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
Awkward Zombie
Katie Tiedrich
Gags and goofs about videogames and the things that happen in them.
Laws and Sausages
Zach Weinersmith
Your cartoon guide to the American governement!
Helvetica
J.N. Wiedle
This story follows Helvetica's quest to uncover who he was in life, his existential crises, and his struggle to to make death worth living.
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Go Get a Roomie
Clover
Experience the queer journey of an upbeat hippie and the friendships she makes along the way! A tale of self-discovery and love of many forms.
Real Science Adventures
Brian Clevinger
Spin off stories and other adventures from the world of Atomic Robo!
El Goonish Shive
Dan Shive
WARNING: This comic often ignores the Laws of Physics
Heroes of Thantopolis
Izzy Strontium Hall
A living boy fights to save the City of the Dead.
Awaken
Koti Saavedra/Flipfloppery
Superpowers, monsters and conspiracies. Piras, the spoiled Dameschi heir, fights to recover his identity after becoming a terrorist!
Star Trip
Gisele Weaver
Jas is a human taken from her home planet on a trip across the galaxy she will never forget.
Girl Genius
Phil Foglio, Kaja Foglio
In a time when the Industrial Revolution has become an all-out war, Mad Science rules the World...with mixed success.
Demon's Mirror
Harry Bogosian
Based loosely off of "The Snow Queen", a story by Hans Christian Andersen, we see things take a different turn as the demons become central characters, and the side characters stick around. Yup, that's the only differences. Enjoy!
The Din
Karin (Karrey)
The Din changed the world, mankind & its technology. Gregg Emilio dreams of flying in a sky that hasn't carried airplanes in a century.
MASKLESS
kickingshoes
In a world where people can wield the magic of elemental Masks, all Ashe wants to do is help. Maskless and useless, with dreams of fire and smoke on the back of his tongue, he finds himself on a strange, dangerous path to uncovering the secrets of these incredible objects, and the source of the monsters plaguing his home.
Never Satisfied
Taylor Robin
Lucy Marlowe, a magician's apprentice, competes against other apprentices for an important, magical, Goverment Job.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
Atomic Robo
Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener
The robot punches monsters and bad robots and one time he was a cowboy.
Anarchy Dreamers
Emily Ree
Sparkly undead kids fight society's worst Nightmares in this pastel-punk urban fantasy coming-of-age!
Parisa
Ellen K
Two friends, Nolan and Gwen, take it upon themselves to escort the amnesiac spirit Lelief across the world of Parisa.
Novae
KaiJu
A historical romance with a touch magic and a dash of astronomy. It chronicles the romantic adventures of Sulvain, a sweet tempered necromancer and Raziol, a passionate 17th century astronomer.
Tove
Severin
The end of the world is coming, and Tove doesn't want to be a hero, but SOMEONE has to look after her little brother.
Jailbird
Charlie Davis
An all-ages comic about a recently escaped prisoner's struggle to understand the outside world, and vice-versa. Also, a magic cape!
Demon Street
Aliza Layne
Two kids explore a world full of monsters and magic trying to find their way home again. But when home has been stolen from you, where do you go to get it back?
The Glass Scientists
Sage (S.H.) Cotugno
A gaslamp fantasy comic about the life and times of a ragtag group of mad scientists and their enigmatic leader, Dr. Henry Jekyll.
Witchy
Ariel Slamet Ries
In the witch kingdom Hyalin, the strength of your magic is determined by the length of your hair.
BOOKMARK
Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
Goto TagClear Tag


BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

May 8, 2026

Straights

by David M Willis on October 22, 2019 at 12:01 am
  • 01 - Birthday Pursuit
└ Tags: danny, drew, joyce

Discussion (232) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    October 22, 2019 at 12:01 am | #

    Danny’s acting a bit bi-polar

    …

    ←←←*runs that way*

    • Poskie
      Poskie
      October 22, 2019 at 12:03 am | #

      boooooo,,,, bi-te me

    • Suitora
      Suitora
      October 22, 2019 at 12:05 am | #

      Danny’s engaging in his regular bi-jinks.

      • Screwball
        Screwball
        October 22, 2019 at 12:24 am | #

        Guess I may as well bi-te the bullet & join in…

    • Kim
      Kim
      October 22, 2019 at 12:35 am | #

      Not touching this.
      Good Bi!

    • Ryan
      Ryan
      October 22, 2019 at 12:45 am | #

      He’s just an innocent bi-stander in all this.

    • He Who Abides
      He Who Abides
      October 22, 2019 at 4:46 am | #

      Bi the bi, has anyone else noticed that Drew looks like he could be Joyce’s cousin? It might be the eyes.

      • Charlie Spencer
        Charlie Spencer
        October 22, 2019 at 9:09 am | #

        It’s his contacts. They’re bi-focal.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 22, 2019 at 10:45 am | #

          Bi-focals allow you to see through bi-invisibility?

          (Jokes aside, do we know Drew’s bi?)

          • Seregiel
            Seregiel
            October 22, 2019 at 11:04 am | #

            Assumption is Drew is bi because Ethan brought him to help Danny with the biangst Dorothy said he had.

            • Seregiel
              Seregiel
              October 22, 2019 at 11:05 am | #

              http://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-10/01-birthday-pursuit/grumpy/ – nvm. Drew himself identifies bi.

        • Agnes Nitt
          Agnes Nitt
          October 22, 2019 at 6:29 pm | #

          Where did he bi those, bi the way?

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      October 22, 2019 at 7:02 pm | #

      So if bi erasure means that people don’t remember that any bi people exist, is that an example of orientation bi-nary?

    • BrokenEye, the True False Prophet
      BrokenEye, the True False Prophet
      October 24, 2019 at 1:21 am | #

      On second thought, *runs this way*→→→

  2. Cattleprod
    Cattleprod
    October 22, 2019 at 12:03 am | #

    Damn it, I’m humming Money for Nothing.

    • Stephen Bierce
      Stephen Bierce
      October 22, 2019 at 12:07 am | #

      “That little f–t with the earring and the makeup”…

      • Bunny
        Bunny
        October 22, 2019 at 12:09 am | #

        Yeah Buddy, that’s his own hair.

      • ValdVin
        ValdVin
        October 22, 2019 at 12:09 am | #

        Isn’t it “earring and the mink coat”, or am I mondegreening?

        • Norah
          Norah
          October 22, 2019 at 12:14 am | #

          I always thought it was “makeup”.

          • Delicious Taffy
            Delicious Taffy
            October 22, 2019 at 12:18 am | #

            It’s “searing yellow main cup”.

        • Kamino Neko
          Kamino Neko
          October 22, 2019 at 5:18 am | #

          It’s makeup. Mink coat makes no sense in this case. Mink coats weren’t a common accessory for rock stars, or a signature of any.

          • ValdVin
            ValdVin
            October 22, 2019 at 1:47 pm | #

            I cannot find the original Dire Straits video but from what I remember, that guy is wearing a mink coat. And it’s an actual MTV video which is inset on the animated Dire Straits video.

            • Alan Lafond
              Alan Lafond
              October 22, 2019 at 11:44 pm | #

              Many of the lines from the song come from actual statements overheard by Mark Knopfler when he was at an appliance store. The store had a wall of televisions all tuned to MTV, and the person working at the store was making comments about a Motley Crue music video that was playing. As glam rockers, earrings and makeup were a standard part of their on-stage look. Mink coats were not.

              In an interview Mark Knopfler stated “The lead character in Money for Nothing is a guy who works in the hardware department in a television/​custom kitchen/​refrigerator/​microwave appliance store. He’s singing the song. I wrote the song when I was actually in the store. I borrowed a bit of paper and started to write the song down in the store. I wanted to use a lot of the language that the real guy actually used when I heard him, because it was more real.”

    • avistel
      avistel
      October 22, 2019 at 12:17 am | #

      custom kitchen deliveri~~es

      • StClair
        StClair
        October 22, 2019 at 4:24 am | #

        we got to move these
        refrigerators

        • Wizard
          Wizard
          October 22, 2019 at 5:34 am | #

          We got to move these color TV’s

          • Clif
            Clif
            October 22, 2019 at 11:49 am | #

            The song never says where we got to move them to.

            • Bathymetheus
              Bathymetheus
              October 23, 2019 at 12:03 am | #

              They’re like litter. As soon as the stuff leaves your hands, it ceases to exist.

            • DSL
              DSL
              October 23, 2019 at 6:55 am | #

              I’m going to guess that “move” in this case is retail-ese for “sell” — as in we’ve got to sell this stuff and get it out of the store.

              • thejeff
                thejeff
                October 23, 2019 at 8:27 am | #

                “We got to install microwave ovens
                Custom kitchen deliveries
                We got to move these refrigerators
                We got to move these color TV’s”

                They’re delivering the stuff, not selling it. They’re moving the refrigerators into the customer’s kitchen.

    • John
      John
      October 22, 2019 at 12:17 am | #

      I’ve had it stuck in my head all evening anyway, after thinking, “Oh yeah, that’s the way you do it,” upon wiping out an entire Snakeman base raid and capturing their commander (whom I needed for research purposes) with no friendly casualties in my X-COM game. (Superhuman Ironman, without some Cheesy god-mode hack. Eat your heart out, SEMMF!)

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      October 22, 2019 at 1:43 am | #

      What’s that? Hawaiian noises?

      • Michelle J. Caboose
        Michelle J. Caboose
        October 22, 2019 at 2:43 pm | #

        He’s bangin’ on the bongos like a chimpanzee!

    • Foxhack
      Foxhack
      October 22, 2019 at 1:47 am | #

      We got to move to Be ver lyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

      Hills that is

      (I submitted this comment and it didn’t go through so either I got banned or the site hates Weird Al)

      • Deanatay
        Deanatay
        October 22, 2019 at 8:06 am | #

        Nah, it made it through.

        That little Clampett got his own ce-ment pond
        That little Clampett, he a million-aire

      • Axel
        Axel
        October 22, 2019 at 5:02 pm | #

        UHF is iconic

    • plasticwrap
      plasticwrap
      October 22, 2019 at 4:04 am | #

      I literally only know the words “money for nothing and chicks for free”
      I have a couple of buddies who always put on Sultans of Swing and this on when they get to light their Friday night jay

      • Miri
        Miri
        October 22, 2019 at 9:36 am | #

        I thought it was “kicks for free”… I suck at this game though!

    • Charlie Spencer
      Charlie Spencer
      October 22, 2019 at 9:11 am | #

      I want my,
      I want my,
      I want my MTV.

      Mostly I want my MTV the way it was when it showed music videos ’round the clock.

      • Clif
        Clif
        October 22, 2019 at 11:51 am | #

        It’s still there, just hiding on YouTube. Waiting to be put into a playlist.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        October 22, 2019 at 3:28 pm | #

        Wasn’t that about 5 minutes when it first appeared?

  3. Madock345
    Madock345
    October 22, 2019 at 12:03 am | #

    Jacob might qualify as Dire, he certainly seems to be a size category larger than the rest of the cast. This is what makes it so confusing that he hasn’t yet eaten the others.

    • John
      John
      October 22, 2019 at 12:07 am | #

      Turning on the smaller cast members would leave him vulnerable to Beef and Galasso.

    • Ferret
      Ferret
      October 22, 2019 at 12:14 am | #

      Perhaps Willis is saving that for sweeps.

    • Pablo360
      Pablo360
      October 22, 2019 at 12:19 am | #

      Maybe if Straits had been Dire, Joseph would have actually had trouble.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      October 22, 2019 at 2:23 am | #

      “Why does Ross, the largest friend, not simply eat the other five?”

      • Cattleprod
        Cattleprod
        October 22, 2019 at 7:44 pm | #

        So Toedad eats the rest of the Legion of Shitty Parents? Works for me.

  4. Mada
    Mada
    October 22, 2019 at 12:04 am | #

    and Danny shows up in time to shatter the gravity of the situation.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      October 22, 2019 at 12:04 am | #

      Come on, it’s Amber who’s defying gravity.

      • Cholma
        Cholma
        October 22, 2019 at 12:27 am | #

        [Amber jumps into frame, already in mid-song]
        “It’s time to try
        Defying gravity
        I think I’ll try
        Defying gravity
        Kiss me goodbye
        I’m defying gravity
        And you won’t bring me down!”

        • Delicious Taffy
          Delicious Taffy
          October 22, 2019 at 12:34 am | #

          No no, no no, no no, no no no (Ooh-who-hoo)

          • Delicious Taffy
            Delicious Taffy
            October 22, 2019 at 12:47 am | #

            Dang it, I went with ELO, but maybe it should’ve been MCR.

            • plasticwrap
              plasticwrap
              October 22, 2019 at 4:06 am | #

              both are good choices tbh, (but mostly if it’s three cheers era MCR)

        • Cholma
          Cholma
          October 22, 2019 at 12:41 am | #

          (I love Idina Menzel, (Adele Dazeem?) but this version by Kerry Ellis is my favorite.)

  5. John
    John
    October 22, 2019 at 12:04 am | #

    Drew clearly hasn’t seen Joyce around Dorothy.

  6. Cyrus
    Cyrus
    October 22, 2019 at 12:04 am | #

    That’s a surprisingly muted reaction from Joyce.

    • Bunny
      Bunny
      October 22, 2019 at 12:10 am | #

      That’s shock.

    • Bladeglory
      Bladeglory
      October 22, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

      Oh, it’ll catch up to her.
      *scene transitions to Jocye, staring straight up from bed*
      Yep, there it is.

      • ValdVin
        ValdVin
        October 22, 2019 at 12:38 am | #

        Sounds familiar. Did she learn that bit from Amber?

        • Schpoonman
          Schpoonman
          October 22, 2019 at 4:52 pm | #

          Yep, after Amber met Joe’s dad.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      October 22, 2019 at 12:15 am | #

      To quote a certain vizier, “I think she took it rather well.”

    • Ophidiophile
      Ophidiophile
      October 22, 2019 at 2:01 am | #

      Poor Joyce; she always knew she wasn’t good enough for Jacob.

      • Ophidiophile
        Ophidiophile
        October 22, 2019 at 5:49 pm | #

        She may even be relieved that the universe is righting itself.

  7. StClair
    StClair
    October 22, 2019 at 12:06 am | #

    Go to Heck, Drew.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      October 22, 2019 at 12:08 am | #

      Drew hasn’t even done anything bad in this universe that we know of, though?

      Unless you count his being an obviously incorrigi-bi-le punster, that is.

      • plasticwrap
        plasticwrap
        October 22, 2019 at 4:07 am | #

        Drew’s a smug IRL shitposter, that’s reason enough until he proves his goodness

    • Emperor Norton II
      Emperor Norton II
      October 22, 2019 at 12:09 am | #

      Are you heck-ling Drew right now?

  8. JetstreamGW
    JetstreamGW
    October 22, 2019 at 12:08 am | #

    Don’t worry, Joyce. You probably still have a shot with Dorothy.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      October 22, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

      OTP! O T P! O! T! P! >8C

    • Agemegos
      Agemegos
      October 22, 2019 at 2:10 am | #

      But not much of a shot; Dorothy thinks she’s Kinsey-scale zero.

      • Agemegos
        Agemegos
        October 22, 2019 at 2:18 am | #

        But maybe she figures that by the 2068 election season bicurious experimentation in college will be a credit to her election campaign. It’s very tricky to work with such long-term plans in a time of sweeping change.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      October 22, 2019 at 6:05 am | #

      Becky: I KNEW IT!

  9. Angel
    Angel
    October 22, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

    So what are we calling the Danny/Drew ship

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      October 22, 2019 at 12:13 am | #

      Drewny. Drannew. Girugamesh.

    • Ferret
      Ferret
      October 22, 2019 at 12:15 am | #

      Sloppy Seconds. Because it’s proof that while Walky keeps getting Danny’s sloppy seconds, Danny is getting Ethan’s.

      • vitalProximity
        vitalProximity
        October 22, 2019 at 7:47 pm | #

        Also this would be hilarious to see Danny realize if it started happening.

    • vitalProximity
      vitalProximity
      October 22, 2019 at 12:43 am | #

      Emotional masochism.

      • Clif
        Clif
        October 22, 2019 at 11:55 am | #

        Emotional masochism is always popular, so sure.

    • plasticwrap
      plasticwrap
      October 22, 2019 at 4:09 am | #

      Drew’s SO not getting laid before Christmas.

      • Deanatay
        Deanatay
        October 22, 2019 at 8:09 am | #

        Pretty sure Drew’s already gotten some from Ethan.

        • He Who Abides
          He Who Abides
          October 22, 2019 at 8:14 pm | #

          Most likely on Fuckface Jr’s back.

  10. BBCC
    BBCC
    October 22, 2019 at 12:14 am | #

    Drew, please, timing.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      October 22, 2019 at 12:17 am | #

      I know, right? He should’ve waited at least one beat panel.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        October 22, 2019 at 12:44 am | #

        I was more thinking until Joyce isn’t standing right there but. Yes. That too. XD

  11. Heather Flowers
    Heather Flowers
    October 22, 2019 at 12:17 am | #

    Honestly, I’m just glad Joyce is taking responsibility for the situation. She’s not mad at Jacob or Raidah, she understands that the fault is with her. I think this is the best possible outcome for her emotional growth and well-being.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      October 22, 2019 at 12:26 am | #

      None of this would have happened if Joyce hadn’t insinuated herself into the Harrison visit. It also wouldn’t have happened if Jacob had exercised some impulse control, though.

      • Agemegos
        Agemegos
        October 22, 2019 at 2:12 am | #

        “Plenty of fault to go ’round”.

        • James Rye
          James Rye
          October 22, 2019 at 9:49 am | #

          Yeah, to blame it all on Joyce alone would be a bit unfair.

      • Deadjolras
        Deadjolras
        October 22, 2019 at 6:20 am | #

        None of this would’ve happened if Harrison had been an only child so the blame actually goes to Jacob’s parents.

        • Br44n5m
          Br44n5m
          October 22, 2019 at 7:40 am | #

          I mean true but if his grandparents had just not had kids who’s even to say this could happen so it’s clearly their fault

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            October 22, 2019 at 10:40 am | #

            I blame Eve. None of this would have happened without her.

            • Br44n5m
              Br44n5m
              October 22, 2019 at 1:38 pm | #

              But what if god never made Adam and Eve? Blame him, he is the root

              • Emperor Norton II
                Emperor Norton II
                October 22, 2019 at 2:10 pm | #

                But what about GodGod, who made god? Clearly he’s the one behind all of this mess.

          • Clif
            Clif
            October 22, 2019 at 11:18 am | #

            Counterwise, if Joyce hadn’t lied, Raidah would have still been Jacob’s girlfriend. So progress?

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        October 22, 2019 at 7:34 am | #

        Even if Jacob had exercised impulse control, she’d still be here devastated with her friendship with Jacob ruined.
        The only impulsive thing Jacob did (ever?) was kiss her and while that may have made it hurt more, it didn’t change the outcome. He could also have outed her at once or let her flee, but that would have just changed it into more humiliation than anything.

        Once she lied about being his girlfriend, there was no good outcome for Joyce. Other than the fantasy of Jacob making the lie truth.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 22, 2019 at 7:36 am | #

          Which, by the way, isn’t to say Jacob comes off particularly well in any of this. He doesn’t.

          • Agemegos
            Agemegos
            October 22, 2019 at 10:43 am | #

            Yeah, my opinion of Jacob fell like a rock when he played along with Joyce’s bizarre lie.

            • Skeptible
              Skeptible
              October 22, 2019 at 11:12 am | #

              And then he showed zero tolerance for imperfection in Joyce or himself. That does not bode well for a future with him. I say Joyce dodged a bullet.

              • Clif
                Clif
                October 22, 2019 at 11:20 am | #

                I think so.

              • thejeff
                thejeff
                October 22, 2019 at 3:30 pm | #

                Lying about being someone’s girlfriend goes well beyond “imperfection”.

                • SuperZero
                  SuperZero
                  October 23, 2019 at 11:24 pm | #

                  She said one word, realized she screwed up, and immediately started trying to bail–although, yeah, without actually trying to correct what she said.
                  Which, I just realized, means Jacob assumes she did something worse than she did.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      October 22, 2019 at 2:27 am | #

      Maybe she’ll start to digest just how manipulative she can be, and where those tactics come from.

      • Clif
        Clif
        October 22, 2019 at 11:21 am | #

        Embrace your inner mom, Joyce? I dunno if that works.

    • plasticwrap
      plasticwrap
      October 22, 2019 at 4:12 am | #

      To be completely honest, I feel it’s unfair to blame her 100%, but yeah, it’s nice to see some reasonable personal accountability.

    • Ron
      Ron
      October 22, 2019 at 5:40 am | #

      I doubt she is. The way I interpret her spoken thoughts here, she thinks this is “God’s punishment” for her not following His ways.

      • SillyGoose
        SillyGoose
        October 22, 2019 at 6:50 am | #

        Is it? I read it as “I screwed up, I know it, and since I assess everything I do through the lens of my faith first, I need to apologize to God for being a Bad Christian.” Apologies to human beings round you optional at this point, I’m afraid. But we’ll see.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        October 22, 2019 at 7:08 am | #

        It’s all because she didn’t go to church.

        • Clif
          Clif
          October 22, 2019 at 12:03 pm | #

          Good one. Mike should explain it to her.

      • Will
        Will
        October 22, 2019 at 9:26 am | #

        I’m not really seeing it that way. I think she’s just viewing this, as she does most things, through her religion and instead of being like “God, why hast thou forsaken me?!” she’s doing more of a “Hey God, I just realized I was being awful and fucked that up entirely. Sorry about that.”

  12. abysswatcher1993
    abysswatcher1993
    October 22, 2019 at 12:23 am | #

    Good to recognize your mistakes now and not after erasing your memory and getting involved in an obnoxious romantic triangle with Walky and Dina.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      October 22, 2019 at 12:32 am | #

      Come again? I don’t remember that being foreshadowed.

      • insomniac
        insomniac
        October 22, 2019 at 12:39 am | #

        More a call (way) back to their incarnation in Willis’ previous comic strip, It’s Walky!

      • Clif
        Clif
        October 22, 2019 at 12:02 pm | #

        Not foreshadowed? We’ve seen from Amber/Amazigirl that memory erasure for characters is a thing that can happen. Joyce and Walky obviously deserve each other, and after Becky dies, who else would Dina turn to?

        • abysswatcher1993
          abysswatcher1993
          October 22, 2019 at 1:28 pm | #

          We arent fridging Becky or Dina!

          • Schpoonman
            Schpoonman
            October 22, 2019 at 4:55 pm | #

            If Dina or Becky get fridged I will freak out.

  13. BarerMender
    BarerMender
    October 22, 2019 at 12:23 am | #

    It took me a couple of minutes to get the significance of “dire straights.” But I figured Willis had too good a command of English for it to be a mistake, so I studied over it.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      October 22, 2019 at 12:29 am | #

      You see, Jacob is straight, and his behavior, along with Joyce’s, has been incredibly dire. Drew is making an incredibly clever wordplay, and now we’re all up to speed.

      • Zaxares
        Zaxares
        October 22, 2019 at 4:27 am | #

        Took me a couple of reads to get it too, and then I just sighed the long-suffering sigh that all older spouses with pun-lovers must sigh. 😛

        • Ed Rhodes
          Ed Rhodes
          October 22, 2019 at 4:24 pm | #

          Took me a minute too. I was formatting the grammar kop response, when it hit me what he was doing. Callahan’s would approve. (And by approve, I mean, throw peanuts and swizzle sticks at you!)

          • Axel
            Axel
            October 22, 2019 at 5:05 pm | #

            question, are y’all straight? (baremender through ed rhodes)

            • Delicious Taffy
              Delicious Taffy
              October 22, 2019 at 9:34 pm | #

              Personally, probably not.

            • Ed Rhodes
              Ed Rhodes
              October 23, 2019 at 3:58 am | #

              Yep. But, as a magician, the “straight,” “strait” thing has bugged me for years. (People insist on writing about “straight jackets!”) So, I thought, at first, this was the same thing.

  14. Cass
    Cass
    October 22, 2019 at 12:24 am | #

    I can’t decide whether or not I hope Danny off-handedly mentions this to Joe.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      October 22, 2019 at 12:31 am | #

      If Danny doesn’t tell Joe about this, I will literally inhale oxygen.

      • Jamie
        Jamie
        October 22, 2019 at 12:39 am | #

        Please mix it with some carbon before you let it out, would you?

        • Delicious Taffy
          Delicious Taffy
          October 22, 2019 at 12:43 am | #

          I’m too much of a rebel. That oxygen is gonna stay where it’s at.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        October 22, 2019 at 2:29 am | #

        Just don’t mix it with hydrogen at a 1:2 ratio first. The resulting compound can be lethal when inhaled.

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          October 22, 2019 at 3:12 am | #

          Yeah, that hydrogen monoxide stuff’s even used as industrial coolant (not to mention, highly persistent in remaining in your system once absorbed). Not the kind of chemical you want to inhale, especially since it’s known to cause contact burns.

          • CJ
            CJ
            October 22, 2019 at 4:13 am | #

            Dihydronemonoxide?

            • CJ
              CJ
              October 22, 2019 at 4:13 am | #

              I wouldn’t recommend to inhale.

              • Agemegos
                Agemegos
                October 22, 2019 at 4:50 am | #

                It’s found in every single cancerous cell.

                • He Who Abides
                  He Who Abides
                  October 22, 2019 at 8:17 pm | #

                  Okay, kind of glad someone I know doesn’t know that.

          • Wizard
            Wizard
            October 22, 2019 at 6:11 am | #

            Incredibly addictive, also. If I were to completely stop ingesting it, doctors assure me I would die in a matter of days.

            • Agemegos
              Agemegos
              October 22, 2019 at 10:46 am | #

              Like a lot of addictive drugs, it has a dramatic effect on people’s behaviour. Every serial killer and every mass killer or spree shooter is known to have been a daily user.

  15. Koms
    Koms
    October 22, 2019 at 12:26 am | #

    Well Mr. Willis, you drew Drew, now he can’t stop. He’s too late to be withdrawn.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      October 22, 2019 at 12:51 am | #

      People seem to think Drew is a sketchy person, but I can’t remember why. He’s being painted as sort of a miscreant.

      • Ron
        Ron
        October 22, 2019 at 5:46 am | #

        That’s because of his behaviour in his previous incarnation in “Shortpacked!”. There, he was a boyfriend to Ethan, where Drew kept nagging Ethan about his extensive transformers toy collection. His actions there were critically received by the readers and that’s seeping through in the expectations for this universe’s Drew.

        • timemonkey
          timemonkey
          October 22, 2019 at 7:52 am | #

          The toy nagging was one thing, what really turned everyone against him was him blaming their entire break up on Ethan, using the most flimsy of arguments, only to come back when Ethan was in a happy and stable relationship and try to convince him to come back to him buy trying to convince Ethan that his relationship was boring and unfulfilling because he wasn’t fighting with his new boyfriend.

          • Schpoonman
            Schpoonman
            October 22, 2019 at 4:56 pm | #

            People always say that you need bad so the good will contrast, but I don’t need to wake up every other day in a terrible mood to appreciate when I’m happy.

            • JBento
              JBento
              October 22, 2019 at 5:40 pm | #

              Nonsense. For instance, I think you don’t appreciate walking enough. Present your kneecaps, if you please.

              *readies baseball bat*

              • He Who Abides
                He Who Abides
                October 22, 2019 at 8:20 pm | #

                I knew I liked you, JBento.

      • Woomy
        Woomy
        October 22, 2019 at 3:32 pm | #

        Lol, sketchy.

        Drew.

      • Koms
        Koms
        October 23, 2019 at 12:28 pm | #

        This is as far as the puns went. RIP.

  16. oh no
    oh no
    October 22, 2019 at 12:34 am | #

    …oh I am SO using “dire straights” in the future.

    • Sunny
      Sunny
      October 22, 2019 at 1:30 am | #

      Please don’t overuse it. There are already enough people who believe it is actually spelled that way.

      • Agemegos
        Agemegos
        October 22, 2019 at 3:23 am | #

        Also, “straight-laced” and “straightjacket”.

      • plasticwrap
        plasticwrap
        October 22, 2019 at 4:01 am | #

        Oh shit! Wth does the sans-gh spelling mean?

        • plasticwrap
          plasticwrap
          October 22, 2019 at 4:16 am | #

          OK nvm Google to the rescue but damn I can’t believe I’ve missed that difference for more than at least a decade.

          • Agemegos
            Agemegos
            October 22, 2019 at 4:54 am | #

            Oh, and…

            A quick look at Google Ngram Viewer suggests that writers have been mistaking “strait” for “straight” at least since 1650.

        • Agemegos
          Agemegos
          October 22, 2019 at 4:40 am | #

          For the edification of those of us who didn’t follow you to Google, “strait” (without the “gh”) means “tight”, “narrow”, “strict”. “Straitlaced” people have their corsets laced up tightly, the Strait of Hormuz is a narrow strip of sea….

          See the entry for strait in Wiktionary for etymology &c.

          • Miri
            Miri
            October 22, 2019 at 11:29 am | #

            I thought you could choose to have your corset lacings horizontal (straight) or criss-crossed, with some sort of historical implication that “properly bred, genteel ladies” used straight lacings… I also assumed that a straight jacket kept you on the “straight and narrow” by preventing you from doing harm to yourselves or others.

            And I knew you could navigate straits as in tricksy passages whilst sailing but never made THAT link when I could instead invent etymology… I may need to hand in my geek card 😭

            • Agemegos
              Agemegos
              October 22, 2019 at 6:46 pm | #

              I’ve read the “laces straight rather than crossed” theory too, put forward with an authoritative air and no indication that it was speculative. But it was, rather bizarrely, asserted with respect to shoe-laces rather than corset-laces.

              • Delicious Taffy
                Delicious Taffy
                October 22, 2019 at 9:36 pm | #

                How the fuck?

  17. Shane Wegner
    Shane Wegner
    October 22, 2019 at 12:34 am | #

    Eh, YOLO. Maybe Jacob will calm down and change his mind someday. Maybe not. Nothing lost if he’s too good for Trash Joyce in the first place.

    • plasticwrap
      plasticwrap
      October 22, 2019 at 4:19 am | #

      *shocked face*
      trash Joyce? please explain

      • timemonkey
        timemonkey
        October 22, 2019 at 7:48 am | #

        Joyce’s actions have now given her full access to garbage roof.

      • Shane Wegner
        Shane Wegner
        October 22, 2019 at 11:43 am | #

        I don’t actually think Joyce is trash, I say shoot from the hip and try things out sometimes. More I was just exaggerating how Jacob just characterized her as like, too unworthy to be girlfriend material. And she is kinda sorta buying into it. She DID start this off with an impulsive lie, but several other factors kept it going.

        I get Jacob feels like things are changing quickly and it even felt like he wanted it to be someone’s fault, and Joyce did fib a little bit as the spark that set off all these fireworks. But I think Jacob is going to think it over and realize letting things go on a song as they did with Raidah when he wasn’t feeling it was the real powder keg.

        Does Joyce have a lot of ways she could improve? Sure, she’s a long way from expressing herself in a heartfelt and honest way romantically and erotically. But I don’t actually think she’s trash because she fibbed a little on a whim.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 22, 2019 at 3:37 pm | #

          I don’t think she’s trash either (but then I don’t think the other Garbage Roof denizens are trash).

          Still, let’s not whitewash this as “fib a little.” Joyce messed up big time and Jacob would have been perfectly in the right to call her out for up front when he first met up with her and Harrison – humiliating as that would have been for Joyce. Perfectly reasonable to cut her off as a friend after that too.

          That he covered for her and let it go on muddies things up and shifts a bunch of the blame to him, but doesn’t change how badly she behaved to start with. And he doesn’t even know that she’d been plotting with Sarah to break up his relationship for weeks.

          I wouldn’t be comfortable dating someone who did that to me. Even if I liked them otherwise.

          • Agemegos
            Agemegos
            October 22, 2019 at 6:11 pm | #

            Yeah, Joyce shot her chance (and probably her friendship) with Jacob in the foot the moment she told Harrison that she was Jacob’s boyfriend. Even if she had got away before Jacob arrived that would have come out when Jacob introduced Harrison and Raidah. And when it does come out Joyce looks insane.

  18. Delicious Taffy
    Delicious Taffy
    October 22, 2019 at 12:56 am | #

    I wonder if Joyce is gonna develop a habit of questioning her faith every time something goes catastrophically wrong for her.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 22, 2019 at 7:42 am | #

      Joyce questioning her faith is basically the entire plot of the comic.

    • Sam
      Sam
      October 22, 2019 at 9:30 am | #

      Wouldn’t be surprised if she did.

    • JBento
      JBento
      October 22, 2019 at 11:11 am | #

      But that’s the thing, isn’t it? If god is just, omnipotent and has an everyone-encompassing plan, then everything that happens is necessarily an intended part of that plan. So, whenever something goes catastrophically wrong for you either:

      a) your faith is wrong; or
      b) you deserved those bad things that happened to you.

      • Clif
        Clif
        October 22, 2019 at 11:35 am | #

        C) You’re being tested.
        D) it’s all part of the plan to make you a better (stronger more competent) person.
        E) it seems like it’s catastrophic wrong, but that’s only because you can’t see the big picture.
        F) this is the work of a malign magic-using witch and she must be burned.

        • John
          John
          October 22, 2019 at 12:32 pm | #

          If Joyce were a worse person, she’d be setting Raidah on fire right now.

    • Mishyana
      Mishyana
      October 22, 2019 at 12:58 pm | #

      She actually seems to be handling it better than I was afraid she would. I was kind of afraid this whole thing inevitably blowing up in her face was going to cause some sort of grand mal “I have sinned and must repent” freak out and send a lot of the progress she’s made in other areas flying out the window.

  19. nlips
    nlips
    October 22, 2019 at 12:58 am | #

    …suddenly I love Drew.

  20. Charles Phipps
    Charles Phipps
    October 22, 2019 at 1:02 am | #

    When there was a flood, God sent you two handsome bi men in a boat.

    Wait, that’s not how it goes.

  21. Pocky
    Pocky
    October 22, 2019 at 1:04 am | #

    They’re like regular straights. . . but dire?

    • SuperZero
      SuperZero
      October 22, 2019 at 1:06 am | #

      So exactly the same.

      • SuperZero
        SuperZero
        October 22, 2019 at 1:10 am | #

        But with better natural weapons and hit points.

        • nlips
          nlips
          October 22, 2019 at 1:18 am | #

          Winner!

          • Miri
            Miri
            October 22, 2019 at 11:30 am | #

            I wish to put them in corsets. Can I completely cross everything and do so please?

  22. Bagge
    Bagge
    October 22, 2019 at 1:25 am | #

    Sure did, Joyce.

  23. Eve
    Eve
    October 22, 2019 at 1:29 am | #

    Re that alt text: You are the one with the power, Willis. You are the only one who can stop him.

    • plasticwrap
      plasticwrap
      October 22, 2019 at 4:20 am | #

      Like any good God, the ability to balance omnipotence and the free will of your creations is paramount

  24. bobvankay
    bobvankay
    October 22, 2019 at 1:41 am | #

    I feel the situation is getting too serious, Drew do the thing.

  25. Keulen
    Keulen
    October 22, 2019 at 1:42 am | #

    DoA Book 10: I Still Hate Your Stupid Handsome Face

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      October 22, 2019 at 8:13 am | #

      DoA Book 10: It’s Understandable That You Hate My Stupid Handsome Face

  26. Sol Karas
    Sol Karas
    October 22, 2019 at 2:02 am | #

    Okay Joyce now go and talk to Joe so I can get that sweet Joe/Joyce interaction that I crave.

    Although considering the last time they talked was Joe *supremely* backsliding, she might not want to talk to him.

    • plasticwrap
      plasticwrap
      October 22, 2019 at 4:22 am | #

      I feel bad for Joe. He OD’d on the college-era playa bit. GE doesn’t need to settle down freshman year already! That’ll only lead to regret (at least eventually)

      • Sol Karas
        Sol Karas
        October 22, 2019 at 4:56 am | #

        Like, I doubt Joe/Joyce would ever actually happen. I’d like it to, but I have heavy doubts.

        So I just settle for them interacting with each other, since they play off each other really well (they did in the Walkyverse, too). Just not sure how well right now, considering
        a) Joe’s not doing so great.
        b) Joyce has done the thing that Joe hates.

        Their last couple interactions went… poorly.

    • Josh Spicer
      Josh Spicer
      October 22, 2019 at 8:15 am | #

      Oh cool, someone else who shares my thoughts.

    • JBento
      JBento
      October 22, 2019 at 10:56 am | #

      If it’s the interaction I think it is – the one where he and Malaya go off to have sex – that’s not “backsliding”. Joe’s problem was never that he was a single that liked to have consensual casual sex. That’s literally NOBODY’s problem, ever. His problem was he put what he thought of people’s “fuckability” (eugh) online for other people to see.

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        October 22, 2019 at 1:25 pm | #

        No, he’s appeared in Leslie’s class since then, having clearly reverted back to his former mannerisms. Joyce and Leslie even called him out for it in the very next strip.

        • JBento
          JBento
          October 22, 2019 at 2:13 pm | #

          Oh, yeah, that’s a Bad!Joe, though hopefully not as bad as he was in the beginning. Had forgotten about that shirt.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        October 22, 2019 at 3:25 pm | #

        Joe thought of it as backsliding though, which is crucial. “Lasted longer than I thought I would” and likely leading to the mannerism reversion in the strip King Daniel linked.

        Because Joe doesn’t see his problem clearly.

  27. BenRG
    BenRG
    October 22, 2019 at 2:09 am | #

    I think that Joyce would e more upset if she were not just plain confused about what the heck has been happening over the past few hours. Meanwhile, Danny is coming to realise by bitter experience (his and others) that relationships are hard.

  28. Agemegos
    Agemegos
    October 22, 2019 at 2:15 am | #

    Drannyce?

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      October 22, 2019 at 3:00 am | #

      I still think that there would be a deep irony to this given that Roomies started off with Danny basically trying to find any way possible to avoid stalker!Joyce.

      • timemonkey
        timemonkey
        October 22, 2019 at 7:45 am | #

        Which is why I get such a laugh out of how much Joyce doesn’t even register Danny’s existance.

  29. KSClaw
    KSClaw
    October 22, 2019 at 2:24 am | #

    Oh shut up Drew, everyone has problems no matter their sexuality.

  30. NaYa
    NaYa
    October 22, 2019 at 2:51 am | #

    Wait, so did Danny & Drew witness the entire exchange between Jacob & Joyce just now?

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      October 22, 2019 at 3:01 am | #

      Yes, and thanks to bisexual invisibility, neither of them noticed their audience! (Yes, lots of sarcasm and irony there.)

      • plasticwrap
        plasticwrap
        October 22, 2019 at 4:00 am | #

        if I were invisible (invisible, invisible…)

  31. plasticwrap
    plasticwrap
    October 22, 2019 at 3:59 am | #

    yeah STFU Drew, nobody likes a smug sexy new person who’s willing to tread all over the awkward truths like there are no real consequences for doing so, RUMPLOVER

  32. Ohmsford
    Ohmsford
    October 22, 2019 at 4:04 am | #

    Maybe Danny will tell Jacob he was a jerk. Maybe. Though that might require he assert himself, so probably not

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      October 22, 2019 at 4:23 am | #

      I think that it is more likely that Drew will end up moderator whilst Danny and Joyce have a “Why I suck at relationships” competitive debate.

  33. AbelUndercity
    AbelUndercity
    October 22, 2019 at 5:04 am | #

    Dumbing of Age Book 10: We Got to Install Microwave Ovens

  34. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    October 22, 2019 at 7:03 am | #

    “anyone got popcorn ?”

  35. Vulcanodon
    Vulcanodon
    October 22, 2019 at 7:27 am | #

    So Jacob can be cruel-disguised-as-noble, and Drew can just be openly cruel.

  36. quigzby
    quigzby
    October 22, 2019 at 7:58 am | #

    If someone like Joyce blew her chance with Jacob because of this one instance, an instance where Jacob himself was not beyond culpability, then poor Jacob is going to end up a lonely single old man. Too bad the rest of humanity tends to make mistakes, something that his checklist does not allow for. But hey, at least he’ll be able to look back at his life and see that he followed his checklist.

    • Vulcanodon
      Vulcanodon
      October 22, 2019 at 8:22 am | #

      Yep. That part where he says he likes her but she just doesn’t measure up…

      I mean, that IS what he said, essentially.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        October 22, 2019 at 10:44 am | #

        With all nuance and detail removed, sure.
        When you replace the specific “lied about already dating me, throwing me into an incredibly awkward situation” with the generic “doesn’t measure up”.

        You could do that with anything: “but you cheated on me” with “doesn’t measure up.”

    • Sam
      Sam
      October 22, 2019 at 9:26 am | #

      He chose to maintain the lie for his own reasons, but it is absolutely fair for him to go ‘the way you acted here went too far for my liking to build an actual relationship on’. He lets people make mistakes and is even willing to cover for them, but it is fair for him to go ‘I don’t really like either of our actions here and I don’t want to build a relationship out of this’.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 22, 2019 at 10:40 am | #

      I mean, just because she lied to your family about being your girlfriend, that’s no reason to have reservations. If you won’t overlook something that petty, you’re certain to die cold and alone.

      • Lexi
        Lexi
        October 22, 2019 at 11:31 am | #

        The way Jacob phrased it, it sounds a lot like he has a checklist, and any flaws or deviations from it will immediately disqualify you. Saying “I like everything about you except for this one flaw that was revealed just now” is kinda the same as saying “I can’t handle my ideal woman not being 100% perfect at all times.” It just sorta shows that Jacob is looking for an idea, and not a human. All humans have flaws and baggage, and apparently he’s not willing to work with those in his quest for his checklist woman.

        Mind you, this being DoA, he has Lucy as a fallback, who is Joyce except didn’t lie that one time. But even that reveals a flaw in Jacob’s thinking. He has chemistry with Joyce because she’s the one he spent time with. He likes her because they did things together. You can’t just plug another girl whose exactly Joyce but minus one detail and expect to get the exact same results. Lucy wasn’t the girl he went to church with. Or the girl who crushed her toe in the exercise machine. She’s not the one who he helped through a spiritual crisis. She’s not the goof who spilled all her romantic idealations to him over brunch with his brother.

        Lucy may end up filling every checkbox on his list. But I don’t know if that means that she’s going to actually be the one he loves. Maybe he’ll make better memories with her. Or maybe he’ll realize that people are more than checklists. I’m hoping for the latter.

        • JBento
          JBento
          October 22, 2019 at 1:14 pm | #

          Jacob ends up with Dorothy, bonding over their love of checklists.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 22, 2019 at 3:46 pm | #

          Well, he had a checklist, as had been discussed a bit in the immediately previous strips and he was throwing the whole thing he had away to find someone more like Joyce – but without the lying to his family bit.
          I don’t think that says anything about “must be 100% perfect”. He’s revising his whole idea of what he wants and he knows about plenty of Joyce’s flaws and seems accepting of them. Her weird church upbringing, her odd food habits, all the things she was afraid made her not good enough. He’s okay with all that.

          Except for the lying part. This really seems to me like a reasonable dealbreaker. Is that not allowed?

          Jacob’s never met Lucy and has no thoughts of switching to her, so that’s not really relevant, even if the alt-text joked about it.

      • Clif
        Clif
        October 22, 2019 at 12:13 pm | #

        Thejeff – what you said, but without the sarcasm.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          October 22, 2019 at 3:39 pm | #

          Really? It’s just fine. Lie about dating me. I’ll have no concerns or worries about trusting you. Perfectly good start to a relationship.

          People are weird.

    • Vulcanodon
      Vulcanodon
      October 22, 2019 at 3:22 pm | #

      (Gives inexperienced girl overwhelmed by her own feelings, who poured her heart out to him in front of his brother, a toe-curling kiss) “I like you, mostly, but not everything about you, and there was that lie you told that I also told, which was your fault because I like you. So I’m going to look for a girl who’s like you but without ever being out of control for even an unguarded moment.”

      Nuanced enough?

  37. quigzby
    quigzby
    October 22, 2019 at 7:59 am | #

    Oh, and wait until “momma” Sarah gets wind of what went down between Joyce & Jacob. THAT should be interesting 😀

  38. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    October 22, 2019 at 8:33 am | #

    I’m really sorry for Joyce. But the possibility that Danny and Drew will become friends is intriguing.

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      October 22, 2019 at 9:24 am | #

      Drew tries to solve Danny’s problems by setting him up with Joyce.

      “But we hardly know each other!”

      “You act as if that’s a negative!”

  39. hof1991
    hof1991
    October 22, 2019 at 10:00 am | #

    Joyce did Jacob a solid by showing him that Raidah wasn’t right for him. But he’s right that it’s hard to build a relationship when you start with lies. Jacob was both protecting her and making up his mind that the lies were disqualifying. It’s ok. He doesn’t owe her his love. It’s her screwup not his. He was strong and gentle in letting her know. No drama, no yelling. He’s not bad at adulting for a teen. Also smart and honest enough to end it with Raidah right now.

    • Clif
      Clif
      October 22, 2019 at 11:43 am | #

      The kiss was strong and gentle in letting her know? It’s always interesting to see what comic others are reading.

  40. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    October 22, 2019 at 10:04 am | #

    I’d feel sorry for Joyce if she didn’t handle this wrong from the start. Plus in general DoA is very long form storytelling so who knows if this is the end of Joyce and Jacob. If anything her odds have improved since Jacob’s soon to be single.

  41. ischemgeek
    ischemgeek
    October 22, 2019 at 10:14 am | #

    Jacob used consequences! It’s super effective!

    I am hoping that Joyce learns a few lessons from this:
    1, not cool to put others in a position where they have to lie for you
    2, it’s better to be forthright than not.
    3, be respectful of others’ autonomy
    4, creepy rom com shit only works in the movies

    • ischemgeek
      ischemgeek
      October 22, 2019 at 10:21 am | #

      Jacob isn’t without his own flaws but Joyce has a pattern of steamrolling others and not respecting their views and autonomy and damn is it nice to see her face the music for it and recognize she done fucked up.

      And really I don’t fault Jacob for how he handled it. Almost at all. Frankly what she did to Jacob is only topped by what she did to Ethan. He has every right to be pissed off and creeped out and having the hots for her isn’t going to change it.

      My one complaint is he didn’t get Joyce’s consent for the kiss and he should have. Otherwise, totally justified.

  42. JBento
    JBento
    October 22, 2019 at 11:04 am | #

    Is there a consensus on if 3rd panel is “I did this thing wrong, and that was wrong of me” or “this is my punishment for skipping church”? 2nd panel makes me lean towards the former, but I’m not sure.

    • Seregiel
      Seregiel
      October 22, 2019 at 11:20 am | #

      I took it as assuming responsibility, but trying to put some of her feeling of guilt onto another entity. Not sure if it was to double down on guilting herself or erasing some because there is an instant consequence of being lower in His eyes so the punishment is already manifest celestially. Sorry if that last sentence was wired weirdly – half the chat box just disappeared. Y

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      October 22, 2019 at 3:48 pm | #

      I’d say the first, but tied to her skipping church not so much as punishment but as part of her moral decline. “First I skip church, now I’m lying.”

  43. Jago
    Jago
    October 22, 2019 at 12:31 pm | #

    The word “straights” and how some people use it makes me go -_-
    But this time it’s pretty funny.

  44. Seregiel
    Seregiel
    October 22, 2019 at 12:57 pm | #

    My Joyce ship is her and anyone that would make Carol go side eye within the confines of Joyce’s sexual identity. Ethan didn’t seem to raise as much of an eye as Jewish as I thought so Joe might not make that grade. Jacob (it DID start gross), Sayid (if he learns to make her pizza right), Walky (not being revisited), now that Danny identifies as bi maybe… she’s consistently gone for significantly taller guys in this universe so Joe is the only not truely burned ship and even when she is disgusted with him, she trusts him and that’s her biggest ongoing male issue so I’m just going to hope if that ship flies that Carol gets a heart attack.

    • TheWanderingMist
      TheWanderingMist
      October 22, 2019 at 3:34 pm | #

      Joyce’s sexuality: Straight except for Sal, but she won’t admit that last part.

      • StClair
        StClair
        October 22, 2019 at 3:40 pm | #

        and Dorothy.
        and Billie’s boobs that she could “crawl up into and be safe and warm forever.”

  45. Dracke
    Dracke
    October 22, 2019 at 2:29 pm | #

    Yes you did, but he was kind of an asshole at the end ( that kiss was plain cruel)

  46. TheWanderingMist
    TheWanderingMist
    October 22, 2019 at 3:33 pm | #

    Well, time to kill Drew. It was fun while he lasted.

  47. Deacon Blues
    Deacon Blues
    October 22, 2019 at 5:23 pm | #

    So… I think I might have said this before, but since one of the things I love about Dumbing of Age is when they reexamine Walkyverse character relationships/dynamics in a new context… I would really love if this leads to Danny and Joyce having actual interactions. I’m not necessarily saying they should try a relationship, though I would kind of get a kick out of that. I just want Danny and Joyce to get a dynamic.

  48. quigzby
    quigzby
    October 23, 2019 at 6:25 pm | #

    So, the new character, Drew, is a butt-hole. It really bugs me when a person makes a joke out of another individual’s misfortune.

Who should be the default doodle for Book 14?

View Results

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


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

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