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
THANKS MARTIN LUTHER is rarely expressed
First Previous Random 198Comments 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
Fairmeadow
Kendra P. / KP
A wayward soldier finds herself in a pacifist commune deep in the wilderness of a war-weary land. Living in isolation brings her closer to those she was sworn to kill than she could ever imagine - but also threatens to tear the place apart.
Solstoria
Angelica Maria
After her brother goes missing, Samantha vows to become a Knight and help those around her in the Kingdom of St. Helena.
Goblins
Ellipsis
A fantasy RPG as told through the eyes of the low-level monsters.
2 Slices
RJ Morel
After a case of mistaken identity, will awkward Daisuke find help from excitable Mamo, or will his love life be thrown completely off track?
Wychwood
Varethane
When Tiara's pyrokinesis is finally noticed, she is captured by a magical research organization for study. If she cooperates, she could be helping to save humanity from a dire threat - but can she trust them?
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Patrik the Vampire
Bree Paulsen
Patrik loves to knit, bake, and help his friends while dealing with his own demons... like his thirst for blood because, oh yeah--he's a vampire.
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.
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!
[un]Divine
Ayme
A highschool senior thought giving up his soul for a demon was a good idea. It wasn't.
Wilde Life
Pascalle Lepas
Oscar decided to rent an old haunted house, and that's when things got weird...
The Otherknown
Lorian Merriman
Chandra is a 12-year-old accidental time traveler with a reluctant new dad, who happens to be a member of a feared galactic crime syndicate.
Shaderunners
Alex Assan, Lin Darrow
A ragtag band of bootleggers open a speakeasy for bottled colour in the greyscale city of Ironwell.
The Lonely Vincent Bellingham
Diana Huh
Vincent is an unkind man looking to disappear, and finds himself in the care of a vampire and her two wicked children.
Sunshine Boy
Moosopp
New-kid Kelly is sweet but naive. Luckily, he's got his outgoing neighbor Grey in his corner.
Demon Studies
Miyuli
Four students summon and study potentially dangerous demons within the walls of the mysterious Summerland University.
Whomp!
Ronnie
A depressed, portly, hirsute anime fan stumbles through life in the ever-pursuit of chicken nuggets and other life-shortening indulgences.
The Witch Door
Anni K.
Katariina Lehto discovers her neighbor is a witch called Jousia Muotka. Jousia introduces Katariina to the strange people and places beyond the witch door...
Anacrine Complex
Sae Cotton
A superhuman heist involving probably too many pigeons than entirely necessary.
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.
Real Science Adventures
Brian Clevinger
Spin off stories and other adventures from the world of Atomic Robo!
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.
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.
Awaken
Koti Saavedra/Flipfloppery
Superpowers, monsters and conspiracies. Piras, the spoiled Dameschi heir, fights to recover his identity after becoming a terrorist!
Lighter Than Heir
Melissa Albino
A young Volant woman joins the military in an effort to upstage her war-hero father.
Star Trip
Gisele Weaver
Jas is a human taken from her home planet on a trip across the galaxy she will never forget.
Drugs & Wires
Mary Safro, Io Black
Dan used to be a VR operator until his brain got fried by malware. Now he's stuck delivering packages in a post-Soviet hellhole all while trying to adjust to his new life and find some answers.
Folklore
Adam Ma, Colin Tan Wei
A superhuman horror story focused on a small band of survivors trying to navigate a war-torn world in the aftermath of the Federation’s collapse.
No End
Erli, Kromi
A queer romance about people attempting to build lives in a cold, post-apocalyptic world ravaged by hordes of undead.
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!
Countdown to Countdown
Velinxi
Iris Black is a self-proclaimed inventor with the curious ability to bring his drawings to life, and yearns to find a space where he can use his powers freely.
Lunar Blight
Studio CARTRIDGE, Laura Lee
Lunar Blight is a gothic horror story about an elite knight serving a moon cult who must choose between upholding his honoured duty or condemning everything he’s grown to know.
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.
Hazy London
Scotty
A story about messy relationships. From friendly foes to crazy families. Nothing is black and white, just full of color. But, all colors can get a little hazy...
Killjoys
Flatw00ds
When two disgraced ex-feds fall backwards into trouble with the clown mafia, getting out in one piece is gonna be no joke!
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.
Paint the Town Red
Windy, Winter Jay Kiakas
Winona runs a werewolf shelter with partner in crime, Odile in the Gothic city of Merlot. One day they take in an injured vampire, and soon unravels many of the dark secrets of Merlot.
How to be a Werewolf
Shawn Lenore
Malaya Walters was bitten by a werewolf as a child. After being raised by her human family, she faces the chance to learn what being a werewolf is really like as an adult.
Heart of Gold
Eliot Baum, Viv Tanner
A pianist with failing eyesight seeks out a priest with a miraculous healing touch, drawing him deeper into a world of miracles and curses.
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Clockwork
Chikuto
Cog Kleinschmidt is a diligent, quiet worker at the Mercia Fortress, the world power's leading stronghold. His orderly life is thrown into chaos when an enemy kingdom sends a diplomat for peace talks. This diplomat needs something from Cog - whether he agrees to their terms or not!
Knights Errant
J.R. Doyle
Wilfrid's humble quest for revenge becomes bigger and bloodier by the day.
Atomic Robo
Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener
The robot punches monsters and bad robots and one time he was a cowboy.
Come Hell or High Water
Jenny/Star, Mori
Prince Gladimir was never meant to fall for a pirate. Swearing off love for duty, the threat of war propels him back into the Captain’s world of high seas and high stakes. Their relationship could be the thing to save the kingdom of Yvoire - or destroy it.
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.)
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.
Obelisk
Ashley McCammon
In 1908 New York, a young woman struggles to put her life back together in the wake of her father's death - until she discovers a vampire in the shambles of her inheritance.
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.
El Goonish Shive
Dan Shive
WARNING: This comic often ignores the Laws of Physics
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!
Far to the North
Allison Shaw
Kelu turns to the monsters of her remote mountain home when her family is held hostage by outsiders.
BOOKMARK
Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
Goto TagClear Tag


BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

May 12, 2026

Kindergarten

by David M Willis on December 9, 2020 at 12:01 am
  • 02 - Look Straight Ahead
└ Tags: booster, danny, joe

Discussion (198) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    December 9, 2020 at 12:05 am | #

    I vaguely regret that my excellent spouse and I met through my less-than-excellent ex

    eh, not sure how else it would’ve happened tho

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      December 9, 2020 at 12:08 am | #

      I misread that as “less than excellent sex” and was thinking “wow that’s a heck of a way to meet someone”

      • clif
        clif
        December 9, 2020 at 12:21 am | #

        But see, it saves the relationship from all kinds of unrealistic expectations.

    • Moonie
      Moonie
      December 9, 2020 at 11:53 am | #

      Perhaps your less than excellent ex primed you to see how excellent your excellent spouse is

  2. Chris
    Chris
    December 9, 2020 at 12:07 am | #

    One of these days, Booster is going to read someone and be completely wrong.

    • Yotomoe
      Yotomoe
      December 9, 2020 at 12:08 am | #

      If you try to read someone incorrectly would you call it a mistranslation?

      • ktbear
        ktbear
        December 9, 2020 at 12:58 am | #

        Mistranslation?? Booster is neither a miss or trans, I don’t get it.

        • Socks
          Socks
          December 9, 2020 at 1:16 am | #

          Nonbinary people do fall under the trans umbrella. It’s not like anyone’s really assigned NB at birth, so identifying as such is basically always gonna be different from your assigned gender. Whether or not an individual enby wants to identify as trans is, of course, a personal decision. But they are under the umbrella.

        • Johan
          Johan
          December 9, 2020 at 1:21 am | #

          I thought your joke was funny and didn’t warrant a well actually.

          • Doongus
            Doongus
            December 9, 2020 at 2:53 am | #

            This comment made me smirk.

          • Lorien Inksong
            Lorien Inksong
            December 9, 2020 at 8:39 am | #

            To be fair it kind of sucks to be treated like we’re not welcome under the trans umbrella as a NB, and while this joke is harmless its not helping. (Unfortunately this is an issue at Pride/in the community) And for this NB hearing the joke just reminds me ‘ugh yep that’s right not welcome’.

            Its right up there with people being all ‘lol triggered’ kind of?

            • plasticwrap
              plasticwrap
              December 9, 2020 at 12:06 pm | #

              Could’ve been an honest mistake born of ignorance. Plenty of straight folks read this comic too (I think). Idk, but it might not have been someone trying to exclude you, just someone less-than-ideally educated. Just saying, you needn’t take this as another time someone tried to exclude and invalidate you. I mean, there are shitty legbutts who will do that, but I believe the vast majority of this comic’s readers are tolerant and inclusive. Also they were trying to tell a joke and most jokes don’t leave room for nuance.

              • Delicious Taffy
                Delicious Taffy
                December 9, 2020 at 12:38 pm | #

                I don’t even understand what Yoto’s joke has to do with gender. I thought it was a reading pun.

                • thejeff
                  thejeff
                  December 9, 2020 at 3:11 pm | #

                  Yoto’s joke actually works. It’s ktbear’s response claiming Booster isn’t “miss” or “trans” that fails.

              • thejeff
                thejeff
                December 9, 2020 at 3:02 pm | #

                OTOH, even if it’s an honest mistake out of ignorance and made as part of a joke, it’s still a reminder that you don’t belong. No malice in it, most likely, but it still just another little bit of pain.
                “microaggressions”

              • Dana
                Dana
                December 9, 2020 at 10:07 pm | #

                A solid plurality of the people I know who read this comic are straight. I don’t know that me and one of the other four people I know read this comic qualify as “plenty of straight folks”, but I assume we’re representative of a plenty big group.

          • crow
            crow
            December 9, 2020 at 3:23 pm | #

            I found it kind of unnecessary, as Booster’s identity doesn’t need to be brought up in completely unrelated conversations.

    • tim gueguen
      tim gueguen
      December 9, 2020 at 12:11 am | #

      Dina perhaps.

    • Emily
      Emily
      December 9, 2020 at 12:12 am | #

      What do you mean, they were already very obviously incorrect with their assessment of Joyce

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        December 9, 2020 at 12:48 am | #

        I don’t think they were that off with Joyce. She HAS always been a kind, passionate person and I think she’s had doubts for a long time she didn’t want to acknowledge to herself. She herself wonders if she ever REALLY felt god when she prayed in her dream with Rich Mullins. She’s changed a lot in some ways, but in others, this is who she’s always been, even if part of her might not have wanted to admit it.

        • clif
          clif
          December 9, 2020 at 1:15 am | #

          But Joyce herself commented on how far off they were with her.

          • Wack'd
            Wack'd
            December 9, 2020 at 1:19 am | #

            She also did it in the final panel where a punchline usually goes, so I think we’re meant to assume that’s more denial.

            • clif
              clif
              December 9, 2020 at 1:55 am | #

              Scoff. Scoff.

              • Clif
                Clif
                December 9, 2020 at 3:51 pm | #

                Seriously, was it not clear that Emily was making a joke? I thought it was clear.

          • Geneseepaws
            Geneseepaws
            December 9, 2020 at 9:53 am | #

            The denial runs deep with this Joyce person.

            • Deanatay
              Deanatay
              December 9, 2020 at 10:42 am | #

              In sandy Egypt, where deNile runs deep.

    • Dara
      Dara
      December 9, 2020 at 12:15 am | #

      oof i was enjoying this strip and then you had to remind me of all that

    • DSL
      DSL
      December 9, 2020 at 12:52 am | #

      They already are, in assuming most people welcome that sort of unsolicited, drive-by psycholanalysis.

      • Socks
        Socks
        December 9, 2020 at 1:18 am | #

        There’s always the option where they know, and they just don’t care, because their fun is more important than other people’s feelings. Can’t rule that one out.

        • Clif
          Clif
          December 9, 2020 at 2:12 am | #

          Sounds kind of like what Mike would do, huh.

    • Yenklette
      Yenklette
      December 9, 2020 at 1:42 am | #

      This is just the casual regular reminder that people don’t hate Booster because “queer people aren’t allowed to be flawed”, they hate Booster’s characterization because Willis decided to lead in with Booster’s sole characterization being a mean-spirited and almost entirely unchallenged takedown of characters everyone already liked, which predisposed us to dislike them in a way that, say, Billie’s and Joyce’s introductions did not—even though both were very obviously deeply flawed people on their introductions. Billie was repeatedly challenged to make us feel bad for her, while Joyce was introduced in intimate and sympathetic scenes showing her point of view.

      Oh, and they both benefited from already being known in other canons thanks to the Willisverse effect.

      Jerk characters can be introduced in a way that they’ll be liked by fans, and Willis is very good at that. Sometimes. He’s choosing not to give Booster that benefit.

      This isn’t “NB People Have To Be Perfect”. This is “Jerk Characters Don’t Have To Be Hated, So This Is A Choice Willis Seems To Be Making”.

      • Yenklette
        Yenklette
        December 9, 2020 at 1:47 am | #

        Oh, and we only had to deal with Mike saying, like, one or two lines at a time. So no, Mike and Booster weren’t handled the same. Imagine if the comic had opened and Mike had been given entire scenes where he just mercilessly bullied the entire rest of the cast, instead of just Ethan and Amber, and was the main focus of those scenes.

        I don’t even *like* Mike, but he was handled with a lot more subtlety than Booster. Also, everyone in the cast constantly ragged on Booster. Seriously, can we stop acting like we just dislike Booster because “how dare Willis write a flawed queer character” as if Ruth and Billie and Carla aren’t massive fan favorites?

        • Yenklette
          Yenklette
          December 9, 2020 at 1:48 am | #

          *constantly ragged on Mike. As in, other characters acknowledged Mike was being a jerk in-universe, both explicitly and frequently, and wanted very little to do with him. We might be seeing that starting with Booster, but… well, we’ll see.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        December 9, 2020 at 7:11 am | #

        Booster’s unsolicited psychoanalysis is like Mike’s snark with the edges rounded over, but they don’t have the benefit of 10-20+ years of being an established character to help make it more palatable. It’s also pretty much the only facet of their personality that we’ve seen in the thirty-odd strips they’ve appeared in so far.

        “You guys have been friends for a long time” is a weird note to introduce yourself with, but it’s not really that personal. I’m sure they’ll start digging in a moment.

        • Azhrei Vep
          Azhrei Vep
          December 9, 2020 at 8:34 am | #

          Good thing that’s not the note they introduced themselves on. They introduced themselves on a spitroasting joke, which is about as perfect a way to introduce oneself as I can imagine.

    • Otl1973
      Otl1973
      December 9, 2020 at 2:39 am | #

      That’s one of the problems I have with Booster – that they by definition have perfect knowledge of each character (even more than the readers), so their little magic show is (so far, anyway) Willis just using them as an on stage Greek Chorus. But as an onstage character, their knowledge and the way it is presented is far less palatable than if presented by an off-stage chorus. I have no idea where Willis is going with this character, but I certainly hope it is somewhere different than where he is now.

      • misanthropope
        misanthropope
        December 9, 2020 at 9:11 am | #

        this. even mike’s eye-rolling displays of omniscience could (mostly) be attributed to long periods of observation. this frood just walks up, looks at the painting on your wall, and declares you married the wrong woman. thou shalt not suffer a GMPC to live

        though in this particular strip i see none of that. i am not one ten-thousandth as bro as joe but 35 years later i am observably different with friends i made before high school than i am with friends i made after.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          December 9, 2020 at 10:57 am | #

          Yeah, even most of the other stuff was pretty straightforward from what I recall. A bit of a stretch in some cases, but not much given what they’d already been told and how people were reacting.

          • BBCC
            BBCC
            December 9, 2020 at 2:31 pm | #

            Yeah, a lot of what they guessed wasn’t that much of a stretch given how people were acting except Joyce, who they spent a chunk of time with that day with her introducing them to people.

    • deathjavu
      deathjavu
      December 9, 2020 at 6:16 pm | #

      They already missed twice. There’s no reason to credit Billie with changing Ruth when it was the not drinking, meds and therapy that changed Ruth – all of which Billie actively worked against.

      And the line about Joyce “becoming who she always was” only hits in the sense that a horoscope can hit by being incredibly vague and generic. In fact, I think I’ve seen that horoscope before. That’s a miss in my book.

      • Yenklette
        Yenklette
        December 10, 2020 at 12:15 am | #

        They weren’t framed that way, which is what matters.

  3. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    December 9, 2020 at 12:07 am | #

    Best Friends forever. I truly value Danny and Joe’s friendship. I seriously do.

    • RacingTurtle
      RacingTurtle
      December 9, 2020 at 12:48 am | #

      Samesies

  4. Calibus
    Calibus
    December 9, 2020 at 12:09 am | #

    Obviously because you werent closing your eyes in prayer while watching another kid pray, Danny.

    • cmasta1992
      cmasta1992
      December 9, 2020 at 12:14 am | #

      That’s why he got sent to the principal too

      • clif
        clif
        December 9, 2020 at 12:46 am | #

        Some day he will tell this story and suddenly get that.

      • Uly
        Uly
        December 9, 2020 at 1:02 am | #

        I’m just gonna say, sending kids to the principal over this is undermining your own authority as a teacher. It’s like saying that you can’t handle basic classroom discipline and/or kindergarteners.

        • Clif
          Clif
          December 9, 2020 at 2:18 am | #

          Have you seen kindergarteners nowadays?

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            December 9, 2020 at 7:16 am | #

            From what I understand, the little shits will stare at a screen for the hours it takes YouTube to drift from poorly animated, vaguely creepy counting videos to conspiracy theories, but they need constant monitoring to pay attention to a Kindergarten teleconference for more than 5 minutes at a time.

            • Delicious Taffy
              Delicious Taffy
              December 9, 2020 at 8:58 am | #

              Right-wing indoctrination is easier to focus on than basic baby math. Takes less brainpower, too.

              • Needfuldoer
                Needfuldoer
                December 9, 2020 at 10:31 am | #

                They know their target audience and how to keep them hooked.

                Don’t think, just take everything you’re told at face value. Tune into the 24 Hours Hate every morning to make sure you’re up to date on the outrage of the moment and what your opinions about it are supposed to be!

                • Deanatay
                  Deanatay
                  December 9, 2020 at 10:44 am | #

                  24 Hours Hate? Is that what they’re calling Twitter now?

                • Deanatay
                  Deanatay
                  December 9, 2020 at 10:46 am | #

                  Unless you mean OANN.

                  You probably meant OANN.

                • Delicious Taffy
                  Delicious Taffy
                  December 9, 2020 at 12:40 pm | #

                  Orange Asshole News Network?

    • Demoted Oblivious
      Demoted Oblivious
      December 9, 2020 at 6:37 pm | #

      This is why I like grace. It’s fun to sit with a group and see who else doesn’t close their eyes and pray. I’m an atheist, so I sit politely and don’t interrupt, after all I am thankful to my hosts for the meal, but grace lets you learn something about the people at the table that might otherwise not come up during the evenings conversation.

      Kinda like living in ancient rome and drawing this in the sand: (

  5. Schpoonman
    Schpoonman
    December 9, 2020 at 12:09 am | #

    Joe looking vaguely like Asher in the last panel. Danny better not glance back to the right or lunch might get a little awkward.

  6. Cattleprod
    Cattleprod
    December 9, 2020 at 12:10 am | #

    When you’re nailing a list of grievances to the door and you’re thankful for the suggested method.

    • clif
      clif
      December 9, 2020 at 1:17 am | #

      If it wasn’t for the invention of the nail the Reformation would have never happened.

      • Corneel
        Corneel
        December 9, 2020 at 4:29 am | #

        Christianity as a whole might have looked a bit different without nails, at the least purely cosmetically.

        • AbelUndercity
          AbelUndercity
          December 9, 2020 at 7:53 am | #

          “Ho, Tacitus! How goes it with the crucifixions?”

          “Greetings, Marcus! Not well, I’m afraid. The super glue isn’t holding like I thought it would. We’ll need to think of something else.”

          • Geneseepaws
            Geneseepaws
            December 9, 2020 at 9:58 am | #

            We will need a new cross! Here, chop down a new tree with this herring.

            • Clif
              Clif
              December 9, 2020 at 3:09 pm | #

              I can’t tell you guys how proud I am to be a minor cog in the DOA commentariate.

              • Demoted Oblivious
                Demoted Oblivious
                December 9, 2020 at 7:44 pm | #

                Way to exemplify looking on the bright side of death!

                • He Who Abides
                  He Who Abides
                  December 9, 2020 at 11:13 pm | #

                  Just before you draw your terminal breath!

  7. BBCC
    BBCC
    December 9, 2020 at 12:10 am | #

    Okay so my Catholic high school didn’t really give a shit if you closed your eyes or not (or even if you prayed, as long as you weren’t an ass to the people who were) so poll time – how’d your schools handle it?

    • Regina phalange
      Regina phalange
      December 9, 2020 at 12:38 am | #

      Same (at two different Catholic elementary schools). Any chance it’s a Lutheran thing? (I genuinely do not know.)

      Or maybe the joke is that Danny was sent to the office too because he was annoyingly whining about a nonissue?

      • clif
        clif
        December 9, 2020 at 12:55 am | #

        Public school in a small northeast town in the 50’s, as long as you didn’t talk during a minute of silent prayer you were fine. Now messing up the lodge of allegiance, that was serious business.

        • clif
          clif
          December 9, 2020 at 12:57 am | #

          Pledge of allegiance. :-/

          • Sunny
            Sunny
            December 9, 2020 at 3:27 am | #

            I think you’re about to go see the principal.

            • Clif
              Clif
              December 9, 2020 at 3:11 pm | #

              What? Again?

              • Demoted Oblivious
                Demoted Oblivious
                December 9, 2020 at 7:46 pm | #

                Why is it, that in my head concept of the Clif’s,
                clif – is Big Clif (clif the elder)
                and
                Clif – is Little Clif (clif the younger)
                ?

                • Clif
                  Clif
                  December 10, 2020 at 2:37 am | #

                  Just wait until I start arguing with myself.

                  And losing.

        • deathjavu
          deathjavu
          December 9, 2020 at 6:21 pm | #

          I got sent to the principle once for refusing to say the pledge of allegiance once, in…2002-ish? Even though I was (and still am) relatively certain there have been lawsuits about that.

          • Demoted Oblivious
            Demoted Oblivious
            December 9, 2020 at 7:49 pm | #

            Yes there have, lawsuits that upheld a students constitutional right to freedom of speech, including not speaking.

            And I gotta be honest, choosing not to say the pledge of alligiance seems more patriotic than politely rambling along to maintain your cover.

    • Agemegos
      Agemegos
      December 9, 2020 at 1:07 am | #

      No fuss at Catholic school. I vaguely remember that we were expected to have our eyes open during the daily Lord’s Prayer at public school. The only praying I remember at the non-denominational school was singing from “Hymns Ancient and Modern” at weekly assembly, and I don’t think anyone closed their eyes for that because we were expected to read the words as we sang.

    • Norah
      Norah
      December 9, 2020 at 1:13 am | #

      I went to Catholic school for 3 years in the late 60s/early 70s and don’t remember anyone getting in trouble for not closing their eyes during prayer.

    • Dave
      Dave
      December 9, 2020 at 8:17 am | #

      Is closing your eyes while praying a Catholic thing or a Christian thing in general? I’m Jewish and I had no idea it was a thing at all until just now. The only prayer in Judaism that I know of that you close your eyes for is the blessing after lighting Shabbat candles.

      • Azhrei Vep
        Azhrei Vep
        December 9, 2020 at 8:39 am | #

        Most people I knew back when I pretended to be faithful considered the proper minimum for prayer to be closing your eyes and bowing your head a little. Hands clasped in front of you if you’re getting serious about it. All of the above plus kneeling for before bed.

      • GLaDOS
        GLaDOS
        December 9, 2020 at 1:50 pm | #

        At the infant school I attended, ‘handstogetherandeyesclosed’ was used more or less interchangeably with ‘prayers’.

    • Ohmsford
      Ohmsford
      December 9, 2020 at 8:21 am | #

      The private elementary school had an interesting division. Every day before recess was religious studies and hebrew (we were Jewish) and after recess was the more secular stuff. To this day I cannot recall a single bit of hebrew, despite learning it from kindergarten to the fourth grade

      • Ohmsford
        Ohmsford
        December 9, 2020 at 8:22 am | #

        school I went to*

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          December 9, 2020 at 7:54 pm | #

          It doesn’t seem very kosher to ignore the cabal. You must have real chutzpah.

    • Geneseepaws
      Geneseepaws
      December 9, 2020 at 10:00 am | #

      Public school kid, Lord’s Prayer, out loud, lead by the teacher. Followed by the Pledge of allegiance to Joe McCarthy.

  8. Yumi
    Yumi
    December 9, 2020 at 12:12 am | #

    I don’t love Booster doing reads, but I do love backstory development, so overall, I guess, thanks Booster.

    And then, commenting this with the hope that it will encourage me to actually do it: I’m planning to get back into making a fanvideo with Dumbing of Age. I’ve decided to limit it to content from the first semester (or “season one” if we’re thinking of it that way) so as not to have to be concerned about the constantly updating nature of the comic. And also because that’s already a helluva lot material and I’m only really reducing it by a sliver. It’ll take me a while, but as someone who can’t really draw, I hope it will be a decent appreciation of the comic in the way of fanart.

    As a bit of self-promotion/to show sort of what I have in mind, here’s a video I made for Gunnerkrigg Court, if anyone wants to check that out. Of course, the DoA one will be different as the two are pretty different comics… but yeah, that’s the basic idea.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      December 9, 2020 at 12:35 am | #

      I’m sure it’ll be great!

      • clif
        clif
        December 9, 2020 at 12:36 am | #

        Nice.

      • plasticwrap
        plasticwrap
        December 9, 2020 at 12:16 pm | #

        Does your username Stande for “big black cowboy cock?” I hope it doesm

        • a/snow/mous/e
          a/snow/mous/e
          December 9, 2020 at 7:43 pm | #

          owo someone’s horny

      • Clif
        Clif
        December 9, 2020 at 3:39 pm | #

        I can assure you that my user name stands for no such thing. That seems a very odd question.

        I hope that your relationship with plastic wrap is emotionally satisfying.

        • plasticwrap
          plasticwrap
          December 10, 2020 at 7:14 am | #

          wasn’t replying to you doofus. Also I am a wreck so I doubt anyone would find a relationship with me satisfying in any way

    • Mariah Hardnett
      Mariah Hardnett
      December 9, 2020 at 1:23 am | #

      Looks at your channel and sees a bunch of she ra content
      A person of culture I see subscribed

  9. Passchendaele
    Passchendaele
    December 9, 2020 at 12:13 am | #

    the rich danny-joe lore I didn’t know I need until now

    • woobie
      woobie
      December 9, 2020 at 12:55 am | #

      I wouldn’t have given it to Booster Gold after his first line last strip. I wouldn’t’ve responded at all, likely.

      • Johan
        Johan
        December 9, 2020 at 1:19 am | #

        Their*

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          December 9, 2020 at 7:56 pm | #

          *their

  10. bejouled
    bejouled
    December 9, 2020 at 12:14 am | #

    I don’t understand. Is it not established that Joe is Jewish? He was telling Amber about Hanukkah.

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      December 9, 2020 at 12:17 am | #

      You can go to Christian schools without being Christian. I’m sure how cool schools are about that varies, but it happens.

      • Catt
        Catt
        December 9, 2020 at 12:22 am | #

        Definitely kinda weird at that age – most parents don’t want their six year old put in a position where their teacher is telling them they need to accept another religion or go to hell.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          December 9, 2020 at 12:33 am | #

          Maybe the Lutheran school had better test scores or something.

          • RacingTurtle
            RacingTurtle
            December 9, 2020 at 1:02 am | #

            That’s what I would assume. Unimpressive local public schools, no Jewish or secular private school, but the Lutheran school had good stats. (I’d rather be sent to the unimpressive public school in Joe’s position, but six-year-olds don’t always get a choice.)

      • Agemegos
        Agemegos
        December 9, 2020 at 12:58 am | #

        Yeah. I went to a Catholic school from Year 7 to Year 10, and got to take off to the library for an hour a week during Christian Doctrine lessons. But I had to go to the church twice per year and sit in the pews while everyone else took mass.

        • C.F.B.
          C.F.B.
          December 9, 2020 at 7:02 am | #

          My experience is the opposite: I had to take Religous Doctrine classes, but was exempted from mass.

    • JessWitt
      JessWitt
      December 9, 2020 at 12:24 am | #

      Yep, Joe’s Jewish. Maybe his dad (and mom?) transferred him to a Lutheran school that was easier to get to and/or more affordable?

      Personal experience, I recall a few Muslim and Protestant students at my grade levels in Catholic elementary school. They were exempted from Mass / communion but still had to attend Christian morals class. The area we lived in didn’t have any secular / non-Catholic schools at the time so I assume their parents had no choice outside of moving elsewhere for the schools they could attend.

      • Regina phalange
        Regina phalange
        December 9, 2020 at 12:34 am | #

        Second this—the schools may also just be better. Where I grew up, people of different faiths sent their kids to Catholic school because the area private schools were far better than the public, and the private schools were all Catholic, so that’s where the families who could afford it went (Joe and Danny strike me as upper-middle class, but I could be wrong).

    • UrsulaDavina
      UrsulaDavina
      December 9, 2020 at 12:25 am | #

      Sometimes you don’t have a choice I was raised Jewish but I grew up in a very rural area and had to goto a Christian school for a little while at least in pre k and kindergarten.

    • Rainhat
      Rainhat
      December 9, 2020 at 1:18 am | #

      The Catholic school I attended for a while had Jewish students. The school set good academic standards. It isn’t that unusual.

    • Mel Drake
      Mel Drake
      December 9, 2020 at 9:13 am | #

      I’ve known a few non Christians (south asian mainly) who sent their kids to catholic public school here because it’s the only publicly funded religious school and they wanted their kids to get comp Cishet abstinence training moral teaching that was at least somewhat in line with their own compared to the libertine general curriculum

    • Usarnavon
      Usarnavon
      December 9, 2020 at 4:20 pm | #

      My family is Jewish and lots of us have gone to Episcopal schools. My mom, my aunts, and even some of my cousins all ended up at the same ones. It happens sometimes when the public schools in your area are garbage but religious schools are the only available alternative.

  11. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    December 9, 2020 at 12:14 am | #

    “No milk & cookies for YOU!”

  12. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    December 9, 2020 at 12:14 am | #

    I wonder if Booster is going to assume they’ve got chemistry or something, though then again, also possible this results in Booster hitting on one of them or wanting to scope gals with Joe after they attempted to ask Ruth out earlier.

  13. drs
    drs
    December 9, 2020 at 12:16 am | #

    Panel 3: Joe becomes a one-eyed monster.

    Will Booster be his No-man?

    • MegaBee
      MegaBee
      December 9, 2020 at 4:20 am | #

      Ha!

  14. NotPiffany
    NotPiffany
    December 9, 2020 at 12:17 am | #

    Does the placement of Joe’s eye in the third panel look off to anyone else? It’s hitting me square in the uncanny valley.

    • Bicycle Bill
      Bicycle Bill
      December 9, 2020 at 12:18 am | #

      It DOES seem rather high up on his forehead, doesn’t it?

      But if we can have levitating eyebrows, why not a wandering eye or two?

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        December 9, 2020 at 7:21 am | #

        Joe? A wandering eye? That’s absurd.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      December 9, 2020 at 1:57 am | #

      I was just going to ask why no one else was asking about that. He is getting melt distorted or maybe his lizard folk camouflage is breaking down.

      • Falconer
        Falconer
        December 9, 2020 at 9:27 am | #

        “maybe his lizard folk camouflage is breaking down.”

        None of that, please, even as a joke.

        • Leorale
          Leorale
          December 9, 2020 at 12:33 pm | #

          Oops, the Jews-are-secretly-lizard-folk thing is actually a longstanding antisemitic trope. It’s been around since at least the middle ages, with very harmful effect.
          I assume you accidentally absorbed it from the culture and didn’t realize what you were playing into. Now you know, so please retire that trope, especially about Jewish characters. Thank you!

          • Slartibeast Button, BIA
            Slartibeast Button, BIA
            December 9, 2020 at 5:48 pm | #

            You assumed wrong.

            • Leorale
              Leorale
              December 9, 2020 at 7:00 pm | #

              Oh, in that case, my gentleness was misplaced, and you can fuck right off.

              @willis, if you’re reading these comments, looks like we’ve got an antisemite in here.

    • BarerMender
      BarerMender
      December 9, 2020 at 2:26 am | #

      I think it’s supposed to indicate Joe rolling his eyes.

    • Demoted Oblivious
      Demoted Oblivious
      December 9, 2020 at 8:03 pm | #

      I read that as he is looking up/rolling his eyes backwards in current/remembered frustration with Danny. The eyeroll continues in the final panel.

  15. Durandal_1707
    Durandal_1707
    December 9, 2020 at 12:18 am | #

    What on earth is going on with Joe’s eyes in the third panel?

    • a/snow/mous/e
      a/snow/mous/e
      December 9, 2020 at 12:26 am | #

      i think he’s supposed to be rolling them but it’s awkward because there’s no whites of his eyes

      • clif
        clif
        December 9, 2020 at 1:52 am | #

        We don’t usually see Joe having a high-level discussion.

        • clif
          clif
          December 9, 2020 at 2:00 am | #

          Ahem. We don’t usually see Joe having a high-brow discussion.

          Automangle is strong today.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        December 9, 2020 at 7:51 am | #

        Tall Rachel had a similar expression when she tore into Joe in the IT building lobby, but she had a case of Spontaneous Sclera to drive the effect home.

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          December 9, 2020 at 8:05 pm | #

          Thank you for sharing a term I had to google. The horror is real

          https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subconjunctival_bleeding

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            December 9, 2020 at 9:05 pm | #

            I just meant the whites of her eyes suddenly appeared for one panel. There’s no reason to drag the conversation into body horror…

  16. brionl
    brionl
    December 9, 2020 at 12:18 am | #

    Is that the “Thanks Obama” of the 16th century?

    • Corneel
      Corneel
      December 9, 2020 at 4:48 am | #

      One is a flawed but fundamentally decent guy, the other was one of the people at the origin of a period known as “The European Wars of Religion”, and a raging antisemite, even compared to his contemporaries, and no stranger to the development of Nazism ideology in that matter. So… no?

      • plasticwrap
        plasticwrap
        December 9, 2020 at 12:24 pm | #

        Luther was an antisemite.

      • MW
        MW
        December 10, 2020 at 5:48 am | #

        I’d say you should ask his victims how fundamentally decent Obama was, but of course, they fucking died.

        You know, from the drone bombings? The ones he bragged about being “really good” at?

  17. Madock345
    Madock345
    December 9, 2020 at 12:21 am | #

    God I love these two dorks together. They’re great

    That Roomies nostalgia lol

  18. Lingo
    Lingo
    December 9, 2020 at 12:29 am | #

    I honestly can’t tell if Danny is being sarcastic with that last line or not. Does he wish they weren’t friends? Really, do these two have anything in common anymore?

    • RacingTurtle
      RacingTurtle
      December 9, 2020 at 12:50 am | #

      Mario?

    • tbf
      tbf
      December 9, 2020 at 8:37 am | #

      They’ve reached that “old married couple” level of comfort with each other where history is more important than whatever they had in common fifteen years ago.

    • crow
      crow
      December 9, 2020 at 5:39 pm | #

      This is what Booster’s trying to get out of them.

  19. Bagge
    Bagge
    December 9, 2020 at 12:30 am | #

    This is a very Danny story

    • clif
      clif
      December 9, 2020 at 12:40 am | #

      Danning it up since kindergarten.

  20. FaerwenOfValenwood
    FaerwenOfValenwood
    December 9, 2020 at 12:38 am | #

    They’re both making ridiculously adorable faces in the last panel and I can’t decide who’s my favorite.

  21. Keulen
    Keulen
    December 9, 2020 at 12:41 am | #

    I get the feeling “thanks Martin Luther” is rarely expressed these days due to Luther’s antisemitism.

    • Yenklette
      Yenklette
      December 9, 2020 at 1:54 am | #

      Also, he took the nobles’ side during the Peasant Revolt and was a huge conservative jerk who referred to rebelling peasants as rabid dogs.

      • Yenklette
        Yenklette
        December 9, 2020 at 2:07 am | #

        That’s right I’m here to cancel Martin Luther my dad was raised Lutheran NONE OF YOU CAN STOP ME

        • Clif
          Clif
          December 9, 2020 at 2:26 am | #

          Can you deny that Martin Luther was one of the greatest composers of all time.

          • Jhon
            Jhon
            December 9, 2020 at 11:43 am | #

            He gave us some great hymns.
            (exits humming “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott”)

            • Clif
              Clif
              December 9, 2020 at 3:19 pm | #

              You’ve probably never heard any of his best stuff or even known that he wrote great music on account of he’s spent all these years decomposing.

      • Keulen
        Keulen
        December 9, 2020 at 7:01 am | #

        Yay, another reason for me to dislike Martin Luther.

    • CJ
      CJ
      December 9, 2020 at 3:28 am | #

      Yes, he did spout antisemitic stuff. Seems to be he was very much into what the Bible had to say about Jews but at first still proposed a conversion without violence early in his career and later actually began to be very aggressive about them. The German Wikipedia suggests that this might have been a reaction to the fear of having his reforms fail. Unfortunately, these texts were dug out again starting in the late 1800 to give credence to a rising political antisemitism.

      • khn0
        khn0
        December 9, 2020 at 7:22 am | #

        Well, not only he did say to burn them, but also he was against yenishes (falsely counted as “zigeuner”) which got more than decimated much later ( source https://core.ac.uk/display/26415978 ). Also he couldn’t not have known about the numerous XIIIth pogroms where the clergy had a strong take (see Basel or Strasburg) or the antisemitic laws edicted by nobility following his teachings.
        Regarding the “conversion without violence”, it’s not different from what many charismatics said before, only jews who cease to be jews are considered as possibly human, I can’t see that in a progress in any regard.

  22. Notmuch
    Notmuch
    December 9, 2020 at 12:47 am | #

    Oh boy. booster’s reading people and being completely correct. wow. yay. joy. 눈_눈

    • Kernanator
      Kernanator
      December 9, 2020 at 1:00 am | #

      It’s not like it’s a hard read.

    • clif
      clif
      December 9, 2020 at 1:13 am | #

      That’s the clue that Booster is post-surgery Mike and already knows all these things. Also that they are studying psych so they can help Amber this time around.

    • Tadpole7
      Tadpole7
      December 9, 2020 at 7:10 am | #

      This isnt so much a read as seeing the blatantly obvious. Booster’s comments are very similar to several comments I’ve recieved when people have seen me and an old friend of mine interact.

    • Zee
      Zee
      December 9, 2020 at 11:18 am | #

      Ah yes, because looking at those two and saying “you seem like old friends” is such a reach, obviously evidence of their omnipotence

  23. brasca1
    brasca1
    December 9, 2020 at 1:10 am | #

    Must be some tough Lutherans in Indiana. I went to a preschool run by a Lutheran church and only got in trouble for cussing.

  24. Johan
    Johan
    December 9, 2020 at 1:17 am | #

    I thought Joe was Jewish?

    But also… Church school was a fucking trip. So glad I only went for 7th grade and had heathen beaten into me before hand.

    • Socks
      Socks
      December 9, 2020 at 1:22 am | #

      Sometimes non-christian parents still put their kids in Christian schools when they’ve got better test scores or whatever. I think my mom went to a catholic school for a bit as a kid, despite being quite jewish, because the local public school was, like, not good.

      • Ray Radlein
        Ray Radlein
        December 9, 2020 at 3:54 am | #

        There may have been more Jewish students than Protestants at my Jesuit high school

    • clif
      clif
      December 9, 2020 at 1:50 am | #

      You had Heathen beaten into you? How did that work?

      And which variety of heathen?…

  25. BenRG
    BenRG
    December 9, 2020 at 2:19 am | #

    Booster, meet Joe and Danny. They’re brothers in almost every recognisable way except genetics.

    I’m wondering if Booster admires their bond. After all, coming out is never easy and I wonder if all of Booster’s existing social and familial links may have been strained to differing degrees.

  26. Rabid Rabbit
    Rabid Rabbit
    December 9, 2020 at 2:19 am | #

    It strikes me that what’s annoying about Booster isn’t even their reading people, so much as their pointing out that that’s what they’re doing. As in the first panel’s “I get that vibe off you,” which is like what they said about Roz (“There’s some real pay attention to me, I’m the middle child energy out of you”).

    Noticing that vibe isn’t anything special. As a reminder, when Jacob first met Danny, he immediately caught on to this dynamic as well: “You guys are a little married, huh.” https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/03-answers-in-hennessy/dan-it/

    But Booster insists on highlighting that this is what they’re doing. “Look at me! I’m as insightful as Hannibal Lecter!” Starting to wonder if they’re a middle child as well.

    • Clif
      Clif
      December 9, 2020 at 2:36 am | #

      As insightful as Hannibal Lecter is definitely going onto my business card.

      • Rabid Rabbit
        Rabid Rabbit
        December 9, 2020 at 2:58 am | #

        “I see inside you. I mean that literally, because I’m currently filleting you.”

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          December 9, 2020 at 8:12 pm | #

          Ah yes, another revealling interaction over dinner… I mean, -for- dinner.

        • Chris Phoenix
          Chris Phoenix
          December 10, 2020 at 2:47 am | #

          Heh, today’s QC is oddly on-topic for this comment.

  27. Sombrero
    Sombrero
    December 9, 2020 at 5:51 am | #

    The main problem with Booster is that they are forced to coldstart in their role. Mike had the advantage of starting as one more asshole in an all-assholes cast and then slowly graduating to onstage Greek Chorus in sync with the other characters’ arcs. So I guess it will be some time until we get used to Booster.

  28. eskimolos
    eskimolos
    December 9, 2020 at 6:19 am | #

    I have no problem with Booster and enjoy them as a breath of fresh air compared to other characters who pay precisely zero attention to what’s going on with other people and instead get salty at one another for not doing the most for them.

    I understand Booster doesn’t feel as familiar as the other characters in spite of getting very familiar with the other characters via reading their entire reasons for being after short convos, they will have their time to get involved with everyone. I love Booster like I love Dorothy – always right and pretty pedantic but also do really want to operate at the same pace as their peers.

    I don’t understand people picking favorites or specifically hating main cast characters, everyone in this comic is reprehensible at one point or the other, that’s kind of the point – everyone is problematic and ignorant and college is one of the major experiences in which we grow into more well-rounded, functional adults.

    • Anon A Mouse
      Anon A Mouse
      December 9, 2020 at 7:48 am | #

      In the brief time we have seen them Booster has gone from zero to A-hole in five seconds and seemed particularly proud of it. I hate a-holes who get a pass because they are a-holes and they speak “uncomfortable truths”. If they’ve got some sort of redeeming quality to show then maybe I’ll reconsider how I feel about them but until them they are, in all ways, “replacement Mike”.

  29. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    December 9, 2020 at 6:19 am | #

    Booster still analysing everyone out loud

  30. Edwin I Callahan
    Edwin I Callahan
    December 9, 2020 at 7:11 am | #

    These are comic characters in a web comic strip. That all of them are at least kinda off center is the point. (A read-life Amber would be her own chapter in the DSM-V.) I do agree Willis does need to do more with Booster than just using them to define (or redefine) the other characters for the reader.

    • Anon A Mouse
      Anon A Mouse
      December 9, 2020 at 7:49 am | #

      Yeah, especially in this scene Booster really feels like they are just there to say “So, tell me about your past!” and transition into that.

  31. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    December 9, 2020 at 7:39 am | #

    Okay, that Danny and Joe met in religious school is something I guess I missed in all other iterations. And I remember about the drawing of them riding a dragon, in third grade.

  32. Throwatron
    Throwatron
    December 9, 2020 at 8:18 am | #

    okay im just gonna say it, are we entirely sure mike didn’t fake his own death to smoothly transition into booster?

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      December 9, 2020 at 9:02 am | #

      Nobody has to get used to the change if they don’t know it’s you.

  33. thumb
    thumb
    December 9, 2020 at 9:43 am | #

    Booster’s gonna say something “insightful” and Joe is just gonna shut it down immediately. Probably with an eye roll and that good point from the worst person you know.
    (Clarification: Joe is only “the worst person you know” for the joke. There’s way worse people in the comic. And in life.)

  34. Mr. Random
    Mr. Random
    December 9, 2020 at 10:18 am | #

    Danny could only know if his eyes were open.
    That’s why he got sent to the office too.

  35. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    December 9, 2020 at 10:42 am | #

    A school where you had to pray… seriously? Only the idea disgusting me!

    • Deanatay
      Deanatay
      December 9, 2020 at 10:55 am | #

      You’re not ‘required’ to pray – you can just sit, close your eyes, and have ‘quiet time’, and no one will call you out on it. But God help you if you open your eyes… Yeah, American church schools are their own form of indoctrination…

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        December 9, 2020 at 4:02 pm | #

        Which kind of throws a monkey wrench into the separation of church and state concept.

        • Bicycle Bill
          Bicycle Bill
          December 9, 2020 at 4:37 pm | #

          Separation of church and state means that the STATE cannot promote, endorse, or otherwise force the practice of one particular religion at the expense of all others – as opposed to the good ol’ days in England, where if you weren’t a member of the Anglican Church/Church of England you were a good-for-nothing heathen, pagan, infidel – not that a religious community can’t have their own schools. Nobody is forcing you to support or send your children to a ‘church’ school.  They are held to certain standards and must teach certain subjects (like the ability to read and write English or perform arithmetic to a specific proficiency) the same as public schools, and for that reason they are entitled to get some support from the public fund to permit them to do so in order to be certified in the first place. So long as they are able to meet those standards and maintain their certifications, if they want to spend some of their school day on religious indoctrination they are free to do so as well. And if you, as a non-member of their specific Jesus/Yahweh/Buddha/FSM cult, choose to attend their school for whatever reason, you do so with eyes wide open, knowing what you are letting yourself in for.

        • Uly
          Uly
          December 9, 2020 at 4:43 pm | #

          Those schools aren’t run by the state.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            December 9, 2020 at 9:39 pm | #

            They are however often funded by the state. At least in part. Which makes things more complicated.

  36. Zee
    Zee
    December 9, 2020 at 11:23 am | #

    Ah, they’re like an old married couple

  37. Juanoku
    Juanoku
    December 9, 2020 at 11:39 am | #

    Goddamn wish i had friend, fu-

  38. Doom Shepherd
    Doom Shepherd
    December 9, 2020 at 12:39 pm | #

    Man, everybody loves it when Holmes and The Doctor do a Sherlock Scan, but when Booster does it, the RAGE goes on and on…

    • drs
      drs
      December 9, 2020 at 12:51 pm | #

      In Doyle, Sherlock is “deducing” material life history like “you are a sailor” or “your maidservant is sloppy”, not deep psychological probes. Also Sherlock typically spells out his “logic” based on specific observations. Also “Sherlock is an observational genius” is the whole premise.

      I don’t recall the Doctor doing the same thing so much, and anyway he is also a supergenius, plus being 1000 years old and literally psychic, in a bullshit narrativium universe. If you don’t want to watch the Doctor talk his way through a Dalek invasion, you shouldn’t be watching.

      Booster is a random new character, whose mere existence many of us resent (because of the whole Mike thing), doing unsolicited psych analysis that is preternaturally accurate for no reason, in a mostly realistic and current setting. No one signed up for this.

      • Delicious Taffy
        Delicious Taffy
        December 9, 2020 at 2:40 pm | #

        Admittedly I’ve only seen stuff from NuWho (barring certain old specials and The Movie), but I can’t think of any Sherlock Scanning. They basically just bullshit their way through every encounter.

        • Clif
          Clif
          December 9, 2020 at 3:25 pm | #

          Always a useful life skill. I feel I have much to learn from the Doctor.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            December 9, 2020 at 9:40 pm | #

            It’s very good to have the script writer on your side.

      • Doom Shepherd
        Doom Shepherd
        December 10, 2020 at 6:37 pm | #

        I admit I’m also into this because my late best friend from grad school could do what Booster does, also with uncanny accuracy, but was polite enough not to do so unless she was asked.

  39. karishi
    karishi
    December 9, 2020 at 3:45 pm | #

    Booster is HALF-charismatic. They consistently express interest in the people around them (good!), but then they don’t seem interested in reserving judgment (bad) even when they might be wrong (really bad) or when making this off-the-cuff read publicly could hurt someone (really really bad).
    They’re very much a psych STUDENT, having some of the skills and some of the interest that would lead a person into the field, but also lacking a bunch of training and best-practices that I consider Very Basic.

  40. Jess
    Jess
    December 9, 2020 at 4:55 pm | #

    wait, I thought Joe was Jewish? Am I mis-remembering?

    • drs
      drs
      December 9, 2020 at 5:45 pm | #

      He and his father are Jewish but pretty casual about it. I think Pop tried introducing Stacy and Amber to Hanukkah, but Joe has recently expressed opinions about the proper celebration of Christmas. Doesn’t seem out of reach for Joe to have been sent to a Lutheran kindergarden because it was close or particularly good. Also I forget what we know about Joe’s mother.

      • Sam
        Sam
        December 9, 2020 at 8:20 pm | #

        We know nothing of Joe’s mother other than that she didn’t deserve to be cheated on, that she divorced Joe’s dad and she opted not to appear on the parent’s weekend thing. So presumably she is not a serial cheater at the very least as Joe has expressed resentment to his dad and likely sympathises with his mother.

  41. HeySo
    HeySo
    December 9, 2020 at 8:20 pm | #

    What the everloving fuck is going on with panel 3? It’s like the Aliens chest-bursting scene, but with his eyes trying to burst up into and out of his forehead.. o.O;;;

  42. thejeff
    thejeff
    December 9, 2020 at 9:43 pm | #

    Now I’m wondering how much of our cast went to public school.

    We know Billie, Walky and Sal went to a private school. Becky and Joyce were homeschooled. Now we know Dan and Joe went to private school as well. And Dorothy?

    Or is this a distinction between a private kindergarten and public schools for the actual graded school years?

  43. elsendor
    elsendor
    December 9, 2020 at 9:54 pm | #

    why does booster KNOW EVERYTHING

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 ↑