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
YOU'RE NOT READING IT RIGHT
First Previous Random 125Comments 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
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.
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.
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!
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.)
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.
Anarchy Dreamers
Emily Ree
Sparkly undead kids fight society's worst Nightmares in this pastel-punk urban fantasy coming-of-age!
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.
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.
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
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.
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.
Starhammer
J.N. Monk, Harry Bogosian
A teen girl inherits a powerful alien artifact and proceeds to make a series of increasingly poor decisions
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.
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?
Real Science Adventures
Brian Clevinger
Spin off stories and other adventures from the world of Atomic Robo!
Heroes of Thantopolis
Izzy Strontium Hall
A living boy fights to save the City of the Dead.
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Parisa
Ellen K
Two friends, Nolan and Gwen, take it upon themselves to escort the amnesiac spirit Lelief across the world of Parisa.
El Goonish Shive
Dan Shive
WARNING: This comic often ignores the Laws of Physics
Witchy
Ariel Slamet Ries
In the witch kingdom Hyalin, the strength of your magic is determined by the length of your hair.
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.
Star Trip
Gisele Weaver
Jas is a human taken from her home planet on a trip across the galaxy she will never forget.
Sufficiently Remarkable
Maki Naro
Two young women living in Brooklyn discover that you're always coming of age.
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.
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.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
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".
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.
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!
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.
Atomic Robo
Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener
The robot punches monsters and bad robots and one time he was a cowboy.
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.
Awkward Zombie
Katie Tiedrich
Gags and goofs about videogames and the things that happen in them.
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!
Never Satisfied
Taylor Robin
Lucy Marlowe, a magician's apprentice, competes against other apprentices for an important, magical, Goverment Job.
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.
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.
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.
Peritale
Mari Costa
A fairy godmother with no magic tries her best to successfully fulfill a Fairytale and win the respect of her peers.
[un]Divine
Ayme
A highschool senior thought giving up his soul for a demon was a good idea. It wasn't.
Knights Errant
J.R. Doyle
Wilfrid's humble quest for revenge becomes bigger and bloodier by the day.
Laws and Sausages
Zach Weinersmith
Your cartoon guide to the American governement!
Awaken
Koti Saavedra/Flipfloppery
Superpowers, monsters and conspiracies. Piras, the spoiled Dameschi heir, fights to recover his identity after becoming a terrorist!
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?
Lighter Than Heir
Melissa Albino
A young Volant woman joins the military in an effort to upstage her war-hero father.
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.
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.
Wilde Life
Pascalle Lepas
Oscar decided to rent an old haunted house, and that's when things got weird...
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 19, 2026

Printed

by David M Willis on May 18, 2023 at 12:01 am
  • 04 – But Don't Give Yourself Away
└ Tags: joe, joyce

Discussion (125) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    May 18, 2023 at 12:01 am | #

    Moseth Rothenberg

    Seth: “The context for my sexist attitude is so I have room to grow into the pseudo-Prince Charming that best befits the lovely main character”

    Joe: uh what

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      May 18, 2023 at 12:08 am | #

      As Joe reads on, he sees fictional depictions of their interactions at the figure drawing class, the awkward confessions, everything, until they’re in the exact state they are now, with Seth reading the paper.

      Odd thing is, Joyce has a six month buffer…

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        May 18, 2023 at 2:30 am | #

        So we’ll get to see that sometime in the mid-2030s! (Assuming the 66:1 passage of time ratio is still in the ballpark.)

        • Decidedly Orthogonal
          Decidedly Orthogonal
          May 18, 2023 at 12:40 pm | #

          Well, the _characters_ passage of time is 1/66th. But if Joyce is truly a projection of the Author, then she may also write with a sliding dilated time scale. So we may be looking at something like 1/66/66th, or 1/4356th time scale in Julia Grey’s timeline.

          • Smallmoon
            Smallmoon
            May 19, 2023 at 8:14 am | #

            however, we also have to weigh that against Joyce writing the comic to build to Julia Grey being an ace space fighter pilot who takes orders from Commander in Chief President Doris. That is, while the individual strips are at 1:66, there may be elisions or time skips that result in the comic covering all the way to President Doris’ election before Joyce graduates.

  2. Dave Van Domelen
    Dave Van Domelen
    May 18, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    Death (by embarrassment) of the Author.

    • Jamie
      Jamie
      May 18, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

      If I ever published something, that’s how I would die.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        May 18, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

        You can’t hurt me anymore. I remember everything I drew in High School.

        • TulipKitten
          TulipKitten
          May 18, 2023 at 1:51 am | #

          I remember my worst social interactions in high school and they play like a video in my head on repeat. So often.

          • Furie
            Furie
            May 18, 2023 at 2:57 am | #

            Unless it compares to standing on a muddy field and shaking your foot to get a clump of mud off your foot, starting a slide that saw you shoot across the mud, somersault kick a girl in the face and land face down in said mud, I think I’ve got you licked.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        May 18, 2023 at 3:49 am | #

        That’s why I never publish anything.

        • Decidedly Orthogonal
          Decidedly Orthogonal
          May 18, 2023 at 12:41 pm | #

          That’s what I claim is why I never publish anything. But the truth is much darker. I just don’t produce.

      • NGPZ
        NGPZ
        May 18, 2023 at 4:06 am | #

        My host bod is already a zombie at this point, so eh. XD

  3. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    May 18, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    Oh Joyce, this is the problem with basing characters on your friends. They’ll either be insulted, annoyed, or creeped out. Possibly all three.

    • True Survivor
      True Survivor
      May 18, 2023 at 12:10 am | #

      Have you ever played Dragon Age 2 (great game, especially if your willing to overlook some obvious budget-cut-related flaws if a game has great story)? One character Isabella writes “friend-fiction.” It is deeply disturbing.

      • Kyrik Michalowski
        Kyrik Michalowski
        May 18, 2023 at 12:14 am | #

        I have not played 2 yet, I have played the first game, and Inquistion, but I haven’t gotten to 2 yet. Probably should have played 2 before Inquisition, but oh well.

        When I do play it, I shall be on the lookout for Isabella and her fiction. Until then, I’ll just have to imagine how disturbing it is.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        May 18, 2023 at 12:22 am | #

        Key point, you need to like the Dragon Age 2 story and that’s not guaranteed. It’s an extremely divisive game even relative to the other Dragon Age games.

        • Cholma
          Cholma
          May 18, 2023 at 12:51 am | #

          I’ve never understood the hatred some people have for DA2. I liked it just fine. I just assumed that since the gameplay was different from the DA1 that people just hated change.

          • Thag Simmons
            Thag Simmons
            May 18, 2023 at 1:23 am | #

            DA2 is a massive downgrade in terms of scope, for one thing. Way less freedom in character creation, the map is smaller and there’s a lot less variety in the combat encounters.

            But also it’s a very story driven game, and if the story ain’t clicking for you it’s not going to work, especially since you have considerably less power to change the outcome than the last game. And there’s definitely a lot of people that the story didn’t click for.

          • C.T. Phipps
            C.T. Phipps
            May 18, 2023 at 8:08 am | #

            Dragon Age: Origins is high fantasy. You are the big hero, everyone loves you, and you will save the world from the armies of the orcs.

            Dragon Age 2 is Fantastic Noir. You are in a hopelessly corrupt city, you can’t make any systemic changes, and every attempt to do good is only going to be a minor victory at best.

      • Nono
        Nono
        May 18, 2023 at 12:45 am | #

        It’s humourous in-context (and Isabela-Aveline routinely riff on each other) but yeah I can see why it’s also not something you spring on someone without knowing them really well enough.

        Or to quote, “I will never, ever be clean again.”

        • True Survivor
          True Survivor
          May 18, 2023 at 12:53 am | #

          It is very funny, just in a uniquely disturbing fashion.

      • Formerly Glenn
        Formerly Glenn
        May 18, 2023 at 2:37 am | #

        Have you ever watched Bob’s Burgers?

        Tina writes, specifically “erotic” friend fiction.

        She’s a little innocent, so I put erotic in quotes, but it’s exactly as cringe inducing hilarious as it sounds.

        And is also a little heartwarming somehow.

        • HueSatLight
          HueSatLight
          May 18, 2023 at 10:03 am | #

          “Is the Jimmy Jr. in your story based on me?”

      • zee
        zee
        May 18, 2023 at 10:48 am | #

        I had an older friend in highschool who would threaten to do that to other people, but I’m like 90% sure she was joking. It was 2014, she was into yaoi and got me into Homestuck. It’s impossible to know for sure what she would and wouldn’t do.

    • Archieve
      Archieve
      May 18, 2023 at 12:31 am | #

      Not to mention keeping to plot so close to your own life its practically a comic style diary might come back to bite you if there are people you don’t want up in your buisness.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        May 18, 2023 at 8:37 am | #

        It’s also likely to be a problem when you’ve plotted out an epic decades long story based on your current takes on your friends and their relationships.

    • Marisa Mockery
      Marisa Mockery
      May 18, 2023 at 10:08 am | #

      My friends wanted me to insert them in my college comic. I refused for this reason. All my characters were based on aspects of my personality and life to be safe. So glad I never fell into the friend fiction trap!

      • Ana Chronistic
        Ana Chronistic
        May 18, 2023 at 9:33 pm | #

        They just wanted cameos! Like a certain scared raccoon-like kitty in the Lackadaisy pilot! 😬👍

        • Ana Chronistic
          Ana Chronistic
          May 18, 2023 at 9:33 pm | #

          (you can actually READ my gravestone in the HD version)

    • Daibhid C
      Daibhid C
      May 18, 2023 at 1:18 pm | #

      I used to be a member of a fanfic group that heavily featured author avatar characters getting involved into the text. On several occasions I was involved in round robin fics that had said avatars interacting. I always felt a bit uncomfortable writing the avatars of the other characters and would obsessively analyse how they’d continued the story, trying to work out if they thought I’d got them wrong.

      On the other hand, I thought most of them wrote Daibhid better than I did.

      • Daibhid C
        Daibhid C
        May 18, 2023 at 1:19 pm | #

        Should be “the avatars of the other writers“, obviously.

  4. BBCC
    BBCC
    May 18, 2023 at 12:03 am | #

    This is why Daisy said not to set your heart on that, Joyce!

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      May 18, 2023 at 12:10 am | #

      She was warned! Perils of trying to tell serial fiction in a newspaper.

      • Rose by Any Other Name
        Rose by Any Other Name
        May 18, 2023 at 12:17 am | #

        … did anyone else read that as “Penis of trying to tell serial fiction”?

        • Kyrik Michalowski
          Kyrik Michalowski
          May 18, 2023 at 1:32 am | #

          I didn’t see it until you said that, now I can’t unsee it.

          • NGPZ
            NGPZ
            May 18, 2023 at 2:37 am | #

            Yeah me too, thanks Professor Rose! I needed that. 🤣

        • Chaucer59
          Chaucer59
          May 18, 2023 at 8:25 am | #

          Nope. Just you. And NGPZ.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        May 18, 2023 at 6:32 am | #

        At least she doesn’t have to time Sunday strips into the story arc her dailies are telling. (Sunday strips used to have more lead time in ye olde newspapre days.)

        Also, it’s the 21st century. If she’s that worried about the sequence her comic publishes in, she should post it online.

        • TerribleTransit
          TerribleTransit
          May 18, 2023 at 11:54 am | #

          Yeah but the Internet is where losers like Walky post their comics, not upstanding individuals like her who earned their place in the venerated pages of the newspaper because of merit and definitely not because of any completely arbitrary decisions made by the staff.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      May 18, 2023 at 1:15 am | #

      I see you are rocking the Jason Gravatar tonight. A fine choice.

      • Clif
        Clif
        May 18, 2023 at 1:40 am | #

        Indeed.

        • Clif
          Clif
          May 18, 2023 at 1:43 am | #

          It

          • Clif
            Clif
            May 18, 2023 at 1:45 am | #

            Is.

            • Clif
              Clif
              May 18, 2023 at 1:46 am | #

              Jackpot!!!

              • NGPZ
                NGPZ
                May 18, 2023 at 2:44 am | #

                Sal FTW 🥳

  5. Chaucer59
    Chaucer59
    May 18, 2023 at 12:03 am | #

    The alternate title of this week’s strip: Busted.

  6. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    May 18, 2023 at 12:04 am | #

    They totally skip over Seth’s slut phase. It’s the character progression that really sells it! Daisy has no concept of what a slow burn romance is!

    • TulipKitten
      TulipKitten
      May 18, 2023 at 1:49 am | #

      She’s shipping Julia and Doris, so I don’t think Daisy is interested in straight romance.

      • Daibhid C
        Daibhid C
        May 18, 2023 at 1:58 pm | #

        Yeah, she’s probably jumped straight to the one where Julia has to give Doris mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

        (Note to non-Patrons: This is an entirely canon Roommates!!! strip that Joyce has really drawn.)

  7. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    May 18, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

    There Will Be Donuts. I swear.

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      May 18, 2023 at 3:15 am | #

      Obligatory reminder that National Donut Day is June 2nd! 😋🍩

  8. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    May 18, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

    Hoping for another 69 Mouse-Ear Blvd strip.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      May 18, 2023 at 12:27 pm | #

      c u r s e d

  9. General Tekno
    General Tekno
    May 18, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

    I wonder how word for word this strip is for Willis’ own life experiences.

  10. saltchocolate
    saltchocolate
    May 18, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

    Uh oh

    • Jo_cubstar
      Jo_cubstar
      May 18, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

      Omg that’s the cutest Sal face 😍

  11. True Survivor
    True Survivor
    May 18, 2023 at 12:08 am | #

    I don’t know much about the history of the Willis-verse. Did it start as a college produced comic strip, and if so, is this a slight that Willis has been waiting 25 years to vent? If so kudos for playing a hell of long game.

    • StClair
      StClair
      May 18, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

      Yes, and probably yes.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      May 18, 2023 at 12:13 am | #

      Compare and Contrast

      • True Survivor
        True Survivor
        May 18, 2023 at 12:51 am | #

        Thank you so much. That is so cool.

  12. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    May 18, 2023 at 12:08 am | #

    Also he’s best friends with a guy named Randy who plays the Banjo and wears a hat.

    • Cass
      Cass
      May 18, 2023 at 12:17 am | #

      No, the character in the strip’s name is Danny, and Joyce doesn’t know why she picked it but it just felt like it fit the character she definitely didn’t base on that one guy who sometimes does and sometimes does not have a hat.

      • Daibhid C
        Daibhid C
        May 18, 2023 at 2:08 pm | #

        The Danny character has appeared at least once in the Paetron strips.

        The joke is that Joyce hasn’t bothered naming him at all.

  13. cbwroses
    cbwroses
    May 18, 2023 at 12:08 am | #

    They’re so cute together.
    I’m going to hop aboard this ship.

  14. emeraldbeacon
    emeraldbeacon
    May 18, 2023 at 12:10 am | #

    PLEASE tell me this is one of the freebie bookmarks that you hand out at conventions.

  15. Suet
    Suet
    May 18, 2023 at 12:10 am | #

    Well that explains the Seth name. Mess around and find out, eh, Joyce?

    Ah, the problem of storyline comic strips – chronology.

    • Angel
      Angel
      May 18, 2023 at 12:47 am | #

      it is kinda weird that a newspaper would do that. i mean some stand alone comic strips like garfield doesn’t matter with an ‘order’, but you’d think joyce or someone would either ‘demand’ it being in the proper order or even just label teh number and only send it in chronologically one at a time

      • David M Willis
        David M Willis
        May 18, 2023 at 5:41 pm | #

        When I had my strip in the IU newspaper, I quickly learned to deliver them two strips at a time (two fit on a page) or else they’d get jumbled in publication. So every other day I’d just drop off a photocopy at the newspaper office.

  16. Shorduie
    Shorduie
    May 18, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

    Gosh I just love their dynamic. Mostly cause I think Joyce is hot butlt still, so cute

    • Shorduie
      Shorduie
      May 18, 2023 at 12:12 am | #

      But*
      I get nervous around hot people, it happens

  17. AbacusWizard
    AbacusWizard
    May 18, 2023 at 12:12 am | #

    “they might not print in the right order”

    My abacus-sense tells me that this might be based on personal experience

    • cbwroses
      cbwroses
      May 18, 2023 at 12:14 am | #

      “Abacus-sense…clacking…”

      • AbacusWizard
        AbacusWizard
        May 19, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

        It all adds up—you can count on it.

  18. Archieve
    Archieve
    May 18, 2023 at 12:19 am | #

    Sorry Joyce but you going to have to go further then slightly different names. Might even have to commit to giving your characters different haircuts.

  19. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    May 18, 2023 at 12:24 am | #

    Seth, not bad, and I love how easily Joe figured it out instead of just assuming “different ‘Old Testament’ name” as the connective tissue.

    Joyce’s pouting about all of this is delightful.

  20. Zane Becker-Byrd
    Zane Becker-Byrd
    May 18, 2023 at 12:26 am | #

    Truely a match made in heaven.

  21. Nono
    Nono
    May 18, 2023 at 12:28 am | #

    Wait did the stubble actually come back?

    She’s a witch!

    • 3oranges
      3oranges
      May 18, 2023 at 12:38 am | #

      Atheists can have little a witchcraft
      As a treat

  22. Paradoxius
    Paradoxius
    May 18, 2023 at 12:32 am | #

    Now the real pro strat here would have been to reverse the order of this and the previous strip…

    • Clif
      Clif
      May 18, 2023 at 1:51 am | #

      Maybe they did and this *is* the reverse order.

  23. anonymsly
    anonymsly
    May 18, 2023 at 12:34 am | #

    Aaaah, I love their interactions. I particularly love how comfortable Joyce is with him physically. She climbed up to fix his face, and just stayed up there to drape over his shoulders.

  24. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    May 18, 2023 at 12:36 am | #

    Would be funny if a Walkyverse character made it to the Juliaverse without being in the Dumbiverse.

  25. Angel
    Angel
    May 18, 2023 at 12:45 am | #

    aww the teasing. and lol surprised joyceh asn’t also set up her own website or just use twitter instead like walky’s going to do (And lol surprised there’s no editor giving her notes/feedback unless they don’t rly care as long as it’s not ‘inappropriate’ )

  26. Caro
    Caro
    May 18, 2023 at 12:45 am | #

    i’m glad joyce has her hair down again

  27. Taffy
    Taffy
    May 18, 2023 at 1:15 am | #

    Finally, a cute hetero couple in something I like. Aside from this, Dragon Ball, The Legend of Zelda, Stevens’ Universe Spider-Man and Castlevania, I have a hard time liking the straight couples in stuff. That seems like a lot all in a row, but goddamn I watch/read/play a lot of varied stuff and it’s Straightsville Wyoming over here but there’s nowhere to shop and nowhere to eat and nowhere to hang out. Idk what it is, a lot of them just have fuck-all chemistry and I can’t really get into it. Feels less like “These two are a couple because we wrote them as one” and more “These two are a couple because we wrote that sentence”, if that makes sense?

    Point being, good job making the straights seem less boring. 10/10.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      May 18, 2023 at 1:23 am | #

      Haven’t seen Steven Universe, except for the “Stronger Than You” sequence. However I approve of all your other mentions; I have a strong desire to see Zelda and Link together, and Krillin/18 is the best couple in all of anime. Spiderman and MJ is also just a really chill couple to enjoy(not lately but that is besides the point.) As for Castlevania, I like Sypha/Trevor for their chemistry, and Soma/Mina for being a cute couple and Soma’s determination to protect her.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        May 18, 2023 at 1:56 am | #

        Gimme that melee boi (usually with a shield) and a brainy caster lass any day of the week. Steven and Connie invert that dynamic to an extent, which is neat. They have to very obviously enjoy each other’s company and be able to tease without it feeling like something one of them can’t take.

        • NGPZ
          NGPZ
          May 18, 2023 at 3:45 am | #

          Hey Taffy if I may ask, what anime is your avatar from? I really like it. 🙂

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            May 18, 2023 at 6:54 am | #

            Currently, none. That’s Suria from The Rock Cocks.

        • zee
          zee
          May 18, 2023 at 10:55 am | #

          I screamed when Steven and Connie kissed at the end of future. That was somehow a bigger moment and more surprising to me than any of the ample gay shit.

          Also Castlevania the games or anime? Bc i love how the show does romance, i really liked hector and Lenore’s dynamic despite how fucked up it was (dark fantasy, my standards are different) and I’m still mad about how they ended.

          Also love how subtle Trevor and Sypha were revealed. Just subtle, getting closer, cuter moments and more touch, the hint at sharing a bed before the full on confirmation they slept together. No making a big deal out of it, just a slight shift in their dynamic

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            May 18, 2023 at 11:26 am | #

            I haven’t played any of the games. Didn’t have a Nintendo Anything til I was like 17, then my DS got stolen and I didn’t play another one until my girlfriend bought a Switch. Now I just like Zelda and basically nothing else, so it’s only been the show for me.

    • Tan
      Tan
      May 18, 2023 at 11:38 am | #

      I am personally super not into Link+Zelda canonical pairing, but at the same time love me some AU fan animations that make them both wholesome absolute dorks about one another (look up “shar” on Youtube if you care to, for a prime example)

      Then again I also thoroughly enjoy A Tale of Two Rulers, which is a fancomic that involves Zelda and Ganon getting together, so.

  28. Now
    Now
    May 18, 2023 at 1:56 am | #

    THE STUBBLE ACTUALLY GREW BACK BYE I’M DEAAAAAD

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      May 18, 2023 at 1:59 am | #

      It’s a stand power, I knew it, I fucking knew it XD

  29. Megan Rivera
    Megan Rivera
    May 18, 2023 at 2:11 am | #

    The faces are SO expressive and funny/cute in this whole strip, great job Willis. ♥

  30. ProjectXa3
    ProjectXa3
    May 18, 2023 at 2:29 am | #

    I am guessing that this is one of those times where Joyce Is Beimg Extremely Autobiographical isn’t it

  31. Acher4
    Acher4
    May 18, 2023 at 2:35 am | #

    OMG the Stubble(R) did come back!?!?!
    <..>
    *runs to the mountains screaming like a mad man*

  32. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    May 18, 2023 at 2:57 am | #

    Joe’s face in panel 3 is so delightful. Reading his girl to filth.

  33. NGPZ
    NGPZ
    May 18, 2023 at 3:20 am | #

    Re: Alt-text, sums up about 40% of comments section discussion concisely.

    And I am low-balling it! 🤣🤣🤣

  34. AGV
    AGV
    May 18, 2023 at 4:08 am | #

    He’s onto you, Joyce

  35. Queezle
    Queezle
    May 18, 2023 at 4:32 am | #

    I really like after time skip Joe. And if you had told me I would come to like Joe when I started reading the comic I would have though you were crazy. But here we are

  36. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    May 18, 2023 at 5:46 am | #

    Joyce is going to be a beautiful parrot 😍

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      May 18, 2023 at 7:44 pm | #

      Parrot? Pika Pika?

      Is that some romantic or sexual euphemism of which I am not aware? 😮

      • Mark
        Mark
        May 18, 2023 at 10:15 pm | #

        Like the parrot that perches on the shoulder of the pirate captain, I think.

        Hm, with a big ugly hat and a fancy colorful jacket, Joe could do Pirate Captain pretty well. If he lets the stubble grow back.

  37. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    May 18, 2023 at 6:03 am | #

    Yesterday ADLegend21 mentioned Joe’s eyebrows seeming to have been shaved along with his stubble. Now here they go again. I have to go back and reread ~13 years of comics to see how they appear with his expressions.

  38. Yeet
    Yeet
    May 18, 2023 at 7:11 am | #

    the perils of self- and friend-insert writing
    srsly joyce I think he’s cool with it

  39. J.Gawain
    J.Gawain
    May 18, 2023 at 7:37 am | #

    You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!

  40. Mr.Morningstar
    Mr.Morningstar
    May 18, 2023 at 7:44 am | #

    I’m more impressed that Joyce actually WILLED Joe’s stubble back

    Either that or he’s homer simpson and comes back five seconds after he shaves

  41. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    May 18, 2023 at 8:22 am | #

    Is it, tho

  42. Hof1991
    Hof1991
    May 18, 2023 at 9:06 am | #

    Facial hair growth is related to testosterone levels. Being near Joyce makes the stubble appear.

  43. Schpoonman
    Schpoonman
    May 18, 2023 at 9:26 am | #

    Honestly, I was wondering where Joyce got “Seth” since all the other names were just that transparent.

    • GholaHalleck
      GholaHalleck
      May 18, 2023 at 9:40 am | #

      Joe probably had a lot of friends call him Brosefh, so it was easier to hear it phonetically.

    • Segnosaur
      Segnosaur
      May 18, 2023 at 12:46 pm | #

      Wasn’t there a strip earlier where joe asked “is there a character named Moe in your comic” And Joyce replied “not if I can get some white out”

      • Schpoonman
        Schpoonman
        May 18, 2023 at 11:33 pm | #

        Oh, I think I remeber that now.

  44. Segnosaur
    Segnosaur
    May 18, 2023 at 10:21 am | #

    I wonder if they’ll give any reason WHY the strips are appearing out of order.

    I mean, is it just a case of the newspaper being careless? Did an editor second-guess Joyce thinking “this should be the order”?

    I mean, they’re comic strips and probably are all the same size, so I doubt they pick them based on “what fits best today”.

    • modulusshift
      modulusshift
      May 18, 2023 at 10:32 am | #

      cause it’s just thrown into the back of the layout by people who don’t really care about it. just like the original version of Roomies! Willis is clearly still a little upset about it lol

  45. Keulen
    Keulen
    May 18, 2023 at 12:15 pm | #

    Either Joe’s facial hair grows really fast, or Joyce developed new magic powers.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      May 18, 2023 at 3:36 pm | #

      Whiskers visible under the skin.

  46. shrub
    shrub
    May 18, 2023 at 12:52 pm | #

    Very much liking the physical proximity, the casual body contact going on here, showing just how comfortable, how natural this is for both of them, nothing forced or performative happening

    Unlike Walky and Lucy

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      May 18, 2023 at 7:23 pm | #

      On one hand, I get what you’re saying, but on the other, I feel like Walky could be mid-intercourse with Lucy, intertwined, and people would still be posting, “But does he even like her, though?”

  47. wakeangel2001
    wakeangel2001
    May 18, 2023 at 8:28 pm | #

    I see no logical or practical reason to post the strips out of their intended order except to pointedly discourage sequential storytelling, or you know, be a dick to the writer, which is common in the entertainment industry too

    • Vukodlak
      Vukodlak
      May 18, 2023 at 11:57 pm | #

      Just ask the people who made Firefly.

  48. Dday
    Dday
    May 19, 2023 at 3:05 am | #

    I appreciate the gradual nature of this relationship. Even though Joyce is just melting with horniness, it has so much weight that they hold hands or that Joyce touches Joe’s shoulders. The smallest amount of intimacy progress represents a big threshold for Joyce physically and for Joe emotionally. Makes you shiver with antici-

    .

  49. Yakumo
    Yakumo
    May 19, 2023 at 3:34 pm | #

    Ah, I thought she might be going for 3rd son of Adam from the Old Testament. Jewish reference for the non-practicing (I want to say Agnostic, not Aethist, but can’t quite remember) Jew.

    Makes note to dive into the Internet to see if the name Joseph is related to Seth in any way.

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 ↑