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
nobody ask if dean mchenry was a TA
First Previous Random 246Comments 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
Sakana
Mad Rupert
Our heroes must navigate a hazardous dating scene, overcome personal anxieties, and wrangle unruly seafood in order to find love, peace of mind, and a paycheck.
ARISE, YE SKELETON KING
Brian Clevinger, Escher Cattle, Lee Black
A troupe of wandering "adventurers" down to their last silver "acquire" a map only to find the real treasure was the fiend they dug up along the way.
The Last Diplomat
Cat Farris
Samma and Tark didn't ask to be stuck together, but now they're partners on the adventure of a lifetime.
Blindsprings
Kadi Fedoruk
Tamaura, wrested into a world 300 years in the future, must find a way to save the magic fading from her country.
Kochab
Sarah Webb
A YA F/F fantasy comic about Sonya, a lost skier trying to survive a snowy wilderness and find her way back to her village; and Kyra - a fire spirit trying to fix the home that she let fall apart around her.
Empowered
Adam Warren
A sexy superhero comedy (except when it isn't) about the never-ending struggles of a plucky but very unlucky young superheroine.
Stand Still, Stay Silent
Minna Sundberg
A few generations after the end of the world, a small, poorly financed research crew is sent out to rediscover whatever is left of the forbidden old world in the south.
Not Drunk Enough
Tess Stone
Logan Ibarra is possibly the unluckiest repairman in the world. A late night job should not have landed him in the middle of a mad scientist's squabble, but he soon finds himself surrounded by monsters and further madness with little tools to get out.
The Substitutes
Myisha Haynes
What happens when three roommates accidentally acquire otherworldly and powerful magic weapons destined for someone else?
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.
Alice and the Nightmare
Misha Krivanek
Alice finally attends University to learn to collect the dreams of humans, meet new friends, and deal with a pesky reflection along the way.
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
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!
Love Not Found
Gina Biggs
Abeille is on a quest to find someone who wants to do it the old-fashioned way in a time when touching has become outdated.
Augustine
Winter Jay Kiakas, Windy
August and her ragtag group are just like everyone else, simply surviving in the treacherous Crater... When they stumble into what may be an artifact of the ancient past, their lives are thrown into a much bigger loop as they trifle with bounty hunters, monsters and gods.
Saint for Rent
Ru Xu
Saint Halliday runs an inn for Time Travelers. Unfortunately, he seems to attract other supernatural "guests," too.
Within
Verena Loisel
A young hitman meanders between a reality that seems to happen without him, and his dreams where he is lost in an endless house. When he makes an accidental friend, his world is shaken up and he realizes there are things he can't remember about himself.
Darkling Bright
Chris Hazelton
Kieran Bright is a college student home for the summer and roped into an online reunion with his old neighborhood friends in the most recent update of their favorite childhood MMORPG. At least, he was, and that was the idea... Join Kieran and his friends as they are pulled into another reality that may or may not be real and are forced to confront their own identities, the nature of simulated universes and reality itself.
Astral Aves
Moon Cabal
A fantasy coming-of-age following the adventures of Astra The Black and friends, as they navigate the mysterious world around them. It's politics, adventure, and the supernatural; oh, and crazy hair.
Trying Human
IntroducingEmy
Two women separated by over half a century are brought together by an alien-filled conspiracy involving murder, mystery and romance!
Aquapunk
Lo
In an underwater world of unknown coordinates, inhabited by aliens, ghosts, and robots, a young member of a warrior underclass is framed for a crime and goes on the run. Little does he know he is part of a grand design that only gods and ancestors could choreograph.
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
Missing Monday
Elle Skinner
Two girls fall in love through a magic door connecting their worlds. When Monday suddenly goes missing, it's up to Foyle to find her. How she's going to navigate an entirely unfamiliar world is another matter.
The Weave
Rennie Kingsley
A young woman pursued by bad luck is witness to the murder of the Fairy Queen of Summer. Can she get to the bottom of this mystery?
Freakshow
Scotty
A festival of broken people, blood flows in the center ring. Come one and come all, to the greatest show in all of Paris.
Scape
Lauren
Sula has always preferred to forge her own path, but before she knows it, she is pulled into the middle of a civil war between man and monster!
Edison Rex
Chris Roberson
The adventures of the world’s greatest villain who, after defeating his superheroic nemesis, decides that he’s the only one left to defend the world.
Alexander, The Servant & The Water of Life
Reimena Yee
The 21st century retelling of the life and legends of Alexander the Great.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Widdershins
Kate Ashwin
A series of light-hearted Victorian-era adventure stories featuring grumpy bounty hunters, accidental thiefkings, and more, in England's magical capital city Widdershins!
Headless Bliss
Clover
A story about story-telling, and other metaphysical themes such as Nightmares! (Failed) Teamwork! Comedy! And more!
Cassiopeia Quinn
Gunwild, Psudonym
A cute, pantsless thief is pursued across the stars by a buttoned-up military officer in the spacey, laser-filled future.
Sleepless Domain
Mary Cagle (Cube Watermelon)
In a world where magical girls and their battles are commonplace, loss has become all too common as well.
Star Impact
Jack McGee
A young, energetic woman fights her way up in the world of super-powered boxing after discovering the mighty gloves of her missing idol!
The End
August Brown, Cory Brown
Two aliens crash a sci-fi convention and accidentally take seven nerds on an adventure that spans the galaxy!
The Forgotten Order
Christy
A young witch for whom every spell is a misfire finds solace and friendship in her new companion - a cursed doll.
Barbarous
Ananth Hirsh, Yuko Ota
A crummy wizard and an anxious monster have to get over themselves and bring order to an apartment building full of misfits.
The Golden Boar
Magnolia Porter Siddell
A young woman joins a group of summoners who call forth Guardian Beasts to protect their isolated magical island. Unfortunately, her Guardian Beast is nothing like she'd imagined, and he's about to change her life, and everything she thought she knew about herself...
Beeserker
TJ Cordes
This comic is about a robot powered by bees, but it's also about the kind of people who think filling a robot with bees is a good idea, and why they're wrong.
Lies Within
Lacey
Lysander's aimless and carefree life is turned upside down when he accidentally discovers that the cute boy next door, Simon, is a literal monster
Goodbye to Halos
Valerie Halla
Cuddles, gay flirting, weird feelings, and magic-fueled knife fights - it's an adventure across the queer multiverse!
Quick$ilver
Crypto
The flirtatious, directionless, and ever disastrous Luci searches for excitement in a life of crime, and finds himself caught in a web of messy romance and bad blood.
Nigh Heaven & Hell
Scotty
Heather Vodihn is on a simple mission: find her father. However she becomes entangled with two strangers with mysterious powers being stalked by a group with bizarre demands. Heather must learn to trust her new traveling companions, even if she is untrustworthy herself.
Ride or Die
Mars Heyward
Ride or Die is an LGBTQ webcomic about two street racers who team up with a demon-possessed muscle car in the search for a missing woman, while being hunted by a deadly religious cult.
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.
Gzhel Guardian
Atla Hrafney, nushanchel
The Railway World is a complex, mysterious network of trains, towns and mechanical monsters. Leo is a Guardian of one of these towns, and although their burn-out and depression has taken hold of them, they have one last job to finish.
Little Tiny Things
Clover
What are the little things that move us? The simple joys that warm our bodies and hearts? The micro life of insects that influence our world more than we think? The tiny steps we make everyday to have a happier tomorrow?
Namesake
Isa, Meg
There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
Monsterkind
Taylor C
Wallace Foster, a young, bright-eyed human social worker, has his entire world view rocked when he's suddenly relocated into a city primarily inhabited by monsters.
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

Teaching

by David M Willis on July 7, 2023 at 12:01 am
  • 04 – But Don't Give Yourself Away
└ Tags: charles, danny, linda, sal

Discussion (246) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    July 7, 2023 at 12:01 am | #

    yeah, but did Linda get a SLIPSHINE out of it??

    (don’t answer that, don’t wanna know)

    • easrng
      easrng
      July 7, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

      off topic but do you also have notifications set up somehow? i’m curious how you always get here so fast. (i wrote an overcomplicated horrible mess of a script the other day that sends me a discord webhook approximately immediately after the comic goes up (if any of y’all want it in your servers too dm me there @ easrng))

      • woobie
        woobie
        July 7, 2023 at 12:08 am | #

        Motivation and time.

        • Jess
          Jess
          July 7, 2023 at 12:16 am | #

          and a time machine!

          • Bicycle Bill
            Bicycle Bill
            July 7, 2023 at 2:13 am | #

            I used to think that Ana was actually Willis, using a literary double, but I have been dissuaded of that belief.
            Now, it’s my opinion that Ana is MRS. Willis, and as such has certain posting privileges denied to the rest of we mere mortals.

            • Bajj
              Bajj
              July 7, 2023 at 2:33 am | #

              Ditto exactly this comment

            • gryfft
              gryfft
              July 7, 2023 at 5:16 am | #

              > Mrs. Willis

              I’m gonna tell him

              • Bicycle Bill
                Bicycle Bill
                July 9, 2023 at 7:58 pm | #

                Tell me what?

            • DarkoNeko
              DarkoNeko
              July 7, 2023 at 2:13 pm | #

              heh, meh.

      • Nathan
        Nathan
        July 7, 2023 at 12:33 am | #

        Comic comes out midnight Eastern Time. Server time isn’t exactly Eastern Time, but it’s very close, and there is a consistent correlation. Anyway, if you refresh at the right moment, which is about 12:05 Eastern, you’ll be first.

        • Nathan
          Nathan
          July 7, 2023 at 12:34 am | #

          I guess it’s more like 12;07 now. (Posted at 12:40)

        • Deya View
          Deya View
          July 7, 2023 at 1:45 am | #

          That explains why I didn’t see the comic when I tried checking at 12:01! I’m in Europe so I had to calculate in timezone differences. Thought maybe I was checking an hour too early.

      • Zane Becker-Byrd
        Zane Becker-Byrd
        July 7, 2023 at 12:36 am | #

        You prolly could also get an rss reader and then get notifications that way.

        • Joshua Kronengold
          Joshua Kronengold
          July 7, 2023 at 12:54 am | #

          RSS readers get you updates nicely, but they don’t (generally; you code one to accept feed-level hints) usually update at convenient times or too often; instead they will have some reasonable and not-too-fast period they used to poll the server. But if you want up to the second updates, you want to be pinging the server, not constantly but more frequently near the time it usually updates, so rss is likely not the best solution.

          • Joshua Kronengold
            Joshua Kronengold
            July 7, 2023 at 12:57 am | #

            self-replied to add, also, doa in specific has had a history of inconsistent rss updates relative to actual updates. feed readers don’t usually check the comic itself; they checks a summary file (.rss or .atom) that tells them what the latest updates were without having to scrape the site. As such, since the site does publish rss, sometimes in the past there have been weeks in which the rss was broken or otherwise not updating correctly, and rss folks suddenly saw close to a week of updates at once. Good for narrative flow; bad for getting in first.

            • someone
              someone
              July 7, 2023 at 3:18 am | #

              Yep, I use RSS and always arrive here after dozens upon dozens of comments have already been made; plus sometimes the feed just doesn’t update anymore for several days.

        • easrng
          easrng
          July 7, 2023 at 1:23 am | #

          RSS isn’t instant unless WebSub is set up, and I don’t think the feed here has it? I am actually checking the RSS feed, I just also have it set up to start checking at exactly midnight server time so it gets it as fast as possible 🙂

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        July 7, 2023 at 2:05 am | #

        Don’t question Ana’s superpowers! You’ll ruin the magic!

      • nicoleandmaggie
        nicoleandmaggie
        July 7, 2023 at 3:31 pm | #

        What’s really impressive is that her comments are always funny or insightful or both. I wouldn’t even be able to “first” that fast. Agreed with Needfuldoer– don’t question the magic.

      • uze
        uze
        July 7, 2023 at 6:29 pm | #

        I’m surprised nobody mentions it but Ana has said in the past that she reads the strip in advance via Patreon membership, prepares the comment with plenty of time, and then just posts it as soon as the strip goes up

    • Rognik
      Rognik
      July 7, 2023 at 1:34 am | #

      I mean, she hasn’t gotten it YET…

  2. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    July 7, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    I-I kinda like Linda more now. That feels gross to say.

    • Vanessa
      Vanessa
      July 7, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

      They are being so nice! They are so relaxed and cheerful now. Danny is really a gem. I do suspect they will let their guard down and be even more blatantly racist now though.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        July 7, 2023 at 2:06 am | #

        “Mommy’s alright, daddy’s alright, they just seem a little weird”.

        It’s the next lines that have me worried:
        “Surrender, surrender, but don’t give yourself away”.

        • modulusshift
          modulusshift
          July 7, 2023 at 10:13 am | #

          Wow that sure is the chapter title… O.O

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            July 7, 2023 at 12:26 pm | #

            To be honest, I was not expecting this chapter’s A plot to be about Sal’s relationship with her parents.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      July 7, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

      She has a lot in common with her daughter, more than either would like to admit.

      • DailyBrad
        DailyBrad
        July 7, 2023 at 12:10 am | #

        It’s honestly probably part of why they never got along. Obviously not the only reason, but they share a decent amount of traits.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          July 7, 2023 at 2:09 am | #

          “They’re too much alike” is a perfectly valid reason for people to butt heads.

          (hehe buttheads)

          See also: their mirrored body language earlier in the chapter:
          https://www.dumbingofage.com/whispering/

      • Radiance
        Radiance
        July 7, 2023 at 7:13 pm | #

        Always thought Charles asking “which of you smells like smoke?” when Linda confronted Sal was a particularly telling line.

    • Steamweed
      Steamweed
      July 7, 2023 at 12:39 am | #

      Maybe they’re on their relaxed, nicer behavior, because the black, tense, and troubled daughter (from their pov) is with a white, relaxing, and nice boyfriend.

      • Laura
        Laura
        July 7, 2023 at 9:14 am | #

        Yes, the validation of white male approval casts her in a whole new light, to them.

    • Christron5000
      Christron5000
      July 7, 2023 at 2:54 am | #

      Give it a minute, when Lucy is on screen they’re gonna say the most underhanded, passive racist shit you’ve ever heard.

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      July 7, 2023 at 2:56 am | #

      Well she’s one o’ them consistently moral bigots at least.

      No wait.

    • Acher4
      Acher4
      July 7, 2023 at 3:25 am | #

      I know… I feel them as kinda likable during the last updates…
      <..>
      It scares me. O.O

    • SmartAlec105
      SmartAlec105
      July 7, 2023 at 7:23 am | #

      Just remember that she’ll probably be the reverse of this when she’s talking to Walky and Lucy. Suddenly she can see his flaws that she never mentioned before, just like she can suddenly see Sal’s strengths.

      • insertname
        insertname
        July 7, 2023 at 1:50 pm | #

        Made my comment before seeing yours but yeah exactly!!!

    • insertname
      insertname
      July 7, 2023 at 1:49 pm | #

      Just remember she didnt bother to ask the same thing to Lucy and Walky about their relationship. Or just imagine how this might have turned out differently if Danny was black/poc. Yeah.

    • thumb
      thumb
      July 7, 2023 at 8:57 pm | #

      Yeah, turns out people can do racist shit and also be relatable. They’re not an entirely different species. They do in fact be just like us. You know, human.
      That’s why it’s important to be analytical. So we don’t stop our assessment just because they made us laugh.

  3. Dave Van Domelen
    Dave Van Domelen
    July 7, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    Outside one box, inside another.

    • Vukodlak
      Vukodlak
      July 7, 2023 at 12:30 am | #

      That was more of someone else inside her box.

  4. Karla Jean
    Karla Jean
    July 7, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    Hey, that’s two ways they’re alike.

    • Clif
      Clif
      July 7, 2023 at 8:52 am | #

      Sal comes by it honestly.

      I wonder if she’s filing that away.

      • elebenty
        elebenty
        July 7, 2023 at 10:21 am | #

        Hope so, but she might be a little dazed by the Nice Words they have for her today.

        “Always terribly perceptive.”
        “Always incredibly sharp.”

        Never once told that.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          July 7, 2023 at 2:55 pm | #

          So perceptive and sharp she picked up on the racism. 🙂

  5. Mr. Random
    Mr. Random
    July 7, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    I’m wondering how similar Sal is to her mom.

    • Fëanen
      Fëanen
      July 7, 2023 at 12:06 am | #

      With parents and children that can often be a major source of conflict, especially when they don’t realize it.

      • Angel
        Angel
        July 7, 2023 at 12:13 am | #

        It wouldnt’ necessarily excuse it but if linda had a ‘wild’ side as a child/teenager it would sorta explain her being stricter on sal than she was walky

        • Opus the Poet
          Opus the Poet
          July 7, 2023 at 7:45 pm | #

          As a parent of one son and two daughters I was more strict about males with my daughters because of possible pregnancies, and females with my son for the same reason.

          • Angel
            Angel
            July 14, 2023 at 12:46 am | #

            I could never be a parent, i’d be too tempted to be like “Do whatever you want, but i’m not going to bail you out if you get arrested” (tho idk the legality of that/how much you’re obligated to do that while they’re still a minor versus like 16-17, unless you literally have no money or so) but at the very least in this case ppl can have sexual education with kids (or even encourage them to be gay, because while it can still happen i’d assume stds with teens fooling around would be lower compared to teen pregnan cy lol)

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      July 7, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

      I think maybe the most obvious thing they have in common, well outside of this, is that both have a self-righteous side. Sal is just thankfully more justified in it when we’ve seen it come up.

      • Zero
        Zero
        July 7, 2023 at 12:37 am | #

        I think “justified self-righteousness” is just regular righteousness.

    • Nono
      Nono
      July 7, 2023 at 12:20 am | #

      Well, let’s take a moment to imagine Sal with Linda’s haircut…

      …Abort! Abort!

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        July 7, 2023 at 1:04 pm | #

        I tried to make an edit of exactly this concept any my WiFi abruptly shut off right as I was about to make it my gravatar.

        • Opus the Poet
          Opus the Poet
          July 7, 2023 at 7:46 pm | #

          speaking of Gravs, what is that in yours?

  6. Renadt
    Renadt
    July 7, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    Like mother, like daughter.

    • Vanessa
      Vanessa
      July 7, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

      Sal’s mom would not be happy to hear her daughter did the same thing though.

      • temporaryobsessor
        temporaryobsessor
        July 7, 2023 at 12:17 am | #

        Like smoking, stealing and dating a black person, its always do as I say not as I do.
        I’d like to point out there is nothing wrong with the last one.

        • Laura
          Laura
          July 7, 2023 at 4:16 am | #

          When did Linda steal?

          • StClair
            StClair
            July 7, 2023 at 4:39 am | #

            The money that Sal had saved to pay for Marcie’s care.

            • Laura
              Laura
              July 7, 2023 at 4:59 am | #

              Oh, yes. That. Thanks!

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      July 7, 2023 at 2:11 am | #

      Hey man I tell you what, man, it’s just like that there nature versus nurture, talkin’ ’bout dang ol’ apples n’ trees, man.

      • Casi
        Casi
        July 7, 2023 at 12:13 pm | #

        Yep

        • k
          k
          July 7, 2023 at 1:20 pm | #

          Mmhm.

    • Chaucer59
      Chaucer59
      July 7, 2023 at 6:56 am | #

      Yes, Sal slept with a TA while trying to get help with her math, but I don’t recall it being quite so transactional. I seem to recall her getting help from him first and then sleeping with him to maintain his interest. Am I misremembering?

      • Azhrei Vep
        Azhrei Vep
        July 7, 2023 at 7:36 am | #

        That’s how it seemed to Jason at the time, too. Based on her angry reaction to the bad grade she still ended up getting afterward, Sal seemed to disagree.

      • aelfwine
        aelfwine
        July 7, 2023 at 7:50 am | #

        See https://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/03-answers-in-hennessy/more-quietly/
        (And the surrounding strips)
        Sal described it later in transactional terms, though Jason had failed to perceive it as such.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          July 7, 2023 at 12:04 pm | #

          No, he didn’t. Slipshine’s preview makes it clear he knew exactly what she meant, he just didn’t want to do it.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        July 7, 2023 at 12:05 pm | #

        Yeah, she moved to sex for grades after hours of her not getting his explanation and him not varying it up.

  7. BOOSTER SHOT
    BOOSTER SHOT
    July 7, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    THE LORE WE NEEDED THE LORE WE DESERVED

  8. Caro
    Caro
    July 7, 2023 at 12:02 am | #

    how dare this storyline make me like danny so much so suddenly

    • Vanessa
      Vanessa
      July 7, 2023 at 12:10 am | #

      He’s such a gem! Sal deserves some parental approval even if it’s conditional.

      • Laura
        Laura
        July 7, 2023 at 12:22 am | #

        Mmm… I just wonder if she will then feel weirdly pressured to stick with Danny no matter what, out of fear that her parents will treat her the way Danny’s parents treated him after Dorothy broke up with him.

        • Bogeywoman
          Bogeywoman
          July 7, 2023 at 1:50 am | #

          I’m worried that Sal will feel (internal) pressure to dump Danny because this is a terrible basis for parental approval

          • DaveM
            DaveM
            July 7, 2023 at 4:39 am | #

            Yeah, given the authors tendencies (Choir intones “All Damn you Willis”), Sal trying to dump Danny because it makes her the “good child with an acceptable partner” despite everything does seem probable.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              July 7, 2023 at 8:37 am | #

              I doubt it. Too much to do with this relationship to kill it yet.

              Especially since Sal deliberately brought him here hoping for their approval. I suspect this conversation’s still going to blow up, but it might be interesting if it didn’t and she’s left in the unfamiliar state of parental approval. Knowing full well it’s completely contingent

      • GholaHalleck
        GholaHalleck
        July 7, 2023 at 12:29 am | #

        I am eagerly awaiting Walky and Lucy showing up to dinner with the Walkertons and Danny’s gone full Wonderbread.

        Walky’s meltdown on being on the outs while Sal’s star is rising will be amazing.

        I hope Danny shows Walky his new sneakers. I think Danny deserves a little nose tweaking on him.

        • Laura
          Laura
          July 7, 2023 at 4:40 am | #

          Sneakers?

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            July 7, 2023 at 2:29 pm | #

            I assume something to do with Walky borrowing Danny’s shoes one time twenty years ago.

    • Abdomino
      Abdomino
      July 7, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

      He’s been a good egg for a while now. His heart’s (almost) always been in the right place, he just… needed some knocks against the head to get THAT on track.

      • missilentmurmur
        missilentmurmur
        July 7, 2023 at 1:01 am | #

        That makes me think… Dorothy might have found this same approach from Danny as patronizing, but it does so much good to Sal

  9. Animedingo
    Animedingo
    July 7, 2023 at 12:03 am | #

    God she sucks

    Literally

    • Bryy
      Bryy
      July 7, 2023 at 12:41 am | #

      Was Charles the T.A.? That would actually make so much fucking sense. As to why they are married, why she is angry that one of the twins was less white than the other (beyond the whole base racist angle).

      • Jamie
        Jamie
        July 7, 2023 at 12:59 am | #

        It may also have been the Dean.

      • Nono
        Nono
        July 7, 2023 at 2:16 am | #

        Linda married McHenry first, though.

        • Laura
          Laura
          July 7, 2023 at 4:02 am | #

          When she was quite young.

  10. TrueVCU
    TrueVCU
    July 7, 2023 at 12:04 am | #

    no stop how dare they be relatable

    • TrueVCU
      TrueVCU
      July 7, 2023 at 12:04 am | #

      well dang if THAT’S not the second-most perfect gravatar for the occasion

  11. Axel
    Axel
    July 7, 2023 at 12:04 am | #

    but if Sal did that (and you knew) you’d disown her more than you already have

    unless this is why she was going to introduce them to the dean

    • TrueVCU
      TrueVCU
      July 7, 2023 at 12:06 am | #

      …wait does DANNY know?

      • Angel
        Angel
        July 7, 2023 at 12:14 am | #

        well, joyce kinda knew though i think she was there when sal went off on him for not raising her grades

        idk if she told danny yet tho

        • Gwyn
          Gwyn
          July 7, 2023 at 8:39 am | #

          Nor does she have to. A relationship is not a deposition – you don’t owe someone every detail of every previous hook-up you’ve ever had.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          July 7, 2023 at 8:45 am | #

          I don’t think anyone knows. People know Jason was fired for slapjackin’ with a student, but no one knows who it was.

          Joyce was there when Sal got her grades, but not for enough of the confrontation to pick up on it. If it had been closer to Jason getting canned, the hints might have been enough, but there’s been no hints that she knew.

      • PigmyWurm
        PigmyWurm
        July 7, 2023 at 2:30 pm | #

        Maybe not the exact details but there was this conversation so he might have some idea.

        https://www.dumbingofage.com/2022/comic/book-13/01-bring-me-to-life-drawing/girlfriend-2/

  12. Proto_Eevee
    Proto_Eevee
    July 7, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

    *HISSSSSSSS*
    That wasn’t me, that was the snakes that hiss at evil mothers
    *HISSSSSS*
    I have no idea why they could possibly be hissing right now

  13. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    July 7, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

    This new attitude towards Sal is disgusting, and I hope Sal knows that. They would never be praising her like this if she had brought someone who isn’t the whitest person on earth(I’m exaggerating, don’t come to me with your pitchfork and torches.)

    Is Sal doing this just to prove a point or is she actually buying into this?

    • Vanessa
      Vanessa
      July 7, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

      She’s is probably desperate for a missed lifetime of parental approval.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        July 7, 2023 at 2:15 am | #

        She has a smoldering ember of hope left that she’ll ever get it, and she’s not yet ready to tell herself she won’t. Like someone said yesterday, today is a last-ditch hail Mary to get a taste of it.

      • Gwyn
        Gwyn
        July 7, 2023 at 8:41 am | #

        This may be one of a vanishingly few times she’s heard her parents praise her without a “BUT” attached to the end of the sentence.

    • Angel
      Angel
      July 7, 2023 at 12:16 am | #

      well other than passive aggressive stuff and some comments that might not necessarily read as insulting to an acquaintance/friend/partner, they wouldn’t necessarily be all like “Well, she always was the family disappointment ” (tho i dont put it past some parents to do that)

      other than maybe like “I knew sending her off to that boarding school was the right thing to do” or so

      • Laura
        Laura
        July 7, 2023 at 4:06 am | #

        That cocked eyebrow and smirk in panel 2 implies, “You tried, huh? Yeah. We couldn’t teach her anything either.”

        • Bysmerian
          Bysmerian
          July 7, 2023 at 11:57 pm | #

          It could. But a more generous interpretation than Linda probably deserves is, “You said it was a funny story, and you said you tried to tutor her in math, not that you did, so I imagine there’s more to it. Go on…”

    • Jamie
      Jamie
      July 7, 2023 at 12:59 am | #

      Sal hasn’t shared her thoughts with the fourth wall yet. Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt until she does.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        July 7, 2023 at 8:47 am | #

        Yeah, I suspect it’s no coincidence that the camera is off Sal for those last 3 panels. We’ll probably see the reaction tomorrow, though it’ll likely be more to “schtupping the TA”.

    • Fay
      Fay
      July 7, 2023 at 1:30 am | #

      She might enjoy it for a bit, but she’ll quickly get sick of it. I’m guessing the bubble is gonna burst once she witnesses Linda being shitty to Lucy/Walky and tries to defend them to her parents but gets immediate pushback.

    • Daibhid C
      Daibhid C
      July 7, 2023 at 7:34 am | #

      This literally started with her saying “You are exactly the sort of boyfriend they would want me to have, let’s see how that goes.” And coming so soon after The Lucy Incident, I don’t think she’s under any illusions as to why Danny is exactly the sort of boyfriend they want her to have.

      She just wants to know what it’s like to have parental approval, at least for a moment.

  14. Proxiehunter
    Proxiehunter
    July 7, 2023 at 12:06 am | #

    That’s not thinking outside the box, that’s thinking with your box.

  15. Dr. T
    Dr. T
    July 7, 2023 at 12:06 am | #

    It’s weird. I know they’re awful, particularly Linda. I’m just not sure if Linda being highly supportive of her is something Sal is going to have an adverse reaction to.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      July 7, 2023 at 2:16 am | #

      Next time Sal appears in the strip, she’ll be covered in hives.

    • Council
      Council
      July 7, 2023 at 2:30 am | #

      Most everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop. To an extent, so am I. But for the time being, I’m just happy Linda is not acting like a gremlin. It would be nice to have a villain who is not clownshoes every single time we see them.

      • Jon
        Jon
        July 7, 2023 at 2:37 am | #

        This exactly. Dumbing of Age has some great character work but its villains aren’t exactly…nuanced.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          July 7, 2023 at 8:49 am | #

          They’re mostly realistic though. A lot of people aren’t exactly nuanced.

          Blaine went over the top in that last arc, but other than that.

        • Clif
          Clif
          July 7, 2023 at 11:01 am | #

          Mary was very nucenced.

  16. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    July 7, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

    Sal was always a little too perceptive for Linda, really.

    • not someone else
      not someone else
      July 7, 2023 at 1:07 am | #

      Now this is the comment of the day.

      • Clif
        Clif
        July 7, 2023 at 12:21 pm | #

        Nonsense. Ana always has the comment of the day.

      • poofdepoof
        poofdepoof
        July 8, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

        With the matching grav and name “not someone else” this definitely looks like a self nomination LOL

  17. woobie
    woobie
    July 7, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

    said nice things
    then ewww

  18. Kravis
    Kravis
    July 7, 2023 at 12:07 am | #

    There would definitely be a box involved, one way or the other.

  19. Kim
    Kim
    July 7, 2023 at 12:08 am | #

    I just hope Dan & Sal’s relationship survive this :S I’m a big fan of the pairing!

    • poofdepoof
      poofdepoof
      July 7, 2023 at 1:03 am | #

      Saaaame

  20. Jenniffniff
    Jenniffniff
    July 7, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

    Oof, now they’re schmoozing a bit much. These two smh.

  21. Renshear Blade
    Renshear Blade
    July 7, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

    *Shakes my head and laughs*

  22. LiterallyJustSomeGuy
    LiterallyJustSomeGuy
    July 7, 2023 at 12:09 am | #

    It’s nice to hear Sal’s parents singing her praises. I wonder how long that will last. (Also, what the heck, Linda? Your standards are so weird.)

  23. Angel
    Angel
    July 7, 2023 at 12:11 am | #

    Cue awkward music/record scratch lol

  24. Shrub
    Shrub
    July 7, 2023 at 12:12 am | #

    Danny is definitely the one you want interacting with parents

    • Leorale
      Leorale
      July 7, 2023 at 7:32 pm | #

      I Give Good Parent – https://g.co/kgs/Z1reMb

  25. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    July 7, 2023 at 12:13 am | #

    It kind of makes sense, in a way, that them seeing their daughter in a new light would come this way, but I do question if it’ll last.

    Good on Danny, though. It’s been said that if you are wanting to teach, you had better be ready to learn in the process, and he seems to have the humility to do just that. Glad he and Sal could figure out what her mental hangups were with math.

  26. Cmasta1992
    Cmasta1992
    July 7, 2023 at 12:14 am | #

    Sal learning she takes after her mom in the 2nd worst way possible

  27. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    July 7, 2023 at 12:14 am | #

    See, Sal? THAT’S why you don’t bang the TA. It makes you like your mom.

  28. UrsulaDavina
    UrsulaDavina
    July 7, 2023 at 12:15 am | #

    Oscars Wilde said “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his” hopefully Sal does does not follow this trend and Walky does follow.

    • UrsulaDavina
      UrsulaDavina
      July 7, 2023 at 12:24 am | #

      *Oscar apparently I say Oscars more then Oscar so my autocorrect just replaced the two.

      • Leorale
        Leorale
        July 7, 2023 at 12:33 am | #

        That’s the correct plural for when you have more than one Oscar Wilde, like “attorneys general” or “passersby”.

        • UrsulaDavina
          UrsulaDavina
          July 7, 2023 at 2:01 am | #

          It’s a singular Oscar in this case.

          • morleuca
            morleuca
            July 7, 2023 at 5:39 am | #

            I dunno, I think his perso amity was big enough to hebpluralized.

            • morleuca
              morleuca
              July 7, 2023 at 5:48 am | #

              Ok that’s a weird autocucmber.

              • Clif
                Clif
                July 7, 2023 at 9:03 am | #

                It’s okay; you obviously meant weird “autocucumber.”

  29. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    July 7, 2023 at 12:22 am | #

    Actually that’s more of an “Inside the box” kinda thinking.

    • Tim
      Tim
      July 7, 2023 at 12:32 am | #

      OK, who invited Joe?

    • Dana
      Dana
      July 7, 2023 at 1:20 am | #

      I opened the comments solely to look for this comment. Should have known it would be you.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        July 7, 2023 at 1:38 am | #

        I had to do a quick scroll to make sure nobody beat me to it and to my SHOCK nobody had. Y’all had 22 minutes. I’m disappointed!

    • Bogeywoman
      Bogeywoman
      July 7, 2023 at 1:47 am | #

      *inside MY box thinking

      • Bogeywoman
        Bogeywoman
        July 7, 2023 at 1:47 am | #

        Her box. Not mine. I regret this reply.

  30. drs
    drs
    July 7, 2023 at 12:23 am | #

    Anyone have a link to what Danny’s talking about in “getting schooled”?

    • UrsulaDavina
      UrsulaDavina
      July 7, 2023 at 12:30 am | #

      I think it was Mario Kart on the 3DS or DS Sal is a bit of a prodigy.

  31. Suet
    Suet
    July 7, 2023 at 12:27 am | #

    Sure, but was she perceptive with the schtupping? It was sharp, tho.

    Maybe I’m just like my mother, too bold

    • Laura
      Laura
      July 7, 2023 at 4:10 am | #

      …Maybe I’m just like my mother. She’s never satisfied.
      Why do we scream at each other?

  32. Tim
    Tim
    July 7, 2023 at 12:31 am | #

    “More like “Inside the Box” ammi right?”
    “Get out of here Joe!!!”

  33. Vukodlak
    Vukodlak
    July 7, 2023 at 12:32 am | #

    Are we about to learn that Linda was just like Sal?

  34. crys
    crys
    July 7, 2023 at 12:35 am | #

    ok ok but wait consider… the dean… he seems too old to have been linda’s TA… but he could have been her PROFESSOR??

  35. Steamweed
    Steamweed
    July 7, 2023 at 12:35 am | #

    Total awkward pause all ’round!

  36. DiDi
    DiDi
    July 7, 2023 at 12:38 am | #

    *reads last panel* Ha… Sal is her mother’s daughter…

  37. Maveric1984
    Maveric1984
    July 7, 2023 at 12:40 am | #

    Awww, I just remembered Animal from the old forums. Anyone else? Either the Keenspot boards or the Nightstar Zoo? Animal was one of the more prolific participants on the board, and he’d call it shtupping all the time. I wonder how he’s doing?

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      July 7, 2023 at 1:21 am | #

      He used to be around here for a while. I dunno where he went.

      • Clif
        Clif
        July 7, 2023 at 11:32 am | #

        I hear he got a gig with Sesame Street.

  38. Bryy
    Bryy
    July 7, 2023 at 12:42 am | #

    I have to say, a lot of y’all are super willing to forgive their racism just cause they are being nice in this strip.

    • LiterallyJustSomeGuy
      LiterallyJustSomeGuy
      July 7, 2023 at 1:02 am | #

      I’m not sure who you’re talking about. I don’t think I’ve read a single comment suggesting someone forgives their racism.

    • Wraithy2773
      Wraithy2773
      July 7, 2023 at 1:03 am | #

      They aren’t real people. We don’t have to boo and hiss at them every single strip, including ones where they’re acting charming and fun, in order to maintain our anti-Racist street cred.

    • Andy
      Andy
      July 7, 2023 at 1:03 am | #

      I don’t see forgiveness here in the comments. Riffing on the punchline isn’t forgiving.

      • Clif
        Clif
        July 7, 2023 at 10:12 am | #

        I forgive you for this comment.

    • JBento
      JBento
      July 7, 2023 at 5:37 am | #

      In either case, Linda’s not being nice in this strip. “TRIED, huh?” is very definitely being a full-blown asshole.

      • Bysmerian
        Bysmerian
        July 7, 2023 at 11:59 pm | #

        Mmh. I could see it, but it’s in the context of Danny using the phrase first, and saying it was a funny story, so this could just as easily be, “you’re setting things up, go on…”

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      July 7, 2023 at 7:03 am | #

      Okay, you’ve made your claim (someone is forgiving racism), now where’s your evidence? It’s not on everyone else to deny it in case you’re talking about them.

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      July 7, 2023 at 4:48 pm | #

      Well, except Linda really isn’t being super nice? Being a passive aggressive racist bongo, that’s what.

  39. BarerMender
    BarerMender
    July 7, 2023 at 12:49 am | #

    Sal: I tried shtupping the TA. I learned you have to agree on the quid pro quo ahead of time.
    Linda: Well, you’ll know next time.

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      July 7, 2023 at 1:21 am | #

      Jason knew the quid pro quo. He just didn’t wanna do it.

      • CrazyJ
        CrazyJ
        July 7, 2023 at 2:44 am | #

        Yeah but not spelling it out for Jason gave him some leeway not to do it since there was no actual verbal agreement.

        • Segnosaur
          Segnosaur
          July 7, 2023 at 3:11 am | #

          When they first had the Sal/Jason paring they did not give any indication that this was being done for “grades”. (At least in my opinion.) Sal’s motivation seemed to be “I have been without sex for a while and need something to get rid of tension”. And Jason just seemed to be a convenient warm body (i.e. her comment “you’ll do”.)

          I was actually a little surprised when a later strip had her confront Jason with a failed test and an accusation that she should have gotten an A.

          • BBCC
            BBCC
            July 7, 2023 at 4:14 am | #

            Sal said “Effort don’t matter, I’m just being judged against my marks” too. The slip shine preview had him reply “That is NOT WHAT I MEANT and you know it.”

            He knew she was talking about grades.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            July 7, 2023 at 9:01 am | #

            Along with the “You want to get out of here, Ah want to get out of here …” bit. If she just wanted leave, she could just leave. The only way sex is involved in getting out is if it fixes her grades.

            I can see Jason missing it, since it’s easy for some guys to just think women are that into them for little reason, but it’s clearly what Sal’s talking about.

  40. BBCC
    BBCC
    July 7, 2023 at 1:21 am | #

    Charles’ comment makes me wonder if he’s noticed a few of the same things as Sal. Definitely not all of them because he’s made racially charged comments to her too but some.

    I’d say “well, hey, now she can’t give Sal a hard time about that if she finds out” but that didn’t work with smoking either.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      July 7, 2023 at 9:03 am | #

      Kind of wish Walky was here to hear that from Linda. He might tease Sal about it again, but I could also see him joking about trying it himself.

  41. Holly A
    Holly A
    July 7, 2023 at 1:22 am | #

    I feel like Danny is being pretty good so far here. Hes emphasising how Sal is smart, and that the way she approaches things is admirable. It could go wrong at any moment of course, but I do feel like Danny can relate to being the unfavourable child enough that even if he misses the racial context he’ll note the rest.

    • Mark
      Mark
      July 7, 2023 at 7:53 am | #

      Also emphasizing that the way Sal approaches things is different and you have to figure out how she’s thinking before you can help.

      • Kelibath
        Kelibath
        July 8, 2023 at 5:27 am | #

        On that note. We’re all pretty sure Walky has ADHD, and autism is already being tackled in the storyline. Both are genetically linked. I wonder if Sal “approaching things differently” is because she needed a different explanation to make logical sense of the processes in her field before it properly clicked? I didn’t get that, at A-level, and my grade dipped from 99% to a middling D. AuDHD diagnoses hit a month back.

        • Kelibath
          Kelibath
          July 8, 2023 at 5:31 am | #

          I also wouldn’t be surprised if Linda were autistic, the way she just bluntly comes out with such bold, dramatic things, and her general control freak black-and-white thinking could be nudged that way more by it. She’s done literally no work on any of herself regarding this of course and is still a bigoted, opinionated, racist hypocrite, that’s unimpacted here, just saying it isn’t totally impossible. Likewise Charles is an enabler and seemingly quite downtrodden in many ways but he could also well have inattentive type ADHD and/or ASD in the way he’s missing context hints and sort of just going along with everything around him despite slightly more warmth and slightly better intentions..?

  42. Francoinblanco
    Francoinblanco
    July 7, 2023 at 1:24 am | #

    ok am i prudish that i feel uncomfortable that Linda admitted that she would sleep for grades next to her husband, daughter and her boyfriend the first time she met him?

    • Bogeywoman
      Bogeywoman
      July 7, 2023 at 1:46 am | #

      Betcha you’re not as uncomfortable with this revelation as Sal.

    • TulipKitten
      TulipKitten
      July 7, 2023 at 2:07 am | #

      I think it was just between her and Charles, which isn’t aaaas bad. I mean, we don’t know their relationship or sense of humor much, either.

      • MM
        MM
        July 7, 2023 at 10:47 am | #

        If it were just an aside, I think the dialogue balloons would have the little wiggly tails they’ve had while they’ve been whispering to each other about how they can’t believe this is Sal’s boyfriend.

    • Mark
      Mark
      July 7, 2023 at 8:01 am | #

      Nope. Some people will calmly say things that others wouldn’t admit even to themselves. It makes me uncomfortable, too, and I tend to avoid them. To me it’s an abrasive trait.

      C’mon, Linda, that is one of those things we don’t say out loud, remember?

    • pig
      pig
      July 7, 2023 at 8:07 am | #

      I don’t think you’re prudish; I think that’s a very normal response. Most people (at least in my experience) don’t talk about sex with their adult kids or their parents.

      • Clif
        Clif
        July 7, 2023 at 10:08 am | #

        That’s reasonable. I certainly wouldn’t talk about sex with my adult kids or parents. People tend to frown on that sort of thing.

        • Clif
          Clif
          July 7, 2023 at 10:53 am | #

          Disclaimer – I have no kids, adult or otherwise. My parents are dead.

          Though I guess that last isn’t an absolute barrier.

  43. Rognik
    Rognik
    July 7, 2023 at 1:33 am | #

    Like mother, like daughter?

  44. Zuzi
    Zuzi
    July 7, 2023 at 1:39 am | #

    This is the nicest they’ve been about Sal the entire comic…

  45. Bogeywoman
    Bogeywoman
    July 7, 2023 at 1:42 am | #

    *slams fists on table*
    *J Jonah Jameson voice*
    I NEED PICTURES OF SAL REACTING TO THE LAST PANEL

  46. Bogeywoman
    Bogeywoman
    July 7, 2023 at 1:45 am | #

    Also, it’s happening. The flippening of favouritism. It’s happening.

    The swerved Walky when the met Lucy to have lunch with Sal and her goodest boy

  47. Hazel
    Hazel
    July 7, 2023 at 1:57 am | #

    Oh my god, are they gonna pretend like Sal was always the favored child? That would be awful. For both Sal and Walky.

    • PirateTawnee
      PirateTawnee
      July 7, 2023 at 5:12 am | #

      Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia.

      • Sharaku
        Sharaku
        July 7, 2023 at 6:08 am | #

        Well yeah. We all know that. Seems… suspicious you even brought it up.

        • Clif
          Clif
          July 7, 2023 at 10:56 am | #

          Probably one of those war deniers. Alert the authorities.

          • drs
            drs
            July 7, 2023 at 3:00 pm | #

            There is no war in Ba Sing Se.

  48. HueSatLight
    HueSatLight
    July 7, 2023 at 1:59 am | #

    I wonder what the song the chapter title is from is about.

    • Raen
      Raen
      July 7, 2023 at 2:11 am | #

      A teenage boy is told off by his parents for dating an “easy” girl, and snarks about the fact they’re telling him this while an STI is spreading in the army. His father lets slip that his mother served in WWII, which he hadn’t known, having had somewhat rude notions about the women’s auxiliary (slightly censored in the published version, leading to an orphaned “neither”). Then he catches them having sex while smoking pot and listening to his KISS records.

      …wait, that was ironic, wasn’t it.

      • Bash
        Bash
        July 7, 2023 at 6:52 am | #

        Is this real? Because that sounds like a hell of a song.

        • Azhrei Vep
          Azhrei Vep
          July 7, 2023 at 7:48 am | #

          It’s pretty good. The synopsis up there makes it sound cooler than it is, I’d say. Judge for yourself!

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgN_8cxBCWw

          • Taffy
            Taffy
            July 7, 2023 at 8:20 am | #

            I think I liked the song better when I didn’t understand what the guy was saying.

            • Clif
              Clif
              July 7, 2023 at 9:12 am | #

              To be honest, I find that true of a lot of songs.

              • Taffy
                Taffy
                July 7, 2023 at 12:28 pm | #

                One of the blessings of auditory processing issues, I s’pose. Can’t tell how dopey the lyrics are if I can’t tell whether or not the song is in English.

              • Needfuldoer
                Needfuldoer
                July 7, 2023 at 12:34 pm | #

                It’s hard to garble nargle vouss with all these marbles in my mouth.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      July 7, 2023 at 12:31 pm | #

      “Surrender“ by Cheap Trick.

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Km11HNzUY

      Apparently the KISS shout-out was their way of thanking KISS for hiring thrm as an opening act, which helped them break out.

      • Roborat
        Roborat
        July 7, 2023 at 4:09 pm | #

        Yup, that was their big break. First time I saw them in concert, way back in the early eighties, when they sang this song they tossed some KISS records into the crowd.

  49. Maggie
    Maggie
    July 7, 2023 at 2:46 am | #

    Huh, they’re actually acting like decent parents. I hope Sal doesn’t grow to resent Danny for her parents being nicer when he’s around.

  50. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    July 7, 2023 at 2:47 am | #

    So what are the odds they’ve heard about Jason and immediately assumed it was Sal ?

    • Clif
      Clif
      July 7, 2023 at 9:17 am | #

      Plot twist – They are on campus because the Dean has something to discuss with them. That something turns out to be that the Dean finally read Penny’s report.

      • Bysmerian
        Bysmerian
        July 8, 2023 at 12:01 am | #

        Didn’t Penny say that she made it up and was surprised that it was actually true?

  51. AGV
    AGV
    July 7, 2023 at 3:13 am | #

    Ahahaha funny that you mention that!

  52. TheFlamingonator
    TheFlamingonator
    July 7, 2023 at 3:35 am | #

    The Alt -text… I-I wanna know but also not? like would that make it blackmail material??

  53. Deviant
    Deviant
    July 7, 2023 at 4:04 am | #

    Okay, I am warming up a bit to Sal’s mom.

    Also, some sex joke about inside the box.

  54. Amós Batista
    Amós Batista
    July 7, 2023 at 7:04 am | #

    Did Linda knows about Sal and Sal’s TA?

    • CJ
      CJ
      July 7, 2023 at 8:13 am | #

      No. It’s just runs in the family.

  55. Chaucer59
    Chaucer59
    July 7, 2023 at 7:05 am | #

    I realize they’re trying, for Danny’s sake, to put a positive spin on themselves and their relationship with Sal. Still, I’m shocked to see Linda outright praising Sal with no backhand compliments or damning-with-faint-praise. I was expecting something more along the lines of, “We always suspected Sal was more intelligent than she let on,” and/or “We knew our little wild child would eventually settle down and come to appreciate good people.”

  56. Sombrero
    Sombrero
    July 7, 2023 at 7:43 am | #

    Will the Walkerton’s noses start to grow or something?

  57. Joy
    Joy
    July 7, 2023 at 8:20 am | #

    Reminding me of my parents now.

  58. Hof1991
    Hof1991
    July 7, 2023 at 9:30 am | #

    So Linda talks about sex with a TA and Charles…..looks like he might be 👍 with that and maybe want a video?

  59. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    July 7, 2023 at 10:15 am | #

    Huh.

    For a long time now I’ve been entertaining… not so much a theory as a scenario in which Sal has misdiagnosed Linda’s bigotry. Where maybe instead of racism, it was more classism or something like that. (Which yes might become racism in terms of who it discriminated against, but on the level of individual psychology would be different.) I’ve never really committed to the idea but it was always there as a devil’s advocate view of “I want to see something that specifically shows this scenario false before I’m convinced it’s about race” sort of thing.

    This exchange here just reinforced it in my head… except it comes just a little bit after what looks like stark disapproval of Lucy for inscrutable reasons? Mrrrf, I don’t know what to think now.

    • Maveric1984
      Maveric1984
      July 7, 2023 at 2:08 pm | #

      Honestly? I see it. I’ve wondered myself if Sal just perceived her mother as racist.

      Don’t get me wrong, Linda OBVIOUSLY has a favorite golden child and a scapegoat child. That doesn’t necessarily mean she’s RACIST, she’s just an asshole in a different way. She might just see herself in her daughter too much, which can cause strife.

      And yeah, she’s definitely classist.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        July 7, 2023 at 2:54 pm | #

        This theory has been a common fan theory since Linda being racist was first suggested lo these many years ago.

        It’s really hard to see how it holds up even before this instant Lucy bad/Danny good thing.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          July 7, 2023 at 9:20 pm | #

          It’s extremely aggravating. No, it’s not sexism. It’s not classism. It’s not Linda seeing too much of herself in Sal and them butting heads because they’re similar. It’s not Sal’s lashing out. It’s not because Walky was more manageable. It’s racism.

          As Willis has put it, this is not going to be a story where it turns out the racism is AKTSHUALLY all in the black woman’s head. Which is good because that would be racist as shit.

          • Bysmerian
            Bysmerian
            July 8, 2023 at 12:05 am | #

            I haven’t seen that quote, but I’m not surprised. It’d be at best a tremendous disservice to Sal. That said, I really feel like the Walkerton Parents have built up a tremendous wall of denial in their heads re: their very real racism, but in part that’s how it worms its way into a lot of people. They aren’t consciously judging Lucy by her skin, but they’d be hard-pressed to justify it in some other way that wasn’t at best pointing at something after the fact.

    • Seregiel
      Seregiel
      July 7, 2023 at 3:31 pm | #

      Theres enough aggression towards Marcies family that shes probably still racist, but maybe not towards black or white and rather *the dirty vagrant immigrants.* This exchange makes me wonder if their butting of heads on the individual scale is butting of heads due to similarities paired with different stances on the social justice issues.

      • Reltzik
        Reltzik
        July 7, 2023 at 5:41 pm | #

        Except that could easily be the product of classism instead of racism. (Again, talking specifically about the type of racism that is personal prejudice based on the race of individuals, without examination of whether its part of and reinforces the larger society-wide pattern of inequity.) Linda’s attitudes towards Marcie + family were awful, but I don’t think there was anything to indicate WHICH kind of awful it was.

        I’m having trouble seeing any reason for her response to Lucy as anything other than racism, though. It might be that we misinterpreted Linda as disapproving when she wasn’t? Maybe Linda made Dorothy-specific plans? But both of those are a stretch and I’m not prepared to bend that far backwards to make this what-if theory work.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          July 7, 2023 at 9:22 pm | #

          If they weren’t racist, maybe they should’ve said something when their jackhole elementary principal called her an ‘illegal’. Not to mention the shit they give Sal for her hair and how Walky says SAL is black but he’s ‘generically beige’.

        • not someone else
          not someone else
          July 7, 2023 at 10:29 pm | #

          I mean have you considered that generally speaking societal oppressions- including the kind that are purely personal beliefs- don’t come in nice easily-seperated containers, and that class and race especially are often deeply intertwined? Because I’m pretty sure Linda’s racist because she thinks “acting Black” is low class and also has not done anywhere near enough introspection to recognize that as a coherent thought.

  60. vulcanodon
    vulcanodon
    July 7, 2023 at 10:45 am | #

    When Sal shows up with WonderBread suddenly she’s great. Hmm… I can’t wait to see how they’ll interact with Walky and Lucy. The dinner has all the ingredients of ‘boom’.

    • Clif
      Clif
      July 7, 2023 at 11:43 am | #

      Walky and Lucy were disinvited.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        July 7, 2023 at 3:02 pm | #

        Walky and Lucy were disinvited for lunch, but were still on for dinner, though they’re “sorry if that mean Lucy’s unavailable”.

  61. Thomas O.
    Thomas O.
    July 7, 2023 at 11:33 am | #

    More like MOSTLY outside the box, amirite? 😛

  62. insertname
    insertname
    July 7, 2023 at 1:54 pm | #

    This just makes it so apparent how racist and low Linda is by the difference in reaction from Lucy to Danny. All of a sudden they compliment Sal because she’s snagged a good white dude, as if Sal’s worth has been upped by who she romances.

    Screw Linda!

  63. TulipKitten
    TulipKitten
    July 7, 2023 at 2:14 pm | #

    So… was Dean McHenry a TA?

    • Roborat
      Roborat
      July 7, 2023 at 4:11 pm | #

      Haven’t you learned by now not to poke the Willis?

  64. Dday
    Dday
    July 7, 2023 at 2:35 pm | #

    These guys remind me of the Sophisticated Adults from Kelly comics.
    “Touche, Dear!”

  65. Crytter
    Crytter
    July 7, 2023 at 2:51 pm | #

    “Results-oriented” seems a dark reprise.

  66. june gloom
    june gloom
    July 7, 2023 at 3:11 pm | #

    This is a certified bruh moment right there. Jesus, Linda.

    • NGPZ
      NGPZ
      July 7, 2023 at 4:30 pm | #

      This is bruh moment x9000, like what in the fucking hell

      the worst part is I ain’t even that surprised. This is America, the racist cup really do runneth over 👀

  67. Dot
    Dot
    July 7, 2023 at 4:10 pm | #

    Really fucking creepy what a 180 Sal’s parents do once she hauls along a nice white boyfriend and I hope it doesn’t lead to her doubting her decision to be with Danny.

  68. Kaz
    Kaz
    July 7, 2023 at 4:15 pm | #

    Like mother like daughter I guess

  69. newlland(Henryvolt)
    newlland(Henryvolt)
    July 7, 2023 at 4:28 pm | #

    Big ooof on the Walkerton ladies part.

  70. bcb
    bcb
    July 7, 2023 at 4:58 pm | #

    I need a reminder: Danny doesn’t know that Sal was the one who canoodled Jason, right?

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      July 7, 2023 at 6:19 pm | #

      Nah, not as far as I recall. She hasn’t really volunteered any of her history in that lane, which is cool of her.

  71. Juanoku
    Juanoku
    July 7, 2023 at 5:00 pm | #

    “funny thing actually-“

  72. Rikunda
    Rikunda
    July 7, 2023 at 5:25 pm | #

    Mother like daughter….

  73. thumb
    thumb
    July 7, 2023 at 8:52 pm | #

    aw, they really are family

  74. Romanticide
    Romanticide
    July 7, 2023 at 11:31 pm | #

    Sal is probably regreting now this revelation of one of the things she actually has in common with her mom XD

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

David M Willis! avatar
David M Willis!
@damnyouwillis.bsky.social
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 13min
Would you like to take a survey? Do you like to eat beans? Do you like George Wendt? Would you like to eat beans with George Wendt? Would you like to watch a movie about George Wendt eating beans?
4
4
15
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1h
thirty different editorial cartoons about St Peter greeting him with NORM!, coming right up
3
2
25
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 4h
today in #9chickweedlane i learned FUCK YOU, INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE, WE COULD JUST BE FUCKING OUR DOGS INSTEAD, AND WITH LESS CAKE I GUESS wait what
9
29
 
reposted by David M Willis!
eddierobson.bsky.social's user avatar
Eddie Robson @eddierobson.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
I didn't know my mum was writing promotional emails for Nintendo now
Nintendo marketing email reading
22
659
3151
 
reposted by David M Willis!
darrylayo.bsky.social's user avatar
Ayo @darrylayo.bsky.social ⋅ 8h
I just got fired from Star Wars because my prequel idea was the exact same as the existing prequels except that Palpatine was going to be bishonen hot
2
13
76
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 7h
so i'm thinking, okay, i took some extra photos of this set of doors this year so i could draw some other angles, it's an important set of doors, so let's pull up my new reference photos... ....and do you see a problem, do you see an issue
16
3
65
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 7h
i agree! let's all celebrate the weeniejob
4
3
41
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 16h
Dumbing of Age: "Hmmmm hmm" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
Hmmmm hmm
7
31
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 17h
"man, what a loser, maybe i don't wanna kill this guy's daughter after all"
8
1
49
 
reposted by David M Willis!
ironspike.bsky.social's user avatar
Iron Spike @ironspike.bsky.social ⋅ 18h
DING!!! FUNDED! Thanks so much, gang! www.kickstarter.com/projects/iro...
5
25
241
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 20h
(May 20, 2026)
Walky!  Afraid to greet the sun.  It's early.  And it's math.  Ugh.
2
4
34
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
I bet it was all those Dilberitos.
5
7
39
 
reposted by David M Willis!
brentosaur.bsky.social's user avatar
🎄 Barb O. Saur 🎄🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 @brentosaur.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Repost with a pic of your Gay Sex Command Center.
The Nemesis from Transformers.
seanthomason.bsky.social's user avatarSean Thomason @seanthomason.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Universities can't even have a Gay Sex Command Center anymore, because of woke.
1980s screenshot of Jerry Falwell in a TV control room with chyron
31
125
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Well, Lizard is here, and I've been telling myself for... years that I'd take down my Endgame shelf and put up Spider-Man:No Way Home once the final villain was out. So. That's a thing I gotta do.
3
1
45
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
www.ebay.com/itm/23611085... buy my unopened shang-chi, wenwu, salma hayek, and talos
header image - Marvel Legends Shang-Chi, Wenwu, Ajak, and Talos, unopened | eBay
www.ebay.com
Marvel Legends Shang-Chi, Wenwu, Ajak, and Talos, unopened | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Marvel Legends Shang-Chi, Wenwu, Ajak, and Talos, unopened at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
4
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatarDavid M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
just discovered "Humor Me," a editorial cartoon where you, the reader, do the cartoonist's job
1
4
75
 
reposted by David M Willis!
atomicdarth.bsky.social's user avatar
unknown @atomicdarth.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
6
33
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
they're just gonna cancel it once they reach 3 seasons
rollingstone.com's user avatarRolling Stone @rollingstone.com ⋅ 1d
Netflix has saved Sesame Street!
header image - Sesame Street Is Relocating to Netflix
rollingstone.com
Sesame Street Is Relocating to Netflix
'Sesame Street' finds new home at Netflix for new episodes and back catalog following the end of its streaming contract at HBO.
12
23
121
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
just discovered "Humor Me," a editorial cartoon where you, the reader, do the cartoonist's job
9
5
43
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
www.ebay.com/itm/23609767... one hour left on this dingus
header image - Transformers Siege Netflix Megatron complete Hasbro WFC Generations Voyager | eBay
www.ebay.com
Transformers Siege Netflix Megatron complete Hasbro WFC Generations Voyager | eBay
This is Netflix War for Cybertron Voyager Class Megatron! A Walmart exclusive, he originally came packaged with the Micromasters Lionizer and Pinpointer, but this auction is just for Megatron. No inst...
7
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
uh oh, chekhov's murderous weirdo
8
39
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Dumbing of Age: "Practice" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
Practice
5
29
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
www.ebay.com/itm/23610927... a quake, a quake!
header image - Transformers Titans Return Deluxe Class Quake, loose/complete, no instructions  630509511976| eBay
www.ebay.com
Transformers Titans Return Deluxe Class Quake, loose/complete, no instructions 630509511976| eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Transformers Titans Return Deluxe Class Quake, loose/complete, no instructions at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many ...
2
3
9
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
okay okay -- spider-man reboot idea the lizard is still dr connors, but he's dr PHIL connors, and he wakes up every day and it's groundhog day and he's a lizard is this anything
11
2
62
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Dr. Connors is like a chameleon: always a lizard!!!
5
1
23
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
i dunno, he's kinda a tool, but i could go on
2
1
30
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Somebody teach Greg Evans how to rasterize text and use the warp tool
9
5
105
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
no, he's not a Black dad, he's a
fancy indoor decorating newspaper subsection with the ornate headline
3
13
139
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
4 hours left on [borat voice] my Wipe www.ebay.com/itm/23609982...
header image - Transformers Generations TakaraTomy Legends LG34 Wipe (Mindwipe), incomplete | eBay
www.ebay.com
Transformers Generations TakaraTomy Legends LG34 Wipe (Mindwipe), incomplete | eBay
This is Legends LG34 Wipe (aka Mindwipe), loose! He's also missing Servant, his little monster partner. Yeah, the partner's name is Servant. I just learned that now, somehow, while looking this toy up...
1
2
7
 
reposted by David M Willis!
waitingforthetrade.bsky.social's user avatar
Max the comics guy who does comics about comics @waitingforthetrade.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJEA...
header image - Meet Your Second Wife - SNL
www.youtube.com
Meet Your Second Wife - SNL
YouTube video by Saturday Night Live
1
7
64
 

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