Dumbing of Age Book Fourteen

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

October 20, 2026

Zones

by David M Willis on January 15, 2026 at 12:01 am
  • 02 – I'm the Problem, It's Me
└ Tags: booster, walky

Discussion (165) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Nono
    Nono
    January 15, 2026 at 12:03 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Take out that second panel and Booster was almost supportive here.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      January 15, 2026 at 12:04 am | # | Reply Report comment

      I think this is still pretty supportive by their standards.

      • zee
        zee
        January 15, 2026 at 7:27 am | # | Reply Report comment

        They’re being supportive by every standard

    • QueenofSodor
      QueenofSodor
      January 15, 2026 at 12:06 am | # | Reply Report comment

      booster’s plenty supportive in every panel of this strip!

      • Theluxland
        Theluxland
        January 15, 2026 at 8:03 am | # | Reply Report comment

        They also support their bag in the first panel!

    • Bill Erak
      Bill Erak
      January 15, 2026 at 12:07 am | # | Reply Report comment

      They are being supportive! It’s just the situation also makes it enjoyable for them.

  2. NGPZ
    NGPZ
    January 15, 2026 at 12:03 am | # | Reply Report comment

    yay they’re bonding XD

    • Dwampre Scorrigank
      Dwampre Scorrigank
      January 15, 2026 at 6:12 pm | # | Reply Report comment

      Missed the chance to say this yesterday, but I’m very sorry to hear about the inflammatory issue recurring. I hope you can find a way to get it back in remission quickly, or at least enough to get back to enjoying life.

      • Dwampre Scorrigank
        Dwampre Scorrigank
        January 15, 2026 at 6:39 pm | # | Reply Report comment

        Congrats on murdering the bacteria tho

        • NGPZ
          NGPZ
          January 15, 2026 at 6:57 pm | # | Reply Report comment

          awe thanks ;~;

          the irony is that it may not have even been infected at all to begin with

          meaning that the antibiotic may have very well caused more problems than it solved x-x
          smh

          at least i got closure, cannabis and a more clear path to recovery

          glass half full T~T

  3. shadowcell
    shadowcell
    January 15, 2026 at 12:04 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Dumbing of Age Book 16: All of This Information Excites My Brain’s “Yes, Please!” Zones

    • shadowcell
      shadowcell
      January 15, 2026 at 12:04 am | # | Reply Report comment

      alternatively, Dumbing of Age Book 16: It’s a Mindfuck

      • cbwroses
        cbwroses
        January 15, 2026 at 12:12 am | # | Reply Report comment

        I think that if someone makes my brain’s “yes, please!”, zones excited, that would be a kind of mindfuck.

        • Lysbeth
          Lysbeth
          January 15, 2026 at 4:13 am | # | Reply Report comment

          No, Mindfuck would never. And not only because she refuses (spoilers soon) to go and do that. (Seriously if you don’t want Empowered spoilers, stop reading now)

          But also (spoilers incoming) because (spoilers ahoy!) she’s dead so…

          Though I will say pleasure only exists in the brain so does that make every fuck a mindfuck?

  4. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    January 15, 2026 at 12:04 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Don’t trust trust.

    • Clif
      Clif
      January 15, 2026 at 12:36 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Sirksome Trustbuster we called im.

      • NGPZ
        NGPZ
        January 15, 2026 at 3:10 am | # | Reply Report comment

        trust-BUSTIN’ makes me feeel good… ✨️

      • Lysbeth
        Lysbeth
        January 15, 2026 at 4:14 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Average Homestuck title card name.

  5. Thag Simmons
    Thag Simmons
    January 15, 2026 at 12:04 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Booster I feel like you aren’t taking this seriously.

    • jeffepp
      jeffepp
      January 15, 2026 at 12:06 am | # | Reply Report comment

      It’s him being drama horny.

      • Nono
        Nono
        January 15, 2026 at 12:09 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Them, this is not new information.

        • jeffepp
          jeffepp
          January 15, 2026 at 12:13 am | # | Reply Report comment

          Right. My error.

    • Quinn
      Quinn
      January 15, 2026 at 12:07 am | # | Reply Report comment

      When do they take anything seriously? Hmm… Maybe when they got annoyed with Carla?

    • Lysbeth
      Lysbeth
      January 15, 2026 at 4:36 am | # | Reply Report comment

      I fully expected Booster to go “Amber trusts you. And she’s right, you’re not telling me what I don’t need to know.” But then they went with “holy shit! SHE shows trust!” and to be fair that might just be them switching tracks on purpose to avoid being nosy but…
      Come on. How come Walky is the straight man of this relationship.

      • zee
        zee
        January 15, 2026 at 7:33 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Walky’s a goofball but he’s also always kinda played the straight man in the group

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          January 15, 2026 at 8:30 am | # | Reply Report comment

          He’s definitely got a comedic niche and isn’t just a straight man character* reacting to the actually funny people, but characters in long running series like this tend to be multipurpose and able to fit into different comedic roles depending on context, and Walky has always been a decent straight man

          …..

          I feel like we ought to have a more precise word for this than “straight man”

          • Stephen Bierce
            Stephen Bierce
            January 15, 2026 at 8:57 am | # | Reply Report comment

            Upstanding bloke? Decent, regular sort of fellow (after Stanislaw Lem)?

          • AndysDrawings
            AndysDrawings
            January 15, 2026 at 9:19 am | # | Reply Report comment

            “Comedy Bottom”

            • Merle
              Merle
              January 15, 2026 at 10:11 am | # | Reply Report comment

              I want you to know that this made me laugh so unexpectedly that I nearly dropped a butter knife on my foot

            • Embe13
              Embe13
              January 15, 2026 at 11:46 am | # | Reply Report comment

              my ohioan friends call the role a “german”

              • Effie
                Effie
                January 15, 2026 at 1:22 pm | # | Reply Report comment

                quick poll: does “german” make this more problematic, or less problematic, than “comedy bottom?”

                • Clif
                  Clif
                  January 15, 2026 at 1:38 pm | #

                  comedy bottom was problematic?

                • Thag Simmons
                  Thag Simmons
                  January 15, 2026 at 3:13 pm | #

                  “Comedy bottom” is problematic for our purposes because it is not a viable synonym, the intuitive metaphor creates a different meaning that would encompass a different range of characters and comedic roles.

              • Thag Simmons
                Thag Simmons
                January 15, 2026 at 3:15 pm | # | Reply Report comment

                That’s good but it feels like a lateral move

      • Stormtide Leviathan
        Stormtide Leviathan
        January 15, 2026 at 9:52 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Walky’s the straight man because some realizations are yet to come, but she’ll get there

  6. jeffepp
    jeffepp
    January 15, 2026 at 12:05 am | # | Reply Report comment

    “We can keep her, together. ”

    “Like a pet?”

    “Sure. “

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      January 15, 2026 at 12:07 am | # | Reply Report comment

      “What do you feed an Amber?”

      “Right now? Mostly pills. And she needs a Switch 2 in her habitat for enrichment.”

      • jeffepp
        jeffepp
        January 15, 2026 at 12:12 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Amber can have a little Pokkie, as a treat.

        • Thing 2
          Thing 2
          January 15, 2026 at 2:08 am | # | Reply Report comment

          Oh help. Is Pokkie a food? A game? harware thing?

          • Queen Anthai
            Queen Anthai
            January 15, 2026 at 2:45 am | # | Reply Report comment

            I think they meant Pocky.

            • Clif
              Clif
              January 15, 2026 at 1:39 pm | # | Reply Report comment

              Now see, I thought it was short for Pokémon.

              • TCS
                TCS
                January 15, 2026 at 10:24 pm | # | Reply Report comment

                I’d say “that’s poké!” but that circles us back to food.

          • ResRam
            ResRam
            January 15, 2026 at 1:42 pm | # | Reply Report comment

            It looks like food, anyway.
            And people eat it.
            Just dont ask any european food safety admins about it.

            • Firefly
              Firefly
              January 15, 2026 at 6:39 pm | # | Reply Report comment

              What? It’s a biscuit stick with frosting on it…?

              • Taffy
                Taffy
                January 15, 2026 at 9:07 pm | # | Reply Report comment

                Yeah, coated with arsenic and mercury.

      • Stormtide Leviathan
        Stormtide Leviathan
        January 16, 2026 at 12:44 am | # | Reply Report comment

        You shouldn’t adopt an amber if you have other pets in the house, she’s solitary, but make sure you take her outside sometimes to socialize her

  7. Ray
    Ray
    January 15, 2026 at 12:05 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Previous weird throuple ship sunk hard but I’m enjoying whatever the fuck is going on with this interaction dynamic

    • jeffepp
      jeffepp
      January 15, 2026 at 12:10 am | # | Reply Report comment

      I keep saying, everyone wants her as their third. Except maybe Ethan. Asher would be down, though.

  8. IntangibleMatter
    IntangibleMatter
    January 15, 2026 at 12:05 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Okay but does Amazi-Girl trust him? Because she probably does but I doubt it’s as much as Amber.

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      January 15, 2026 at 12:08 am | # | Reply Report comment

      I’m kinda guessing AG took over for the scaling of the building ledge, if so then she decided what window to enter.

      • cbwroses
        cbwroses
        January 15, 2026 at 12:16 am | # | Reply Report comment

        I doubt it.
        It’s not like Amber needs AG to be physically capable.
        AG just took over the “good” motivations and behaviors.
        And we know Amber was on the ledge at some point, so it seems unlikely AG would take over while already on the ledge without there being a reason for it.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          January 15, 2026 at 4:37 am | # | Reply Report comment

          Amber compartmentalized her positive traits as “oh those are Amazi-Girl’s”. She needs to let herself have nice things too.

          • Clif
            Clif
            January 15, 2026 at 1:41 pm | # | Reply Report comment

            Walky is a nice thing. She just doesn’t deserve him because of Dina.

      • John Campbell
        John Campbell
        January 15, 2026 at 12:29 am | # | Reply Report comment

        We haven’t seen Amazi-Girl since the protest. I think she’s still unconscious.

        And I don’t think she gets to complain about the condition Amber leaves their body in anymore.

  9. Skewbrow
    Skewbrow
    January 15, 2026 at 12:06 am | # | Reply Report comment

    As is most often the case, Booster is not wrong.

  10. Bill Erak
    Bill Erak
    January 15, 2026 at 12:06 am | # | Reply Report comment

    I mean, fairly certain Walky’s window can’t be closest. right?

    • Clif
      Clif
      January 15, 2026 at 12:38 am | # | Reply Report comment

      It can.

    • HueSatLight
      HueSatLight
      January 15, 2026 at 12:55 am | # | Reply Report comment

      She would have had to have gone over the roof to get there. Or all the way around the end of Clark, and possibly around the end of Beck too. The geometry of the building isn’t entirely consistent, though.

  11. Dot
    Dot
    January 15, 2026 at 12:06 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Mm. Now I don’t like how they talk about Amber being plural like it’s something to gawk at.

    • Spectre
      Spectre
      January 15, 2026 at 12:12 am | # | Reply Report comment

      It’s Booster. Everyone exists to be gawked at.

      • Gigafreak
        Gigafreak
        January 15, 2026 at 3:53 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Booster is they (nonbinary)
        Amber is they (plural)

        Walky is the only non-they in the room

    • Sirksome
      Sirksome
      January 15, 2026 at 12:14 am | # | Reply Report comment

      This is like their main character flaw.

      • Dot
        Dot
        January 15, 2026 at 12:19 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Like it comes off different when it’s someone’s messy personal baggge vs. a condition for which they are marginalized by society at large

        • not someone else
          not someone else
          January 15, 2026 at 12:40 am | # | Reply Report comment

          It’s true but also, like, as someone living in a traumagenic plural head, the difference in this case was already about a half-step to the left, particularly when they focused on Amber the first time.

        • Bill Erak
          Bill Erak
          January 15, 2026 at 1:10 am | # | Reply Report comment

          Listen, I (<plural) wish I had a sassy nobinary pseudopsychologist around to thirst over my mental health issues.

          Then again I also wish I had a mike in my life so I may be fucked in the head in more ways than one.

    • ESM
      ESM
      January 15, 2026 at 3:18 am | # | Reply Report comment

      I wouldn’t call Booster malevolent or anything, but there’s something really fucked in in the way they treat everyone like a fish in a tank.

      Booster feels a lot like an audience stand-in. Their ability to psycho-analyze people at a glance is so over the top it’s like they cheated and read the comic, but also they tend to treat everyone else like a fictional character and not a real person.

      • Clif
        Clif
        January 15, 2026 at 1:44 pm | # | Reply Report comment

        Do you think they relate to Charlie that way?

    • anon
      anon
      January 15, 2026 at 4:45 am | # | Reply Report comment

      they also wanted to go on a date with ruth and didn’t seem put off (well not that there was an extra panel to react) when she responded “wait til my 21st birthday” or so

  12. Morrison
    Morrison
    January 15, 2026 at 12:08 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Or, alternatively, Amber trusts Booster.

    • cbwroses
      cbwroses
      January 15, 2026 at 12:18 am | # | Reply Report comment

      She trusts both.
      She told Walky she was waiting for him or Booster.
      Is it the same degree or trust? Idk.
      But she at least trusted Booster would help hide her from the cops.

      • Clif
        Clif
        January 15, 2026 at 1:47 pm | # | Reply Report comment

        She may trust Booster, but she’s in Walky’s bed.

        Me, I’m wondering what Dina is going to think when she gets back to her room after the raid and injured Amber is gone.

  13. Astariel
    Astariel
    January 15, 2026 at 12:08 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Good on Booster for not pushing too hard. I wasn’t sure they’d be able to resist.

  14. C.T Phipps
    C.T Phipps
    January 15, 2026 at 12:11 am | # | Reply Report comment

    But does Walky like Amber or Amazi-Girl?

    • Steamweed
      Steamweed
      January 15, 2026 at 12:20 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Yes.

    • cbwroses
      cbwroses
      January 15, 2026 at 12:20 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Amber.
      He’s barely interacted with AG.
      And what originally attracted him to Amber, besides her being “thick Dorothy”, was that they were garbage together.
      AG is supposed to be the part that’s not garbage.

      • Throwatron
        Throwatron
        January 15, 2026 at 12:53 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Maybe Nightguy can become not-garbage????

      • Tan
        Tan
        January 15, 2026 at 4:46 am | # | Reply Report comment

        It took about 20 seconds from Walky learning that Amber and Amazi-Girl were legit different people for him to declare he was hot for both of them. https://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/04-vote-for-robin/partitions/

      • Stormtide Leviathan
        Stormtide Leviathan
        January 16, 2026 at 12:46 am | # | Reply Report comment

        I think walky likes both, but amber more, and only amber likes him back. Amazi-Girl’s never really shown an interest in him anything more than platonically. (She’s into Sal instead, of course :3)

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      January 15, 2026 at 2:11 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Amber. Which is good, because Amazi-Girl seems largely indifferent to Walky, unlike where both were into Danny. It’s fun to see they have differing tastes.

  15. Suet
    Suet
    January 15, 2026 at 12:13 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Amber trusts you… except in speedrunning Level 8-4

    or she trusts your window, something like that too

  16. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    January 15, 2026 at 12:14 am | # | Reply Report comment

    You could turn it into a Body Fuck later, Walky.

    • cbwroses
      cbwroses
      January 15, 2026 at 12:21 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Maybe let the wound heal first.
      Or be very Very gentle.

      • Icalasari
        Icalasari
        January 15, 2026 at 12:23 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Let them have a little wound play. As a treat

        • Bogeywoman
          Bogeywoman
          January 15, 2026 at 12:27 am | # | Reply Report comment

          There are very few kinks that made me shudder with horror the way reading that did. Even stuff that icks me out I’m like, whatever, not my thing, but I physically recoiled at the mention of “wound play”.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      January 15, 2026 at 12:55 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Why would you ever want to fuck a body? Damn corporeality fetishists.

      • Thing 2
        Thing 2
        January 15, 2026 at 2:12 am | # | Reply Report comment

        I’m into fucking an idea.

        • Owlmirror
          Owlmirror
          January 15, 2026 at 2:33 am | # | Reply Report comment

          Fucking abstractions, how do they work?

          • ResRam
            ResRam
            January 15, 2026 at 1:44 pm | # | Reply Report comment

            Its complicated.
            And theoretical.

            • Clif
              Clif
              January 15, 2026 at 2:06 pm | # | Reply Report comment

              I feel compelled to point out that corporeality is an abstraction.

              • Taffy
                Taffy
                January 15, 2026 at 3:34 pm | # | Reply Report comment

                I’m about to abstract, myself.

                • ResRam
                  ResRam
                  January 15, 2026 at 5:35 pm | #

                  Careful. Thats gonna make you farsighted.

  17. Francoinblanco
    Francoinblanco
    January 15, 2026 at 12:14 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Give this trust fund some time and maybe it will turn into a holding company

    • StClair
      StClair
      January 15, 2026 at 12:19 am | # | Reply Report comment

      with enough investment, it might even become a foundation.

  18. Steamweed
    Steamweed
    January 15, 2026 at 12:17 am | # | Reply Report comment

    “AMBER trusts you. Amber TRUSTS you. Amber trusts YOU.”

    So much progress she’s made!
    *sniffs

  19. Mitzi B.
    Mitzi B.
    January 15, 2026 at 12:22 am | # | Reply Report comment

    +1 Amber trusts you.
    +2 Amber *truly* trusts you.

    • nadamás
      nadamás
      January 15, 2026 at 1:13 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Sick disco Elysium ref.

    • Kyulen
      Kyulen
      January 15, 2026 at 2:08 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Unfortunately, Amber is not Kim Kitsuragi. And it’s probably better for Walky that he’s not the player character of Disco Elysium.

  20. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    January 15, 2026 at 12:26 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Y’know booster and Amber seem to be friends. You’d think they’d be…a bit more concerned that she’s barely conscious, heavily medicated and being pursued by police but I guess instead getting a jolly out of the drama is certainly one of the reactions one could have.

    • Bogeywoman
      Bogeywoman
      January 15, 2026 at 12:29 am | # | Reply Report comment

      I don’t think they know he severity of her injuries yet, but I also think they’d be pretty level headed (or their version of that) in a crisis.

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        January 15, 2026 at 12:56 am | # | Reply Report comment

        *they severity

        • Yotomoe
          Yotomoe
          January 15, 2026 at 12:59 am | # | Reply Report comment

          I’m willing to bet there’ll be a non-zero amount of people who don’t realize this comment is a joke.

          • Clif
            Clif
            January 15, 2026 at 1:23 pm | # | Reply Report comment

            Probably.

          • Bogeywoman
            Bogeywoman
            January 15, 2026 at 9:06 pm | # | Reply Report comment

            Ngl, I was the non-zero for a full minute. Fully accepted I’d erred somehow but couldn’t work out how I’d misspelled severity.

            • Taffy
              Taffy
              January 15, 2026 at 9:13 pm | # | Reply Report comment

              Goddamn I’m powerful.

        • Thing 2
          Thing 2
          January 15, 2026 at 2:14 am | # | Reply Report comment

          we she they

        • Tobias
          Tobias
          January 15, 2026 at 10:28 am | # | Reply Report comment

          This gave me a sensible chuckle

    • Leorale
      Leorale
      January 15, 2026 at 12:55 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Yeah, I’d kinda like it if Booster could get this moment redeemed, by being like, “oh wait, it’s not like she has a migraine and also she’s anxious around cops, it’s more like she’s been severely injured and held together with glue, and now these paramilitarized cops are after her specifically, I will focus less on how this turns me on”. But it doesn’t seem like that’s what’s going to happen.

      • Leorale
        Leorale
        January 15, 2026 at 1:01 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Like, I like Booster, and I like reading Booster. I just wish for them to have a tiny lil smidgen of perspective or priorities. Oh well!

        • Jon
          Jon
          January 15, 2026 at 12:00 pm | # | Reply Report comment

          Why do you believe Booster’s even aware that Amber’s injured? It’s not like this is being broadcast on the front page of the campus newspaper, which seems to be how most widely-known information is disseminated here.

          • Big Z
            Big Z
            January 15, 2026 at 1:46 pm | # | Reply Report comment

            If nothing else Booster knows she’s ill enough to need to be cared for, because Walky told them that yesterday in the last panel.

      • Alongcameaspider
        Alongcameaspider
        January 15, 2026 at 1:44 am | # | Reply Report comment

        They only just now got here, give them a moment to actually assess the situation before you write off their reaction

        • Yotomoe
          Yotomoe
          January 15, 2026 at 2:07 am | # | Reply Report comment

          I feel like Leorale is being very fair with the strip as is presented. This is the 2nd strip after Walky’s expressed concern over Amber’s condition and Booster’s still kinda bringing the same energy. And like…if the scene shifts to a completely different location tommorow, or we just never see booster again for the rest of this arc, is Leorale supposed to just comment then on an unrelated strip? I feel like it makes sense to bring this up now because we simply don’t know if it’ll ever be relevant to bring up Booster’s reaction again for this storyline.

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      January 15, 2026 at 2:13 am | # | Reply Report comment

      I don’t think they’re aware, just that Amber’s there. Amber DID say that she was waiting for either Walky OR Booster, so I think Amber has a level of trust for Booster, too.

      That, or just knew Booster would have zero interest in cooperating with the authorities.

  21. Doopyboop
    Doopyboop
    January 15, 2026 at 12:52 am | # | Reply Report comment

    I can’t believe Booster turned Amber in to the cops, burnt down the dorms, AND ate the last cookie in the cookie jar. Will no one stop their crusade of cruelty?

    • Throwatron
      Throwatron
      January 15, 2026 at 12:54 am | # | Reply Report comment

      and then booster unhinged their jaw and swallowed walky whole

      • Taffy
        Taffy
        January 15, 2026 at 12:57 am | # | Reply Report comment

        That’s just the last panel of every strip with Booster in it, regardless of how far away Walky is at the moment.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        January 15, 2026 at 4:39 pm | # | Reply Report comment

        They’ll beat your face in with a shovel if you don’t treat them like a star,
        ’cause you can spit in the wind and tug on Superman’s cape,
        but Lord knows you don’t mess around with B_R.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLnapb-30hA

        (We don’t know Booster’s middle name and Weird Al used all three letters in Charles Nelson Reilly’s, but we need the last one to match the beat. Fill in the blank with your best guess, there’s a 1 in 26 chance you’re right!)

    • 3oranges
      3oranges
      January 15, 2026 at 12:58 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Ah, right. Amber is plural so I guess she would turn into the cops and not just into one cop. Still a weird change though.

      • Yotomoe
        Yotomoe
        January 15, 2026 at 1:00 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Good cop AND Bad cop.

        • Doopyboop
          Doopyboop
          January 15, 2026 at 1:03 am | # | Reply Report comment

          Both voices inexplicably have the Christian Bale Batman voice.

          • 3oranges
            3oranges
            January 15, 2026 at 1:19 am | # | Reply Report comment

            Not Liam Neeson?

            • Doopyboop
              Doopyboop
              January 15, 2026 at 1:50 am | # | Reply Report comment

              “Hey buddy!!”

          • Yotomoe
            Yotomoe
            January 15, 2026 at 1:24 am | # | Reply Report comment

            One is Christian Bale, One is Adam West. And it’s not the ones you think.

            • Clif
              Clif
              January 15, 2026 at 1:27 pm | # | Reply Report comment

              Oh dear.

  22. Doribi
    Doribi
    January 15, 2026 at 1:04 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Wait, Booster not being a little jerk? this is surprising, also love how much of a mindfuck this is to Walky

  23. Barf Ninjason
    Barf Ninjason
    January 15, 2026 at 1:15 am | # | Reply Report comment

    YWalky’s pretty trustworthy. Any doubt about that would he due to his, uh, penchant for indolence, which is minor in the grand scheme of thingss -as far as I can recall he’s always been solid and supportive and kind to everyone. Amber probably picks up on that, that he’s one of the top picks among these people for if you gotta choose who you’re stranded on a desert island with.

    • Vulcanodon
      Vulcanodon
      January 15, 2026 at 3:07 pm | # | Reply Report comment

      He also did a damn fine job diverting that cop

  24. Juanoku
    Juanoku
    January 15, 2026 at 1:41 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Weird when you think about the people amber trusts most are an ex delinquent, a know it all that has a nervous breakdown every 3 chapters because she doesn’t actually know it all (in realizing this is A REALLY gross oversimplification), a (currently) shut in emo and a manchild

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      January 15, 2026 at 5:35 am | # | Reply Report comment

      I will concede that Sal is weird, becoming friends with people who held your friend hostage in a robbery and who you maimed is pretty unusual.

      But like the other examples here are just “nerd with mental health problems” and honestly that’s a pretty normal sort of person to be friends with and trust

      • Stormtide Leviathan
        Stormtide Leviathan
        January 15, 2026 at 11:16 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Walky gets a little splash-over weirdness for being Sal’s sister but largely yeah

        • Juanoku
          Juanoku
          January 15, 2026 at 7:51 pm | # | Reply Report comment

          So happy for her transition

          • Stormtide Leviathan
            Stormtide Leviathan
            January 16, 2026 at 12:39 am | # | Reply Report comment

            okay i am a trans walky truther but that wasn’t even my conscious intention here lol. not sure whether that was “I unconsciously think of Walky as a girl at this point” or just accidentally saying the wrong word, both are very possible

  25. Professional asexual
    Professional asexual
    January 15, 2026 at 2:03 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Imagine if Booster just randomly is the biggest narc

    • anon
      anon
      January 15, 2026 at 4:43 am | # | Reply Report comment

      given that they were pretty against carla’s parents to where they didn’t even wanna ‘introduce’ charlie to carla, i doubt they’d snitch in this particular case

      • Stormtide Leviathan
        Stormtide Leviathan
        January 16, 2026 at 12:50 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Very true. Probably still a good idea not to go spreading around “hey Amber’s hiding from the cops in here” even to people you think will be chill, but I think in this case being the roommate absolutely qualifies them.

  26. Kyulen
    Kyulen
    January 15, 2026 at 2:04 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Booster’s behavior on being reminded about Amber’s psychological/mental issue in the second panel is kinda creeping me out. The rest of their behavior in this strip isn’t bad.

    • anon
      anon
      January 15, 2026 at 4:49 am | # | Reply Report comment

      i mean , you do hear anecdotes of psych students being fascinated about ppl’s disorders rather than concerned to ‘fix’/help them

      i do remember a tumblr post mocking/posting a screenshot of ‘that’s scary’ making fun of psych students worrying about if someone had an issue about harmful/intrusive thoughts and those meme/screenshots of “Therapists when you have more problems than just mild social anxiety”

      • Big Z
        Big Z
        January 15, 2026 at 8:00 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Yeah, this is pretty on-brand for psych students in general, at least in the popular stereotype.

        Of the half-dozen undergrads in psych I’ve known personally, they actually sorted neatly into two categories –
        – super into being fascinated about people’s disorders and what problems people might have, ended up in a non-psych career or changing majors.
        – absolutely refused to speculate or chat about anyone’s mental health, working as a practicing psychologist now.

  27. Zamperla
    Zamperla
    January 15, 2026 at 2:05 am | # | Reply Report comment

    ….Yeah come to think of it! Literally at her most vulnerable, too. I wonder if he’s really used to BEING trusted. He didn’t have any close friends that’ve been mentioned from high school. His sister and him…. have done a really good job repairing their relationship.

  28. Thing 2
    Thing 2
    January 15, 2026 at 2:06 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Awww, buddy!

  29. Acher4
    Acher4
    January 15, 2026 at 2:19 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Booster is gold.

    • zee
      zee
      January 15, 2026 at 2:27 pm | # | Reply Report comment

      Booster Gold, another under appreciated goat

  30. Owlmirror
    Owlmirror
    January 15, 2026 at 2:42 am | # | Reply Report comment

    At this point, Booster does not know that Amber has been stabbed. I’m not sure they know that Amber has been severely injured at all.

    (“Prescription medication” is not obviously “pain medication for a sewn-together wound”)

    Come to think of it, I’m not sure they know that Amber’s alter beat up a bunch of cops.

    Maybe once they get a sense of the seriousness of the situation, they’ll stop being so thirsty for tea.

    • Stormtide Leviathan
      Stormtide Leviathan
      January 15, 2026 at 11:14 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Yeah I feel like “needs some medication” and “doesn’t want to be around the cops” are both very normal things for a college student to do. I’d want to have no interaction with the cops if i could help it even not having a superhero alter who beat a bunch up

  31. anon
    anon
    January 15, 2026 at 4:42 am | # | Reply Report comment

    i mean, doesn’t booster know she’s amazigirl? or did they assume that she didnt disasociate or so during (tho i guess booster hasn’t talked to ‘amazigirl’ since it was ‘amber’ that went up on the ceiling that one time)

    • Doopyboop
      Doopyboop
      January 15, 2026 at 6:31 am | # | Reply Report comment

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2020/comic/book-11/01-this-bright-millennium/herselves/ Booster was briefly informed before that Amber was plural, but Booster hasn’t interacted with Amazi-girl yet.

      • Stormtide Leviathan
        Stormtide Leviathan
        January 15, 2026 at 11:12 am | # | Reply Report comment

        prooobably booster would figure it out once they actually interact with amazi-girl but i can see them not catching it just from having heard about her (and seen pictures? probably?)

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          January 15, 2026 at 7:25 pm | # | Reply Report comment

          I don’t think anyone has every figured it out just from hearing about her or seeing pictures.
          Very few have figured it out from brief interactions.

          Maybe Booster’s special insights are enough to put it together at once, but I’d be surprised.

  32. Kyle
    Kyle
    January 15, 2026 at 7:03 am | # | Reply Report comment

    I wonder why people would think Booster is toxic /s

    • Clif
      Clif
      January 15, 2026 at 1:34 pm | # | Reply Report comment

      I suspect that a major factor is that some of those people have trouble distinguishing between what they know and what the characters can be expected to know. //s.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        January 15, 2026 at 3:24 pm | # | Reply Report comment

        That’s probably a big part of it. If you don’t clock that Booster is making a joke when they ask if Amber is hiding from the police, they come off a lot worse than they were probably intended to

        • Stormtide Leviathan
          Stormtide Leviathan
          January 16, 2026 at 12:59 am | # | Reply Report comment

          And even outside of joking, there are a lot of lower stakes reasons I might think Amber was hiding from the police- her pre-established anxiety, or maybe she’s high right now*- before I would jump to more serious “oh shit, yeah she absolutely should not be seen by them”.

          * (amber has established clearly that she’s not really a fan of using drugs illegally, but I’m not sure if Booster knows that yet and it’s certainly a believable thing for a college student to do)

    • zee
      zee
      January 15, 2026 at 2:25 pm | # | Reply Report comment

      Okay but I do wonder tho /gen. Cuz the shit seems overblown to me

    • Dot
      Dot
      January 15, 2026 at 3:54 pm | # | Reply Report comment

      I don’t think Booster is toxic, necessarily, but I have known people like Booster, and they were pretty universally unpleasant to be around.

  33. Rimwalker55
    Rimwalker55
    January 15, 2026 at 7:14 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Color me amazed, but it seems odd that for all his observational powers Booster never connected Amber’s skill set with a certain superhero seen around Reed Hall.

    https://www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/book-15/03-me-and-who-you-say-i-was-yesterday/temerity/

    • Daibhid C
      Daibhid C
      January 15, 2026 at 8:12 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Goodness, I’d forgotten that was Booster’s theory originally.

      I wonder what the venn diagram looks like between the readership that has accepted that theory completely and the readership that hates Booster.

    • Taffy
      Taffy
      January 15, 2026 at 9:17 am | # | Reply Report comment

      Theeeeeiiiiirrrr~🎶

      • Rimwalker55
        Rimwalker55
        January 15, 2026 at 10:04 am | # | Reply Report comment

        oops

    • AshleyMagica
      AshleyMagica
      January 15, 2026 at 9:18 am | # | Reply Report comment

      *THEIR* observational powers.

      I swear, the object permanence of some of you guys…

      • Clif
        Clif
        January 15, 2026 at 2:09 pm | # | Reply Report comment

        Object permanence is overrated. – Mike

  34. Rimwalker55
    Rimwalker55
    January 15, 2026 at 8:59 am | # | Reply Report comment

    Can anyone find the strip where Amber tells Walky why she like him? Amber says in essence ‘I like you because most people look at me and the Doomsday clock moves closer to midnight. I don’t get that pressure from you.’ Walky respond like ‘I like you because you can do aerial somersaults but I never feel pressured to exercise.’

    It felt like Amber/AG can trust him as the one person that accepts both of her as valid people.

    • Doopyboop
      Doopyboop
      January 15, 2026 at 9:36 am | # | Reply Report comment

      https://www.dumbingofage.com/2018/comic/book-9-comic/01-flyin-to-the-red/exhaustive/ Voila! Good memory too you pretty much had it verbatim.

      • Rimwalker55
        Rimwalker55
        January 15, 2026 at 9:44 am | # | Reply Report comment

        Great retrieval skills! Thanks.

  35. superglucose
    superglucose
    January 15, 2026 at 5:32 pm | # | Reply Report comment

    See, Booster! Told you you could be more cool.

  36. darkoneko
    darkoneko
    January 15, 2026 at 6:19 pm | # | Reply Report comment

    scary, right ?

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