Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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

June 22, 2026

Buds

by David M Willis on December 31, 2018 at 12:01 am
  • 02 - But the Sun Still Shines
└ Tags: joyce, sal

Discussion (117) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    December 31, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    and she has JUST the outfit ready

    • Narx
      Narx
      December 31, 2018 at 10:28 am | #

      That is such a great follow-up that after clicking the link, I forgot I was reading older comics.
      I got to the electric nose picker before I even started realizing.

  2. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    December 31, 2018 at 12:03 am | #

    I now want two things out of life.

    1) To see Sal in a sweatervest (Joyce’s next shenanigan should be replacing all her clothes with them).

    2) To see Carla’s reaction when Joyce shows up in the Rutten jacket.

    • Stu
      Stu
      December 31, 2018 at 12:15 am | #

      Primo opportunity for that would be during the next parental visit.

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      December 31, 2018 at 12:35 am | #

      Well I wanna see Sal in a sweatervest too. Done right they can be sexy, but that’s not how Joyce does them.

    • auroki
      auroki
      December 31, 2018 at 12:48 am | #

      We need Freaky Friday outfit Joyce and Sal now!

      • LookingIn
        LookingIn
        December 31, 2018 at 2:53 am | #

        sunglasses and gloves too or just t-shirt, jeans, and jacket?

    • Freemage
      Freemage
      December 31, 2018 at 1:08 am | #

      I suspect that Sal’s reaction to finding all of her tops have been replaced with sweater-vests would be to walk to Joyce’s room topless and dump them on her bed, then find her clothing and get dressed….

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        December 31, 2018 at 2:10 am | #

        I don’t know about Sal, but I’m usually so out of it in the morning that it barely registers what I’m putting on.

        You could probably get me to go to work in a gorilla costume if you hung it in the right part of my closet.

  3. Cattleprod
    Cattleprod
    December 31, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    Borrow her pants, not like she’s using them.

  4. shadowcell
    shadowcell
    December 31, 2018 at 12:04 am | #

    Dumbing of Age Book 9: That’s Neato, Buddy

    • Tan
      Tan
      December 31, 2018 at 12:11 am | #

      Dumbing of Age Book 9: Holy Mother of That’s Neato, Buddy

      • Chris Phoenix
        Chris Phoenix
        December 31, 2018 at 1:15 am | #

        DoA Book 9: Buddy Neato II: Neato Buddier.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      December 31, 2018 at 2:24 am | #

      Dumbing of Age Book 9: You Can Always Wear One of My Sweatervests

    • foamy
      foamy
      December 31, 2018 at 2:27 am | #

      I read that line in Dante Bosco’s voice and I make no apologies for it

      • Keulen
        Keulen
        December 31, 2018 at 6:15 am | #

        Same here.

    • Khyrin
      Khyrin
      December 31, 2018 at 9:16 am | #

      Dumbing of Age 9: My first Pal Became the Moon.

  5. Synnerman
    Synnerman
    December 31, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    I bet when Sal’s parents come to school it will be sweater vest time!

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      December 31, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      You know what, maybe. It might go over as more organic to when she just wore her school uniform.

      • Nono
        Nono
        December 31, 2018 at 12:39 am | #

        Depends, are the sweater vests made from organically sourced wool?

        • Tacos
          Tacos
          December 31, 2018 at 12:43 am | #

          No. Just organs.

  6. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    December 31, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    Do all of Sal’s clothes come with the odor of cool which never washes out (per.Sarah’s phrasing)?

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      December 31, 2018 at 8:16 am | #

      We can only assume so, tobacco smoke gets into everything.

      I hope we see Sal at least try to quit, if only because it seems like she picked the habit up during the misguided, post-Marcie-injury delinquent phase she’s now trying to put behind her.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        December 31, 2018 at 2:34 pm | #

        The only thing Sal’s trying to put behind her is the punching game and all the mixed up emotions she’s got towards the robbery. Smoking isn’t morally wrong (unless you’re an asshole and smoke near a door or inside someone else’s house or whatever) and I don’t think there’s any indication Sal thinks it is.

        It does make me sad she was smoking around 13 years old though. Like, that is sad no matter how you slice it. I DO however, wholeheartedly approve of Sal throwing in her mom’s face just whose influence that was (“MARCIE doesn’t smoke. YOU do.”) because Linda can fuck off thinking everyone else is a bad influence except her and her husband.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          December 31, 2018 at 4:11 pm | #

          Yeah it’s not the smoking itself, it’s that the circumstances she picked the habit up from could be regrettable.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            December 31, 2018 at 11:11 pm | #

            It’s not morally wrong, but it ain’t good for you, to vastly understate things.

            It’s also a stereotypically cool biker rebel thing, so it might be nice to see her shed some of the pose part of it.

            • Needfuldoer
              Needfuldoer
              January 1, 2019 at 10:02 am | #

              Exactly!

  7. lilyliv
    lilyliv
    December 31, 2018 at 12:05 am | #

    Awwww~

    (See? I’m capable of leaving short, not-oversharey comments too. ^-^)

    • DailyBrad
      DailyBrad
      December 31, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      Not that it was a problem or anything 🙂

      • lilyliv
        lilyliv
        December 31, 2018 at 12:12 am | #

        Thanks 🙂

  8. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    December 31, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    *plays a “This Bud’s For You” jingle on the hacked Muzak*

    • saltchocolate
      saltchocolate
      December 31, 2018 at 9:31 am | #

      “I love you, man . . . “

      • Stephen Bierce
        Stephen Bierce
        December 31, 2018 at 10:51 am | #

        “–but beware of the penguins.”

    • Clif
      Clif
      December 31, 2018 at 1:40 pm | #

      This Chums for You.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        December 31, 2018 at 11:12 pm | #

        No. Chum’s for the sharks.

  9. Shiro
    Shiro
    December 31, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    Now Joyce gets to wear the Carla jacket

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      December 31, 2018 at 8:18 am | #

      Or the brown one, she just has to bring it to a tailor and have them fix the seam that let go.

  10. Questionor
    Questionor
    December 31, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    holy mother of cr? my brain is tired, what’s the rest?

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      December 31, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      Crap

    • BBCC
      BBCC
      December 31, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

      Crap.

      • Kyrik Michalowski
        Kyrik Michalowski
        December 31, 2018 at 12:07 am | #

        Jinx. 😛

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          December 31, 2018 at 12:08 am | #

          Does this mean I owe you a pop if I talk until you say my name 3 times? 😛

          • Kyrik Michalowski
            Kyrik Michalowski
            December 31, 2018 at 12:13 am | #

            Sure? I have always been very unclear on the rules behind that, it seems to vary from place to place.

            • Doctor_Who
              Doctor_Who
              December 31, 2018 at 12:21 am | #

              I my neck of the woods you were allowed to smack the person you’d jinxed.

            • BBCC
              BBCC
              December 31, 2018 at 12:39 am | #

              I mean, it’s irrelevant because you don’t know my name and I’m not speaking when I type, but yeah, those were the rules around here when I was a kid.

            • Freemage
              Freemage
              December 31, 2018 at 1:10 am | #

              For us, it was, “Jinx! You owe me a can of pop!” If both people said it at the same time, however, then the first one to slug the other in the arm won the contest.

    • Questionor
      Questionor
      December 31, 2018 at 12:09 am | #

      ok that’s one I’ve never heard. I’m used to christ or god after holy mother of.
      thx

      • saltchocolate
        saltchocolate
        December 31, 2018 at 12:32 am | #

        Yep. Crap is a Christ-substitute.

        • DahliaRose
          DahliaRose
          December 31, 2018 at 12:36 am | #

          What a weird sounding church. 😛

          • saltchocolate
            saltchocolate
            December 31, 2018 at 1:35 am | #

            Heh.

            • Clif
              Clif
              December 31, 2018 at 9:23 am | #

              Not the strangest though.

    • BarerMender
      BarerMender
      December 31, 2018 at 12:25 am | #

      Crinoline. Holy mother of Crinoline.

      • Tacos
        Tacos
        December 31, 2018 at 12:30 am | #

        Creosote.

        • Questionor
          Questionor
          December 31, 2018 at 12:32 am | #

          lol those are better than what google comes up.
          https://imgur.com/onf2t2q

  11. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    December 31, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    I love these two.

  12. Spack
    Spack
    December 31, 2018 at 12:06 am | #

    T’sa difference between “can” and would ever”, Joyce, ole chum

  13. BBCC
    BBCC
    December 31, 2018 at 12:08 am | #

    One of Joyce’s most appealing traits to me is how she makes other girls her sisters. It’s the sweetest. <3

    And yeah, no, sorry Joyce, Sal likes her look. The only way we're getting her in a sweater vest is if her dickhole parents visit.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      December 31, 2018 at 12:15 am | #

      That might be a time that she actually needs a sweater vest from Joyce. That way she can have ones available to choose from but doesn’t actually have to own them. It would be very convenient for those rare visits.

    • lilyliv
      lilyliv
      December 31, 2018 at 12:17 am | #

      Same. Despite being raised in a culture, if church = a culture, that can often drill misogyny into impressionable kids’ heads (regardless of their gender)–and don’t get me wrong, Joyce does show some moments where those ideas affect her–she really does care a lot for other girls. It’s so sweet and adorable.

      And yeah, while Sal in a sweater vest would definitely make me laugh (or alternatively, make me super sad if it was in context of her wanting to make her parents like her more even though it’s not something she feels comfortable wearing), Sal’s look is A++ and I don’t think she’s gonna change it that drastically, Joyce. (Though the offer is, again, so endearing.)

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        December 31, 2018 at 12:34 am | #

        I mean, she has a few non-uniform clothes. Her blouse today could easily be buttoned up and that bra strap covered, and we saw her going through her clothes on Family Weekend and she had a blazer she didn’t wear but looked appropriate. Throw those on with a pair of jeans and she should be okay.

        But I mean, if she put on her uniform and hid her hand behind her back the whole time she saw her parents to try to make them happy, I can definitely buy her borrowing something from Joyce. And probably not the pink and orange shirt she borrowed from Joyce before, which is too bad because she looked really cute.

        • BBCC
          BBCC
          December 31, 2018 at 12:37 am | #

          *Non-uniform but should be parent-approved clothes.

      • Geneseepaws
        Geneseepaws
        December 31, 2018 at 8:13 am | #

        Yuh, the Joyce Dynamic with the women on her floor is cute, it cool, in a Joyce energetic way. I get the feeling from the family dynamics that Becky was The closest thing to a sister that Joyce had back home. It seems the boys back home had different parental expectations, and now Joyce is making the whole floor her sisters! Yay 😀!

  14. J. A. J.
    J. A. J.
    December 31, 2018 at 12:10 am | #

    Aw, what a nice comic to end the year with. Thanks, David! <3

  15. ARoseJess
    ARoseJess
    December 31, 2018 at 12:13 am | #

    That offer really sucks when you’re just over 6′ and even their shoes don’t fit you…but your tops make cute dresses on them. 🙂

  16. AnvilPro
    AnvilPro
    December 31, 2018 at 12:20 am | #

    It’s comics like this one that remind me why DoA is one of my favorite webcomics

  17. TrueVCU
    TrueVCU
    December 31, 2018 at 12:23 am | #

    This river only flows one way, buddy

  18. BarerMender
    BarerMender
    December 31, 2018 at 12:27 am | #

    No, Karen. Keep your bland-ass sweater-vest to yourself.

  19. Tacos
    Tacos
    December 31, 2018 at 12:27 am | #

    And now we want to see Sal in a sweatervest and Joyce in a leather biker jacket.

  20. saltchocolate
    saltchocolate
    December 31, 2018 at 12:31 am | #

    Can even Joyce get away with “neato” and “buddy” in the same sentence? In 201_???

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      December 31, 2018 at 2:11 am | #

      Yes, because she’s Joyce and, for her, uncool is cool.

  21. Nikol Geier
    Nikol Geier
    December 31, 2018 at 12:31 am | #

    And in Panel 4, we see an appearance of the rare and elusive “positive Joyce freakout face”.

  22. foducool
    foducool
    December 31, 2018 at 12:39 am | #

    would probably rather be caught dead than wear one ahah

  23. Derek
    Derek
    December 31, 2018 at 12:42 am | #

    @Fartcaptor re: ghost comment from yesterday. Wow Joyce understands a lot more nuance from that one sentence because that’s not what I got at all

    • Fart Captor
      Fart Captor
      December 31, 2018 at 2:48 am | #

      Well, Joyce’s use of the word objectify doesn’t work quite as well to describe what Sal’s experienced, but that’s the thing that had been recently happening to Joyce that Sal’s description must’ve reminded her of.

      She had that whole big speech she had to give Joe to convince him he needed to start treating women like actual people

      So Sal complaining about people sticking her in a box and basically treating her a certain way she didn’t like because of how they perceived her was something Joyce recognized because it was a feeling she could relate to.

      Plus, she’s a pretty bright kid despite her massive blind spots and sometimes poor judgement

  24. Catman
    Catman
    December 31, 2018 at 12:52 am | #

    Can’t help but notice that there was no there was an H missing from between the C and the R. This means that Joyce was likely about to say “Holy Mother of Crap”

    I know pointing this out goes against the whole point of the last strip, but it shows a tremendous change in Joyce’s previous Holy fear mentality

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      December 31, 2018 at 2:47 am | #

      I actually thought it was sort of the reverse of that. Like, using, or starting to use, something that invoked Christ as a swear seems a step farther than “holy mother of crap” as there’s some deniability that it’s THAT “holy mother.” Yes, “holy” is still a part of it, but, like, Joyce has probably also said, “holy moley” at some point in her life, which is already invoking holiness (and Mary too, technically).

      (Anyone have experience getting in trouble for saying “holy moley”? It seems so tame, but I could see fundamentalist groups having a problem with it.)

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        December 31, 2018 at 3:25 am | #

        Eh, her dad says ‘holy lord’ when he says her room has nice loft beds. Apparently her church only considers ‘goddamn’ to be taking the lord’s name in vain.

        • ScarvesandCelery
          ScarvesandCelery
          December 31, 2018 at 4:30 am | #

          I’ve known Christians who object to using replacement swear words like “sugar” or “frick” and replacement blasphemy words like “Holy Moley” because they think the intent is the same. I was practically blase with swear words in the church I went to, and most secular people are surprised when I swear, because I swear so rarely they think I object to swearing (I don’t, for the record).

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          December 31, 2018 at 8:04 am | #

          Hank says “goddamn” in one of the bonus strips, over a relatively minor issue. (Back of book 7, or July ’17.) We can only assume Carol wasn’t around at the time.

          • BBCC
            BBCC
            December 31, 2018 at 1:34 pm | #

            Yeeeep.

  25. Meta
    Meta
    December 31, 2018 at 1:15 am | #

    yyyreeeeeeeeeEeeessss

    Joyce and Sal friends

    Joyce in Sal’s clothes

    New Joyce face

  26. Teddae
    Teddae
    December 31, 2018 at 1:21 am | #

    Yaaaaasssss theyre equals now

  27. BenRG
    BenRG
    December 31, 2018 at 2:00 am | #

    I thought that Joyce would end up adopting Sal’s torn leather jacket!

    Sal, on the other hand, is ready to make great changes in her life. One thing she isn’t ready to do is dress up like Joyce, although the two of them may yet do it as some kind of prank at some point.

    • OBBWG
      OBBWG
      December 31, 2018 at 1:11 pm | #

      Sal’s Halloween costume.

  28. abysswatcher1993
    abysswatcher1993
    December 31, 2018 at 2:05 am | #

    One of these days you are going to wear a sweater, Sal. A niece of nephew may ask you to wear a sweater they made for you with their tears and sweat.

    • Delicious Taffy
      Delicious Taffy
      December 31, 2018 at 2:14 am | #

      Ew, dude.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        December 31, 2018 at 9:08 am | #

        Well why do you think they’re called “sweaters”?

  29. Bagge
    Bagge
    December 31, 2018 at 2:13 am | #

    Awww, come on, Sal. You could make the sweater vest work

    • woobie
      woobie
      December 31, 2018 at 2:17 am | #

      Sal would make it cool.

  30. Delicious Taffy
    Delicious Taffy
    December 31, 2018 at 2:13 am | #

    Just gals bein’ pals?

    • JediMB
      JediMB
      December 31, 2018 at 6:16 am | #

      If this comment weren’t already here, it’s basically the one I would be typing right now.

  31. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    December 31, 2018 at 2:18 am | #

    Sorry, Sal. Friend Joyce, friend Joyce’s sweatervests.

  32. rachel
    rachel
    December 31, 2018 at 2:18 am | #

    sal’s character growth is astounding. I mean, she’s always been more mature, and I think she’s figuring out how to not be a dingdong reactive bingbong!!

  33. Bagge
    Bagge
    December 31, 2018 at 2:20 am | #

    Score

    http://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-5/03-the-butterflies-fly-away/hangover/

  34. Keulen
    Keulen
    December 31, 2018 at 2:26 am | #

    Cutest smile on Sal ever in panel 2.

    • Meta
      Meta
      December 31, 2018 at 2:44 am | #

      <3 <3 so cute

  35. jeffepp
    jeffepp
    December 31, 2018 at 2:44 am | #

    Sweater Vests won’t work, as they have no sleeves to rip off.

    Also, proof that Joyce is one slip away from a Dot Warner moment.

  36. David Doty
    David Doty
    December 31, 2018 at 2:53 am | #

    I’m very hot natured, and I very rarely wear a jacket, and pretty much never a coat. When I do, EVERYONE comments and makes a big deal about it. Despite that my old job required spending a fair amount of time outdoors, I lost track of how often I would walk around shivering in the subfreezing temperatures just to avoid the unwanted attention.

  37. fire_daws
    fire_daws
    December 31, 2018 at 3:46 am | #

    Holy crap the triangle smile. It blinds me (well, in one eye, the other is already fucked).

  38. Nobody
    Nobody
    December 31, 2018 at 3:55 am | #

    “B-But I have so many to get rid o-“
    “No.”

  39. Arianod
    Arianod
    December 31, 2018 at 4:12 am | #

    Just because she can, doesn’t mean she should.

  40. BenRG
    BenRG
    December 31, 2018 at 4:38 am | #

    I think that the most important lesson that Sal needs to teach Joyce is that Joyce doesn’t want to be her. Also, I’m not sure if she has the right mental attitude to pull of Sal’s aesthetic without it seemingly like a subtle kind of irony or parody.

  41. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    December 31, 2018 at 5:30 am | #

    Aw come on Sal, you’d rule the Xmas sweater *get punched*

    • BenRG
      BenRG
      December 31, 2018 at 5:35 am | #

      Am I the only one who’d love to see Joyce and Sal swap clothes and aesthetics for the day, just to play with everyone else’s minds?

      • Vulcanodon
        Vulcanodon
        December 31, 2018 at 8:37 am | #

        Narrator’s voice: “She was not.”

  42. acher4
    acher4
    December 31, 2018 at 8:54 am | #

    Such a wonderful New Year’s gift
    Joyce and Sal as pals. :DDD

  43. Bagge
    Bagge
    December 31, 2018 at 10:32 am | #

    I’m afraid Joyce in the fourth panel has caught whatever Danny has.

    Just keep her away from ukuleles.

  44. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    December 31, 2018 at 11:04 am | #

    The use of the dorm room and the darkened half bath in these last few strips for “emotional lighting” (is that a term?) really adds to things.

    • Ainara
      Ainara
      December 31, 2018 at 12:09 pm | #

      “Mood lighting”?

  45. keithcurtis
    keithcurtis
    December 31, 2018 at 12:07 pm | #

    Look at Joyce all bravely sneaking her hand out of frame in panel one, breaking boundaries.

  46. Ziggy
    Ziggy
    December 31, 2018 at 12:40 pm | #

    Oh, c’mon, Sal, you know what they say, “once you go sweater, nothing is better”.

    • Tisroero
      Tisroero
      December 31, 2018 at 2:13 pm | #

      They don’t say that.

      (but they should)

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      December 31, 2018 at 2:16 pm | #

      And you know what they say about striped sweaters specifically:

      The best time to wear a striped sweater…is all the time.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      December 31, 2018 at 7:56 pm | #

      A sweater vest is just the best!

  47. Cannonshop
    Cannonshop
    December 31, 2018 at 7:00 pm | #

    dunno, Sal might be able to pull off ‘Adorable’ in a sweatervest.

  48. kilgaen
    kilgaen
    January 1, 2019 at 7:48 am | #

    The chapter ends with Sal wearing a sweatervest. No, I don’t know how we get there either.

    • Ziggy
      Ziggy
      January 2, 2019 at 12:00 pm | #

      And you know what will make this hilarious? Neither will Sal. We see Sal leaving her room, to go to class, but all we have is a head shot. Next she looks down, and gasps, in shock, and confusion. The last panel zooms out, to see Sal wearing a sweater vest, and screaming, “what the fffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh!”

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