Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
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May 12, 2026

Connected

by David M Willis on September 24, 2019 at 12:01 am
  • 01 - Birthday Pursuit
└ Tags: blaine, faz, joyce, ross, sarah

Discussion (167) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    September 24, 2019 at 12:04 am | #

    I’m p sure Sarah doesn’t have a tow truck tho

    …

    no, I take that back, Sarah ABSOLUTELY has a tow truck at her beck and call, through the sheer power of SPITE

    • Ana Chronistic
      Ana Chronistic
      September 24, 2019 at 12:04 am | #

      did anyone name this shipwreck yet?

      Blowdad?

      • Jamie
        Jamie
        September 24, 2019 at 12:21 am | #

        …I don’t think that’s getting topped.

        • butts
          butts
          September 24, 2019 at 12:33 am | #

          unlike toedad

          • butts
            butts
            September 24, 2019 at 12:34 am | #

            you ever say something and immediately want to punch yourself in the face

            • Meagan
              Meagan
              September 24, 2019 at 9:17 am | #

              Pretty clever though, if disturbing

      • krylani
        krylani
        September 24, 2019 at 1:01 am | #

        “You’ll know it when you see it.”

  2. butts
    butts
    September 24, 2019 at 12:04 am | #

    his neck is back

    …well i mean

    can you call it a neck? i mean like… the back half of the toe

    • Doctor_Who
      Doctor_Who
      September 24, 2019 at 12:06 am | #

      Panel 2 kinda looks like a toe just reached up and removed its nail, revealing a face underneath.

      I shall leave you with that image.

      • Laurel Raven
        Laurel Raven
        September 24, 2019 at 7:22 pm | #

        This now cannot be unseen.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 24, 2019 at 2:13 am | #

      I don’t know how they found enough neck on Ross to put that brace around.

    • motorfirebox
      motorfirebox
      September 24, 2019 at 7:47 am | #

      Beware the flexing of his shoulder-knuckle!

    • Pylgrim
      Pylgrim
      September 24, 2019 at 11:45 am | #

      Knuckle?

  3. ValdVin
    ValdVin
    September 24, 2019 at 12:05 am | #

    I know nothing about neck braces but hope something happens to Ross now he’s removed his.

    • tim gueguen
      tim gueguen
      September 24, 2019 at 12:10 am | #

      Perhaps he was wearing in jail to win sympathy. He doesn’t seem smart enough to pull a gambit like that, but you never know.

    • StClair
      StClair
      September 24, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

      he doesn’t need neck support, GOD will HEAL him.

    • Lacuna
      Lacuna
      September 24, 2019 at 12:13 am | #

      I assume that it was a mistake and the doctor should have put a big toe brace around his neck.

      (Has this joke been done? I feel like it’s been done.)

  4. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    September 24, 2019 at 12:05 am | #

    I am hoping this blows up in their faces in a major way. I know that it won’t be easy to get there but it would be nice to just get a solid win on removing these two forever.

    • Nono
      Nono
      September 24, 2019 at 12:07 am | #

      They’ll never go away forever because this comic needs villains.

      Hence why I’m already so tired of this storyline.

      • Dunedon
        Dunedon
        September 24, 2019 at 12:12 am | #

        Have to admit … I’m often tempted to just tune out until this gets resolved. Too much realism in a comic for me that I read for enjoyment. BUT it’s not my story to tell, so that’s my issue not Willis’s

  5. Mr. Random
    Mr. Random
    September 24, 2019 at 12:06 am | #

    Seriously, how did Blaine get all this info?

    • Zatar
      Zatar
      September 24, 2019 at 12:07 am | #

      Mafia connections are a hell of a thing.

    • Yumi
      Yumi
      September 24, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

      Was awfully helpful to him how Amber just typed this all out in a Word document she saved to her desktop.

    • jmsr7
      jmsr7
      September 24, 2019 at 12:12 am | #

      Faz, i think. Faz also stole a thumbdrive from Amber’s room.

    • Felgraf
      Felgraf
      September 24, 2019 at 12:49 am | #

      Amber may have kept a journal on her laptop.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 24, 2019 at 6:58 am | #

      What he knows or thinks he knows is weird.
      Somehow he knows that it was Sarah who towed the car, but he also thinks Sarah is Becky’s girlfriend? I don’t even know if Amber knew about Sarah towing Ross’s car.
      I can’t think of anything during Faz’s visit that would have made him think Becky/Sarah was a thing.

      • Yumi
        Yumi
        September 24, 2019 at 7:43 am | #

        “My daughter’s (Amber) roommate (Dina) is your daughter’s (Becky) girlfriend.”

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 24, 2019 at 10:33 am | #

          Oh, I read that completely wrong. Distracted by the mention and photo of Sarah, I guess.

  6. Nono
    Nono
    September 24, 2019 at 12:06 am | #

    I wonder if Becky should have been contacted when her dad was released on bail. I don’t know if there were any legal obligations to, but it’s like… ‘hey we’re releasing the shooter, should we uh, give his daughter a heads up?’.

    • Stephen Bierce
      Stephen Bierce
      September 24, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

      AFAIK if Becky had a restraining order it would have been tied to Leslie’s address, as it’s unlikely she had time to update it to Robin’s. So Leslie might get the message, but there might be a game of phone tag coming?

      • Nono
        Nono
        September 24, 2019 at 12:13 am | #

        Becky wasn’t living with Leslie at the time, so it would have been uh, sent to her old house I guess? That or her dorm at Anderson.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          September 24, 2019 at 2:25 am | #

          He’d probably have orders to stay away from the campus thanks to the gun charge.

          • DSL
            DSL
            September 24, 2019 at 4:18 am | #

            Yeah, those work real good.

            • Needfuldoer
              Needfuldoer
              September 24, 2019 at 4:42 am | #

              It will make things worse for both of them when they’re caught, at least.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 24, 2019 at 7:02 am | #

        Unlikely she’d have gotten a restraining order – she lacked the resources to go after one, it was never mentioned and Ross was in jail anyway.

        The lack of a way to get in touch with her is a good point. Unless she got back in touch with the legal system and updated her address they wouldn’t even know about her staying with Leslie. And she didn’t have a phone at the time – though you’d think she would have given the police Joyce’s number.

        There could be a notice waiting at her official home address, I suppose.

    • Huehuetotl
      Huehuetotl
      September 24, 2019 at 12:42 am | #

      Don’t overestimate law enforcement’s competence.

      • Kat
        Kat
        September 24, 2019 at 11:42 pm | #

        I can’t underestimate their competence when I am too busy holding a valid opinion of the average bureaucrat’s motivation to do their job right.

  7. Zatar
    Zatar
    September 24, 2019 at 12:07 am | #

    A competition to see who the grossest dude is were the guy who brought a GUN to a SCHOOL is somehow not the only possible answer.

    • Jon Rich
      Jon Rich
      September 24, 2019 at 4:46 am | #

      Really brings things into perspective where the guy who brought a gun to campus to threaten and-or shoot his own daughter is somehow the lesser of the two.

      And yes, I label him the lesser grossness, because Blaine is pulling his strings. And also because Ross at least has some horrifically misguided protective motivation, while Blaine is powered purely by spite and not wanting to pay money to support his daughter. And also because Blaine’s goal is to wreck more lives than Ross’s.

      • James
        James
        September 24, 2019 at 5:08 am | #

        I mean, he certainly calls it protective, but that doesn’t make it true. It’s about exerting control and trying to force Becky back into fitting with the image of what he thinks she was and should be.

        • Mollyscribbles
          Mollyscribbles
          September 26, 2019 at 11:28 am | #

          To put it another way, he seems to be lying to himself about it being protective. Compared to Blaine, who at best is doing it to whine about the expense of tuition that he’s legally required to pay.

  8. Cheshrin
    Cheshrin
    September 24, 2019 at 12:07 am | #

    Caaaareful, Toedad. If you took your neck brace off too early like that, you might cause yourself further long-term harm. And we wouldn’t want anything bad or painful to happen to you as a direct consequence of your own bad choices, would we? (/sarcasm)

    (Though to be fair it’s not like his character design has much of a neck to brace.)

    • Jon Rich
      Jon Rich
      September 24, 2019 at 4:47 am | #

      Toedad dies three strips later of a broken neck. The fandom rejoices.

  9. Delicious Taffy
    Delicious Taffy
    September 24, 2019 at 12:07 am | #

    These two can fuck off now.

    • LeslieBean4shizzle
      LeslieBean4shizzle
      September 24, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

      I read your comment initially as “these two can fuck now” and I was like – whoa now, that’s a Slipshine I DO NOT want to see.

      This may also have something to do with Ana talking about their “ship name” above. **shivers**

      • Zatar
        Zatar
        September 24, 2019 at 12:12 am | #

        Lol I made the same mistake.

      • tim gueguen
        tim gueguen
        September 24, 2019 at 12:19 am | #

        I don’t think Willis will write a “Man 1 suggests having sex with Man 2, Man 2’s head explodes as a result” strip.

        • Piotr W
          Piotr W
          September 24, 2019 at 12:28 am | #

          … I’d read that.

        • Andy
          Andy
          September 24, 2019 at 1:00 am | #

          The best part is either of those assholes can be Man 1 or Man 2.

  10. Thursday Violist
    Thursday Violist
    September 24, 2019 at 12:08 am | #

    “God made us one…”

    Like he made Adam and Eve one.

    ;p

  11. Chaucer59
    Chaucer59
    September 24, 2019 at 12:09 am | #

    One evil man plus one angry ignoramus—what could possibly go wrong?

    • Zatar
      Zatar
      September 24, 2019 at 12:13 am | #

      *Two evil men.

      • Kavonde
        Kavonde
        September 24, 2019 at 12:18 am | #

        One evil man us one evil, angry ignoramus.

  12. Confuzor
    Confuzor
    September 24, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

    Faz?

    • Jamie
      Jamie
      September 24, 2019 at 12:24 am | #

      Faz’s hair graces the photo in the bottom right corner. It fills the area in a percentage which can be seen in this chart.

  13. Fart Captor
    Fart Captor
    September 24, 2019 at 12:11 am | #

    I gotta say, I don’t care for this ship at ALL

    • BigDogLittleCat
      BigDogLittleCat
      September 24, 2019 at 12:19 am | #

      It’s the Exxon Valdez.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        September 24, 2019 at 2:27 am | #

        At least we knew how much filth would come out of that thing.

  14. abysswatcher1993
    abysswatcher1993
    September 24, 2019 at 12:13 am | #

    The lassic neutral evil guy trying to keep the chaotic evil guy at bay. It’s like Lex Luthor trying to keep to Joker working for him, which is a bad idea on the long run.

    Also, if Toe Dad begins saying something on the lines of Deus Vult, Tanya Degrechaff will feel it from another universe and cringe.

    • abysswatcher1993
      abysswatcher1993
      September 24, 2019 at 12:14 am | #

      classic* Degurechaff*

  15. Bicycle Bill
    Bicycle Bill
    September 24, 2019 at 12:14 am | #

    Ah, yes.  The “God works in mysterious ways” line of reason.
    Next, he’ll be citing the apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy, about being “instruments in the hands of God.”
    It’s gonna get worse before it gets better, I’m afraid.

    • abysswatcher1993
      abysswatcher1993
      September 24, 2019 at 12:15 am | #

      Toddler Walky: “Our good actions are god working through us.”

    • tim gueguen
      tim gueguen
      September 24, 2019 at 12:36 am | #

      In this case the instrument is a baritone horn, with a clarinet mouthpiece, that’s been run over by a tank.

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        September 24, 2019 at 2:32 am | #

        “Had to use parts from different horns.”

        MASH S06 E15 The Smell of Music

        • Marsh Maryrose
          Marsh Maryrose
          September 24, 2019 at 2:50 am | #

          For a moment there I was thinking Tim had re-invented the Sarrusophone. Then I remembered that Sarrusophones are mostly double reeds, and a Sarrusophone with a clarinet mouthpiece is functionally a Saxophone.

          So I think Tim is onto something. Something that PDQ Bach would have written a sonata for.

      • Geneseepaws
        Geneseepaws
        September 24, 2019 at 9:22 am | #

        Best ever is the TromBoon, by Peter Schickley. Mouthpiece of a bassoon, with a slide trombone. Make the hair in your neck flee in fear.

    • Marsh Maryrose
      Marsh Maryrose
      September 24, 2019 at 2:12 am | #

      “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

  16. Proto
    Proto
    September 24, 2019 at 12:15 am | #

    how is it that I’m rooting for the school shooter to go AWOL again?

    I guess good job making Blaine competent enough that he’s the greater of two evils?

  17. BBCC
    BBCC
    September 24, 2019 at 12:16 am | #

    I hate them both. Blaine you evil manipulative bastard.

    • JetstreamGW
      JetstreamGW
      September 24, 2019 at 12:21 am | #

      Oh come on, it’s a little funny how easy this manipulation is. Ross is not a smart man.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        September 24, 2019 at 12:31 am | #

        I still hate them both. 😛

  18. Lacuna
    Lacuna
    September 24, 2019 at 12:17 am | #

    I wonder if Blaine could have avoided this by being friendly with someone from Joyce’s church and getting them to act as a middleman.

    Then again, that might invite bigger problems from his perspective.

    • Lacuna
      Lacuna
      September 24, 2019 at 12:17 am | #

      Middleman for Toe Dad, I mean. In case I wasn’t clear.

      • Lee
        Lee
        September 24, 2019 at 12:22 am | #

        I mean didn’t he get in touch with Joyce’s church to organize the bail? He could easily have met Joyce’s mum who iirc sided with Blaine.

    • Zatar
      Zatar
      September 24, 2019 at 12:39 am | #

      Honestly he might just be worried that they wouldn’t hold Toedad back.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 24, 2019 at 7:06 am | #

        More likely that they wouldn’t be interested in his “scare Amber out of college” plan. They might support Ross going after Becky, but they’d have no interest in Blaine’s real target.

    • TemperaryObsessor
      TemperaryObsessor
      September 24, 2019 at 2:03 pm | #

      Bringing someone else in would be a bad idea.
      For one thing he already knows Ross shares many of his values (men are head of the household by force if nescisary), its kind of a crap shoot if anyone else he brings in will or not.
      For another thing he’s being relatively transparent about things and he does not need more people who might tip off the cops.
      You can get a lot of mileage out of threatening Ethan.
      Mike tends to stick his nose into other peoples business and knows too much. I wouldn’t be too upset if something happened to Mike.

    • BlackoutCreature
      BlackoutCreature
      September 24, 2019 at 5:21 pm | #

      No, this is a conversation that Blaine wants as few ears on as possible. I know we like to consider Joyce’s families church as a bunch of uniform religious zealots who will do any morally dodgy thing imaginable in the name of God, but I think we’ve seem enough of them to know that some of them (like Joyce’s Dad) would easily see through this conversation and realize this has nothing to do with church or family and is just Blaine trying to manipulate other people into settling his own beefs.

  19. JetstreamGW
    JetstreamGW
    September 24, 2019 at 12:20 am | #

    It all makes sense now! Ross is an alien! Look at that “fellow Christian” dodge. He doesn’t understand humans and he’s trying to fit in badly!

    “I will shake your hand with my human hand, not a proboscis as a zorblat would have!”

  20. Zero
    Zero
    September 24, 2019 at 12:21 am | #

    Well, if God truly exists Ross, then he’ll strike the two of you down for daring to try and pull this crap and justify it with his name.

    May your immortal souls burn in hell when you finally bite the bullet.

    • Ron
      Ron
      September 24, 2019 at 1:28 am | #

      Nobody dies in this story. I thought of starting off with “sadly,” but I for one don’t wish them death. I think that is a bit of a barbaric thing to want. I would like them to get roughed up and locked up (and possibly lose some motor function to remind them of their mortality).

  21. Adrianna
    Adrianna
    September 24, 2019 at 12:31 am | #

    It sure was nice not having to look at this man for a few years

  22. 3oranges
    3oranges
    September 24, 2019 at 12:34 am | #

    Don’t stop there, Blaine! We’re so close to having an evil version of the old cast description page! If only you had some putrescent vomit to burble up about Walky, Dorothy, Billie, and Sal, you could complete this purpose and move on to oblivion.

  23. Nenja
    Nenja
    September 24, 2019 at 12:46 am | #

    Blaine’s clearly done his research.

    • Michael Haneline
      Michael Haneline
      September 24, 2019 at 9:30 pm | #

      I mean, that was the whole point of the Faz visit.

  24. Plasma Mongoose
    Plasma Mongoose
    September 24, 2019 at 12:47 am | #

    These guys are a ringing endorsement for atheism.

    • tim gueguen
      tim gueguen
      September 24, 2019 at 12:53 am | #

      I suspect the only gods Blaine worships are himself and the almighty dollar.

      • Norah
        Norah
        September 24, 2019 at 1:03 am | #

        Blaine’s doing the same thing to Ross that tRump does to his American evangelical supporters. He’s the same kind of person, though not as successful in life (though probably more intelligent.)

    • Bryy
      Bryy
      September 24, 2019 at 12:57 am | #

      Gotta love how Ross was looking ready to beat Blaine up simply for saying something. Ross is 100% gonna go off-plan the moment he sees a woman wearing denim jeans.

    • Charles Phipps
      Charles Phipps
      September 24, 2019 at 8:34 pm | #

      Blaine is an atheist. He just feels like he can use religion to manipulate Ross.

  25. shadowcell
    shadowcell
    September 24, 2019 at 12:57 am | #

    “God Made Us One, So We Must Act As One – A Dumbing of Age Pornographique”

    • SuperZero
      SuperZero
      September 24, 2019 at 1:09 am | #

      No thank you.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 24, 2019 at 2:18 am | #

      The Slipshine nobody wants to see.

  26. bea
    bea
    September 24, 2019 at 12:59 am | #

    toedad, not remembering blaine’s name at all: thank you………………………..fellow christian

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      September 24, 2019 at 1:20 am | #

      Heh!

  27. Aprion
    Aprion
    September 24, 2019 at 1:10 am | #

    let’s hope these two get eaten by a flock of flying piranhas.

  28. SuperZero
    SuperZero
    September 24, 2019 at 1:15 am | #

    Sarah towed his car?
    Wow, she’s stronger than I thought.

  29. Bagge
    Bagge
    September 24, 2019 at 1:17 am | #

    Ross is in this comic.

    Might just as well tag Joyce’s fists and be done with it.

  30. mrnoidea
    mrnoidea
    September 24, 2019 at 1:20 am | #

    I just wanted to let you know that, in my mind, Jigsaw came up as Toedad’s voice.

    • PB
      PB
      September 24, 2019 at 3:05 pm | #

      Tobin Bell? Not a bad choice.

  31. Brotato
    Brotato
    September 24, 2019 at 1:27 am | #

    Oh man, what a positive birthday comic!
    …wait

    • JBento
      JBento
      September 24, 2019 at 8:10 am | #

      Happy birthday!

  32. Ron
    Ron
    September 24, 2019 at 1:40 am | #

    I like how the argument “all of them versus the two of us” does not at all justify the conclusion “we should be patient”. Blaine just says something that sounds mystical to Ross and therefore it must be true, just like those unrelated things he said before.

    It’s a clear example of thinking in absolutes: if someone is a good christian, he (not “they” because women are not really people) MUST be right and anyone else, well, the opposite of what they say must be true, for they are all out to get us good christians (and our wives and daughters).

  33. enigma42
    enigma42
    September 24, 2019 at 1:45 am | #

    uh shouldn’t the college have put Ross on some kind of list by now I mean being an active shooter on government property is not something you ignore

    • DrWattson
      DrWattson
      September 24, 2019 at 2:20 am | #

      You would think, but he is a straight white Christian man in DEEP red Indiana.

    • Sazazezer
      Sazazezer
      September 24, 2019 at 2:45 am | #

      Most likely Campus Security will be familiar with him and have him on the Watch List to kick him out of they see him (they have a similar thing with Blaine if i recall).

      At the same time though it is Ross after all. He’s just plain not going to care. He just doesn’t see things that way. He is literally incapable of seeing what he’s doing as a plan to kidnap and cause harm. Such is his delusion.

  34. BenRG
    BenRG
    September 24, 2019 at 2:14 am | #

    Either Blaine is super-paranoid or he’s found some way of controlling Ross via a narrative, no matter how implausible. In either case, he missed his calling; I’m pretty sure he could have started his own religion, given his talent for oratory!

    • StClair
      StClair
      September 24, 2019 at 5:16 pm | #

      It’s not that he’s great at speaking, his audience is just very stupid.

      …. so yeah, cult leader at least.

  35. FacelessDeviant
    FacelessDeviant
    September 24, 2019 at 3:16 am | #

    “God made us one, so we much act as one!”

    This promises to be an…interesting slipshine.

  36. Tualha
    Tualha
    September 24, 2019 at 3:43 am | #

    Blaine: We are connected!

    Lain: Everyone is connected!

  37. DSL
    DSL
    September 24, 2019 at 4:25 am | #

    With some folks, all you have to do is appeal to the proper authority and they’ll think whatever you want them to think. Ironically, many of these folks claim _they’re_ the ones “thinking for myself,” unlike all the rest of us “sheeple.”

  38. Zaxares
    Zaxares
    September 24, 2019 at 4:45 am | #

    You were so close, Ross. Soooo close to thinking for yourself.

    • Bagge
      Bagge
      September 24, 2019 at 5:18 am | #

      Eh, the odds are not good Ross thinking for himself would improve anything.

      • 3oranges
        3oranges
        September 24, 2019 at 10:28 am | #

        He wouldn’t do better things, but he’d likely fail and get arrested faster, which is a plus.

  39. Alan in DC
    Alan in DC
    September 24, 2019 at 6:04 am | #

    Where is O’Malley getting all these photos and intel from? They are both quite detailed. Is this what he tapped Asher for?

    • Cheshrin
      Cheshrin
      September 24, 2019 at 7:07 am | #

      At the very least, the picture of Joyce and Sarah came from Blaine himself; the last strip shows Faz in the side of the photo and that it’s raining, suggesting he took it while in the back seat of the car when Yuri came to pick Faz up.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 24, 2019 at 7:16 am | #

      The photos are from Faz’s visit or from Amber’s childhood. I think he actually took the ones with Joyce & Sarah from the back of the car when he & Yuri picked Faz up. Faz is in that picture of Sarah today and both Amber and Joyce were also visible in the one yesterday. The pictures of Ethan and Mike yesterday were probably old – Amber’s in one with a hair style closer to the flashbacks than anything she’s worn in the present.

      Other than that the info is detailed, but oddly wrong. He somehow knows about Sarah having Ross’s car towed, but thinks she’s Becky’s girlfriend? I don’t know how Faz would have found out about the first or even if Amber knew and I’ve got no idea where the second idea came from. Unless he just leapt to a conclusion.

      • Clif
        Clif
        September 24, 2019 at 11:09 am | #

        What makes you think Blaine thinks Sarah is Becky’s girlfriend??? Did I miss a strip where he indicated Amber and Sarah were roommates? That happens sometimes.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 24, 2019 at 2:48 pm | #

          Nah, I just completely misread this strip. Picture of Sarah and comment about “your daughter’s girlfriend”.

          • Bicycle Bill
            Bicycle Bill
            September 24, 2019 at 10:57 pm | #

            “your daughter’s girlfriend”.  That would be Dina, who Toedad has indeed met.  I’m just wondering why Blaine assumes that Dina and Becky are “lez be friends”, rather than just friends.  Toedad, on the other hand, hears the word “girlfriend” and since he knows why Becky was kicked out of Anderson automatically assumes the worst.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              September 25, 2019 at 7:35 am | #

              Probably through Faz’s snooping.

      • Mitsukara
        Mitsukara
        September 24, 2019 at 1:04 pm | #

        Figuring out that Dina and Becky are a couple isn’t a big deal (there’s a lot of obvious signs, and Amber actually is likely to mention it privately), but I am a little confused how Blaine knows Sarah had Tow-Dad’s car towed.

  40. Alex
    Alex
    September 24, 2019 at 6:41 am | #

    “I should be patient…”

    No, you should be a patient in a mental institution!

    What a way to treat your child 🙁

  41. David Doty
    David Doty
    September 24, 2019 at 6:53 am | #

    Willis, I accuse you of having entirely too much fun putting all of these evangelical platitudes into the mouth of this toe.

  42. Heavensrun
    Heavensrun
    September 24, 2019 at 7:09 am | #

    How funny would it be if after all this planning, they get jumped by the cops as soon as they approach campus, because Toedad is under surveillance as unstable?

    • SillyGoose
      SillyGoose
      September 24, 2019 at 8:02 am | #

      I guess it would qualify as comic relief then.

    • Dr. T
      Dr. T
      September 24, 2019 at 3:28 pm | #

      They are basically on campus now. There literally are university offices in the building on the floors above that restaurant.

  43. goggleman64
    goggleman64
    September 24, 2019 at 8:09 am | #

    Ross, don’t just discard your neck brace. Your face is on track for levels of punchability previously unknown to humanity; you’re gonna need that support.

  44. Deanatay
    Deanatay
    September 24, 2019 at 8:13 am | #

    Whew! So glad Blaine was able to get Toedad under control…

    wait

  45. JBento
    JBento
    September 24, 2019 at 8:14 am | #

    “I should be claiming [my daughter] now.” might be the grossest thing anyone has ever said in DoA. Ross is finally good at something. Yay?

  46. Charlotte
    Charlotte
    September 24, 2019 at 8:17 am | #

    Still can’t believe they just let him walk out. He’s not shy about announcing his intention to immediately repeat his crime.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      September 24, 2019 at 8:29 am | #

      Like was mentioned back then, the Indiana state constitution mandates bail to be set for everyone (with a single exception in place for those accused of murder).

  47. Rosstifer
    Rosstifer
    September 24, 2019 at 8:27 am | #

    Toedad is genuinely offended by the word ‘girlfriend’, but sees nothing wrong with trying to kill his daughter for being gay…

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 24, 2019 at 10:35 am | #

      He’s not really trying to kill her. He’s trying to save her. By driving out the demons of homosexuality or something.
      Killing others along the way is just collateral. Of course, killing her is still preferable to leaving her in her state of sin.

  48. Bunny
    Bunny
    September 24, 2019 at 9:56 am | #

    Ross is going after his daughter. He’s attempted suicide in the past. I don’t know if he wants to kidnap Becky to “re-educated” her or if he’s thinking murder suicide. But when he attempts it, He might be hampered by Becky’s proximity to the congresswoman.

    If it looks like some loon is advancing onnthe congresswoman with a fun, Ross might get dead real fast. It would be unchristian to hope so.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 24, 2019 at 10:36 am | #

      He hasn’t actually attempted suicide, though he was apparently willing to accept suicide by cop in his attempt to reclaim her. “I’d die for you.”

      • StClair
        StClair
        September 24, 2019 at 5:20 pm | #

        Martyring yourself in a holy cause totally isn’t suicide. Really.
        (Very convenient loophole for people trying, consciously or otherwise, to get around an explicit prohibition.)

  49. Bristingr
    Bristingr
    September 24, 2019 at 10:33 am | #

    Why is Faz tagged in this strip?

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 24, 2019 at 10:38 am | #

      He’s in the photo of Sarah. Along with Joyce. He was there yesterday as well.

  50. hof1991
    hof1991
    September 24, 2019 at 10:33 am | #

    Can help but feel that Blaine knows about AG. This seems wildly out of proportion for saving college expenses. But them Ross is ready to die / kill for control of his daughter, so maybe not.

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 24, 2019 at 11:24 am | #

      Blaine does not know Amber and Amazigirl share the same meatware. His daughter is timid, weak, and ineffectual in spite of his best efforts at criticizing her. Amazigirl is a vicious vigilante who beat the crap out of him. And their voices are completely different. Amber is his property to correct and Amazigirl is his enemy to be destroyed. It would be difficult to convince him that they are identical.

  51. Joey245
    Joey245
    September 24, 2019 at 12:04 pm | #

    Real talk: I like how Ross almost paused when he saw Joyce. Instead of being enraged immediately, he said it in a way that was like “oh no…not her.”

    Maybe that’s just me projecting and trying to find good in this, because honestly both these characters need to be beheaded in the street, but I liked that little detail.

    • Dana
      Dana
      September 24, 2019 at 12:42 pm | #

      That’s how I took it too. It’s not hard to imagine that from his messed up perspective he’s done his best by his daughter’s lifelong friend.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      September 24, 2019 at 2:50 pm | #

      It’s just the devil trying to tempt him away from his righteous path. Don’t worry. He won’t weaken.

    • PB
      PB
      September 24, 2019 at 3:03 pm | #

      “Quick, is there a verse in the Bible for when someone you once drove to Six Flags is encouraging your daughter’s sin.”

      … It wouldn’t leave my brain.

    • Lex
      Lex
      September 24, 2019 at 7:27 pm | #

      I like that detail, too. Both Blaine and Ross are different kinds of controlling patriarchal buttfaces, but Ross is a religious zealot who genuinely believes he’s acting in Becky’s best interests whereas Blaine is a mob stooge who knows he’s only acting in his own interests. It’s not hard to believe that Ross would at least be uncomfortable with the idea of hurting Joyce.

  52. PB
    PB
    September 24, 2019 at 1:19 pm | #

    I can’t read these pages, they’re all covered in barf whenever I try.

    • PB
      PB
      September 24, 2019 at 3:06 pm | #

      Hey quick question while I’m at it: what are the chances of someone overhearing them, connecting the dots and reporting their asses?

      • Dr. T
        Dr. T
        September 24, 2019 at 3:26 pm | #

        I was about to say that they are arguing loudly inside a rather small establishment about harming college kids. Plus, they literally are less than 100 feet from where Ross pulled his car over (going the wrong way, I might add), pulled out a gun, and chased after his daughter and her girlfriend. Someone there might actually recognize him.

  53. Tomn
    Tomn
    September 24, 2019 at 3:31 pm | #

    Feels like this strip is foreshadowing how their partnership is going to fall apart eventually: With Toedad going off-script at a critical moment because of zealotry, and Blaine flipping the fuck out over it and forgetting to add the modifying “because God” words, letting Toedad get an idea of just how much raw contempt Blaine actually has for him.

    Even odds this ends with both of them beating the crap out of each other.

    • Victor Riley
      Victor Riley
      September 24, 2019 at 4:07 pm | #

      I’d be good with that.

    • tim gueguen
      tim gueguen
      September 24, 2019 at 6:52 pm | #

      I suspect Ross will be little more than a punching bag for Blaine if they get into a brawl.

  54. NinjaNick
    NinjaNick
    September 24, 2019 at 4:51 pm | #

    Thank God Ross’ neck has healed. It’ll be broken again someday.

  55. Lothos
    Lothos
    September 24, 2019 at 5:30 pm | #

    So what I really want to see…. Is them plotting and meanwhile the camera pulls back and…. Joe or someone is sitting in the booth hearing all of this…

    Also I’m kind of surprised Ruth’s Ahole Grandfather isn’t bankrolling the whole evil plot.

    • tim gueguen
      tim gueguen
      September 24, 2019 at 6:50 pm | #

      Now there’s a potential plot twist, Evil Grandpa is plotting something, and his plot crashes headlong into Blaine’s plot.

    • Lex
      Lex
      September 24, 2019 at 7:28 pm | #

      I think it would be kind of neat if Asher redeemed himself somehow and helped to shut down this plot before someone gets killed.

      • tim gueguen
        tim gueguen
        September 24, 2019 at 8:22 pm | #

        Fortunately for Blaine Willis has said no one is going to die, or we might see a “Blaine becomes a dangerous liability for his criminal associates and ends up in a drum full of concrete someplace.”

    • Jhon
      Jhon
      September 24, 2019 at 9:52 pm | #

      Joe or somebody? We don’t know where Jacob intends to meet Raidah. So she might be listening to this.

  56. BBCC
    BBCC
    September 24, 2019 at 5:32 pm | #

    https://twitter.com/Celeste_pewter/status/1176604723203334144

    For those of you getting hopped up on the possibility of getting rid of Agent Orange.

  57. Kingmonster
    Kingmonster
    September 24, 2019 at 7:47 pm | #

    Dang it. Ross is a pile of critically failed insight checks.

    Imbecile. This is why making intelligence a dump stat on top of the zealot path is such a headache. Any schmuck can just walk up to you and have you dancing in their palm.

    • Charles Phipps
      Charles Phipps
      September 24, 2019 at 8:32 pm | #

      Weirdly, I don’t think he is. Ross’ idiocy is correctly recognizing nothing Blaine says makes sense. I mean, he’s still a human ****stain but Blaine’s manipulations are stupid and plan is even dumber. Something Ross is aware of.

      • DSL
        DSL
        September 25, 2019 at 11:01 am | #

        Except that all it takes override that awareness is to say: Trust me, this is how God wants it.

  58. Jade
    Jade
    September 24, 2019 at 9:11 pm | #

    That last panel with Toedad’s eyes going all anime shiny is making me uncomfortable D:

    It’s like this whole page is one big “bro… bro…” meme.

  59. Icalasari
    Icalasari
    September 24, 2019 at 10:24 pm | #

    Mike is going to get hospitalized or worse taking these two out, but it’ll act as a redemption arc for him. Calling it now

    • Charles Phipps
      Charles Phipps
      September 24, 2019 at 11:08 pm | #

      But do any of us want Mike redeemed? Let him exalt in his evil from a throne of troll posts.

      • PB
        PB
        September 26, 2019 at 12:04 pm | #

        (thumps fists on table) Redemption arc! Redemption arc!

  60. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    September 24, 2019 at 10:26 pm | #

    Toedad is so mean, dumb and guillible, it never ceases to amaze me.

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