Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

A college webcomic by David Willis
RSS
‹
›
  • Home
  • About/Read before posting
  • Archive↓
    • by calendar
  • Cast
  • Store↓
    • Main Store (books and stuff)
    • T-shirts
  • Patreon↓
    • Patreon (regular)
    • Patreon (NSFW)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
seriously, ask anybody, pretty sure nobody we know doesn't know about amazi-girl at this point
First Previous Random 71Comments Share Next Latest
Reddit Digg Facebook MySpace Delicious Stumbleupon Buzz Up! Mixx Technorati Google Bookmarks Yahoo Bookmarks Yahoo MyWeb Windows Live Propeller FriendFeed Newsvine Xanga LinkedIn Blinklist Twitter
Discover more Hiveworks comics
Star Impact
Jack McGee
A young, energetic woman fights her way up in the world of super-powered boxing after discovering the mighty gloves of her missing idol!
This is Not Fiction
Nicole Mannino
What do you do when the person you're in-love with is an anonymous romance novelist? Get your best friend to hire your worst enemy for help!
Ghost Junk Sickness
Studio CARTRIDGE, Laura Lee
Two hunters try to survive and end up being pushed to pursue a deadly bounty dubbed "The Ghost".
Starhammer
J.N. Monk, Harry Bogosian
A teen girl inherits a powerful alien artifact and proceeds to make a series of increasingly poor decisions
Atomic Robo
Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener
The robot punches monsters and bad robots and one time he was a cowboy.
Guilded Age
T Campbell, John Waltrip, Florence Machina
Welcome to the saga of the working-class adventurer! Enjoy the complete story with new annotations daily!
Alice and the Nightmare
Misha Krivanek
Alice finally attends University to learn to collect the dreams of humans, meet new friends, and deal with a pesky reflection along the way.
Devil's Candy
Rem, Bikkuri
A lush fantasy about boy genius Kazu Decker, the girl he constructed for his 9th grade science project, and the world of devils and monsters they live in.
Empowered
Adam Warren
A sexy superhero comedy (except when it isn't) about the never-ending struggles of a plucky but very unlucky young superheroine.
Fireweeds Moors
Gato Iberico
A cat-headed man and a girl with a sandwich hankering accidentally end up in a myth-infused country where magic chalices are a really big thing.
Monsterkind
Taylor C
Wallace Foster, a young, bright-eyed human social worker, has his entire world view rocked when he's suddenly relocated into a city primarily inhabited by monsters.
El Goonish Shive
Dan Shive
WARNING: This comic often ignores the Laws of Physics
Wychwood
Varethane
When Tiara's pyrokinesis is finally noticed, she is captured by a magical research organization for study. If she cooperates, she could be helping to save humanity from a dire threat - but can she trust them?
[un]Divine
Ayme
A highschool senior thought giving up his soul for a demon was a good idea. It wasn't.
Between Failures
Jackie Wohlenhaus
The low stakes adventures of an assorted group of 20 somethings trapped in the declining years of American retail. They are naughty and say lots of swears.
Star Trip
Gisele Weaver
Jas is a human taken from her home planet on a trip across the galaxy she will never forget.
The Sanity Circus
Windy
Magic, monsters and mysteries await in the odd city of Sanity. It's up to Attley and a colorful group of characters to find out just what is going on.
Whomp!
Ronnie
A depressed, portly, hirsute anime fan stumbles through life in the ever-pursuit of chicken nuggets and other life-shortening indulgences.
Godslave
Meaghan Carter
Edith has been thrown into the dangerous world of modern-day Egyptian mythology. Fighting monsters and dealing with family drama of godly proportions.
Lilith's Word
inkPangur
If you had the power to make any wish come true using just one word, what would you say?
Cut Time
Juby
Rel and her trusty avian friend Fugue are on a quest to save a world that's lost track of time. Follow them and their new recruits, in a story written with help from the stars.
Demon's Mirror
Harry Bogosian
Based loosely off of "The Snow Queen", a story by Hans Christian Andersen, we see things take a different turn as the demons become central characters, and the side characters stick around. Yup, that's the only differences. Enjoy!
Wilde Life
Pascalle Lepas
Oscar decided to rent an old haunted house, and that's when things got weird...
Kochab
Sarah Webb
A YA F/F fantasy comic about Sonya, a lost skier trying to survive a snowy wilderness and find her way back to her village; and Kyra - a fire spirit trying to fix the home that she let fall apart around her.
Sufficiently Remarkable
Maki Naro
Two young women living in Brooklyn discover that you're always coming of age.
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
Hazy London
Scotty
A story about messy relationships. From friendly foes to crazy families. Nothing is black and white, just full of color. But, all colors can get a little hazy...
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Stand Still, Stay Silent
Minna Sundberg
A few generations after the end of the world, a small, poorly financed research crew is sent out to rediscover whatever is left of the forbidden old world in the south.
Real Science Adventures
Brian Clevinger
Spin off stories and other adventures from the world of Atomic Robo!
The Lonely Vincent Bellingham
Diana Huh
Vincent is an unkind man looking to disappear, and finds himself in the care of a vampire and her two wicked children.
Jailbird
Charlie Davis
An all-ages comic about a recently escaped prisoner's struggle to understand the outside world, and vice-versa. Also, a magic cape!
Tigress Queen
Allison Shaw
A barbarian warlord and a pampered prince try to avoid a marriage alliance that could end decades of violence.
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Goodbye to Halos
Valerie Halla
Cuddles, gay flirting, weird feelings, and magic-fueled knife fights - it's an adventure across the queer multiverse!
Astral Aves
Moon Cabal
A fantasy coming-of-age following the adventures of Astra The Black and friends, as they navigate the mysterious world around them. It's politics, adventure, and the supernatural; oh, and crazy hair.
Lighter Than Heir
Melissa Albino
A young Volant woman joins the military in an effort to upstage her war-hero father.
Go Get a Roomie
Clover
Experience the queer journey of an upbeat hippie and the friendships she makes along the way! A tale of self-discovery and love of many forms.
Girl Genius
Phil Foglio, Kaja Foglio
In a time when the Industrial Revolution has become an all-out war, Mad Science rules the World...with mixed success.
Knights Errant
J.R. Doyle
Wilfrid's humble quest for revenge becomes bigger and bloodier by the day.
Widdershins
Kate Ashwin
A series of light-hearted Victorian-era adventure stories featuring grumpy bounty hunters, accidental thiefkings, and more, in England's magical capital city Widdershins!
The Witch Door
Anni K.
Katariina Lehto discovers her neighbor is a witch called Jousia Muotka. Jousia introduces Katariina to the strange people and places beyond the witch door...
The End
August Brown, Cory Brown
Two aliens crash a sci-fi convention and accidentally take seven nerds on an adventure that spans the galaxy!
Love Not Found
Gina Biggs
Abeille is on a quest to find someone who wants to do it the old-fashioned way in a time when touching has become outdated.
Never Satisfied
Taylor Robin
Lucy Marlowe, a magician's apprentice, competes against other apprentices for an important, magical, Goverment Job.
Dumbing of Age
David M Willis
Joyce has been homeschooled her entire life until now, when she's suddenly a freshman in college! Things don't go well.
Anarchy Dreamers
Emily Ree
Sparkly undead kids fight society's worst Nightmares in this pastel-punk urban fantasy coming-of-age!
Monster Pulse
Magnolia Porter Siddell
Four kids run afoul of a creepy secret organization's experiments, which turn their body parts into fighting monsters. Part sentimental coming-of-age story, part monster-training shonen manga, with just a bit of sci-fi body horror.
Paranatural
Zack Morrison
Superpowered middle schoolers fight evil spirits in their rural hometown. Come for the jokes, stay for the cast, the creatures, and the mystery that ties them all together!
Cassiopeia Quinn
Gunwild, Psudonym
A cute, pantsless thief is pursued across the stars by a buttoned-up military officer in the spacey, laser-filled future.
Awaken
Koti Saavedra/Flipfloppery
Superpowers, monsters and conspiracies. Piras, the spoiled Dameschi heir, fights to recover his identity after becoming a terrorist!
The Automan's Daughter
Mike Stamm
Aisha Osman and her uncle Siddig outwit bikers, spies and kidnappers while gearing up for a showdown with the formidable Widowmaker mecha.
Caramel Corn
Potchimew
Sarah is the only human left in a world full of mythical creatures and monsters. All she wants to do is live a quiet life, but everything changes when she meets her guardian angel, Jacob.
Sam & Fuzzy
Sam Logan
Troubled by gangster rodents, lovesick vampire stalkers, or confused ninja assassins? Don't panic! Sam and Fuzzy are here to help. (For a reasonable fee.)
Kiwi Blitz
Mary Cagle (Cube Watermelon)
Steffi thinks she can use her kiwi mech to become a superhero. This idea turns out to be very stupid.
BOOKMARK
Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
Goto TagClear Tag


BUFFER WATCH Comics are currently drawn and uploaded through:

May 12, 2026

Whole heart

by David M Willis on August 26, 2020 at 12:01 am
  • 04 - Is a Song Forever?
└ Tags: amber, walky

Discussion (71) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    August 26, 2020 at 12:04 am | #

    “STOP BRINGING MY DAD INTO MY GIRL BONER”

    • Lieutenant Dan
      Lieutenant Dan
      August 26, 2020 at 6:18 am | #

      Phrasing!

      • Juanoku
        Juanoku
        August 26, 2020 at 12:34 pm | #

        It was already bad
        Now it’s worse

  2. Chris
    Chris
    August 26, 2020 at 12:04 am | #

    Look, I knew you were garbage and I still hooked up with you.

  3. BBCC
    BBCC
    August 26, 2020 at 12:06 am | #

    Fuck yeah Amber, nobody asked Blaine. Worm chow doesn’t get a vote.

    • Rose by Any Other Name
      Rose by Any Other Name
      August 26, 2020 at 12:17 am | #

      Amber: “Did I not already mention endorphins? Stop talking about my stupid dead dad and fuck me already.”
      Walky: “But I don’t hav-”
      **Amber pulls out AG branded condoms**
      Amber: “Always prepared.”

      • Devin
        Devin
        August 26, 2020 at 1:11 am | #

        Amusingly enough, Walky is already quite familiar with AG branded condoms.

  4. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    August 26, 2020 at 12:07 am | #

    Re: the alt-text. I want to slowly whittle down the number of people who don’t know who Amazi-Girl is to just Billie.

    Even characters we haven’t seen in years, like Daisy or Penny, must be fully aware before Billie can be.

    • Rectilinear Propagation
      Rectilinear Propagation
      August 26, 2020 at 12:13 am | #

      I think Daisy has shown up in a preview recently so that one has potential.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        August 26, 2020 at 12:16 am | #

        We saw character art at least.

        She’s still waiting to hear about that cleavage window, by the way.

        • LiterallyJustSomeGuy
          LiterallyJustSomeGuy
          August 26, 2020 at 12:33 am | #

          I think she got an answer about the chest window, but it wasn’t what she wanted:
          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2011/comic/book-1/05-media-rumble/chestwindow/

          Sidenote, apparently Daisy, Dorothy, and Billie have only shared 3 pages together (and they are consecutive pages for that scene). The chest window page also has the only tag for power girl

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            August 26, 2020 at 1:05 am | #

            If she wishes hard enough, reality will change.

            (Really though I forgot Billie dignified that one with a response.)

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      August 26, 2020 at 12:20 am | #

      Except Walky already told Billie that Amber was Amazi-Girl, and there’s no way that Billie would go on believing otherwise after it’s been explicitly spelled out to her.

      *completely straight face*

      • clif
        clif
        August 26, 2020 at 3:53 am | #

        I admire your ability to keep a straight face.

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      August 26, 2020 at 12:27 am | #

      Billie excluded, I think the highest-tier character who doesn’t know yet is *checks tag cloud* Joe, followed by Leslie, Roz, Robin, and Mary. (Or at least I don’t remember any of them knowing, and Leslie and Roz’s potential tag trawls there would be WAY too long and Joe’s would probably require going back to when Danny was dating AG/AmbG he thought he was dating both and they were more in sync on the whole/It’s Complicated.)

      … I don’t want Mary finding out any time soon and have reservations about Robin, but Leslie and Roz? Those could be interesting.

      • Shariku
        Shariku
        August 26, 2020 at 7:43 am | #

        Not to derail the point, but is Mary considered a high tier character still? It’s actually been a long while since she’s done anything. Her last real involvement in a storyline was in 2017, and the big Carla verses Mary storyline was 2016.

        • Regalli
          Regalli
          August 26, 2020 at 8:22 am | #

          Went entirely by the size of nametag in the tag cloud! Mary’s is the same size as Robin, Roz, Leslie, and Marcie (who already knows.)

          Now agreed, not all these characters have active roles in the story at the moment, but I think Mary is being set up to take a bigger role now that the Evil Dads are gone. (Her dislike of Malaya while Malaya is basically unaware is a dangler.) But we’ll see.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      August 26, 2020 at 7:41 am | #

      She’ll get outed on the front page of the paper and Billie will believe it’s a trick to cover up Sal’s secret.

  5. Opus the Poet
    Opus the Poet
    August 26, 2020 at 12:09 am | #

    Well, they are both being honest about their feelings for each other. That’s something.

    • poofdepoof
      poofdepoof
      August 26, 2020 at 1:22 am | #

      I’m very proud of them

  6. Bagge
    Bagge
    August 26, 2020 at 12:10 am | #

    “Sorry about your dad” is a good blanket term that doesn’t necessarily mean “I’m sorry that your dad is dead”.

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      August 26, 2020 at 12:15 am | #

      It’s quite useful. ‘Sorry your dad murdered a guy in front of me,’ ‘sorry your dad was probably a statutory rapist,’ ‘sorry your dad was still conscious to kidnap us and your best friend/my roommate isn’t, even if he was kind of a dick,’ ‘sorry your dad didn’t just kidnap us, he did it INCOMPETENTLY,’ ‘sorry your dad just, in general, was a person that existed in this world and didn’t conveniently die the moment Faz was conceived’… so many things you can encompass in there.

      • a/snow/mous/e
        a/snow/mous/e
        August 26, 2020 at 1:22 am | #

        Sorry that awful dead guy was your dad.

        • Regalli
          Regalli
          August 26, 2020 at 9:08 pm | #

          Precisely! Of all the dads in the world, she had to get THIS guy, and I am sorry about it.

    • Kernanator
      Kernanator
      August 26, 2020 at 12:22 am | #

      Yep, can just as easily mean “Sorry your dad sucks so bad.”

      Well, in Amber’s case, sucked.

  7. Yotomoe
    Yotomoe
    August 26, 2020 at 12:12 am | #

    Just keep giving her pieces of your heart until you’ve got a full heart piece.

    • Lumino
      Lumino
      August 26, 2020 at 12:15 am | #

      Doo Doo Doo DOOOOOO!

    • Stephen Bierce
      Stephen Bierce
      August 26, 2020 at 12:16 am | #

      Thanks for the excuse!
      Have some Janis.

  8. Sirksome
    Sirksome
    August 26, 2020 at 12:17 am | #

    Ugh. He totally stole that line from Dorothy. I wanted to give him just a shred of credit for being honest too, but I can’t now.

    • TemporalShrew
      TemporalShrew
      August 26, 2020 at 12:30 am | #

      I don’t know if using someone else’s phrasing because you’re an immature 18-year-old who’s bad at expressing himself makes you dishonest, though.

      • Sirksome
        Sirksome
        August 26, 2020 at 12:50 am | #

        It doesn’t. In all honesty, this is a nice bit of growth from Walky. But I hate Walky so I don’t want to give him any credit even when he deserves it.

        Also he’s pretty lucky to find a girl okay with him admitting he has feeling for another person. To me that is very annoying and very Walky.

        • Geneseepaws
          Geneseepaws
          August 26, 2020 at 2:37 am | #

          Have not yet figured out why you hate him. He reminds me of me at 18; absolutely a sea in situations I hadn’t encountered before. High school didn’t prepare me for college, and my Dad had little advice to give. Getting slapped for being shallow is how we learn depth? No?

          • clif
            clif
            August 26, 2020 at 4:04 am | #

            I mean, look how Joyce gave Joe some depth by having Mike slap him around on their date.

          • Sirksome
            Sirksome
            August 26, 2020 at 8:15 am | #

            Meh. A big part of it’s just a bit. Nothing saying I have to like every character. It’s fun to dunk on a few. Walky’s not the worst. He’s not overtly malicious like a Mike or a Mary, or dangerous like a Ryan or well nearly every parent. But Walky just kind of sucks to me. He doesn’t seem like a guy who can really be relied on. He just comes across as this really annoying guy who makes snarky comments but doesn’t really contribute anything meaningful. I think he’s trying to be better, like I think he’s all mopey right now because time with his parents makes him realize what a little shit he was to Sal during their childhood, but this is a real slow burn on that. and it does not make up for it.

            Also good things just kind of happen to him for no reason and that’s annoying.

    • Norah
      Norah
      August 26, 2020 at 12:53 am | #

      People use phrasing from movies, books, stuff other people said to express feelings all the time. As long as he’s honest about his feelings, he’s honest. He isn’t writing an essay, where it would be wrong to plagiarize someone.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        August 26, 2020 at 1:11 am | #

        Yeah, that’s perfectly normal. Sometimes I still have an easier time processing my emotions through song lyrics than actually trying to find my own words for them. (Like 30% of my brain is loose trivia and phrasing rattling around. Another 40% is just Pokemon.)

        • clif
          clif
          August 26, 2020 at 3:47 pm | #

          Word is that when George Washington was faced with mutinous officers he cribbed heavily from a novel he read in his younger days.

    • Geneseepaws
      Geneseepaws
      August 26, 2020 at 2:26 am | #

      When you are doing something new and/or haven’t experienced it yet, it’s ok to use whatever phasing you’ve heard from others, until you’ve had time to write yer own scripts/parse what’s best to say. First time I was at a funeral of a kid who Despisedtheir Dad, it blew me away. How can you not love your Dad? It was a while before I learned that there Could be monsters.

  9. LiterallyJustSomeGuy
    LiterallyJustSomeGuy
    August 26, 2020 at 12:18 am | #

    Honestly, I’m still just waiting for Amber’s exes to all hook up with each other, although recent events have made that a bit less likely

  10. StClair
    StClair
    August 26, 2020 at 12:18 am | #

    Amber may be okay with that, but I get the feeling that Walky isn’t / doesn’t work that way.

    • LynziGraye
      LynziGraye
      August 26, 2020 at 12:26 am | #

      Hey, he’ll do a lot for free pizza.

      • Geneseepaws
        Geneseepaws
        August 26, 2020 at 2:28 am | #

        He may have admitted/suggested as much?

        • clif
          clif
          August 26, 2020 at 4:06 am | #

          Somebody tell Amber. This is information she can use.

      • Deanatay
        Deanatay
        August 26, 2020 at 9:27 am | #

        Uh, that’s only for free GAY pizza. That’s been established.

  11. Mra
    Mra
    August 26, 2020 at 12:33 am | #

    While Amber couldn’t find it in herself to kill him, I don’t think she will be sad that he is dead, all things considered.
    So Walky should be saying “Congradulations for your dad.”

    • Regalli
      Regalli
      August 26, 2020 at 1:07 am | #

      As mentioned above, ‘sorry about your dad’ can mean many, many things not necessarily including his death.

      Virtually any other apology for her dad besides the death one will probably be accurate on some level. Unfortunately.

  12. Keulen
    Keulen
    August 26, 2020 at 12:58 am | #

    Stop trying to sink the Garbage Scow, Walky.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      August 26, 2020 at 6:50 am | #

      Garbage Scow running aground on the Reefs Of Love?

  13. Newllend(henryvolt)
    Newllend(henryvolt)
    August 26, 2020 at 1:06 am | #

    Walky could be referring to him being sorry her dad put her in yet another shit situation rather than thinking she’s grieving.

    On that note since neither one of these two know what’s going to happen to each other next by the end of this semester they could chose now to get busy if they feel like it…or not, they’re might be a better time.

  14. NinjaNick
    NinjaNick
    August 26, 2020 at 1:11 am | #

    Next person who says “sorry about Blaine” will get Am-slapped. They should really understand how evil he was.

    • Zee
      Zee
      August 26, 2020 at 12:57 pm | #

      I mean, as stated above “sorry about your dad” can equally mean “I’m sorry he was a piece of shit who scarred you and all of us for life”

  15. abacuswizard
    abacuswizard
    August 26, 2020 at 2:42 am | #

    “I can’t give you my whole heart, but I can give you…
    Eight percent of my love
    Eight percent of my love
    Eight hundredths of the time
    You’re the only girl I’m dreaming of, yeah yeah yeah
    Eight percent of my heart
    Eight percent of my soul
    Just point-oh-eight, but girl, you’re great
    You’re the only one that makes me whole…”

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      August 26, 2020 at 6:52 am | #

      “I ain’t got nothing but love, girl,
      Two days a week.”

  16. clif
    clif
    August 26, 2020 at 4:09 am | #

    Besides, she doesn’t need dead dad to ruin the mood any more. Now she’s got imaginary Mike.

  17. BenRG
    BenRG
    August 26, 2020 at 4:54 am | #

    That’s the thing, isn’t it, Amber? For all he’s a doormat and an enabler of Linda’s worst excesses, Walky still loves Charles. The fact that you’re glad Blaine is dead and are seriously fighting down the urge to go to the morgue and spit on his corpse’s face is something that he’ll never be able to understand.

    Also, girl? You do not have to ‘settle’ for anything. You’re worth more than that, no matter how hard you may find it to believe that.

    • Needfuldoer
      Needfuldoer
      August 26, 2020 at 6:30 am | #

      Thing is, Walky was still given affection (conditional as it may be).

      We haven’t seen Blaine show Amber any, except in his twisted “tough love” narrative. It’s possible he did at one point, but given his other issues he may not have been able to express it in a way a young child can parse as positive.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        August 26, 2020 at 8:18 am | #

        The closest thing we’ve seen Blaine do was arrive (late) to her birthday party and call her a potato as though it’s an endearment, which his previous interaction with Mike reveals really, really wasn’t.

        It’s an extremely low bar to show more parental affection than that.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          August 26, 2020 at 8:31 am | #

          Yeah. Blaine was a sociopath, Charles is a doormat.

  18. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    August 26, 2020 at 8:56 am | #

    Walky, stop to be so cool!!!!

  19. Deanatay
    Deanatay
    August 26, 2020 at 9:31 am | #

    Billie: YESSS!! Now EVERYONE knows Sal is Amazi-Girl!!

    Everyone Else: UMMM….

  20. Rani
    Rani
    August 26, 2020 at 9:35 am | #

    This is reminding me that the reason I was pissed off at Dorothy for dumping Walky was not that she had, but why she had, and the smug, superior, detached attitude she took towards the whole thing but during and after the execution.

    That Walky ain’t shit is clear as day, and probably the only reason Amber’s hot on him is a) because she literally hates herself and thinks she deserves him and b) there are no other eligible sexually compatible males in the cast not named Danny.

    No, seriously, count em up.

    Either the Garbage Scow sails, or interesting things either have to happen with the cast list or Amber’s sexuality. Or she just ends the strip single.

    Not unbelievable.

    I don’t know where I was originally going with this, but on an unrelated note-is anyone else’s cat hopelessly addicted to grass?

    • Wonderboy
      Wonderboy
      August 26, 2020 at 10:04 am | #

      Yeah, there’s really not too many options in the main cast, especially with Mike in a coma. Plus, Amber doesn’t seem to want a relationship from what I can tell. She just wants someone to distract her, which is actually not that bad of a way to respond to this kind of stress.

      As for pets eating grass, the fiber helps with digestion and can help with treating intestinal worms. It’s possible your cat just needs more fiber in their diet, though some animals just like the taste and feel of grass.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      August 26, 2020 at 2:55 pm | #

      Or maybe Amber and Dorothy see something in Walky you don’t.

      • clif
        clif
        August 26, 2020 at 3:58 pm | #

        Dorothy saw an immature sexy caramel plaything who she kept falling in love with, distracting her from the goals she thinks she wants. What Amber sees is more complicated, but includes fellow self-identifying garbage, so no pressure.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          August 26, 2020 at 7:52 pm | #

          That “immature sexy caramel plaything” kind of conflicts with “falling in love with”, doesn’t it? Unless Dorothy is really shallow.

          Dorothy liked the snark, but fell in love with the mature bits that Walky usually hides.

          • Rani
            Rani
            August 27, 2020 at 12:22 am | #

            Dorothy returned Walky’s “I love you” because it was the most convenient way to keep her toy obedient until she had no further use for him.

            She’d deny ever literally thinking those thoughts, but her actions are much louder.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        August 26, 2020 at 4:14 pm | #

        Like, he’s a goofball who’s totally out of his depth with things like his sister(s, though he was the one to be actively noticing and worrying about Billie and has tried to do better on both fronts) or relationships, and his grades are crashing and burning right now… but. He’s also damn perceptive on some fronts (recognizing Billie was in a bad place, recognizing Amber and AG were different, Sal’s grades improving and him deciding not to take the cheat because that was something she had worked hard for,) and genuinely pretty empathetic. His screwing up his relationship with Sal is clearly at least in part wrapped up in how Linda abused them (distancing himself as the Good Smart One because that keeps him out of trouble, for one, and I strongly suspect his joking is at least partially an attempt at deescalation and appeasement,) and he’s taking active steps to improve it and apologize.

        And like. Look. I went into college never having had a romantic relationship, blazed through grade school academics so I didn’t really know how to study, and had an undermanaged anxiety disorder and a developmental disability that makes standard studying techniques difficult. I didn’t screw up as hard as Walky in some ways, sure, but I did screw up badly enough that at the end of my junior year fall semester, I had stopped going to class or appointments due to an anxiety spiral and required my mother driving up to campus to ensure I was alive (as I was also not answering my phone, hoping if I ignored it, it would stop ringing eventually. This was not a rational mindspace, if you couldn’t tell.) I had to take an extension on three out of four classes to do all the papers I’d gotten behind on and was too ashamed not having them done to come into class, and ended up taking an F on one of them. So you know, I kind of get where Walky’s at, and that breakdown was building for several semesters and took several more to recover from. With adequate support from my parents and student services, which Walky is not getting. (It ultimately required a medical leave of absence which I honestly should have taken a semester sooner. Linda wouldn’t like that.) There’s indication Walky’s issues are both ‘lack of study skills’ but also ‘everyone else’s study methods Do Not Work, which after Dorothy and Amber have tried suggests he may well be neurodivergent and no amount of trying will make these methods work.’ And I do think he’s made genuine attempts with them, though not particularly long ones. I get being frustrated that this arc is such a slow burn, but this is actully FASTER burnout than it normally takes.

        Now, he also has a lot of toxic masculinity to unpack (so does Joe,) he’s only just starting to confront the racism in his family unit and how that impacted Sal in particular, and I do think he needs to get better at reading the room. Among other things. But Walky is making genuine growth, and the shit he’s dealing with is generally REALLY slow to identify and work through.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          August 26, 2020 at 7:59 pm | #

          He also handled the actual breaking up with Dorothy much more maturely than I could have at that age – or than I think most 18 year olds losing their first love could.
          “I’m going to have to break up with her for her sake” is a hard thing to reach and even when she did take the initiative after breaking the pause, he tried to make it easier for her, rather than doing anything to get her to not end it.

          And yeah, the “breezed through high school without learning to study” rings a bell. Didn’t really hit me until my senior year though, which wasn’t a good thing.

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            August 26, 2020 at 9:06 pm | #

            Agreed. Granted, part of that’s Walky has terrible self-esteem (because seriously: Garbage Roof,) but compare Walky’s response to the breakup while having low self-esteem on the whole to Danny, in the exact same position with the same issues.

            (I want everyone in the cast to talk through their issues with a competent and supportive professional. They all need it.)

            • Chronos
              Chronos
              August 27, 2020 at 2:08 am | #

              I don’t think we’d have a comic if they all did that.

  21. Schol-R-LEA
    Schol-R-LEA
    August 26, 2020 at 10:44 am | #

    I really wish it were that simple. My father’s been dead for five years and he’s still ruining my mood on a daily basis.

Who should be the default doodle for Book 14?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
CONVENTION APPEARANCES


May 3, 2025 - FCBD @ Laughing Ogre Comics in Columbus, Ohio

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