Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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May 12, 2026

Weight

by David M Willis on February 11, 2021 at 12:01 am
  • 03 – See You in the Funny Page
└ Tags: joe, joyce

Discussion (201) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    February 11, 2021 at 12:01 am | #

    they gonna babies SO HARD

    • Johan
      Johan
      February 11, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

      In 10 years after marriage.

    • Nayann Martinelli
      Nayann Martinelli
      February 11, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

      And since they are in Biology 101, maybe Joyce will even learn how the whole flowers and bees thing actually works :-p

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        February 11, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

        She surreptitiously checks the index for “tummy wand”.

        • Clif
          Clif
          February 11, 2021 at 12:46 am | #

          She finds a reference to a belly button healing wand and is confused.

      • Segnosaur
        Segnosaur
        February 11, 2021 at 12:52 am | #

        I think the assumption is that Joyce does know about the whole birds and bees thing. (She just think its morally wrong to actually engage in premarital hanky panky.) Remember, she has been writing her own personal erotic fiction (something that would require at least a basic knowledge.)

        Now, there was the comic where she was having a fantasy about Ethan “giving her tummy his thing”, but given the fact that it was a dream sequence, I think her mis-information can be attributed to the way dreams don’t always reflect reality.

        • Chronos
          Chronos
          February 11, 2021 at 1:44 am | #

          Have we seen an excerpt of Joyce’s erotic fiction? There are plenty of examples of people making “erotic” fiction on the net that had no clue how it works.

          Do I think Joyce knows? Ehhh…I guess? She *did* take biology in the past, so she might have a basic understanding.

          • Rabid Rabbit
            Rabid Rabbit
            February 11, 2021 at 1:52 am | #

            She also almost watched the Roz & Joe video, and the screen shot we saw means she at least has a sense of certain positions. When she googled “strap-on”, she was able to identify it, plus all her looking up of ding-dongs for her banditry. Then there was her encounter with Other Jacob.

          • Needfuldoer
            Needfuldoer
            February 11, 2021 at 2:38 am | #

            I bet a Joe-equivalent is going to start appearing in the Julia Gray universe in the not-too-distant future. He’ll have a bit part at first, but like Klinger on M*A*S*H he’ll gradually work his way up to principal cast.

          • Rei
            Rei
            February 11, 2021 at 11:38 am | #

            you have to remember this is a pivot from the original “Roomies” in the sense that it’s the series without Aliens and secret government stuff. considering THAT joyce was at least familiar enough with sex that her dark self knew it intimately, she knows what sex is, wants it, but mentally denies herself access to the full info most of the time.

        • Tomn
          Tomn
          February 11, 2021 at 3:54 am | #

          Let me assure you that basic knowledge of human biology is by no means a prerequisite for anyone writing erotic fanfic, or even erotic fiction in general. Check out the site “Men Writing Women.”

          • Some Ed
            Some Ed
            February 11, 2021 at 8:06 am | #

            To be fair, most of the porn I’ve read with supposedly and apparently male authors at least had a basic understanding of how male biology works, they just didn’t have any comprehension of women, chemistry, or physics.

            I have read some porn which raised questions about the author’s understanding of any biology. Some of this seemed to have a better grasp on female anatomy than male anatomy and did not make use of any adjectives or descriptive words in relation to the male’s “thing”, or exclusively used the not very descriptive adjective “manly” in connection with this mysterious item, which suggested to me the possibility that the author may have been a woman, or possibly a girl.

            All of that said, I’ve read enough train wrecks to want to stay very far away from any suggestions about where to go to find some truly horrendous porn.

          • Demoted Oblivious
            Demoted Oblivious
            February 11, 2021 at 8:13 am | #

            Men Writing Women is brilliant. 😄 Thanks for sharing!

        • ValdVin
          ValdVin
          February 11, 2021 at 7:45 am | #

          Does she know about the birds and the bees? Who would have taught her, Carol?

          • Chris (the other one)
            Chris (the other one)
            February 11, 2021 at 1:52 pm | #

            Oh god. I feel for her, if all she knows is the mechanics. Someone who is a good, talented, and knowledgeable lover (may or may not be shit-for-brains there) will abso-freakingly ROCK…HER…WORLD.

      • MacareuxMoine
        MacareuxMoine
        February 11, 2021 at 9:27 am | #

        It’s Biology 121 (although I’m not entirely sure, how those numbers work)

        • Miles
          Miles
          February 11, 2021 at 10:46 am | #

          Varies with school but typically 100 level is either entry level or remedial, and higher hundreds numbers mean more advanced while higher tens and ones mean different classes in the same department.

          • Clell65619
            Clell65619
            February 11, 2021 at 11:26 am | #

            Unless things have changed drastically since my time in school, remedial classes were in the 0xx series. (Frequently called ‘the bonehead’ curriculum and usually populated by those who likely didn’t get into school for their SAT scores, but for the ability to move an oblate spheroid in the proper direction and manner)
            100 series classes were Introductory for the field of study, usually starting with 100 for the intro class and 1xx for further study in the same series.

            • Chris (the other one)
              Chris (the other one)
              February 11, 2021 at 1:54 pm | #

              So… you’re saying Basketball players are smarter?

              • Agemegos
                Agemegos
                February 12, 2021 at 12:41 am | #

                Not what I took from that. US and Canadian gridiron football, and various Rugby footballs, use prolate balls. It is bowling that uses oblate balls.

    • Tandel
      Tandel
      February 11, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

      If so, the saga would be nearly two decades in the making.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      February 11, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

      It would be Babies MacIntyre but that’s for Becky and Dina.

    • C.T Phipps
      C.T Phipps
      February 11, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

      “Listen, Joe, I don’t believe that anymore! I just don’t believe this nonsense about it being millions of years old.”

      “What?”

      • Jon Rich
        Jon Rich
        February 11, 2021 at 1:41 am | #

        I’ve been confused about this. Joyce has been arguing Creationist talking points, but doesn’t believe in God anymore, which….is confusing. How has she given up the one, but not the other?

        • Slartibeast Button, BIA
          Slartibeast Button, BIA
          February 11, 2021 at 1:58 am | #

          When you have made such a profound change to your worldview, it can take time to work through all of the implications. Time you may not have to spare given how difficult things can be at such times.

        • Rainhat
          Rainhat
          February 11, 2021 at 3:08 am | #

          Combination of stuff. 1) she wasn’t saying she still believes the stuff she was describing to Dina. She was describing the doublethink necessary to pass regular exams while being homeschooled. Dina (who had just been shouting about wizardry) took it as her still believing it, which is honestly gauche 2) She and Becky share that as a common background. She leaned into it just then for that reason.

        • C.T Phipps
          C.T Phipps
          February 11, 2021 at 3:24 am | #

          I wouldn’t be surprised if Joyce has just decided not to actually change her opinion on how the world works from this point. I’ve known plenty of friends who in the face of uncomfortable worldview changes, just decide to stop learning.

        • Some Ed
          Some Ed
          February 11, 2021 at 8:13 am | #

          While I don’t disagree with the prior respondents, I’m pretty sure Joyce is of the belief that Becky still believes, and so is going along with crap she no longer believes while around Becky to try to maintain what connection they still have.

          I’m not sure how much Becky actually believes and how much she’s trying to maintain a connection with Joyce. But Becky came to her beliefs through a rather different process and didn’t have a distinct disillusionment event as far as I’m aware, so it’s really tough to say for sure what Becky believes.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            February 11, 2021 at 10:39 am | #

            Joyce isn’t yet ready for Becky to know that she doesn’t believe anymore. Becky knows how closely Joyce’s faith is tied to things like the Fall and Original Sin and thus to creationism. If Becky learns that Joyce isn’t still opposed to evolution, she’ll realize or at least question Joyce’s faith, which Joyce isn’t ready to deal with.

            Becky on the other hand pretty clearly still believes in God, but has easily dropped all the anti-science stuff they were taught (Or at least all of it she’s recognized and she’s happy to dump more as she finds it.)

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          February 11, 2021 at 8:23 am | #

          Remember she’s been taught not just Creationism as religion, but also the Intelligent Design pseudoi-science arguments. She’s seen and believed all the evolution and old earth debunking claims.
          It’ll take some time to work through that and figure out what parts of what she was taught don’t make any sense.

          • Agemegos
            Agemegos
            February 12, 2021 at 12:45 am | #

            I preferred her “without Original Sin it’s all a LIE” phase.

            Intelligent Design without an intelligent designer seems like a mass of contradictions, and believing in it seems like an uncomfortable exercise in cognitive dissonance.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              February 12, 2021 at 8:48 am | #

              It does and it is, but it’s not likely to snap all at once.

        • Miles
          Miles
          February 11, 2021 at 10:47 am | #

          The world was intelligently designed and created by the universe.

          Well, at least the universe used sound engineering practices.

          • Demoted Oblivious
            Demoted Oblivious
            February 11, 2021 at 5:34 pm | #

            Stars that go nova too fast because they’re sized/fueled wrong, blackholes that destroy everything, a life bearing planet that regularly kills the life upon it, people, gamma ray bursts. The universe didn’t intelligently do anything, let alone apply proper engineering practices. The universe *happened*, and continues to do so.

            T’were you fascetious or not, I couldnay let it be.

          • Ana Chronistic
            Ana Chronistic
            February 11, 2021 at 11:09 pm | #

            Approximately every month or so I take great issue with “Intelligent Design”

            who would “intelligently” design people with uteruses to be unable to control the expulsion of blood and mucosal tissue even after literal decades of doing so when human infants are able to learn how to control whether or not to urinate or defecate

            (“intentional” design I might buy, but it’s a shitty intent, if so)

    • Blindness
      Blindness
      February 11, 2021 at 12:55 am | #

      It’s always the opposites that make the funnest couples, and those two are about as opposing as you can get without putting Malaya and Mary together

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      February 11, 2021 at 3:59 am | #

      These last few strips have got me shipping them again.

      • Agemegos
        Agemegos
        February 12, 2021 at 12:47 am | #

        I have never bandoned this ship since the trip to find Becky’s social security card.

  2. happyblinker
    happyblinker
    February 11, 2021 at 12:03 am | #

    It’s Joe and Joyce season.

    • Pablo360
      Pablo360
      February 11, 2021 at 12:49 am | #

      my favorite ship, Joeyce

      • Chris (the other one)
        Chris (the other one)
        February 11, 2021 at 1:57 pm | #

        hmm, don’t think I like that name…I prefer JoJo.

  3. King Daniel
    King Daniel
    February 11, 2021 at 12:03 am | #

    and doesn’t that smart, Joyce?

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      February 11, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

      Oh! Sal!

      …now I kind of wish I typed my comment in an accent. 😛

  4. Bobcat
    Bobcat
    February 11, 2021 at 12:03 am | #

    Angry night texts resume.

    “When are you going to deliver your part?”
    “When are YOU going to deliver your part?”
    “AAAAAAARGH!”

    • Blindness
      Blindness
      February 11, 2021 at 12:57 am | #

      Gravitar win…I can actually see him doing just that to colleagues

      • Needfuldoer
        Needfuldoer
        February 11, 2021 at 2:42 am | #

        Prof. Brock seems like the type who got stuck doing the whole group project himself, and left everyone else’s names off the copy that got turned in unless they contributed.

        • Chrissy
          Chrissy
          February 11, 2021 at 7:35 am | #

          I would have done this if I had ever been in that situation, hands down.

    • woobie
      woobie
      February 12, 2021 at 12:46 am | #

      Joe knows what part he wants to deliver….

  5. Johan
    Johan
    February 11, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

    Yay Joe!

  6. Yup
    Yup
    February 11, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

    Panel Four put me in my emotions. It’s like they both know that they have an undeniable chemistry as friends, an awkward attraction that COULD go somewhere, and yet they both also have zero clue what to do with each other.

  7. Wack'd
    Wack'd
    February 11, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

    SIX THOUSAND YEARS OLD
    SURE YOU THINK THAT’S OLD
    SIX THOUSAND YEARS OLD
    BUT WHAT DO YOU KNOW

    • Anon A Mouse
      Anon A Mouse
      February 11, 2021 at 12:32 am | #

      IN MY DARKEST HOURS
      I’M TALKING LIKE THIS
      FOR I AM
      SIX THOUSAND YEARS OLD

  8. BBCC
    BBCC
    February 11, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    There is no right way to answer that Joe. XD

  9. crow
    crow
    February 11, 2021 at 12:07 am | #

    I love the color scheme here.

  10. C.T Phipps
    C.T Phipps
    February 11, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

    “You looked like a future Fox News Anchor.”

    • MrSmith
      MrSmith
      February 11, 2021 at 1:16 am | #

      Well she is attractive and intelligent so it would also have worked

      • Jon Rich
        Jon Rich
        February 11, 2021 at 1:44 am | #

        You don’t have to be intelligent to be a female Fox News Anchor. You do have to be attractive, and preferably blonde.

        You do have to have a pretty high tolerance for selling your soul, though, and Joyce fails that test super hard.

        • MrSmith
          MrSmith
          February 11, 2021 at 12:39 pm | #

          Well I’m not going to denigrate someone simply because they work for an organisation I don’t agree with but a quick look at some of their bios shows that, at the very least, a college degree does seem to be the minimum requirement

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          February 11, 2021 at 6:01 pm | #

          Also, beyond MrSmith’s point, if you *are* going to denigrate someone because of where they work, why would that be a gendered principle?

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            February 11, 2021 at 11:33 pm | #

            Because the organization itself is biased along gendered lines. There’s a decent case to be made that their female news anchors are picked to be photogenic in a way very differently than their male news anchors. And yes, blonde.

      • Miles
        Miles
        February 11, 2021 at 10:49 am | #

        Attractive and can lie with a straight face for 8 hours every day, and not getburned out by it all in a week.

  11. Suet
    Suet
    February 11, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

    Vis à vis Last Thursdayism? Could be worse.

    “Thanks, they also bring out the grump in me”

  12. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    February 11, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

    *plays The Beatles’ “Carry That Weight” on the hacked Muzak*

  13. William Leonard Reese Jr.
    William Leonard Reese Jr.
    February 11, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

    Hm. . .What do we know about what happened 6000 years ago? I’m sure that there are human records somewhere.

    *googles*

    `4100–3100 BC: the Uruk period, with emerging Sumerian hegemony and development of “proto-cuneiform” writing; base-60 mathematics, astronomy and astrology, civil law, complex hydrology, the sailboat, potter’s wheel and wheel; the Chalcolithic proceeds into the Early Bronze Age.
    3500–2340 BC; Sumer: wheeled carts, potter’s wheel, White Temple ziggurat, bronze tools and weapons.[2]
    First to Fourth dynasty of Kish in Mesopotamia.

    Sumerian temple of Janna at Eridu erected.

    Temple at Al-Ubaid and tomb of Mes-Kalam-Dug built near Ur, Chaldea.
    3000 BC – Tin is in use in Mesopotamia soon after this time.

    3500–2340 BC – First cities developed in Southern Mesopotamia. Inhabitants migrated from north.

    The cuneiform script proper emerges from pictographic proto-writing in the later 4th millennium.

    Mesopotamia’s “proto-literate” period spans the 35th to 32nd centuries.

    The first documents unequivocally written in the Sumerian language date to the 31st century, found at Jemdet Nasr.

    Dams, canals, stone sculptures using inclined plane and lever in Sumer.

    Urkesh (northern Syria) founded during the fourth millennium BC possibly by the Hurrians.

    The Courtyard was introduced to Mesopotamia.[4]`

    Okay so a LOT was happening and being learned back then. And that was just in Mesopotamia.

    So humans are smart, have always been smart and marching forward and learning.

    It’s odd to think that I would have a easier time convincing people of this fact about this time period then I would during the European Medieval ages.

    Where so many have the preconception that everyone wore brown, everything was awful, life expectancy was in the low 40s, and no one could read their own language nor the language of the church.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      February 11, 2021 at 4:04 am | #

      Reminds me of this article in The Onion: Sumerians Look On In Confusion As God Creates World

      • raultsi
        raultsi
        February 11, 2021 at 10:01 am | #

        I <3 this so much. Thanks

    • Daibhid C
      Daibhid C
      February 11, 2021 at 5:39 am | #

      Well, of course no-one could read during the Dark Ages. It was dark.

    • Miles
      Miles
      February 11, 2021 at 1:31 pm | #

      That “own language” bit is a myth. Of course most people could read and write enough to keep track of their business. Literacy was defined as being able to read Latin, which, of course nobody has time for that. The only way we got literacy rates up was by changing the definition of the word to something useful. But a smith who can’t write down what he’s promised to make for how much and what he’s already been paid isn’t gonna last long. Neither is a farmer or any other kind of worker. They didn’t have a payroll department or bank keeping track of things like that for them for free

      • Miles
        Miles
        February 11, 2021 at 1:33 pm | #

        But im pretty sure nobody could read the language if the church… there wasn’t even a church 6000 years ago?

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          February 11, 2021 at 3:20 pm | #

          There were plenty of churches 6000 years ago. No Christian Church of course.

          There’s significant evidence that literacy even in the local vernacular was rare, even among the nobility, much less the peasants. High among the clergy of course, who were often used as scribes when necessary. We have things like documents where a majority of signatures are just “marks” – they couldn’t even sign their own name.

          Most workers didn’t need to write or keep accounts in anything like the modern sense. Even the smith would just remember the things he needs to make and what he was promised for them, rather than keep records. Larger scale merchants doing shipping and the like certainly would.

  14. Spencer
    Spencer
    February 11, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

    *Strip wherein Joe, who up until now has mostly only had transactional conversations with women and specifically keeps himself sealed shut because exposing feelings about anything leads to heart ache and despair, pays Joyce a completely unprompted compliment that’s the first piece of positive reinforcement about her glasses that wasn’t Dorothy momming super hard about it*

    Oh, no, don’t mind me. I’ll just sit quietly while this plays out.

    • Sporky
      Sporky
      February 11, 2021 at 12:19 am | #

      You can’t fool me – you’re having a feel

      • StClair
        StClair
        February 11, 2021 at 12:34 am | #

        many feels

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      February 11, 2021 at 12:50 am | #

      And learns that no good deed goes unpunished.

    • Lightpunster
      Lightpunster
      February 11, 2021 at 4:17 am | #

      “And then they BONED”

  15. DarkoNeko
    DarkoNeko
    February 11, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

    The speed of light is faster than the speed of sound, as in some people look smart until they open their mouth.

    • Slartibeast Button, BIA
      Slartibeast Button, BIA
      February 11, 2021 at 12:51 am | #

      It has to be, that’s how black holes form.

  16. cmasta1992
    cmasta1992
    February 11, 2021 at 12:24 am | #

    I will sail on this ship till the bitter end

  17. xeno112
    xeno112
    February 11, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

    I don’t know man.. im not a bible thumper by any standards but believing in Christianity doesn’t make you auto stupid or auto crazy. I feel like this comic has been ragging on Christianity hard at this point it feels like the authors personal views on it at bleeding through and less so to show that Joyce came from a “crazy bible town”.

    • Notmuch
      Notmuch
      February 11, 2021 at 12:27 am | #

      This comic is -very- clearly making fun of a very specific kind of christianity. If you feel this is ragging on something specific.. well.. hit dogs will holler.

      • King Daniel
        King Daniel
        February 11, 2021 at 12:41 am | #

        IIRC, didn’t someone run the numbers and it came out to like half the cast being Christian (at least nominally)? Just from the characters listed on the site cast page, we’ve got Amber, Jennifer, Becky, Danny, Jacob, Roz, Robin, and Lucy.

        • Nono
          Nono
          February 11, 2021 at 12:45 am | #

          I don’t think Roz is really Christian either. I think Robin just plays it up for the voters.

          • King Daniel
            King Daniel
            February 11, 2021 at 12:48 am | #

            We’ve been previously told that Robin, at least, is Catholic – ‘s true that we don’t actually know Roz’s religious beliefs (if any), but I wouldn’t be surprised if the DeSantos were from an at-least-nominally Catholic background.

            • BBCC
              BBCC
              February 11, 2021 at 3:51 am | #

              Last time Willis said anything on the subject is she’s Catholic too.

              • King Daniel
                King Daniel
                February 11, 2021 at 4:52 am | #

                Alright, so my supposition turned out to be in the right direction then. 😛

        • Regalli
          Regalli
          February 11, 2021 at 5:49 am | #

          Jennifer as well, IIRC. And I think it’s worth noting that, despite speculation about Dina ‘holding her tongue’ about Becky (though I can imagine the ‘I want to have sex with you, you want to have sex with me, but premarital hanky-panky’ freakout that apparently lasted MONTHS without being talked about put some strain,) there’s never been any indication she takes issue with belief in God itself. Beliefs that can actively disputed using empiricism, yes. Concept of God, no. While she’s blown up at Joyce (and Sarah for that ‘you think you’re being magically forced into being happy? I want no part in this!’ last week) over science denialism, I don’t think we’ve ever seen Dina get judgy over, say, going to church.

          The focus is primarily on how harmful that particular breed of fundamentalism was for Joyce and Becky (even if Becky’s managing to hold faith where Joyce’s is shattering) because ‘raised in a church built on fear and control that said everyone in the Out Group was evil and probably literally worshipped Satan, went to college, realized that all these other people were awesome, struggled to reconcile this with religion and ultimately realized that under the fear there wasn’t actually any faith’ is Willis’s life experience. Frozen may not have been around when he was a kid, but he’s mentioned that Scooby Doo was banned from his household – nominally for its depiction of the supernatural, but when you realize the classic show is entirely about powerful people exploiting belief in the supernatural for their own gain and a group of teenagers refusing to take that at face value, it’s… well, about as revealing as ‘we can’t watch Frozen because it portrays parents as fallible’. And that one is one of the less ‘wait, seriously?’ properties he’d been banned from as a child. (‘He-Man is unacceptable because only Jesus has the power’ is a direct quote.)

          Joyce and Becky’s congregation is portrayed negatively because religion there is used to control others – their children, but also the belief that their particular interpretation of Christianity should be impressed on other people, and refusing to let them (a hypothetical, but one drawn from reality) fire a gay employee for coming out is discriminatory against them. That’s also why Mary is portrayed negatively, if you notice – religion justifying a sense of superiority, religion as her reason for deeply hateful attitudes towards other people, and then attempting to assert her worldview over everyone else’s through blackmail and harassment. You know who else was portrayed negatively in their use of faith? Blaine, who was transparently posing as a Devout Christian to keep the congregation from asking too many questions about this massive financial gift from a total stranger (not explicitly stated, but like. How else could he have justified it?) and Ross from straying too far from his master plan (explicit, and which worked for about 24 hours but it’s clear had worn off by the time Joyce and Amber were calling him on who precisely he had allied himself with. Probably around the murdering a random 18-year-old. Didn’t stop him from doing so OR sticking with this guy to try and get to Becky, though!)

          Joyce and Becky’s arcs include ‘processing years of religious abuse.’ That’s necessarily going to portray the specific religion that was used to abuse them – actively and with intent – in a negative light. But every religious character who hasn’t used their faith to hurt other people is treated neutrally, and their beliefs are never mocked. (Joyce may well freak out at the person when they tell her they’re a denomination/religion deemed Unacceptable and Heathen, or when she realized Episcopalians use actual wine for communion, but the punchline is very much JOYCE thinking meeting a Mormon is worth freaking out about.)

          • Regalli
            Regalli
            February 11, 2021 at 5:51 am | #

            Oh, yeah, Jennifer was listed! And once again, I forget to go back and reread the beginning of my wall o text before posting. ^^;

      • Segnosaur
        Segnosaur
        February 11, 2021 at 12:45 am | #

        Yes. The comic does have a lot of christians with a negative image (members of Joyce’s old church, some of her family, Mary). But it also has Becky (who has managed to reconcile her homosexuality with her christianity, despite her upbringing), Sierra, Jacob, and Lucy, all of whom appear to be relatively decent human beings, while at the same time being christians.

        • Nono
          Nono
          February 11, 2021 at 12:56 am | #

          There is the issue where Sierra is a bit character, Jacob only pops up for a storyline every so often, and Lucy is just a nice person who happens to mention once that she goes to church.

          There’s more ‘bad people who use their faith to justify being bad’ than ‘good people who get their strength from their faith without letting it rule them’.

          • BBCC
            BBCC
            February 11, 2021 at 3:53 am | #

            Becky is a pretty good example of the last one. Lucy’s brought up church plenty – she even wanted to take Walky with her (though she didn’t push when rejected).

          • Rowan
            Rowan
            February 11, 2021 at 6:53 am | #

            Is that an issue though? Stories are allowed to have their focus. I don’t think stories about abuse from a fundamentalist Christian background need to also be stories about lovely Christian progressive activists to make up for it, you can just have a story about the thing you want to write about

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            February 11, 2021 at 8:54 am | #

            Not surprising that cases where the religion is the source of conflict it’s more prominent than where it isn’t.
            Especially when again, Joyce is the main character and this is her main character arc. Which is essentially autobiographical.

    • DrunkenNordmann
      DrunkenNordmann
      February 11, 2021 at 12:28 am | #

      I think it’s less “being a Christian” and more “taking the Bible 100 % literally”.

    • Ferret
      Ferret
      February 11, 2021 at 12:38 am | #

      It’s not ragging on Christianity, it’s ragging on Fundamentalism. Jacob and his faith are both taken completely seriously, and while it’s mostly played for laughs the fact that Becky still considers herself a Christian and believes in God is also treated positively.

      The beliefs DoA shits on are the ones that are harmful. That means Christian bigotry and it means anti-science values.

      • ian livs
        ian livs
        February 11, 2021 at 12:43 am | #

        As a former fundamentalist, it’s shitting on harmful fundamentalism, not Christianity as a whole. Characters with benign Christian beliefs (e.g. Jacob) don’t have those beliefs belittled or ridiculed at all. It’s fundamentalism that’s rightfully portrayed as “stupid” and “crazy,” because at the end of the day, it fucks up a lot of people–like me, like Joyce, like the author himself–and those people have the right to critique it.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      February 11, 2021 at 12:40 am | #

      Joyce didn’t just come from a crazy bible town she is based on the life experiences of the writer who also went through crazy bible town.

      If it means anything I was in the same boat when I started but my religious upbringing was mostly casual and based on a personal relationship with God and not performing actions to prove my devotion so the idea that someone could straight up try to argue the planet was only 6000 years old was completely alien to me.

    • wiki
      wiki
      February 11, 2021 at 12:43 am | #

      TBF, I’m from Boca, the place of fake suntans and boob jobs, and Joyce is basically even other christian homeschooled girl I know.(down to the growing of their views if they went to sec college) Except she reads over a 3rd grade level.

      The groups being made fun of are very much real and very good at existing everywhere.

      • wiki
        wiki
        February 11, 2021 at 12:44 am | #

        That Joe looks far too into the boob job comment

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          February 11, 2021 at 2:49 am | #

          He’s looking directly at the words.

    • Wizard
      Wizard
      February 11, 2021 at 12:46 am | #

      In fairness, we do have at least a couple of characters who are believers, but not crazy garbage people. Becky, for instance, has managed to hang onto her faith while ditching the toxic baggage that came with it.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      February 11, 2021 at 12:55 am | #

      I think that’s a combination of mainly dealing with the young earth creationist flavour of christian, plus Joyce losing her faith over time

    • Blindness
      Blindness
      February 11, 2021 at 1:01 am | #

      Jacob is treated well, and he’s a churchgoer…it’s the fundies that are made fun of.

      But a lot of posters do use the fundies to go after all religion regardless of context. It’s a sport here, taking quick shots at religion just because someone believes in something that others don’t.

    • Jon
      Jon
      February 11, 2021 at 1:30 am | #

      …are you under the impression that the “calculations” of Bishop Ussher are a core part of Christian belief as a general thing?

      Because they’re not. I was raised United Methodist, and our pastor had gently scathing words for anyone who insisted on Biblical literality. (Is “literality” a word? Screw it, it is now.) He held, for example, that spending all your time trying to figure out how a giant fish could a) live in the Mediterranean and b) carry a living human for days at a time would cause you to miss out on the point of the story of Jonah (that no one is beyond God’s forgiveness, despite Jonah’s anger at the idea).

      • drs
        drs
        February 11, 2021 at 1:50 am | #

        ‘literalism’ is the usual word.

        • Agemegos
          Agemegos
          February 12, 2021 at 1:01 am | #

          It doesn’t denote quite the same thing to me. The literality of the Bible is a [supposed] quality of the Bible, the quality of being literal. But literalism is a belief or intellectual position that a person might hold, viz that the Bible is literal.

          Note that it would be possible to believe that the Bible is literal but not necessarily true.

    • zee
      zee
      February 11, 2021 at 12:40 pm | #

      🙄 willis was talking about this on Twitter not long ago. My dude, most of the cast are reasonable christians. Becky is right fucking there. Then we have sierra, lucy who goes to church every Sunday, Jacob. Those are just off the top of my head. Excluding toedad, it’s literally just this one character and her family (half of whom are reformed/reforming anyway) we’ve seen be “stupid” because of religion. Like notmuch said, this is clearly just making fun of over the top fundies. Y’know… because the main character is a recovering fundie

    • C.T Phipps
      C.T Phipps
      February 11, 2021 at 1:38 pm | #

      I am a Christian and true believer. Those who deny evolution are wrong.

      It’s kind of like denying water.

      Just Super-Sayin.

  18. Dara
    Dara
    February 11, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

    4004 b.c., right? Like the first microprocessor, the Intel 4004 only, idk, fundamentalist. I’m not gonna go with Incel 4004 because Joyce hasn’t ever been that crop of crazy, thankfully. So oldtestament 4004?

    I feel like I’m trying to make some kind of analogy but I have no idea where I’m going with this so I should probably stop. xD

  19. Clif
    Clif
    February 11, 2021 at 12:31 am | #

    Give me a break. Glasses do not make people look one whit worse, but neither do they make people look one bit smarter. No matter what Robin and Joe might think.

    • William Leonard Reese Jr.
      William Leonard Reese Jr.
      February 11, 2021 at 12:40 am | #

      As someone who wears glasses I 100% disagree.

      Without glasses I look bland and tired.

      With glasses I look *hot* and tired.

      Tired is the one constant irregardless.

      • Regalli
        Regalli
        February 11, 2021 at 4:58 am | #

        Sums it up better than I could!

    • wiki
      wiki
      February 11, 2021 at 12:46 am | #

      Glasses are a tool, but are also an accessory to change appearance, so they do.

      Also there is such a strong glasses bias wearing glasses can help someone get a better sentencing at trial.

      • William Leonard Reese Jr.
        William Leonard Reese Jr.
        February 11, 2021 at 12:47 am | #

        . . .Wait really?

        How did that become a thing?

        I presume it’s some kind of classist, or possibly racist, bias in the justice system?

        • Pablo360
          Pablo360
          February 11, 2021 at 12:52 am | #

          I don’t know how it would be racist, but if this is a fact about the American justice system I’m sure it’ll find a way.

        • Nono
          Nono
          February 11, 2021 at 12:53 am | #

          It’s definitely a calculated bias. Glasses implies that the person is a ‘respectable member of society’, which helps lead into the ‘surely an upstanding person couldn’t be guilty!’ Argument. Also why they put the defendants in suits.

          Also see how there’s a bias in hiring practices based on names, marital status, etc.

        • Blindness
          Blindness
          February 11, 2021 at 1:07 am | #

          Race has nothing to do with it. It’s an old ingrained image that people have a habit of falling for: glasses = smarter, more charming, less violent, friendlier personality.

          Look at any hip hop artist on trial and they look like regular people in suits, no bling, speaking clearly and with no slang. Look at Jodi Arias a few years ago: she went from a blonde bimbo partier to a brunette with glasses in a frumpy skirts and blouses. It’s all a show for the jury, they want to believe what they see and not what they hear even though it’s all fake.

          • SeanR
            SeanR
            February 11, 2021 at 10:10 am | #

            I understand there is SOME anecdotal evidence that regular reading, especially in dim light, might cause some permanent changes to the eye shape. If true, then glasses become an identifier of a self-selected group: readers.

            • thejeff
              thejeff
              February 11, 2021 at 10:51 am | #

              Back in the day, it was an identifier more because glasses were usually only sought out by people who read. Rather than reading causing the problems, reading was one of the main things that people couldn’t just keep doing as their eyesight deteriorating.

        • wiki
          wiki
          February 11, 2021 at 1:21 am | #

          Yeah, a show called Adam Ruins Everything listed a bunch of the weird bias in the court system in one episode, and that was one of the stupider one. I know there have a list of sources, but its 1 am and my brain is not together to find it.

          (also mcdonald coffee thing which is a big yikes, but basically the episode was: how the justice systems fails you part 3)

        • Miles
          Miles
          February 11, 2021 at 3:12 pm | #

          Pretty sure it’s dated. Glasses used to mean “nerd” which is incompatible with “jock” type crimes (e.g. violence) but more likely to get you convicted of crimes the jury doesn’t fully understand (white collar, computer, etc.).

          Nowadays with Lasik being so heavily marketed glasses are often seen as a fashion statement if you look good, or behind the times if you don’t. And those stereotypes will influence a jury in their own way.

        • Agemegos
          Agemegos
          February 12, 2021 at 1:11 am | #

          It became a thing when poor and black people couldn’t readily afford glasses and only got them for relatively severe refractive error, so mostly middle-class and rich people wore them.

    • Nono
      Nono
      February 11, 2021 at 12:47 am | #

      Ehh, they don’t actually have an effect, but there is a perception of it, even though there shouldn’t be. That’s why media puts nerds in glasses, scientists in glasses, the ‘smart one of the group’ in glasses.

      And because we’re exposed to it so much, it seeps into our unconscious bias.

    • Drakkin the Alien
      Drakkin the Alien
      February 11, 2021 at 1:15 am | #

      glasses do two things by default: first, its “evidence” to the onlooker that you read (maybe even by your own will!! maybe even full books!!), and second, glasses are usually symetrical so they add to face symetry thus making you better looking.

      • Geneseepaws
        Geneseepaws
        February 11, 2021 at 3:06 am | #

        People reading full books is silly, just like the Professor’s inventions on Gillighan’s Island. You can’t build a radio out of coconuts, but it’s a great fantasy. If the Kindle didn’t surf the web, no one would buy one. Next they’ll be saying they read the whole three books of Lord of the Rings. /s

    • cmasta1992
      cmasta1992
      February 11, 2021 at 1:24 am | #

      Glasses are hot. I will not be taking questions.

    • Bubbletea
      Bubbletea
      February 11, 2021 at 3:48 am | #

      Nah, it can make a difference. Without glasses I am either squinting (which in many situations can look confused) or unfocused and apparently only interested in what is in arms length of me. With glasses I am more engaged with a wider space and can see what is going on around the discussion. Plus I am more likely to engage with the topic is a school setting since I ACTUALLY know what is on the board/slides they are talking about.

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      February 11, 2021 at 4:12 am | #

      I’d argue that glasses make already cute looking girls even cuter. And some people actually do seem to think they make a person look smarter.

    • SeanR
      SeanR
      February 11, 2021 at 10:06 am | #

      Glasses can also make you look better. If you have perpetual bags under your eyes, the SLIGHTEST tint in your glasses, even an accidental one, makes you look less like The Thing That Stayed Up Through The Night.

  20. Antonio Tyler
    Antonio Tyler
    February 11, 2021 at 12:32 am | #

    I love Joe and Joyce strips because they both get to not be themselves. Or actually be themselves?

  21. JessWitt
    JessWitt
    February 11, 2021 at 12:42 am | #

    Wait, Joyce and Joe are wearing color coordinated outfits – green shirts and blue jackets/vests.

    It must be fate, they are destined to be… lab partners!

    • Nono
      Nono
      February 11, 2021 at 12:48 am | #

      I’m guessing that Joyce is picking colours that go with her glasses. And Joe just picks colours that he normally wears – greens/blues/purples.

      • JessWitt
        JessWitt
        February 11, 2021 at 1:10 am | #

        Very good points. I was thinking about Joyce’s teal glasses matching her clothes. But I didn’t realize that Joe preferred cool colors, that’s interesting.

        • Nono
          Nono
          February 11, 2021 at 5:07 am | #

          I actually really like Joe’s colour scheme. I feel like I need to wear more purples and greens and I should make a concerted effort into doing so rather than defaulting to blacks and greys.

          • JessWitt
            JessWitt
            February 11, 2021 at 1:55 pm | #

            My default colors are black, dark red, and so many blues. I’m calling it “Neapolitan goth”.

    • Clif
      Clif
      February 11, 2021 at 12:54 am | #

      I know what biology lab is like, but I have no idea what human evolution biology lab is like.

      Maybe we’ll find out.

      • Kernanator
        Kernanator
        February 11, 2021 at 1:16 am | #

        Anime leads me to believe it involves clones, monster robots, and parental issues.

      • paleotectonics
        paleotectonics
        February 11, 2021 at 6:53 am | #

        See: ‘Slipshine’

        • Agemegos
          Agemegos
          February 12, 2021 at 1:05 am | #

          Just so.

      • SolomonK
        SolomonK
        February 11, 2021 at 9:24 am | #

        Perhaps the students will learn biology and also evolve.

        • SeanR
          SeanR
          February 11, 2021 at 10:14 am | #

          Oh. I WANT to see the professors scathing remarks relating to Pokemon.

    • David M Willis
      David M Willis
      February 11, 2021 at 10:06 pm | #

      Joyce is wearing an orange shirt!

      both are standing in front of blue-tinted glass

      • Clif
        Clif
        February 12, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

        Sounds logical to me.

      • Agemegos
        Agemegos
        February 12, 2021 at 1:12 am | #

        I am such a victim of colour correction that Joyce’s shirt looks orange to me even when I go back and check.

        The colours of the dress depended on which device I looked at the picture on.

  22. RacingTurtle
    RacingTurtle
    February 11, 2021 at 1:15 am | #

    Hi! This is so cute that my face hurts from smiling! I wish everyone here a very good evening!

    • brute
      brute
      February 11, 2021 at 1:35 am | #

      noted and appreciated, thank you!

  23. Bagge
    Bagge
    February 11, 2021 at 1:20 am | #

    “You might even be a 3+”

  24. Barf Ninjason
    Barf Ninjason
    February 11, 2021 at 1:22 am | #

    They make her look CUTE! I can’t help but imagine rubbing her hair with my hands. (Unrelated note except now I’m imagining Joyce doing this: TWICE now, with two separate women, they had recently shaved their heads and they asked me if I wanted to rub their heads, right, so I did, I’M NOT MADE OF STONE, but I swear to Monkey-God and his seventeen monkey-avatars, they both said “I farted’ immediately upon me starting to rub their scalps. If there is a moral, I do not want to know it.

    • Barf Ninjason
      Barf Ninjason
      February 11, 2021 at 1:22 am | #

      )

      • brute
        brute
        February 11, 2021 at 1:34 am | #

        thank you for sharing this with us.

        • Judas Peckerwood
          Judas Peckerwood
          February 11, 2021 at 1:49 am | #

          (

          • Jenn
            Jenn
            February 11, 2021 at 4:31 am | #

            No.) ಠ_ಠ

      • a/snow/mous/e
        a/snow/mous/e
        February 11, 2021 at 1:51 am | #

        i think Monkey-God has Butts Disease

        • a/snow/mous/e
          a/snow/mous/e
          February 11, 2021 at 1:53 am | #

          ok, don’t want to be the dude who was complicit in blaine’s death so i’m gonna spin the roulette now

          • a/snow/mous/e
            a/snow/mous/e
            February 11, 2021 at 1:54 am | #

            that’s more like it

          • Demoted Oblivious
            Demoted Oblivious
            February 11, 2021 at 2:40 am | #

            You /don’t/ want part marks for cleaning up that mess?

  25. Judas Peckerwood
    Judas Peckerwood
    February 11, 2021 at 1:48 am | #

    Okay, I laughed.

  26. PB
    PB
    February 11, 2021 at 1:53 am | #

    OH NO THEY’RE CUTE

  27. brionl
    brionl
    February 11, 2021 at 2:14 am | #

    *Looks* smart, yes.
    *Sounds* smart, enh, not so much.

    • Demoted Oblivious
      Demoted Oblivious
      February 11, 2021 at 2:45 am | #

      She is well studied, and is rather smart in that she has retained what she’s learned and can recall it well. Her problem is not intelligence, but that her source of information was neglectfully ignorant. Joyce *is* smart, but terribly ignorant. (though learning fast)

      • ValdVin
        ValdVin
        February 11, 2021 at 7:49 am | #

        Yep. Walky, to compare, sounds bright, but a different kind of “not smart” simply because of what he chooses to open his mouth about.

        Have we seen her where the homeschooling doesn’t clash with college courses? She is likely good in those.

        • Demoted Oblivious
          Demoted Oblivious
          February 11, 2021 at 2:20 pm | #

          Maths?

      • Demoted Oblivious
        Demoted Oblivious
        February 11, 2021 at 8:01 am | #

        Oh and what’s most important, she’s not *proud* of her ignorance, she’s more proud of being able to learn.

      • Agemegos
        Agemegos
        February 12, 2021 at 1:30 am | #

        Joyce was worse than ignorant, she was cocksure about misinformed beliefs.

  28. Throwatron
    Throwatron
    February 11, 2021 at 3:03 am | #

    joyce’s glasses are actually fucking incredible though.

  29. Mr.Morningstar
    Mr.Morningstar
    February 11, 2021 at 3:40 am | #

    They’re so gonna fuck

    • Agemegos
      Agemegos
      February 12, 2021 at 1:40 am | #

      I am looking forward to it being good for both of them.

  30. Lightpunster
    Lightpunster
    February 11, 2021 at 4:14 am | #

    Fuckin FINALLY someone tells her how good they look.

  31. Sombrero
    Sombrero
    February 11, 2021 at 5:08 am | #

    I’m rooting for lots of “Joe & Joyce at the Lab” strips.

  32. Cheshrin
    Cheshrin
    February 11, 2021 at 5:30 am | #

    Oh, right, Joe’s blatant crush that he refuses to examin because he’s Afraid Of The Feels. This’ll be an interesting semester.

    • Cheshrin
      Cheshrin
      February 11, 2021 at 5:30 am | #

      *stares at gravatar* WAIT WHAT

      Nope, nope, spinning that wheel again.

  33. Daibhid C
    Daibhid C
    February 11, 2021 at 5:38 am | #

    Good ol’ four thousand and four BC.

    The precision is how you know it’s not ridiculous.

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      February 11, 2021 at 9:01 am | #

      It’s funny how well that works.

    • Agemegos
      Agemegos
      February 12, 2021 at 1:31 am | #

      AM Garden of Eden mean time, 8th of October 4004 BC.

      • Agemegos
        Agemegos
        February 12, 2021 at 1:37 am | #

        That’ll teach me not to check vague memories before I post. It was

        “the entrance of the night preceding the 23rd day of October… the year before Christ 4004”

        Which is to say, nightfall on 22 October 4004 BC, per the proleptic Julian calendar.

    • Agemegos
      Agemegos
      February 12, 2021 at 1:34 am | #

      I wonder whether James Ussher, bishop of Amargh happened to believe that Jesus was born in 4 BC, and if so at what time of year.

  34. Sean Smith
    Sean Smith
    February 11, 2021 at 7:10 am | #

    Very excited about them being lab partners. I love it when Joe and Joyce interact!

  35. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    February 11, 2021 at 7:38 am | #

    Joe has a point. In the end. I never understood why glasses would made someone look smarter. It’s a very old prejudice. But I’ve to admit. Joe and Joyce are cute together ♡.

  36. goggleman64
    goggleman64
    February 11, 2021 at 7:50 am | #

    I thought this was biology; what’s all this chemistry doing here?

    • Demoted Oblivious
      Demoted Oblivious
      February 11, 2021 at 8:02 am | #

      It’s organic chem.

  37. Josh Spicer
    Josh Spicer
    February 11, 2021 at 7:53 am | #

    Well A. yes, genuine compliment, attaboy Joe.

    and B. way to save face Joe.

  38. Vulcanodon
    Vulcanodon
    February 11, 2021 at 8:19 am | #

    Reading does accelerate the development of inherited myopia, so it isn’t completely wrong.

    Sometimes politicians wear glasses to make use of that perception, like Sarah Palin or Rick Perry. I realized you can tell by looking at an angled picture of them… if their cheek line isn’t altered by the lenses, there’s no prescription.

  39. thumb
    thumb
    February 11, 2021 at 10:11 am | #

    There will be no truce!

  40. egg egg
    egg egg
    February 11, 2021 at 10:37 am | #

    Reading “Goddamnit, Malaya!” recently really prepped the correct feels for this storyline’s turn of events huh.

    • egg egg
      egg egg
      February 11, 2021 at 10:38 am | #

      okay i don’t want to be danny, even if his wink is appropriate for that comment

      • egg egg
        egg egg
        February 11, 2021 at 10:39 am | #

        hah okay

  41. Pat
    Pat
    February 11, 2021 at 10:40 am | #

    What a dummy. Everyone knows the universe sprang into existence last Thursday.

    • Agemegos
      Agemegos
      February 12, 2021 at 1:18 am | #

      With light already en route</i? from the recorded positions of distant stars and galaxies. It is an open question whether actual distant stars and galaxies were also created to create a supply of images for the distant future. My own view is that the universe, including light en route, was only created out to a distance of 12.88 parsecs — and no-one will ever prove that I am wrong.

  42. nothri
    nothri
    February 11, 2021 at 10:46 am | #

    But Joe, the world is 6 thousand years old.

    …Sure, its also more than that but the statement “the Earth is 6 thousand years old” is correct. The Earth IS six thousand years old, and then some!

    • thejeff
      thejeff
      February 11, 2021 at 10:52 am | #

      By that standard, I’m 20 years old.

      • Spencer
        Spencer
        February 11, 2021 at 11:46 am | #

        20 years have definitely passed since you were born.

  43. zee
    zee
    February 11, 2021 at 12:51 pm | #

    Okay roulette day 2. Let’s hope my dndbeyond dice luck doesn’t follow me over

    • zee
      zee
      February 11, 2021 at 12:52 pm | #

      Oh fuck no

      • zee
        zee
        February 11, 2021 at 12:53 pm | #

        …her better cohort. I shall remember this combo

        • zee
          zee
          February 11, 2021 at 12:54 pm | #

          Eh, i like Joe but I’m on a hunt for joyce. Last one

  44. zee
    zee
    February 11, 2021 at 12:55 pm | #

    Oh fuck go back go back

    • Raptorofwar
      Raptorofwar
      February 11, 2021 at 1:16 pm | #

      I would’ve stuck with the iguana. I also wish I had Ruth back, though, so I understand the sentiment.

  45. Rani
    Rani
    February 11, 2021 at 3:24 pm | #

    The evangelicals are absolutely misguided. I know for a fact this earth only came into existence when I was born, and will join me in oblivion when I die.

    • TemperaryObsessor
      TemperaryObsessor
      February 11, 2021 at 9:07 pm | #

      You got it all wrong the universe was created when I was born.

  46. Giguioto
    Giguioto
    February 11, 2021 at 5:05 pm | #

    Points for politeness and a callback to their first (and so far, only) date, when Joyce said he smelled nice. This is fine.

  47. Xtifr
    Xtifr
    February 11, 2021 at 5:24 pm | #

    Interesting tidbit: Evolutionary biologist and science populariser Stephen Jay Gould, whose expert testimony helped defeat the “equal time for creationism” law in the 1980s, once wrote a essay praising Bishop Ussher’s work on coming up with the 4004 date for creation, not because it was correct (of course), but because it was a solid piece of scholarship given the data Usher had to work with at the time he wrote!

  48. Roborat
    Roborat
    February 16, 2021 at 3:37 pm | #

    Sorry Joe, there is a difference between being smart and being un (or poorly) educated.

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