Dumbing of Age Book Twelve

Dumbing of Age

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May 12, 2026

Lettuce leaf

by David M Willis on September 22, 2021 at 12:01 am
  • 01 – Sister, Christian
└ Tags: danny, sal

Discussion (137) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Ana Chronistic
    Ana Chronistic
    September 22, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

    that sounds familiar

    if only the only boarding school in Tennessee I knew of wasn’t that one then I could be more helpful pinpointing the (fictional, for reasons) school Sal attended, but ain’t no way she got a Southern accent THERE

    • Ana Chronistic
      Ana Chronistic
      September 22, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

      also I either lived in a safe town and/or was surprisingly oblivious bc I never once felt threatened wandering around places I’d never been before

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      September 22, 2021 at 12:58 am | #

      We saw her school uniforms. Avalon High opened a satellite campus in Tennessee. It wanted a conservative corner of the country because it’s stuck in the past.

      • Geneseepaws
        Geneseepaws
        September 22, 2021 at 10:56 am | #

        Dang Yankees don’t understand The South Will uhn, ..Always be stuck in the past.

    • Smooti
      Smooti
      September 22, 2021 at 3:40 pm | #

      Given her mentioning of the landscape, I’m assuming more on the eastern end of Tennessee. If it was near a metropolitan area, maybe Knoxville? Her dialogue here makes it sound like she wasn’t in a super remote / rural area if she had multiple bars to explore.

  2. Doctor_Who
    Doctor_Who
    September 22, 2021 at 12:04 am | #

    In the South they just call Southern Comfort “Comfort”, because why specify the region when you’re there? It’d be like specifying Chicago-style pizza at a pizzeria in Chicago.

    Sadly, Sal didn’t have a good fake ID so she never found any.

    • Tawnee
      Tawnee
      September 22, 2021 at 2:00 am | #

      What if you’re in Chicago and want some other style of pizza?

      I should probably know better than to ask questions about pizza in here, but whatevs.

      • drs
        drs
        September 22, 2021 at 9:16 am | #

        I actually grew up in Chicago not knowing about Chicago-style pizza. I guess my parents didn’t like it and I didn’t have much social life. Home pizza was Eduardo’s (flat, rectangle cuts, good), school (flat, rectangle, not good) or Chuck E Cheese on school/other kid things.

        My first deep-dish was in Seattle. Most of my others were at Zachary’s in Oakland. I tried Uno in Boston, but, not good.

        • adam Black
          adam Black
          September 23, 2021 at 12:20 am | #

          thats because its a longstanding corporate chain store, quality has gone down a lot.

  3. Spencer
    Spencer
    September 22, 2021 at 12:05 am | #

    In case of Winter emergencies, Danny’s party in the back hair can be used as a source of warmth.

    • Dean
      Dean
      September 22, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

      In case of a shipwreck, his hat can be used as a floatation device. He’s surprisingly useful to have around.

      • Doctor_Who
        Doctor_Who
        September 22, 2021 at 12:12 am | #

        You can burn his ukulele as a signal fire, or just because it’s a ukulele.

        • Kyrik Michalowski
          Kyrik Michalowski
          September 22, 2021 at 12:14 am | #

          And if you’re feeling down, he’s great to lean on. Danny is multi talented.

          • StClair
            StClair
            September 22, 2021 at 12:39 am | #

            So you’re saying he’s supportive…?

        • Delicious Taffy
          Delicious Taffy
          September 22, 2021 at 12:46 am | #

          Burn his uke? Who is he, Fflewddur Flam?

          • Illithid
            Illithid
            September 22, 2021 at 12:48 am | #

            Rarely have I wanted an upvote button so much.

            • elebenty
              elebenty
              September 22, 2021 at 1:29 am | #

              Agreed.

          • Hilzabub
            Hilzabub
            September 22, 2021 at 10:01 am | #

            ha ha ha ha ha ahhhhh.

    • Morleuca
      Morleuca
      September 22, 2021 at 5:58 am | #

      You capitalized winter, and for some reason I had Harry Dresden asking Danny for help in my head.

  4. Regalli
    Regalli
    September 22, 2021 at 12:06 am | #

    Awww, she’s being emotionally vulnerable!

    Seriously I love this.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      September 22, 2021 at 12:08 am | #

      You gotta wonder if she’s said this stuff to anyone except for Marcie.

    • Suzi
      Suzi
      September 22, 2021 at 12:23 am | #

      I’m so worried because I think they’re so sweet together but track record for relationships with Willis is awful, I’ll be heartbroken when they break up.

      • Lumino
        Lumino
        September 22, 2021 at 2:27 am | #

        Mmm, this relationship, at least, has a stable foundation. Like, it’s not based on negative emotions or generally unhealthy dynamics.

      • Keulen
        Keulen
        September 22, 2021 at 7:00 am | #

        Likewise. I think they’d make a good couple, especially since their relationship in this universe seems to be much better than their counterparts in the other universe. But I’m worried that Willis will sink this ship, because he tends to do that with the ships I like.

        • thejeff
          thejeff
          September 22, 2021 at 10:37 am | #

          Probably eventually, but there could easily be years of this ship to enjoy before then.

  5. RassilonTDavros
    RassilonTDavros
    September 22, 2021 at 12:09 am | #

    Right, I’d forgotten that “never letting you leave ever” was a thing that boarding schools did. (apologies if that comes off as sarcastic– it’s not meant to be)

    It’s amazing just how many of the things that I kinda took for granted about Sal are getting explanations lately, between this and the motorcycle.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      September 22, 2021 at 12:12 am | #

      It’s mind blowing what we simply accept/don’t question because it is just outside if our purview.

      • Kyrik Michalowski
        Kyrik Michalowski
        September 22, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

        Of*

    • brionl
      brionl
      September 22, 2021 at 12:26 am | #

      It is if your “boarding school” is a thinly disguised Juvenile Hall.

      • Ana Chronistic
        Ana Chronistic
        September 22, 2021 at 5:14 am | #

        or literally in a different state/country from your family of origin, and the school doesn’t want liability for anything happening to you

        • Daibhid C
          Daibhid C
          September 22, 2021 at 5:42 am | #

          Yeah, my boarding-school-for-kids-who-don’t-fit-into-the-regular-school-system (which, to be clear, in my case meant that I reacted badly to being bullied, in a way that made it difficult for my old school to pretend it wasn’t happening) didn’t let us out at night except on Supervised Activities, and I never thought there was anything sinister about it; they were in loco parentis, and would have been held responsible if we’d been wandering around town on our own and got mugged, or run over, or bought alcohol.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            September 22, 2021 at 7:08 am | #

            Yeah, it gets more problematic as they get older, but she was only 13 (or maybe already 14) when she was sent there. Restrictions are appropriate, even if it’s not a “reform” kind of school.

            • BBCC
              BBCC
              September 22, 2021 at 12:38 pm | #

              No, she was still 13. She was away for five years. She probably started in 8th grade.

              It being a thinly veiled juvie might explain why she never came home for holidays or summer though.

  6. Kyrik Michalowski
    Kyrik Michalowski
    September 22, 2021 at 12:10 am | #

    Today’s strip is brought to you by: “I can kinda relate to Sal and it’s sad.”

    On the bright side, Sal and Danny make for a cute couple and that’s not sad.

  7. newlland(Henryvolt)
    newlland(Henryvolt)
    September 22, 2021 at 12:11 am | #

    Maybe Sal Just needed to look somewhere she wouldn’t expect.

    • Reltzik
      Reltzik
      September 22, 2021 at 1:00 am | #

      It’s always in the last place you look.

      • Psychie
        Psychie
        September 22, 2021 at 5:09 am | #

        Well, yeah, because once you find it, you stop looking.

      • thejeff
        thejeff
        September 22, 2021 at 7:09 am | #

        Sometimes it’s in the first place you look, but you didn’t look hard enough until after you came back around.

        • Reltzik
          Reltzik
          September 22, 2021 at 9:43 am | #

          Which would make the first place you look also the last place you look.

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        September 22, 2021 at 11:31 am | #

        Not if you don’t find it and just give up. There’s lots of things that may not be anywhere you can look. I looked in my teapot for god today, also checked for a cockroach. Unsurprisingly neither were there, and that was good enough for me.

        Also, you can find what you’re looking for, but need more of them and keep looking in more places and not find enough.

        Lastly, unless you are an astronaut on a weird space-walk, or have a vacuum chamber, the glass is completely full, because we live at the bottom of a gaseous atmosphere. Unless you count the space between atoms and inside electron clouds as empty, in which case the glass is way, way less than half full.

        The first rule of Pedantry Club, is to argue over the meaning and phrasing of the first rule of Pedantry Club.

  8. Stephen Bierce
    Stephen Bierce
    September 22, 2021 at 12:13 am | #

    *plays the Al Green version of “Take Me To The River” on the sound system of a passing car*

    • Opus the Poet
      Opus the Poet
      September 22, 2021 at 1:38 am | #

      Eh, I prefer the Talking Heads cover myself, having spent so much time around Black churches it feels more real to me.

      • Stephen Bierce
        Stephen Bierce
        September 22, 2021 at 11:48 am | #

        Nothing wrong with either, really. Just that the Green version is more likely to be perceived as a “let’s play this for drivetime” song.

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      September 22, 2021 at 11:31 am | #

      So *that’s* how it works.

  9. DailyBrad
    DailyBrad
    September 22, 2021 at 12:15 am | #

    Did she get closer to him or did he get closer to her? Either way, the distance has been closed. D’aww.

    (Also, I think it’s funny that the gal I’ve been talking to is from Tennessee and about as emotionally guarded, maybe it’s something in the water)

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      September 22, 2021 at 12:18 am | #

      Being from/living in Tennessee builds character somehow. One of my best friends is from Tennessee.

    • bhtooefr
      bhtooefr
      September 22, 2021 at 8:10 am | #

      Looking at the rocks, looks like she got closer to him.

    • Ben
      Ben
      September 22, 2021 at 11:24 am | #

      She got closer to him, her head is on his shoulder

  10. Spencer
    Spencer
    September 22, 2021 at 12:16 am | #

    Anyway as someone who’s had so much chaos and uncertainty in my life that my actual ideal romantic fantasy is someone I can rely upon to be the same person every time I look at them:

    Sal? Deeply, deeply relatable at the moment.

    Just, fuck, the way all that cool, aloof, barbed stuff even from yesterday melted away just like that, like she’s finally got someone to whom she can say out loud that she wants a person in her life who will make her feel comfortable and safe, and that she can say it out loud to them and they’ll understand, that’s heavy, that’s real, y’all.

    • Geneseepaws
      Geneseepaws
      September 22, 2021 at 11:48 am | #

      Damn it. Why you cutting onions here. Now my nose is all runny. And the Ringer’s hydro-static ocular seals are leaking. Damn these feels!

  11. BBCC
    BBCC
    September 22, 2021 at 12:17 am | #

    Awwwwww!

    The noise I made was not human. I think my neighbours worried I was being murdered by someone named Sal. It’s….it’s not the first time this has happened.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      September 22, 2021 at 12:20 am | #

      Your search for the Sal avatar speaks volumes about your love of Sal. I approve wholeheartedly of this, Sal is clearly one of the top 3 characters.

      • BBCC
        BBCC
        September 23, 2021 at 12:19 am | #

        She’s my favourite <3

  12. Barf Ninjason
    Barf Ninjason
    September 22, 2021 at 12:17 am | #

    Ahem – I posted this in the previous comic’s comment section, but I only did so like an hour ago so I assume no one’s ever gonna see it. So, here it is again. Couldn’t figure out how to embed the image on the page or anything.

    https://ibb.co/JC0SVQS

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      September 22, 2021 at 12:21 am | #

      Oh yeah, we have to deal with that train wreck eventually don’t we?

    • Ryek Hvek
      Ryek Hvek
      September 22, 2021 at 12:25 am | #

      So a Derby Hat is the official blaspheming headwear of DOA?

    • Keulen
      Keulen
      September 22, 2021 at 7:03 am | #

      Brilliant!

  13. Bryy
    Bryy
    September 22, 2021 at 12:22 am | #

    They can’t bang until Amber and Walky do.

    • Kyrik Michalowski
      Kyrik Michalowski
      September 22, 2021 at 12:24 am | #

      I thought that ship had already sailed. Did they not do the horizontal tango already?

      • He Who Abides
        He Who Abides
        September 22, 2021 at 12:35 am | #

        At most, they dry-humped. And the ‘ship sank like a brick during the time skip.

        • Segnosaur
          Segnosaur
          September 22, 2021 at 3:07 am | #

          Do we know for sure that they never did more than that?

          We know they only dry-humped before the time skip, and there was SOME event around that time (around halloween) that caused them to break up. But I can’t remember reading anything to suggest they couldn’t have gone further before their break up.

          • thejeff
            thejeff
            September 22, 2021 at 7:12 am | #

            We won’t know until the slipshine. 🙂

            I’m guessing not though. They were very hesitant and conflicted and it wasn’t very long until halloween, so there wasn’t much time to work through it.

    • BarerMender
      BarerMender
      September 22, 2021 at 12:27 am | #

      Amber and Walky seem to be over.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      September 22, 2021 at 12:30 am | #

      I don’t think those two are happening.

  14. Michael Haneline
    Michael Haneline
    September 22, 2021 at 12:24 am | #

    do we recognize that bridge?

    • brionl
      brionl
      September 22, 2021 at 12:27 am | #

      Sure, it’s the Owl Creek Bridge.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Occurrence_at_Owl_Creek_Bridge_(film)

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        September 22, 2021 at 1:09 pm | #

        Clever, but Owl Creek (and the bridge) is two states south of Bloomington.

    • Nayann Martinelli
      Nayann Martinelli
      September 22, 2021 at 12:30 am | #

      Yeah, it’s that one bridge, over that one river, which, mind you, is full of water :p

      • Chris Phoenix
        Chris Phoenix
        September 22, 2021 at 1:42 am | #

        …You’re not from California, are you.

        • Deanatay
          Deanatay
          September 22, 2021 at 9:35 am | #

          -Where are you guys?

          -Down by the creek side.

          -Is there water in it?

          -… You’re from California, aren’t you.

          (Note lack of question mark ^^^)

        • Thag Simmons
          Thag Simmons
          September 22, 2021 at 12:22 pm | #

          They’re probably from somewhere more hospitable to human life, like Siberia.

          • Chris Phoenix
            Chris Phoenix
            September 23, 2021 at 1:54 am | #

            Nah, Siberia’s burning too.

    • Clif
      Clif
      September 22, 2021 at 1:51 am | #

      In point of fact, no. I, for one, do not recognize the bridge. I’m sure I will kick myself when someone posts a link to the significamt episode where Anti-Joyce and Danny dropped something mysterious off of this very same bridge, but until then I will assume that this is a pun based on song lyrics I am unfamiliar with.

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      September 22, 2021 at 2:21 am | #

      Here’s a refresher for people who don’t recognize the bridge: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-6/01-to-those-whod-ground-me/wheel/

      • Keulen
        Keulen
        September 22, 2021 at 7:05 am | #

        Oh shit. I didn’t realize it was the same bridge.

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        September 22, 2021 at 1:11 pm | #

        And @King Daniel gets the internet points for this round. Congratulations KD, what are you going to do next?

        • King Daniel
          King Daniel
          September 22, 2021 at 11:40 pm | #

          That will be a mystery for next time!

    • Freddie!
      Freddie!
      September 22, 2021 at 5:16 am | #

      I’m afraid that I don’t, but I’m sure I’ll cross it when I come to it.

  15. powerpowerpow
    powerpowerpow
    September 22, 2021 at 12:26 am | #

    So yesterday I finally began reading the Walkyverse, and there are things that immediately stood out to me. Like… Is climbing out of windows Sal’s whole thing? I know it sounds stupid but that’s the first thing that stood out to me as being a constant in both universes, aside from Joe being horny all the time.

    • RassilonTDavros
      RassilonTDavros
      September 22, 2021 at 12:42 am | #

      I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s her whole thing, but it’s definitely something she does a lot of.

      • powerpowerpow
        powerpowerpow
        September 22, 2021 at 5:45 am | #

        I mean, of course. She’s Sal. Her thing is motorcycles, smoking, and sitting in chairs wrong. Seriously though, it never occured to me hoe often she broke in and out of windows until I saw her doing it in Roomies. Props to Willis for taking one joke about her climbing in through Danny’s window into a major theme of her character. Sal seeks freedom, independence, and the joy of exploring a world that had been locked off to her. It’s almost like she has the same disregard for literal windows just as she does for the proverbial “window into another world.” She’s Sal. She’ll go wherever she wants, however she wants, and sit in your chairs however the hell makes her happy.

  16. Nayann Martinelli
    Nayann Martinelli
    September 22, 2021 at 12:28 am | #

    I am surprised by Sal opening up to Danny, but at least that’s a happy surprise.

    • Rabisch
      Rabisch
      September 22, 2021 at 1:05 pm | #

      But will Danny opening up to Sal?

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        September 22, 2021 at 1:14 pm | #

        Didn’t peg either of them to go there, who knows?

  17. Endplanets
    Endplanets
    September 22, 2021 at 12:53 am | #

    ‘Southern Comfort’ that is. Ya eva ‘ad that stuff. Amazin.

  18. Reltzik
    Reltzik
    September 22, 2021 at 12:54 am | #

    … and yet Sal never went into a store that sold comforters?

  19. Prince Mech
    Prince Mech
    September 22, 2021 at 12:57 am | #

    I dod a binge of all the ships Danny and Sal were in together recently and, yeah. This tracks. So many of their sweetest moments are the two of them just being comfortable together, like this.

    Warms my heart.

  20. Bagge
    Bagge
    September 22, 2021 at 1:27 am | #

    D’awwwwww

  21. Opus the Poet
    Opus the Poet
    September 22, 2021 at 1:29 am | #

    I recognize the bridge from when Toe Dad flipped the car trying to kidnap Becky the first time (and what does it say that he tried to abduct his adult daughter more than once?).

    • Khyrin
      Khyrin
      September 22, 2021 at 1:50 am | #

      It’s also The Bridge on Which Walkyverse!Ruth Acted With Integrity, and had No Regrets.

      If that goddamned truck shows up again, so help me…

      • Clif
        Clif
        September 22, 2021 at 1:58 am | #

        I do not recall a bridge being involved in the incident, but now I will have to reread the chapter.

        If I’ve been bridge-rolled, well done.

        • Needfuldoer
          Needfuldoer
          September 22, 2021 at 2:34 am | #

          Oh there was a bridge, alright.

          https://www.dumbingofage.com/2015/comic/book-6/01-to-those-whod-ground-me/truck/

          • King Daniel
            King Daniel
            September 22, 2021 at 2:57 am | #

            Clif was referring to the Walkyverse incident. There was indeed no bridge there. http://www.bringbackroomies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/swerve.png

            • King Daniel
              King Daniel
              September 22, 2021 at 2:58 am | #

              As also seen here: https://www.itswalky.com/comic/act-with-integrity/

    • Plain Marie
      Plain Marie
      September 22, 2021 at 8:46 pm | #

      Holy Cow, that scene was back in 2015? That was that long ago?

  22. Chris Phoenix
    Chris Phoenix
    September 22, 2021 at 1:41 am | #

    Wonder bread is comfort food.

  23. PiotrW
    PiotrW
    September 22, 2021 at 2:08 am | #

    Awwwwwww. 🙂

    Also: I wish an awesome girl like Sal cuddled with me like that…

  24. BenRG
    BenRG
    September 22, 2021 at 2:16 am | #

    It’s a sign of closeness if someone, especially someone as vulnerable as Sal, is able to open up with you. That doesn’t stop Danny from feeing surprised, of course.

  25. Acher4
    Acher4
    September 22, 2021 at 2:35 am | #

    This is amazingly cute.

  26. Rabisch
    Rabisch
    September 22, 2021 at 3:25 am | #

    What a sweet moment ♡! Sal is talking about her past with Danny ♡. I don’t know if in a situation like this the best thing Danny can do is just listen to her or talk back to Sal. She needs to have someone to listen to her and support her, but Danny also has a family without the slightest confidence in his abilities and has never told anyone how much that hurts him. It would be nice if they could both talk about these things to each other.

  27. Varangian
    Varangian
    September 22, 2021 at 4:49 am | #

    Oh. Oh my God. My awful black heart. How fucking dare you, Willis??

    You better give them the sweetest, most life-affirming Slipshine, dammit. I’ll be waiting. My wallet is ready.

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      September 22, 2021 at 1:16 pm | #

      I’m saving my “how dare you,” for the inevitable tragedy that demarcates the end of all joy.

      • Decidedly Orthogonal
        Decidedly Orthogonal
        September 22, 2021 at 1:17 pm | #

        p.s. Though props to Sal and Danny to carve some small slice of happiness (or comfort) out for themselves.

      • Rabisch
        Rabisch
        September 22, 2021 at 8:01 pm | #

        Marriage?

        • Decidedly Orthogonal
          Decidedly Orthogonal
          September 22, 2021 at 9:05 pm | #

          Ba-dunt-tshhhhh

  28. Alex
    Alex
    September 22, 2021 at 5:40 am | #

    If anyone was still wondering why boarding school was considered a punishment…

  29. LightPunster
    LightPunster
    September 22, 2021 at 6:24 am | #

    Sal is honestly falling really hard and fast for Danny…like Joe was right when he said she went “fuckin bonkers” for him…I’m scared…

    Remember kids, a dating partner is not a substitute for therapy.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      September 22, 2021 at 7:49 am | #

      Sal has been starved for emotional affection her whole life and now with someone who is all about emotional affection, but I don’t think that part’s going to be the actual main source of eventual drama.

      I think, naturally, Sal is going to be really forward with Danny in the near future because of that lifetime of affectionate gestures either being a front for emotional blackmail or being genuine but when Sal walls up they turn away. Danny’s someone she can earnestly trust to be as honest as possible and to genuinely mean well by her, so Sal’s being thrown into a completely new scenario with a new set of rules and it’s hitting her like a ton of bricks what she’s missed out on. She can actually just say and act how she feels around Danny because she implicitly trusts him and he’s pretty clearly the first romantic partner she’s had that she can do that with.

      I don’t think Sal’s in danger of becoming emotionally dependent on Danny, if Sal caught a whiff of potential for this going wrong she’d probably act on it, and I think Danny himself would recognize if things started to get harmful (because he did that at the end with Amber and then did it again when Ethan).

      They’ve only just gotten pushed their relationship a little further and it’s a lot of new ground, so I think at the start it’ll be a lot like this where Sal has to push herself to be open and once she does it all comes out in a big avalanche of Feels. Really, I think the biggest problem is what’s gonna happen when everyone else starts making commentary about Sal dating Danny. Even apart from Malaya or Walky or even god forbid her parents, writing this made me realize that Jennifer would look at this and think “haha Sal’s jealous of me dating Asher so she hooked up with some dork.”

      • Varangian
        Varangian
        September 22, 2021 at 8:11 am | #

        The dork who turned down casual sex with her, no less! Sal’s into DORKS with BAD TASTE! Looks like Jennifer Billingsworth wins* again**, Sal! OHOHOHOHO!!

        *: uh huh
        **: sure, Jen

        • Schpoonman
          Schpoonman
          September 22, 2021 at 1:21 pm | #

          Ugh, she would have a villainous noblewoman’s laugh.

          • Spencer
            Spencer
            September 22, 2021 at 1:32 pm | #

            She’s basically an evil Karin Kanzuki so it tracks.

  30. MrSmith
    MrSmith
    September 22, 2021 at 7:00 am | #

    Can’t quite decide if this reminds more of Dawsons Creek or Beverly Hills 90210

  31. Keulen
    Keulen
    September 22, 2021 at 7:07 am | #

    DoA Book 12: Always Lookin’, Never Findin’

    • Decidedly Orthogonal
      Decidedly Orthogonal
      September 22, 2021 at 1:19 pm | #

      DoA Book 12: Comfort

  32. Vulcanodon
    Vulcanodon
    September 22, 2021 at 8:25 am | #

    What a lovely moment

  33. timetravelingkayak
    timetravelingkayak
    September 22, 2021 at 8:35 am | #

    Last panel is now my favorite DoA panel ever. Danny and Sal are my favorite characters and I’m so happy for them <3

  34. BenRG
    BenRG
    September 22, 2021 at 8:52 am | #

    Am I the only one who thinks that, if this was an animation, this is when a sad but sweet song of some sort would begin to play that, on the OST, would have the subtitle “Sal’s Theme”.

    Maybe something like ‘Forever Fall’ from the RWBY sound track:

    “Once, like a dream
    You looked at me
    And everything felt new
    Time slipped away
    The past seemed to fade
    My hope restored by you
    “

    • King Daniel
      King Daniel
      September 22, 2021 at 2:34 pm | #

      On the one hand, I adore that song.

      On the other…the context of when we heard those lyrics (as opposed to simply the leitmotif) for the first time…ow

  35. hof1991
    hof1991
    September 22, 2021 at 9:20 am | #

    Wandered into town from my boarding school one night. Three drunks caught me and beat me up. Left me unconscious in the snow. Townies don’t like boarding school kids. Teenage girl could have faced much worse.

    Sal’s been looking for love in all the wrong places. Like Jason’s office. Or the mob kid’s arms. Or in her mother’s eyes. Danny is the right place to recover from all the trauma in her life.

  36. Deanatay
    Deanatay
    September 22, 2021 at 9:39 am | #

    …Did I miss them, or did NO ONE comment on the Avatar reference in the strip title?

    • LiterallyJustSomeGuy
      LiterallyJustSomeGuy
      September 22, 2021 at 10:39 am | #

      I noticed the title was a joke on the dialog, but I don’t get the Avatar reference. In other news, “My cabbages!!!”

      • Plain Marie
        Plain Marie
        September 22, 2021 at 8:49 pm | #

        That cabbages guy ends up wherever there is someone to knock his cart over.

  37. LiterallyJustSomeGuy
    LiterallyJustSomeGuy
    September 22, 2021 at 10:41 am | #

    Is this ship the reason Ethan isn’t in the strip anymore?

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      September 22, 2021 at 11:09 am | #

      Prooooobably not?

      Ethan should have other things in his life than whether he’s gonna date Danny. If he doesn’t then he might as well not be here.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      September 22, 2021 at 11:11 am | #

      Which is why he’s on hiatus. I think when he does come back he’ll have a soft reboot as a character to make him a more interesting and dynamic character instead of just dithering and fretting all the time.

      • Thag Simmons
        Thag Simmons
        September 22, 2021 at 12:25 pm | #

        He’ll almost certainly be different, going by what Walky says about him.

        • Spencer
          Spencer
          September 22, 2021 at 12:52 pm | #

          I actually want him to come back and we learn the timeskip turned him into an outrageous hyper badass.

          • Decidedly Orthogonal
            Decidedly Orthogonal
            September 22, 2021 at 1:21 pm | #

            Naw, just Goth. Although he could gateway through that to “Witness Meeeee!”

            • Decidedly Orthogonal
              Decidedly Orthogonal
              September 22, 2021 at 1:24 pm | #

              Jesus! There’s a joke about Pole Boys hidden in there and I didn’t even realize it. Now I can’t decide if it’s too crass or just awesome.

    • Sombrero
      Sombrero
      September 22, 2021 at 11:11 am | #

      I guess the reason is that Amber-Ethan-Mike-Blaine were kind of trapped in something too similar to their Shortpacked! selves. Now Amber can enjoy a new start for her dork self, Ethan can reappear at the worst time because triangles, we can spend our time guessing which character is Mike in disguise and hopefully Blaine is gone forever.

    • Thag Simmons
      Thag Simmons
      September 22, 2021 at 12:27 pm | #

      Maybe, but I kind of doubt it. Danthan was pretty thoroughly scuttled before the timeskip. Ethan’s absent because it makes sense for him to be absent.

      • Spencer
        Spencer
        September 22, 2021 at 1:36 pm | #

        See I just figured if Danny and Ethan never hooked up that just meant we’d get more queer dudes in the cast.

        Like Sayid, or Arnold. Maybe Drew can step up.

  38. Victor Riley
    Victor Riley
    September 22, 2021 at 1:50 pm | #

    Yeah, we had a bridge like that in college. (Central New Hampshire)

  39. Roborat
    Roborat
    September 22, 2021 at 3:30 pm | #

    Looks like a couple people are going to have cold wet butts.

    • Spencer
      Spencer
      September 22, 2021 at 4:30 pm | #

      quick grab each others butts its the only way

  40. ADLegend21
    ADLegend21
    September 22, 2021 at 11:35 pm | #

    AWWW SAL!!!! TTvTT

  41. Geoffrey Moyer
    Geoffrey Moyer
    September 23, 2021 at 1:37 pm | #

    If you’re looking for comfort, sitting in snow is not the way to find it. Cold butts

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

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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 5h
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This is never going away, is it.
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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 19h
one of my favorite things is when a commenter explodes WHEN DO THESE CHARACTERS GET THERAPY but directed towards a character who canonically has a regular therapist
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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 20h
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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 20h
mary: dawn says your girlfriend is trying to murder her wilbur: but what about MY happiness okay can we kill wilbur now
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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
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Phew, they made NoHo Hank wear pants.
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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
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Hot Toys Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 1/6 Scale Darth Vader Deluxe ($495) & Standard ($315) is up for preorder at Sideshow - shrsl.com/4wcx6 #ad If you preorder make sure to hit the Exclusive versions since they include a commemorative plaque and cost the same.
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Ryan North @ryannorth.ca ⋅ 2d
hey, FANTASTIC FOUR got an Eisner nomination for best ongoing series!! I think this news is... really great! Fantastic even :0
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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
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David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
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Politico: Ever been slapped by breasts?
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Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com ⋅ 2d
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The problems with this prosecution are legion, but most immediately, the
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It's not a new argument, of course, but Chesterton dismissed it effectively in 1908. "You will hear everlastingly... this argument that the rich man cannot be bribed. The fact is, of course, that the rich man is bribed; he has been bribed already. That is why he is a rich man."
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Who can forget the Swiss-Austrian Union, or its famous capital - Istanbul.
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