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
Dina
First Previous Random 139Comments 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
Sleepless Domain
Mary Cagle (Cube Watermelon)
In a world where magical girls and their battles are commonplace, loss has become all too common as well.
Lies Within
Lacey
Lysander's aimless and carefree life is turned upside down when he accidentally discovers that the cute boy next door, Simon, is a literal monster
Heroes of Thantopolis
Izzy Strontium Hall
A living boy fights to save the City of the Dead.
Saint for Rent
Ru Xu
Saint Halliday runs an inn for Time Travelers. Unfortunately, he seems to attract other supernatural "guests," too.
Novae
KaiJu
A historical romance with a touch magic and a dash of astronomy. It chronicles the romantic adventures of Sulvain, a sweet tempered necromancer and Raziol, a passionate 17th century astronomer.
Namesake
Isa, Meg
There's ghosts at your heels and fairy tale worlds ahead. What do you do? Jump down the rabbit hole!
Cyanide & Happiness
Explosm
Satire, dark humor and surreal humor.
Monster's Garden
Ash G.
Champion pit fighter Kilo Monster was content to spend the rest of his days tending to his quiet garden alone... until he met a curious robot girl and her human family.
Little Tiny Things
Clover
What are the little things that move us? The simple joys that warm our bodies and hearts? The micro life of insects that influence our world more than we think? The tiny steps we make everyday to have a happier tomorrow?
The Golden Boar
Magnolia Porter Siddell
A young woman joins a group of summoners who call forth Guardian Beasts to protect their isolated magical island. Unfortunately, her Guardian Beast is nothing like she'd imagined, and he's about to change her life, and everything she thought she knew about herself...
Freakshow
Scotty
A festival of broken people, blood flows in the center ring. Come one and come all, to the greatest show in all of Paris.
Peritale
Mari Costa
A fairy godmother with no magic tries her best to successfully fulfill a Fairytale and win the respect of her peers.
ARISE, YE SKELETON KING
Brian Clevinger, Escher Cattle, Lee Black
A troupe of wandering "adventurers" down to their last silver "acquire" a map only to find the real treasure was the fiend they dug up along the way.
The Messenger
indui
In a ruin-abound town cursed with bad luck, Kai and Kalla--a young boy and a fledgling dragonbird spirit--take on a quest in hopes the reward will solve all of their problems.
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.
Not Drunk Enough
Tess Stone
Logan Ibarra is possibly the unluckiest repairman in the world. A late night job should not have landed him in the middle of a mad scientist's squabble, but he soon finds himself surrounded by monsters and further madness with little tools to get out.
The Weave
Rennie Kingsley
A young woman pursued by bad luck is witness to the murder of the Fairy Queen of Summer. Can she get to the bottom of this mystery?
Nigh Heaven & Hell
Scotty
Heather Vodihn is on a simple mission: find her father. However she becomes entangled with two strangers with mysterious powers being stalked by a group with bizarre demands. Heather must learn to trust her new traveling companions, even if she is untrustworthy herself.
Edison Rex
Chris Roberson
The adventures of the world’s greatest villain who, after defeating his superheroic nemesis, decides that he’s the only one left to defend the world.
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!
Nerf Now!!
Josué Pereira
A cute webcomic about fanservice, video games, and... love. Mostly video games, though.
Angel's Orchard
Harry Bogosian
After the events in Demon's Mirror, Gerda has accepted her role as a Demon Hunter, and Cezar has traveled back to the Demon City. Demons have existed alongside humans for millennia, so things begin to return to normal. But an impossibly powerful Relic has been taken by one of the Demon Masters, and a silent war enters its final stages.
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.
Three Panel Soul
Matt Boyd, Ian McConville
It's a pretty rigid format but we keep the content loose, you know?
Sakana
Mad Rupert
Our heroes must navigate a hazardous dating scene, overcome personal anxieties, and wrangle unruly seafood in order to find love, peace of mind, and a paycheck.
Ozzie the Vampire
Eric Lide
Ozzie and her best friend Kimmy are your average everyday normal art students – except one is an immortal vampire with superpowers and the other possesses a magic talking grimoire. Also they have to save their town from a demonic invasion.
Blindsprings
Kadi Fedoruk
Tamaura, wrested into a world 300 years in the future, must find a way to save the magic fading from her country.
Barbarous
Ananth Hirsh, Yuko Ota
A crummy wizard and an anxious monster have to get over themselves and bring order to an apartment building full of misfits.
Augustine
Winter Jay Kiakas, Windy
August and her ragtag group are just like everyone else, simply surviving in the treacherous Crater... When they stumble into what may be an artifact of the ancient past, their lives are thrown into a much bigger loop as they trifle with bounty hunters, monsters and gods.
Darkling Bright
Chris Hazelton
Kieran Bright is a college student home for the summer and roped into an online reunion with his old neighborhood friends in the most recent update of their favorite childhood MMORPG. At least, he was, and that was the idea... Join Kieran and his friends as they are pulled into another reality that may or may not be real and are forced to confront their own identities, the nature of simulated universes and reality itself.
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.
Sister Claire
Yamino
In the troubled aftermath of a great war between Witches and her fellow Nuns, novice Sister Claire just wants a purpose.
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

Dina

by David M Willis on November 26, 2010 at 12:01 am
  • 02 - Uphill From Here
└ Tags: amber, dina, ethan, mike

Discussion (139) ¬

[ Comments RSS ]
  1. Jen Aside
    Jen Aside
    November 26, 2010 at 12:02 am | #

    SURPRISE ROOMIE

    • David Herbert
      David Herbert
      November 26, 2010 at 12:09 am | #

      Next she’ll escape after punching them both in the dick.

      • Undrave
        Undrave
        November 26, 2010 at 12:12 am | #

        No in the FAAAAAACE!

      • R
        R
        November 26, 2010 at 1:53 pm | #

        She doesn’t really look capable of punching anyone anywhere. I think she’ll begin to cry, which will freak them out, and then that will allow her an opportunity to escape.

      • Chikara
        Chikara
        November 27, 2010 at 3:34 pm | #

        Woo Hangover reference!

      • Quantum Polagnus
        Quantum Polagnus
        August 23, 2011 at 9:15 pm | #

        Gnomish Cock-Punch Trap?

      • shadowsneakz
        shadowsneakz
        September 28, 2015 at 2:01 pm | #

        Nah, she’ll go all Ruth on them and no-one will ever see their femurs again…

    • Hinoron
      Hinoron
      July 15, 2013 at 3:47 pm | #

      The Veloci-Dina quietly stalks her prey….

  2. George
    George
    November 26, 2010 at 12:03 am | #

    Guessed it from the Twitter. Love Mike’s facial expression.

    Wait, am I first?

    • George
      George
      November 26, 2010 at 12:03 am | #

      Dang. Nope.

    • dchorror
      dchorror
      November 26, 2010 at 8:50 pm | #

      He doesn’t seem to have the scowl, he seems perpetually worried.

      • ArchSchnitz
        ArchSchnitz
        November 27, 2010 at 11:23 am | #

        He looks like he has my perpetual facial expression, which is a combined scowl/lost in thought.

        • wmpnash
          wmpnash
          November 28, 2010 at 1:32 pm | #

          Nonsense. Obviousy your perpetual facial expression is a Happy-Ethan-Smile. Really ArchSchnitz, who are we going to believe: you or Gravatar?

    • SteveCharb
      SteveCharb
      November 29, 2010 at 3:55 pm | #

      That’s one high-arching eyebrow. Spock is envious.

  3. captainswift
    captainswift
    November 26, 2010 at 12:03 am | #

    Ah, the shy one and the reclusive one. That room’s gonna be a party hotspot.

  4. Trevor
    Trevor
    November 26, 2010 at 12:05 am | #

    haha, oh Dina… you better not get caught in an explosion this time.

    • Malph
      Malph
      November 27, 2010 at 12:38 am | #

      Considering the setting of the strip (a college in a world NOT inhabited by aliens and the people abducted by them), I’d have to say that’s unlikely… which means it may still happen, just not in the same way as before (though probably just as much of a tearjerker).

  5. Chrisby
    Chrisby
    November 26, 2010 at 12:05 am | #

    Well I think Amber mentioned in her Twitter about her roomie being even more of a shut-in than her, or something to that effect.

    So this was to be expected.

    • Ragnal
      Ragnal
      November 26, 2010 at 2:58 am | #

      It was? I kinda thought Dina was a bit more social in the Walkyverse.

      • Jen Aside
        Jen Aside
        November 26, 2010 at 5:40 pm | #

        No way, only when Walky kinda sorta made her by demanding she be his girlfriend to spite Joyce.

      • Slipgate
        Slipgate
        November 28, 2010 at 4:48 pm | #

        Not sure what you read in the Walkyverse, but there was a whole sequence of strips of Dina trying to learn to socialize and standing out there in some common area or hallway with people passing her by and her being unable to strike up conversations.

        Dina was very much unable to deal with other people easily. When she was about to die she was thinking that in the end this is the only sort of thing she was good for other people for – taking it instead of them, who would miss her, etc.

        I can understand maybe missing some of it, but missing her thought-dialogue in the sequence of strips where she died seems weird unless one isn’t familiar with the old Walkyverse.

  6. KVogue
    KVogue
    November 26, 2010 at 12:07 am | #

    Does Dina stand behind doors often, or is this a new development? Either way Mike’s expression is great.

    • Wackd
      Wackd
      November 26, 2010 at 12:11 am | #

      She’s hiding from Mike. Y’see, he’s already got a reputation.

  7. Cassidy
    Cassidy
    November 26, 2010 at 12:10 am | #

    That’s the least assholeish mike could be… He should have pushed the door against the wall squishing her HAHA

    • Wackd
      Wackd
      November 26, 2010 at 12:12 am | #

      He could simply be too surprised to remember to be a dick.

      Of course, him pushing the door back will probably be the first panel of Monday’s comic…

    • Drpepperfan
      Drpepperfan
      November 26, 2010 at 10:18 am | #

      Have you forgotten that Mike has a soft spot for Dina?

      • Cassidy
        Cassidy
        November 26, 2010 at 4:26 pm | #

        not yet…. he is ONLY JUST MEETING HER FOR THE FIRST TIME. in this universe anyway.

  8. Undrave
    Undrave
    November 26, 2010 at 12:12 am | #

    I like Mike’s FAAAAAAAAACE too.

    Hullo Dinah-saur! Would it be in bad form to make a ‘clever girl’ ambushing raptor joke?

    • BlueNight
      BlueNight
      November 26, 2010 at 1:45 am | #

      I think that’s the point.

      Somebody warn Randall.

      • Fyrewyre
        Fyrewyre
        November 26, 2010 at 8:30 pm | #

        Munroe or the villain from Monsters Inc?

        • Ian
          Ian
          November 28, 2010 at 2:28 pm | #

          You assume they’re two separate entities?

          • Fyrewyre
            Fyrewyre
            December 1, 2010 at 11:45 am | #

            Touche, magic hallway.

  9. Kamino Neko
    Kamino Neko
    November 26, 2010 at 12:18 am | #

    That’s actually kind of creepy….

  10. No0ne
    No0ne
    November 26, 2010 at 12:19 am | #

    Dina is almost creepy in that last pannel…

    Also: Mike not being a jerk is futher proof that hes is still working on the whole world hater thing…

    • Chrisby
      Chrisby
      November 26, 2010 at 12:25 am | #

      Maybe he’ll say her hat is stupid.

  11. Dena
    Dena
    November 26, 2010 at 12:19 am | #

    Whoa, I have a hat just like that one!

    Yay for Dina!

    • David
      David M Willis
      November 26, 2010 at 12:34 am | #

      (Remember, folks, everyone can have a hat just like that one!: http://shortpacked.bigcartel.com/product/dina-s-dino-hat )

      • David
        David M Willis
        November 26, 2010 at 12:35 am | #

        (It’s available for a reduced price until Monday.)

        • Someone
          Someone
          November 26, 2010 at 2:55 am | #

          Willis! You..professional shiller, you.

      • MrGBH
        MrGBH
        November 26, 2010 at 5:58 am | #

        Is it available for shipping outside the USA?

        • Cassidy
          Cassidy
          November 26, 2010 at 4:27 pm | #

          im in Canadaland and i have one!!!

          • Joebo
            Joebo
            November 26, 2010 at 10:57 pm | #

            You man Canadia right?

      • Dena
        Dena
        November 26, 2010 at 9:42 am | #

        Ahaha, glad I could help.

        • Andi
          Andi
          November 28, 2010 at 3:29 pm | #

          Love that hat… so much.

  12. cappadocius
    cappadocius
    November 26, 2010 at 12:21 am | #

    Oh, I do hope Dina and Mike end up a couple in this Universe, too.

    • Starline
      Starline
      November 26, 2010 at 3:14 am | #

      I’m personally looking a Dina-Mike-Amber love-triangle drama situation. (But I’d also root for Dina first)

      • R
        R
        November 26, 2010 at 1:57 pm | #

        Mike just seems like a bad first boyfriend. I’d rather see Dina with someone else, someone who’s gentler, at least at first. Dina and Mike worked alright in Walky, but that’s because she had already gained some confidence and experience by then.

        • Rognik
          Rognik
          November 27, 2010 at 10:40 am | #

          I suppose keeping him sloshed didn’t hurt, either.

    • Tomb
      Tomb
      November 27, 2010 at 4:02 am | #

      Is it just I? Or does Dina appear to be blushing at Ethan?

      • Chris
        Chris
        November 28, 2010 at 1:11 am | #

        The coloured cheeks… It took me awhile to get used to them but now I like them, but Willis what made you wake up one day and decide to start colouring cheeks in? Just curious

        • David
          David M Willis
          November 28, 2010 at 9:34 am | #

          http://www.shortpacked.com/2009/comic/book-9/02-everyone-starts-having-rosy-cheeks/oldspock/

          I drew a strip with Chris Pine in it, he has rosy cheeks, so I gave him some, thought they looked kind of nice, and so they ended up on a lot of my characters.

  13. Nathaniel VonLypathronpicaplasty
    Nathaniel VonLypathronpicaplasty
    November 26, 2010 at 12:36 am | #

    Hmmm. First we’ve seen of Ethan. Wonder how he knows Mike in this universe, if at all.

    …..

    Oh, this could be interesting. Wonder if they’re…
    Naw. That’d be too good to be true. Right?

    • Reboot
      Reboot
      November 26, 2010 at 1:14 am | #

      Willis said somewhere or other that Ethan, Mike & Amber are childhood friends.

      And that Ethan declined to share a room with Mike because he doesn’t want horrible things done to him in his sleep.

      • Gianni
        Gianni
        November 27, 2010 at 1:51 am | #

        That seems like as good a reason as any not to want to room with Mike.

      • Someone
        Someone
        November 27, 2010 at 3:31 pm | #

        With as much of a masochist as SP!Ethan seems to be, you’d think he’d WANT that…

  14. Cha
    Cha
    November 26, 2010 at 12:36 am | #

    I’m going to be Dina in college. >> The room and the standing behind the door…yeah.

    • Malph
      Malph
      November 26, 2010 at 2:53 am | #

      I’m already like that. As soon as I get a dorm room I’m hanging out behind it.

      • Malph
        Malph
        November 27, 2010 at 12:31 am | #

        “It” being the door (or the alternate world located just behind the room).

  15. Ragnal
    Ragnal
    November 26, 2010 at 12:43 am | #

    Not gonna lie, my first reaction to Dina’s appearance here was just ‘D’awwwww’.

    • Malph
      Malph
      November 26, 2010 at 2:58 am | #

      Mine was more *waving arms in the air while silently saying “DINA!”*

    • Heather
      Heather
      November 26, 2010 at 4:27 am | #

      That was my reaction too.

      Hopefully, she’ll be invited along?

  16. Eri
    Eri
    November 26, 2010 at 12:45 am | #

    Loving Mike’s expressions!

    And yay, Dina =D

  17. blackouthart
    blackouthart
    November 26, 2010 at 12:49 am | #

    Not gonna lie, LOVE Mike’s expressions here.
    Third panel: “Seriously, what the fuck? I’m not seriously going to find a girl behind this door?”
    Fourth panel: “SUSPICIOUS GIRL IN DINOSAUR HAT.”

  18. blackouthart
    blackouthart
    November 26, 2010 at 12:49 am | #

    Not gonna lie, LOVE Mike’s expressions here.
    Third panel: “Seriously, what the fuck? I’m not seriously going to find a girl behind this door?”
    Fourth panel: “SUSPICIOUS GIRL IN DINOSAUR HAT.”

  19. Dierna
    Dierna
    November 26, 2010 at 12:53 am | #

    What? No Ceratopsians or Parasauralophi?! Hmf….how rude… I wouldn’t have a wall of dinos I would have a shelf. *lol*

  20. Tanukitsune
    Tanukitsune
    November 26, 2010 at 12:57 am | #

    Ha, ha! Since I read this in an RSS feed, I didn’t notice the title of the comic and for a second thought Dina was alive again in the Shortpacked / It’s Walky world! XP

  21. Gianni
    Gianni
    November 26, 2010 at 1:19 am | #

    Everyone loves Mike’s expression, but I think panel 4’s Ethan expression is good too. Sort of a “WTF girl behind the door” expression.

  22. Sporkaganza
    Sporkaganza
    November 26, 2010 at 1:20 am | #

    I can’t help but imagine a sharp, abrupt musical sting, like from a horror movie, for panel 4.

  23. Jabberwocky
    Jabberwocky
    November 26, 2010 at 1:32 am | #

    Someone’s in the doorway with Dina~

    • begbert2
      begbert2
      November 26, 2010 at 1:33 am | #

      Someone’s in the doorway I know-oh-oh-ohh~

      • Jabberwocky
        Jabberwocky
        November 26, 2010 at 11:49 am | #

        Someone’s in the doorway with Diiiiiiinaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~

        • Ragnal
          Ragnal
          November 26, 2010 at 3:03 pm | #

          STRUMMIN’ ON THE OL’ BANJO!~

          • JesseJanitect
            JesseJanitect
            November 26, 2010 at 9:04 pm | #

            AKA your mom.

            The Mike-atar made me do it.

  24. begbert2
    begbert2
    November 26, 2010 at 1:32 am | #

    I find myself wondering how long they’ve been hanging around the room.

    With Dina just there, behind the door. Standing, silent, waiting patiently for somebody to need her, or for them to swing the door away from the wall and let her out again.

    • Malph
      Malph
      November 26, 2010 at 2:56 am | #

      I like how she doesn’t seem to be at all bothered by them moving the door.

  25. TheSuperhoo
    TheSuperhoo
    November 26, 2010 at 1:46 am | #

    Gotta tell y’all…it’s strange seeing all these different characters interacting in ways they havent before. Of course it helps that Shortpacked! is in the normal Walkyverse, but Ethan, Dina, Amber, and Mike in the same scene? Weird!

  26. Someone
    Someone
    November 26, 2010 at 2:57 am | #

    I can’t decide if Dina’s allowance of herself being pinned in that corner for two full strips, which is a long time in comictime, is a sign that she’s just that inert or…has Dina gone from shy, to creepy? :O

    • Bill M.
      Bill M.
      November 26, 2010 at 1:17 pm | #

      Well, in most comics, that would be logical, but think of this as a 24 style webcomic. The pacing is really slow, we’re on day 2 or 3… it’s not as bad as “Between Failures” which is closing in on 700 strips not counting bonuses, and it’s only day 3 there.

      • Kamino Neko
        Kamino Neko
        November 26, 2010 at 4:55 pm | #

        I’m actually not sure if there are any comics where ‘2 strips’ generally covers a long period of time. Certainly none of the ones I know of with ongoing plots. Some occasionally have strips covering a good length of time, or throw in a time skip (ranging from a couple days to a couple months – occasionally resulting in herky-jerky real time progress) between completed arcs, but for the most part, 2 consecutive strips in the same arc will generally be a fairly short period of time.

        ‘Comic time’ usually means just that, in fact – aside from the rare comic strip which proceeds at approximate real time (or something like Funky Winkerbean which throws in random arbitrary timeskips) comics proceed at a much, much slower pace than the real world. A 6 issue arc of a monthly comic book can take place over a few nights. A year of a comic strip could take place over a month, or even a couple days.

  27. Shift
    Shift
    November 26, 2010 at 3:29 am | #

    Is it me or does Mike seem oddly… not grouchy in this strip? I mean, he actually seems politely curious.

  28. Aesir
    Aesir
    November 26, 2010 at 3:41 am | #

    Dina’s intro actually surprised me lol

    so technically she was in the previous comic as well, just behind the door

    • Ragnal
      Ragnal
      November 26, 2010 at 3:01 pm | #

      She’s also previously been seen at the floor meeting thingamajig earlier, too, but didn’t seem QUITE as shy or silent…HM…

  29. Dahlia
    Dahlia
    November 26, 2010 at 4:26 am | #

    ; ~; Thinking of Dina only makes me think of her death in the main Walkyverse which makes me sad…

    Willis better not do anything mean to her!!!

    • MrGBH
      MrGBH
      November 26, 2010 at 6:07 am | #

      This is Willis you’re talking about.

      • Dahlia
        Dahlia
        November 28, 2010 at 11:44 pm | #

        I know….

        I know… <///3 Darn you, Willis! D:

    • G.S.Mercs
      G.S.Mercs
      November 26, 2010 at 1:44 pm | #

      Mr. Willis may, or may not, have already contacted me about hiring a mercenary. Oddly, if he did contact me, it wasn’t until after this comic came up. I wonder what that means for Dina…

      • George
        George
        November 28, 2010 at 1:05 am | #

        Schlock Mercenary crossover?

      • Dahlia
        Dahlia
        November 28, 2010 at 7:30 pm | #

        ; ~ ; You shattered my dreams, G.S Mercs!

        • G.S.Mercs
          G.S.Mercs
          November 28, 2010 at 10:07 pm | #

          That may or may not have been part of that contract as well.

          • Dahlia
            Dahlia
            November 28, 2010 at 10:43 pm | #

            <//3 I'll bet. ; ~;

  30. TexasNinjaBuzzard
    TexasNinjaBuzzard
    November 26, 2010 at 4:39 am | #

    I laughed so hard at this I had to go have a liedown to keep from blacking out. This strip is absolutely perfect. Put this on the next set of bookmarks!

  31. Hythrain
    Hythrain
    November 26, 2010 at 5:08 am | #

    DIIIIINAAAAA!

    *so very happy*

  32. Davecom3
    Davecom3
    November 26, 2010 at 5:24 am | #

    Hmm, I thought most colleges try to arrange for one gender for all roommates; interesting it doesn’t seem to be the case in this college.

    • XtraLargeRyan
      XtraLargeRyan
      November 26, 2010 at 7:06 am | #

      Mike is Walky’s roomate I beleive. I beleive Ethan was talking to Amber but Mike just answered anyway.

      • Davecom3
        Davecom3
        November 26, 2010 at 8:45 am | #

        Oh, actually, just realized the person saying that isn’t even in the frame as the word bubble is pointing nowhere near Mike, so yeah, she’s presumably Amber’s roommate.

        • XtraLargeRyan
          XtraLargeRyan
          November 29, 2010 at 12:16 am | #

          ah yes, I only noticed that since you mentioned it. Looks like we were both wrong.. though I was right about Walky being mikes roomate so nyeh >:P

  33. MrGBH
    MrGBH
    November 26, 2010 at 5:57 am | #

    The first meting of Dina and Ethan. I honestly have no idea what to expect.
    (Other than awesomeness on the part of Dina, but that’s to be expected)

  34. Yino
    Yino
    November 26, 2010 at 7:45 am | #

    Uhuh, wait. Both Dina and Amber had feelings for Mike in the Walkyverse and Shortpacked. I think this can lead to an awesome roomies’ war.

  35. HMRC4EVR
    HMRC4EVR
    November 26, 2010 at 8:11 am | #

    Quick! Someone get that girl a PCC Grimstone set!

    That might make her smile…or cry.

    Could go either way really.

    Maybe a set of G1 Dinobots (even if they aren’t totally accurate anymore) would be a good icebreaking gift.

  36. Diaxiann
    Diaxiann
    November 26, 2010 at 8:35 am | #

    I’m not sure if it’s just me, but Mike seems to be less of a major dick in DoA than he ever was in Walkyverse Prime. It would make sense, this being somewhat more of a real world than Walkyverse Prime, and as much as I love Walkyverse Prime Mike. it’d be nice if DoA Mike was slightly more down to earth.

    *cough* Walkyverse Prime. *cough*

    THIS SHOULD BE A THING

    • arjay2813
      arjay2813
      November 26, 2010 at 9:48 am | #

      i liek WP. it should totally be a thing

    • Blah
      Blah
      November 26, 2010 at 5:30 pm | #

      The largest part of Mike’s alien super powers were super-dickery.

      He’s still a dick, but don’t expect the ability to irritate somebody out of mind control or anything.

      PS Mike has always made his moves at the most opportune times. If you’re planning on knowing somebody for a significant length of time (ie more than 2 minutes in a store) there’s no reason to stir things up all the time.

  37. Rowen Morland
    Rowen Morland
    November 26, 2010 at 9:45 am | #

    Oh no! Dina.

  38. arjay2813
    arjay2813
    November 26, 2010 at 9:47 am | #

    Oh. My. God. Mike just did a nice by pulling the door off her. considering Amber, and Dina have both had a thing for mike in different universes this rooming setup could make things very interesting. when he does their moms.

  39. Booger.
    Booger.
    November 26, 2010 at 10:34 am | #

    I don’t get this comic.

    As in, I don’t get it today, or ANY day. Am I supposed to laugh cause I know who all these characters are? Cause I don’t know who they are. Is it funny that this girl has a dinosaur hat?

    I’ve read all the Shortpacked!s but I’ve avoided other Willis stuff cause it’s about aliens and stuff and I don’t want to read 10 years worth of alien drama. So I thought this was supposed to be a fresh starting place for new readers?

    How is it “fresh” when we are supposed to be reacting to these character reveals? It has no impact if you have no clue who these characters are! And without knowing, I have to say, it makes little sense….

    Like what the hell are the SP! gang doing in here? They’re in college now? What about their lives at the store and stuff?

    Shortpacked is funny. The TNI strip is funny. Is this strip a comedy strip or a drama? You all seem to be in on something I’m not. Do I really have to read all of Willis’s old stuff for this to make sense??

    Does anyone else have any idea where I’m coming from here?

    Is the punchline of today’s joke that there’s a girl behind the door wearing a dinosaur hat….or is it that it’s DINA wearing a dinosaur hat? Cause neither are really funny per se, but the latter is really un-funny cause I have no idea who Dina is.

    • Nim
      Nim
      November 26, 2010 at 12:27 pm | #

      The “punchline” is that the roommate has been hiding behind the door the whole time — and possibly had been hiding behind the door every time they have come to see Amber.

      I find your avatar ironic. 😉

      • Malph
        Malph
        November 27, 2010 at 12:27 am | #

        It’s as if some almighty power gave him that avatar for the sole purpose of being ironic.

        And it doesn’t matter that you don’t know who half these people are, they’re not the same as in the other world.

        The joke of this strip has little to do with Dina’s previous incarnation. The joke is that she’s been behind the door since Ethan and Mike walked in, which is weird and therefore funny. She was also shy in IW!, which can be counted as a bonus for IW! readers (I guess).

    • Henry
      Henry
      November 26, 2010 at 12:27 pm | #

      It’s an alternate universe, so the SP! characters are different from the regular ones. The punchline is that amber’s roommate is so shy that she’ll quietly stand behind a door instead of risking having to talk to these strange, unfamiliar people.

    • Ze Lynx
      Ze Lynx
      November 26, 2010 at 12:41 pm | #

      The older comics Willis did won’t take -that- long to go through. Any they’re pretty gripping anyway, so I wholly recommend them.

      • Ze Lynx
        Ze Lynx
        November 26, 2010 at 12:41 pm | #

        *And … sigh.

      • Ragnal
        Ragnal
        November 26, 2010 at 2:58 pm | #

        Si. It took me about two days just to get from #1 of Roomies! to the end of IW! And wasn’t timing going through J&W!

        Buuuut that one I still got to go through all the hiding “donation” comics…T_T

    • Undrave
      Undrave
      November 26, 2010 at 8:56 pm | #

      I don’t get your FAAAAACE!

      But meme aside… I didn’t read all of Willis old stuff either so this is mostly new. The jokes work well on their own, its just the fans are happier to see old character in new forms (its a Transformers fan thing I think :p ) than they are about discussing the punchline but I can assure you I found this funny nonetheless.

      Just relax and enjoy the ride.

    • begbert2
      begbert2
      November 26, 2010 at 10:07 pm | #

      The thing I don’t get is why you’re reading this comic, if you don’t find it funny. Not to drive you away or anything, but if you don’t like it, then you don’t like it. No skin off anyone’s nose.

      As for what it is, it is episodic comedy drama comedy. With episodes. And some drama. (No comedy, though, as best I can tell.) If you’re the kind of person who squeals whenever you see Dina, well, squeal away I guess – but for myself the fun of this strip is the situational non-sequitur. The roommate…has been standing behind the door. The whole time. What the wha? Which equals fun. Or not, as you like it. Whichever.

    • Davecom3
      Davecom3
      November 27, 2010 at 1:48 am | #

      You also seem to assume that every comic needs a punchline, which if the comic is telling a story would not necessarily need to be the case. Currently, we’re still in the process of people who are new to this comic learning about the characters. As such, the necessity of a punch line is mostly minimal. Willis is helping you meet the characters and giving you the necessary information to understand them. You hardly need a laugh every day to get through a comic; in fact, for a story based comic, it can even be detrimental to have a laugh every day.

    • TexasNinjaBuzzard
      TexasNinjaBuzzard
      November 27, 2010 at 5:32 am | #

      The sickness is inside you.

      This strip would have been weepingly funny if it had been about Shriners, man. She was just standing there. Behind the door. When the door was pulled away, she just stood there. Making a tiny little face.

      And her roommate knew she was there the entire time and said nothing.

      I didn’t need to know who the Manic Hispanic riding by on a bicycle with a mop held like a jousting lance was in the Bill Murray classic Quick Change to know that was the single funniest scene in motion picture history. It was just funny.

  40. Jao
    Jao
    November 26, 2010 at 11:47 am | #

    Bonus points for feathered velociraptor!

  41. Gianni
    Gianni
    November 26, 2010 at 12:06 pm | #

    Wait… How do Ethan and Mike know Amber in the DOA universe? I have to wonder if Ethan has come out of the closet (yet) in this reality, or if he’s actually dating Amber? Just realized that.

    • Rali
      Rali
      November 26, 2010 at 12:28 pm | #

      Mike, Ethan, and Amber are friends from high school. Ethan’s been outed since high school.

    • Henry
      Henry
      November 26, 2010 at 12:29 pm | #

      Willis has said that Ethan came out in high school so he doesn’t have to retell the same story arcs.

      • Gianni
        Gianni
        November 26, 2010 at 1:37 pm | #

        Yup, I just read the Formspring query to the same effect. Good to know

  42. zepherdossier
    zepherdossier
    November 26, 2010 at 12:47 pm | #

    What would be interesting is if Dina’s pith helmet was in her room in the background somewhere, unworn, in favor of her new dino hat.

    • Kamino Neko
      Kamino Neko
      November 26, 2010 at 5:56 pm | #

      Just to nitpick – Dina didn’t wear a pith helmet. Her hat was soft, with a squared off top, and generally looked like a boonie hat.

  43. Zem
    Zem
    November 26, 2010 at 4:04 pm | #

    Because if they open the door on you it’d be impolite to complain about it, so you just stand there politely until they notice by themselves or go away, see?

    • Kamino Neko
      Kamino Neko
      November 26, 2010 at 5:04 pm | #

      Given Willis’s mentioning Dina’s ‘crippling social phobias’, she probably preferred being behind the door to dealing with strangers.

  44. Tori
    Tori
    November 26, 2010 at 4:48 pm | #

    Yay Dina! How I have missed you! *huggles Dina* You are so adorable.

  45. Richie9999
    Richie9999
    November 26, 2010 at 5:20 pm | #

    Yay, Dina!

  46. RX 78-2
    RX 78-2
    November 27, 2010 at 12:22 am | #

    Does anybody know of any websites or stores where i can find a hat like that?

    • David
      David M Willis
      November 27, 2010 at 1:22 am | #

      That’s a joke, right? Riiiiight? RIIIIIGHT?

    • Dahlia
      Dahlia
      November 28, 2010 at 7:31 pm | #

      xD After how much time he put into sewing the Dina hats and putting up announcements and stuff about selling them at conventions or something I hope you’re kidding! o:

    • Mirenheart
      Mirenheart
      November 28, 2010 at 9:40 pm | #

      You’re either Trolling, or you’re new.

  47. Tomb
    Tomb
    November 27, 2010 at 4:00 am | #

    She lives!

  48. Rognik
    Rognik
    November 27, 2010 at 10:59 am | #

    Dina’s not hiding. She’s actually a robot in this universe, and her charger is behind the door instead of, say, in the bed. Or maybe someone challenged her to stand as still as she possibly could.

    Ooh, ooh. I know! Standing behind a doorway is perfect for zen meditation. So few distractions back there.

  49. TheSoundDefense
    TheSoundDefense
    November 28, 2010 at 1:00 am | #

    Young and cute Amber is young and cute.

  50. superscientistgirl
    superscientistgirl
    December 23, 2010 at 8:29 pm | #

    OHMYGOSH…IT’S DINA! MY FAVORITE CHARACTER! 😀

  51. Al the Mighty
    Al the Mighty
    January 20, 2011 at 6:26 pm | #

    So, tell me Willis. Is Dina inspired in a real girl? Do you have that girl’s MSN?

  52. Lucke0204
    Lucke0204
    December 8, 2011 at 9:34 pm | #

    She hasn’t said anything yet, but somehow I like her a lot. (Yes I’m archiving)

  53. ThatGug
    ThatGug
    August 19, 2014 at 7:07 am | #

    Like a ninja.

  54. nothri
    nothri
    November 6, 2014 at 8:02 pm | #

    Dina!!!

Pings & Trackbacks ¬

    • Tweets that mention Dumbing of Age - Dina -- Topsy.com
      November 26, 2010 at 3:10 am | #

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

David M Willis! avatar
David M Willis!
@damnyouwillis.bsky.social
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 35min
#relatable
header image - a man in a hospital gown says
media.tenor.com
a man in a hospital gown says " stop pooping " to another man
ALT: a man in a hospital gown says " stop pooping " to another man
7
 
reposted by David M Willis!
osmote.net's user avatar
OSMOTE @osmote.net ⋅ 8h
Screenshot of Jonathan Frakes on the set of Beyond Belief
brendelbored.bsky.social's user avatarBrendel @brendelbored.bsky.social ⋅ 1y
Politico: Ever been slapped by breasts?
11
198
914
 
reposted by David M Willis!
joshuajfriedman.com's user avatar
Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com ⋅ 13h
Here's an entertaining cite at the bottom of the first page
The problems with this prosecution are legion, but most immediately, the
government cannot prosecute Judge Dugan because she is entitled to judicial immunity for her official acts. Immunity is not a defense to the prosecution to be determined later by a jury or court; it is an absolute bar to the prosecution at the outset. See Trump v. United States,
603 U.S. 593, 630 (2024).
joshgerstein.bsky.social's user avatarJosh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social ⋅ 16h
JUST IN: Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan moves to dismiss federal criminal case against her for allegedly helping immigrant hide from ICE. Her lawyers say she's protected by official acts & judicial immunity and 10th Amendment. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com

45
702
3091
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 8h
Dumbing of Age: "Up, continued" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomic #webcomics
www.dumbingofage.com
Up, continued
3
5
31
 
reposted by David M Willis!
theonion.com's user avatar
The Onion @theonion.com ⋅ 13h
Where did Hollywood go so wrong? I thought movies were supposed to be an escape from reality, a chance to put your worries aside and not have to think about any underlying ideas or concepts. Well, not anymore. theonion.com/you-can...
header image - You Can’t Even Watch A Movie Anymore Without Seeing Some Theme Explored
theonion.com
You Can’t Even Watch A Movie Anymore Without Seeing Some Theme Explored
I’ve loved movies ever since I was a little kid. Just stepping into that dark theater, with the smell of fresh popcorn, was like being transported to a whole other world. It used to be so magical. But now I’m thinking about boycotting movies altogether. Why? Because I can’t seem to watch one anymore without […]
26
239
1606
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 13h
GOTTEM
14
12
99
 
reposted by David M Willis!
parsnip.bsky.social's user avatar
geoffrey @parsnip.bsky.social ⋅ 14h
the 90s were a wild time. if i told you how many magazines there were you wouldnt even believe me
203
574
5118
 
reposted by David M Willis!
aubreygilleran.bsky.social's user avatar
Aubrey Gilleran @aubreygilleran.bsky.social ⋅ 19h
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."
atrupar.com's user avatarAaron Rupar @atrupar.com ⋅ 20h
Hawley dismisses Trump lining his pockets with his memecoin: "Listen, I think nobody believes that Donald Trump can be bought. I mean, what does Donald Trump need more money for?"
54
600
2152
 
reposted by David M Willis!
catacalypto.bsky.social's user avatar
Cat Manning @catacalypto.bsky.social ⋅ 10d
1984 calendar meme reading 1529, the year of the first Ottoman siege of Vienna
spavel.bsky.social's user avatarPavel🐀 @spavel.bsky.social ⋅ 10d
Who can forget the Swiss-Austrian Union, or its famous capital - Istanbul.
AI generated ad by a company called Travello showing the 10 most visited cities in Europe, except the cities are hilariously poorly placed. London is in Wales, Paris is in Ireland, Rome is in France, Rom (yes like Rome but without an E) is in Spain, Barcelona is in Morocco, Prague is in Germany, Vienna is in Italy, Istanbul is in Austria, Milan is in Libya, and Antalya is correctly shown as in Turkey but is in the wrong place. Also a few of the borders like Switzerland and Austria or Hungary and Slovenia are missing.
19
241
1303
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 20h
*at the very end of Andor, cassian travels through a vortex that makes everyone look a decade younger*
2
2
72
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 20h
(May 14, 2026)
a bemused lucy watches as somebody collapses on her dorm room floor
5
2
42
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 21h
wilbur, savvy enough to know he's in a comic strip but still not a great actor, awkwardly lifts a muffin up into frame so that we, the audience, understand that he has a muffin right now, which is very important narratively, but he's not really selling it well as an organic, human action
3
2
31
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
Dumbing of Age: "Up" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic #dofa
www.dumbingofage.com
Up
2
7
49
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 1d
i mean i... guess there are people who want toy-accurate hyper-articulated original-toy-look guys but in cartoon colors for some reason
3
2
33
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Fuck you, Clayface!!!
6
7
119
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
www.ebay.com/itm/23609982... selling my LG34 Mindwipe, minus Servant
header image - Transformers Generations TakaraTomy Legends LG34 Wipe (Mindwipe), incomplete | eBay
www.ebay.com
Transformers Generations TakaraTomy Legends LG34 Wipe (Mindwipe), incomplete | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Transformers Generations TakaraTomy Legends LG34 Wipe (Mindwipe), incomplete at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many pro...
1
2
8
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Menace Level: up to date on his vaccinations
3
3
73
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Today in #9ChickweedLane I learned Gran is back from the grave so she can jerk it to furry porn with her daughter
10
6
62
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
www.ebay.com/itm/23609184... 5 hours left on my 4-jet titans return tidal wave
header image - Transformers Siege on Cybertron Titans Return Tidal Wave incomplete, restickered | eBay
www.ebay.com
Transformers Siege on Cybertron Titans Return Tidal Wave incomplete, restickered | eBay
Check out those stickers. They make him look pretty great, actually. That aircraft carrier mode shines. Tidal Wave is loose and incomplete! So there's only four (4) jets!
1
5
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
confirming that the reason there's been no Galaxy Version female characters in Blokees until now is that they felt they needed to make Round Lady Thighs For Ladies
2
1
33
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
Dumbing of Age: "For you" www.dumbingofage.com/2025/comic/b... #webcomics #webcomic
www.dumbingofage.com
For you
3
39
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 2d
y'know there's not an awful lot of rocketeering in The Rocketeer
8
56
 
reposted by David M Willis!
dril.bsky.social's user avatar
wint @dril.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
buddy you came to the wrong ass to fuck
42
1317
6830
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
Man if they were arresting judges then this'd be the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard but thankfully that's not happening.
7
24
170
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
Stop making the one toy I want the super-expensive chase, Auldey!!!!
3
2
31
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
And that's why you have Jesus wear a condom!
4
4
42
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
It's #webcomicday? We have a special day??? Well, my name is Pat McHoarney and I draw 69 Mouse-Ear Blvd, a multigenerational story about women who all have sexy legs and probably other features. There was a grandmother, but she wasn't hot and so she died off-panel.
18
30
212
 
reposted by David M Willis!
bsweet.bsky.social's user avatar
hoanna newsom @bsweet.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
nytimes.com's user avatarThe New York Times @nytimes.com ⋅ 5d
Elizabeth Holmes is in prison for defrauding investors through her blood-testing company, Theranos. Her partner, Billy Evans, is now trying to raise money for a company that describes itself as “the future of diagnostics.” nyti.ms/3FbtZm9
Elizabeth Holmes and Billy Evans, sitting closely on a couch. A headline reads:
14
300
1819
 
reposted by David M Willis!
chrismcfeely.bsky.social's user avatar
Chris McFeely @chrismcfeely.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
That's the most upsetting LEGO Thing minifig possible
preternia.com's user avatarpreternia @preternia.com ⋅ 3d
LEGO Marvel Studios The Fantastic Four: First Steps Fantastic Four vs. Galactus will release June 1st ($59.99) - bit.ly/3F4uRci #ad
24
32
153
 
damnyouwillis.bsky.social's user avatar
David M Willis! @damnyouwillis.bsky.social ⋅ 3d
what's going on with tariffs right now i dunno, what time is it today
1
2
36
 

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