@tauycreek

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Late Berate

A man is on his knees, angrily pulling bubblegum off his mouth and face. His kid, sitting on the floor watching TV says "Can I help it if you kiss me when I'm blowing a bubble?"

April 13, 1966

Ew. This is men are always withholding when showing affection to their children. And it's going to be hell getting the gum out of proto-Brutus' mustache.

Brutus is walking into work, being immediately greeted by Veeblefester. "Why must you always be late, Thornapple?" Veeblefester asks. "Well, Chief, you have to allow time for my long commute to work," Brutus says. "You'd arrive late even if you lived next door to the office!"

Does Brutus think his 8-5 work schedule mean even his commute to work and back home should take place during those hours? I mean, I guess it's worth a try. More power to him.

If you would like to support me or this website, you can utilize the new Support link at the top of the page. Thank you for your support and readership!

Monday, March 17, 2025

"Everybody Is Irish on Saint Patrick's Day" Is the Only Acceptable Cultural Appropriation Apparently

A boss is tied up to a chair. "It was my hope that you'd all accept my 'No bonus, no overtime pay, one-week vacation, or else' ultimatum in better spirit!" while four employees are giving the boss a hot foot, pouring water on his head, smoking(?!) and about to detonate dynamite tied to his leg.

April 12, 1966

You know, if a boss offered this kind of ultimatum now, it would be accepted. One week of vacation? Hot damn!

I am a bit confused with what the woman is doing. Smoking? Does the boss not like cigarette smoke? I get it. But I am concerned about the guy with the dynamite plunger. Won't that kill you all?

Wilberforce is sitting on the ottoman while Brutus is sitting in his green chair. "Hurricane Hattie O'Hara is so lucky to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day. I wish I was Irish," Wilberforce bemoans. "Let me tell you a secret...Everyone is Irish on Saint Paddy's Day, my boy," Brutus exclaims. "Just put on a green shirt, walk into any gathering of Irish people, say 'Erin Go Braugh!' and you'll be welcomed with open arms!"

Yeah, I'm not gonna do any of that. I feel this would just give the Irish an excuse to punch me.

If you would like to support me or this website, you can utilize the new Support page at the top of the page. Thank you for your support and readership!

Sunday, March 16, 2025

1-888-5ON-HOLD

Brutus is lounging in a chair with his feet up on the ottoman and smoking a pipe as Gladys walks by carrying a vase(?). She stops to look at Brutus. "Oh, I love to see a man with a pipe," she says. "It looks so macho...so virile!" "Thank you, my dear!" Brutus responds as Gladys walks away. Brutus begins smoking the pipe and bubbles begin flowing out of it, drifting through the room until reaching Gladys, who stops to look at the bubbles, angrily confused.

December 7, 1986

Hey, I get it. Who doesn't love a man smoking a pipe?

Neil Goldman from Family Guy smoking a pipe.

Mm. This just exudes sex.

Why is Gladys carrying around that vase? Or, I guess it could be a giant urn.

Brutus is on the phone. He's on his cell phone but that doesn't explain why he is holding it up to his nose instead of his ear. He is standing in a room with a big bowl of apples on what I'm going to assume is a credenza. The phone rings and then an automated voice answers "Hello, you have reached customer service. All of our representatives are currently busy. Your call is important to us. Your approximate wait time is twenty minutes...Your call is important to us. Your approximate wait time is fifteen minutes...Your call is important to us. Your approximate wait time is ten minutes...Your call is important to us. Your approximate wait time is five minutes..." Brutus gets less and less thrilled with this phone call with each passing panel. "Your call is very important to us. Our offices are now closed. Please call back another time..." Brutus just looks angry in the last panel.

I've commented before on how the cell phones in this strip look like the turtle communicators from the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And repeatedly commented on why these characters never hold the phone up to their ear. This strip features both of those tropes. I do appreciate that it seems like Chip is phasing out landlines in the Thornapple household. Maybe the Sansom household has ditched landlines.

What is with the apples? I've never been more upset at a McGuffin.

In case you missed it, a horror comic story "Snakes Alive" posted on Saturday. If you want to support me or this website, you can utilize the new Support page. Thank you for your support and readership!

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Snakes Alive

🐍🐍Snakes Alive!🐍🐍
Baffling Mysteries #15 (May 1953)
Ace Magazines

The origin of how Florida ended up having pythons. It wasn't from python owners deeming their beloved pet too hard to handle or Hurricane Andrew destroying a python breeding facility. It was from a voodoo queen.

Sunday, March 09, 2025

Personal Worsen-al

Wastrel is at the eye doctor, sitting down. The doctor is standing next to him. "Can you read anything from that eye chart?" "No." "Hmm...just a minute..." the doctor wheels the eye chart closer to Wastrel. "Is that any better?" "No." The doctor then holds the chart right in front of Wastrel's face. "How about now?" "Nope." "I can't believe your eyes are so bad that you can't see the letters from here!" "Oh, I can see them," Wastrel begins "I just can't read."

October 28, 1986

Wastrel never got a proper education because Mother Gravesite had to work all the time to support Wastrel and any siblings he had. Father Gravesite, if that was even his name, abandoned the family before Wastrel was even born. Instead of going to school, Wastrel would just wander the neighborhood. But, to be fair, Wastrel learned more roaming the streets and alleys of the Kingsbury Run area of Cleveland than he ever would in a school.

It's cool Wastrel is able to go see the eye doctor. This comic must take place right before we started hating the homeless and mentally ill.

Gladys is sitting at a table. Brutus comes walking up to her. "Guess what? The Chief just called with some good news. I've been asking for a personal day off of work to catch up on some things and he actually said I could have a day off this Wednesday." "That's great!" Gladys exclaims. "It's the day I have my bridge group and Wilberforce has a dental appointment and now you can take him. And while you're out, you can take the car for its overdue oil change. And when you get back, you can finish caulking the shower that you have been putting off." "Sigh...Suddenly there's nothing personal about my personal day."

I'm not taking a day off to do work around the house, I'm taking a day off to avoid having to work.

Don't get me wrong, I'm spoiled since I get most of the summer off so I can do work around the house during Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer Break. I wonder what Brutus needs to catch up on.

Chang Kim, born in Korea, died in Topeka. Read about Chang Kim's sudden death working for the railroad and when his wife came from Korea to sue. If you would like to support me or this website, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

Saturday, March 08, 2025

Forward Ho!

Three Native Americans are playing music and dancing in pouring rain. Another man, probably a white colonizer, angrily confronts them. "Okay. Fine. Great, you made it rain! Now how about reversing your cotton-picking dance and making it stop?"

April 11, 1966

"This is our land now! Make it stop raining!"

Not on board with the bit of racism or colonialism, but I do like BIPOC aggravating the white man.

Brutus and Gladys are sitting at a table, eating, but this strip has nothing to do with food. "Tonight's the night to adjust the clocks for Daylight Saving Time," Brutus says. "Just don't do that thing you did last year where you set the clock back and were two hours late for work," Gladys reminds. "I did that intentionally," Brutus responds.

I don't understand how this would help you get out of work. "Oh, I set my clock the wrong way so I'm late." Ok, well we are still docking your pay and taking two hours of your sick/personal time. Companies aren't even sympathetic to you being late during weather events, they certainly aren't going to be sympathetic to your dumbassery.

Chang Kim

Chang Wha Kim immigrated to Topeka, Kansas around 1900 to work for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. He was killed April 4, 1913, while cleaning an engine that was being turned on and was crushed between the engine and the wall of the Santa Fe Round House. His fellow employees took a collection to save him a pauper's burial and got him buried in Mount Hope Cemetery with a simple stone to mark his grave. Kim's death didn't even make the local newspapers until June 10, 1913 when Frank E. Forbes sued the Santa Fe Railroad for Kim's death on behalf of Kim's wife, Song.

Chang Kim came from what is now Cherowon County in Kangwon Province in South Korea. I am not positive about this because newspapers would just spell foreign place-names phonetically. In the Topeka Daily Capital, Kim's home is phrased "Whagaichon, Dawiree, Chull Won county, state of Kang Won, Korea." His marriage to Song consisted of bowing in front of witnesses followed by a feast. Song had to admit her marriage certificate as evidence when she was brought to Kansas for the lawsuit. Chang would send some money back home to Korea for his wife and elderly parents. Apparently, he didn't send very much and never wrote a letter to accompany the money. He was also apparently going to bring his family over to America when he was killed.

The lawsuit was asking for $10,000 to Mrs. Song Kim and, according to the Daily Capital, she was "an uncivilized native" from the "mountain wilds" of Korea and "had to be tamed" before going to trial. Her lawyer was Frank Drenning and a Korean student attending the University of Kansas was brought in as a translator. At the end of it all, Song Kim was awarded $2,000 and, presumably, returned to Korea.

Friday, March 07, 2025

Actual Constructive Criticism

A man is asleep in a chair on the beach. Behind him, a Imperial Japanese naval mine starts washing up on shore.

April 9, 1966

I think all naval mines are dangerous, I don't think we need the Imperial Japan flag on it.

Veeblefester and Brutus are standing next to each other, Veeblefester's hands behind his back. "Your problem is you lack focus, your mind wanders," Veeblefester tells Brutus. "It does not," Brutus responds. "I assure you, it does," Veeblefester says. "What does?" Brutus asks.

Look, Brutus, I suggest you keep being the mediocre employee you are, because if you become good at your job, they will just make you work more or add stuff to your responsibilities for no extra money and that is just awful.

Thursday, March 06, 2025

No Spoon, Radio

A young boy with little blond curls bows at his teacher and presents an apple which he places on her desk. As he walks away, the apple starts ticking.

April 8, 1966

I research one-room schoolhouse and the early days of public schools and the stories I read about the mischief pulled on the teachers is always interesting. Usually it's not very violent though. And never have one of the student tried to blow up the teacher.

Brutus is sitting at a table with a bowl in front of him. He is apparently stirring whatever is in the bowl. "Sigh. It's the story of my life. I have a nice hot bowl of tomato soup and we're out of clean spoons," Brutus says as he pulls out what he's stirring with, revealing it to be a fork.

Can Brutus just not wash a spoon? Do the Thornapples just throw away all their dirty silverware?

Wednesday, March 05, 2025

Green Giant

Two men stand at the top of a mountain. One of the men is holding a broken rope while saying "I suppose the least we could do is name the ruddy mountain after poor old Gibbs."

April 7, 1966

At least he gets a mountain named after him? At least until we go "woke" and start calling it by its original indigenous name.

Brutus and Gladys are in a room, in overalls, next to a ladder. They are clearly painting a room a mint green. "I had no idea painting was so hard," Gladys says. "You didn't know that about painting? There's a reason painting starts with PAIN," Brutus responds.

Apparently the Thornapples are going through a mint green phase for their house. I'm not going to link to all of them, but most of the backgrounds in the house are mint green.

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