Sunday, May 31, 2015

1204: Spider-Man Cares Not for HIPAA Laws


Is there nothing in this comic that can be construed as sexual?

I'm assuming that they are going to take Bull to a farm upstate?

Does patient-doctor confidentiality still apply when a superhero is listening in? Here's to next week featuring a six-day explanation from Dr. Stone about why he can't divulge information about Harry to the guy who murdered his father.

What does Michelangelo have to do with anything? Last I checked, being able to paint beautiful frescoes on ceilings isn't in high demand at the moment.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

1203: Sorry, Wrong Pinot

I'm not a wine person. I didn't even know that Marsala was a wine, I just thought it was a way you prepare the sauce which I guess it is but whatever. According to Hello Vino, a wine you could pair with chicken Marsala is a pinot noir.

For more information on pinot noir, you can watch this video:

Friday, May 29, 2015

1202: He's Known Across the Land

Over the summer, I am going to try to get some things added and changed here. I have started a new Facebook Page for Tauy Creek. It's pretty bare right now but I'm hoping to get more stuff on it especially links to webcomics or writing sites. I am also looking for good recommendations that I can post on a page at the top of the site. Any relevant site is welcome so webcomics, comic books, television, writing, whatever is cool and updates regularly, so if you have a suggestion, let me know via Twitter, the contact page, comments or on Facebook.

I also hope to get a lot of writing done over the summer including a new series that is a little unconventional. There may be other things that I will add or change over the next three months, please let me know if you like them, hate them and make sure to tell your friends about this website.

Is there a reason that we are all being subjected to the back of this guy's head? Couldn't Chip put the guy behind the table facing toward us? Also, I don't know if you remember yesterday but Brutus looks like slightly disgruntled. I bet that Veeblefester asking Brutus if he was disgruntled and then threatening Brutus to be more happy at work made Brutus disgruntled.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

1201: Everyone Is Completely Gruntled

I love how Veeblefester's solution for disgruntled employees isn't fix what is making them disgruntled but to slam his fist down on his desk and demand the employee stop being disgruntled. I mean, what's a little disgruntle? At least Brutus isn't this guy:

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

1200: Riley & Tyler: August

August
“He didn’t keep a clean house,” Jean muttered as she, Linda and Tyler went into the townhouse once occupied by Jean’s son, Codie. Movie and superhero posters adorned the walls, a massive video game setup dominated one of the walls of the front room. The kitchen was nearly bare and the bedroom had an entertainment center set up with a massive TV, several DVD players, stereo and speakers along with a bed and couch. “What are we supposed to do with all of this garbage?” Jean asked.

“We sell it, Mom,” Linda said.

Tyler opened the door to the other bedroom to reveal more than three dozen comic book longboxes and bookshelves full of graphic novels, trade paperbacks and statues. “Holy crap,” Tyler exclaimed.

Jean and Linda followed him into the room. “Oh, Goddamn it,” Jean said. “How do we sell these?”

“I’ll take them,” Tyler said.

“We don’t have room for them, Tyler,” Linda replied. “Look at all of this. There must be 40 or so boxes and four bookcases.”

“I’m just going to call that comic book store downtown and see if they will give me a thousand dollars for the boxes,” Jean said.

“Grandma, there is no way that all of these comics are just worth a thousand dollars,” he pulled a lid off a box and grabbed a random comic. “This is Fantastic Four number 45. It’s got to be worth about a hundred bucks.” He showed the comic to his mom and grandma. The Fantastic Four were prominently on the cover with four other costumed people sneaking up behind them, the caption ‘Among us hide…the Inhumans’ ominously hovered between the two groups of superpowered beings.

“These comics are why Codie killed himself. He spent more time with them than with people,” Jean said.

Tyler sighed with an annoyed tone. “Mom, please?”

“If it’s okay with your grandma then it’s fine with me,” Linda gave in.

“Fine. Take them,” Jean waved her hand. “We’ll hold a garage sale for all this other crap.”




Tyler moved the boxes of comics and shelves of graphic novels into his bedroom, which displaced much of his room. He spent the next two weeks before school started reading his new comic collection by just pulling a comic out at random.

When school started, he decided to take graphic novels or trade paperbacks to read during downtime. The first one he took was Batman: The Killing Joke. When he arrived in his Earth Space Science class for third hour, he sat down at one of the lab tables and pulled it out and started reading.

Riley Saxberg came into the room, walking past Tyler and sitting down one row behind and one row over from him. Riley stood up and glanced at the graphic novel. “The Killing Joke?”

Tyler turned to look at Riley, her short, brown, curly hair with a white, lace bow in her hair. Riley had a round boyish face but feminine features in the lips and eyes. Riley’s hair was short, only down to the start of her neck. Tyler could see the small lumps of her breasts and the round stomach like a young boy who hadn’t lost his baby fat. Riley was wearing a black shirt with some band Tyler had never heard of—Thousand Foot Krutch.

“Yeah,” Tyler nodded.

“I own that one. Have you read Arkham Asylum?” Riley asked.

“Not yet. I just got a bunch of books from my uncle so I am slowly getting through them,” Tyler said.

“Cool,” Riley sat back down.

The classroom had filled up and one seat was left behind Tyler and to the left of Riley. Jarret came in and groaned. “I got to sit next to the shemale?”

“Shut up,” Riley rolled her eyes.

Jarret sat down. “I don’t know why someone would want to quit being a man. I mean, we’re awesome!” Jarret exclaimed and a couple of male students agreed loudly.

“You’re really proving how awesome you are right now,” Riley turned to Jarret.

“Whatever,” Jarret shrugged and laughed with the other guys while pointing at Riley.

The school bell rang indicating the end of passing period. The teacher stood up from his desk, walked over to the door and closed it. “Welcome back. I hope you all had a good summer. This is third hour Earth Space Science just to confirm that you are in the right class.”

Tyler closed his book and slipped it into his notebook. He looked back at Riley who was sitting with his head on his hand and doodling in a notebook. Tyler then turned back to the teacher.




Riley Saxberg and her family moved here last spring but Riley and her sister Hannah finished out the school year at their old schools. Riley had wandered around town for most of the summer where she met Sydney who would end up becoming her best friend.

“If Jarret called you a shemale then you need to tell someone,” Sydney said as they went through the lunch line.

“Mr. Hartman was right there and didn’t seem to care. Besides, this school won’t even let me use the girls restroom so all Jarret would get is probably a good talking to. Give it a month or so and I’ll stop being an oddity,” Riley said.

Riley and Sydney walked by the table Tyler and his friend Jackson were at. Tyler looked up at Riley and watched her walk by. “Do you know anything about that new girl Riley?” Tyler asked.

“She’s in three of my classes but I don’t know anything about her. Rumor has it that she’s really a he,” Jackson said.

“Yeah,” Tyler sighed. “Jarret called her a shemale in Earth Space Science and she basically admitted it. I don’t know. She tried to talk to me about the comic I was reading and I was kind of snapped at her.”

“People are probably mean to her all the time. She’s probably used to it,” Jackson shoved a giant spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. “They need to give us more food for lunch,” he complained.

Over at the table where Riley and Sydney sat, Riley had just finished the breaded chicken sandwich. “Do you know Tyler Bray?”

“Pretty well. We’re not friends or anything but we’ve grown up together. He’s nice. Kind of quiet and can be weird sometimes. He used to try too hard to get people to like him and laugh. I don’t really see that anymore,” Sydney explained. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Riley shrugged. Riley looked around the lunchroom and into the commons area. “I thought Hannah had second lunch as well. I wonder where she is.”




In one of the restroom stalls in the girl’s locker room in the basement of the school, Hannah had her arms resting on his shoulders as she sat on his lap and had sex. When they were finished, they readjusted their clothes, flushed the condom down the toilet and started making out. “I told you that no one would come down here,” Hannah smiled deviously.

“It was a good idea,” Matt said and they kissed again.

“I noticed during freshman gym that when everyone is at gym, no one comes down so we’d have the place all to ourselves.”

Hannah had the same hair as Riley only hers went down past her shoulders and was in a ponytail. Hannah also had her dad’s features of wide eyes, small mouth and sturdy chin. She was also a couple inches shorter and her breasts a little bigger. Matt had floppy dark hair that covered his ears and forehead. He was tall and lanky with short, curly hairs above his lip and poking out from his chin. Matt looked at his watch. “We should head upstairs and eat some lunch. We have ten minutes left.” They walked through the locker room and went back upstairs holding hands. “Is it true that your sister used to be a guy?” Matt asked as they walked into the cafeteria and going to get their trays.

“My brother is a guy who thinks he’s a girl. No amount of drugs or surgery is going to change that,” Hannah said angrily as they went through the lunch line.




The next day, Riley was already in Earth Space Science when Tyler came in. “Hey, Riley,” Tyler approached her. “I thought you might like to read these,” he handed her three graphic novels, all very similar in style and artwork. They were titled Superman’s Metropolis, Batman: Nosferatu and Wonder Woman: The Blue Amazon. “The Superman one is first. It’s based on German Expressionist films of the 1920s. The story and art are both amazing.”

“Thanks,” Riley smiled at him as she took the books.

He smiled back.

Want to read more? Contact me to become a beta-reader and help me edit this story and come up with a title!

I get the feeling that Chip is a huge fan of daytime television. And I don't mean just a casual fan. I get the feeling that Chip knows the favorite foods of all the women on The View and The Talk.

Monday, May 25, 2015

1199: Never Too Late

No offense? That face Hattie is giving Brutus is definitely a face that says "What I am saying right now you should take offense to."

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Anne Meara, 1929-2015

Anne Meara, wife to Jerry Stiller and mother to Ben Stiller and Amy Stiller has passed away. She had been married to Jerry since 1954 and was half of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara who made frequent appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Their careers declined along with variety shows but they continued writing and performing appearing in recurring and guest roles. Meara appeared in Rhoda, Sex and the City, and The King of Queens.


1198: Did All That Paper Pile Up In Ten Minutes?

Before we get started on the return of Sunday Comic commentary, I need some help. I have finished and am currently editing a story about a transgender teen who becomes friends with and then enters a relationship with a cisgender teen. I want to make the story as true-to-life as I can and have looked up all I can on the Internet to get some of the trials a trans teen would have to go through. What I need now is someone, actually several someones, to read through it and give me notes on what's good, what needs to be changed, what doesn't work and what's just stupid.

If you would like to help out or know someone who would like help out, please send me an email at tauycreek [at] gmail.com or via the contact form and I can get the story and critique form sent to you. The story is 44 pages, contains some sexual situations, slight offensive language but I tried to write it for anyone 12 years old and up.

Now, onto the comics...

I guess it's too much to ask that this confusion last over the next week. Dan could walk in and be all "No, it's 'You fill up my bridges.'" and then Nelson could come in and be all "No, it's 'You kill all my bitches'" because Nelson clearly listens to too much rap.

I feel women should be insulted by this comic. Should women feel insulted by it?

And here I thought that B.C. was the unquestioned king of bad dictionary puns.

Marmaduke has just finished filming another scene for his balloon-popping fetish website.

On first thought, I believe those lumps protruding under the blankets are feet but considering none of these people are three feet tall, I'm going with erections.

Three minute shower. In one of my science classes, we were talking about ecology and saving water and the teacher gave a demonstration of a three minute shower to the class. Is that weird? He kept his clothes on.

Somehow, that makes it weirder...

Saturday, May 23, 2015

1197: Apologies to the Estates of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

I used to love drawing. There was a time I wanted to do my own comic book and my own comic strip. I even did over a year of strips for a comic strip. I knew I wasn't the best artist but it passed for a simple comic strip. There were some things I did that looked really good. In fifth grade, we were supposed to do our own take on a famous painting. I took the Mona Lisa and turned her into Cyclops from the X-Men. I wish I still had that but it got lost somewhere between moving from Baldwin to Lawrence back in 2002 along with all the other art I kept.

When I was in middle school, my aunt paid for my cousin and me to take a summer drawing thing. It was a fun class but it was then I realized that I was a terrible artist. It's not that I didn't try because if I really take my time then I could do something pretty cool as this odd anthropomorphic leopard shows:
See? It's not too bad but I spent too much time on drawing it and didn't have time to color it. Our last assignment was to create a short comic book--four pages. I don't know why I didn't choose one of my comic strip characters but instead I made up a superhero that was similar to Superman in every way imaginable. I even remember going in with my family and all the other kids' families and going through all the books and mine was clearly the worst. I was so embarrassed and made sure that no one could connect that terrible comic to me.

I still have it, you can read it below. See if you can tell the parts where DC Comics/Warner Bros. could sue me. Keep an eye open, they're a little hard to see.


It was during my freshman year in high school that I finally decided to quit drawing. I was so excited about my year-long art class but as the year wore on, I realized that I was not getting any better so no more art for me. Except for my maps or doodles in the margins of my notebooks and Customer Service, I haven't drawn anything since.

Brutus, even if that were true, I would not consider you a "successful breadwinner." Breadwinner, sure, but not successful.

Friday, May 22, 2015

1196: Xylophone With a 'Z'

For fun, I looked up the origin of the word 'xylophone' where I learned that 'xylo' means 'of wood' so xylophone technically means wood sound. I think this strip would work better if Hattie spelled 'phone' correctly and got the x-y-l-o part wrong--it's a small thing that doesn't make it seem like the American public school system is failing our children.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

1195: Canceled Shows Are a Part of Life--Time To Get Over Them

Anymore networks keep a show on the air unless they have something to replace it. In fact, with networks having so many sister stations these days on basic cable, if a series is canceled then there is a good chance it will end up on a sister network or online.

Co-Ed Fever is considered the shortest-lived American television series lasting from February 4, 1979 to a half hour later on February 4, 1979. It was an attempt to cash in on National Lampoon's Animal House. The show wasn't even supposed to air until February 19 but the episode "Pepperoni Passion" was aired as a special preview after the movie Rocky. Co-Ed Fever never made it to its regularly scheduled timeslot. The show Billy was aired in its slot instead. Billy was off the air by the end of April 1979.

On February 5, 1969, the ABC variety show Turn-On premiered and, in some markets, never made it past its first commercial break. Turn-On was heavily sexualized and highly political. Stations that did air it received complaints, some stations opted not to air it and Cleveland's WEWS decided not to return to Turn-On after the first commercial. Turn-On was officially canceled on February 10. Tim Conway, the host of the first episode, stated the show was canceled because it was ahead of its time.

A more recent example is the ABC series Emily's Reasons Why Not starring Heather Graham. Emily's Reasons Why Not was about Emily Sanders (Graham) who makes a list of reasons why she shouldn't date someone and premiered on January 9, 2006. The next day on January 10, ABC canceled it. The first episode consisted of the characters making fun of Mormons, virgins and homosexuals causing ABC to receive a lot of complaints. It's reported that ABC bought the series sight unseen. The cancellation was so abrupt that for the next week or so some magazines had cover stories articles showcasing a canceled series.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

1194: But I Guess You Can Also Deep-Fry It

Since kale is essentially just lettuce or cabbage, I would assume it will be used like lettuce on top of burgers, in side salads and crumbled into other things. According to news, the kale will be part of breakfast bowls.

I'm fine with adding kale to stuff but I feel adding it to the food at McDonald's is basically the equivalent to ordering everything on the left side of the menu and then washing it down with a Diet Coke.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

1193: Why Does Gladys Need Keys? She Never Goes Anywhere

Yesterday the seniors at the school I work at graduated. It was a short and sweet ceremony which is always nice. These kids were sophomores when I first started working there so they aren't my group of freshmen that I have seen grow and mature over four years but when I first started, I was in several general science classes which is a sophomore class. Afterwards, most of my classes consisted of junior and some senior classes so I was around this class a lot and, to be honest, of the classes that are in my school right now, they were my favorite. Coming in a close second, this year's sophomores.

Congratulations to all who are graduating and to the students of the University of Kansas, get out of my city.

I've never been a fan of the phrase "they're always in the last place you look" because when you really think about it, the phrase doesn't make sense. Of course my car keys were in the last place I looked because I found them so I stopped looking.

Why is Gladys so worried about her car keys? I've misplaced my car keys a few times and while it is aggravating, it's never made me break down like Gladys looks like she's about to do in panel five.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

1192: Twelve. That's Why Brutus Looks So Terrible

Ugh, another day where Brutus says he isn't going to be kept down by life anymore. On the bright side, at least Wilberforce gets to eat with his family.

Friday, May 15, 2015

1191: Gimme That Head of Hair

The above picture is a self-portrait Art Sansom did in 1977. According to Chip's update on the new Born Loser Facebook page, it was one of the first things he inked when he started his apprenticeship.

It's interesting to see how the characters have changed. But I have no idea who that cleaning lady is. Also, Wilberforce's hair is the worst.

Speaking of hair, I would bet Brutus would rather be bald than have Wilberforce's curly-cue blond hair.

Why is Brutus lecturing Hattie about school? Shouldn't that be the job of, I don't know, her parents?!

Thursday, May 14, 2015

1190: Three-Day Catch-Up

As opposed to the Kansas governor who believes that if it ain't broke then you should "fix it" so it becomes broken and you can just privatize it claiming that it never worked.

Look how determined Brutus is in those first two panels. He's listening to Veeblefester with every fiber of his being.

Dollar stores never have sales. Maybe Dollar General but that's more of a price reduction than a sale.

I'm getting this feeling in the pit of my stomach that Chip watches "Dr. Phil" and it worries me greatly.


Liberty #50: Supercat

The lost tomb of Ahnkamhet was located about forty miles south of Cairo. Ahnkamhet only ruled for a few years before he was mysteriously murdered. He was buried in his unfinished pyramid, which was then dismantled over the years for use in other tombs and pyramids. Only the foundation remained above ground, the tomb was below ground and forgotten.

The foundation had to be uncovered from underneath several feet of sand and Alex Turk and four other archaeologists from the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute were one of the few invited to view the mysterious tomb.

“Welcome, Mr. Turk,” a man greeted the Institute archaeologist with his arms spread apart. “It is an honor to have you here. I am Dinesh Malouf.”

“Please, the honor is ours. This is an amazing opportunity and we are thrilled that Egypt has allowed us to come in and collect heirlooms for our museum,” Alex thanked Dinesh, shaking his hand.

“Follow me. We are just about ready to open the passage to the tomb,” Dinesh led the men to where a group of Egyptian archaeologists were gathered at a wall. “We found a weak spot here so we are thinking there was an entrance here.”

“There used to be a pyramid, shouldn’t there be an entrance on top?” Alex asked.

“There is but it is filled with tons of sand. The underground entrance is easier, quicker and safer,” Dinesh said. He led Alex and his team down the makeshift stairs to the underground entrance. Above the door was a stone with hieroglyphics carved into it.

“What does that read?” Alex pointed.

Dinesh glanced up. “Ah, it reads ‘Powerful cat,’” he replied. “We actually have been saying ‘Super cat.’ It just has a better sound to it.”

“It does,” Alex agreed. “Why does it say that?”

“Based on legends, Ahnkamhet considered himself a savior, a hero and more than a god. It is said that when he was murdered, his last words were a curse that a sand monster in his image would avenge his death. From what we can tell, that never happened.”

They pushed the door open and stepped in. The underground tomb had been untouched for centuries and was unblemished. The sarcophagus was wide open in the center of the room on a decorative slab. There was several doors scattered in the tomb along the wall.

“Ready to get started?” Alex and Dinesh led their teams to the door to their left, directly behind Ahnkamhet’s sarcophagus. Again they pushed the door open to reveal what looked like a decent portion of Ahnkamhet’s fortune. Coins, challises and numerous other gold items filled the room. Personalized gold vases detailing Ahnkamhet’s life were the only thing unique in the room. Dinesh and Alex sighed and led the teams back into the main room and then started over to the next room.

One stayed in the room and slowly walked to the corner that was curiously not at a ninety-degree angle. When he got closer, he saw that the corner held another door. “There’s a door in here,” he shouted and Alex and the others came back in.

Alex looked above the door and saw the same hieroglyphics carved above this door. “Get that door open but be careful. We don’t know what’s behind it,” Alex ordered. Two men pried the door apart and they all cautiously walked in the small, triangular room. It was a plain room, no hieroglyphics, no gold, only a five foot pedestal with a bracelet on it in the middle of the room. The pedestal had hieroglyphics on it as did the bracelet. The bracelet had the same marking that the stones above the doors had.

“What does it say?” one of Alex’s team asked.

“Something about power,” Alex said. “I can’t read it very good. Dinesh?” Alex went to pick up the bracelet but then hesitated.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised about hidden rooms but it’s odd that one would be nearly empty,” Dinesh said as he approached the pedestal. Alex stepped to one side to let Dinesh read. He looked at it for a few seconds and spoke, “It says this bracelet contains the power of Supercat but it also mentions the curse and a trap.”

“Powers? Does wearing the bracelet make you the next pharaoh?” Alex chuckled.

Dinesh chuckled as well. “Try it on. It was probably just Ahnkamhet’s favorite accessory or something.”

“What does it mean about a trap?” a member of Dinesh’s team said.

“It doesn’t say. It just mentions a trap. I can’t imagine a trap in here still working after five thousand years,” Dinesh said.

Alex carefully picked up the polished gold bracelet and held it close to look at it. A rumbling began and the ceiling began cracking and pieces started crashing to the ground. Everyone looked up and then at the bracelet. Alex slid the bracelet on his wrist as the ceiling collapsed on top of them. Alex then started growing hair all over his body. His clothes changed into an Egyptian tunic and shendyt. The tunic was brown and had the hieroglyphic cat embroidered on the chest. The shendyt went down to his knees and were dyed a pale red. Alex’s hands and feet had turned into paws and he had become a six-foot-tall cat.

Using great speed, Alex tried rushing the men out of the room that was collapsing and back into the main room with the tomb. The small triangular room became nothing but rubble which was then filled with sand from above. “Is everybody all right?” Alex said as he stood over everyone. They all stared at him with their mouths slack. “This must be the powers mentioned on the pedestal,” Alex looked down at what he was wearing and his four paws.

“Powerful cat,” Dinesh said in a whisper.

“Supercat,” Alex corrected, smiling so he showed the small feline teeth. Alex took one last look at himself and took off the bracelet. He immediately changed back into his human form and his own clothes. He continued to hold onto the bracelet. “What
do we do with it?”

“I…I don’t know,” Dinesh began. “Something with this kind of power can be very
dangerous.”

“I can take it back to Chicago. We can catalog it and place it in storage. We can even just keep it in storage until we are sure everybody who knows of its existence is dead,” Alex suggested. “We can put a warning on it saying it’s very fragile and shouldn’t be worn. I don’t think anyone would slip it on but we should still attach a warning.”

“Keep it safe,” Dinesh pointed at Alex. He, Alex and the two teams headed out of the underground tomb. “There is no telling what could happen if that bracelet falls into the wrong hands.”

The teams went up the stairs into the Egyptian sun. The sand in the now-destroyed triangular room swirled around the debris despite there not being any wind.




The archaeology trip was cut short and Alex and his team headed back to Chicago. Within 48 hours, Alex had the bracelet photographed, cataloged and placed in a box in a room with thousands of other artifacts from all over the world.

“Did you get the bracelet stored away?” Alex’s assistant Jimmy asked when Alex went into his small office.

“Yes. I got it cataloged with a note saying it can’t be displayed for fifty years under an agreement with the Egyptian government and that it’s too fragile to wear. I covered all the bases so we can just put it out of our minds,” Alex said. “I wish we could’ve stayed in Egypt longer. This may have been the last time we get to take artifacts with us.”

That night, as most of the country slept, an odd creature, similar to Supercat, flew west over the Atlantic Ocean. It was similar to Supercat in every way except it was made from Egyptian sand. Alex awoke a little bit before dawn to an explosion near his apartment. He shot out of bed to a window. He could barely see as the sun was just starting to come up over the horizon but could see many buildings on fire or completely destroyed. Between the rising sun, fires and police spotlights below, Alex could vaguely make out the form. “Supercat?” he whispered. He quickly got dressed and ran downstairs to a group of police officers standing next to a spotlight. “Officers, what’s going on?”

“You should stay inside your apartment, sir,” one officer said.

“I don’t think it really matters, Blansky,” said another. “Some flying madman is destroying the city. We don’t know how to stop it. We’ve called in the military. It’s like he’s looking for something and doesn’t care what he does in the meantime.”

“Looking for something,” Alex muttered. Alex began running off toward the university, having to take detours due to police barricades and debris. “The bracelet led him to Chicago but not the actual location,” he said out loud.

The sun was just over the horizon when Alex got to the Oriental Institute. The campus hadn’t been touched but it was probably just a matter of time. Alex unlocked the staff doors and ran to storage where the bracelet was. It was still in the box and Alex sighed with relief. An explosion rocked the building and he quickly slid on the bracelet and returned to the form of Supercat.

Alex flew out of the Institute and toward the Sand Supercat. Holy God. It’s made of sand, Alex thought upon seeing his twin. Hopefully
a couple of good punches will get rid of it.


Alex prepared to punch but the Sand Supercat caught a glimpse and struck faster sending Alex flying across the sky over the city. He slowed himself and then stopped. “Or not,” and flew as fast as he could back to the Sand Supercat. He collided fist-first into the creature’s chest and they rocketed across the Chicago sky toward Lake Michigan. Maybe he’ll dissolve in the lake…

The Sand Supercat struggled to escape but Alex was flying too fast. They collided with the water about a mile from shore and Alex drove the Sand Supercat into the silt at the bottom. Alex came back up and flew back to the city. He landed next to some police officers who all pointed their guns at him when they saw he was a six foot cat. “Who are you?” one demanded.

“You can call me Supercat. Don’t worry, I’m here to help. I don’t know if that sand creature is coming back but while it’s indisposed, I can help clean up debris, rescue people, whatever needs to be done,” Alex offered.

“There’s an old tenement building that took a lot of damage over on Dearborn. I know they need help with rescues and debris,” the officer said. “We’ll be watching you.” Alex nodded and flew off to the Loop where most of the damage was.

Back in Lake Michigan, the Sand Supercat had dug its way out of the silt and shot out of the water, screaming wildly. It flew back to the city faster than it had left, honed in on Alex and drove him through several buildings and street blocks until crashing through the street into the sewer. It yelled something nearly incoherent in Alex’s face.

It wants the bracelet, Alex thought as he kept the Sand Supercat at bay by holding its wrists. Alex then overpowered it and threw it into a wall. Do I give it the bracelet or try to stop it? Can I stop it?

Alex walked over to the hole in the wall. The Sand Supercat leaped out and grabbed Alex’s neck in both hands. Alex grabbed its wrists again and tried to pull him off. Alex held onto the Sand Supercat’s arms and flew back up through the street and into the air. They flew straight up until the Sand Supercat let go of Alex’s neck and Alex attempted to throw it back down to Earth.

Instead, the Sand Supercat was able to throw Alex down and into a tenement building, causing it to start collapsing. Hearing screaming and cries, Alex quickly flew through the building helping and directing the occupants down the hall and into the street. The brick building fell down, scattering bricks into the street and alley.

“Who are you?” one of the kids Alex had just saved asked.

“You can call me Supercat. Are you all okay?”

They all nodded or muttered in agreement.

“Then I need to go stop that thing now,” Alex said and flew back into the air. He doesn’t even seem to care about me anymore. He’s now just destroying the city. Alex hovered and stared at the Sand Supercat who was smashing into buildings and tossing cars around the streets. Flames roared around Chicago. Screaming, sirens and explosions echoed through the city. As Alex witnessed the senseless destruction his eyes started to burn. Anger welled up inside him and Alex flew faster than he had this morning toward the Sand Supercat. His hand wrapped around the creature’s neck. Heat began pouring out of Alex’s eyes, hitting the Sand Supercat who began screaming.

The heat from Alex’s eyes began turning the Sand Supercat into glass and within minutes, most of the creature was glass and unable to move. Alex continued holding onto the Sand Supercat’s neck and flew over Lake Michigan where he then shattered the Sand Supercat, remnants of glass and sand falling into the lake.

Alex rushed back to Chicago where he helped put out fires and rescue people who were trapped because of the fires of the rubble. Reporters began clamoring to speak to Supercat but he instead flew off. Alex landed behind the Oriental Institute and removed the bracelet. He reverted back to his human form then proceeded to return the bracelet to the box where he put it—ready to use if he ever needed it again.

Monday, May 11, 2015

1189: Didn't She Hear His Snoring?

There was a time that Brutus got into it with Gladys pretty ferociously. There's no proof of that on this blog because it was before I started this thing. I guess Brutus has mellowed in his old age while Gladys has remained a raging b-word.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

1188: 50 Years a Born Loser

As we've seen at the end of every strip this week, The Born Loser is 50. Sadly, reaching 50 is pretty easy in comic strip-land because of the hesitation syndicates (and some newspapers) have about replacing tried-and-true strips with untested ones. Today marks the actual 50th anniversary of The Born Loser and to celebrate, GoComics has had a short interview with Chip Sansom, a short blog post with Chip's editor, a brand-new Facebook page, a printable Born Loser certificate that looks good next to any DeVry, ITT or University of Phoenix diploma and a contest to win one of twelve signed Born Loser prints. I was hoping for a strip collection or every strip from 1965 to today to be uploaded but maybe those will be forthcoming.

What's interesting is what has transpired here over the last seven or so years. Sure, there are a few meanderings but we usually wind up right back here, talking about The Born Loser. I started this blog because I considered The Born Loser one of the worst comic strips but I have grown to not only respect it but like it. Sure, it's not in my top ten of best comic strips ever but it's a steady performer--a workhorse, you might say.

While I may joke about what's going on in The Born Loser, I do it out of respect. I had the opportunity to talk with Chip back in December during a Twitter Q&A and he was very informative with a pretty witty sense of humor. It was also interesting to get a more personal response to certain questions that you normally don't get in behind-the-scene interviews. So, like always, today's post and this blog in general, is dedicated to Chip and his father Art who started the whole thing and to the people who read this thing and those who read it even when I do those meandering history or story posts.

"First thing when I get to work, I'm going to punch Arnie in the back of the head!"

I was hoping for some older panels showing Brutus' loser-ness. Oh, well, I guess Brutus getting his days confused and heading to work on a Sunday is just as good. I don't know if this city's mass transit runs on a Sunday so Brutus may be standing at his bus stop for awhile.

Saturday, May 09, 2015

1187: Hattie Cares Not For Our Driving Laws

I'm not a car person. As long as my car gets me from Point A to Point B and maybe Point C on weekends, then I am happy. I have a student who asks if I would buy him a car and the car is always a fancy sports car like a Corvette or Lamborghini. What would he do with a car like that? I'm pretty sure he will never learn to drive a car so it would just sit and do nothing. Why am I thinking of this like I would actually consider buying him the car if I had the money. I have a strict "I need all the money I can get so you're not getting any of it" policy.

Friday, May 08, 2015

1186: Does He Not Even Notice He's Dropping Stuff?

With or without Brutus, Veeblefester seems to be doing just fine. If anything, Brutus' mediocrity has kept Veeblefester from installing one of those car elevators in his house which isn't a bad thing and keeps Veeblefester a bit more down to Earth.

Thursday, May 07, 2015

1185: The "Loser Era"?

The original Newspaper Enterprise Associates (NEA) press release for The Born Loser from 1965. Courtesy The Born Loser
Facebook page.
I'm very disturbed by the lack of Veeblefester during this 50th Anniversary extravaganza.

I wish we were using this time to see classic strips. Maybe going through a scrapbook or photo album or something with either the last or first panel showcasing older strip panels. I know the art styles have significantly changed but it'd still be cool to see.

Wednesday, May 06, 2015

1184: Why Schnauzer? Why Not Just Dog?

The comments on today's strip are just a constant argument over what the correct calculations are when discussing a dog's age. Who cares? If your dog is 7 then they are 7, not 84 or whatever age you came up with when you Googled "what's my dog age?" Nobody wants to know how old your dog is in dog years and you're sad for figuring it out.

Monday, May 04, 2015

1183: Why Does Brutus Set Himself Up Like That?


There is an Echo Point near me. Actually it's Echo Cliff but same general concept. The only difference is that I don't believe anyone has died from falling off of it like I'm sure someone has here at Echo Point.

A fence. Guard rails. Anything!

1182: Comic Books Are Here To Stay

courtesy alternateworld comics
Who knew that comic books would be one of the main items in the list of human evolution?

While Lev Gleason Publications is correct, comic books are here to stay (!!!), Lev Gleason Publications would not be a publisher that would survive the arrival of the Comics Code. In fact, Gleason's popular Crime Does Not Pay would be instrumental in getting the Comics Code established along with EC's horror and crime comics.

The three comics mentioned in this ad were three of Lev Gleason's most popular titles. Daredevil Comics began in 1941 and the first issue was actually called Daredevil Battles Hitler and was renamed Daredevil Comics with the second issue. Daredevil Comics was an anthology series named after the featured character, Daredevil. Eventually, Daredevil got a group of kid sidekicks called The Little Wise Guys who eventually dominated the series and soon squeezed out Daredevil who made his last appearance with Daredevil Comics #70. The series would end with #134 in 1956.
The second but first issue of Daredevil Comics.
The final issue of Daredevil Comics.
Boy Comics initially began as Captain Battle Junior in 1943 but was given a name change with the third issue. Boy Comics was, again, an anthology featuring superheroes that were all boys. The main feature was The Crimebuster who was Chuck Chandler avenging his parents death at the hand of the Nazis. Lev Gleason writers really milked the Nazis for story ideas.
The first issue of Boy Comics, #3.
I guess I should mention that Chuck Chandler had a pet monkey that would join him both on adventures and just in his life. As superheroes fell out of fashion, stories started focusing more on Chuck at school and not fighting crime. For some reason, Crimebuster's arch-nemesis, The Iron Jaw--who killed Chuck's parents by the way, stuck around but became comic fodder and covers showed The Iron Jaw dangling from scaffolding, getting his fortune read, being trapped on a roller coaster and generally just being a idiotic stooge. Starting with #107, the Comics Code cracked down on the use of the word "crime" so Chuck, or Crimebuster, just went by C.B. and he ditched the costume. Boy Comics came to an end with #119 in 1956.
The final issue of Boy Comics.

Crime Does Not Pay began in 1939 as Silver Streak Comics. Silver Streak initially starred a villain, The Claw, who was created by Jack Cole of Plastic Man fame. After #2, The Claw was put aside to debut the superhero Silver Streak, who was the second speed-based superhero. The Claw returned in #6 and proceeded to do battle with Daredevil in #7. Silver Streak was quickly pushed aside for constant battles between Daredevil and The Claw until Daredevil got his own title but Silver Streak would never regain his title as with the outbreak of World War II, Silver Streak began featuring Captain Battle and then The Saint. Silver Streak Comics wouldn't last long and would become Crime Does Not Pay with #22.
Silver Streak Comics #1
Crime Does Not Pay was a true crime series, the first of its kind, that glorified and sensationalized real crimes and real criminals. When Mr. Crime was introduced in #24, he was your faithful narrator much like The Cryptkeeper would become for EC but Mr. Crime both praised and condemned the crimes so he was not one to lecture the kids reading this comic. As Congress cracked down on comics and publishers began censoring themselves and established the Comics Code, Crime Does Not Pay sanitized their stories and all the criminals got what was coming to them. The new CDNP lasted only a few issues before ending in 1955 with #147.

The final issue of Crime Does Not Pay.
This comic is ironic in that if I were to show your average person a picture of Brutus, they would probably not know who he is. Brutus is no Charlie Brown, Calvin or Mickey Mouse.

I hope we see some early strips either here or on GoComics. It would be cool to see some strips from the beginning when there was no main character.