Jersey State of Mind

January 28, 1967

Ha! She's probably laughing at the card game I lost this evening.

Ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! She's probably laughing at my tiny penis.

Charge it! She's clearly paying for dinner with a strapping young man who has a big penis and knows how to play cards.

I don't really see how the laughter leads to "Charge it!" Is she talking to the salesman? "This dress seems to be rather expensive." "But it looks so good on you. You know, if you pay with credit, you can take it home today and show your husband how good it looks on you. Then he'll beg you to keep it. And even if not, it will already be processed and too late to return." *both laugh* "Charge it!"

I don't know why Brutus is telling Mother Gargle where he's going. She doesn't care. He could tell her he was going to walk off the edge of Echo Cliff/Point and she would just continue to stare into her mug.

Gladys has that look on her face because Gladys knows that Brutus isn't allowed back in New Jersey.

Anthony Overton

Anthony Overton became the first African American to own a conglomerate. Founding the Overton Hygienic Manufacturing Company in 1901, Overton became the premiere name in cosmetics for Black people.

Born in Monroe, Louisiana on March 21, 1865, Overton's father was an emancipated slave and was a small business owner. Overton's father also served in the Louisiana legislature for four years. Some time prior to 1880, the Overtons moved to Topeka, Kansas. Overton's father made sure any opportunity was awarded to his son. Overton attended Washburn University, graduating with a degree in chemistry. He then attended the University of Kansas law school, graduating in 1888. He practiced law and even served as a municiapl judge in Topeka for a short time.

In 1898, Overton started the Overton Hygienic Company, originally selling his products in his own grocery store in Topeka. He moved to the North Park neighborhood near North Topeka in 1901 where he established a factory along the railroad line. Hygienic manufacturing companies specialized in baking powders and sodas along with other kitchen cleaners and toiletries. Overton originally made a name for himself with the Overton Hygienic Pet Baking Soda before obtaining market success with High Brown Face Powder. A post office for the hygienic plant was opened December 5, 1901 under the name Hygienic with Overton serving as postmaster. Hygienic was located about three miles west of North Topeka along the railroad. More than likely the plant was located around the Cargill elevators and behind the U.S. Foods Distribution Center. The post office closed August 15, 1903.

Possible location of the Hygienic Factory near the Cargill elevators.

Overton then moved his business to Chicago, Illinois in 1911. In 1922, Overton commissioned the Overton Hygienic Building at W. 36th and S. State streets. Besides his hygienic business, Overton also ran the Victory Life Insurance Company, Great Northern Realty Company, the Half-Century Magazine, the Chicago Bee, and Douglass National Bank. The Bee then got it's own building down the block from the Hygienic building. The Hygienic building later served as a hotel and flophouse. Currently, it is being used as shared workspace for area startups.

Overton married his wife Clara when he was in Oklahoma for a short time. It's possible that she was the true driving force behind the Hygienic Company and the High Brown Face Powder. Sadly, she passed away shortly after they moved to Chicago in 1912 at the age of 45. They had four children.

When Overton passed away in 1946 at the age of 82, the Chicago Bee folded, as did much of the other businesses, which had been hit hard by the Depression and general mismanagement. Everett Overton took over the company until his death in 1960 when the company passed into the hands of Anthony Overton III. Overton III faced a changing landscape and more competition from other Black-owned cosmetic companies. Overton Hygienic continued in stride until 1983 when it closed.

Anthony Overton's two buildings still stand along S. State Street in Chicago and are on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby elementary school was named for Overton and was open from 1963 until 2013. Overton is not forgotten in Topeka either as Center Street in East Topeka between Adams and Chandler streets was renamed for Overton some time after the 1940s.

For more information on Anthony Overton, check out the Made In Chicago Museum.

Various Overton products showcased during a Memorial Day celebration in Topeka Cemetery in 2023.

Donuts Make Employees Go Nuts

January 27, 1967

Do either of these guys have a pen or something to write with? They can throw that bottle back into the ocean and maybe get rescued!

I've often wondered how putting a message in a bottle would actually help you get rescued. You don't know where you are. You can't write coordinates down and if you are on an island like this one, it's not going to last and be swallowed into the ocean. I guess you can write down the plane number or ship name and searchers can go from there...

Being on an island this small would scare the bejeezus out of me. Even a moderate storm would destroy that thing. The thought of being on a normal sized island like Pitcairn, Samoa, or Kiribati during a massive storm scares me.

Maybe Brutus would show up for work on time, or even earlier, if donuts were always involved. I know I would.

🎵He's an old cowhand, from the Rio Grande...🎶
🤠💃

What do you want for Christmas, Wilberforce? Real estate.

Supergirl from Warner Bros. and DC Studios comes out in June of 2026 and, just based on what little teases we've had, I'm excited. I've always been a Supergirl fan whether it's the Silver Age lost cousin, the protoplasmic alien who then becomes an angel, or the modern lost cousin, Supergirl has always intrigued me because she's Superman but without his upbringing. She had to learn to be super on her own. She makes mistakes and her moral compass may not be pointed true north.

The movie is based on Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow which was a miniseries from June 2021 to February 2022 by Tom King and Bilquis Evely. A True Grit-esque space adventure where Supergirl tries to help a young girl after her father is murdered, it is a wonderful with beautiful art by Evely. While there are many stories of Supergirl that could be adapted, Woman of Tomorrow makes the most sense as it is an action-packed and heartfelt story that is easily accessible since it just came out a few years ago and it comes from a normal origined Supergirl. Anyway, I plan on checking out this movie. It's nice seeing Superman movies actually being made for Superman fans who love the character and are inspired by him.

I don't think I ever mentioned this, but back in 1997 or 1998, I wrote a Superman story where he's in a trenchcoat most of the time. because I wore a trenchcoat most of the time. You can imagine my frustration when Smallville had Clark wear a trenchcoat as part of his costume.

And now Supergirl is wearing one. Is the trenchcoat making a comeback? Should I start wearing one again?

January 26, 1967

What the hell song is this? I looked up the lyrics and I couldn't find them. Did Art just make up a song or new lyrics to a song called "Autumn Air"? I don't know what he's singing or if this guy is a popular singer or not, all I know is that he swallowed a fly. I hate when flies just hang around you. Aren't there any other, smellier, people you could buzz around? Wait. Are you suggesting that I'm the smelliest one in the room?!

There's only, like, one more week of school (ymmv). Most any work given out now is just busy work and won't be graded. Though I will point out that Wilberforce should've sent that letter to Santa shortly after Thanksgiving. Santa/your parents are already done shopping for you, you little ingrate.

You can check out the awesome teaser trailer for Supergirl here.

Like and Subscribe

January 25, 1967

We don't challenge each other to dual like we used to. We should go back to that. "You have besmirched my honor, sir!" and then you lightly slap them with a white glove.

Does Brutus being in Veeblefetzer's office have anything to do with this? Has Veeblefetzer been going around challenging people to duals?

Does Gladys have to wear the chef's hat while she listens to her podcast? They can't see you, you can take that off.

Nickel-Pinching Just Doesn't Sound As Good

January 24, 1967

Just put the paintbrush down? How is what he's standing on working? Is it a little step connected to this table? Can we just not see the legs? I don't think I'd trust that to hold me.

Watercooler's not gonna glub at this one.

I guess we know when this comic was produced. I can't imagine anyone having any opinions worth mentioning on pennies not being made anymore, but Brutus isn't going to let that stop him.

it's cold and the snow is falling and he's standing out there...

January 23, 1967

I feel like the door should've been open anyway. Not just so something like this doesn't happen but mostly for ventilation. I'm guessing there's an open window off-panel.

Not gonna buy Lividea a present?

Why, for the love of all that is holy, is Rancid W. Veeblefester waiting at the bus stop? Is he just keeping Brutus company? That still doesn't answer why Veeblefester is waiting at the bus stop!

Sunday Mid-Afternoon Fights

September 6, 1987

Veeblefester should put his cigar out on Brutus. I don't condone that kind of violence but I'll make an exception this one time.

Is Brutus stalking Veeblefester or did Brutus just happen to wander into the same nice restaurant Veeblefester was eating at?

Okay, first of all, shut up. If Gladys has a problem with the way Brutus is treating her, then she can talk to Brutus about it. Communication is the most important thing in a marriage. Second, what's this about being treated like a queen? What even is that anymore? It's 2025. Third, you know what's really rude? Coming into someone else's house and chastising them over something you aren't a part of and then not even allowing them to explain themselves.

"How dare you yawn..." Well, ya borin' me!

"Missouri John" Thomas went on a shooting spree at two ranches near Maple Hill, Kansas, wounding four and killing 1 because his love was spurned. If you would like to support me or this website, you can click the support page at the top.

Hurricane Hattie Snow Removal Company

January 21, 1967

How did Floyd and Josephine get into that drawer? What were they doing in that drawer?

I feel we're going to see a lot of frogs in these early Wilberforce strips because if I recall correctly, a lot of young boys had "pet" frogs in their TV shows and stories I've read.

Nah, we good, Hurricane.

We have a decent group of kids in our neighborhood and every year I worry they will start knocking on our door to shovel sidewalks, mow, or something else and I'll have to turn them down. They haven't though. They clearly don't know about capitalism and the feeling you get when you do hard, physical labor. Good for them.

Missouri John

On Wednesday night, May 4, 1898, John Thomas hired a horse and rode over to the West Fowler Ranch near Maple Hill in Wabaunse County, Kansas, where he had been employed up to a couple days ago. Thomas had rode to the ranch to see Nellie Brand, with whom Thomas had been sweet on. Supposedly, the other ranch employees, mostly Swedes, joked and insulted Thomas about the affair, the bookkeeper, also a Swede, also vying for the affections of Miss Brand. Thomas, now in a rage, swore he would kill every Swede on the ranch.

Getting into an argument, Edwin Fransen and other ranch employees urged Thomas to leave. When he finally agreed, he opened fire hitting Carl Kinstrom, Nellie Brand, missing the bookkeeper, but fatally wounding Fransen. Thomas then did leave and rode five miles to the East Fowler Ranch where he opened fire again on Gus Carlson, a man named Anderson, and, had he been there like planned, Tom Gristy.

John Thomas then rode, nonchalantly, to Halifax (a small rail town now called Hessdale located at present-day Hessdale and Halifax roads) where he stayed the night and had breakfast with J.B. Crumb. The sheriff was heading east along the railroad so Thomas went west to Alta Vista, meeting and staying with numerous people who had no idea he was wanted for murder.

John Thomas then passed through Volland, Alta Vista, and Dwight before arriving in White City. He then went to Latimer, Herington and them Templin. His last known whereabouts were at Lamb's place on May 17th--a whole 13 days after the shooting in Maple Hill. J.M. Wilkerson, an ex-police chief for the Topeka Police spent weeks searching for John Thomas, also called Missouri John because he had originally come to Kansas from Missouri. Wilkerson suggested that John Thomas was probably an alias and he was, by now, going by another different name.

In June 1898, Topeka Chief of Police Henry Steele went to Missouri on a credible tip that John Thomas was back in Missouri. The man ended up not matching the description. Wilkerson continued to search for Thomas in the western part of the state, but ultimately, John "Missouri John" Thomas was never found.

from the March 4, 1898 edition of the Alma Enterprise

I know someone who needs to be visited by 3 ghosts...not that I think it'll help

Look at this dipshit.

President Trump picks up his FIFA Peace Prize
like he's Swiper the Fox.

January 20, 1967

This is what happens when your houses are made of ticky-tacky and all look just the same. Even the trees are the same.

What I would hate about being in this scenario is that now Brutus has to move his car.

Wilberforce is Tiny Tim?! Is Wilberforce dying? Does Wilberforce have renal tubular acidosis or rickets? Maybe Wilberforce should suggest he's more like one of the Cratchit's healthier children.

And let's be honest, Mother Gargle is not the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. If you want to insult her, Mother Gargle could be compared to Ignorance or Want. What about the charwoman or laundress who steals Scrooge's things for money after he dies? Do make Mother Gargle one of the awesome ghosts who serve an important purpose.

Thursday Quickies

January 19, 1967

The first name mentioned is Chiang Kai-Shek? Then Yul Brynner? Ok.

Quit worrying about your bald head and work on yourself, Brutus.

Yeah, you're not getting any bonuses this year. Time to take some money to the track or something. Start posting tasteful nudes on social media and linking a Venmo.

Don't take not getting a bonus personally, Brutus. Very few employees get bonuses anymore.

Cattle Is Cattle, Brutus

January 18, 1967

Are necktie--or, I guess, clothing--salesmen always this violent? He's going to try to sell Brutus a second tie and end up strangling him with it. Also, if each tie is $5 then two for $9.98 is not a great deal. Brutus doesn't need a second tie, he barely survived the first...

What's with this sign? "Stamp out sensible shoes"? What?

Buffalo meat is good. I don't know what Brutus' problem is.

I think we're well passed the point of people thinking buffalo wings are actually buffalo. Time to find a new joke about buffalo wings. How about commenting that boneless wings are just chunkier chicken nuggets? Or how...Does this buffalo burger come with a side? Or cheese? Or any condiments? Just a glass of water?

Holiday Spirit

January 17, 1967

My only reference for expensive dresses back then are episodes of I Love Lucy. When the Ricardos and Mertzes went to Hollywood, Lucy wants a Don Loper original. I'd never even heard of Don Loper but he sells his dresses for $500 and even I knew that seemed expensive for 1955. Hell, $500 is expensive for 2025.

That sign says "Frodo lives".

Brutus is hitting the seasonal drinks early and hard this year.

Christmas doldrums is still just a purely Charlie Brown thing. Others may try, but only Charlie Brown can do it just right.

Press 4 for Billing

January 16, 1967

Is she just going around claiming guys are making goo-goo eyes at her so her boyfriend will beat them up or was this just an innocent mistake? Either way, it's not ideal. I'll gladly take a punch for someone I do make goo-goo eyes to, but not just some random trollop who wants to get her jollies.

A 'gaffer' is a word for an old man and has been in use since 1589. Gammer is a word for an old woman, which is even older. So she's having her boyfriend beat up old people.

I looked up 'Roarak' and the first thing that popped up was an adventure-ready clothing store and I was like "Brutus is going on adventures and needs special clothes?!!" but that was 'Roark'. Roarak is just a name. Chip probably just thumbed through a phone book or one lives nearby. I'm more interested in this company having a person specifically for directing calls and not, you know, an automated call tree system.

Oh, Good. Now They're On the Same Page

August 30, 1987

Brutus clearly does not understand how stocks work, but he is at least wanting to sell when it is worth more. Is it going to keep going up? That'd be my question but I understand how the stock market works.

Now, Gladys, you were just saying yesterday that you won the lottery by marrying Brutus and here you are today at each other's throats. I don't like it when you guys fight. Not because of the trauma and anxiety created, but because I never know what's going on.

I took an in-depth look at one of my favorite gravestones yesterday. Elizabeth Uhl, daughter of Floyd and Ethel of the Grove neighborhood north of Silver Lake, Kansas. If you would like to support me or this website, you can do so at the top of the page.

As Long As It's Not Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery'

January 14, 1967

It appears that Brutus is reading an original children's story created by Art Sansom. I did a quick search the only thing that came up for "Hoppy and Torty" was Roald Dahl's Esio Trot and a retelling of the Tortoise and the Hare from 2024 that looks suspiciously like AI. Anyway, I appreciate creating your own thing especially for what's a throwaway joke.

I now also know too much about hobgoblins.

Finally, some Mother Gargle. We've been threatened with her presence this Thanksgiving for nearly three weeks. And yes, just like those cheap scratch-off ones because obviously I'm not living in the lap of luxury, but won about $10 that I will use to just buy more scratch-off tickets where I win another $10 that I will use to just buy more scratch-off tickets where I win another $10...

Our Daughter

Floyd Rockwell Uhl was born August 24, 1887 in Killbuck, Ohio to Bigham and Hannah Uhl. They made their way to the Rossville-Silver Lake area of Shawnee County, Kansas. They settled in the Grove neighborhood where Bigham constructed and ran a grain elevator.

Their oldest child, Floyd, married Ethel Maude Marsh on November 14, 1910 in Mercer County, Missouri. Ethel was born September 5, 1882 in Fort Scott, Kansas. Her father was Judge John R. Marsh, a Jackson County judge. Judge Marsh would pass away in 1903 after being kicked by a horse. Ethel's mother, Elizabeth Marsh, would pass away in 1912 after a dress she was wearing caught on fire as she was burning trash.

Floyd and Ethel had three daughters. Thelma Nell was born December 15, 1913. She died in 1963 in Cerritos, California. Their third daughter, Eula Belle, was born in 1925. Their middle daughter, Elizabeth, was born January 17, 1917 but died of convulsions on May 2, 1919. She was buried in Silver Lake Cemetery.

A weather-worn gravestone with a little lamb on top marks Elizabeth's burial. Buried next to Elizabeth is her father, Floyd. Floyd died in 1966. Ethel would pass away in 1962 in El Sereno, California and is buried with Thelma in Cerritos.

The Leftovers

How many people have died because Trump is solipsistic, callow, and ruinous?

January 13, 1967

How many sheets to the wind is Agnes, because there's no way a danceable beat is coming from that bass.

It's just me and my wife for Thanksgiving usually so we don't really make anything because we don't want a lot of leftovers. Anyway, while I absolutely miss having a big Thanksgiving meal with family, I do not miss the leftovers that I stop wanting usually a day or two later.