Take It Easy

September 13, 1966

Assuming this guy works at a toy factory, in what world does a child want a wind-up toy of this random man? "It's the hottest toy this season: Thornapple from Engineering! Wind him up and watch him go!" Who's the audience for that? Me and maybe two other people?

Is this like a Small Wonder situation where he built dozens (hundreds?!) of small human-like toys and not one horrifying human-like toy?

"Kill. Murder. Destroy."

It's not (completely) your fault, Brutus. We were promised that we could have a good job for 30-40 years that pays well to raise a family on and corporations broke that social promise by prioritizing making the people who don't actually do any work more money. Burn down the system, kids. Burn. It. Down.

Kitchen to Clean? Yard to Mow?

August 1, 1966

Yeah, yeah. You know what I usually say with these type of comics. I want to point out how these monkeys remind me of my Mom's coconut monkey. When she passed, I, of course, got it. It's older than I am. It's currently sitting on a shelf in the living room. It doesn't eavesdrop and gossip like these monkeys clearly do.

Do the Thornapples not have regular cable TV? What are they doing? Your lives are boring even with wi-fi. I never see you on a computer and barely see you on your phones. Y'all always have things to do around the house, and here you are just sitting on the couch.

If you plan on protesting, be safe out there.

Hand of Fate

July 26, 1966

"Please no eating food in the art museum, sir."

So what's the worse violation here? Leaving trash on the floor or vandalizing the painting by eating the fruit in it?

I find it hard to believe Wilberforce doesn't know what fate is as an 8-or 9-year-old. Especially since he asked about it back in 2023, got the same answer, and made the same joke.

"I thought I hid that box better..."

May 12, 1966

I'm guessing Agnes made a joke about her being beautiful, but also dumb. And she gave herself a real kick out of that! And I'm not here to comment on Agnes' looks. I think everyone in this strip at this time look like beasts--even the beautiful ones.

Is this why he's taking the bus? His car is out of gas? Was life ever considered like a highway outside of the song by Tom Cochrane? Not that I can see so I don't know who this "they" Brutus is talking about is. Cochrane? Chris LeDoux? Rascall Flats?

So Veeblefester suggested reading a magazine, but didn't give Brutus an old copy or gift a subscription? Is the magazine not available in stores? Can I read it online? Sorry, Veeblefester, I'm going to stick with The Motley Fool even though I still know nothing about investing or stocks.

Cool, now we can make such favorites as Spam and Lima Bean Casserole, Igloo meat loaf, frosted ribbon loaf, and tuna Jell-O pie. It will be delicious. Weird, but delicious.

Headline News

December 28, 1986

Brutus, fix your neck and get out of that manhole! You're embarrassing Gladys!

Why are they both walking with their eyes closed? And why is Gladys following a few steps behind Brutus? She's not a loyal Japanese wife.

News has been pretty bad lately. Between the genocide, ripping the wires out of the walls of our government, costs continuing to go up, the detainments, disappearing, and deportations, and numerous constitutional crises, things seem pretty bleak right now. It's good to know that Brutus has a soul, unlike Republicans and about 77 million American voters. You're all terrible, you know that right? I assume you do since you've all been terrible for about 20 years now. And some of you even longer. You just don't care because it's fun to watch other people get hurt.

I find it weird that the drawers of the end tables are facing the reader and that Brutus and Uncle Ted are sharing the same ottoman.

Enjoy the adventures of J.J. Jennings, Chauncey Bigsky III, Ernest McDuff, and more of the employees and tourists of Art and Chip Sansom's early 1980s western comic strip, Dusty Chaps! If you would like to support me or this website, you can do so here.

Mascot Madness

April 19, 1966

It is funny when people hurt themselves. The newspaper guy is fine. His ego will just be bruised for a couple days. Now proto-Brutus will be very hurt. Bones will be broken and that's if he survives.

I was going to fill out a bracket for my work fantasy thing but the first game had been on for three minutes when I logged in. Oh well.

Thanks for your support and readership!

Thursday Quickies

April 1, 1966

"Born Loser"? You created this yourself.

At least he's not a muscular beach man, but he's tall and stringy and probably pretty fast.

Come ask me about how my life is going, Arnie.

Another Late Post

February 17, 1966

Is it even raining, or are they just all standing around with their umbrellas open?

I love how Art includes at least one woman in the bus stop crowd. It's 1966 after all. Women's equality and being in the workplace and all that claptrap.

Brutus hasn't been at the diner since early December. Brutus has a chance to dramatically change his life and he botches it. Maybe in 2025, he can at least stay away from ordering fish from this place.

Thursday Quickies

December 16, 1965

Hey! More death in this comic strip!

Skipper and Smee? We're mixing pop culture references now.

July 25, 2024

Hmm. Someone watched that Christmas episode of The Office where Dwight is selling Princess Unicorn dolls, the hottest toys of the season, and says "Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-ka-ching!"

Maybe don't watch the Olympics tonight, Brutus. They're clearly depressing you.

Dare to Dream

December 14, 1965

The best thing about these old comic strip is that I have to look up some of the references. Pablo Casals was a cellist and apparently a really good one. You can hear some of his stuff online. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by John Kennedy,

I enjoy that the kid is banging his head against the wall.

July 23, 2024

How can he be happy when Mother Gargle is visiting. I'm just assuming she's still here because the suitcase she brought yesterday was pretty big.

Latex? That sounds uncomfortable. I guess you're not laying on the latex, you should have a fitted sheet. You do have a fitted sheet, thank God!

So I guess Uncle Ted is looking for an adjustable mattress? Should be easy enough to do. Wipe that look off your face and get to selling!

Dreams-R-Us is a terrible name. I'm not a fan.

Summer Doldrums

December 8, 1965

That is an...eclectic group of women. More than one of them is clearly inspired by Wilma and Betty on The Flintstones.

Is that guy Mrs. Nooshnick's husband or one of those male escorts that are welcome here?

It's kind of mean and rude to be calling Brutus a born loser. I don't care if it is true, you don't say it out loud. Plus, losers are made, not born is what I always say. You want to stop being a loser? You have that power.

Garbage Week

I have been going back and forth on how I want to continue handling this website. Readership is fine, but I feel it could be better. My posts of links are buried on Threads and I have very few followers on my other social media sites. While I still enjoy doing this, I'm not sure if it's something that I should keep doing. "If you like doing it, then you should keep going," I hear you say. But if I'm just commenting into the air, then what's the point?

I'll finish out the month and figure out what to do. Maybe I'll keep doing this. Maybe I'll just post on social media. Maybe I'll stop doing this altogether and just focus on my writing. Whatever. In the meantime, you can read about one of my favorite Superman storylines where Brainiac puts Superman's mind into the brain of a kid in a mental facility.

October 9, 1965

Another person stuck in the rain? And it's to talk to your dog? Who's there with your dog, holding the phone to its ear? Or is the dog in the phone booth with this guy? That just raises even more questions!

"Tomorrow is another day"? Is that some sort of perverse threat? I've complained on social media recently, but I am not handling 2024 very well. It's been a rough year for a number of reasons. Maybe I'll talk about it at some point. That picture of Wilberforce isn't helping...

I'm Glad He Clarified It His Car's Tire That Was Flat

July 3, 1965

Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb. I hope the war goes on forever and Calvin gets drafted.

What's his shirt say? "Fly Your Flag!"? "View Your Meat!"?

I love that Brutus is late and Gladys just immediately thinks he went out to imbibe in some spirits or something. Brutus doesn't need Mardi Gras as an excuse to drink.

New Year, New...

As I enter my 16th year of this website, here's a little bit about me. I started this thing at the height of comic strip mockery. I think I am one of the last ones doing this tired old bit and others did/do so much better. Mostly what I do is write. I finished my latest novel back in October of 2022 and have been slowly looking for an agent/publisher since. Here's hoping 2024 is my year! Aside from fiction writing, I also do research for my local area. I also like doing commentary on other pop culture-y things like TV shows and comic books. I am also a huge fan of cemeteries and gravestones.

I am available everyone on social media if you would like to connect, comment, or have any questions. There's a lot to peruse on this website and on my socials if you need something to read. You can access my socials here and here. A list of things I recommend can be found here.

Starting today, I'm doing something slightly new. Since the summer of 2022, I've been posting older Born Loser strips, mostly from the 1970s and 1980s. Today, I will start posting strips from the beginning. Starting with the first Born Loser from May 10, 1965. It'll look and feel different as the Thornapple family wasn't a part of it at first. They'll start showing up about two years in or so.

Whether you are a new reader or have been watching this space for years, thank you for being here. Please share and tell your friends. I hope 2024 is kind to you. Until next time, I remain...Brian.

May 10, 1965

I've never understood why people suck in their stomachs when they are having suits tailored. Wouldn't wasting money and uncomfortable, ill-fitting clothes not be worth it?

Brutus has already given up on 2024. I'm betting Brutus stepped in a wet spot as he got out of bed. He doesn't know where it came from, but he's really hoping it was water.

Happy Birthday!!

Guard Dog is going to be OK. Doozy has to wait 7 days to adopt Guard Dog to give him time to heal and for his owners to attempt to come for him. Has the 7 days passed? Is she just visiting? We still have three days in this week. Is Guard Dog going home?

January 19, 1978

I was originally going to ask "where's the funny?" but then I noticed Gladys' hair in the middle panel. It's hard to see in this scanned version.

Seems like Wilberforce got his snow day after all. And he's wearing that stupid hat again. It's still not clear if that's a tie or scarf. I'm leaning scarf but why does it look like that?

I enjoy Snowman Brutus. Much better than the original. Should've brought him to life and got him to the North Pole.

Talkie Teddy

April 27, 1986

Welp, Wilberforce is dead. Hattie will be fine. She's a survivor.

I'm assuming they are on a scout outing so why was no one watching them? Did they just dump a bunch of items on to a table, have the kids grab what they could and then released them into the wild?

Just a slow, constant slide into death...

I wouldn't get too excited about being called the best conversationalist Brutus knows, Uncle Ted. Brutus knows very few people.

If you would like to support my writing, research, or this website, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

Brutus Has 99 Problems

March 15, 1986

I don't know why would go somewhere, see a guy dressed like this, and go "I want to buy something from him!"

Sounds like Brutus needs to get one of those seasonal affective disorder lamps. That's partly why I turn all the lights on during the winter. I got SAD one year and it was terrible. I did have a better support system than Mother Gargle though.

This comic was made at least two months ago. I'm sure whatever Brutus is going through is tame compared to what some others are going through.

If you would like to support humanitarian efforts in Gaza, The West Bank, or East Jerusalem, you can donate to the American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera). Donate here. 🇵🇸

World Octopus Day Celebration Dinner

March 8, 1986

Palaver is a noun meaning "unnecessarily elaborate or complex" but I think it's used here in the slang sense of "unnecessary excitement or trouble caused by something unimportant". Here's some advice, Brutus: Don't be worried about what others think of you. Just be the best person that you can be. Only one person can judge us--Bimmyjim the Adjudicator.

You could celebrate the birth of Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee), Chevy Chase (if you're into that kind of thing), or R.L. Stine. It's also a Feast Day for several variations of Christianity. Or Arbor Day in Namibia.

Five bucks says they don't take Wilberforce with them.

He's Talking Across the Street To the Guy Standing At the Bus Stop Going the Other Way

September 28, 1976

Is Hattie a "lovely child", Reverend? You do know Hattie, right? I've seen you talk to her.

Anyway, she's not property, Reverend. Her father doesn't own her and neither will whoever she falls in love with. Does it look like you can possess Hurricane Hattie? No, you hold on tight and hope she doesn't throw you to the wolves.

For whatever reason, I did not post about this comic back in 2018, but yet I posted about all the other. I don't know what happened.

Brutus and I are very much alike because I usually have existential crises when using a mode of transportation, too.

I have still been posting the reruns on my social media. Regular updates here (and on Post) will return whenever original strips resume.

Gladys Is Not Motivational

November 28, 1975

"Bank-O" credit card? That's it. I'm out of here.

Sounds like Brutus needs one of these...