The Friday Special

October 11, 1966

I love the performance from this waiter. I love his overacting. I love him saying "Now I can afford to have the operation" which is always a great addition when talking about someone being cheap. I love the violin comment. And I love that he's saying this loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear and that they clearly love the performance as well. Bravo! Bravo.

"Golly-Neds" as used here is an old-timey colloquial used mainly in West Virginia, which is probably how Art heard it since Ohio is just a stone's throw from West Virginia.

Anyone who has read a BuzzFeed listicle knows restaurant/diner specials are what's leftover, what's about to expire, or what the place ordered cheap so Brutus should already know this. I find it hard to believe Brutus has never read a BuzzFeed listicle.

Another Dollar Lost

Before we get started on today's Born Loser strips, just pointing out that summer is among us so I am out of work for the next couple of months. If you enjoy what pops up here, you can click on the Support link at the top of the page and support me or the website.

If you didn't see, there's a new post about my arch-nemesis, Capt. Kid. He says he knows famous actress Not Rita Hayworth because he's a liar and needs to seek therapy.

February 15, 1987

If this happened today, Brutus would've been beaten by the other restaurant patrons and arrested. Ha ha. We're living in a terrible timeline.

And Brutus, you're fine. No need to be embarrassed or worried. No need to make a federal case out of going into the wrong bathroom. It's 1987, not 2025.

"He says whatever I tell him to say." "I was with Hurricane Hattie at whatever time you say the crime happened. You can't pin this on her, pigs!"

You taught Kewpie to talk? You were only gone 15 minutes.

Watching a Star War

June 29, 1966

Call me crazy, Quincy, but I'm starting to think that Bernice isn't that much into you anymore. I feel she's just using you for your money and just based on the two strips I've now seen with her, she doesn't seem all that great. (Not that you're a prize either though...)

And yes, "Creme de cacahuete grillée sur des bouche d'incendie" does translate to "roasted peanut cream on fire hydrants".

I'm sorry, but there are no "spoiler alert" warnings on things older than five years. There's especially no "spoiler alert" warnings on things 45 years old.

Does Brutus always forget how The Empire Strikes Back ends? I'd go to the doctor and get that checked out.

Using 'Monsieur' Very Loosely

June 22, 1966

Do you need to go somewhere, Alice? There are places you can go that will protect you from him. Can you go stay with someone? This guy does not seem to be as cool and fun as his namesake tiles.

You don't need an appetizer. It is just you. Just get some extra food or a side with your meal if you are that hungry.

The waiter's face in the third panel. "Oh, geez. Sounds like I'm getting a $5 tip with this one."

Blow Her Kisses!!

June 2, 1966

Is a moth flying out of his wallet? I'm going to assume that's what's happening.

Quincy Madison is really a ladies man. I don't like that he seems to bounce between some kind of simp to a man of action, but The Born Loser isn't really known for its character development or continuity.

19-I wish they would've left on the original signed date-83

"Come on, Gladys. You can't be mad at me for sneaking out of that party and leaving you alone with a suit of armor. That happened 10, 11 years ago."

Just Order What You Want

September 7, 1986

Brutus is acting like several people I see online talking about TikTok over the last twelve hours.

Calling over the phone to ask for a raise seems weird. I mean, having to ask for a raise has always been weird to me. You shouldn't have to ask for one, you just get one. If I asked for a raise at any of my jobs, they would've just laughed at me and talked to me about "modest, scheduled raises" every year or whatever.

Why can't Brutus have the spaghetti? Why can't she just order the beef wellington? If the beef wellington is $50 and on special, how much is this spaghetti?

Beef wellington is just a fancy corn dog.

Don't forget to check out the first month of Art Samson and Russ Winterbotham's Chris Welkin, Planeteer that posted yesterday. If you would like to support me or this website, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

Seriously, Why So Angry?

I had to think about it, but I have never been denied anything from my health insurance. I think my wife has been, but it was reinstated because of the doctor or on appeal or something, I can't remember. However, it suddenly came to me that a healthcare denial has personally affected me.

My mom was in the hospital for almost a month. Because she had Aetna, every couple weeks she had to be testing to see if she was getting better. Honestly, depending on the day, it did seem like she was getting better, slowly but surely. Anyway, it came to a point where she had to be at a certain point or they would stop paying for her hospital stay and require she be moved to a nursing facility.

I don't understand or know what their criteria is/was. I asked but even the professionals couldn't really tell me. Anyway, an extension of her stay was denied so she was then transported to a nursing facility. In the meantime, because her insurance would basically no longer pay for care/rehab and I certainly can't afford it, we began proceeding to basically begin palliative care. She went to the facility where she died two days later.

Anyway, I don't know if former Aetna CEO Brian Kane, who left Aetna in August, had anything to do with it. But maybe all these insurers realizing how much they are hated and having at least one person do something about it will make current Aetna CEO Steve Nelson be better.

But probably not.

July 13, 1986

Part of this is on Gladys. Why did she use these words? She also didn't have to spill the beans on the chair. Is today Brutus' birthday? Maybe. It'd be one of seven, I think is what we are up to now.

Chip got me. I have been complaining since forever about Brutus eating out at fancy restaurants without his family and for no good reason. Well, we finally have a reason. Whenever he's in a fancy restaurant without his family, he's on a business trip. Chip won this round.

What I don't understand now is why this waiter got so angry so quickly. Brutus got the wine pairings right so it's not like he's being gauche. Don't be a dick, just offer a suggestion, dude.

In case you missed it, there's an original post about the He Said/She Said comics of the early 1990s. If you would like to support me or this website, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

1-900-Brutus

August 27, 1989

Why isn't there already a glass of water on the table? This is basic restaurant 101. A glass of water was the norm even back in 1989, right?

I don't take my phone to bed. I have a watch but only specific people can actually ring through. My boss would not be one of them.

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Restaurant Wednesday

June 4, 1965

Ha! He shot down one of his own people thus endangering not only the lives of his fellow men but the Allies as a whole! Ha!

I do not believe I've ever seen a swastika in a comic strip before. I mean, I don't think that's possible, but it's seems so jarring to me here. Maybe it's because there's six of them and not just one on a flag or something. But I am happy about the, at least, six dead Nazis.

June 5, 1965

Sure, it's a little in poor taste, but it's funny. I'm surprised Harold hasn't done this before. Maybe Clara is a new pig...

June 7, 1965

"Anticipation and excitement"? Calm down, sir, it's a suggestion box.

And if you are so gung ho about solving the water cooler dilemma (personally, I love water cooler talk) then why don't you figure out a solution?

January 22, 2024

Mr. Geste is good at his job. Brutus is not so of course he's not going to be treated like a rock star. I mean, Brutus is the star of a nationally syndicated comic strip and I never hear anything about it. It is a stalwart workhorse that never makes news. And it has me commenting on it nearly every day. Can't even get a decent person to make fun of it.

January 23, 2024

Kewpie when he/she wakes up.

Kewpie isn't even close to a sled dog. Quit making non-sled dogs sled dogs.

"Yeah, I guess you can. Will you also be getting an entrée? You will? Who am I to judge? Money is money."

Trout Scout

June 2, 1965

Uh-oh! Like the Custer strip from a week ago, someone's gonna die. Well, not Napoleon--he'll die in exile on the island of Saint Helena six years later, but about 25,000 of his soldiers will.

Is Napoleon a born loser? Maybe at this specific moment of time, but in general, no. I do think the title works better with a main character and not just randos dealing with one-off little foibles.

Brook trout was brought up back in November. WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THIS FISH?

And just because it's frozen doesn't mean it isn't fresh. You just want to leave fish you got that morning just laying out at room temperature? I don't. Although I would never order fish.

Mother Gargle Has No Joy

May 4, 1986

I am all for using public transportation, but somehow I don't see Gladys being fine with taking the bus. Seems like it would be beneath her even though she is definitely no better than anyone that takes the bus.

For those who don't know, the joke goes "You're ugly/stupid/whatever." "You're drunk." "Yeah, but in the morning I'll be sober..."

Well, then, I guess you don't have to come eat out with us. Starve and die for all I care.

Honestly, Brutus sounds like one of those fathers who tries to make a stupid joke out of everything. "Nous prendrons une grande pizza avec les œuvres, s'il vous plaît," Brutus says with a loud guffaw at the Pizza Hut on South Taylor Road.

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Trout Pout

March 14, 1977

Mother Gargle is awful which makes me kind of glad that Gladys' father is dead. No offense, Gladys.

I do not like how this waiter looks like Brutus in the second panel. Honestly, I do not like anything about this waiter's character design.

I will be taking a break. If you wish to continue reading my stuff, check me out on all the social media.

Toe of Frog Seems Really Difficult To...Harvest?

February 21, 1977

Food doesn't have to be attractive for us to eat it. It's a lobster and those aren't very pretty to look at anyway. And if you are just body shaming this lobster, I'm not on board with that either!

She's not joking. The stew really has all that. Someone should call the board of health.

I'm imagining that those bats are not decorations but real bats just hovering and flying right there behind Brutus.

Wine-Oh

May 18, 1976

I guess that's progress. How many mistakes can a person make? There's only so many.

What's the word? Thunderbird!

What's the price? Thirty twice!

Why does Brutus need a wine to go with his food? You know, you don't have to order fancy alcoholic drinks when you go out to eat at nice restaurants. And if you do want a nice beverage, you have to understand that it might be a little pricey.

There's a McDonald's right next door to this restaurant, Brutus. Maybe that's more your speed.

Are the Restaurants Even In Alphabetical Order?

December 23, 1975

Looking at him right now, no. Brutus never took shore leave.

I'm impressed that the uniform still mostly fits.

You should also have their websites saved in your bookmarks so you don't even need to save the numbers in your phone.

Lee Ho Fook sounds offense. Is it offensive?

The Great Wine Connoisseur

November 26, 1975

Geez, Brutus, calm down. You're in public.

Brutus, you're, like, 40, 45. Stay away from those 20-year-olds.

According to the internet, cabernet sauvignon should be served at around 60 degrees which means it should be slightly chilled. What I saw is that it should be in a wine fridge of about 50 to 60 degrees. If it's too warm, you can't taste the flavor because of the alcohol or some crap.

That, and Brutus being by himself in this restaurant yet again really take away from the waiter's great microwave line.

Brutus Left a Lot of Tea

August 26, 1974

At least they nicely put Brutus' food on the floor and didn't just dump it onto the ground. And he apparently gets to keep his chair.

Does he mean a UPS Store or FedEx Office? You could also just use the post office. I feel you could also just look one up on your phone. I also don't think Uncle Ted lives in another city so you should know where the "shipping stores" are.

It's summer so I'm not getting paid! If you would like to support my writing or website, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

McWendeeKing

August 8, 1974

Now don't quote me on this because I am not 100% sure, but I think Rancid W. Veeblefester is in charge.

Why does Veeblefester have a whip? Even in 1974 I feel that violates OSHA or something. Anyway, if you want to see more whips, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is currently playing in theatres.

*looks to the left and right* *looks behind me* *looks up* Who are you talking to?

Fast food places haven't used "Supersize" or "Biggie" for their meals in years. That looks like a decent-sized burger. But Brutus' hands also look tiny.

Synchro-noise-city

July 22, 1974

Another case of the comic strips syncing up. Haunting melodies and incessant chitterings are practically the same thing.

Who is Mother Gargle talking to? Does she just visit to use the Thornapple's phone?

I Created a Superhero Named 'Red Fish'

July 6, 1974

That's a lot of pepper. And half of it is going right up Brutus' nose.

I don't really sneeze with pepper. It has to be a lot of pepper or it really has to get up my nose. Now, taco seasoning. It doesn't matter how much or little I use, it's making me sneeze.

I like when the old strips kind of match up with the newer ones. It's extremely rare. I have a year's worth of old strips and a lot of them are nuts.

Why does she care if Brutus gets the same thing? Is it some kind of deal? Buy two of the same entrees for only $25 or something? If you want it then get it, let Brutus get whatever he wants.