Season Opener

Winsor McCay was a pioneer in both animation and comic strips, creating the beloved Little Nemo In Slumberland which lasted 11 years from 1905 to 1914 and 1924 to 1926, but his longest-running comic was Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend which lasted 1904 to 1913 and, as Rarebit Reveries, from 1923 to 1925 and featured different people having nightmares because they ate rabbit. You can see a small collection of Rarebit Fiend and a sample of McKay's first popular comic Little Sammy Sneeze here.

October 10, 1967

I agree. Those signs should either already be up or installed while the library is closed. This guy doesn't even look like he works for the library.

And there's another game on, with all that other crap, after this one! Yay, sportsball!

My mom would watch sports and whenever we'd go to my Grandma's, my uncle would dominate the TV with his sports. The fact that I was around sports so much as a kid yet never got into them I think definitely says more about sports than it does me.

And Is He Holding the Controller Like a Remote?

What if Elvis Presley was a rooster?

One of my favorite movies growing up, Rock-A-Doodle reimagines the story of Chanticleer. A group of animals try to find Chanticleer in the Big City to bring him home so he can wake up the sun and stop the endless rain.

Let's just say this movie is definitely not like the Don Bluth movies that came before this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 9, 1967

Teeny is cooking? Oh, what a day! Is she boiling just the meat or the entire hamburger? Those patties are probably just going to fall apart when she takes them out of the pot. How did Gladys and Wilberforce get out this dinner?

Is Wilberforce playing a golf game? What game has you try for the lowest score? I'll admit that I'm not up-to-date on what games kids play these days, but "the lowest score wins"?

Golden Boy

In 1903, plans were made for a railroad to be built from Topeka, Kansas to Council Grove. As it became clear that this railroad probably wouldn't get built, its lines became extended and even more plans were made in hope of securing funding.

The Topeka, Eskridge & Council Grove Railroad.

 

 

 

 

October 7, 1967

"We'll be dead soon anyway..."

I guess the island is pretty sound. It's been there long enough to have pretty large palm tree on it. And these people seem unbothered by being here on this island so maybe I shouldn't be concerned.

Golden touch my ass. Veeblefester was born into wealth. He has other people to deal with his money. That's literally the only thing I actually like about Veeblefester is that he's an old school rich person and doesn't actively use his money to make everyone's lives worse unlike just about every other rich person out there.

What Shape? Lower Case B? Lower Case D if Facing to the Left

Someone wants to change time and fix the DC Universe. They want to make everything perfect, even if that means killing those who try to stop them and creating more than one world!

Who is behind Zero Hour: Crisis In Time? My first major crossover after starting to read comics, and a two-part retrospective dedicated to my father-in-law.

Part One & Part Two

 

 

October 6, 1967

Has Teeny's long-haired doofus boyfriend always been called Harold? Eh, who cares? He'll probably get sent to Vietnam in six months or so, so he won't be Teeny's problem anymore.

What should Teeny be "down with"? I'm gonna go with sales tax.

 

That doesn't sound like a gym. They'll usually take your money no matter what. I'm guessing Brutus didn't pass their vibe check.

Decision 2026

 

In 1888, H.D. Booge bought some land hoping to turn it into a suburb of Topeka, Kansas. This was just one of many business ventures he would come up with. Although you might consider the term "business venture" a nicer way of saying "scam".

Take a look at Chicago Heights and several other of Booge's money-making attempts.

 

 

 

October 5, 1967

Speech disorders are no laughing matter! If this guy is employed by a company, then good on that company for hiring someone with a speech impediment that makes singing Italian stereotype songs difficult. If he's self-employed, does he still make decent money? Is it a lot of pity fares?

Mm. So Brutus is still indecisive. This will not do. Not do at all.

I feel Brutus goes out of his way in order to not make a decision. You can't be blamed and things can't be your fault if things just happen!

A Day of Rest

Calvin gets a new neighbor just in time for Christmas. As Calvin becomes friends with Erin and her daughter Lillian, Calvin's favorite teacher, Mr. Faddis, gets hired to be Santa Claus for his building. But both Calvin and Erin become suspects when Mr. Faddis is found murdered.

Who killed Mr. Faddis? The Fifth Floor.

 

 

October 4, 1967

All that fuss because Wilberforce has to write a thank you note? He probably could've gotten that letter written in the time it took him to struggle, be picked up, and carried to the writing desk.

Someone has sapped the soul completely out of today's strip!

It's actually just a weird glitch where the black doesn't come through.

I'm not a baseball person but this is one of the many appropriate ways to celebrate Labor Day. As long as you are not working, then you are doing it appropriately. I just hope your chair is more comfortable than Brutus' looks.

Brilliant Strategy, Brutus--Words Have No Meaning

July 24, 1988

Why couldn't the bank guy give Brutus the $100? Or why didn't Brutus just get the money from inside the bank? You would think the ATM would just not work if it were out of cash. Seems very inconvenient.

Brutus' PIN is 9999 so if you find his card, that's his code. Honestly, he probably has it written on the card.

Hey! Brutus has another friend! I don't think we've seen this guy before or since, but he's out there. I bet this was one of the last times 'beer' is mentioned in The Born Loser. I think Chip began using the more kid-friendly 'drink' shortly after 2020. A lot of things changed (or should've changed) after 2020.

 

 

 

 

 

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Oh, What Heights We'll Hit...

October 3, 1967

I've been wondering this for nearly 19 years. Brutus doesn't seem particularly good at golf yet he plays it constantly. I guess he could just be playing because it's an activity that gets him outside, but still...

Is Wilberforce watching cartoons on Tubi or MeTV, because no one airs old Saturday morning cartoons anymore. And is it me or is Wilberforce too enthralled with Bugs Bunny's antics with Elmer Fudd? Maybe it's one of the cartoons where Bugs cross-dresses and it's opening up some stuff in Wilberforce.

More Than Raw

October 2, 1967

Don't be a hero, Brutus. Instead of trying to say something tough, Brutus should've done something while the robber had the gun tucked under his arm. I mean, I don't know if that's something I would do, but Brutus was willing to do this, so why not just attack?

It's a three-day weekend, Brutus can afford to have tummy bubbles from diner seafood this weekend.

I barely trust this diner with making my chicken fried steak, why would I trust it with sushi?

Wouldn't Everything Be Blurry Before Putting On Your Glasses Anyway?

September 30, 1967

Rake. Rake. Rake.

I can't believe we're missing nearly half a month of The Born Loser for September 1967. I'm sure I could find them, but just a quick search didn't give me what I needed. I'll need to try to find them and maybe put them as a special post or something.

One thing I did find was this ad for The Born Loser being added to some newspaper in 1997. I feel like if your newspaper didn't already have Frank and Ernest or The Born Loser by 1997, then maybe your readers don't really need them.

Brutus Thornapple a precursor to Homer Simpson? That's a bold statement. I wouldn't go that far. Brutus and Homer are not similar at all. Although I think you could argue that today's Brutus is more like Homer because that has been our baseline for pop culture fathers for 40 years.

"I went to the doctor today...and he did everything he could but...I am in perfect health." There's got to be a better way to open this conversation than making me worried that Uncle Ted is going blind. Love and care for your eyes, people!