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.

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.

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!

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?

After Dinner Ailment

September 15, 1967

Ok, I'm not calling the police to chat. If I'm calling the police, then I need the police in some capacity. I'm not calling to talk about my neighborhood, which is looking a little less nice now that I've been hogtied and robbed!

Have we eaten and are now just sitting and drinking coffee to settle our stomachs or something? I'm glad Wilberforce got to eat dinner, but what he's still there for?

This Could've Been an Email

September 13, 1967

Not only does Brutus' back hurt, his legs are turning into a wispy mist. That can't be good.

Why "Old Zip Coon"? Why not "Turkey In the Straw"? 😭 

Yeah, it took Veeblefester years. Mainly because Veeblefester's father first ran the company and he didn't pass away until he was 93. "Why did you call me in...Are you counting coins?"

Brutus Should Just Use Wilberforce to Cheat

July 17, 1988

Why would you wear a fake nose and glasses when meeting someone? "Cut the tension"? I'm sure there are better ways to do that than wearing something stupid on your face. Now who's the idiot?

Is Hope a cousin on Gladys' side? The women in her family certainly have a type...

I always feel that having different names for things is a way of gatekeeping. "You don't know what 'hook' and 'slice' mean? Don't make me l-a-f-f laugh!"

I hope Wilberforce is able to keep this positive attitude while he's out on the golf course for five to seven hours today.

Up, Up, and Away

September 12, 1967

Mm. Mother Gargle was always a horrid bitch. Good to know. I don't know why this argument requires waterboarding Brutus, but the 1960s were a different time.

Clark Kent is a well-respected international journalist and author who is married to a well-respected Pulitzer Prize winning international journalist and author. Being Superman is quite literally the least remarkable part of Clark Kent. Even without the punchline, comparing Brutus to Clark Kent doesn't make sense.

Yet Another Day, Yet Another Marital Spat

September 9, 1967

Were Brutus, Gladys, Wilberforce, and maybe Teeny were just going to share one giant steak? A least they have a big salad.

We just did this last week! These two need therapy. I'm willing to pay for some of it. Or their divorce.

House Hole

Tim Curry

1946 - 2026 

Should we give Death one more chance to take an 80-year-old in hopes that he'll snag the right one? And you just know that with every celebrity death that gets an outpouring of grief, Trump is wandering around the White House saying this:

Ben Chang is just a little less insane.

 

September 8, 1967

*slams fist on desk* Get me the suggestion box!

*slams fist on desk* Get me Grinch in accounting!

*slams fist on desk* Get me the giant check!

*slams fist on desk* Get me Thornapple!

Hmm. This giant check makes the $225 I make every other week seem even smaller...

Brutus and Gladys' life is literally falling apart. Are the walls just crumbling or did Wilberforce die during the final boss fight and he ran out of continues? "I'll just hang this picture here and no one will be the wiser..."

I Want to See Gladys In High Heels

September 6, 1967

I always considered Brutus' hair as "bald" or maybe, and I'm being very generous here, "balding". Thinning makes it seem like he has hair on top and in front.

Maybe someday I'll go through all the jobs that Brutus has held before Art settled on him being a tea cozy salesman for Veeblefester. It'll be a long list like Homer Simpson's employment history.

Look, I have mad respect for the job title of "Mom" but what's Gladys got going on that's so rough? Was she spending hours cleaning up rivers of dog vomit? Her only child is old enough that he needs limited supervision and she never seems to run errands.

How does Wilberforce know the "Ginger Rogers backwards and in high heels" trope?

This Monday was so bad it sucked the color from life.

They Have, Like, Two More Weeks

September 5, 1967

He got to 240 within five minutes which seems pretty impressive. I know there are 300 seconds in 5 five minutes so you can get to 240 in that time, I just get distracted and slower as I count because I get bored.

Was he counting out loud the whole time and she just woke up, or did he just get to 240 before she got annoyed?

I'm sure if you get right down to it and dive deep into interrogating the children, there is probably something they like about school. But we don't really want to know because it's either going to be stupid or sad.

Another Day, Another Marital Spat

September 1, 1967

And now they're both going to be slaughtered. It's a shame Wilberforce will be the one to find them. I don't know if Teeny is still around, but she's resilient. She could definitely handle stumbling on dead bodies.

 

*Sigh* Can we get someone to slaughter these people...?

Brutus and Gladys do this about every other month. And every fight is almost exactly the same.

Brutus Is Going to Get Hit With a Wooden Spoon

August 31, 1967

Where do Brutus'(?) feet go? On the wheel hump? Seems uncomfortable and kind of dangerous--as we can see.

I had to write a motorcycle scene in this story (main character was riding on the back of his girlfriend's motorcycle) I am writing and I have never been on a motorcycle so I just treated it like the character was riding a roller coaster. That works, right?

Why is Brutus completely discounting boxed brownie mix? Is Gladys so bad at baking that she can't even stir together a mix, eggs, and oil?

Frozen brownies you just put in the microwave? I need to try this new technology!

Bad Leftovers Are the Worst

August 29, 1967

Ah, the sixties, when you maybe actually wanted to talk to someone on the phone because you probably kind of liked them. Running upstairs, making sure you got to the phone. Wait. Why were phones a good idea again?

I can't believe Brutus just laid there as the phone rang loudly in his ear. I would've thrown it across the room, so I might as well just answer the damn thing.

This is what we did for dinner last night. Not ham loaf, leftovers. Although the leftovers did have ham.

Geez, Gladys seems really happy about these leftovers.

Here's Your Random Soda

I don't know if you've noticed but I've been scarce on social media the last week or so. Partly because I started back at work so I'm there for 7+ hours a day, but mostly because social media has been boring and it hasn't been keeping my interest. Honestly, if I didn't have to post links to my website every day to keep readership up, I'd just drift away from social media and spend time doing other things. Between work, school, the park, writing, and reading, I have plenty of crap going on in my life. I don't need social media.

July 3, 1988

So let me get this straight. Absolutely no one had ever been hit on the head by anything until 1666? I find that hard to believe. In reality, even if Titus Thornapple had been hit by the apple, was Titus Thornapple a scientist? Isaac Newton only started looking into what would become gravity because he was isolating because of the plague and had a lot of time on his hands, and because he asked questions because he's a scientist!

I guess Newton witnessed this apple falling, but didn't decide to do any research until six years later.
Friend: "Isaac, what you working on?"
Newton: *sucking on some mercury* "Six years ago I watched this apple fall and nearly bean a guy on the noggin and it gave me an idea..."

Mother Gargle takes the bus from Cleveland to Erie? That sounds terrible. I just figured she drove.

Oh, boy. A watered-down soda, no change, and Mother Gargle is $50 richer. What a crappy Sunday.

Grmblmxf Saturday

August 28, 1967

What is Gladys taking out of the oven? A beehive?

And where do you get olives that size? I want one.

Wasp nests just don't appear overnight. That thing has been there for days. It can wait a couple more hours.

I like putting my feet up as well. I didn't even know Brutus' green chair was a recliner. Maybe it's only a recliner when the story calls for it.

Shrimp of the Day

August 25, 1967

How come there are all these instruments lying around? We've seen Brutus play a cello before, but also bagpipes, another cello, a saxophone, a tuba, yet another cello, a violin, more bagpipes, and another tuba. Where are all these instruments coming from?

And with only a couple of exceptions, he can seemingly play them all.

And you can't make the shrimp hot? You can't deep-fry them? I don't know why I question this diner. They are terrible and no one should eat here.

Mother Gargle Haters Club

August 24, 1967

If the creamed codfish looks like the search images, it looks like lumps of potatoes. I'm not a seafood guy so I would never eat creamed codfish and jelly sandwiches. I feel like Wilberforce is trying to throw up.

Where'd they get malteds?

"Is your mother-in-law really all that annoying?" Yes! Ramona Gargle is terrible! She first showed up for my website way back in March 2008 and she has been getting worse every day since. I will always be on Brutus' side when it comes to hating Mother Gargle.