I Think School Administration Would Put a Stop to That

August 28, 1988

"Nearly impossible..."? So they were able to flush it but it got stuck somewhere between the toilet and the wall? Sounds expensive.

Why can't we do both? Seems perfectly reasonable that, while you're out, you can purchase both school clothes and a Halloween costume. Saves on having to get out again and there should be a better selection right now.

I don't know what Gladys means by the "careful what you wish for" statement so I'm just going to pretend she didn't say it.

 

 

 

 

 

My Tumblr experiment did not do well so future chapters will not be posted and the first two have been deleted. Anyway, if you would like support me or this website, you can buy me a cup of coffee here.

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!

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..."

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.

That'll Cost You Extra

Okay, you can just start washing. You don't need my permission. I clearly have already agreed to and paid for this.

Just go to a car wash. It's one thing washing your house. You can't take your house to a Charlie's House Wash. But you can take your car to a Charlie's Car Wash.

I Don't Think That List Is Enforceable

It has been a busy week. Each Monday through Friday post had a link from an old post in it. Mighty Max, Tank N Tummy, Wyoming (Kansas), the TaleSpin Tiger Electronic Handheld Game, A Matter of Faith, and Lucy and Sophie Say Good Bye. There was also a Saturday post about the animated pilot for Chris Welkin Planeteer. Plus, a short social media post about a copy of Through the Looking Glass my store has on display. If you find any of this interesting, you can throw me a tip at one of the links in the About page.

May 8, 1988

Were dog whistles more of thing, too? Dog whistles have made way too many appearances in this comic. I can count on one hand how many times I think this comic has mentioned dog whistles. You know how many dog whistles I've actually seen? None!

They must be like quicksand.

If my spouse gave me a honey-do list, she'd have to find herself a new honey to do those things.

Is Uncle Ted visiting or did Brutus storm all the way to Uncle Ted's to complain about the list of chores?

I Don't Think People Go Around Calling June 6th 'D-Day'. It's Not Memorial Day or Thanksgiving.

Hey, there. Hi, there. Ho, there. For 🌈🏳️‍🌈Pride Month🏳️‍⚧️🌈 and the end of our week-long rerun-a-nanza, we are going to promote Lucy and Sophie Say Good Bye. Running in Chicago Tribune from March to October 1905, Lucy and Sophie confuse, confound, and anger people around them just for taking too long to say good-bye to each other. While not explicitly said, Lucy and Sophie, obviously, are just really good friends.

July 25, 1967

Tubs overflowing is such a weird trope. We, as modern people, are used to bathtubs having an overflow drain so the tub doesn't do this while you inexplicably decided to answer the phone while filling the tub. Apparently, even some tubs today don't have an overflow drain so you can fill the tub fuller and have a tub with a clean, modern aesthetic. Whatever.

"Look, Pop, school is out and I don't have to learn anymore. See ya!" And, hey, 'D' is passing! So there's that...

I haven't paid attention to June 6th since Charles Schulz died.

June 6, 1993

Coinage

June 17, 1967

Maybe it just didn't scan properly, but there's no water leaking from the hose. It's just...happening. Right? Maybe there is a small leak at the bottom of the panel. It's not directly underneath Brutus, but just to the side.

It's nice to see Gladys doing some yard work instead of her making Brutus do everything.

Who would stop and pick up a penny these days? I guess maybe kids would. Money is money after all.

I don't know why Hattie is giving us that look. Already sick of Wilberforce's crap about this quarter, I guess.

Definitely a Three-Panel Comic

Katy
2008 - 2026

June 13, 1967

They're pulling a Trump: If you just constantly tell people that you won, act like you won, and ignore all proof that you lost, then you and those who like you will just go along with you. Brutus, at least, actually has some humbleness and is not a narcissist and know that elections in the United States are fair and square.

That is seriously his campaign poster?

Look, I'm not saying it's Gladys' job to do every bit of house cleaning, but Gladys is home everyday while Brutus and Wilberforce are gone at work and school for 7 to 9 hours a day. Although, in Gladys' defense, we had a pop leak in our fridge and we have to clean it up. Everything is so sticky.

Who Moved His Cheese?

June 6, 1967

The idyllic calm of the suburbs were rocked today when the front drivers-side tire to a local...milk truck(?) inexplicably exploded today? Based on the information we have, the truck was just sitting there when the tire exploded. It caused local man Brutus Thornapple to have a little fright and spill his can of paint. The milkman was unharmed and unfazed by the incident.

"Why's he always complain' about work when all he does is watch rats run around? I thought he did something with tea cozies, whatever the hell those are."

We're Still Paying Off Our Last Dream

June 2, 1967

Look, if you two want to see each other while wet and dressed only in towels, you don't have to go through these elaborate lies. Especially since you're doing it out in public anyway.

"They"? Who's "they"? Weinermeyer's? They're okay, I guess. I feel their products have gone downhill in the last couple of years. Probably something to do with Covid and supply chain or whatever.

"A new washer and dryer would be a dream..." Aww, what a sad dream.

Sunday Is for Rest

January 31, 1988

You can't really cut Brutus out of your will. Whatever Gladys inherits would just become Brutus'. If Mother Gargle wants to cut Brutus out, she'd have to cut Gladys out as well. Although I do think Mother Gargle is that petty so I guess it's safe to be cautious.

A simple signed letter from Winston Churchill could fetch about $800-$2000, so not really the fortune Brutus is thinking. Now if Churchill wrote to Mother Gargle about how delightful Joseph Stalin and Franklin Roosevelt were during the Tehran Conference then that letter could fetch upwards of $50,000.

Had Mother Gargle mailed that letter, it could've turned the tide of World War II...

Brutus was originally planning to get up at 11!? I went to bed at one last night was still up by 8:30. Did Brutus really drug himself up or something? What time was Gladys up and why can't she help with the "chores"?

If you would like to support me or this website, you can give through the About page. Thanks for reading!

It's Not Even Lit

2025 Year In Review

2025 suuuuucked. On the plus side, I did get a lot of writing done this year, read enough, and reestablished myself at work. I also focused a lot of attention on this website. A post nearly every day and two on most Saturdays worked to my favor. More people have read this site this year than any other year. If you are one of those people, thank you for reading. I'll get to my favorite posts in a bit, but first, I want to list my five favorite books that I read this year.

In no particular order, here are my favorite books that I read in 2025.

• Bellies by Nicola Dinan
• Welcome to Dorley Hall by Alyson Greaves
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Hot Girls With Balls by Benedict Nguyen
• Sky Daddy by Kate Folk

As for my favorite posts of the year, that was a bit harder to determine as I posted a lot this year. Again, in no particular order, first up is Korman's Kalamity, an episode of HBO's Tales from the Crypt starring Harry Anderson as a cartoonist whose monsters come to life. Rock-A-Doodle, one of my favorite movies when I was a kid, is up next. A reimagining of the story of Chanticleer by Don Bluth, this movie was important to me because it was a surprising birthday gift from my Mom. Interested in name Jaketown for a road in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, led to me researching the Jaketown neighborhood and the people in Lower Snokomo. One of my favorite video games gets looked at: Felix the Cat from Hudson Soft on the Nintendo Entertainment System. And finally, I expand my interest in a visiting elephant back in the 1960s.

Feel free to peruse all 378 posts from this year. As always, share the posts you like, follow me on social media, and if you would like to support me or this website, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

February 15, 1967

I didn't hear anything, Brutus. Quick! Finish the job! What are you even bricking up? Seems kind of suspicious. What don't you want people to find? The soon-to-be-dead body of your beloved wife, Gladys?

Come on, Brutus, ten more bricks... How'd she even get behind there? Is Brutus really just bricking up half of a room or something?

December 31, 2014

"I thought you gave up cigars years ago, chief. Like, some time in the late 1990s or early 2000s when smoking in public started falling out of favor and showing people smoking in TV, movies, and comic strips became unacceptable. It was around the time we stopped sexually harassing Miss Buxley in Beetle Bailey?"

Let's Rewatch How It All Went Wrong!

September 13, 1987

Did it take this electrician a month to make the appointment? Did the Eddys move because their entire house shorted out? "If we turn on more than three lamps, the house will burn down."

See? No lucky jersey.

I don't really like to watch either of these things, football(?) or singing competitions, but if you held a gun to my head, I'd probably pick...Honestly, the football game. I know, I'm surprised, too.

Yesterday, a more in-depth biography of Anthony Overton and his Overton Hygienic Manufacturing Company posted. Read about the first Black person to own a conglomerate. If you would like to support me or this website, you can click the link at the top of the page.

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!

Monday Quickies

December 23, 1966

Leave the professional alone. He's the one that went to school or apprenticed to do this. There's a reason he's getting paid.

The eggs have to be over easy? That seems like a weird stipulation. Why can't it just be two eggs?

The Children Are Threatening to Riot

December 12, 1966

I think I mowed my last for this season. I last mowed a couple weeks ago then Fall arrived.

You know, that tall grass will still be there after the Spring thaw.

You're out of candy? Then turn that porch light off and ignore the trick-or-treaters. You are not obligated to keep an endless supply of candy around.

For our last Halloween post is "Emily In the Cellar" from Liberty Horror #6 (2022). Emily has spent the last five years locked in an abandoned cellar. Why is she down there and will she be able to leave?

👻Happy Halloween!🎃

Monday Quickies

December 6, 1966

No. And Brutus will never get a raise. 59 years of never getting a raise. Brutus is probably still getting paid 1966 money.

Pour some bleach or drain eater down there to destroy the hair. Any idiot can do it, you don't need to bother this idiot with it.

Seriously. Every Week?

edited from the original, by Lee Judge

November 15, 1966

He remembered her. It was after everything else and when he was in the car and possibly driving away, but he remembered her!

Where are they going? Must not be for very long since they aren't taking any luggage.

Wilberforce is back and he's smarter than ever!

I stopped raking years ago after learning about how our little animal friends use the leaves to stay warm and hide food during the cold months (and a little out of spite, but that's another story). Anyway, quit kowtowing to Big Rake Capitalism and stop raking leaves.

And stop using leaf blowers.