Snow Blow

February 22, 1967

The whole problem with this ruse that now you are wandering around the city with no lodge meeting to go to and what are you going to do with your outfit when you get to wherever you are playing poker? Is Brutus the Grand Poobah of his lodge?

If only there was something that could've happened so Brutus wouldn't have to make up a lodge meeting and still go out and hang with his friends.

Dick Cavalli, who this strip gives apologies to, was the writer/artist on NEA's Morty Meekle which would become Winthrop. The strip would last from 1956 until 1994. Cavalli would pass away in 1997 at the age of 74. I am just assuming Cavalli would fake lodge meetings to get away from his wife, Helen.

I'm glad to see Wilberforce is excited for the snow. I'm more in Hattie's camp. If you're gonna snow, get me out of work.

Impressed that the sidewalks have already been cleared. Wherever they live is on it with snow removal, unlike every other place in the country.

Why Is He Telling Brutus?

October 4, 1987

Brutus gets involved with parrots a lot in this comic. I mean, so far it's only been three times but that's more than I ever interacted with a parrot--which is once and even then the parrot was just in the room with me. Who knew Brutus was such a sucker for birds? Unlike Ian in Mary Worth.

I don't care if Sunny is a "stupid, nuisance bird", I hope Sunny kills Ian or at least drives him to insanity.

How many employees does Veeblefester have? I guess it doesn't matter because any number over 10 makes the bonus worthless. Hopefully, there aren't more than 500 employees and the employees will literally get pennies.

Brutus and Veeblefester talked about the bonuses back on the 18th. So maybe Veeblefester did get visited by ghosts. I mean, clearly not the A-league, but it's a start.

For this Christmas season, Calvin gets new neighbors and his favorite teacher is hired to be his building's Santa Claus, but when a murder occurs at the Fillmore, all evidence points to Calvin, his neighbors, or his girlfriend. The Fifth Floor. If you would like to support me or this website, you can click the link at the top of the page.

Diner Whiner

October 3, 1966

What the hell kind of bird is that? He says they got it at Easter so a chicken? Kind of scrawny and reminds me, for some reason, of the dodo bird in Porky in Wackyland.

The last of the dodos.

Look at Gladys sitting there with her tea. "Them's my boys," she proudly thinks.

Does Brutus think du jour is some kind of flavor and not "of the day"? Was "tomato" not written with the soup du jour? I have a lot of questions for this comic. But I always have questions when Brutus is shown eating at this diner.

"TGIF. Right, Brutus?" "That's right, Uncle Ted! Oh, shit! I forgot to go to work today!"

Now we're eating seafood at the diner? What is it with this place? Is it cheap? Does it have a good atmosphere? Is it literally the only place to eat in this city besides the fancy restaurant and the fast food place?

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."

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...

Maybe They Took Kewpie

August 3, 1965

We. Are. Going. To. Be. SO FREAKING RICH!!! A new species! And it seems friendly!! We are going to tour the country! The world! Get out from behind that desk, Dad, you and Clara will never have to work again!!

What? Someone broke into your house and stole the dozen or so sensors they placed around the doors and windows? If the system was armed then maybe you can get your money back. That's a terrible security system and you should be glad you learned that before anything more expensive and important was stolen.

Dinner Is Served

March 10, 1989

Hattie has had a pet skunk since the 1970s so Brutus shouldn't be that scared of it. This is the first time we've learned the skunk's name. Taboo. And Taboo II. Like Snowball and Snowball II and Jaws and Jaws II.

HOW LATE IS BRUTUS GETTING HOME?!!

You know Brutus, you don't have to eat at that diner/fast food every day. You are free to bring your own lunch. It will probably be better and less expensive.

She's wearing an apron to microwave a Stouffer's family size lasagna meal?

In the Nosebleeds

April 20, 1974

some questions...is this a pet turtle that the Thornapples are trying out? why is Brutus trying to walk a turtle?

That's one determined turtle. Doesn't even seem to be choking himself on his leash unlike some dogs I know.

So you were either sitting in Illinois or somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Either way, that's a big-ass stadium and I hope Uncle Ted had fun.

Team Cat

January 8, 1974

Gladys moved so fast that even her speed lines vanished before her words could.

I'm still wondering about the look on her face. Why does she get so...angry?...about money? It's weird.

Weather forecasters don't get it that wrong. I mean, I never believe the forecast until I'm in the weather but I've never seen a glaring mis-predication like this.

Most studies tend to lean that dogs are smarter than cats. Although cats have not been studied as much as dogs, the focus on them only beginning in the 21st Century. Many believe that the comparison is like apples and oranges as dogs and cats are so different and both tend to succeed at what are here to do.

But Kewpie looks dumb as hell here though.

Washing the Dog! Washing the Dog!

If Kewpie is dirty then you clean him. Normally, Kewpie seems like a pretty chill dog but must turn into a raging beast if he has to have a bath. My dog does that too if there is another dog located over the fence. She's not very personable.

By the way, Kewpie is apparently one of those dogs that can switch sexes because Kewpie used to be a girl.

I Like Kewpie's Fuzzy Legs

Not a lot of people are clamoring to be Brutus' friend. It sounds like Kewpie wouldn't even be there if she could open the door or get out of her leash. But I do think Kewpie likes Brutus more than she lets on but it's Brutus and he's so bleagh.

Actually Wilberforce Fell Down a Well But Pets Are Good, Too

I hate my dog. She's too aggressive when people or animals are anywhere near our house, she gets too focused and refuses to listen, she's a monster when it comes to treats and food, she's too loud, and she's too much of an alpha dog. But I still love her even when she jumps over the fence to eat the face off our neighbors.

Fetch the Dowsing Rod

Why did Brutus take Kewpie all the way to the Gobi Desert to play with her? Either that or this dying vacant lot was turned into the worst dog park ever.

He Barely Tried

My school performed "The Land of Oz" this past week and, as usual, they did a great job. Most of the cast were eighth graders so this will be the last year they are in our plays and I'm hoping that they continue acting and performing and maybe even try out for bigger productions outside of school.

This eighth grade was my first class when I started at Eisenhower so I have seen them grow from precocious little kids to brilliant young adults and I wish them nothing but the best in high school and beyond.

Don't forget about Patreon where you can now get a Patreon-exclusive Story Series, Tank N Tummy. You can also support my writing and research by buying me coffee.

I, too, like using the cut-and-paste feature.

Honestly, if I was at Photoshop and/or had a bit more time on my time, I'd like to change the ending of this strip to either Kewpie just pees on the floor or the real Kewpie comes in and moves this life-like dummy/decoy off panel and then sits. Ooh, ooh! Or maybe Wilberforce or Gladys comes in, says "Hi, Kewpie-girl. Sit" and Kewpie immediately sits!

Do dog owners do this? I have two dogs--well, one and a half because one has at least two of his feet in the grave--but I've never had them perform for me just so I could see if they remember what they know. That seems kind of weird to me.

Not a Very Menacing Growl

In Kewpie's defense, the Thornapple home does only have, like, one chair. Two if you count the one they bring out only when the strip calls for it.

Like my posts? It takes a lot of coffee to get all this writing done. Buy me a cup here.

Skunkmas

Apparently there is a growing movement of keeping skunks as pets. In the United States, owning a skunk varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In Kansas, it is illegal which is pretty par for the coarse in Kansas because we can't ever have any fun here. In Ohio, having a pet skunk is legal provided that you have the a permit. I would've let Hattie have a pet skunk. They seem like decent pets and look how cute they are.

He Seriously Doesn't Know?

With school finally out, LAMNB is back. It's going to be a busy summer with trying to get updates here stabilized but also working two jobs--making deliveries and being a museum interpreter (or tour guide). It'll be a busy summer but hopefully it will be a good one.

I've been reading The Born Loser for many, many, many years now and Kewpie has never seemed like the kind of dog that would run away and need to be found. Also, what's wrong with the tag she has now? What has she been doing with it? Is it really so scratched up that you can't read it or is it missing or is it out of date?

The Born Loser 15

Look at Wilberforce in the last panel. "She's got me there. Ho boy," she guffaws internally. Also, there's a difference between dogs not liking something and something being bad for them. Why does Hattie seem to be acting like baths hurt dogs?

1236: Death In the Family

Back in 2003, my cat, Shadow, started having health issues. My Mom and I took him to the vet and learned that he had very progressed diabetes. Treating it was something that we couldn't afford so after a couple of months, we decided to go back to the vet and have him put down. Starting on June 15th, the creator of Bob the Squirrel used their strip as a bit of therapy, memorializing their cat who had recently passed away.

I was with Shadow when he passed and, as described above, it was beautiful and painful. I wouldn't have to deal with the death of another pet until my wife's dog, Foxy, back in November. But Shadow was my first pet and even after 11 years, I still think about him and I still have a picture of him in my house after all these years.

No time for yourself. You spend plenty of time watching sports on television, not to mention golfing so I believe you have plenty of time for yourself and just hate your family. And I don't blame you, you have wife who browbeats you and a son who is clearly not going to be top of the class anywhere. I suggest bolting. Bolt and never look back.