I Don't Like the Word Cankles

Those are one old pair of pants.

Why didn't Brutus come out in the pair of jeans? He wants to show Gladys that he's not fat and can fit into his old jeans but he doesn't come out and prove it to her? There are a lot of holes in Brutus' story. And probably a lot in those jeans.

The Holidaze

Look, I don't want to get all continuity-y on you but Brutus, from what we've been told, only has two living older relatives. Uncle Ted and his mother-in-law, Ramona Gargle. Everyone else related to Brutus lives in his house. Who drove him crazy? He should be used to Mother Gargle and he likes Uncle Ted. Also, Brutus still had to work. He probably only got Christmas Eve/Day and New Year's Eve/Day off if that so he had at least 8 family-free hours away.

And we know Brutus didn't kill them making this a pseudo-confession because we've seen, at least, Gladys since the holidays.

Sometimes They Televise Debate

Why would colleges focus on playing and televising things that actually could inspire and motivate kids to do well in school? No, no. It's great that you think everyone can be an athlete and constantly reinforce that idea into our youth.

Tauy Creek Digest #52: Will O' the Wisp

Key Comics was published by Consolidated Magazines out of Springfield, Massachusetts. It only lasted for five issues between January 1944 and August 1946 and went through 4 logo changes in those five issues. I'm guessing because there was so much between each issue. The first issue featured The Key, a superhero detective who had a special key and not much else. He did have kind of a Native American sidekick who everyone called a "redskin" so the 1940s casual racism shines through brilliantly. The next story features Dick Dash, an American schoolboy who is being schooled in France as it is being bombed by Nazis. After that is our featured story but after that is The Curse of the Fortune Teller, vhich features bad eastern European accents sprinkled all though ze comic. Oh, and the last story, Mascot Monkey Shines features a Japanese man colored in the brightest yellow I've ever seen and whenever he talks, they draw little faux-Japanese symbols in front of each line. It's wholesome entertainment.

Gale Leary, the Will O' the Wisp, was featured on the cover of the first two issues of Key Comics while The Key was featured on the last three. The idea of Will O' the Wisp was kind of strange. The criminals that killed her mother and crippled her father gave her a willow tree branch to shut her up when she was a baby. She kept that willow branch for 20 years and it gives her powers, the power to make criminals do themselves in. In her first adventure, she is able to do in one of the criminals and takes care of the other one in the following issue.

What's interesting is Boss Evans believes he can ruin Leary's career by shattering his legs. It's not like he's a police officer or a detective. He's a lawyer. I guess this was before the Americans With Disabilities Act so getting inside the courthouse might have been an issue.

The credits on Gale Leary: The Will O' the Wisp are listed as Chu Hing as both writer and artist. You can read more about Chu Hing here.

Working Weekend

Appanoose was small town located right on the county line between Douglas and Franklin County about eight miles east of Overbrook. A post office was established in 1857 in Franklin County and at some point moved to Douglas County before closing in 1860. The post office reopened in 1870 and closed permanently in 1902.

The Appanoose Church of the Brethren was built around 1886 in Franklin County. It served the surrounding area of both Franklin and Douglas counties. It even grew big enough to get members from another nearby church. The congregation declined in the middle of the 20th Century when children grew up, left the family farms, and got jobs in the city. Regular services ended in 1972 and the congregation was formally disorganized in 1980. The church was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the nearby Appanoose Cemetery as a contributing property. The Kansas Historic Resource Inventory has some great pictures of the inside.

Appanoose Cemetery, across from the Brethren Church in Douglas County.

Appanoose School, built in 1919, a new school was built directly behind it and is now
consolidated with the Pomona School District. This building now serves as a museum.

The Appanoose Baptist Church, built in 1877. The bell tower was built in 1900.

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This is what I do with my students. "I don't know how to spell!" "Well, do your best and then do spell check and it'll fix it for you." And then either they spell so atrociously that spell check doesn't know what they are trying to say or the kids pick the wrong word to correct their mistake with.

I'm gonna give a shout-out to the color in today's strip. I like that yellow used on the background.

I Approve of the Diet Though

*looks to my left*

*looks to my right*

*looks behind me*

WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?!

The Tubby-Short Correlation

Where's Wilberforce? Shouldn't he be out here keeping Hattie away from Brutus? Brutus should've made a New Year's resolution to keep his distance from Hattie. Or run her over with a car. Whichever actually keeps her from getting into his house.

Kiss the Cook

One thing I've learned doing this thing is that Gladys' ability as a cook varies depending on what's funnier. Basically, Gladys is a good cook on old tried and true recipes but bad on new recipes. FYI, I've screwed up some pretty basic frozen dinners but it's because frozen dinners are usually trash.

New Year, Same Old Veeblefester

Veeblefester should've thrown something at Brutus as he closed the door. You're not a terrifying monster of a boss unless you are throwing things at your employees.

New Year, New Regrets

Holy crap, Uncle Ted looks old. I guess, looking at his last appearance, he doesn't look different, he just has those lines around his mouth which I have never noticed before. Anyway, don't be like Uncle Ted, treat every day as if it was going to become one of the good old days then you won't have a lifetime of regret.