Mindy’s been so dumb the last week, I’m half surprised panel two didn’t go like this:
Mindy: “You drew this on my shirt!? You live in Sri Lanka? Because that’s where it says the shirt came from! I knew it was ‘custom’ but wow,and it only cost me 30 bucks! Does it get tiring drawing on shirts all day?”
And sure you’re seasoned. I bet you’ve got a lovely Blue Emu rub all over your arthritic hands, combined with peppermint essential oils. Embalmed is not the same as seasoned.
As many pointed out yesterday, how many famous old artists and actors does Batiuk intend to shove into the twilight years of his strip? At this point we’re up to five or six random octogenarians wandering in the strip so younger characters can show their comics cred by squeebleing all over them.
That vaguely Maoist hat, combined with a granola munching quirky appearance, makes me suspicious of this plotline though. Like we’re about to get a ‘serious’ story about how a woman was idealistic about America in the old days of institutionalized racism, sexism, and South Asian proxy wars, but now that Trump is in office she’s realized the error of her ways now supports Bolshevism.
Son of Stuck Funky 
“Squeebleing”…LOL! How many ancient comic book artists can there be in one place? Does every old comic book artist retire to Ohio and if so, why? And since when is Mindy an old comic book aficionado? Didn’t she just sort of accidentally stumble into the comic book business? How many times do I have to type “comic book” before I go completely insane? The answer appears to be five.
This strip is just an extension of Batty’s Blog. Whatever hits his mind, makes it into the strip.
He vacations in LA, we get Butter Brickel.
He goes to ComicCon, we get an arc on old female artists.
He goes to the Medina County Fair, we get “Fair thee well”. (I still don’t get it.)
On his real blog, we get to read about how he lawyered up to take on the evil, money grubbing syndicates that gasp, wanted some control over his work.
According to his blog he’s doing “research” on a (ugh) “sprawling” arc we can expect to see next year, one that has something to do with (ugh) Hollywood (again). Of course his version of “Hollywood” will be all about its seamy underbelly, where (ugh) honorable comic book writers and artists are cruelly exploited by the machine and etc. He seriously needs to get out more.
Oh goodness gracious…please, no!
I still think this looks like a prank being played by Dinkle. Though it does make me wonder what kind of pun “Ruby Lith” is supposed to represent. Because on its own, it’s a damned stupid name.
Rubylith is a masking film used by lithographers and pre-digital graphic artists.
Ruby here, no doubt, has a sister named Amber… Oy!
And a cousin named Amber Gris!
Even explained, it’s a damned stupid name. Especially because I think if you have to explain something, it’s not humorous.
I expect this storyline to culminate with Ruby Lith and her old art buddy Phil Holt reuniting and marrying because Batiuk completely forgot he killed Holt off.
By reiterating Sunday’s reveal, this strip has officially put more effort into confirming who drew the comic book character on Mindy’s t-shirt than it did into Mindy getting engaged.
Not only that, Mindy seems a lot more interested in who drew the cartoon than in being engaged to Pete. These are not normal human priorities, Mr. Slice Of Life cartoonist.
Remember when I suggested hiring someone under 50 to punch up your jokes? Make it a woman, and let her help write your female characters as well.
“By reiterating Sunday’s reveal, this strip has officially put more effort into confirming who drew the comic book character on Mindy’s t-shirt than it did into Mindy getting engaged.”
Or the TALKING MURDER CHIMP. Never forget.
I have to say the phase ‘talking murder chimp’ is nearly poetic in its perfection.
“Talking Murder Chimp” – now there’s an Atomik Komik I might read.
I wish Jessica had tracked the 99 year old Zanzibar down to a seedy apartment, and got shot when she climbed in the window to interview him.
Then she would have had a story.
“What happened to your arm?”
“I got shot by a talking chimpanzee.”
Oooooo! Comic-themed double -ceremony with MintyPete?
Her full name is Rubella Lithargy, but she shortened it so Batiuk would have more room for his usual logorrhea.
As I said, we’re about to get an amazingly wrong-headed attempt to pay tribute to the women of the comics industry. It’s only going to just keep getting worse.
Not old, but seasoned. Therein lies the rub. Shall I explain it so you know it’s funny?
I hope it’s revealed that she’s seeking her long-lost husband, Cliff Anger, who left their apartment in 1957 for smokes and beer and never returned.
Seriously though, I wonder if Ruby is based, at least in part, on Ramona Fradon, a vastly underrated Silver/Bronze Age artist who drew everything from Aquaman and The Super-Friends for DC to the Brenda Starr newspaper strip.
“I hope it’s revealed that she’s seeking her long-lost husband, Cliff Anger, who left their apartment in 1957 for smokes and beer and never returned.”
I love it, but let’s make it “he said he was just going to pick up his friend’s pet!”
Once again we wil be treated to the Author’s feeble well meaningness. I supose he will decry that woman who worked in comics especially in the golden/silver age have been ignored or forgotten but will do it in such a clumsy & ham handed manner that the reader will end up annoyed and unsure of exactly what the Author had in mind – as a recent example a recent story that was touted as a story about being put on trial by the media ended up being about a talking monkey.
And I don’t see that as a vague maoist cap – I think its supposed to be cap where the brim can snap and unsnap – a newsboys’ cap I think – there is a silver dot on the bill in the first panel. I’m guessing the red spot a colorist’s goof of which we have seen more than a few in this strip. Of course if she starts singing the International I will freely admit error.
If he does do something about “women who have been ignored or forgotten” I hope he doesn’t look at any of his own characters.
well said.
So, forgive me if this detailed backstory has been artfully sprinkled in throughout the course of strips leading up to this one, but what is Miss American’s deal? Waving a flag and pointing while wearing some sort of vaguely western get-up?
Also, Mindy is a complete jerk. Who uses ‘old’ when ‘legendary’ or ‘famous’ or just about any other non-insulting run-of-the-mill adjective could’ve served?