Tag: the internet

Maybe he fell short of a Pulitzer, but today Tom Batiuk wins the award for MAIADB: Most Acronyms in a Dialogue Balloon. Can one of our esteemed vets hip me to what O.E.D. stands for in this context? My normally awesome Google skills failed me. “T.B.I.”, of course, stands for Tom Batiuk’s Incoherence, an issue that affects not just Wally, but everyone who reads TB’s “writing”.

Update: O.E.D. or E.O.D.?

More confusing-acronym hell: It looks like panel one was amended since it appeared months ago in the Puppies Behind Bars newsletter. Since the site where I get my comics was down (it’s since come back online, thank goodness) I used the black and white panels from the preview. So, as John commented below, I guess the acronym is E.O.D. (explosives ordinance disposal), which opens up yet another can of worms: the only time I can recall seeing Sgt. Wally dealing with explosive ordinance was when he stepped on a Bouncing Betty during his Afghan honeymoon and had to be rescued by Khan. The retcons (ret-Khans?) are coming fast and furious now, kids. Maybe the Grand Finale draws nigh after all?

Today we’re treated to the most melodramatic, soap-operatic chunk of leaden dialog that the funnies have seen in years.

So the reason those “wet-behind-the-ears shrinks” were unable to reach Wally was that they never walked a mile in his combat boots? Fine. But what about the heart-to-heart he had with ‘Nam vet Principal Nate? And those group therapy sessions with his buddies at the VA? Oh, right: that was only one session, after which he decided he needed to go back to Afghanistan. For his honeymoon. Maybe when Uncle Sam recalled him (on a technicality, no less!), he should have tried for a section 8.

Anyway: I sure hope Wally’s more amenable to pet therapy than was his Uncle Cousin Funky!