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[Method of Madness]

Whoa. Hell of a jump forward.

[JoeCovenant]

Whoa. Hell of a jump forward.

That's a helluva carefree Danny - Considering the traumatic events his two most (very) recent 'exes' have just been involved in...?

[BenRG]

Amber made it very clear (to his mind) that she didn't have the time to interact with him anymore. Dorothy did the same. If they want his help, they know where he is but I can't help but empathise with him thinking that it just hurts too much to want to go rushing to their sides anymore.

Whoa. Hell of a jump forward.

In terms of writing, this is a skilful move on Willis's part. We will find out what happened to Ryan and the consequences to Amber, Dorothy (and their friendship) but not immediately. This will keep readers coming back for more. For now, we are left to wonder just what did happen and what the consequences are on the cast.

FWIW, I'm hoping that Sal intervened; she is probably the only person to whom Amber would have listened to in those circumstances. We know that she tends to stand on the roof to think. Jumping down to ground level to intervene would be difficult but not impossible.

[JoeCovenant]

Amber made it very clear (to his mind) that she didn't have the time to interact with him anymore. Dorothy did the same. If they want his help, they know where he is but I can't help but empathise with him thinking that it just hurts too much to want to go rushing to their sides anymore.

??

Nothing to do with rushing to their sides.
Nor thinking they are "wanting his help".

Merely that such an event happening, only three days previously, is unlikely to see anyone even remotely involved with those people yapping away quite happily about relationships and ukuleles.

If there's one thing we know about Danny, it's that he's a 'dweller'.
I don't know why this jump occurred, nor why Danny and Joe are acting so 'normal' for something so violent to have happened to two of Danny's exes (including one 'good friend' apparently), but it seems off-kilter to me.

YMMV, of course.

I can only think that the events of three days previous are (for whatever reason) not yet known by the general populace.
Although, with the amount of shouting going on at the time, it's hard to imagine how that could be the case.

[cesium133]

Well, at least it isn't "Fifteen years (ten with good behavior) later." 

[Neko_Ali]

There wasn't a time jump. Willis said on the last comic that it was the 'end of the (day's) story'. This is what he does all the time. What we are seeing are Danny and Joe waking up the next morning. They have no idea what happened yet. I'm sure once they leave the room they'll start hearing about some guy who jumped Dorothy and Amber, and Amber slashed him. Then the Danny Freak Out can begin.

[Method of Madness]

Neko, top left of panel one. It's three days later. That's a fairly considerable jump for this comic.

[Neko_Ali]

I missed that. That is extremely peculiar then.

[Kugai]

DAMN YOU WILLIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JoeCovenant]

Well... From thinking that people were "...yapping away quite happily about relationships and ukuleles..."

Today's strip has flipped that initial reaction purely by a now awake Joe and his facial expression and what he is saying to Danny.
("I'm Sorry...", "Only then can the healing begin...")

It now appears that they ARE aware of what happened, and Danny has lost it a little bit after hearting about it and is burying himself in denial.

Nice switch there, Mr Willis... but this doesn't bode too well...

[BenRG]

It now appears that they ARE aware of what happened, and Danny has lost it a little bit after hearting about it and is burying himself in denial.

Yeah, I have to admit that I'm now wondering if Danny has gone a little crazy after Amber was dragged away by campus security and Ryan was carted off to the Emergency Room. Could have he prevented this? I'm sure that this is tormenting him and it looks like he's trying to avoid confronting that question (no matter how unjustified it is, in my view at least) by doing something slightly random and crazy.

I'm most worried about Dorothy though. She pretty much worshipped the ground Amazi-Girl walked on and to see the beast that Amber is continually fighting against so clearly has probably shaken her to the core.

[JoeCovenant]

It now appears that they ARE aware of what happened, and Danny has lost it a little bit after hearting about it and is burying himself in denial.

Yeah, I have to admit that I'm now wondering if Danny has gone a little crazy after Amber was dragged away by campus security and Ryan was carted off to the Emergency Room. Could have he prevented this? I'm sure that this is tormenting him and it looks like he's trying to avoid confronting that question (no matter how unjustified it is, in my view at least) by doing something slightly random and crazy.

I'm most worried about Dorothy though. She pretty much worshipped the ground Amazi-Girl walked on and to see the beast that Amber is continually fighting against so clearly has probably shaken her to the core.

Isn't it that Amber is fighting against herself...?
And Amazi-Girl is a way to placate the beast in a *positive* fashion?

(Her comment to Ryan that Amazi-Girl isn't there seemed very telling to me.)

I suppose it's possible that we're looking at a more Sybil-ene Multiple Personality in Amber's case?
There's Amber, there's "The Beast"™, and there's Amazi-Girl walking the line between the extremes...??

[Neko_Ali]

To my knowledge, it's not common for those with multiple personality disorder for their personalities to be aware of each other, outside of what other people tell them. Amber has huge anger management issues, and has created Amazi-Girl as a pressure release valve. She's fully aware of what she's doing.. she tries to 'Batman' her psychological problems by pushing everything onto her costumed identity, so that Amber can be the happy go lucky college student. This doesn't work of course, and is only worsening her mental trauma. Making cracks appear in her personality and making her more desperate to separate the two. People have long been saying it's only a matter of time before she breaks down and well...

[LeeC]

So with amber fighting off a "knife wielding attacker trying to hurt her friend" instead of allowing them to be in danger, is this some sort of catharsis for what happened with Ethan?

[BenRG]

Actually, I think that, if anything, she'll feel worse. Remember, she's convinced that she's a dangerous, violent monster from whom Amazi-Girl is needed to protect the world. If she seriously injured Ryan, this will only reinforce her self-loathing.

[Method of Madness]

Honestly, the other day, I took "unfortunately for you...I am not Amazi-Girl" as an "Amazi-Girl has limits, I don't" deal. After all, Amber is the one who stabbed Sal.

[Kugai]

Oh ...............




DANG!

[A Duck]

I have a feeling that whatever was the fallout of the Amber situation 3 days before lead Danny to some sort of breakdown, hence the Ukulele.

[BenRG]

I'm sort of hoping that Amber sees Danny's new 'aesthetic', simply because, firstly, her reaction would be comedy gold and, secondly, I really want to find out if she decides that she needs to 'save' him.

[cesium133]

I'm sort of hoping that Amber sees Danny's new 'aesthetic', simply because, firstly, her reaction would be comedy gold and, secondly, I really want to find out if she decides that she needs to 'save' him.

Or if she decides to kill again.

[Kugai]

Hats are cool


Like the Daria Morgandoorffer look Carla's swinging there

[ChaoSera]

Damn you, Willis, I want to know what happened. He'll probably drag the suspense out for weeks.

[JoeCovenant]

I've decided to stop trying to figure out what the hell is going on based on *other people's* lack of/ reactions.
Because again we're seeing a strip which (initially) almost screams "nothing has happened" by it's simple normality.

[BenRG]

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the entire college community is in something approaching shock and everyone is having their own version of denial about it:

• Danny is  trying to find a carefree new persona;
• Carla is pushing her 'I don't care about anything' public face harder than usual.

I'm sure that we'll encounter other examples as this chapter progresses.

[Kugai]

[Method of Madness]

Carla is pushing her 'I don't care about anything' public face harder than usual.

I'm pretty sure she's just continuing not to care.

[Kugai]

Lesbian Toast

[BenRG]

Becky is cutely perky in many ways but I suspect that she is going to wear out Leslie (and possibly her welcome) fairly quickly.

[Kugai]

Becky, the Lesbian Dolly Levi??

[Neko_Ali]

sigh... Becky needs a nice, grounding dose of reality I think. She's getting annoying.

[BenRG]

FWIW, the scenario Becky spins about finding a hook-up in church in the 6/12 strip is definitely a version of the story of her feelings for Joyce. She isn't over Joyce and I don't think that she ever will be.

Frankly, that's both sad and sweet at the same time.

[Kugai]

Becky;s already had one nasty dose of reality with her dad, but she's bounced back from that.  Perhaps she's now reached the other end of he pendulum?

[Method of Madness]

the story of her feelings for Joyce

Well yeah, I don't think Willis was trying to be subtle there.

[Neko_Ali]

Becky;s already had one nasty dose of reality with her dad, but she's bounced back from that.  Perhaps she's now reached the other end of he pendulum?

I mean more along the line of 'this is not how gay people normally act'. Years of living with repressing herself can only go so far.

[Kugai]

Well, that was inevitable.

[Kugai]

Obviously quite a few I'd say Ruth

[BenRG]

With today's strip (6/15) we confront the inherent weakness of the Ruth/Billie relationship: For both of them, it's about themselves first. Whilst I have no doubt that they care for each other, both young women tend to view the relationship through the prism of their own wants, needs and self-image.

[JoeCovenant]

If next week's strips don't address the events of three days ago...

...I may have to buy a DeLorean!

[Kugai]

And I'm considering unlocking the shed with the Pitchforks, Torches. Tar and Feathers are stored

[Kugai]

Well, at lest she's honest about herself,  that has to be a start.


If Joe hasn't El Kabonged Danny with that Uke by this time next week it'll be  a miracle of biblical proportions.

[Kugai]

Joe's in for a bumpy ride here I think

[BenRG]

It doesn't help that he has the same sort of mindset as bosses all over the world who think that issues are something that his underlings deal with... and then give them neither the mandate nor the budget to do anything.

[Kugai]

ELLLLLLLLLL KABONG!!!!!!

[JoeCovenant]

Oooookay...

My hand has been forced...

Here it is!




(weeellll... I can dream, can't I?)

[Kugai]

*Unlocks Shed*


OK folks, Pitchforks on the left, Torches on the right.  Use the Brazier by the door to light them and a few of you grab the Tar and Feathers from the back.

[A Duck]

I could swear Joe had mentioned his "Do List" had a public RSS feed before...

Oh well, he's not getting laid anytime soon now, might as well help poor Danny out of whatever mental breakdown he's having

[Welu]

Not public but he did willingly offer out the password.

I'm guessing it's more likely to have been shared by someone who was given the password, possibly even by Joe, than outright hacked. The most ridiculous thing to me about this storyline is that Joe's Do List is literally a real list that he updates and he either has great recall or has memorised ranks to names and faces? Willis did a great job of casually establishing the existence of the list and I treated it as a recurring but still mostly throwaway gag.

Joe treats the list so seriously I'm surprised he's never reacted like this:

(click to show/hide)

[bhtooefr]

Apparently, although I can't confirm, Joe's list is actually available on Patreon.

[BenRG]

Oh well, he's not getting laid anytime soon now, might as well help poor Danny out of whatever mental breakdown he's having.

One scenario that I've thought of is that Joe may end up dating Joyce for a while and it will be an odd thing for him because he'll be in a relationship with a girl that, whilst he finds her attractive, he doesn't really desire. It will be a really weird relationship for him that will slowly just metamorphose into a serious platonic friendship and force him to re-evaluate how he sees women in general.

As for Danny? Well, I think he's going to be okay. He's trying to re-invent himself as part of growing up. Okay, the path he chose is quite eccentric but that's part of going through that part of life, isn't it? I'm sort of hoping Danny runs into Amber. I think that they both need to talk to each other right now.

[bhtooefr]

Really, that's a hell of a long time to keep that storyline hanging...