Kaitco, I like your take on the current issue here, but (you knew there was a but, right?) I'd like to throw in another thought re: Dora's closet o' skeletons. Her behavior does put me in mind of a woman who was once in love and found out, probably long after the relationship ended, that her guy was cheating on her THE WHOLE TIME. So, she can't REALLY trust Marten and she can't trust herself. Therein lies the path to total irrational, even bitchy behavior. No, it isn't a lot of fun to watch, but it does lead one to much entertaining speculation.
As to the funny/not funny and artistic ideas and so forth, either Jeph has some idea he's eventually going to get to, or he thought there was more funny to be had from watching Dora go red zone and Marten shudder in terror -- and, of course, one more line from Faye on the blood cleanup schedule. I'm hoping on the 'idea to be developed later' path, but I don't fault him for the "one more Faye Comment" gag. The man puts his brain children out here without benefit of editor, committee-for-improvement-of-funny, or (sometimes) much sleep. It keeps me coming back and pointing others to the strip, so at least for me it's working.
Also, an out-of-place comment (being as I'm all new here and so forth) but it seems to me that announcing once's departure from a forum or cessation of reading anything is a rather passive-aggressive method of trying to say "If you appreciated me, you'd change to be the way I want you to be." Terribly effective technique, of course.
I wonder if I can get another possessive participle into that paragraph?