billr sends this in: “Mike does puns ad infinitum. This is a recurring motif. What I don’t get is the text thread in the newspaper being held by the counterman. I know who Tom Waits is, but don’t know his music well enough to know if this is a reference to one of his songs. Jesus is a common name in some Hispanic-speaking countries, but “Walking Spanish down the hall” is beyond me.”
Comics I Don't Understand 
I was pretty sure I could help here, but I did a little (as in, 5 minutes worth) of research, and can now more confidently help with the Tom Waits text. First, it’s the last two lines from the song “Walking Spanish” from the “Rain Dogs” album (possibly his best, definitely up there in the top five or so). In the song, it’s about a prisoner walking to his execution. (OK, take a second here to let that sink in … So, no, I think the Jesus in question is THE Jesus).
What I didn’t know was that the phrase “Walking Spanish” doesn’t ONLY mean that. It apparently means “to (cause to) walk under compulsion, generally specifically with someone holding the collar and the seat of the trousers”. That’s a quote from the OED, via this web page: https://wordhistories.net/2025/04/28/walk-spanish/. In any case, not how I had imagined it in the song. Gonna have to go listen to “Rain Dogs” a few more times.
Now, what that all has to do with “serum” and “pancakes” and all that, is beyond me. I suspect that it’s just filler, something to put on the newspaper – but I’m eager to be convinced otherwise.
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P.S. For the full lyrics: http://www.tomwaits.com/songs/song/215/Walking_Spanish/
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