Tag / Six Chix

by EditorM

Yet Another set of Semi-CIDUs, Minor Mysteries, Oopsies, and Not-Quite-Rights

From Chemgal, who says  “I thought the highest possible GPA was 4.0. Are they using a different scale in Zits?” She mentions she can think of a possible explanation, and I think I know what it is too, but even if it’s not a full CIDU there may be enough uncertainty for people to discuss as a Semi-CIDU.

This Beetle Bailey is from 1965-05-17, and appeared in ComicsKingdom retro series recently on Thursday 2021-12-02. I wasn’t aware that spray-painting would be part of helmet maintenance, but I guess why not? But what exactly is going on in the aftermath scene that is puzzling the General? Has the grass in general been painted an odd color, but not inside the helmet outlines where it was shielded? But those patches don’t look like they’re supposed to be natural grass. Or has the procedure somehow damaged / killed off the grass inside the helmets, and left it normal outside?

We all know one of the standard time-travel puzzlement plots involves killing Hitler young. But what are the stories about smuggling him away in your luggage?

Call me hidebound and oldfashioned, but I don’t always think open-ended and unresolved are better. MAYBE someone with a lot of insight into snoring does have a principled way of matching these up. But without that, or an official answer key, you have to resort to “Oh, just posing the question is funny, and gives us a chuckle about how much snoring goes on and how bad it is.” But is that really enough?

by EditorM

The Purge

The startled reaction of Emma (the daughter) in panel 2 must be preparing us for the weird drama of panel 4; but why? And why is she wearing gloves — dishwashing gloves? — for her big announcement? And especially, what does she mean by “purge”? A reference to the movie series? A different way of talking about simplifying and tossing out whatever does not give joy (and is not worth inheriting)? We hope it’s not another name for “juice cleanse”!

P.S.

So mothers saying this to daughters is the new version of this venerable trope!

(This one not a CIDU.)

by EditorM

Sunday Funnies – LOLs, April 4th, 2021

After seeing this cartoon for a few weeks now, this character is the one who most pointedly clarifies for us the intent of the title Adult Children.

And yielding to the impulse to be a language complainer, we are happy to note that here the writer has stuck to the traditional term and called this an invitation, not the ugly newer form an invite. Good on ya, Maritsa Patrinos!

An amusing meta from Harry Bliss, sent in by Andréa and zbicyclist:

And zbicyclist kicks off a little debate by saying: Since Bliss has many cartoons in the New Yorker, he’s probably frequently asked to explain OTHER obscure New Yorker cartoons — which would make the sitting, bearded guy some sort of stand-in for the cartoonist. But to our eyes, the standing guy with the red sweater looks like the figure who appears again and again in Bliss cartoons.

But then zbicyclist rebuts with this example of an apparent Bliss stand-in (or a comic artist at any rate) with a beard:

But we have to ask: OK, there’s a beard, but which of the guys in the upper cartoon does this guy most resemble, to you?