Well, if the cartoons are shown in HD, why not?

Today's strip was another that I had to read a few times to understand. I guess I underestimated how helpful those exposition boxes are. Anyway, looks like we're supposed to be down on Hekkie for suggesting a new, high-def television. I'm not really sure about the snide comments. If his dad is having problems getting a good picture on a tv that's only 5 or 6 years old, then there's a problem. (My tv is about 7 years old now and is just fine, thanks.) And HD is how things are moving; at this point, if you're getting a new tv, it makes sense to buy HD. The prices are coming down and everything's going digital. You're just setting yourself up for becoming obsolete if you go non-HD. (Here I mean for something like the family room's tv. I'd have no hesitation to buy a small, non-HD television for my bedroom or something.) (But really, you shouldn't take technology-buying advice from me. I have the very bad habit of buying this sort of thing impulsively.)

Anyway. Widescreen is a bit much, but what kid wouldn't pull for that? And Hekkie looks older than 8; I'm sure he's watching more than just cartoons. As for the "wrecking crew" comment, I have no idea where that came from. Who are those people in the other room, anyway? Random commentators?

Buck the hair trends, Hek!

I have to say that in the top panel of today's strip, I kind of agree with Hekkie' mom. It's not that Hekkie's hair is disgusting, but it needs something. Just hanging there, it looks stupid. But may that's how the kids wore it in the 60s. Honestly, though, I think Hekkie should just blaze his own trail and not follow the current hair trends, because they do not work for him. Some guys look great with shaved heads, but he isn't one of them. And is it really a trend? Maybe amongst guys who are balding, but we have no way of knowing whether that's the case when it comes to Hekkie.

That all being said, it did make me laugh. Which is good, particularly for a Monday.

Dogs, dieting, fashion, cars...and some meta

Sorry for my delinquence of late; I know, I've been terrible. I do recommend checking out the comments on the entry at CC about Al's death; some of his family and friends have checked in, and some people have also written some pretty moving comments. I also suggest reading this blog entry by a reader. Both he and Josh have managed to articulate their feelings about Al much better than I. (This is why I'm an editor, not a writer, people!) I will say that it makes me sad that there's been virtually no coverage of Al's death. TDIET is one of the few comics that's carried nationally, and has been around for a long time. You'd think the passing of its artist would merit some attention.

Anyway. On with the show. Four days in brief recap...

Monday. Mrs. Goosegg should rely solely on the dog for vacuuming purposes; I mean, why have a vacuum at all if you have a dog? Also, where did that table come from in the bottom panel? I'm sure you all also saw that this is a CC reader-submitted strip. So exciting!

Tuesday. I can't really fault Ragmop here. Part of the key to losing weight isn't to necessarily cut out all fatty foods; it's just to eat them in moderation. If he can be happy with samples only, more power to him. And isn't Fatburger a real restaurant?

Wednesday. This is awesome for many reasons, except the similarity to last Monday's strip. I love that Migraina actually calls him out for not going with her suggestion, and I love that Al included "send him to the moon" with the "striped shirt" piece. It could've been "The urge to stripe his shirt" or something, but the "to the moon" made it all worthwhile. Awesome.

Today. Oh, kids these days, with their loud music. Maybe Hekkie heard the plinking between songs on his radio. Notice that he never says that the noise bothers him; maybe he's just upset by his car making a weird noise? I know I am. And I applaud him for taking good car of my car.

Ah, good ol' college days

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. The arrival of my family meant I missed last Wednesday's strip, which was submitted by a reader, if I recall. MWGallagher, can you remember what exactly you sent to Al, and how it compares to the final strip? I only hope you like beans...

In today's strip, we deal with what appears to be a college student. Have we encountered one of those before, in his natural habitat (i.e., a dorm room)? This may be new ground! How exciting! I don't think I ever heard of anyone who had a "no shoes" rule in college. That seems wrong. I'd accept this more easily if Hekkie was post-college. (His room seems less dorm-like and more like a first apartment, but what do I know?) I'm too distracted by his mom's feet in the bottom panel to give anything else much thought. What are those lines? Is she supposed to be wearing socks? You'd think she'd be wearing stockings, as she's wearing a skirt. Or she'd be bare-legged, but she wouldn't be wearing socks. Seriously, what are those lines???

And ew, cigar ashes. How is he talking in the top panel? And are they leaving their shoes in the hallway? From the top panel, I guess so. I guess shoe thievery isn't really an issue wherever they are.

You DO need to say more

One of the biggest problems with today's strip is that it's labeled as "sign of the times," and yet everyone in it looks like they belong in 1956. Just having the kid say "like" and "awesome" doesn't make him contemporary. Of course, I don't get this at all. So is the implication that the popular hairstyle today is insanely short? Is that...bad? And what does the "Tomahawk cut" remark mean? It looks like someone who's been scalped?

I just don't know. Al, you continue to confuse.

It was the poor schools that led to the vandalism

Clearly I've just been trying to avoid TDIET lately.

I feel like I'm the one missing something about Wednesday's strip. I guess it's upsetting that schools need money? More money than they received from a lottery? Are we supposed to get worked up about asking for more money for schools?

Yesterday's strip just completely blows me away. I'm kind of gobsmacked. Have we ever seen juvenile delinquency like this before? Al is clearly still in the 1950s--when was the last time anyone had to write lines? (Other than Harry Potter in Order of the Phoenix.) Seriously, the vandalism. It just keeps throwing me off. It's idiotic, though; Hekkie should be using a pseudonym (like the rash of "Borf" graffiti in the DC area a while back) (hmm, I should look to see whether "Borf Hates Bush" is still up next time I Metro into the city). What's getting to me is the color, honestly. The bright red and yellow of the graffiti just really stands out. I definitely think Al should do more criminal-themed strips.

I'm not sure what to make of today's strip. Clearly we're supposed to take Fignewt's side. It looks like Annoyia is wearing a robe--but it could be anything, really. And she does go back on saying that she wouldn't care. It looks like she very well may be the type of woman that you look at and go, "Well, no wonder he wants to stay late at the club." (And are there "clubs" like this anymore? I'm sure it's where Fignewt hangs out with other members of the Loyal Order of the Caribou, but why not just say "bar"? ...Because bar = bad and club = respectable, of course. What was I thinking?) Does he go out every night? Why? And how late is late? I really feel like I need the full history here. And also, don't use "friend wife."

Warning: Rant ahead

Wow. So much hate for today's strip. Because clearly if a child has failed English, you have to blame the teacher (who else?). And taking summer school won't help. Despite the fact that summer classes involve spending all day, every day on English, instead of 50 minutes a day. With, I believe, more personal attention. (I guess. I've never experienced it.)

Clearly it couldn't be Hekkie's fault that he failed. Look, I'm not saying that the teacher is faultless; I am just saying that she has tons of students, and probably not enough supplies. But the child doesn't flunk a course in a vacuum. He's probably not doing assignments, and his parents probably aren't checking in on him and his schoolwork. If a child just doesn't want to do the work, there's not much a teacher can do.

Can a child who is busting his butt actually fail a class? I'm not sure. If a teacher sees that a student is struggling but does actually try, will that child fail? I don't know. I could probably ask the teachers I know. I do know that when I was bombing geometry, I was still working insanely hard, and was in for extra help all the time. I pulled out a C+ (mainly due to the second semester), and was incredibly proud of that.

Anyway. It's not like Hekkie needs to be Shakespeare at the end of summer school; it's just supposed to give him the groundwork. So, shut up, M. Heffernand. And also, bite me.

Is the riot squad related to the brute squad?

Al is seriously trying to kill me with today's strip. Well, not just today's strip. It just seems that a few recently have been like, "When a child is very small, he or she acts one way. And then it grows up and is suddently acting differently! Can you imagine?" It would upset any parent if their child wasn't speaking by age 2; by that point, most children are talking. I'm kind of hoping we're supposed to be shaking our heads at the parents: Mom and Dad were so worried when Hekkie didn't speak as a baby; but now that he's a teenager and chatting on the phone, all they do is complain! But I don't think that's supposed to be our reaction. More like, Hekkie didn't talk when he was an infant, but now he won't shut up! What a brat!

Man. And who actually says "Yakking" like that? Quite frankly, if I use the word "yak," it's most likely in a totally different context.

This comic not brought to you by Philip Morris

Oh, huzzah. Today's strip ventures back into the world of medicine. Thankfully it's not bashing the medical profession, so that's a plus. As someone with asthma, I can say that $125 for an inhaler is outrageous. I'm going to assume that either Buttbrain doesn't have insurance (although I'm not sure that my inhaler is that much even without insurance kicking in) or that this is some sort of very specialized inhaler. And he doesn't have insurance.

And do cigarettes really cost that much? I have no idea. And if they are that expensive, geez, people who smoke should never complain about not having money. Yes, yes, addiction, I realize that.

Point? Buttbrain's a jerky idiot. Maybe you wouldn't have to blow $125 on an inhaler for your son if you gave up smoking.

I'm guessing the gangster isn't saying "You dirty rat"

Today's strip asks a good question: Where does li'l Hekkie pick up those naughty words he uses? Why, cable tv, of course! (Note the conspicuous tv guide on the coffee table.) Of course, the real question here is whether we're supposed to be all, "Television! How horrible! Corrupting our children!" or whether we're supposed to note how complacently Ma and Pa Hekkie are watching the television without bothering to do anything about it. If it weren't for that "Cable TV" guide on the table and the heading of the expo box, I'd probably actually think we're supposed to be blaming the parents--Hekkie's expression and the ghost-like question mark bubble over his head seem to indicate that he's confused why his parents would be watching that in front of him. Maybe they don't notice him in the other room?

Really, it's an enigma. Maybe we're supposed to blame both negligent parenting and those bums who allow this filth on the air. Of course, it's not like Hekkie would only hear those words on tv, unless he's never allowed outside the house.

Nice slang, "dude"

I'll give Al some credit for today's strip, as this is a situation that pretty much most people have had to deal with, maybe even going so far as to say every time they attend a family gathering. Why Al seems to think this is only something boys have to deal with is beyond me, as it's not at all related to gender--merely age.

I'm also not sure why Aunt Rotunda (...) has to be big. The usual scenario is just some older relative who insists on giving big hugs and kisses to the numerous kids of the family. And usually winds up with the kid having lipstick smeared across his or her cheek. Again, I usually see this not as an issue of weight, but as one of age.

And most kids manage to not look quite so horrified. At least by the time they've reached the age the boys in the strip have. Did their parents never teach them manners?

So while Scaduto kind of gets it right this time (which is shocking and commendable), he also gets it wrong. But it's progress!