Cleverness in der strip

I...I'm not sure what to say about today's strip. I saw the top panel and got annoyed--another strip about waiting to see a doctor? Al just did a strip about it last Wednesday! It hasn't even been a week! And then I got to the bottom panel. And I admit that I was impressed. It perhaps isn't the most original joke, but it shows a degree of cleverness that's usually lacking. So, kudos to Al and Mark S.! I hope Mark is a reader of this blog or the Comics Curmudgeon, as that would help keep my worldview somewhat intact. I mean, I will say that Lugger needs to calm down a bit if the wait has had such an effect on him. But still...amusing.

I do need to briefly mention yesterday's strip. I usually don't even look at the weekend strips, but an anonymous comment sent me there. And oh, so worth it, and not even just for the mention of the Loyal Order of the Caribou. There's also the hobo from the 1930s, transported to the current day to beg for coffee money. (Honestly, that look is out-of-date even for Al.) There's a mention of belching and a jackass husband who goes to mind-numbing meetings to get away from his wife (and there's no "c" in Yakeena, Al). There's a wife by the name of, God help us all, Nudella. But no, the best part is Knockwurst von Smeek, whose wife rolls her eyes as he breaks his neck. That might be mild concern, but...I'm still a bit scared. There's too much ambiguity there.

Of course you fell down, maam

There's so much wrong with today's strip. I would certainly hope that Barflow (a name which I assume makes him worse than Barfwell) is concerned about his wife. She just fell down the stairs! Good God! And she's not "speechless," Al, she's injured. I mean, her fall managed to upset the side table at the bottom of the stairs. This wasn't gentle.

Of course, I imagine Barflow would be pretty concerned. Judging from the bottom panel, he probably pushed her. He's so upset that he's actually knocking over the tables on either side of the chair he's in. Not that she looks like a prize herself--that's not just her talking about her day, she's angry. Look at how she's holding her arms. As one of the commenters over at the Comics Curmudgeon noted, the two panels should probably be reversed.

This is not a couple I want to get to know. To the point where I had to create an "abusive husband" tag.