Next weekend, y’all!: SPX! Maryland! North Bethesda! Table W32! (That’s against the wall on the… right-hand side as you enter, I believe? I’m neighbor to Danielle Corsetto and Magnolia Porter.)
I will bring books, posters, some prints, and my ability to draw sketches for you. I will have the tiniest number of Dumbing of Age Book 2s there for purchase, which I have had shipped quick-like for way too much money to be here early for this event. (The rest of the books will likely get to me back home a week later.)
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Well, I don’t hate Josh, at least.
I believe I can say, with a fair level of confidence, that Ethan *strongly* agrees with you.
Perfect avatar for that comment.
…I JUST realized something about the last panel in the prior comic ahahahahahayes
IF ETHAN MAKES JOYCE CRY BECAUSE OF JOSH I WILL STAB SOMETHING
Ethan is preferable, if I might make a suggestion.
Or Mike. Stab Mike, because you can be certain he has something to do with all this.
this is true
He does! He ALWAYS does.
Joyce’s face in the last panel, it’s so sad, yet happy
Naivety is such a gosh-dang cute personality quirk.
It seems less like naivety and more like “I’m going to pretend my boyfriend and brother aren’t hitting on each other right in front of me hehehehehesob”.
I’m pretty sure this cluetrain hasn’t run over her yet.
Well, actually, I don’t really know.
I don’t know, there’s a note of desperation there.
are you talking from Joyce or from her brother? ha ha ha ha
oh hai
On a completely unrelated note, from where did that avatar come? I know it’s supposed to be the Fire Lord, but she seems a little off model.
That’s like ICS. Check out City of Reality, that’s his comic.
Joseph, Insanenoodlyguy is correct, my Azula pic is in fact one of Ian Samson’s fanarts.
I’m sorry, but seeing Azula relaxing and smiling like that is freaking me out.
She’s probably witnessing an execution.
The raised eyebrow is indicative of the source of her smile being mildly unusual.
Perhaps a lesser-known form of torture?
She’s happy. It is sad :c
Soooo adorkable…
Is that word choice inspired by BNC’s channel Opus?
Joyce…what haaaaaaaaaave you dooooone!!!
Should we start a countdown on the train wreck or should we just see what would happen?
I give it 20 strips before it goes to hell.
I disagree. Willis can draw this agony out for months or years.
and quite possibly proceed to softball the delivery. he’s got such a habit of choosing to bunt instead of go for broke when he reaches the point where he can’t cocktease everyone anymore.
Yeah, that’s about what I’m thinking will happen.
Train wreck? More like shipwreck.
Shipwreck? More like accidental shipper.
That was pretty clever actually
Well, you can call me a pirate captain that’s about to visit Davey Jones’ Locker…
…’cause I am down with this ship, baby.
Best.
Oh this is gonna be good…
Oh they’ll get along alright.
They’ll get along like rabbits.
Adorable, gay, rabbits.
Adorable, gay rabbits that can’t let anyone else know their secrets.
Except you, dear reader. You alone will know their secrets. And they will let you know, every day. For the rest. Of. Your. Life.
Humping of Ages. Coming soon. And then again when they’ve rested a bit.
I saw that. 😛
Eventually the sexual tension between everyone will grow so dense that it will collapse in on itself. And then, the Boneularity.
I love this comment!
They’ll get along like adorable gay rabbits with a nickle
They’ll get along like it’s their last day on Earth.
BOW CHICKA BOW WOW
^Great avatar for that comment
Your comment, coupled with your avatar, is both fantastic and disturbing.
DINKLEBERRRRRGGG!
With heir penises.
SHIP AHOY!
Dammit Joshua, stop seducing all of Joyce’s boyfriends.
No Dorothy 🙁
Nope, no Dorothy. Just a couple of friends of Dorothy.
Poor Joyce. I can just see her slowly getting squeezed out of this discussion.
She’s getting squeezed out of this RELATIONSHIP.
Why? She’s the perfect beard. For both of them.
most beards tend to live pretty depressing, very tertiary lives while they’re bearding for someone. it’s something i wouldn’t wish on anyone, even someone that i have as much contempt for as i would for joyce.
Well, Ethan could always give her the okay to date on the side. A relationship in name only, for Joyce as well.
Then again, she is a fundie…
It’s hard to get rid of that kind of guilt
yeah, even the ones that do that, are pretty miserable, because they can’t be open. then they’re just piling up secrets and lies.
Push Joyce to the side Ethan so that she can feel the panel box edge.
Pfffftahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Oh please tell me Joshua’s semi-closeted for his parents’ fragile minds’ benefit.
I ship it.
They’ll be fucking before the end of the semester.
I give the end of the DAY
I honestly don’t care about his parents’ fragile minds.
Never said I did.
Given that he’s the one they brought along, and that he gave Joyce the ‘choose your battles’ advice, this is likely.
It shouldn’t take long for Joyce to figure out the deal. Her world continues to crumble around her.
I think Joyce already figured it out in the last panel.
And thus began Joyce’s life as a Yaoi fangirl.
Heheheh
Are yaoi fangirls usually cool with one of the couple they’re fawning over being their own brother?
Japanese hentai tends to include a looooot of incest.
Er n-not that I would know or anything.
Don’t try to deny it.
Everyone knows the truth already, Morningstar. You’re through.
Also, my image seems to fit my style moderately well.
I lucked out.
This ain’t going to end well. For anyone.
Yeah, that I can agree with completely. Well, almost completely; it might end well for some in the long run, though the inevitable explosion of drama will be one bell of a spectacle in the short term.
i dunno, we’ll get a LOT of enjoyment over watching it all fall apart, as the inevitable comes steamrolling down upon the family.
ten bucks says their dad beats the daylights out of joshua. fifteen on him trying to lay down a whupping on ethan(less likely due to it not being his son he’s laying the good old american jesus-stomp on.)
Not sure about this. Hank hasn’t demonstrated any violent tendencies as of yet.
Yeah, I think he’d be much more likely to disown his son than to hit him.
you deeply and dramatically underestimate the christ-rage that those sorts of parents feel when ‘their blood betrays them and falls to sin’
We’ve met Joyce’s parents in Walkyverse, though, and we know they’re likely to chill out on their moralizing with age.
While I think the two would make an adorable (if heartbreaking for Joyce) couple, I’m still not sure it’s not just a matter of Joshua being…smilingly friendly as his default setting, much as is Joyce’s default setting. And Ethan’s attraction could easily result in failure to properly assess any signals. So for now, I’m running under the “just friendly and smiles a lot”.
Plus, Joshua looks to be getting a bit awkward there as Ethan bears down on him. Will ship, but not sure if this is going for a fakeout or a blowout.
The look of desperation on joyce’s face is breaking my heart
Wow, it’s actually happening. I thought we were all grasping for straws by shipping them in the last comic.
We still probably are. Joshua’s just seems to be being one of those non-jerk types. A nice person I guess?
Last I checked not every hint of kindness is the result of barely repressed lust.
In this comic it is.
…you have a point there.
Actually, in this comic it’s every hint of hate that is barely repressed lust.
It’s all barely represt lust. These are some horny kids.
It’s the look on his face in the last panel. If I’m correct (and I might not be, as I’m bad at reading body language), that’s either a “this is awkward, gaahh” face or a heart-melty face.
If my heart was melting my face would be much more panicked.
I’m horrible with body language unless it’s a cartoon character for some reason. Ethan isn’t the only person in that room who’s “undeclared”.
I’m not so sure about that, he looks kinda… sorry. As in “Oh boy, if you really want to major in English, prepare yourself to a wonderful life of starvation while waiting for a decent-paying job”…
But yup, I still ship them. Wouldn’t surprise me if Josh already had someone in his life, though.
Oh naive Joyce, too bad you aren’t savvy enough to have understood why.
She needs to check out TVTropes for a while, that way she would be a lot more Genre Savvy.
Eh, it hasn’t been the same since a lot of the more risque tropes/titles have been cut back on in terms of how much content they get.
Can we start a pool on how many strips it will take for Joshua and Ethan to make out?
I say 0. Cuz Then I’ll just draw it and rake in all the money.
Do it now. Please.
Agreed.
Never drew dudes kissing before. TOTALLY A MILESTONE
(PS. I actually don’t ship this)
pffft
Tiny Pouting Joyce is what really makes the picture.
Tiny, pouting Joyce continuing to be in denial is what really makes the picture.
The perfect song to go with Yotomoe’s picture.
If I didn’t ship it before, I’M SHIPPING IT NOW!
http://i.minus.com/icFGdg2BQMnfb.gif
I suspect Jordan is the outcast who doesn’t put up with his family’s insanity.
He’s a hippie communist rebel who is the lead singer in a rock and roll band and idolizes John Lennon. Plus he invents new psychosomatic drugs in his spare time.
When he’s not burning bibles he’s drinking his coffee out of a goat’s head.
He made a deal with Satan to spread chaos throughout the land, in exchange for a sick new motorcycle (leather jacket not included).
For the leather he slayed a cow with his bare hand and burn the hide using pure hatred (which is hotter than the sun itself). He then studded it with the bones of orphans sexed it together with the pubic hair of virgins.
sewed*
You didn’t need to correct that.
Agreed. Unintentional typos FTW!
It’s Winnie the Typoo.
He’s also a really good painter and animator, what with the drugs and all.
He invents drugs that make you think you’re sick? THAT’S sick man.
And that’s not even touching the psychoactive ones he experiments with.
Sorry, I just looked it up again and Psychosomatic drugs cure imaginary diseases. Still ungood, but not as ungood as making you think you’re sick
Idolized John Lennon? He’d probably get along with Blaine great!
(Yes, that went dark. Sorry.)
I suspect that Jordan is the Brown family version of Amber’s step-brother Faz.
He’s an evolutionary biologist who teaches in California :p
That was my second guess. My third was that he was a Jesuit brother.
That sounds a lot like my thesis advisor (technically she’s not /evolutionary/ bio though).
I foresee this going to them excusing themselves to go “discuss an English major” and “where the best and cheapest ramen is”
I think if Joshua mentions that he likes toy robots, Ethan will no longer be able to contain himself and they will start making out right in front of both sets of parents.
Joyce will still fail to get it. “They’re getting along so well! Josh is showing my boyfriend how to be a better kisser! How thoughtful!”
Oh I think she already gets it, if her face in the last panel is anything to go by.
…Yeah, this isn’t gonna end well for anyone. I’m sobbing already D:
THIS IS SO PAINFUL
“Too Jordan”? Sounds like there’s a story there.
He used to be the right amount of Jordan but then he was in a horrific Jordan related accident.
He was bitten by a radioactive Jordon.
I think it was the one from Scrubs, she always seemed likely to bite.
When Micheal Jordan goes too far, he stretches the boundries and plays… BASEBALL??? Join, Micheal Jordan in the hilarious adventure “Too Jordan”!!!
Been there, done that. It’s called Space Jam.
Still the greatest sports movie of all time.
COME ON AND SLAM, AND WELCOME TO THE JAM.
He’s too Jordan for school.
Jordan is the Mikey of the Browns. I assume Josh is Donnie, and Jon is Leo.
So Joyce is Raphael? Does not compute.
No, the dad is Raph.
Joyce is Venus, DUH.
Venus exists? Abort Retry Fail.
So she’s going to turn out to not be related to the other Browns, and subsequently romance them?
Who is this Venus you speak off? And if you said a female ninja turtle, you are nuts as there is no such thing in existence. Nope, does not exist.
Joshua doesn’t know he’s gay, but Jordan knows.
Joshua in the third panel is making my Fruit Fly Sense tingle.
He’s making my broken wrist sense tingle. Ouch!
+1 to you for the misfile reference.
Ooooooooh… This is funny, but… I can’t even laugh… it’s just too painful… aaaaaaaah…
This page makes a scenario I have going on in my head with this series a bit more plausible.
And what is this scenario?
That Jordan should be the main character.
I agree with this plan. I think it’s a good plan.
And it turns out that Jordan is like an awesome combination of Ric Flair, Bruce Lee, Bruce Campbell, Solid Snake, Mr. T and Ryoma Nagare.
Oh crap, I forgot to add in Ryo Saeba.
With that in mind, Yotomoe? May you do the honors?
Too tired from drawing couples I don’t ship making out. 1 up top and 1 at the bottom.
It’s alright.
Out of all your ideas, Yotomoe, and there have been many, this is by far your greatest. I will stand with you on the mountain of victory or be buried with you in the mass grave of not so victorious.
I think there’s some declaring right there.
I just…REALLY hope the parents are taking note of this right now.
“Shit, still gay, let’s go home.”
“Shit, you’re brother’s gay. You’re coming home.”
More like they’re high-fiving each other and making plans for Joyce and Ethan’s wedding already. In my experience, truly conservative types don’t really care about what you are/feel deep inside, as long as appearances are kept. I’m prepared to bet they’d be happy with an arrangement in which Joyce and Ethan are married and making babies while Ethan and his brother-in-law have gaysecks when no one’s looking.
Only if Joshua got his own beard, I would think.
He’d be cute with a beard.
I’ve been imagining Johnathan with a beard, atcually. And Jordan with a larval goatee and some hair on his lip that he’s trying to grow into a handlebar mustache.
Well, I guess Ethan will get to have sex with one of the Brown siblings, I guess …
This just…hurts a little to see. It’s like watching a disaster unfold in slow motion that you can do nothing about. And you know the casualities that will be involved.
It’s official. David Willis is now able to make me feel like I want to cry, even when nothing overtly sad is happening in the strip. It’s just… Joyce’s face…
::whimpers::
Also, putting 10 bucks on Jordan basically being a present day Willis.
$50 on Jordan being Completely awesome in every way.
Like what? Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist? Or the jet-flying, limousine-riding, kiss-stealing, wheeling-dealing, son-of-a-gun?
Yes.
Jordan set to be played by Robert Downey Jr. in the upcoming DoA film series.
Jordan is Iron Man?!
All of the above. He’s basically Sam Malone’s brother, only more radical.
Maybe he is the Rainbow Dash of DOA 😛
I’d be fine with him being a present-day Willis right down to the Hawaiian shirt.
Also down with this.
Dyed his hair black to stand out from his family.
He doesn’t even need glasses. He just wears them so he won’t look like them.
I wondered why things seemed so normal and…filler web comicky in this strip.
It wasn’t until the fifth read through that it hit me. Well done, Willis.
Fitting avatar!
I wonder if Joyce, on some deep deep unconscious level where her naievete and upbringing haven’t reached, knows what’s going on here. That “You hear what I said?”, combined with her expression and body language, suggest to me that another part of her mind is now sending the message, “Danger! Engage desperate denial system!”
“Commander, the desperate denial system has been activated. Did someone try to explain biology to her again”
“No…her boyfriend wants to bang her brother”
“Mother of God…THIS IS NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”
Correction: Joyce may be naive, but she also has a gay boyfriend who she’s supposed to be keeping away from temptation/keeping an eye on.
She probably takes note every time he even glances at a boy. There’s no way he can get away with eye-fucking her own brother.
Which is my convoluted way of saying I don’t think she’s in denial about this at all. She literally promised Ethan she would make him act straight, it’s her job to notice these things.
Oh, good point. Joyce probably isn’t going to just stand by and let it happen, will she?
…Man, this storyline is so upsetting.
Last comment I swear. Panel 1 Joyce. Too damn cute.
Mission Control, I believe we are going to need a much bigger closet.
A closet built for two.
Oh, Joyce, sweety, you subconsciously want to be hurt, don’t you?
She’s a psychological masochist.
It’s only going to get worse; eventually culminating in her trying to become Mike’s girlfriend.
Oh god, I’m suddenly reminded of Walkyverse Dina.
That was awful…
I’m sorry…this was the best I could do.
Dammit, my eyes are sweating again. Wonder why that happens…
Now kiss!
Also I’m nominating David Willis’s interpretation of Parents’ Day for best eldritch abomination.
Seconded.
Willis is clearly trying to make the orphans of the world feel much better about themselves. 😀
Dangit, this comments section needs a like or thumbs up button.
That could happen if Willis chooses to change the comments to Disqus like he already did with Shortpacked! but I believe he is still dealing with some of the bugs as of yet.
Aw, I’ll miss Gravatars. D:
I’ll miss having a comment system that works.
Exactly. Disqus is the worst thing ever! I miss reading the comments on SP… 🙁
He said he is sticking with WP for DoA, so no reason to change the comment section. Thankfully!
yay
Even the orphans get Howard.
Cthulhu concurs. Before, it wished to know what familial love was. Now it wonders if it ever did manage to drive families mad. They already seem to have that covered.
Jordan must be the black-sheep of this family.
As ‘cloney’ as the siblings seem so far, that may be almost literal, with his black hair and brown eyes.
A character I recognize! And yes.
The concepts of “they’re too cute!” and “I don’t want Joyce to break” are at war within me.
Lets settle for Break The Cutie.
If you’re referring to Joyce as “the cutie”, let’s not.
Well, Joyce is kinda cute.
I agree, she could be the poster child for cute. What I meant was let’s not break her.
Sadly, the “gay agenda” is not bring kind to Joyce.
I keep my Gay agenda next to my gay calender so that I know when to plan my gay schedule in my gay day planner.
+1
It’s good to know what’s going on in the gayborhood. Plus the sooner you buy tickets for your gaycation, the cheaper.
Ooh, I like this Jordan fellow.
“Individualistic?”
*Searches Google*
in·di·vid·u·al·is·tic
ˌindivijo͞oəˈlistik/Submit
adjective
1.
characterized by individualism; independent and self-reliant.
GASP! A FREE THINKER!
I wonder if he’s an atheist.
Maybe he fell under the swag of Eastern Religion. None in particular, just Eastern Religion.
He just opened up a book on Eastern Religion and was like “Yes. Yes to all of this”.
We can all agree that Shinto-Buddhist-Hindu-Zoroastrian-Druze have the best religion.
“I originally was into Western Religion, but then I just found out about everything I was missing, y’know?”
I have a personal preference for Southern Religion myself, with a sprinkling of Insidism.
Dear Lord, how can there be so much Unresolved Romantic Tension in so few panels?
The eyes explain it all.
But also they’re incredibly blue and I would not advise staring directly into them.
Staring into a Brown’s eye can cause dizziness, short-term memory loss, and a desire to kiss licky-style.
Premarital hanky panky!
Heck, I’m getting Dick Grayson vibes from his lordship, Joshua.
Ethan, on the other hand, is getting slightly different Dick vibes.
Only Dorothy has proven to be immune.
Oh, that’s just a sign of Spice addiction. A small price to pay for prescience and the birth of the Kwizach Hadarach.
And we have a new “one with triangle grin”.
There’s a family of the one with the triangle grin.
I don’t think I’ve seen either of her parents do it.
Well, they’re not grinning at the moment, are they?
No, but that’s why I looked back at their previous appearances.
Maybe it diminishes with age.
queerdar is on before either of them know whats happening
Oh this is beautiful!
So I assume the entire DoA community now ships Ethan and Johnathan? Yes? Good. Ok then, now it’s time for inevitable erotic fan art. I expect it to be hot and steamy with maybe some flowers and shoujo style sparkles in there for good measure, don’t disappoint me DoA community.
Why are you trying to break up a marriage. Isn’t Joshua good enough for Ethan?
Whoops my mistake, I meant Joshua. We can have Johnathan erotica after he makes his first appearance. I preemptively ship him with Faz.
I was with you until you said “with Faz” because my mind went to KILL IT WITH FIRE.
It’s too bad that the DoA Kickstarter is already over, or Ethan x Joshua may have sold a lot of those backer reward drawings.
Oh god, an Ethan/Joshua sketch may have actually convinced me to go for it.
…y’know, if I had any money.
There can always be another reprint drive.
I do not ship them.
I have drawn them kissing though.
Scroll up buddies.
I read “out of college” as “out of the closet.”
I’m guessing it’s yes, then no.
I did the same thing!
I have a new OTP
I got an OTT…and it also involves incest…I am so ashamed at myself.
You obviously aren’t THAT ashamed, or you wouldn’t have mentioned it in a public forum.
Well, this ranks the lowest on things I’m really ashamed off.
Oh this is like waiting for a piece of tnt with a long fuse to go off! This is going to be great!
Oh hoooooo that last panel! YES! YES YES YES!
Man, Joyce is gonna have some interesting story to tell five years from now.
“And that’s how your father met your other father.”
Are you implying Joyce will be impregnated by Ethan in the middle of college? Because otherwise, they wouldn’t have kids old enough to tell.
One word Adoption plus other viable options
Still begs the question of why they would adopt so early in life…?
This is Joyce we’re talking about.
No, see, Ethan’s just planning on easing himself into the relationship with Joyce. Joshua looks like Joyce, but is a guy, so makes perfect sense as a transition step. It’s brilliant, really.
Ethan’s playing this relationship like a chess champion.
holy shit-snacks!
The heart wants what the heart wants.
Jordan, Joshua, Johnathon, and Joyce? If it wasn’t obvious enough from Joyce’s psychopath mother that these people deserve the worst parents of the year award, we get alliterative sibling names? That’s a pretty giant red flag right there.
On that note, I’m shipping Blaine and Carol
As a Jonathan with closest siblings Jeffrey and Jennifer, I can sympathize. Not all of my siblings are J-named, though, the four eldest all start with C or K.
2…6…
there’s 7 of you guys?
It’s…very common, really. So says me, my brother Josh, and dad Joe. Most of my cousins fall under the same pattern (same first initial as one of the parents), but I’ll spare you the details.
oh shitstains, I mixed up Carol and Naomi. It’s a smorgasbord of awful parenting. Gods bless parent’s weekend.
It’s okay, just ship all three of them. Or even better, throw in Hank and Danny’s parents!
http://sadpanda.us/images/1831097-NGAOC39.png
I only drew two.
i love you
PFFFFT
Told you Naomi was gay.
This is perhaps the greatest thing you have ever done.
Are all the other Brown kids this adorable?
There will be blood…err…buttsex.
Bloodsex?
I think they’ll get along very well…
Oh my gosh. This is so adorable and sad.
This must NOT be called Dumbing of Age, it must be called “Break Joyce Hearth; The Comic”, seriously Willis, it’s like you enjoy her suffering (though, you did that a lot in the other comics as well… you hate her, don’t you?)
considering willis as much as said that joyce was loosely based off of himself…
Willis is actually a masochist and tortures himself via comic.
Since Willis said he dated a lesbian in college, I’m just going to assume he went through this exact situation, with himself as Joyce.
What?!
That’s pretty much the only explanation. 🙁 so goooood so saaaad
Willis is using transformers to show who is good and bad. In the previous strip, Ethan’s mom, total bongo, is covering up the Decepticon sticker on the wall. In this strip, Joshua is covering Optimus Prime. It’s kinda obvious because Ethan’s mom is a bongo, and Josh is nice, but I just wanted to point that out.
Ooh, nice catch.
I’m not sure about this. Doesn’t seem to hold in “vicariously”
I’d do a Decepticon’s mom for a nickel.
We will look back on this and realize it was the exact moment when Jonathan’s “awakening” began. 😉
I assume you mean Joshua?
People keep on mixing them up for some reason. I wonder why…
I kinda want to write fanfiction to this. Not that I normally ship things so quickly but… THE EYES AND THE WAY THEY INTERACT.
Wait, wait, every sibling in this family is named “Jo-something?”
Damn, that’s terrible theme naming, it just confuses people.
If so, it makes sense that’s Joyce’s first date here was with Joe. Her parents were, litterally, telling him to ‘Jo-something’ ;P
Joshua is my new favorite character.
Spin-off series starring Joshua about his struggles with unemployment as he shares a room with his brother, a huge Rand Paul fan? Wacky hi-jinks as Joshua struggles to conceal evidence of his liberal politics and sexual identity from the rest of his family, complicated by a hot guy showing up on the scene…?
This is what is happening in my mind if Joshua disappears never to be heard from again in the rest of the comic’s run.
Seconded
“…if Joshua disappears never to be heard from again in the rest of the comic’s run.”
I really don’t want this to happen, but it probably will.
Wow, going after your girlfriends older sibling, I would call Ethan a player but I don’t if it counts since its her brother and not her sister
Hes gonna declare that ass his major.
Words cannot describe how much I love the combination between your avatar thing and your comment.
This is strangely like what happened with me, my (now ex) husband, and my brother
Wait, ex? What happened?
I’m thinking her husband left her for her brother…
Kind of, yes. To be specific, he left me for many guys, and then ended up with my second youngest brother.
Dish. Does your brother have blue eyes? 😀
Yes, we all do, but he, myself, and our other brother Matt tend to have “mood ring” eyes
I’m sorry to hear that, Kaci. Are you OK?
Sorry for not getting here earlier. I’m… alright. It was really awkward. And, oddly enough, his name was also Joshua.
In spite of the fact I don’t think I’ve ever interaction with Willis and I’m almost certain he doesn’t know who I am, I’m pretty sure this is directed at me, and I AM too Jordan to be brought places or be proud of. Ok, it’s not directed at me, we just have the same name.
Oh yes he’s going to get along with him alright. They’re gonna get along a little too well.
That awkward moment when Joyce’s brother ends up being gay, religious family upbringing be damned. 😉 Poor Joyce.
I know this is all gonna end so badly, but I can’t help but think how cute they’d look together D:
Joyce, you are fighting a losing battle. Poor little thing. Wonder what mommy dearest is doing at this moment?
Names that boggle your mind: I was introduced once to a man and wife named Robert and Roberta, who had a son and a daughter, and named them after themselves. So you had:
Bobby, Robby, Bob, and Rob.
Then there was another guy I knew from a summer job in my senior year: he had 7 kids whose names all started with ‘C’ and had 7 letters each. He had them tattooed on his arm.
Takes all kinds.
Never met a Robert I didn’t like. I realize that’s not a statement about Roberts; it’s a statement about Roberts I’ve met, but still.
Better Robert than Chad.
Ethan’s parents are still there, right?
This is going to go up soon
I still ship Ethan and Joshua
but I don’t think it’s going to make it past another strip or two
I can’t wait for Joyce’s facade to come crumbling down. Schadenfreude? I hardly know her!
The ship is ready to sail, Captain!
I can’t wait to see the ensuing ten-car pile up that is all the first years and their parents coming together.
Daaamn, Joyce’s expression isn’t easy to read in the last panel. I want to know whether she’s genuinely happy or has already caught on on what is happening :c
You are presuming Joyce to be of one mind if you talk about “whether she …” But college is exactly where she stopped locking away other aspects, thoughts, views and possibilities.
The situation is developing fast in a direction where she’ll need to decide “whether she has already caught on to what is happening” in multiple respect instead of remaining in a blissful state of mental superposition that she has permitted herself as a basis for gradual personal development.
It would have been nice for David to grant her more time before she is in the situation of having to make up and declare her mind on several things.
yes, well, no. I was being rather more especific: whether she’s caught on to the fact that her brother and her -oficially- boyfriend are going all “hello sailor” over each other.
I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP!
Also, I feel really bad for Joyce, man.
I’m not sure, if she really loves Ethan (I kinda think, she doesn’t in the slightes), but still, you know, her own brother and her boyfriend?
Sad shit, I say, sad shit.
Two hundred and thirty eight comments and no one mentions ramen? I am disappointed.
As a fellow English major, I am rather familiar with ramen. I recommend Ichiban. It’s a lot better than Maruchan or, Heaven forbid, Cup O’ Noodles.
Yes to all of this.
Personally I go for soba, served cold with a small bowl of Memmi. But yes, Sapporo Ichiban is much better than Nissin, Maruchan or Cup o’ Noodles. If I’m feeling lavish, I’ll put kamaboko, sliced pork and an egg, along with green onions, in it.
As long as there’s no wax on the noodles, i’ll eat all of them..
God, I’m so thinking right now of Ethan and Josh having ramen together and staring at each other, and the oblivious Joyce on the background, of course.
Joyce: “Don’t do that ‘Lady and the Tramp’ spaghetti scene. That’s so gay.. Oh… Wait… Haha, you guys are so funny.”
Her denial is off the charts she doesn’t get a hold of the reality anymore. 😛
Maruchan is my ramen of choice. I don’t think they even sell Ichiban here. Either way, though, as long as it’s not Top Ramen, I’m good to go.
Wow. Now I really want to see Jordan.
Joyce.. aww poor her. all she wanted was love and care. for some reason i think it will be her worst day ever. she needs a huge group hug!
Worse than that time she almost got raped?
Soooo we are going Game of thrones with this……minus the evil son killing Ethen
Joyce. Joyce, you can’t pray the gay away. Stop trying, because you are only going to hurt yourself, Ethan, and from the looks of it, the coolest of your brothers.
Can’t see how this will hurt Jordan.
You know, it’s kinda creepy. I know an Uber-Christian family who’s 5 children are ALSO all J-named.
Weird.
Because of J-esus?
I know a family of four boys, all J names, all Christian.
If you’re going for lots of kids named with the same first letter, it kind of has to start with a J. There’s a buttload of J-names in the English-translated Bible, so it’s just smart planning.
Not necessarily. My grandmother gave her kids names that start with W, for example.
This ship sails in the morning. I wonder what’s for DINNER…
So who else ships this?
I think they would make a super cute couple and it’d be intresting.
Joyce willbe heart broken but maybe she can find some gay comfort of her own?
…and Joyce was forgotten entirely…
I’m torn between feelings of joy because Joshua and Ethan are so cute together and deserve to be happy and feelings of sadness/empathy for Joyce who also deserves to be happy and even though she might be in the future this is going to hurt a lot presently!
Heheh…Majoring in English. Ethan that was such a corny pickup line I don’t even.
Undeclared? I think he’s pretty declared, for josh.
Monkey Master shirt is not pleased.
Joyce don’t interrupt your brother when he’s in middle of stealing your boyfriend. I swear kids today are so rude.
Oh, he is just fabulous.
Now Ethan be a good boy and break up with your future sister-in-law, that’s the fair thing to do.
These two are about as depressing a couple as Joker and Harley.
And the iceberg grinds along the side of the ship, damaging all five forward compartments. It’s only a matter of time now.
oh no
awkward queer boys
my only weakness
And the Yaoi girls go
doot-do-doot do-doot doot-dee-doot
doot-do-doot do-doot doot-dee-doot
That wrist in panel 3. Ow!
And to think I was so upset with Ethan and Joyce for continuing their “relationship” given the obvious, …now that a new challenger has appeared(a cute one at that), I can not wait to see the impending delicious drama.
I can never tell when Willis’ characters are blushing.
A couple of times I’ve detected a reddish cross-hatching along the cheekbones. See Amber’s mom in the 4th panel of this one – http://www.dumbingofage.com/2013/comic/book-3/04-just-hangin-out-with-my-family/mister/
I think you’d have to be blind to miss the times when Joyce blushes.
Oh no I can already see everything coming apart already
hahaha, oh god, I came here to see if anyone had said that exact thing
my only reaction: “oh no”
I <3 Joshua. 😀
I can see the Browns sitting by and “not seeing” anything going on. They love their son, gays are sinful therefore their son is not gay. Evidence to the contrary simply does not / can not exist. Like Joyce, they may be a little desperate about not seeing things, but that doesn’t make them that different from other parents.
Naomi on the other hand… Bet she sees this all to clearly. Fireworks sooner rather than later.
Nice touch – Joyce’s hand on Ethan’s chest, with Ethan’s hand on her wrist, about to throw her away without even being aware she is there.
Dammit! Got to remember which of my emails to use when I comment.
THIS PLEASES ME!
Joshua is a Cracked writer. New headcanon.
Or an unpaid blogger for HuffPost.
YES
and he is the one who makes the most dick jokes out of all
I read this just after eating a bowl of ramen (which is all I have for food until my next payday). TIMING IS EVERYTHING IN COMEDY.
I’ve become so twisted that I enjoy eating ramen (the cheap stuff) just for the sake of eating ramen. I buy a box (24 packets) every two or three months, despite having enough money to quite easily afford “real” food.
I know everyone else has been saying it, but this is the first strip where Joshua really looks like a male clone of Joyce to me. I think it’s the triangle grin. Or the cute tilted-head face in the third panel.
The panel goes from holding Joyce to less holding Joyce to not holding her at all lol. I dunno why but I am still shipping Walky and Joyce…….
He didn’t shove her to the ground at least.
And then the twist: Joshua isn’t actually gay. He just happens to fit many gay stereotypes.
He actually isn’t fitting any stereotypes as far as I can tell. He just seems to be interested in Ethan.
Which is really stereotypical behavior. I mean, a gay guy, interested in another guy? When are we gonna get over that stereotype?
More a prediction of future behavior rather than an observation of current.
So cute together…
DAT BODY LANGUAGE
DAMN, DAAAAMN, DAAAAYUM
…sooooooooooooooooooooooo awkwaaaaaaaaaaard
SHE SHIPS THEM
WHAT
“Freelance Writing”…
My husband did “Oh, um, Freelance writing mostly…” during the 90s as well. Was unaware there were still enough gay porn story magazines being published to make it a valid psudo-career!
Oh, don’t worry! There’s all sorts of outlets happy to pay you almost nothing for various types of writing!
Is anyone else curious what Joshua writes? I honestly find myself wishing he had a column or a blog I could read.
Not at all. Because these days, ‘freelance writing’ is mostly blogging for companies. So “12 reasons why your need to upgrade your HVAC system today” and “3 skin rashes you should never ignore.”
I’m still sticking with him being a columnist for Cracked.
7 Famous Religious Figures That Were Actually Gay
“10 reasons you should hook up with your sister’s boyfriend”
Well. Ethan is attracted to a member of Joyce’s family… Just not Joyce!
Thanks for setting Ethan up with your brother, Joyce.
Second contact on my gaydar. Second contact on my gaydar!
Oh. My. God. (Well, Ethan needed a real love interest anyway)
Am I the only one who’s confused about Joshua’s expression in the last panel? It doesn’t really look like a smile… Not a frown though. A weird non blush?
Is it weird that I, as a Jordan who is the weird one in his family, can totally understand being called ‘Too Jordan’?
Weird indeed. OR IS IT. *eyes you suspiciously*
….wow, that’s some instant chemistry. It could even just be non-romantic, but it’s amazing to see two characters who just instantly seem to click.
On the other side of things, it seems like while Ethan believes all those qualities are adorable on Joyce, on Joshua, they’re just…wow. “Welp. Seems I’m still gay.” Because he has the SAME eyes and hair that Joyce does, basically.
oh no he’s going to fall for her brother. This can only end beautifully
Like, having her bind her chest, cut her hair much shorter and wear plain-lensed glasses?
I thought Joyce once said she had five brothers?
i need to tell you all something, i’m friends with a guy named Jonathan, he has a younger sister, Jennifer, and two older brothers named Joesph and Jerry, and the family is quite religious.
I KNOW THE BROWNS IN REAL LIFE!!!!
Yea, the family is brought to you by the letter J. To bad the parents aren’t. I had a friend who had a similar family; him, both his sisters, both parents, and the three dogs all had names that started with J. Not particularly religious however.
I want Joyce to break in the worst way, this is delicious. Suffer all of you mwahahahah!
Between Ethan’s super long flexible arm, and Josh’s double jointed wrists, one can barely IMAGINE the positions they might find themselves in later on…
He’s Gay isn’t he.
Weird, I hit random five times and got this comic four times out of those five.
is it just me or do all of joyce’s family’s names start with “j”
joyce, jonathan, joshua, and jordan
I wonder how badly Jordan managed to Jordan it up with his family to be too Jordan to be here?