Dumbing of Age Book 10 Kickstarter update!
It’s time for another surprise magnet reveal! It’s HOSTAGE ETHAN, wearing some Beast Wars Dinobot t-shirt contraband! Nobody tell John Warden. Eh, Ethan’s probably got bigger things to worry about right now. Maybe.
There’s now a HOSTAGE ETHAN MAGNET tier where you can get this magnet (and the freebie Billie magnet) with your book! Or you can PICK THREE or PICK FIVE MAGNETS, or go all-in for COMPLETE MAGNET POWER!
Still on the horizon, unlocked at $45K, is the HOSTAGE AMBER magnet!
DINA TRICKED ME INTO PLAYING NICE
BREAK-UP DUE
(shit I jinxed it huh… happy birthday Willis, here are your damns)
This is just like Wilde Life! Dorothy is Becky’s “Not-Friend friend”! 😀
Doesn’t matter after Becky dies.
In the room next door we have Dina and Amber. Joyce is on down the hall and can hear Becky at ungodly AM. And so, we assume, can the rest of the hall.
IT WAS DOTTIE ALL ALONG
Hmmm, Machiavellian manipulation of others while maintaining a facade of benevolence and getting side benefits?
Dorothy was born for politics. Or being frenemies with Disney’s Gargoyles, either is good.
BTW, have you heard that NECA is bringing out new action figures starting with a new Goliath this summer?
I know it’s useless to wish but I’m hoping they’ll get to Griff eventually. They didn’t make one of him in the Nineties.
If they release a Puck, I’ll take 20.
*sigh*
Becky will never learn this way, eh?
Drop your ego and your expectations and we’ll be fine- Ooh plain donut
yessss, yessss, let the goooood floooow through you
*plays Right Back Where We Started From by Maxine Nightingale on the PA system*
Damn you, birthday boy Willis!!
I am old. Not only do I know the song you’re referencing, I have the melody stuck in my head now.
I am thinking of the movie it’s in, too.
BUSTED, BECKY.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIS!
Wait, Today is his Birthday?
Willis and I share a birthday and nobody told me!?
It’s an extra long con. The donuts will indeed fatten Dorothy up causing weight based medical complications signigficantly shortening her long term lifespan! This is basically murder!
TV says donuts are high in fat.
…
…
…kazoo.
Burt Wolf said there are no good or bad foods, only appropriate and inappropriate amounts. One donut doesn’t hurt. Eating a dozen at once will definitely hurt.
One donut every day consistently, even on mornings you don’t burn off calories with a morning jog, as you get older and age out of a teenager metabolism, compounded by the stress of life and a political carreer, could do some damage. It’s a really really really long con! Webs within webs within even more webs!
I’m torn between DOA 11: You Don’t See the Webs Within Webs and DOA 11: Num Nummy Num Num.
There’s always “Your Innate Goodness Caused You To Crack”, or “Because We’re Friends And You Do Like Me”
I’m partial to “The Donuts Are an Unforeseen Bonus” and “Are You Fattening Me Up to Eat Me, Or…?”
One more vote for each of your ideas.
Indeed, even if you only eat one donut eventually you will die.
Eat at Arby’s
Aaaaand there’s today’s existential crisis. Thanks…
Webs within webs. We haven’t even gotten to the wheels yet.
Way up in the middle of the air.
We must test this. For Science!!!
You were always out of your league in this rivalry, Becky.
Wait— is this ‘pigtail pulling’?!
Does someone have a crush on their ‘enemy’?!
Sh!
I don’t think so, but thus far Becky’s two canonical crushes have been a nerdy chick and a blonde Polyanna, and here’s a nerdy blonde Pollyanna, so I guess it’s possible.
I think Becky’s too focused on this forced rivalry to actually consider Dorothy in any sort of romantic way. Dorothy isn’t an object of affection she’s an obstacle to overcome.
And her ex-roommate at Anderson….
We don’t know anything about her but that. Maybe she’s also nerdy.
She’s a brunette with glasses, and… that’s about it, really. I had to check her tag just to confirm how her name is spelled. (Kaitlin, K and two i’s.) She did have a line or two in a Patreon strip I think? But not enough to draw any conclusions about her beyond ‘likes girls’ and ‘closeted in an attempt to appease authorities and avoid retribution.’ (‘She told everyone I was a bad influence or something like that.’ https://www.dumbingofage.com/2014/comic/book-5/01-when-somebody-loved-me/fix/ )
Honestly I could almost see a young Leslie behaving similarly for a while? But we know she came out eventually anyway and didn’t have a real safety net, so who knows. Regardless, poor kid. Maybe in the DoA epilogue we’ll see her briefly in some other character’s life, finally having worked up the courage to accept herself and break away from the people who told her she was wrong for existing. Or more likely, her purpose as a character always consisted of two strips in flashback. Seriously Blowjob Cat has more screentime and characterization.
She kind of soldout Becky to save her own skin which gives me real Asher vibes even if it’s with a more sympathetic motivation. I actually think I’d like to see her again. It would bring in some interesting new conflict.
Dorothy realizes she’s bi, Becky and Dina break up, and Becky and Dorothy start dating. This makes Joyce jealous for reasons she can’t pinpoint.
Dorothy realizes she’s bi,
Becky and Dina break up,andBecky and Dorothystarts datingThis makesJoycejealous for reasons she can’t pinpoint.Fixed it for ya.
That comes later, after much drama
I don’t think so.
O hai Ana!
Not just a perceptive leader, but a patient one at that!
Well played, Dotty. Refuse to rise to the bait. Instead, express thanks, exude charm, and return kindness ad infinitum. It’ll drive ’em bananas.
omg i friendship it so hard
What? No hostage-rescue Amazigirl magnet? That would be awsome, right up there with a Dead Mike magnet. Or at least hospitalized Mike. But no Faz magnet; we have standards.
How about a “Dead Dads” magnet … a pair of gravestones reading “Blaine O’Malley” and “Ross MacIntyre”? A Faz magnet doesn’t sound so bad in comparison now, does it?
Zombie Toedead, with his arms raised so you can make it look like he’s carrying or throwing one of your other magnets.
I love that Dorothy is being so sassy here. Bet she’s A. happy for a donut, and B. enjoying that running high and feeling playful.
Strangely adorable.
No donut could be as sweet as this triumph!
Someone had to win the peace.
So that’s it, peace just broke out?
if joyce walks in on that 4th panel, she’s gonna have some *feelings*.
Becky, Becky, Becky. If you wish to truely contend with Dorothy then you doing it all wrong, childish insults little microaggressions won’t work. There is only one true way to do it and its simply to best her at something she prides herself on. A little friendly game of one-upmanship never heard anybody and you’ve done it before.
To defeat Dorothy, Becky must go to Yale.
Becky already won that forever.
https://www.dumbingofage.com/2019/comic/book-9-comic/03-sometimes-the-sky-was-so-far-away/entrylevel/
dorothy looks cute in a horse kind of way in the 4th panel
Dorothy playing on Becky’s innate goodness is simply not fair.
So or anyone keeping count, that’s about five points to Becky and a billion trillion zillion fantasillion to Dorothy.
I love that sweet/smug smile while she eats the donut.
And the ‘nummy-num-num’ sound effects, just in case Becky’s not watching.
happy birthday to all the Davids out there
I heard Willis lost his I.D., so now we should just call him Dav.
Wtf that made me laugh ><
That “Num Nummy Num Num” was a sweet power move.
I recognize those sounds. Dorothy must be a giant shark person and she’s eating a person off screen.
Who nummy-nums a plain donut? May as well eat library paste.
I’m expecting Joyce to say, in a sleepy, disoriented voice: “Yes, yes… Play nice girls… mommy is sleeping…. Zzzz…”
Happy Birthday David!
By the way, did anyone notice that this is a new storyline? With a very particular choice of onomatopoeia for the title?
And enough about that; just how will David use the power of the Birthday Wish this year?
*obligatory Wargames quote*
“I’m about to give you some very precise instructions. Go to gate. Open gate. Get behind gate. Close gate. Run.”
“Let’s play… Global.. Thermonuclear… War.”
“Joyce, look! Dotty is strangling me with kindness!”
Happy ripening, Willis!
Dotty is devilishly nice
Happy birthday Willis, we damn you very much <3
I’m gonna have to agree with Dina. Looking people in the eye sucks.
This is adorable.
Happy birthday, Willis!
Dorothy is incredible. I love her.
B-b-b-baka! I’m not your friend! I don’t even like you!
[Mary seriously needs to abandon religion and go full weeaboo otaku. Sorry, I just want someone to call out this tsundere, and Mary would get the most positive growth out of going full weeb.]
As if Mary would ever give up having the power of God and Anime on her side.
THIS IS ADORABLE ♡! Becky is in a corner, she can’t run away! Her true self is nude in front of Dorothy and she don’t like it! This change everything forever between the two. FINALLY! SO FUNNY!
… sorry, what? I got as far as “Becky is nude in front of Dorothy” and my brain just kind of locked up.
I mean…her soul, her true self… stuff like that not her body…
great strip for those who considered what Becky was doing to Dorothy horrible, abusive bullying
It’s basically Dorothy continuing to say “I don’t care about your ridiculous feud, and also we’re friends”, which is … what she’s been doing the whole time? Which is fine, but I’m not seeing it as some watershed moment.
It was.
Now it’s not.
It’s like things changed or something.
Imagine that.
Becky: Dina!! I did what you said and instead of owning Dotty now somehow we’re friends!!! what happen
Dina: I performed a prank! ^^
Great, now I’m craving some donuts too. XD
So evil 😀
(also, happy birthday)
Happy Birthday, Willis.
This is the third day in a row of birthday celebrations in my life.
It turns out Dorothy had a plan after all! This almost makes up for all the negging strips with no punchline.
Happy Birthday, Willis!
JOYCE! Come and see the friendship inherent in the system! Help, help, I’m being liked!
Thank you. That is appreciated.
At Anderson U, she was being repressed.
Also Happy anniversary of your birth, slash trip around the sun Mr. Willis, and thank you for your art.
This is so cute lol. Becky’s turned into a straight up tsundere. Happy birthday Willis!
That’s probably why I dislike Becky, I do not enjoy tsundere characters. Can smell ’em a mile away. :p They stink.
Good ability, you can start running before they resort to violence.
Thanks for that Diane, I looked up what tsundere meant and yes this describes it very well
Oh tsundere is my second favorite after ojou-sama (y’know as long as they’re not insanely violent like louise in zero no tsukaima). Just, so adorable. Probably part of why i love becky
Happy Birthday Willis, may it not be a damn you day.
Also, Becky, you are the evil one for screaming at the top of your lungs at 6AM, I would be murdering you.
I think she’s raised her voice, but hardly screaming.
How is she…not screaming? The letters are bold. There are !s in there. That’s very much screaming.
Screaming where? C’mon now you can dislike her all you want but you’re going to hurt yourself with that stretch.
To be fair, she’s apparently loud enough for Joyce to hear her and as far as we know Joyce is in another room down the hall.
There is not stretch. As thejeff mentioned, somehow Joyce is hearing her, despite being 33 steps away. Admittedly, not FAR, but not just one or two rooms down. More like 4, 5 rooms, I’d say? The letters are bold, indicating this is not a normal voice tone. There are !s. This is not normal 6 am tone of voice.
Becky DESTROYED With Facts and Logic
I love Dotty so much. I’m gonna miss her when she moves away.
And, finally I reached the currenctly page!
I’ve find Dumbing of Age (I’ve come from Questionable Content comic) and just got 2 weeks since the Book 3 until here.
I gotta say it was a jorney, a funny and a emotional jorney. Much because I’d get much of Joyce’s dilemma. Thank your for write DoA!
I wish to the creator so much sucess in your work!!
mmm, donuts
I’m so hungry right now, i could cry
I admittedly may have a soft spot for the Subaru fashion sense, so – is it me, or has Becky somehow turned out to be the most consistently hot character in this whole universe?
Particularly with the growing out hair imo, chefs kiss
Yikes.
Yes, it *is* a power move, Becky, just not by you.
I just feel like they’re gonna bang at some point
Why do I interpret Dotty’s first sentences to be extremely horny?