Snark It Up, FuzzBall!

The comic strip Gil Thorpe does a bang-up job of messing with the space-time continuum (in that a lot of the strips look as though they’ve fallen in a black hole and are being folded, spindled and mutilated into fantastic, utterly impossible dimensions).  If you have a touchy tummy, this can make you a bit queasy.

Mary Worth is more established in perceiving the here-and-now.  People stand side-by-side.  No “art” shots.  No weird framing (that’s left to 9 Chickweed Lane and Pibgorn).  So when it does happen, with Mary hovering above Dr. Mike as he lies on his official psychiatrist couch, looking down on him as those God is parting the clouds and getting a gander at His creation below, it is even more disturbing than the current plot-line alone.

Mary, please leave wacky perspective to the professionals.  Or at least leave wacky physical perspective to the professionals — we know that you’re the inarguable master of wacky mental perspective.

Some people prefer to comment, rather on non-Euclidean space, the sartorial splendor of an up-and-coming young psychiatrist:

And then even some people with the patience of a saint, may feel a bit overwhelmed and need to call in reinforcements:

It looks like a lot of “unhappy childhoods” are coming to the front in Mary Worth, and now Judge Parker.  Who knew that Sam Driver wanted to be a jazz musician?

And even more important, who cares?

Mark Trail found the missing Sassy!  In spite of a Bad Guy (with requisite facial hair) stealing her from kindly old Sally to cash in on the reward, Mark used his mad naturalist skillz to track the Bad Guy! Wooo!

Well, I think he’s a Bad Guy.  Maybe Rusty is just a little confused:

Meanwhile, in the tender reunion, Sassy looks a bit baked.  Maybe not this baked, but pretty much chocolate-chip puppy baked:

“Read for comprehension, not for speed.”

This doesn’t explain why I read Between Friends — fairly unlikely characters in sort of a Foob South of the (Canadian) Border.

But this is what I honestly saw when I read the original.  Then again, I’m not much in the latest jargon (“man-scaping” makes me cringe, though), and I really didn’t understand what the accompanying illustration had to do with anything:

All rightie! Now it all makes perfect sense!

Honest to Pete!  Mary Worth plays psychiatrist! Dr. Mike plays patient!

And, dang it, if he’s playing his role just a little too well. (Yes, the histrionic gestures are just as they appear in the strip.)

Still, Mary slogs on in the windmills of Mike’s mind…

Can a real Love Connection be far behind? (Don’t forget the Miracle Whip!)

Who would’ve guessed that the umpteenth edition of  ‘The Keanes Go to the Beach’ theme would still have comedy pyrite gold buried way down deep?

[CC’s Motorposus went through the archives at the official FC website and found the first printing (heck, maybe it’s a copy of an earlier strip, too) of the 25 July 2010 strip:  it’s dated 18 July 1976!  NOTHING is different expect for changing Mommy’s hair-do!  How freakin’ lazy and shameless do you have to be to pull a stunt like this and pass it off (and get paid for) a 34-year-old strip?!  I’ll bet I spent more time mashing this little piece to make it somewhat funny.  I’m sure any changes in the color of umbrellas and other incidentals was done independently, by the current generation of color monkeys, too:  http://www.familycircus.com/files/70/images/760718.gif.  /rant]

(The original was just Jeffy complaining about the water temperature.)

It’s not enough that Dr. “Mike,” psychiatrist lies down on his own couch, complaining of a heavy case load (22 July 2010).

No, indeed, let’s have Mary take a seat next to him and start pontificating on Freud! (23 July 2010) I am not making this up.

This, on the other hand, I am totally making up:

This quiet little moment between mother and daughter, Edie and Juliette, is only going to be followed by another five months (minimum) of Edie dealing with Brain-Dead Bill.

Hence, a much-hoped for end:

Oh, ho.  It was too much to ask for.

An end.

A simple, sweet, end.

Today’s strip brings us more hand-jive, which I’ve omitted.  No, you don’t need to thank me — it was cool the first two times, and now it’s become more trite than signature.  Anyway…

Dr. Roberts (“Please, call me ‘Mike’.”) really does ask Mary leave to lie down.  Prelude to an interlude?

Nah.