Meanwhile, far away, I’m joining the Jungle Patrol!
The bachelorettes are getting more comfortable in Curley-Horse’s home, as they’ve changed from their collared shirts into their comfy sweats…and are now preparing to ritually sacrifice each of the other three children so that they can move in on Andrew unimpeded. First up, Roddy, who will now be torn limb from limb, and carted away to the dump in six separate trunks, so as not to arouse suspicion. However, the fact that all six cars are 1976 Triumph Dolomites may arouse a bit of suspicion, and will probably be something that Seja’s aunt writes down in her neighborhood-snoop-journal.
So they’re still trying to keep this a secret? Let’s hope Tony Casey’s gossipy girlfriend doesn’t catch word or this will be all over town! Fortunately Milford doesn’t have Child Services, and its only cop, Chief Lind, is still busy tailing Boyd the Bad News Elf and his buddy Mitch, in the off-chance they try to double park.
But wait, what’s this? “Meanwhile, far away…”? Sweet! This has got to be one of the most hilarious transitions I’ve seen in a while, and where does it lead us? To the far reaches of some jungle somewhere! OMG, Andrew’s dad is secretly a member of the Phantom’s Jungle Patrol! (Admittedly, I know nothing of that comic except for what I read on the Comics Curmudgeon, but if some waitress can join, why not a doughy deadbeat dad from Milford?)
Glad to see the standard-issue jungle wear is the same type of collared shirt that’s apparently standard-issue every-damn-where in Frank Bolle’s universe. And what better time to drop in on Big Ray than when he’s suddenly waxing nostalgic about his kids…Better hurry back with gifts for your young’uns, Ray, (a box of malaria perhaps?), or there won’t be any kids left at all!
This is … the most glorious sequence of events from the Frank Bolle era. I salute you, good sir. Two girls stealing a kid’s shoes? Or whipping him around the room like a cat’s chew toy? Fred McMurray in the jungle with a young protege? I know there are a lot of Bolle detractors here, but this is some Grade-A crazy.
Comment by El Santo — March 5, 2008 @ 11:01 am
Panel 3: “…now let’s go skinny-dipping and then kill some commies!”
Oh, he really is a mercenary, just like Mark Thatcher. So cool. This is the first Frank 2.0 panel I’ve seen that’s worthy of being a Random Amusing Panel.
Comment by laura — March 5, 2008 @ 11:13 am
It’s gonna be confusio-rama if Gil and Bigus Rayus ever appear in the same strip together (that is, if Gil ever appears in this strip again.)
Comment by Striker — March 5, 2008 @ 11:42 am
This looks for all the world like one of Jason’s Better Comix mash-ups (may they R.I.P).
Comment by sourbelly — March 5, 2008 @ 11:47 am
One other hypothesis I’d like to present:
I think Big Ray is talking to himself, the figure to his left is a Charlie McCarthy-style puppet and he’s really in the solarium of the asylum he’s resided in since he was kicked out of the circus.
Comment by Striker — March 5, 2008 @ 11:52 am
Who the heck is that in the jungle with Big Ray? Tony Blair?
Also, I just want to say that I love the phrase “doughy deadbeat dad.” Doughy Deadbeat Dad! Doughy Deadbeat Dad! (All right, I’ll stop practicing my alliteration on you.)
Comment by jules — March 5, 2008 @ 12:08 pm
“I’m almost starting to miss ‘em!” Isn’t that what Gil Thorp says about his basketball team about this time every year? While pumping iron (heh, heh) with Coach Kaz at the “Y”?
After reading panel 1, I understand why none of these do-gooders has called the cops or Child Welfare. They plan on abusing and mistreating the little tykes, possibly even dabbling in torture porn. No more of this “taking lousy photos for the local paper for ten bucks apiece.” The big money’s on the dark side of the Internet! (Porn, gambling, and comics mockage.)
On the other hand, maybe they’re just shaking the pocket change out of lil’ Roddy to help pay for all this free food for the Gregory Clan.
Comment by johnw — March 5, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
Just when I was about to give up on Gil Thorp, Bolle delivers. Today the girls help Andrew with his household chores, and first up on the list is turning his little brother upside down and shaking him. This is art worth a future Random Amusing Panel o’ the Moment showcasing.
Maybe Gil Thorp can tie together a Phantom-Jungle Patrol/Funky Winkerbean-basketball championship crossover.
Comment by AirForbes — March 5, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
It took about three readings of today’s comic before I finally understood that DeadbeatDad was responding to the question “so, do you have any children?” I thought perhaps he was just sorta sitting there sweltering in the jungle and then said suddenly and matter-of-factly, “yep. four kids….” It’s funnier that way.
I love how the former stalkers seem to be sort of lackadaisically shaking little boy out for loose change.
Comment by Emily — March 5, 2008 @ 12:37 pm
For having such a rich history of drawing generic looking men, Frank 2.0 sure made Big Ray look a lot like Andy Griffith.
Comment by Rob G. — March 5, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
Supposedly four kids, but we have still to see the mysterious 13-year-old.
Comment by Scott de B. — March 5, 2008 @ 12:49 pm
Hmm, six volunteers, six kids’ legs. Let’s swing ‘em around and see which one pukes first!
Big Ray’s jungle buddy looks sorta like a brylcreemed Crispin Glover.
Comment by Ned Ryerson — March 5, 2008 @ 12:49 pm
Panel #3;Portrayed by Charlie and Martin Sheen.
Comment by ScooterAl — March 5, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
I love that Big “Deadbeat Dad” Ray says he “almost” misses them. The next panel would say “Yea, I’m in a steamy, mosquito infested smelly jungle. I almsot miss my kids, but if I had the choice, I’d choose the steamy, smelly bug filled jungle over my horsey faced son and my growing and shrinking Asian brats”.
I think big Ray’s pal looks a little like Richard Widmark. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Widmark
Big Ray (Daddy Deadbeat) sorta channels Dana Andrews: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Andrews
Frank 2.0 really delivered the crazy today. Maybe they’re looking for Winnie Winkle’s long lost husband. (In that strip, he had been shot down during WWII and was found on a deserted Isand. No, I’m not THAT old, but I do remember when I read the strip in the ’80s that’s how they found him.)
Thatbeing said, I’m off to join Daddy Deadbeat and the Jungle Patrol.
Comment by Regina — March 5, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
Look out, Guy-who’s-not-Big-Ray! A giant pod is getting ready to take over you!
Comment by Gil'sBarber — March 5, 2008 @ 1:05 pm
And I forgot to say how much I admire the stalkers’ ingenuity in using the rugrat for a ginormous fly swatter.
Comment by Gil'sBarber — March 5, 2008 @ 1:08 pm
Big Ray’s hand is looking nicely disembodied there, too.
Comment by Spike — March 5, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
No guys, don’t you get it? Big Ray is getting over Ex-Wife #4, so clearly, he does what anyone getting over a woman does: he’s in Vietnam! Hopefully he’ll meet up with Drew, and they can go on wacky adventures together. Can’t you just see the cinematic trailer now?
He’s a doctor.
HE’S a mercenary.
Spurned by the women they once met, they go to Vietnam, to FIGHT CRIME.
(Rapid fire dialogue clips:)
Big Ray: You guys don’t measure up!
Drew: No one understands me and my swordfish t-shirts! (arm flails)
One of them has only one giant leg, and the other has no control over his arms, but together, they FIGHT CRIME, in VIETNAM.
Big Ray: Why couldn’t you see in your crystal ball that my son is half-horse before getting all pissy about it?!
Drew: A woman I kissed once left me after I cheated on her! LIFE HAS NO MEANING! (arms flail even more wildly)
Both of them have their own problems… but they’re part of a larger mission.
(Visual: Speakerphone on desk. Voice over:)
“I have a Suggestion for you, Angels!”
(Title splash)
“MARY’S ANGELS 2: BACK TO VIETNAM”
In theaters everywhere February 30th. Rated M for Meddlesome.
Comment by Zaq — March 5, 2008 @ 2:05 pm
Big Ray is clearly in Cambodia. Since the CIA hasn’t had a presence there since the Vietnam war, it’s just further evidence that Gil Thorp takes place in 1976
Comment by B — March 5, 2008 @ 3:02 pm
Right #10, Big Ray is lookibg a lot like Andy Griffith. Opie is just out of sight, down at the fishin’ hole.
Big Ray’s pal looks like Prince Charles.
Comment by JJ — March 5, 2008 @ 3:40 pm
that’s not a jungle … it’s a field of mid grade marijuana in colombia waiting to be harvested by farc. they’re wearing collared long sleeve shirts, because they’re bankers, and they’re deciding if they want to underwrite the mortgage on that particular farm.
Comment by lester — March 5, 2008 @ 3:47 pm
#18: Whoa - Mary Worth/Gil Thorp/Funky Winkerbean/Phantom crossover!
Glad I’m not the only one who sees Andy Griffith in that last panel.
Comment by AirForbes — March 5, 2008 @ 3:59 pm
Great catch all re: Big Ray in the CIA. And we all know that the guvment tells CIA agents to forsake all kids (and present/ex-wives) for the duty.
Andy Griffith might be “almost” missing the kids… NOT!
Any god-forsaken jungle anywhere would be preferable to raising 4 rugrats.
I’m done.
Comment by Kaz's--Ex — March 5, 2008 @ 4:12 pm
How in the world do they carry on such a matter-of-fact conversation in Frame 1 whole tossing and torturing a child?
Big Ray and team have been hired by the CIA to look for Frank McLaughlin, who disappeared so quickly and mysteriously that they had to get a temp fill-in for his job while also hiring his permanent replacement. (Seriously, I hope Frank is OK!)
Comment by Roy Gillen — March 5, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
The Jungle Patrol. Where men are B-movie actors. And women are lady cops and waitresses.
A cameo by Barbara Payton wouldn’t be out of place here…how ’bout it, Frank 2.0?
Comment by Fran Ledue Page — March 5, 2008 @ 5:58 pm
I am quite pleased to see that even in nature’s hairy armpit, Big Ray has found somewhere to get his shirts dry cleaned, because nothing says serious jungle explorer like freshly laundered clothes.
Comment by Laura Jane — March 5, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
Indiana Ray and the Wing-T of Doom …
Comment by Sgt Saunders — March 5, 2008 @ 9:32 pm
What kind of ex-wife leaves town and gives up an ATM card, connected to a stocked bank account, to a teenage dork? That IS a comic strip fantasy. You know, in real life, she would be draining that weekly.
On the other hand, maybe you don’t want to mess with Big Ray’s money.
Comment by ScooterAl — March 6, 2008 @ 2:32 am
[...] we’re supposed to believe he hurt it falling off a bicycle, but based on recent behavior of the stalkin’ babysitter club, it seems more likely they just swung the little whiner right out onto the curb. Unfortunately they [...]
Pingback by Shouldering the lame « This Week in Milford — March 7, 2008 @ 9:49 am
[...] But what the crap is Gil wearing? My best guess is he was recruited by Big Ray to join the Jungle Patrol, where someone chopped of his right hand with a machete. Meanwhile, the depiction of Kaz is more [...]
Pingback by Gil visits city, attends inning of baseball game. « This Week in Milford — May 7, 2008 @ 9:07 am