Cavalier with the Facts

“We are here at the Milford Country Club, where we’ve secretly replaced the lemonade they usually serve with a urine sample. Let’s see if anyone can tell the difference!”  At least I imagine that’s what the server who’s breaking the fourth wall here is thinking.

Another day of exposition on Jaquan Case, in which we learn that he spent three years at Mr. Jefferson’s University. Would Jaquan have been a contemporary of Sean Singletary? I’m grateful to have the archives* available to connect the dots on Jaquan and Trey’s backstories. (I can also see that Rubin name-dropped a couple of high schools local to me back then, too, which might’ve made me think Milford is in Pennsylvania, which it is, or at least one of them.)  Tronix may still have its fingers in Jaquan, or he may just have all that leftover swag from when his career fizzled out. We’ll learn soon.

Stick around; after that clinker of a spring arc this might be entertaining.  Who knows? Maybe Hadley V. Baxendale or Uncle Rudy will show up. Marty Moon may start wearing mascara again.

*metapost: If you have the time, I recommend visiting the archives. The TWIM hive mind contains some really long-time readers of the strip and their memories are great to have, especially if you went long years not seeing the strip as I did.  Going through the archives helps me appreciate the sense of continuity (such as it is) in the strip, as well as the vastly improved artwork – not only in terms of style but also in terms of accuracy. The sports uniforms, for example, aren’t just monogrammed shirts without numbers. Look at the Milford – Bishop Tardy game from 2005: Milford’s wearing Michigan cheerleader’s tops while Tardy’s jerseys look like something you’d punish a student with by making them wear, like a dunce cap.

Turn and Grunt

We got a lot of good exposition from the TWIM hive mind yesterday.  Trey Davis and Jaquan Case are back after a decade plus and looking very little like their teenaged selves* (change in artists notwithstanding).  Like many if not most young adults, they look to be shedding some of their teenage personas as well.  Yeah, a lot of folks wouldn’t want to be called “The Don” these days, and that’s all I have to say about that.

Speaking of weird handshakes, is it considered impolite to leave your gloves on to shake the hand of someone who is barehanded?  Opinions appear to differ.   Heather’s cankles are looking mighty thick today. Wonder if she taped them herself. I’m sure we’ll learn more about her future as Trey and Jaquan fill in their backstories in the coming days.

*I’d link more but Gocomics went down as I was composing this post.

There’s No Veering in Baseball!

Well that whole journalism thing was awkward, wasn’t it?  Made me feel stupid for thinking there might be some point to it.  Let’s get back to what this strip does best: putting Milford’s girls in the orbit of Milford’s boys. After all, boys won’t watch girls play unless they’re interested in one of the players but girls will watch the boys play just because, amirite?

So to wrap the spring* plot up we’re gonna see if Ryan has indeed practiced his anger management after he gets another bad call from a crappy Valley ump and his teammates flub away a lead on him.  Marty’s mom has told him to take out the trash, so he quickly makes the Mudlarks a Fielding Three and rolls a 14 for the Tilden batter.  As with most Gil Thorp arcs, all of this would come off as a lot less contrived if the plot had been better paced. Then again, the phrase “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” is probably wasted on someone who holds track and field in such contempt.

*Feels funny calling it that in the middle of July, doesn’t it?

That’s Not How Journalism Works

Looks like we’re tying up loose ends left and right. Let’s have at it:

P1: How often have you high-fived someone across your body? Carrie’s pose is just all wrong.

P2: If DD can find a few experts she might get this onto some obscure online content mill. “Two Milford girls discovered this one weird trick that’s revolutionizing the Billion dollar anger management industry!”

P3: Did Alison Bechdel key Rubin’s car or what?

Theoretically Feeling That Flash

I’m not saying I need, or even want, a moral that makes sense to wrap up a Gil Thorp season… but this is some pretty weak sauce denouement. Also, too, didn’t someone slug what’s his name?

What else do we have today?

P1: Ms. Rizk’s clenched fist makes this quite the arc for that sort of thing if that’s what you’re into.

P2: I love the twin terminals in the foreground. I guess that big scoop on expense account abuse freed up funds for the paper.

P3: Prairie style window muntins are what do it for me, so let’s just focus on those and ignore whatever lame point Dafne is trying to make.

Which Two Did He Hit?

Poor Ryan.  Fist at the ready but he’s not supposed to punch anyone.  Way to not take advantage of a situation.

Know who else hasn’t taken advantage of a situation?  Marty Moon!  If he broadcasts every Milford game, he’d have seen the protest poster and been on the story like white on rice. Even if he doesn’t broadcast every game, surely Marjie Ducey would’ve picked up the story and he’d have commented on it. (Pouty Daftpunk isn’t the only “journalist” in town, dontchaknow.) Instead Marty’s been sitting in his basement, rolling his dice and composing music on his Casiotone. See the pile of blank staff paper on top of the keyboard?

Don’t look now folks but in a week’s time Milford has supposedly played six games. Reckon they’ll finish the season by the end of the month – or before Dafiltefish crawls back to Ms. Rizk begging to get back on the Trumpet staff?  Let’s put in an order to Rob’s Pizza and watch things unfold; I hear the breadsticks are a must. I’d say we could hang out but Rob’s is takeout or delivery only.

Good News Is Trouble-Free

Well, the mystery of Skip Farrow wrapped up pretty quickly. Speaking of, Skip sure does have an interesting take on the situation. Since everybody except the Cane is graduating, there shouldn’t be any issues… And, since graduation should’ve happened about a month ago, we really should be in the clear.

Bonus points:

The ‘leader’ of the ‘protest’ is almost as tall as Skip.

I love the clock on the window in panel one.

Bonus questions:

What is on the back of that student’s shirt?

Why does Skip have to call Gil from a wall phone?

What is supposed to be displayed over the window in panel two? I’m thinking worst drawing of the solar system ever.

Truly, Madly, Reluctantly, Unfortunately

Good thing I went with the color version of the strip today. These fair-haired women with prop glasses are all starting to look alike. Today it’s Ms. Rizk, not Dr. Pearl; we know this as Gil is the summoner, not the summoned. (Not that it’s clear Dr. Pearl summoned Gil but, you know, pecking order and all.)

Ever since the Central game the strip has been playing a huge game of connect-the-dots. Great leaps ever forward – from Kaz’s near telepathic understanding of what Gil wants to Gil’s visit to the Van Aukens to Gil’s chat with Dr. Pearl to today – with a lot of gaps to fill. Is it clear that Gil spoke with Ryan at his home? (The “genuinely remorseful” comment to Dr. Pearl might lead us to believe he did.) Whether he did or didn’t, what prompted Gil to speak with Dr. Pearl next? (To get the green light from the Doctor to lean on Ms. Rizk to quash Daftpunk’s article?)

And now, what leads Ms. Rizk to add the “unfortunately” tag to her statement implying that Dafunk’s article has already been quashed? Is it meant for us to deduce that, even though she’s been against Daffy’s hit piece on the ‘Cane from the get-go, she secretly wants to run the article? As our astute readers commented yesterday, this spring arc has turned into another of Rubin’s classic Bechdel Test fails. Girls’ sports have taken a back seat not only to boys’ sports but also to high school journalism which, by maintaining its integrity, may end up protecting a male athlete at the expense of his female victim and accusers. Ms. Rizk’s “unfortunately” may be her subtle form of protest against the Milford jockocracy.

Gil won’t give that a moment’s thought, ’cause sarcastically, he’s in charge.