Back of the Envelope

Sluggy Freelance — Pete goes on a brief hiatus while he reworks the Oasis storyline, giving us "a zombie haiku set in a fantasy setting over the course of three days." Fortunately, he recovers well enough to make fun of his haiku. Now, can we please get back to Torg and Riff?

Day by Day — The Pope's criticism of Islam, Hugo Chavez at the UN, Murtha as House Majority Leader, and Jan's imagination all receive some love. Well, some more than others, of course.

Scary Go Round — Poor Erin! She's all depressed now that the Boy and Esther have gotten together. Don't worry, Erin. There are plenty of other guys out there. I'd be happy to date you, except that you live in England, you're only in high school, and you're technically imaginary, but other than that! Anyway, Amy and Shelley manage to fill her with comfort food, but there's a problem when she accidentally drinks the super strenght potion.

College Roomies from Hell!!! — Mike goes looking for Marsha, but April finds him first. You know, if you have to have a stalker, you could do worse than April. Fortunately, Marsha looks good again, and April's reaction is something like a vampire to garlic.

Dominic Deegan — Bumper and Stunt have begun to execute a plan. Bumper isn't as fed up with Stunt as he's pretending, and he's using the apparent falling out to get on Dominic's good side.

Schlock Mercenary — The plan is proceeding apace. Kevyn's built some armored suits for the boarding party, and they seem to work well. Just as we're getting into the story, though, Howard reminds us that it's a flashback and shows Kevyn dying. Drat, that's a downer. It's a good thing there are two of them.

Sluggy Freelance — Finally, we're back to Torg and Riff. Bun-bun's come through with the information on Oasis, and forwards it to the two, who go to the orphanage from which Oasis was adopted when she was six. However, she wasn't a normal little girl when she started, coming from someplace called Orsin-something Research. What's interesting about this story is that Torg is being the responsible one, while Riff is the one acting like he's on crazy-stupid gas or something. You don't think he was hit by it or something?

Day by Day — The Democrats' reaction to "The Path to 9/11" gets some attention, as does their beliefs about Bush and the War on Terror. But don't think Chris doesn't have time to take Colin Powell to task, or complain about conditions in Guatanamo. He ain't singing the same tune as the Lefties, though.

Scary Go Round — Esther and the Boy are reunited, and track down Tim and Riley. They give the cell phone to Riley, who promptly smashes it. She doesn't seem to want Tim to go back, does she?

College Roomies from Hell!!! — Mike's dad walks in on him and Dave in bed. Which is exactly what Dave expected. Dad's come to invite Mike to a party. He's thoroughly convinced Mike is gay, which is what Mike wants, so it's a good thing neither of them realized that Blue was under the bed, isn't it?

Dominic Deegan — Pam's eager to give Dominic and Luna a free house. Dang, how do I save a city and get a free house out of it? Meanwhile, Bumper and Stunt had a falling out, and Bumper gets an invite to dinner with Dominic, Luna, Gregory, and Pam.

Schlock Mercenary — Captain Tagon's having trouble putting the assault plans together, what with his officers busy babysitting the troops. While Tagon's putting the plan together, Thurl has acquired a superfreighter to hide the ship inside, and a sponsor to reduce costs.

As promised, I've added a new comic to the Update, and sadly, removed General Protection Fault. I still love GPF, but it's gone down to three times a week and is currently on hiatus, so I need new blood for the Update. Instead, Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire will be joining the roll. Just back from its own hiatus, Dominic Deegan is a fantasy comic with a sharp sense of humor and strong moral grounding. It's stories are complex and engaging, and really beyond doing justice to them here. Suffice it to say that you should go read it from the beginning. I'll be updating the sidebar accordingly tonight.

Sluggy Freelance — Oasis's flashbacks are beginning to shake her faith in her love for Torg, but brainwashing quickly sets in. Kareen wants her and her sensei gone for good, but it looks like her concern over the police is unwarranted, as they seem to be protecting her... unless it's something more sinister. Never fear, the press is here to dig it up, or at least get tossed into jail for trying.

Day by Day — As I suspected, the car crash was a bait and switch, and as I did not suspect, so was the pregnancy. That's disappointing, although now it seems Jan's decided she wants kids. There's still some time for some Capitol Hill madness, mocking the democrats for their alarm over the 9/11 film.

Scary Go Round — Uh-oh. The police are aiming to stop the commandeered trailer, and The Boy and Esther are forced to swim for it. The Boy at least has found "safety," assuming that crazy green man is safe.

College Roomies from Hell!!! — Just two comics this week, but Dave seems to be hiding something from Mike in his bed. That cocunut drink seems like it's too easy, doesn't it? Where is Blue?

Dominic Deegan — Stunt and Bumper are in Barthis. For those who don't know, these two thieves have a history with Dominic, generally being outwitted by the Seer at every turn, although occasionally they've worked with him. Stunt wants to start a new crime ring in Barthis, while Bumper just wants to live a quiet life with his guilt over killing the despicable Amelia Sturtz. Meanwhile, Dominic and Luna are planning to buy a house together and move into Barthis.

Schlock Mercenary — Finally! We've reached the part of the flashback where Kevyn explains how he ended up on that planet in a loincloth in the first place. Apparently, they're trying to kill some pirates/insurgents, and they're disguising themselves as a freighter to do so.

Sluggy Freelance — Oasis's sensei takes her outside for a little training. She's able to perform difficult feats of dexterity without a problem, and none of her difficult life seems to phase her: except for Torg. She doesn't remember why she loves him, and she's beginning to question it.

Day by Day — It looks like Jan is pregnant, and once Damon gives his full support, she decides she wants the baby. Everything's going great--until there's an accident. I think it's a bait and switch, but it's real drama from Day by Day, so I'm happy. It's beginning to look more like a webcomic these days.

Scary Go Round — And the boat is sailing down the river (which used to be a road) to the town where Tim's hiding. Back in town, Shelley's debonaire thief has stolen the formula. I just wished I knew what she's planning to do with it.

College Roomies from Hell!!! — Roger's stuck trying to explain to Diana why he had sex with Margaret, and he makes the mistake of bringing up that Di's a prostitute, so she really doesn't have room to complain. Uh-oh. Over at the manor, it's clear that the Dragon's planning to brainwash somebody, but she doesn't intend to let Harry brainwash Mike. The two options are Dave and April, I guess. And, ah, Dave's happy, prompting a cold day in Hell. That's a pretty heavy-handed suggestion that the Dragon's going after Dave.

General Protection Fault — The Gamester calls in Todd to help deal with the situation in the alternate universe while he deals with the real threat. Meanwhile, the Greys are victorious, right before the slime molds arrive.

Schlock Mercenary — Kevyn is having a near death experience, and Petey's in it--confirming once again his god-complex. Since he's unacceptable to Kevyn's subconscious, the cartoonist shows up instead. Sounds like fun.