Early update for July 21, 2024

these two mean the world to me ughhhhh. love these kids and their neuroses

Toby (she-they)

Joe is the party mom

Terra Bruder

Joe is winning at being the best character and having a great character arc.

Bronxden

“Joyce is a perfect delicate angel, and everyone says I’m an evil corrupting lust monster. Surely if I give Joyce he smooches she requests, someone will snap a photo and put it on InstaFaceTok and I’ll be pilloried for taking advantage of the underage-drinking drunk girl.”

Shane Wegner

Yeah what I said last strip still stands, this is exactly the dynamic with me and my girlfriend.

MrShoggoth

Heterosexuals with the looming specter of bisexuality constantly hovering over them, cackling in a voice beyond human hearing

Sajuuk-Khar

This is super wholesome even if they are (ostensibly) heterosexuals

Fart Captor

Joe's consent principles go way back: https://www.dumbingofage.com/2012/comic/book-2/02-choosing-my-religion/casualbang/

Dan Rabin

As was foreseen. Does Joe fear losing Joyce? Joe said he would follow Joyce's lead, but he was not talking to Drunk Joyce. Joyce thinks Drunk Joyce is Real Joyce, but Joe thinks *Joyce* is Real Joyce. Joyce thinks ethanol leads to sex, but Joe thinks ethanol rules out consent. The strip repeats visually except for the two panels where Joe is Acting in the vain hope of diverting Joyce's insistence; the borderless panel has them both realizing that agreement is not imminent. The drawn shape of Joe's mouth in the last panel does multiple duty: Joe's mouth is closed, he's kinda frowny, and his face is being distorted by Joyce's tugging. When Liz wanted to stop making out, Joe was very quick to comply. It would be wonderful if he were as quick now to tell Joyce the deal.

Dan Rabin

Joe has always been really good about consent if nothing else. Giant manwhore and varying levels of disrespectful of boundaries but he has always been strict on getting consent to actually TOUCH anyone.

Aeryn Monet

Joe has become such a gem of a man.

Populuxe

Buck Caldwell

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN—ER, JOE ROSENTHAL

Sajuuk-Khar