Oh come on! Based on the information we had at the time I don’t think it was too much of a stretch to assume that Ethan had stopped to get (yet another) toy for himself while Amber was in labor. That did not look good for him. Having Roadblock mention that his ass should be at the hospital for his friend again did not look good for him and it’s obvious he wasn’t meant to look good so there could be this whole Manny twist. I’m fine with having been proven wrong in this particular situation but stop pretending those of us who occasionally feel that Ethan could be going overboard with the toys are basing our opinions on absolutely nothing. I like that Ethan was doing something nice for someone else. It’s a sign of growth which is all I wanted.
I’m still not entirely sure why it was such an issue. Robin and Lesie weren’t acting as if Ethan wasn’t here yet. They were acting as if he was late. It’s not like he actually had anything he was expected to contribute to the birthing process and there wasn’t any risk of missing the baby.
Even Ethan was really torn on this though and I’m not sure why it was such a big deal that he finished up what he was doing before rushing over here to hang out in a waiting room for another five hours before seeing the baby.
The thing is, if you’re going to say a Shortpacked! character “has a problem” based on their behavior, pretty much all of them should be in therapy. Mike and Malaya to deal with their anti-social behavior and anger management issues. Mike should also be in AA to deal with his alcoholism, since we know he gets drunk nearly every day. Leslie should maybe talk to someone about her parental issues and her inability to pick a compatible mate. It’s like she’s intentionally sabotaging her own relationships.
Amber too has parental issues, and from the beginning, we’ve seen her slowly grow beyond the shy, insecure abuse victim she originally was. But, as her mother once pointed out, she’s gotten into a relationship with a guy very much like her abusive father. April should be on medication to deal with her Attention Deficit Disorder, and complete lack of social boundaries, a trait which she shares with her sister Roz.
Then there’s Galasso with his megalomania, Ninja Rick with his delusions and habit of carrying a sword around in public, Faz with his constant inappropriate sexual behavior and harassment of his female fellow employees. Really, it’s amazing that Jacob is the only one seeing a psychiatrist. And it all makes Ethan’s toy collecting seem pretty tame by comparison to the crazy behavior of his friends.
But no one suggests that any of them “have a problem”, because most accept that the over-the-top behavior of most of the other characters is for comedic effect and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. So why is Ethan’s hobby viewed as a mental illness? It’s just as comediclly over-the-top. For starters, it’s totally unrealistic that Ethan would be able to afford all the toys he has on a simple retail salary after all.
Look, we were told a long time ago in Shortpacked! that pulling the drama tag could and would hurt the comic, so please, let’s not turn Ethan’s hobby, which is at the heart of a comic that was originally about toy collecting, into drama.
I think people are less prone to say that Gallasso and Ninja Rick have a problem because it’s pretty commonly accepted that they do. If in response to Ninja Rick’s behavior around Malaya somebody had said something to the effect of “That boy ain’t right” I’m not sure you’d get the counter-arguments you get if you said the same in response to Ethan’s interactions with Drew. Things get mentioned more when they’re the subject of an ongoing debate.
Also, as you mention the other characters issues get much less screen time. The fact that Ethan’s hobby and issues are a focal point for the comic means they’re placed under much closer and more frequent scrutiny than the issues of say Gallasso.
Personally I feel a bit let down – it’s as though Willis copped out on the idea that Ethan would be so normal and human as to be able to be torn between getting an item he wants and being a few minutes earlier for sitting around pointlessly for five hours. Nope – instead he was being a saint all along.
And let’s be clear – the mentality would have been “a few minutes earlier” for most of this; he didn’t walk up to the checkout thinking “I’ma gonna be here for two hours”. He walked up to the self-checkout , waited in line, and got shafted. By the time he was faced with having to start at the back of the comically long remaining line he had already been waiting a while (though not ridiculously long), and I don’t care how much you hate toys there’s a normal human psychological urge to try to get something for your time already spent.
Oh, and “but stop pretending those of us who occasionally feel that Ethan could be going overboard with the toys are basing our opinions on absolutely nothing”? You’re not basing your opinions on absolutely nothing. You’re looking at a certain amount of actual evidence and then drawing horribly overblown conclusions that go far past what is supported by the evidence available. It’s comparable to seeing a guy having a single glass of wine after dinner each night and deciding that he’s a complete slosh and that obviously he’s one drink away from living in the gutter with nothing but a bottle to keep him company, regardless of any other evidence. Drawing that conclusion would suggest an emotional reaction to alcohol, and claiming Ethan has a “problem” in any real-world sense suggests (to me, at least) some sort of pathological aversion to collecting toys.
You do realize that by making these assumptions about me you’re doing the exact same thing you accused me of doing to Ethan. You’re saying that I couldn’t possibly have any problem with Ethan’s collecting habits unless I have some kind of dark backstory involving addicts? Seriously? No. My issue is the time, the energy and the volume and that before this incident with his new bf Ethan seemed to put his collecting over everything else in his life which is what I got with the Drew situation but that is just my interpretation. Putting a collection over personal relationships does not look healthy to me. Believe it or not I actually find this reveal with Manny to be a good thing because it shows that Ethan was thinking about making someone besides himself happy and that’s great progress. My overall problem with Ethan is that I constantly get the vibe that he values his collection over the people in his life. I’m not saying he doesn’t value them at all just that the toys seemed to come first which is what it looked like with this latest Amber situation until we got more information. Ethan can collect all he wants I really don’t care I just think he needs to understand that in the end people should be more important to him. That’s all. (And yeah I do feel like the amount he spends on toys is excessive but whatever it’s his money.)
I know for a hard core fact that you are badly overstating Ethan’s “problem”. From that I have little choice but to conclude that you have some reason for doing so. The reason for your pathological aversion is unknown to me – it could involve previous interaction with an ‘addict’ whose fixation with toys actually *did* harm, which you might then project onto Ethan (which actually wouldn’t be surprising, because if not for his narrative-driven powers to be able to magically afford this stuff, you’d seriously expect him to be going broke – but yet he doesn’t). However I didn’t say you had a problem with an addict – don’t overextend the analogy. All I did was observer was that you have some sort of problem with Ethan’s behavior that drives you to perceive problems that aren’t there.
Case in point: you say “My overall problem with Ethan is that I constantly get the vibe that he values his collection over the people in his life.” The thing is that there has been nothing to support this, at all, prior to his being “late” to sitting around waiting for Amber’s pregnancy to end. His problem with Drew? It was Drew’s problem. Ethan was making large concessions left and right to make Drew comfortable. Drew couldn’t handle compromise. And thus it ended. (This would have been a lot sadder had they had anything in common besides sex.) This wasn’t Ethan’s problem – unless “failing to abandon his hobbies entirely” is a failure on his part. Which, I will assert, it ain’t.
The simple fact is that Ethan doesn’t put his toy collecting before his friends – and when it even looks like there is a conflict, Ethan immediately notices, feels bad about it, and tries to find the best way to make things right with everyone. (Which does NOT mean trashing is hobby and ignoring his own preferences and desires.) A nicer, more generous and friend-aware example of having a hobby you will not find. I personally guarantee you that every sports fan I met is much more assertive about their hobby than Ethan. But the double standard doesn’t apply to them, does it.
I don’t think you’re basing it on absolutely nothing. But I do think you’re letting confirmation bias sway you towards accepting the unhealthy vs. healthy collecting analysis of a guy who hears “I am a geek and I have a lot of toys” and thinks “this guy probably owns like seven toys.”
That’s actually downright hilarious in retrospect. I wonder if Drew’s attitudes extended to other areas. If you told him you were a hardcore gamer who spends a lot of time on his videogames he’s think you like to play Bejeweled on your phone during your lunch break. If you told him you love cooking and have a lot of recipes he’d think you occasionally put hotdogs and mushrooms in your kraft dinner. Tell him you’re an avid reader and book collecter and he thinks you read Harry Potter in highschool and collected the entire series.
I wonder if in his mind people just have a habit of introducing themselves with odd pieces of trivia about themselves which aren’t actually a terribly significant part of who they are or what they do.
DanielleM, I’d like to start this response by saying that I understand why you draw the conclusions you do, and I respect your differing opinion and have enjoyed our disagreement on Ethan’s behaviour.
However I still disagree with you completely. Even if he had stood in the two hour line to get the toy for himself I still fail to see the big deal. There is no need for him to be there, no indication Amber has expressed a desire for any of them to be there, nothing for him to even do there as sitting in the waiting room isn’t really helping anything and with Robin and Leslie (and I assume Mike) already there it’s not liek Amber is alone.
The fact that he was doing it for someone else just makes it extra funny.
I’m fine with people disagreeing with me. If I wasn’t interested in hearing other people’s interpretations of character actions I’d stay away from the comments section completely. It’s only when people get insulting about it that it becomes a problem so I appreciate you trying to be respectful. We can agree to disagree on the whole Ethan thing. Clearly we both just see this situation way too differently and I’m not any likelier to change my mind about how I see it than you are. Now I just wish we could see what’s going on with Amber already so we can find out how this labor is going for her.
Nah, it definitely appeared that he was doing his hoarding thing until this very comic. Did anyone know on Friday that Ethan had a boyfriend, much less one that was into toys and would appreciate a Michaeo Caine gift? Based on all evidence it was easy to assume Ethan was hoarding again.
Ethan’s speech bubble in panel 4 is really confusing. I can’t tell who’s supposed to be wearing the catsuits – the roommates, the strangers they tackle, or the strangers they tackle who Ethan has been seeing for six days.
More importantly, when did Robin become a roommate to Ethan and Leslie again? Just a few days ago, she was still living with Mike and Amber. If she agreed to move out when the baby was born and Leslie invited her to move back into the house, it hasn’t been mentioned.
That, I can answer. It was after Leslie “date” with Malaya where she borrowed her parents’ helicopter. You remember, the one that ended with Malaya realizing that she wasn’t in fact a lesbian, and then them breaking up. In the aftermath, Robin approached Leslie and comforted her in her own special way.
Eh… Leslie was never really completely sane from the start when you think about it. I mean, considering her first appearance was as a prop for Robin to claim she was a lesbian, and despite that hurtful action (since Leslie wasn’t IN on the plan and ran away crying when she realized the truth), she happily allowed Robin to move in with her and spent a good long time trying to get Robin to fall in love with her… She’s not always made the most sane decisions… Especially when Robin is involved.
Not officially, but yes. Long ago, GW did an Imperial Guard regiment based on the 19th century British army Zulu War uniforms. There was even a scenario in White Dwarf called “Massacre at Ork’s Drift”, an obvious reference to the historical battle of Rorke’s Drift which inspired the movie “Zulu”. GW eventually discontinued the 19th Century-themed IG regiment, disappointing many (including me, who was slowly buying the figures in hopes of fielding a proper 2,000pt 40k army).
However, the Captain Caine figure is targeted towards the 40k audience, even though it is not an official GW figure. It just happens to be a figure that resembles Michael Caine in his “Zulu” role with a laser pistol. What you then use it for is up to you.
Similarly, that site also has a number of 19th century-themed parts that can be combined with “popular kits” (i.e. official GW Imperial Guard kits) to make Victorian-themed sci-fi soldiers. At some point I will buy Capt. Caine, ’cause the figure is cool, and perhaps I’ll buy some laser rifles and such for conversion purposes. Not now, because I’ve just shelled out a lot for a Necron army, so Imperial Guard is definitely back burnered. One Capt. Caine figure won’t break me though …
At this point I wonder if writers have bets “I bet 20 dollars I can make Cyclops more of an ass then you did during your run” or “I bet you 30 bucks I can write Cyclops so boring that no one will like him!”
I think cyclops is cool too. I don’t get the hate. And I think it’s sweet that Ethan put himself through all that aggravation and stress for a toy that wasn’t for him.
I like Cyclops too, although I only started liking him during Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men. That man also managed to make me like Emma Frost too… >>
Robin does have a way with sucking perfectly normal people into her jetstream of wierdness…and as most of her compatriots aren’t truely ‘normal’…yeah that explains Leslie in the cat suit. Good for Ethan – he shows a whole lot of common sense in the last panel. And also good for him, seems like he may have found a nice guy.
Fun fact: When you buy a Mini Cooper, they give you a free copy of The Italian Job. Not kidding. Found that out last year.
It was kind of surreal, actually.
“Here’s your keys. Here’s a spare set of your keys. Here’s a pack of Mini Cooper gum. Here’s an air freshener shaped like a Mini Cooper to hang up in your Mini Cooper so when your driving your Mini Cooper you won’t forget what a Mini Cooper looks like. Here is a DVD of The Italian Job, because there are Mini Coopers in that movie. Here’s a notebook with a picture of a Mini Cooper on it. Here is a Mini Cooper calendar. Here are some Mini Cooper drink coasters. Here is a CD of a parody of the song Minnie The Moocher called Mini the Cooper. Here is a coupon for a prostitute named Mini who lives on Cooper Street. Here is a briefcase to keep in the back of your Mini Cooper that folds out into a second Mini Cooper like that suit in Iron Man 2.”
I’m sorry, but what I truly find hilarious about this is all the “Ian is a hoarder! He clearly has problems and is being selfish!” wank that was started…because Ian wanted to find a rare, hard-to-get toy for a gift.
Waiiit, when did Robin become “second roommate” again? I thought she was still bunking at Amber and Mike’s? Or did she get kicked out at some point and I didn’t notice?
I mean – isn’t there a pregnant women somewhere in this hospital that pretty much everyone should be heading over to see? The one giving birth to the spawn of Mike? I know it’s only a minor thing but…
Eh’ whatever – Ethan’s got a new boyfriend!
By the way – did everyone know Ethan was gay? Also that his hair is greying and he looks hot that way? It’s been awhile since I’ve said it and I’d hate for anyone to forget…
…But yeah, I can fully understand not wanting to read through the entirety of Roomies!, It’s Walky!, and Joyce and Walky!. Lord knows I’ve been putting it off for years. Those archives are just so intimidating.
P.S. – I think Mr. Willis has an unhealthy addiction to putting exclamation points in the titles of his webcomics.
It’s a reference to advertising and product packaging. Are there any toy magazines or toy packages immediately accessible to you? No? Then look one up. In the description of any given product made for people under the age of twelve, just about every attribute listed will end with an exclamation.
-Includes working chainsaw!
-Transforms into tank mode!
-Light-up laser cannon!
-Contains small easily swallowable parts and lead paint!
-And so on!
-You can join in, too!
Well, “monster” (or “MONSTER!” lol) may be a bit harsh. He didn’t really understand Ethan and they didn’t work out. Not like he beat Ethan’s mother’s head in with a flaming chainsaw or something.
Yeah, Ethan totally needed somebody who didn’t understand him and had nothing in common with him but sex. Sex is the beginning and end of all truly good relationships, and if there are any other commonalities distracting from that then they should be expunged post-haste.
I think the sexmasters need to diffuse this tension by mastering some sexings of their own. ie Robin and Leslie need to do some lickey-style kissing and more like right now while they are in those suits.
smart move on ethan to keep hush hush over his new budding relationship with espically given how robin has a habbit of doing crazy things like the tackling in a catsuit though she should keep any footage on her sex camera as future black mail material
So, Ethan has “two insane roommates” who are “prone to” “tackling strangers in catsuits”. Strangers “who I’d been seeing for six days,” at that! Ethan is upset—and with good provocation, so his words are spilling forth.
Just to be picky, because that is humorous, Ethan is saying his “two insane roommates” are “strangers”, and are attacking themselves, as they are the only people “wearing catsuits”, in this comic.
Some time back, I saw a web site selling catsuits. The catsuits in this comic are much more attractive than those, or any others I have seen. Good job there!
I can’t help but to feel it tugging a bit too much at my suspension of disbelief how just about every character that pops by seems to be completely into collectible toys. Maybe it’s just jarring to me because I’m not into it myself.
I think you’re crazy Ethan. I’d definitely tell to crazy roomates prone to tackling people whilst wearing catsuits that I’d started datin’ someone
Caine is a sexy beast. He even fathered Austin Powers.
Quick Sexmaster #2, hand me my sexy shark-repellant spray!
Is it shark repellant that’s sexy or a repellant for sexy sharks?
Rule 34 my friend, Rule 34.
Objection! It’s only one insane roommate, because he doesn’t live with Robin. Pedanticman away!
Also, they didn’t tackle a stranger in a catsuit!
They don’t have to actually do something to be “prone to” do it.
And I continue to laugh at everyone who was saying Ethan had a problem.
Oh come on! Based on the information we had at the time I don’t think it was too much of a stretch to assume that Ethan had stopped to get (yet another) toy for himself while Amber was in labor. That did not look good for him. Having Roadblock mention that his ass should be at the hospital for his friend again did not look good for him and it’s obvious he wasn’t meant to look good so there could be this whole Manny twist. I’m fine with having been proven wrong in this particular situation but stop pretending those of us who occasionally feel that Ethan could be going overboard with the toys are basing our opinions on absolutely nothing. I like that Ethan was doing something nice for someone else. It’s a sign of growth which is all I wanted.
I’m still not entirely sure why it was such an issue. Robin and Lesie weren’t acting as if Ethan wasn’t here yet. They were acting as if he was late. It’s not like he actually had anything he was expected to contribute to the birthing process and there wasn’t any risk of missing the baby.
Even Ethan was really torn on this though and I’m not sure why it was such a big deal that he finished up what he was doing before rushing over here to hang out in a waiting room for another five hours before seeing the baby.
The thing is, if you’re going to say a Shortpacked! character “has a problem” based on their behavior, pretty much all of them should be in therapy. Mike and Malaya to deal with their anti-social behavior and anger management issues. Mike should also be in AA to deal with his alcoholism, since we know he gets drunk nearly every day. Leslie should maybe talk to someone about her parental issues and her inability to pick a compatible mate. It’s like she’s intentionally sabotaging her own relationships.
Amber too has parental issues, and from the beginning, we’ve seen her slowly grow beyond the shy, insecure abuse victim she originally was. But, as her mother once pointed out, she’s gotten into a relationship with a guy very much like her abusive father. April should be on medication to deal with her Attention Deficit Disorder, and complete lack of social boundaries, a trait which she shares with her sister Roz.
Then there’s Galasso with his megalomania, Ninja Rick with his delusions and habit of carrying a sword around in public, Faz with his constant inappropriate sexual behavior and harassment of his female fellow employees. Really, it’s amazing that Jacob is the only one seeing a psychiatrist. And it all makes Ethan’s toy collecting seem pretty tame by comparison to the crazy behavior of his friends.
But no one suggests that any of them “have a problem”, because most accept that the over-the-top behavior of most of the other characters is for comedic effect and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. So why is Ethan’s hobby viewed as a mental illness? It’s just as comediclly over-the-top. For starters, it’s totally unrealistic that Ethan would be able to afford all the toys he has on a simple retail salary after all.
Look, we were told a long time ago in Shortpacked! that pulling the drama tag could and would hurt the comic, so please, let’s not turn Ethan’s hobby, which is at the heart of a comic that was originally about toy collecting, into drama.
I think people are less prone to say that Gallasso and Ninja Rick have a problem because it’s pretty commonly accepted that they do. If in response to Ninja Rick’s behavior around Malaya somebody had said something to the effect of “That boy ain’t right” I’m not sure you’d get the counter-arguments you get if you said the same in response to Ethan’s interactions with Drew. Things get mentioned more when they’re the subject of an ongoing debate.
Also, as you mention the other characters issues get much less screen time. The fact that Ethan’s hobby and issues are a focal point for the comic means they’re placed under much closer and more frequent scrutiny than the issues of say Gallasso.
How did it not? Toys are more important than friends.
Personally I feel a bit let down – it’s as though Willis copped out on the idea that Ethan would be so normal and human as to be able to be torn between getting an item he wants and being a few minutes earlier for sitting around pointlessly for five hours. Nope – instead he was being a saint all along.
And let’s be clear – the mentality would have been “a few minutes earlier” for most of this; he didn’t walk up to the checkout thinking “I’ma gonna be here for two hours”. He walked up to the self-checkout , waited in line, and got shafted. By the time he was faced with having to start at the back of the comically long remaining line he had already been waiting a while (though not ridiculously long), and I don’t care how much you hate toys there’s a normal human psychological urge to try to get something for your time already spent.
Oh, and “but stop pretending those of us who occasionally feel that Ethan could be going overboard with the toys are basing our opinions on absolutely nothing”? You’re not basing your opinions on absolutely nothing. You’re looking at a certain amount of actual evidence and then drawing horribly overblown conclusions that go far past what is supported by the evidence available. It’s comparable to seeing a guy having a single glass of wine after dinner each night and deciding that he’s a complete slosh and that obviously he’s one drink away from living in the gutter with nothing but a bottle to keep him company, regardless of any other evidence. Drawing that conclusion would suggest an emotional reaction to alcohol, and claiming Ethan has a “problem” in any real-world sense suggests (to me, at least) some sort of pathological aversion to collecting toys.
You do realize that by making these assumptions about me you’re doing the exact same thing you accused me of doing to Ethan. You’re saying that I couldn’t possibly have any problem with Ethan’s collecting habits unless I have some kind of dark backstory involving addicts? Seriously? No. My issue is the time, the energy and the volume and that before this incident with his new bf Ethan seemed to put his collecting over everything else in his life which is what I got with the Drew situation but that is just my interpretation. Putting a collection over personal relationships does not look healthy to me. Believe it or not I actually find this reveal with Manny to be a good thing because it shows that Ethan was thinking about making someone besides himself happy and that’s great progress. My overall problem with Ethan is that I constantly get the vibe that he values his collection over the people in his life. I’m not saying he doesn’t value them at all just that the toys seemed to come first which is what it looked like with this latest Amber situation until we got more information. Ethan can collect all he wants I really don’t care I just think he needs to understand that in the end people should be more important to him. That’s all. (And yeah I do feel like the amount he spends on toys is excessive but whatever it’s his money.)
I know for a hard core fact that you are badly overstating Ethan’s “problem”. From that I have little choice but to conclude that you have some reason for doing so. The reason for your pathological aversion is unknown to me – it could involve previous interaction with an ‘addict’ whose fixation with toys actually *did* harm, which you might then project onto Ethan (which actually wouldn’t be surprising, because if not for his narrative-driven powers to be able to magically afford this stuff, you’d seriously expect him to be going broke – but yet he doesn’t). However I didn’t say you had a problem with an addict – don’t overextend the analogy. All I did was observer was that you have some sort of problem with Ethan’s behavior that drives you to perceive problems that aren’t there.
Case in point: you say “My overall problem with Ethan is that I constantly get the vibe that he values his collection over the people in his life.” The thing is that there has been nothing to support this, at all, prior to his being “late” to sitting around waiting for Amber’s pregnancy to end. His problem with Drew? It was Drew’s problem. Ethan was making large concessions left and right to make Drew comfortable. Drew couldn’t handle compromise. And thus it ended. (This would have been a lot sadder had they had anything in common besides sex.) This wasn’t Ethan’s problem – unless “failing to abandon his hobbies entirely” is a failure on his part. Which, I will assert, it ain’t.
The simple fact is that Ethan doesn’t put his toy collecting before his friends – and when it even looks like there is a conflict, Ethan immediately notices, feels bad about it, and tries to find the best way to make things right with everyone. (Which does NOT mean trashing is hobby and ignoring his own preferences and desires.) A nicer, more generous and friend-aware example of having a hobby you will not find. I personally guarantee you that every sports fan I met is much more assertive about their hobby than Ethan. But the double standard doesn’t apply to them, does it.
I don’t think you’re basing it on absolutely nothing. But I do think you’re letting confirmation bias sway you towards accepting the unhealthy vs. healthy collecting analysis of a guy who hears “I am a geek and I have a lot of toys” and thinks “this guy probably owns like seven toys.”
That’s actually downright hilarious in retrospect. I wonder if Drew’s attitudes extended to other areas. If you told him you were a hardcore gamer who spends a lot of time on his videogames he’s think you like to play Bejeweled on your phone during your lunch break. If you told him you love cooking and have a lot of recipes he’d think you occasionally put hotdogs and mushrooms in your kraft dinner. Tell him you’re an avid reader and book collecter and he thinks you read Harry Potter in highschool and collected the entire series.
I wonder if in his mind people just have a habit of introducing themselves with odd pieces of trivia about themselves which aren’t actually a terribly significant part of who they are or what they do.
DanielleM, I’d like to start this response by saying that I understand why you draw the conclusions you do, and I respect your differing opinion and have enjoyed our disagreement on Ethan’s behaviour.
However I still disagree with you completely. Even if he had stood in the two hour line to get the toy for himself I still fail to see the big deal. There is no need for him to be there, no indication Amber has expressed a desire for any of them to be there, nothing for him to even do there as sitting in the waiting room isn’t really helping anything and with Robin and Leslie (and I assume Mike) already there it’s not liek Amber is alone.
The fact that he was doing it for someone else just makes it extra funny.
I’m fine with people disagreeing with me. If I wasn’t interested in hearing other people’s interpretations of character actions I’d stay away from the comments section completely. It’s only when people get insulting about it that it becomes a problem so I appreciate you trying to be respectful. We can agree to disagree on the whole Ethan thing. Clearly we both just see this situation way too differently and I’m not any likelier to change my mind about how I see it than you are. Now I just wish we could see what’s going on with Amber already so we can find out how this labor is going for her.
Doesn’t matter, had right.
Nah, it definitely appeared that he was doing his hoarding thing until this very comic. Did anyone know on Friday that Ethan had a boyfriend, much less one that was into toys and would appreciate a Michaeo Caine gift? Based on all evidence it was easy to assume Ethan was hoarding again.
Ethan’s speech bubble in panel 4 is really confusing. I can’t tell who’s supposed to be wearing the catsuits – the roommates, the strangers they tackle, or the strangers they tackle who Ethan has been seeing for six days.
Just sayin’.
D) All of the above.
And yet I see no strangers in catsuits.
Leslie, when did you turn from “stable person” to “crazy friend”? When did that happen?
She got a promotion off panel.
Robin has that effect on her.
Especially when Robin is in a catsuit. Any excuse to be around Robin in a catsuit!
The pressures of command. Can happen to the best of us.
The moment she started dating Malaya.
I think Leslie firmly placed as Robins assistant in Hijinks
More importantly, when did Robin become a roommate to Ethan and Leslie again? Just a few days ago, she was still living with Mike and Amber. If she agreed to move out when the baby was born and Leslie invited her to move back into the house, it hasn’t been mentioned.
Actually, now that I think about it, when did Robin and Leslie get back to good speaking terms?
That, I can answer. It was after Leslie “date” with Malaya where she borrowed her parents’ helicopter. You remember, the one that ended with Malaya realizing that she wasn’t in fact a lesbian, and then them breaking up. In the aftermath, Robin approached Leslie and comforted her in her own special way.
http://www.shortpacked.com/2012/comic/book-13/07-this-continues-to-be-so-babies/considered/
It just took a while for her crazy to align itself with everyone else’s.
I still say that madness is sexually transmitted.
Eh… Leslie was never really completely sane from the start when you think about it. I mean, considering her first appearance was as a prop for Robin to claim she was a lesbian, and despite that hurtful action (since Leslie wasn’t IN on the plan and ran away crying when she realized the truth), she happily allowed Robin to move in with her and spent a good long time trying to get Robin to fall in love with her… She’s not always made the most sane decisions… Especially when Robin is involved.
That…was really funny.
Hmm…I’ve got three or four Caine war movies on DVD I still need to see. Among them TOO LATE THE HERO and A BRIDGE TOO FAR.
Don’t forget Zulu! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058777/
And a Sci-fi version of his Zulu character (30mm)
http://www.victorialamb.com/wugs/Guard/Caine.htm
Even Jaws: The Revenge?
Is that Warhammer 40K?
Not officially, but yes. Long ago, GW did an Imperial Guard regiment based on the 19th century British army Zulu War uniforms. There was even a scenario in White Dwarf called “Massacre at Ork’s Drift”, an obvious reference to the historical battle of Rorke’s Drift which inspired the movie “Zulu”. GW eventually discontinued the 19th Century-themed IG regiment, disappointing many (including me, who was slowly buying the figures in hopes of fielding a proper 2,000pt 40k army).
However, the Captain Caine figure is targeted towards the 40k audience, even though it is not an official GW figure. It just happens to be a figure that resembles Michael Caine in his “Zulu” role with a laser pistol. What you then use it for is up to you.
Similarly, that site also has a number of 19th century-themed parts that can be combined with “popular kits” (i.e. official GW Imperial Guard kits) to make Victorian-themed sci-fi soldiers. At some point I will buy Capt. Caine, ’cause the figure is cool, and perhaps I’ll buy some laser rifles and such for conversion purposes. Not now, because I’ve just shelled out a lot for a Necron army, so Imperial Guard is definitely back burnered. One Capt. Caine figure won’t break me though …
Aww, he got the Alfred for Not-A-Prostitute guy.
And of course I get this icon, being one of the only people in the world who likes Cyclops (well, I like James Marsden)
Don’t worry, I like Cyclops, too, even though he gets the shit-end of the stick most of the time.
At this point I wonder if writers have bets “I bet 20 dollars I can make Cyclops more of an ass then you did during your run” or “I bet you 30 bucks I can write Cyclops so boring that no one will like him!”
Its hard being Cykes…
I think cyclops is cool too. I don’t get the hate. And I think it’s sweet that Ethan put himself through all that aggravation and stress for a toy that wasn’t for him.
Well, these days it makes sense for Scott to be an ass. Not like Emma is encouraging his positive and optimistic side.
It happens… XD you can change it for one of your liking though
I like Cyclops too, although I only started liking him during Joss Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men. That man also managed to make me like Emma Frost too… >>
That was a good run.
That seriously is pretty adorable.
Robin does have a way with sucking perfectly normal people into her jetstream of wierdness…and as most of her compatriots aren’t truely ‘normal’…yeah that explains Leslie in the cat suit. Good for Ethan – he shows a whole lot of common sense in the last panel. And also good for him, seems like he may have found a nice guy.
Fun fact: When you buy a Mini Cooper, they give you a free copy of The Italian Job. Not kidding. Found that out last year.
It was kind of surreal, actually.
“Here’s your keys. Here’s a spare set of your keys. Here’s a pack of Mini Cooper gum. Here’s an air freshener shaped like a Mini Cooper to hang up in your Mini Cooper so when your driving your Mini Cooper you won’t forget what a Mini Cooper looks like. Here is a DVD of The Italian Job, because there are Mini Coopers in that movie. Here’s a notebook with a picture of a Mini Cooper on it. Here is a Mini Cooper calendar. Here are some Mini Cooper drink coasters. Here is a CD of a parody of the song Minnie The Moocher called Mini the Cooper. Here is a coupon for a prostitute named Mini who lives on Cooper Street. Here is a briefcase to keep in the back of your Mini Cooper that folds out into a second Mini Cooper like that suit in Iron Man 2.”
I only made the last three of those up.
Well of course Mini moved to West Avenue.
Yo Dawg, I heard you like Mini Coopers…
I’m a bit disappointed that the song isn’t for real.
I’m disappointed the briefcase isn’t for real. That sort of sounds like the best thing ever.
Maybe I should archive more of the weird thoughts I have after midnight. Might find a winner.
I am EXTREMELY disappointed the song isn’t real! : (
So Ian was agonizing over a toy… FOR SOMEBODY ELSE!
yay!
Ian?
I think Leslie officially crossed over into crazy land when she set up the sex cams.
“The Italian Job?” Bah! See A Muppet Christmas Carol fifty times if you want the Michael Caine experience!
But does it have Mini Coopers?
Yes it does and the Bad Guys are the Red Chinese!
“Hidden sexcams”? Exactly who were they intending to record in the first place, here?
Aha! Ahahahahahahahaha!
I’m sorry, but what I truly find hilarious about this is all the “Ian is a hoarder! He clearly has problems and is being selfish!” wank that was started…because Ian wanted to find a rare, hard-to-get toy for a gift.
Well played, Willis. Well played.
Not quite as funny as getting the main character’s name wrong in the comments section…
Yup. That is pretty stupid. It’s late and maybe I’m a little drunk is my excuse.
Remember: Friends don’t let friends drink and post.
I don’t have friends after 1 am.
How in blazes did two separate people give Ethan the exact same wrong name for today’s comic?
Must be some good stuff you’re knocking back.
I’m going to hypothesize speech recognition software.
Trying saying “Ethan” while exhausted or drunk:
“Eee’an.”
Waiiit, when did Robin become “second roommate” again? I thought she was still bunking at Amber and Mike’s? Or did she get kicked out at some point and I didn’t notice?
No Robin – don’t turn deactivate the sexcam!!!
I mean – isn’t there a pregnant women somewhere in this hospital that pretty much everyone should be heading over to see? The one giving birth to the spawn of Mike? I know it’s only a minor thing but…
Eh’ whatever – Ethan’s got a new boyfriend!
By the way – did everyone know Ethan was gay? Also that his hair is greying and he looks hot that way? It’s been awhile since I’ve said it and I’d hate for anyone to forget…
Yeah…
You’ve got it backwards. He’s gay in the Dumbiverse.
Robin calling Les “sexmaster” while wearing a form-fitting leather catsuit seems…yeeeeah. (cough)
Aww th¡s is so sweet! ñ.ñ No better way to show love than to wait patiently in line to get the person you like a rare toy
I…I did it. It took me three days of blowing off social obligations, but I finally read this entire freaking webcomic from page one.
…d-don’t make me read the rest of the continuity, I know I’m missing some of the references but I don’t care, please, my family is getting worried…
Congratulations!
…But yeah, I can fully understand not wanting to read through the entirety of Roomies!, It’s Walky!, and Joyce and Walky!. Lord knows I’ve been putting it off for years. Those archives are just so intimidating.
P.S. – I think Mr. Willis has an unhealthy addiction to putting exclamation points in the titles of his webcomics.
How else is he going to make sure you sound sufficiently excited when discussing them?
It’s a reference to advertising and product packaging. Are there any toy magazines or toy packages immediately accessible to you? No? Then look one up. In the description of any given product made for people under the age of twelve, just about every attribute listed will end with an exclamation.
-Includes working chainsaw!
-Transforms into tank mode!
-Light-up laser cannon!
-Contains small easily swallowable parts and lead paint!
-And so on!
-You can join in, too!
I refuse to accept any Ethan ‘ship that doesn’t include a reunion with Drew. More Drew, please?
What? WHY? Drew was a complete MONSTER!
Well, “monster” (or “MONSTER!” lol) may be a bit harsh. He didn’t really understand Ethan and they didn’t work out. Not like he beat Ethan’s mother’s head in with a flaming chainsaw or something.
Yeah, Ethan totally needed somebody who didn’t understand him and had nothing in common with him but sex. Sex is the beginning and end of all truly good relationships, and if there are any other commonalities distracting from that then they should be expunged post-haste.
I’m still sad he and Ken didn’t bonk.
we need sexmasters action figures please! ^_~
Yes, we do! With sex camera accessory
I think the sexmasters need to diffuse this tension by mastering some sexings of their own. ie Robin and Leslie need to do some lickey-style kissing and more like right now while they are in those suits.
smart move on ethan to keep hush hush over his new budding relationship with espically given how robin has a habbit of doing crazy things like the tackling in a catsuit though she should keep any footage on her sex camera as future black mail material
Meh.
Michael Gough was the superior Alfred.
so these sexcams… are they hidden on THEM or in the room…?
Hidden on them. In the sexiest place you can think of.
So, Ethan has “two insane roommates” who are “prone to” “tackling strangers in catsuits”. Strangers “who I’d been seeing for six days,” at that! Ethan is upset—and with good provocation, so his words are spilling forth.
Just to be picky, because that is humorous, Ethan is saying his “two insane roommates” are “strangers”, and are attacking themselves, as they are the only people “wearing catsuits”, in this comic.
Some time back, I saw a web site selling catsuits. The catsuits in this comic are much more attractive than those, or any others I have seen. Good job there!
I can’t help but to feel it tugging a bit too much at my suspension of disbelief how just about every character that pops by seems to be completely into collectible toys. Maybe it’s just jarring to me because I’m not into it myself.