Bad Machinery by John Allison for August 02, 2021

OK, I’ll readily admit my ignorance of pop culture. Who’s that character on Colm’s T-short?

Tackleford has pop culture?

I understand he had an accidental burning (assuming he did), but Lottie is being too hard when he was trying to create a special moment for her!

Poor Lottie, she’s traumatised by the horror to see her tree burn and maybe she already suspected Colm to be the arsonist. At least Colm has proof that crime doesn’t pay.

Is this the first J’Accuse from Charlotte?

Calm, balanced, non-judgmental Charlotte. She’s my favorite of the crowd.

How can the fire be kept from spreading from the tree to the Grote house and the rest of the neighborhood? Remember, Tackleford’s fire trucks are in the river!

Yes, Colm, started the fire. It continues burning when the world is turning. Yes, Colm, started the fire. And he can’t fight it although he did light it. Apologies to Billy Joel.

Minor remastered change: the previous strip and this one were originally all one big page; obviously, though, for a print edition, the strips all need to be the same size, so it got split into two.

The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ Colm / Gang aft a-gley.