Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for February 18, 2012

Third panel profile, not Skye’s best side.

Should he say yes, or call the State-ies to rescue them?

State-ies = State Police

And staying in one place helps the search team to find you.

Joanie & Alex’s situation can’t be that desperate; you can still see parts of the car.

Or, Alex could just go out and clear the snow away from the tailpipe, thereby avoid CO poisoning and this whole debate of living/dead marriage would be pointless.

Any time we drive in the winter there are sleeping bags, extra warm clothing, a tarp, a kelly kettle, food, ax, shovel and a rifle in the trunk. We can be safe and comfortable for a couple weeks.

If a man marries a dead woman they can still consummate the marriage if she hasn’t been dead too long.

I apologize to Skye for my defensive protectiveness of the Alex-Leo duo. Also to the dude with the shades. Sorry to drawn characters who are so real to me. Love Joanne’s suggestion. 911? (funny how 911 looks like 9/11)

I don’t think people realize how dangerous winters can be in MA. Last year 7 cars were lost in the Berkshires and not found until the following spring. Owners were never identified.

Toggle will use his Super Powers of deduction, and call Alex to inquire what the problem is, and then secure help for them, thus saving the day. He will then marry her out of obligation, and have as miserable a life as the rest of us.

I’m thinking Toggle knows guys in the Reserves who have a Humvee.

Or….. Red Rascal to the rescue! Hmmm…. nah!

Last night I was getting all worried about Alex. Then I thought, “Wait – she’s not real! That’s all coming out of Garry Trudeau’s brain!” . . . Still, hope things work out for her.

It’s all good. It’s a comic strip and I admire the form and the way each strip develops…and my imaginings of the changes in the author(s) and their lives. Not too much of the latter, though. The strip’s the thing. Great characters.

Lots of us who say “I’m good” in regard to someone else are just already taken, not necessarily gay… Or maybe even just not interested, though heterosexual at the same time. Men often flatter themselves in thinking that if a woman doesn’t want them she must be gay! ( And I think they tend to draw this conclusion way more than women who find themselves in the same circumstances, by the way…)

The “till death do us part” would have to go, though.

You never know, but at some point in the future when he’s alone with his family, Leo may look at this moment with melancholy.

Larry – really? Is this like the ten second rule when food falls on the floor? If she has stopped breathing – then that’s it!!

Joanie! Stick to motorcycles!

“I’ve gone out with some pretty disfunctional guys, but, hey — I got to draw the line at dead, don’t I?” – Clearance Blouse in Stop Me Before i Love Again, an obscure monologue.