Gil Thorp by Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill for March 21, 2012

Wow, her husband is YOUNG.

We all laugh at this crazy comic, but would Archie, Veronica and the gang at Riverdale High have the guts to handle a topic like school-girl motherhood? Just about every season, the gang at Milford break a barrier that most comics don’t want to know about.

And look at the hair. Who do we think the father is?? Parker??

We have a bingo!Gee even the young ’uns in this strip have the bald spot!

I’d love to see a cross-over, with Milford playing Riverdale, Pop Tate taking over the Bucket, Big Moose playing quarterback (whatever that is) for the Mudlarks and Miss Grundy in Doctor Pearl’s office.

The father is clearly Ransom Hale, judging from the hair pattern. If the kid’s name is Rupert, we’ll know for sure. But look at the size of the kid! He must be 3 to 5 years old. How old was Darby when he was born, 12 or 13?

@Davidblack, wasn’t there a controversy recently when two gay Riverdale High kids wanted to go to the prom together? I think Archie and the gang stuck up for them, which didn’t go over too well with some people. I don’t remember the plot exactly, but I did read that Archie was getting some gay characters.

That is amazing, Chip. It took Riverdale decades to realize that there were black people in their town. I haven’t read that comic for ages.

the comments that follow this comic are way better than the comic itself. thanks to all for the extra laugh every day.

Figured they would draw the mystery out until at least the beginning of football season. And what’s with everybody’s hands in this strip? That kid has bigger hands than me….

Holy cow! Lil’ Dinkums Kiser looks like the Thorp kids when they were little.

So, it took Darby 2 – 3 years to get back in shape? If her regimen is pitching softballs, I’m surprised she got there.

Like others said, that is a big kid. She must have been 12 or 13 when she had him to still be in high school.

I think I see where this plot twist is going. Suddenly the kids at daycare will be showing up with “M” tattoos on their tiny little arms and the parents will complain to Gil who will have to do something about it once again.

As I predicted several days ago, Lopat is the father and the secret tatoo that he was showing (but we never got to see) was an image of the kid!Tomorrow we find out the kid’s name is Marshall Jr!

Oh goodie! This plot line is just warming up!

Where is that diembodied hand in P1 leading this couple?

Maybe the plot twist is that, um, Darby’s family is so poor they need her babysitting income to, um, get by. Yeah that’s it. At least it explains the size of the kid.

THE KID IS TOO OLD TO BE HERS, MAYBE IT’S AN AUTISTIC BROTHER OR SOMETHING. IF SHE GOT KNOCKED UP AT 12 YRS OLD OR SO IT MUST HAVE BEEN RAPE, PROBABLY BY A FAMILY MEMBER

Maybe it’s just a younger brother that she has custody of.

Ah ha! Man that kid is big, and I think he is afflicted with Whigham’s Syndrome, judging from his hands and the top of his head. Sadly, no cure has been discovered yet for WS. Let’s just hope it doesn’t progress to the more aggressive exploding eyeball stage …

If that’s not her kid then there must be some other reason she had to pitch herself back into shape.

@davidblack For as long as you appear to have been reading this strip (and Archie comics) you mean you still haven’t figured out what a quarterback is? You better go have a chat with Coach Kleats.

I agree. That kid is too old to be hers. I guess she has to babysit her brother after he gets out of preschool.

Betcha BB Stuff and the young MILF hook up.

The twist is that Darby has kidnapped one of the Thorp kids.

Yeah, little brother or some such … that’s where my money is … for now … until they reveal otherwise … in, like, August