Dad’s dead?!
on July 28, 2013 at 12:01 amChapter: Roomies! Redux!
Characters: Joe Rosenthal, Mrs. Rosenthal
Location: Danny and Joe's dorm room
Back in original Roomies!, I wanted to do a story about Joe’s parents getting divorced. But then my parents got divorced and suddenly it became a Thing. And I knew no matter how I did the story, there’d be no way it wouldn’t be awkward for everyone involved, so I dropped the idea. Years later, I returned to finish what I’d originally intended!
…except I totally would have done the story absolutely seriously back in 1998 or whatever. In 2004, I wrote it as a farce.
Seems like the opposite with how these things go, but perhaps that’s for the best.
Now they’re divorced, Joe can cash in as they both try to buy his love.
You been reading ahead?
Probably just read it before.
It’s awesome!
Nope, I just remember this SMBC video.
So Later Willis is being less serious than Early Willis?
This seems backwards somehow.
Not if you understand the severe drama fatigue from the end of It’s Walky! that occurred that year and would soon spawn Shortpacked!.
Ahhh, that makes sense.
Joe became signifigantly more realistic looking in panel 3. He was halfway turning into a more serious design to occompany his serious mood.
He had EYES. Not dots, EYES.
I’m going to guess the divorce happened during college. I wonder how you would have approached it if you had still been a minor at the time…
Considering that in 1998 Roomies! was running, that’s a fair assumption.
… Considering what we know about Joe’s dad, this is not at all surprising.
We saw Joe’s dad hitting on girls on campus at the very beginning and NOW the divorce is happening. I mean, I get that there were real life circumstances with Mr. Willis but still, scumbag father, this seems kinda late.
Originally posted:
March 24, 2005