It looks like the hills around my hometown in Missouri. Which, of course, teenagers use for drag racing and jumping from hill to hill,often after drinking, leading to a …. lot of… accidents…
… Is it sad that for a second there I wondered, “why does she need to go home to call 911?” and then I remembered it’s 1999. Modern tech really does spoil us.
Well, cellphones were becoming popular enough…at least in San Diego where I was living. I can’t say what coverage in Indiana May have been was, but So Cal was solid. Even the luxury car makers were starting to move away from mounted car phones to docked handheld ones like the Motorola StarTac. But yeah, probably hadn’t caught up everywhere yet.
There were getting a lot more common by 1999 but they were still, I think, somewhat of a luxury item. I know a lot of families at that time that had one cell phone. Often the kids in the family didn’t get one, and the parents shared one. I don’t quite remember when the change happened that cell phones became as common as underwear.
Plus, for a while, unless you had a special service, dialing 911 would automatically route back to wherever the phone was from, not where you were currently. So if you were attending college in a different town or state then your hometown (where you presumably set up the phone plan), dialing 911 would get the dispatchers there instead of where you currently were. After a while, they added a feature (that you had to manually turn on) that would contact local 911 based on the location of the nearest cell tower.
So if Ruth went home and called 911, she would have been assured that local 911 was contacted.
I’d place the inflection point around 2003-ish. That’s when I got a cell phone, and I was kind of a luddite about it, insisting to my parents that I didn’t need one. It was certainly before 2005, at which point my little sister (who was 12 at the time) had one.
Agreed. I got my first one in 2001 I believe and they were COMMON then, but it hadn’t quite reached “duh, just use your cell phone” peak yet (As in “I don’t have to first ask if you have a cell phone. Just like if I’m trying to describe the way something smells I don’t first ask the person if they have a nose!”)
I forgot how behind the states used to be with phones. Over here everyone and their gran had one in ’99 although for some they were still new enough that they had to hold them up and present them while walking around. A kind of “look at me” thing that only Apple fans tend to do nowadays.
I remember one American friend was still using a two way pager while I was running websites from my old phone. He was fascinated with what we had and didn’t understand the networks roles in shutting down those sorts of features when phones made it over there.
“Car phones were always pretty much the exclusive province of douchebags with too much money.”
To the point where fake car-phone antennas were a thing. Just an antenna that you glued to your rear windshield, but wasn’t hooked to anything. Yeah, remember those?
And he kept trying for improvement !
For example, just a couple of strips later he experienced with “Fandom Heartbreaking” and “Being a monster” and stuff.
Forget the flying–it’s clearly displaced that side’s door entirely! The entire front left side of the vehicle is McDonald’s debris surrounded by crosshatched void!
You could just stop reading until midterms are over, since you obviously already know where this is going. Then again, it’s so sad that just knowing that it’s being posted could be just as distracting even if you’re not reading them… well, there goes that idea
I remember reading this the first time. Ruth was my favorite character, and I had no idea what was coming. Lack of comments on the old site made it feel incredibly lonely as well. Willis was a mystery to me back then, I wondered if he knew how this made me feel. This time, there is a community attached to the strip, and artist comments (he knew) too.
A new comic shod up in my RSS but the site gave me a 404, and this is the comic on the main page. So is the comic with Danny waking up supposed the be here or not?
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or
1a. find a phone booth
Wow, that car is really tiny. Or maybe just super far away.
The angle made me think for one (glorious) moment that Ruth was somehow flying, or maybe had pulled an awesome jump off of a ramp between strips.
But then I realized that she was just coming over a hill. And I was sad.
It looks like the hills around my hometown in Missouri. Which, of course, teenagers use for drag racing and jumping from hill to hill,often after drinking, leading to a …. lot of… accidents…
Well, dang…
I’m sure everything will turn out fine.
NO. NO. NO. I REFUSE. NO.
… Is it sad that for a second there I wondered, “why does she need to go home to call 911?” and then I remembered it’s 1999. Modern tech really does spoil us.
Literally was about to comment the almost exact same thing.
We can be spoiled together.
Well, cellphones were becoming popular enough…at least in San Diego where I was living. I can’t say what coverage in Indiana May have been was, but So Cal was solid. Even the luxury car makers were starting to move away from mounted car phones to docked handheld ones like the Motorola StarTac. But yeah, probably hadn’t caught up everywhere yet.
There were getting a lot more common by 1999 but they were still, I think, somewhat of a luxury item. I know a lot of families at that time that had one cell phone. Often the kids in the family didn’t get one, and the parents shared one. I don’t quite remember when the change happened that cell phones became as common as underwear.
Plus, for a while, unless you had a special service, dialing 911 would automatically route back to wherever the phone was from, not where you were currently. So if you were attending college in a different town or state then your hometown (where you presumably set up the phone plan), dialing 911 would get the dispatchers there instead of where you currently were. After a while, they added a feature (that you had to manually turn on) that would contact local 911 based on the location of the nearest cell tower.
So if Ruth went home and called 911, she would have been assured that local 911 was contacted.
Darn it. I should have been “They were…” not “There were…”
I’d place the inflection point around 2003-ish. That’s when I got a cell phone, and I was kind of a luddite about it, insisting to my parents that I didn’t need one. It was certainly before 2005, at which point my little sister (who was 12 at the time) had one.
Agreed. I got my first one in 2001 I believe and they were COMMON then, but it hadn’t quite reached “duh, just use your cell phone” peak yet (As in “I don’t have to first ask if you have a cell phone. Just like if I’m trying to describe the way something smells I don’t first ask the person if they have a nose!”)
I forgot how behind the states used to be with phones. Over here everyone and their gran had one in ’99 although for some they were still new enough that they had to hold them up and present them while walking around. A kind of “look at me” thing that only Apple fans tend to do nowadays.
I remember one American friend was still using a two way pager while I was running websites from my old phone. He was fascinated with what we had and didn’t understand the networks roles in shutting down those sorts of features when phones made it over there.
Maybe she doesn’t have a hands-free device? (Hey, if we’re going to bend time and space….:D)
I never even questioned it. I just figured “eh, she probably doesn’t want to call them while driving”.
That last panel…the sideways smirk and wistfully sad eyes…and right before something horribly tragic happens.
My God. Tom Batiuk learned it from watching YOU!
What? Something bad is going to happen?
“I LEARNED IT FROM YOU, WILLIS! I LEARNED IT BY WATCHING YOU!”
It would be really handy if Ron’s car had a car phone in it.
Cell phones were uncommon back when this was drawn.
But car phones weren’t. I think. Car Phones were a thing, right?
I distinctly remember seeing them in a handful of Archie comics.
Car phones existed, but they were never what I’d call common.
Car phones were always pretty much the exclusive province of douchebags with too much money.
Billie might have one in her car.
I had a cell, a big Motorola doorstop, around this time, but I was working a job where I was effectively on call 24×7.
“Car phones were always pretty much the exclusive province of douchebags with too much money.”
To the point where fake car-phone antennas were a thing. Just an antenna that you glued to your rear windshield, but wasn’t hooked to anything. Yeah, remember those?
Well, them and people like doctors who really needed to be easy to contact.
Step 1. Forget about Danny
Step 2. Seriousely, cut your losses
Step 3. For real, Fuck that guy.
+1/Upvote/Fav/Like/Whatever the kids are doing these days.
My current gravatar just makes this all the better.
See, now this is kind of sad, because it looks like even Danny hates Danny.
Well, Danny has spent more time with Danny than anyone else. He probably hates Danny most of all.
We can only wish.
Step 4: ????
Step 5: Profit (from not knowing Danny anymore)
Ruth seems so happy that she has no idea what she’s doing.
I do like how, by this point, Our Cartoonist was experimenting with different angles and shading and stuff.
And he kept trying for improvement !
For example, just a couple of strips later he experienced with “Fandom Heartbreaking” and “Being a monster” and stuff.
And he really hasn’t looked back, has he?
[Insert Obligatory “Damn You, Willis!!!” Here]
Whenever I hear that phrase, I can’t help but hear the Ballad of Booth from Assasins.
The plan is to make up the plan in the car.
the plan IS the car.
“Ron is such a slob,” Ruth says, ignoring the scientific achievements it would require for him to craft flying McDonald’s detritus.
I guess Ron’s an abductee too!
Forget the flying–it’s clearly displaced that side’s door entirely! The entire front left side of the vehicle is McDonald’s debris surrounded by crosshatched void!
She clearly just tossed that trash out the open door. Apparently my brain is more hard-wired to find realistic explanations than yours.
Damn it Willis, I was hoping these comics would come at a better time. I have midterms, I can’t have emotions!
You could just stop reading until midterms are over, since you obviously already know where this is going. Then again, it’s so sad that just knowing that it’s being posted could be just as distracting even if you’re not reading them… well, there goes that idea
I remember reading this the first time. Ruth was my favorite character, and I had no idea what was coming. Lack of comments on the old site made it feel incredibly lonely as well. Willis was a mystery to me back then, I wondered if he knew how this made me feel. This time, there is a community attached to the strip, and artist comments (he knew) too.
And yet Willis is still a mystery to all.
LITTERBUG!
A new comic shod up in my RSS but the site gave me a 404, and this is the comic on the main page. So is the comic with Danny waking up supposed the be here or not?
Is it possible to retcon this so she doesn’t die stupidly this time?
Ron… McDonald?
Originally posted:
March 15, 1999
3. Lucky style with Billie….. Its weird rereading this with extra stuff included.