Yes, Danny has moved on from “I’m the bestest holiest shit around” to Super Mopey Dude. I’m sure this is a character shift we are all terribly excited for.
Billie’s pretty well composed for someone who’s standing next to the dude who got her best friend and lover killed.
Had the lover subplot been written yet? At the time, I thought Billie was just a throw-in as-of-yet only vaguely important?
JINX
[sorta]
Willis, were you aware of Billie’s, er, extracurricular activities by this point? That is, they weren’t retconned in later as such for the hanky-pankies?
I’m like 100% certain they were retconned. At this point I’m pretty sure Willis was still denying the existence of people who weren’t straight.
This strip feels really out of place. Why are they making snappy remarks when Ruth just died? Why isn’t Billie shouting at Danny? Why is Danny such an ass?
Can we all declare today’s strip a fanon discontinuity? Please?
Danny’s being an ass is because he’s Danny. It’s just a fact of his being.
Danny’s not a complete ass. He’s self-centered. Very Very very Very veRy very very very self-centered. Essentially, he thinks he’s the main character. His misuse of this power is what makes him lose the job.
Danny being an ass isn’t exactly outta place, amirite?
Eh??
*Looks at JebJeb’s Reply*
I guess I AM right!
That’s our Billie, a model of self-restraint.
Way to make Ruth’s death all about you, Danny.
Ruth and Billie were ‘lovers’ at that time?
Danny is always going to have it all be all about Danny.
Don’t know why Joe thinks he’s to blame?
Sarah is Sarah, tell it like it is.
You know, as someone who was aware of Ruth’s death but had never actually read Roomies, I was expecting more crying and screaming and sober reflections on mortality at this point. The snark is throwing me off.
the fandom reacted somewhat more appropriately than the author/characters/whatever.
IIRC, (a little bit of) that will come later. Definitely not in next few weeks, as that will be about, erm, something else.
“goddamnit Ruth died and look how badly its effecting me and my life…”
don’t worry Danny, you still have the audien… yeah, you’re right.
Billie’s awfully composed for someone who had her own part in getting her best friend and lover killed, too.
How is Joe the one most emotionally affected by this?
Clearly this is a bizarro universe.
I have an alternate theory of “BORED“
Well, there’s a Sunday strip coming up (possibly the first ever?) that contradicts your theory completely
Yep, we’re a few pages into book 2 at the moment, and flicking through that, things are about to get a bit Fresh Prince
I REJECT YOUR REALITY AND SUBSTITUTE MY OWN
[by retconning or fanficking, depending on who does it]
I dunno; I kind of like that at least someone gives a shit about Ruth’s death for more than just the inconvenience it causes them. Even if it is the dude who didn’t really like her in life.
(Maybe Joe and Ruth really had it bad for each other and the punching was just how Ruth flirts in this universe, too?)
“Revolted by him” sums it up. It’d be an apt reaction for a more stoic character to someone who got her BF and lover killed, but with Billie it doesn’t feel right. (In DoA she said violence was a possibility, then jumped to it pretty quickly.) She seems like she should be devastated and pissed.
Billies character doesn’t look like it had really been fleshed out at this point. If this was DoA Billie though I doubt Danny would have even woken up from the accident before Billie throttled him.
I love that it’s Joyce who runs out after Joe and not his “actual girlfriend” Sarah. That’s accidental chemistry for you.
I-I think I might have blocked out all instances of Danny whining about how Ruth’s death negatively effects him. What a Dick.
Yeah, if anything can put someone on the Danny hate train then it’s this strip.
Billie’s revulsion stems more from the fact that she now has to take Danny as her lover. Who knew Billie was a Necromonger?
Originally posted:
March 26, 1999