Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for August 26, 2015

Larry, go home. You’ll be ok.

Sounds like an “awwww” moment (sans the “don’t leave me alone with your mother” part).

That’s sweet Larry, but you’re a big boy now. Act like it.

Larry probably heard Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle” on the radio.

You won’t be alone, Larry. You have another good friend at home, you know, the little guy who looks suspiciously alike certain cartoon boy

Today is the day our son leaves me alone with his mom as he heads off to college. Kind of hits home

Hang in there Larry.

now Larry will have to take out the garbage

Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. The Prophet – Kahil Gibran

Poor, Larry will be stuck with his cheating wife

I wonder if, in real life, Pastis’ son has just gone off to college or something.

I wonder if, in real life, Pastis’ son has just gone off to college or something.

Awww, Larry. That is so poignant! But give life with just Patti a try, Larry. It may work out better than you are expecting!

Pops, you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here…

OMG a Pearls comic actually brought a tear to my eye that wasnt laughter. Who’d a thunk THAT was possible??

@mammamoonbeam Thank You!

Sweet comic right until the last panel when it became a Stephan Pastis comic.

I can relate.

Larry must be retired. The thought of being “home alone” with a beloved spouse of many years is terrifying to many of us.

The truth comes out…

Larry’s not ready for school—he’s never been ready.

I wonder if Larry used to be like Junior until he reached a certain age and went through “the dumbening”. (Yes, “Simpsons” reference.)

I never thought anything about the Crocs would be sweet.

Apart from Junior’s baby brother that is.

xxx

Just want to say I loved this one, Stephan.

There’s been a number of Pearls strips that weren’t meant to be funny, they were meant for a different purpose. When Bil Keane passed he ran this tribute. One thing most folks probably don’t realize is that despite picking on Family Circus so much Pastis was friends with Keane (and as far as I know still is with Jeff Keane). It was a touching tribute to another cartoonist. There was also this tribute to Steve Jobs. It ended up being funny, but Pastis ran this tribute back on August 12, 2011 for his cartooning hero (love that message between the first and second panels). Another touching Larry and Junior moment came at the end of the Larry the Tree House Club House Vice President arc. Way back in 2006 he ran this <a href=“http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2006/05/28”Memorial Day strip. The recent blog contest made me realize that as much as I love the Guard Duck strips this is actually my favorite Pearls strip because Pig was speaking for all of us (in the Pearls Freaks the #*%# Out treasury Pastis notes that ironically the leak stopped the very day this strip ran). Ten days later this strip ran on the same topic.

Hopefully all links are present and work this time.

UGH!!!!! Links are driving me crazy. The Memorial Day link should work here, otherwise either just move the address into your address bar or go through the GoComics Pearls Archive to May 28, 2006.

Too bad Larry only has one friend…just a little empty nest syndrome.

Awww . . .

My son just went off to college. My first. Saying good bye was real hard.

I didn’t know that Larry The Dumb Croc had any more to his character than cluelessness in general and an abiding desire to lower the world’s population of “Zeebas”

( ಥヘಥ )

I cried