Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for January 12, 2011

Hmmm – didn’t notice Benjy’s earring until now. What’s the meaning of an earring in the right ear?

Daisy’s not smiling so much now.

Meaning of an earring? Is it the 1980s again?

Hmm - so Sal’s still working for Dr Whoopee: I’d’ve thought he’d have been rather more reticent about climbing the corporate ladder.

Does Dr. Whoopee make cushions?

R.I.P. Daisy. My condolences to the Doonesbury family. She’ll be missed for sure. (Maybe she’ll come back as a cartoon spirit or in dream sequences?)

Had to read the old “Dr. Whoopee” story arcs to refresh my memory on these. Sal wore the earring way back then, too.

I wish that G.B. Trudeau weren’t portraying Ben as such a egotistical jerk for cheap laughs. I’d prefer some strips that added to the backstory of Mike & Ben’s childhood and Daisy’s earlier life.

Heeey! I remember his stint as “Dr. Whoopee!”

Actually, he’s sorta looking like Bill Maher these days…

AS we swim through our lives, there’s always time to switch to the ego stroke.

Cushy job? (Sandfan beat me to it, but I couldn’t resist.)

My mom just died this morning, so I’m particularly enjoying the current storyline.

Please bury her and get back to the war.

Xoinx: My deepest condolences.

@SCAATY: Thank you.

@Richard S. Russell: You got that right. It’s not so much about the people themselves, though, as all the unresolved conflicts among them. Love the people, hate the conflicts.

Whoopee, Benji… Whoopee…

is there a way to find old story lines (such as the Dr Whoopee arc) that have not been tagged?

I often feel that I don’t get the full depth of strip without the back story ..

@Teresa: That’s exactly what I’m doing on FB. As a result, I’m actually laughing a lot today.

As for the earring, if you were a guy looking to impress women, I’ve always been told ‘right is wrong’. Hope I don’t need to explain further.

I got it, defunctdoormat. Thanks.

Benjy not necessarily still working for Whooppee .. just still leaning on past “honors” …

And >RS Russell - you got it right ‘specially if you are closer to being the funeralee than you really want to be.

Benjy “Sal” Doonsbury. From bumble to tumble in just under a nanosecond. Mxx

Wasn’t Dr. Whoopee “your campus rep for safe sex”? He peddled (and manufactured) condoms, profiting enormously from the advent of AIDS in the 1970s.

A generation later, by the time of Monica Lewinsky, Americans were connecting that epidemic with our irresponsible president (“You can get sex from aides”) and Dr. Whoopee had morphed into Bill Clinton, whom Benjy/Sal resembles.

funerals or reunions its all the same drama, from those who say they are not interested in the drama