Wallace the Brave by Will Henry for June 16, 2021

Ranger School awaits! RLTW!

somebody give the seagull a dead fish

wallace is the only thing keeping spud’s self esteem collapsing

The last panel makes me think of:

“Inside a castle, white as milk,

Swathed in curtains smooth as silk,

Within a fountain crystal-clear,

A golden apple does appear.

There are no doors to this stronghold,

Yet thieves break in and steal the gold."

(What is it?

An egg.)

[a classic riddle]

Spud’s protective-haven obsession also reminds me of a line from Emily Dickinson:

“Safe in their alabaster chambers…” But that line refers to the dead in their coffins waiting for Judgement Day.

And Wallace’s whole appreciation of simple things has a lot in common with Dickinson’s little tippler “drunk” on the natural world and on life itself:

“I taste a liquor never brewed …

Inebriate of air am I…"

[air, and other intoxicants like dew, bees, butterflies, blue skies]

“Reeling, through endless summer days…”

[But, you know, I don’t seem to be able to think of just one thing at a time, and these little panels cue up so many pleasant associations.]

I think Spud is related to Buckethead Kevin from Cul de Sac.

Spud, when your mom said you could be anything you want to be…

Wallace is thinking outside the box turtle.

I thought the seagull was swearing, at first.

I would love to have a friend like Wallace.

Wallace must practice catch-and-release, because i don’t see a bucket.

Think Ordinary Bill could make a guest appearance in Wallace?

Spud might have a calling for selling and installing home security systems that includes bars on the windows and doors and lots of blankets to wrap around and cuddle in…..

In other words, Spud’s not interested in coming out of his shell.

Beautiful friendship.

It can be an incredibly powerful thing to have friends who genuinely see us not just as we are, but as we could be and love us for both.

…or a monk.

I’d be a great hermit crab. Where do I sign up? Is there an application process?

I love that the seagull is starting to have a “speaking” role. And that Wallace is such a good friend to Spud.

Spud must not be claustrophobic.