Gil Thorp by Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill for March 07, 2012

“Hi, I’m Gil Thorp …. I coach high school football, basketball and baseball and am also in charge of running strangers out of town.”

I wonder why Gil didn’t bring his friend, the police chief, with him. Wouldn’t that be more effective?

“You’re not Ransom Hale, your name is Rupert Holmes and you wrote that damn Pina Colada song – a crime against humanity!” – wow, did not see that one coming!

I hope that graffiti all over Kitten washes off.

It’s actually Rupert Grint, the kid who played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies. He’s been down on his luck since the series ended and opened a tattoo parlor in Milford. With his accent it was easy to pose as a New Zealander.

Once again, Gil levels the Accusing Finger of Justice.

Rupert and the tattoos have gotten as much or more attention than the basketball seaon. Practically no girls bball at all, and hit-n-miss on the boys. Thought this was a sports comic. I don’t mind bringing issues that kids face into the comic, but seems to me this one took on a life of its own.

Gil points an accusing finger and begins to morph into toughguy Claude Akins. With Random Task being a Kiwi Rump Ranger, Thorp’s shakedown tactic might not work. Time to make Tat Man an offer he cannot refuse.

Oh snap! Is Gil trying to offend Ransom by referring to him as “Rupert” as in Rupert Murdoch (who is Aussie, not Kiwi). OR..dun dun DUUUUUUUUUUUN!!…is Rupert Ransom’s real name….OooooOOoooooOOOO…I can scarcely stand the suspense.

Wait, his name is Rupert, not Ransom? Does this mean he wasn’t in the SAS either?

I’m guessing the way this strip wanders sometimes that Gil will be walking out of this place with a “Mimi” tat on his chest and an armful of bootlegged videos before he leaves. And, he’ll talk Kitten into going back to night school, taking an Adult Education class on coaching taught by Gil “Don’t Call Me Rupert” Thorp.

Hooray! At least if Ransom has been marking up “my kids”, we know they have at last been found!

P. 3 looks as if Gil shrank away from Ransom’s retort about his business being “perfectly legal”. Gil has shrunk into “mini Gil” and is speaking from the bottom left corner of the panel. But wait, it is not legal because one of the tatoo-ees printed a consent form on his father’s letterhead!

…is that Marshall Lopat on the table in P1?In P2, we see once again the “pinched” Gil face, not unlike a young James Brolin in “Marcus Welby MD”….

P3: Skull shaped soul patch.

I’m surprised Thorp didn’t say, “Pull my finger!”

The tattoo busines is legal, but Gil is going to jump on him with the illegal movie business.

….kdizzle is on to something……this is where Rupert Holmes has been hiding since his mega-hit “Him”……he is actually an unassuming tatoo artist in a small midwestern town. Gilfather, leave him alone!

… and here comes the quick close. Story line ends with Ransom leaving town… maybe to Goshen… maybe to Shelbyville [“Ay mate, how did you know me real name is Rupert?”] and Thorp opening up a tattoo removal parlor. Phew! I was not sure how this one would close before the anticipated “baseball line-up strip.”

P2 – Rupert could not bring himself to say “high-quality work” without laughing. Even he knows the block M was pretty lame.

Hrm. The REAL Gil – not the imposter masquerading the last few years – would have come out with “It’s a new day.”

Hell, I don’t like tats any more than he does, but all you can control – hah! – is what your own kids do.

It’s actually “Rupret,” like Steve Martin in “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.”

“Rupert, Ransom, Rupert… Whatever, all white people look the same to me.”

does Kitty have facial tattoos?