Julie Larson began writing The Dinette Set comic in 1990, then called Suburban Torture, offering a satire on middle class culture. The Dinette Set became syndicated in 1997. When asked where Julie gets all of her ideas, she admits there is only one way to write a daily comic: write about what you know. "I make no bones about who’s really talking in The Dinette Set," says Julie, who is writer, director and cast of The Dinette Set. "If we can’t make fun of ourselves, who will?"
© Julie Larson - All Rights Reserved.
Dilbert Classics by Scott Adams
Dixie Drive by Rich Powell
Comments (17) (Please sign in to comment)
simpsonfan2 said, 4 months ago
Only twice?
peggykb9 said, 4 months ago
Why are Joy and Verla at the same reunion?
SusanSunshine
said, 4 months ago
Well, this temporarily answers the question on many minds…
Burl was originally supposed to graduate in 1966… so he was born in 1948… or possibly late 1947.
That means today he’s 64 or 65.
Then again, this strip has almost no continuity… Julie said it’s set in the 1990’s, but some days it’s obviously this century…
It’s summer one day and winter the next.
Things like their anniversary, and Burl’s birthday, show up in different months…
and they’ve referred to being in their 50’s.
They also have a daughter who dates a college guy… possible but not likely, if Joy is over 60.
So all we really know about their ages is ….
they’re old enough to know better than to act the way they do.
SusanSunshine
said, 4 months ago
BTW… the above is not a complaint…
it’s what I expect from a comic strip….
Most have pretty elastic timelines.
They’re not historical documents,
so I always laugh when someone asks why the snow melted or whether they’re still on their trip to Florida.
And Patty dating the Yale man makes perfect sense if that day in the strip it’s 1992, and Joy is still 40-something.
purple sky
said, 4 months ago
Maybe Joy got left down, too, and they all ended up in the same graduating class?
mikie2
said, 4 months ago
If you don’t belong here, please leave by 7 pm. Now that’s really cold. And I’m glad that Burl (most likely) got to spend most of his Senior Year(s) in the Vice Principal’s office.
Years ago, a single lady that worked for me was going to her 20th HS reunion. She worked out for a year and bought a tight red silk dress and went with the express intention of causing trouble. Just like Shari Scaggs most likely is, considering the teasing she took about her name.
I think I’ll give up Girl Scout cookies for Lent.
Jean said, 4 months ago
I graduated the class of 67 but our group looks much better than this group. Of course a group of 60 somethings can’t look all that good to start with. lol
brightr1 said, 4 months ago
@Jean
Ditto – and way too much non-gray hair on the men.
GymShoe said, 4 months ago
@peggykb9
Seems like JOY repeated two or three grades such that VERL caught up to her… ! ! !
2old2readcomics
said, 4 months ago
Am I wrong in thinking that Joy and Verla were (are) twins?
Marc said, 4 months ago
@SusanSunshine
You’re assuming his senior year was the ONLY year he had to repeat.
SusanSunshine
said, 4 months ago
As I said…. Julie told us herself she tries to set the strip in the 90’s….
so this could be “today”…
or it could be their, say, 30th reunion, in 1997, before the men were all grey.
(which makes it even sadder that they look so middle-aged!)
There is NO consistent timeline to this strip!
And your spouse, or any other guest, doesn’t have to have graduated with your class, or even from your school, to accompany you to your reunion.
Marc… LOL… true!
2old…. they’ve remarked a few times that Joy is two years older than baby sister Verla… that’s why Verl is so admiring sometimes, and why she listen’s to Joy’s advice.
My own two-years-younger sister, however, usually rolls her eyes at my advice.
Wonder which is typical!
missjunebug said, 4 months ago
Susan, who is older Joy or Verl? Maybe spouses were invited and it is Verl’s class…….
imnormal said, 4 months ago
looks like to me Burl’s got his eye on Shari right now. Shari is probably thinking talk about lucky, look at that slob.
I have toenails on my fingers! said, 4 months ago
@SusanSunshine
Well, well, well..