Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson for January 21, 2020

It’s like GLaDOS says.

“That jumpsuit you’re wearing looks stupid. That’s not me talking. It says so right here in your file. On other people it looks fine. But right here, a scientist has noted that on you, it looks stupid. Well, what does some neck-bearded engineer know about fashion? He probably… oh, wait, it’s a she. Still, what does she know? Oh, it says she has a medical degree. In fashion. From France.”

Panel 4 explains a LOT.

Two moms and Max in a pickle, both on the same strip. Nice!

Aha. The idea that woman #1 is an older sister is replaced by a more interesting (comic) “reality”. One of the coolest guys I ever knew had two moms. And very few gender biases for some reason.

In other words, “You’re my parents, you’re suppose to talk me up”.

we learn a lot about Max’s family now. and I would not have been able tp tell based on just the art the 2nd mom is not fully visible.

I’m gonna have to ask Dana’s permission to borrow Max’s last line – it’s just the thing to wind up the first act of my new play.

And continuing the conversation from yesterday:

@sixam – Any line involving the words “drive the nail in further”, “interracial”, and “colorist’s mistake” tend to raise alarm bells, even in an apparently ambivalent speaker like Averagemoe. (Google “The Red Sea Sharks” and see what I mean.)

@Averagemoe – Mea culpa for yesterday…but if you’ve followed this strip enough, you’ve probably realised that nudging – rather than pushing – the envelope is kind of Dana’s thing. (Kinda like the Indian spiritual leader Ramana Maharshi. He corrected orthodoxy among Hindus not through fire-and-brimstone preaching but through gentle practice and ecology, like taking the lead in heating yesterday’s leftovers himself rather than just half-heartedly tossing them to beggars, tending the hermitage’s garden himself, and recycling dried rose petals into rice pudding. This way of working change into the everyday gradually caused Hinduism to soften from its discriminatory origins…for the most part.)

@sixam – Out of the two of us, I’ve actually lived in India. (Still do – I’m working on two graphic novels about the struggle in Kashmir and the aged in Delhi.) The culture of marriage is a thing – a very active thing – that often plays against the feminist movement in India. Indian parents would rather save for their children’s marriages than higher education (especially parents of girls – 69% of Indian families – usually those from Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Lucknow – or certain parts of Old Delhi – still believe “anything beyond a Bachelor’s Degree is not respectable for a woman”, while normally families from Kerala, Bengal, or maybe even Orissa – the new census is still a year away – will gladly invest in higher education for children of both sexes and eschew any wedding plans. Of course, weddings are usually simpler and cheaper over there.)

I find it interesting that dark-haired-mom looks much cuter (and younger, witness all the people thinking she was his older sister at first) than she did in the camping trip story, apparently thanks to the darker skin. It’s cool how small things like that can make a character look very different.

In just one panel, that effectively answers all of the very recent questions about Max’ family situation, I guess.

WTF happened? Have we landed in an alternate universe? Is this a magical SNAFU?In The Magic Storm, https://www.gocomics.com/phoebe-and-her-unicorn/2017/08/04 and https://www.gocomics.com/phoebe-and-her-unicorn/2017/08/04 none of his moms were POCs.

You’re doomed, Max. Doomed!

Smart Max.

Let’s see; Phoebe’s best friend in the human world is Max. The class ‘weirdo ’ with two moms. Meanwhile, in the Unicornverse, there’s Ferny. The non-binarỳ, with the alleged crush on Phoebe.

Suddenly, Phoebe’s friendship with Marigold feels like the most normal thing in this strip.

Moms…..

in Spanish, “suave” is soft/smooth/gentle, in English what does it mean?

:D I love this strip.

(wishes a “thought balloon” had been used for the dialogue for the character named “Max” in the fourth panel of the cartoon)

Well…kid’s not wrong.

Advice for those that would think like Max (and seems to be a good in most genra), be who you are. They like you for who you are, they will not like you trying to change yourself into someone you think they want.

But are you debonair, Max? Being suave is pointless unless you’re also debonair.

Poor Max! It’s bad enough he’s going to his first dance. But to be teased about his best bud Phoebe!!!!!!

Like, I understand. Like, I like the word like too, like, you know what I mean!

Me? I’ll just be happy if most readers can simply enjoy the comic for what it is – not what it is not…

My “problem” with tan-mom is about continuity. She looked asian (at least for me, LOL) when she was first introduced and she became dark skined. I wouldn’t mind at all if she was introduced that way.

I was so unsuave, not even my mother thought I was.

Oh jeez. Kiddo, gonna let you in a little secret. The difference between like and LIKE-like is not as vast or important as you might think.Just keep doing stuff you enjoy together. Treat each other with respect and consideration. Make up when you have fights.If things evolve in a more intimate direction once you’re both a bit older, you’ll have a core of real trust and mutual interests to support it.If not, a good friend is never bad to have.

YAAAY LGBT