Vorlonagent

Would that work for new-Jerry?

So no prophet and loss statements here...

...I mean really...when you come down to it, why are any of us here? If the universe's constants were just a little different, we wouldn't have stars or planets, let alone life and intelligence. Things had to be just right. It's kinda weird and random when you think about it...

You may have a pulsar. I've heard alternating heat and and cold packs help with that.

When you nebulize, do you experience any star formation? Sorry, couldn't resist...

"Summon hair-fairies"...

There's also a chance that it's Mr. Pompom's hand grabbing new-Jerry... Not a big chance. The smart money's on Voltaire.

There's always IM...

meaning no offense to any modern brits, but why?

Susan did once say she was for female superiority... I think one constant of Susan's personality is that she is repelled by the thought of males. These days this is toned down and rephrased as fear and apprehension at getting close, which is a definite step up for her. In the early days especially Susan was on a total rejection trip, which Elliot rightly called her on at Grace's birthday party. I can see Susan disapproving of Nanase less if Nanase had no emotional investment in the boys she dated, but Nanase was looking for someone she could feel attracted to and invest in. Nanase wasn't dating for the fun of it or with intent to abuse for her own fun. Calling Nanase "slutty" seems a way for Susan to keep emotional distance between herself and any heterosexual or romantic urges she might feel while listening to stories of Nanase's dating life and Nanase's frustrations with it. I just realized something. Nanase didn't start the comic with many friends. Meeting Justin helped her out as much as it did Justin. If she wanted to cry on a shoulder, especially about dating and such, Susan may well have been Nanase's only option. Gotta wonder, how did Nanase's mom miss her "(at least one) different boy every week" schtick? I have a hard time thinking she'd be OK with it...

I'm thinking Susan and Nanase still stayed in touch after France. They shared a pretty intense experience and they would only have each other tot talk to about it. From there it's not to hard to think they touched on other matters. If Nanase talks about who she's dating and it's a different name every time Susan would no doubt pick up on Nanase's dating habits, call her on them and disapprove.

Massive internal conflict. Radical ambivalence. Wanting to be close/fearing to be close triggered by the same thing.

That was where I was going but now *I'm* not sure either. Scotty's closeup was very convincing. I was also going to attempt to suggest that Justin's nose is a bit rounder.as well, but now I'm not.

What? Original-concept-Susan admitting positive qualities in a male was not surprising enough to fold Moperville onto itself?

I'll grant that may well have been the inception point. Tagglng along to the Verres household and continuing to be involved afterward was the beginning of her movement up the character ladder.

Justin's upper-lip looks thicker than the previous comic.

Plus a hint of lipstick. Dan should keep it about like that for most lipstick uses...

Pinning down rates can be somewhat difficult because they can increase with aggregate demand. Meaning the best time for you to get a ride is when nobody else wants one.

Being taken along to the Verres house after the second Goo incident would make sense. I'll grant the possibility but ask: Is there a Diane sighting in a comic prior to, say, 2003? Anytime after, even if it's a flashback, the odds-on explanation for her appearance becomes Susan-connected.

Not to push too hard on an option that isn't the most workable...but both rideshare companies can book from web pages. You could catch a to-procedure ride with one of them and have Mrs. Prof take the return leg.

When did Susan begin evolving toward being a main character? My guess would be here (2003)

Does it make financial sense to use a ride service like Lyft or Uber in place of Mrs. Prof? At least when your rides conflict with her work?

Diane may very well exist as backstory for Susan and might not exist had Susan not muscled her way into main character status. But I will have to correct you on one thing. Dan told us how much the two were alike.

I'd expect as easter eggs for the alert reader or re-reader. And perhaps a bit of laziness. Dan has complained in commentaries before that he has to do a character design for each extra he has on the comic. If he already had the character design for Diane and it doesn't get in the way of anything why not give her a walk-on part here and there? Dan did much the same thing with Noah and even Ellen. Given the context of Diane's mouth-shielding, I simply assumed she was whispering about him being gay since that's kinda the point of that panel. Diane's walk-on appearances are certainly characteristic of Dan's original concept. I'm not sure they're really story hooks as character moments. I'm my special case, I am indeed old enough to be familiar with Tony Randall.

I'm hoping this means that they're getting to the root of things rather than just going by rote.