From 6/13/08:
Today’s strip is a perfectly executed thumping of a character who kind of deserves it.
To deconstruct: Panel one, he complains that sitting around doing nothing while waiting for the phone to ring is boring. This is to make us hate him and want him to die.
Panel two, the phone rings. Rufus either sheds a tear of joy or a flop-sweat of exertion, as turning his head is the first movement he’s made in several weeks and his muscles have atrophied to the point where if he tries to stand up, he’ll collapse in a pile of goo. Even Kitty’s excited here, which is tough, because he/she clearly has no soul.
Panel three: Turtles. It’s a call about turtles. And wayward turtles, at that. Telemarketers, you are hereby forgiven for one annoying call. You’re still rather a lot in the hole, but it’s a start.
