USB holes
It’s a classic night drive down the lost highway (to Hull). Production note: on the picture of the sign to Hull Docks that I used as reference had been vandalised to read “Coc s” (sic). Knowing the delicate sensibilities of my audience, I restored the original wording. Second production note: I think the last panel is a definite career peak. The day after I drew it, drained, I succumbed to a terrible weeks-long cold.
NO WAITROSE NO INTEREST
Now I REALLY feel sorry for Dean. Although, as an adult who can’t drive, I also identify with Lottie and Claire here.
At least Claire is in the passenger seat and not Lottie. (I’m kind of surprised he didn’t put them both in the backseat like an Uber driver).
I admire John for elevating himself above the cliché “Are we there yet?” and instead giving us a glimpse of the true horror Dean has to suffer, so much so he would probably rather be driving a school bus
Functionally, it’s quite similar.
After such a fraught sequence of events, it’s so funny and delightful to watch Lottie and Claire revert to complaining girls on a car trip. Such great karma catching up with Dean.
Little Claire feels thick? Thick… As a brick?
So she’s an Ian Anderson fan?
Ian Anderson has been dealt with (in NEMS) and there will be no further tootling
I like the ferry icon that appears to be digesting a car and truck slowly over a thousand years.
I actually thought it was a hat.
Top marks for subtlety. Congratulations! C’est a dire, Chapeau!
She can’t take a wee except at a Waitrose?
I had to look up Waitrose. Seeing that it’s a supermarket, I’m surprised they have them at motorway service stops. Certainly the service plazas you find on U.S. highways just have small convenience stores and fast food joints.
Ooh I hadn’t considered motorway Waitroses when I started telling everyone our nearest branch (we’re in NW Cumbria) was 130 miles away in Edinburgh. Can’t remember seeing one on the northern section of the M6, but then I only stop at Tebay (which is FAR superior to any branch of Waitrose)
Gretna services on the A74 has one: https://www.waitrose.com/find-a-store/gretna-services
I have, in fact, seen service stops in the U.S. that were attached to actual supermarkets. Yes, convenience stores are more common, but they do exist.
The British supermarket chains all run small branches that are like a large convenience store (Tesco Metro, Sainsbury’s Local and, in this case Little Waitrose & Partners). That’s the sort of thing you’d find at a motorway service area, not a gigantic hypermarket.
I must say that I love the last panel. It reminds of something on which I sadly cannot put my finger.
It has flavours of this completely unhinged old Kikkoman commercial:
https://youtu.be/Wz-mJed_bP0
For some reason the first thing I thought of when I saw Dean’s face was the dad from Takahata’s My Neighbors the Yamadas.
It’s probably just that it’s a vaguely manga style, exaggerated faces panel.
Methinks that Dean is the Platonic Form of a driving instructor, from which all others are but imperfect images.
2009+ VW Polo? Seems sensible.
When did USB holes become ubiquitous in automotive transport?
When people started carrying their music libraries with them wherever they went.
Also, is it a Polo or a Golf?
my car is a 2011 model, and has a USB hole in the glovebox. It was a novel feature at the time.
I plugged a 32GB thumb drive loaded with several hundred albums into it, which plays on shuffle .. a setup which soundly beats the 15-CD changer I’d had in my previous car, for way less money and fuss; I can drive for nearly a year before hearing the same song twice.
It’s a perfectly good Xolkswagen Pato.
Somehow, and I’m not entirely sure why, I’m surprised Lottie agreed to let Claire have the front seat.
I think Lottie preferred to be able to whisper at Dean from behind.
She relished being the Devil on his shoulder
He can’t say no to that Keira Knightley face.
A magnificent page! And that last panel… <chef’s kiss>
Any hope that this trip was going to be NOT reminiscent of many of his worst school field trips have been well and truly dashed!
This is a great page.
The vicious cycle of Grote reality warping
Dean totally deserves a coral LAAAAA! and all the annoying questions. They distorted his reality better than a couple of 4 years old twins.
Pirates of Penance!
Would an M&S Food have swayed her?