I hate you boys!
In the 1980s and 1990s (and seemingly beyond), whenever Richard Branson did a photo op, he’d pick up a woman and sort of throw her in the air or whirl her around. There’s a Tumblr dedicated to it. I think that to be above board, this has to be a consensual act. It’s not 100% clear here whether the act of sister throwing that tales place in this comic is consensual. Poor Glenn just has to treat it as another culture’s peculiar ritual.
Looks like a healthy dynamic between brothers and sister to me. What scare me is the fateful meeting between Glenn and uncle Rob. Let’s hope that will not push Glenn to run away.
Indeed. You can tell in Claire’s brothers’ eyes that this is all just a bit of fun (even if it’s one-sided) and it’s probably their main expression of love for their little sister.
When I was young, I wish I had an older brother, and had always imagined similar shenanigans. Alas, I am the oldest daughter and I do not have the strength to hoist my younger, much taller, brother in the air; we’re probably better off this way.
“… fateful meeting between Glenn and uncle Rob.”
I think we’re safe enough for now. What concerns me is future strip “I thought he was the one.”
If it’s the ship that just had its maiden voyage that you’re concerned about, that strip should have nothing to do with Goalie, seeing as it’s part of the Murder She Writes story. So his and Claire’s romance may not be doomed to end by new year’s day.
That’s actually a long-past strip. “Murder She Writes” was a Bad Machinery-era Shelley+Lottie side story that hasn’t been available for a while, which is being rerun so John doesn’t work himself to death. It was set in the winter break between “The Case of the Lonely One” and “The Case of the Fire Inside”, when Lottie was 12.
I always remember the old photo of Richasrd Branson jetskiing with a topless woman standing up behind him on the jetski, breasts resting on his head.
Evidently he had been out jetskiing and so had she, separately, and she wanted a pic of herself resting her boobs on a billionaire? Weird flex, but I’ll allow it.
It’s worse than you remember. I wouldn’t allow it. But I applaud the dedicated recreation of the shot. NOTE: mildly nsfw (not recommended for those with a Branson allergy, though he’s fully clothed at least)
Uncle Rob thinking how easy it would be to start a fire in those bins
…or thinking on that very important thing that was accidentally or intentionally thrown away all those years ago which changed his life forever
I have a terrible memory. Have we even seen Uncle Rob before?
This is the first time. But Claire warned Glenn to stay away rfome him, because his failing marriage has made him a concentrate of sadness and negativity.
He appeared earlier in this story.
Only in passing: https://badmachinery.com/comic/2026-05-08/
No! Noooooo! Not in the bins!
I do like in the second-to-last panel that Claire’s mother isn’t fully drained of empathy and compassion.
I’m not really sure what she’s doing has to do with empathy or compassion. After all, she’s taking him to the recently divorced man no one wants to be around… At her eyes, Glenn could be some sort of human sacrifice. The only way to save Christmas for the rest of the family.
Why did I click on the link to that Tumblr? I can’t unsee that. P.S.: If there is any combination of robot-assisted time travel, hypnosis, or drugs that makes it possible for me to unsee that, can we do it?
It’s probably irresponsible to recommend enough booze to cause short-term memory loss, so, um, maybe try some alien abduction? Scout’s time stick has been demonstrated to cause amnesia, but I don’t think the Nemulons do that, and the time stick kind of caught on fire. Maybe if you could find a wormhole, you could go back and change the timeline so that you never looked at it?
Unfortunately (or fortunately for the boys, I guess), the Kitty Hawk tops out at prey twice her size.
After all, boys like fun.
It is impossible to like this comment enough, even with a plugin.
Jon Ronson’s less-well received novel.
I think that if Glenn intervened, they’d pick HIM up and toss him around, possibly with less good cheer.
Nothing like a good hazing for the new beau, it’s only their prerogative.
Given Glenn’s trampoline addiction, it’s possible he’d actually quite enjoy it.
I do not like seeing Claire getting bullied 🙁 No wonder she turns to flames for comfort!
Dunno. Seeing the weird smile she’s doing in panel 3, I’m not 100% sure she hates it.
She would probably miss it if they stopped.
Speaking of that smile, I feel there’s a visual reference there that I can’t quite place… Peanuts perhaps, or something like that?
Yes the Peanuts do a similar but more evenly crooked mouth shape when they are unhappy/sad/mad etc. This is, obviously, the more unhinged version.
I fear a story abaut Claire in theWIld West [https://static.fnac-static.com/multimedia/PE/Images/FR/NR/dd/72/11/1143517/1540-1/tsp20260509074756/Lucky-Luke-Tome-2-Le-Pied-Tendre.jpg]
TIL Tumblr is Still A Thing.
Indeed it is, although perhaps a thing with a small t.
There is, in fact, a webcomic I follow that gets posted to tumblr, and tumblr is one of the main avenues used by the band They Might Be Giants to interact with fans.
As a sister with two older brothers, can confirm accurate. Perhaps more lighthearted than in reality though.
Also no, it does never stop in adulthood. Annoyingly.