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I HEAR YOUR FELLOWS ZEBRAS ARE TRYING TO MAKE THE WATERING HOLE SAFER.
YEAH. THEY GOT THE CROCODILES TO DIVIDE IT INTO TWO SECTIONS: "CHOMPING" AND "NON-CHOMPING."
THE CROCODILES CAN ONLY EAT YOU IN THE CHOMPING SECTION. SO IF YOU WANT TO ENJOY THE WATERING HOLE IN PEACE, YOU JUST PICK THE NON-CHOMPING SECTION.
AND HOW'S IT GOING?
I'M SORRY. THAT SECTION IS FULL. BUT WE'VE GOT A LOVELY TABLE ACROSS THE ROOM.

HEY, BILLY KAHN, HOW'S YOUR CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS COMING ALONG?
NOT GOOD. I THINK I NEED TO DO SOME PROMOTIONAL STUFF.
HOW SO?
WELL, JUST TODAY, I'M WALKING PAST THIS OTHER COMPANY'S CONSTRUCTION SITE AND THIS BIG SIGN OUT FRONT THAT SAYS 'THIS IS A WEATHERSTIPS JOB!'
WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?
THEY'RE MY BIGGEST COMPETITOR, AND THEY'RE GIVING THEMSELVES ALL THIS FREE PUBLICITY.
WHY DON'T YOU MAKE YOUR OWN SIGN, THEN?
YEAH, BUT I DON'T WANT TO JUST COPY THEM
I GOT IT... I CAN STAND OUTSIDE ONE OF YOUR CONSTRUCTION SITES AND ANNOUNCE THE SAME THING WITH A MEGAPHONE.
OKAY. IT'S WORTH A TRY.
SIX WEEKS LATER...
I DON'T GET IT, BILLY. WE HAVE NO PROJECTS LINED UP AFTER THIS.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT EITHER, FRED.
THIS IS A KAHN JOB! THIS IS A KAHN JOB! THIS IS A KAHN JOB!

LISTEN, YOU. YOU SAY A WORD ABOUT ME AND LUIGI'S PLAN TO KILL VINNIE AND IT'S CURTAINS FOR YOU.
HEY, THE GUYS OVER THERE ARE GONNA KILL SOME MAN NAMED VINNIE.
...I'D LIKE THEM IN MAUVE, PLEASE.

LISTEN, LUIGI, THE BOSS SAYS WE GOTS TO KILL VINNIE TODAY.
WHAT FOR?
'CAUSE IF WE DON'T, HE'S GONNA RUN TO THE COPS AND SING LIKE A CANARY.
WHAT A WASTE OF A BEAUTIFUL VOICE.

WHAT DID YOU WRITE ON YOUR HAT?
IT'S MY EMPATHY HAT... IT SAYS, "THAT SOUNDS TERRIBLE."
WHY ARE YOU WEARING IT?
BECAUSE GIRLS LIKE EMPATHY... AND I'M NO GOOD AT EMPATHY. SO NOW, WHEN YOU'RE DONE COMPLAINING ABOUT SOMETHING, YOU CAN JUST READ THE HAT.
SHE HAS ISSUES.

... THAT SOUNDS TERRIBLE.
WHY DO YOU KEEP SAYING THAT AFTER EVERYTHING I SAY ?
BECAUSE I HEARD THAT GIRLS LIKE EMPATHY. SO I'M SHOWING EMPATHY.
THAT'S NOT EMPATHY. YOU'RE JUST SAYING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER.
... THAT SOUNDS TERRIBLE.

HAPPY ONE-MONTH ANNIVERSARY, RAT.
WOW... A BASEBALL AUTOGRAPHED BY SANDY KOUFAX... HOW'D YOU KNOW HE WAS MY FAVORITE PLAYER?
BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED IT ONCE IN A CONVERSATION. I TRY TO REMEMBER EVERYTHING YOU SAY YOU LIKE. THEN, ON THE NEXT SPECIAL OCCASION, I GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO GET IT FOR YOU. THAT'S HOW I SHOW I CARE ABOUT YOU.
...DO YOU STILL WANT YOUR "DENNY'S" GIFT CERTIFICATE?

I HEAR YOU'RE DATING CINDY AGAIN.
YEAH, BUT IT'S NOT GOING WELL... SHE SAYS I'M NOT THOUGHTFUL ENOUGH.
YOU KNOW WHAT WOMEN LIKE? LITTLE NOTES. JUST LEAVE THEM AROUND HER HOUSE. IT SHOWS YOU'RE THINKING OF HER.
OUT OF CLEAN SOCKS. PLEASE DO LAUNDRY.

WASN'T THAT FRED AND BETTY ROSE THAT JUST PASSED US?
I THINK SO.
THEN HANG ON...I'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
HI, FRED...HI, BETTY.
HI, PIG...HOW ARE YOU?
SNIFF SNIFF SNIFF SNIFF SNIFF
BYE.
YOU SHOULD ALWAYS STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES.

EXCUSE ME, LADY, BUT WHY ARE YOU KNOCKING ON THAT WATERMELON?
BECAUSE IF IT SOUNDS HOLLOW, YOU'VE GOT A GOOD WATERMELON.
I'VE GOT A GOOD HEAD.

KNOCK KNOCK
THEY MUST NOT BE HOME.

I HAVE HALF A MIND TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS STUPID WAITRESS.
ME, TOO.
I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD A COMPLAINT.
I DON'T.
I JUST HAVE HALF A MIND.

PEARLS FAN MAIL…
JOEY R, FROM DURHAM, N.C., WRITES, “BILL WATTERSON, CREATOR OF ‘CALVIN AND HOBBES,’ COMPLAINED THAT COMICS WERE PRINTED TOO SMALL… WHAT SAY YOU?”
WELL, JOEY, UNLIKE ‘CALVIN AND HOBBES,’ WE HERE AT ‘PEARLS’ ARE DRAWN BY AN INCOMPETENT ARTIST.
THEREFORE, WE’RE ACTUALLY IN FAVOR OF SMALLER STRIPS, AS THE TINIER YOU PRINT US, THE LESS YOU CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND A WELL-DRAWN STRIP.
SEE?

Louis P., from San Marino, CA., writes, "HAS IT EVER OCCURRED TO YOU THAT PIG LOOKS NOTHING LIKE A REAL PIG?"
YES, LOUIS, WE KNOW...PIG'S CUTE APPEARANCE IS THE RESULT OF TWO HOURS OF CARTOON PIG-MAKE-UP BEING APPLIED EVERY MORNING. THIS MAKE-UP TRANSFORMS HIM FROM AN ACTUAL, REAL-LIFE PIG TO THE CUDDLY CHARACTER YOU KNOW AND LOVE.
...MORNING, RAT...
MORNING, BUDDY.

HELLO, READERS... WE HERE AT "PEARLS" HAVE DECIDED TO ANSWER SOME OF THE MANY FAN LETTERS WE GET EVERY DAY HERE AT P.B.S., INC.
BUT BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS THOSE READERS WHO WILL SAY WE ARE RIPPING THIS GAG OFF FROM "DOONESBURY"
YOU'RE RIGHT.
WHO ARE YOU?

EVERY TIME I LIE DOWN TO
GO TO SLEEP, I'M OVERWHELMED
BY WORRIES.

IT'S AS IF THERE ARE THESE WORRY
MOLECULES IN MY TOES JUST WAIT-
ING FOR ME TO GO HORIZONTAL, SO
THEY CAN BE FREED OF GRAVITY'S
WEIGHT AND DRIFT EFFORTLESSLY
TOWARD MY DEFENSELESS BRAIN.

WOW...I
DIDN'T KNOW
THAT'S WHAT
WAS HAPPENING.

I SAID, 'AS IF.'
I DIDN'T
MEAN IT
LITERALLY.

OH...
GEEEZ, DUDE...ARE
YOU TOTALLY OBLIVIOUS
TO THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN LITERAL AND
FIGURATIVE SPEECH?

NO NO NO...
OF COURSE NOT...I'M
JUST MAKING
CONVERSATION...

YEP
YEP
YEP.

GOOD.

GOOD.

GOOD.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

WELL, HELLO, PIG... I DIDN'T KNOW YOU ATE AT THIS RESTAURANT... IT'S NICE TO SEE YOU.
HI, FATHER BILL... THIS IS MY DATE POLLY.
NUDE GIRLS ARE WAITING FOR YOU NOW
... SO WHAT'S NEW?

SO PIG'S ON A DATE WITH A GIRL WHOSE FACE INTERMITTENTLY BECOMES AN INTERNET POP-UP AD?
YEAH... THEY WENT TO DINNER.
BUT ISN'T HE EMBARRASSED TO BE SEEN WITH HER?
WHAT'S THERE TO BE EMBARRASSED ABOUT?
CHECK, PLEASE.
IS VIAGRA FOR YOU?

PIG'S DATING SOMEONE WHO WORKS FOR AN INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER.
DOES HE LIKE HER?
YEAH, BUT HE SAYS THERE ARE A FEW PROBLEMS.
LIKE WHAT?
...ANOTHER POP-UP AD??

...MOST OF THE INTELLI-
GENT SPECIES EGG THE
MONKEYS. GEE, I WOULD
NEVER EGG A MONKEY.
THAT'S "e.g.,
THE MONKEYS."
IT MEANS,
"FOR EXAMPLE."
FOR EXAMPLE,
YOU SHOULD
EGG THE
MONKEYS?
IT'S JUST
"FOR
EXAMPLE."
I STILL WOULDN'T DO IT.

BEHOLD, GENTLE-MEN, THE GLORIOUS FACE OF GOD.
I DUNNO, FLOYD. IT FRIGHTENS ME.
DO NOT BLASPHEME, THEODORE. YOU ARE IN THE AWESOME PRESENCE OF THE ALMIGHTY. LET US EMBRACE THE WARM, BRIGHT LIGHT...HIS LOVE WILL PROTECT US.
BUZZZZT
BUZZZZT
BUZZZZT
THAT BUG ZAPPER'S A GODSEND.

WOULD YOU CARE FOR A COMPLIMENTARY DRINK?
OH, YOU BET...I'M TIRED OF BEING INSULTED ALL THE TIME.
WHAT'S THAT GOT TO DO WITH ANYTHING?
I COULD REALLY USE A COMPLIMENT, EVEN IF IT'S ONLY FROM A DRINK.
YOU'RE AN IDIOT.
SEE WHAT I MEAN?

Dear Mr. Rat,
I am in receipt of the next
three chapters of your saga
Of Angry Bob, which you
submitted to us for possible
publication.
Please be advised that we here
at the New Yorker have plumbed the
lifeless prose of hacks such as
John Updike, Joan Didion and
Norman Mailer.
Why just this morning we thought
to ourselves, "What we really need
is something written by someone
with a third-grade education
discussing the merits of
tossing their own excrement
at zoo animals."
Imagine our surprise
when we opened your
submission and discovered
your story.
How reassuring it is to
know that the future of
Western literature lies
squarely in monkey $#%&.
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
THE CHALLENGE NOW IS
TO REMAIN HUMBLE.

RAT AND PIG QUIT THE MONASTERY.
BUT I THOUGHT THEIR APOCALYPTIC REFRIGERATOR SCARED THEM INTO LEADING RELIGIOUS LIVES.
NOT ANYMORE...THEY'VE VOWED TO NEVER LET AN APPLIANCE DOMINATE THEIR LIVES AGAIN.
... I CAN'T FEEL MY BUTT.

BROTHERS, IT'S COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT DURING THE NUNS' VISIT YESTER-DAY, SOMEONE HERE WHISTLED AND YELLED, "HEY, LADIES."
WITHOUT CASTING ASPERSIONS ON ANY ONE PARTICULAR BROTHER, I'D JUST ASK THAT EACH OF YOU RE-EXAMINE THE DEPTH OF YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE MONASTIC LIFE.
LEAVE IT TO ONE GUY TO RUIN IT FOR THE REST OF US.