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HI. WELCOME TO THE FIERY ABYSS.
HOLY @#$%! I WENT TO HELL? WHY???
LEAVING DIRTY DISHES IN THE SINK ONE TOO MANY TIMES, BOB.
I REALLY ENJOY MY JOB.

I GOT A NEW JOB.
DOING WHAT?
I GOT HIRED TO WORK WITH THE DEVIL TO DETERMINE WHO GOES TO THE UNDERWORLD FOR ALL ETERNITY.
OH, MY GOODNESS. HOW'S THE COMMUTE?
IT'S HELL.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR PROBLEM IS, RAT? YOU THINK THAT EVERYONE BUT YOU IS A LOSER WHO’S ALWAYS WRONG.
YOU COULDN’T BE MORE INCORRECT.
SEE?
DEBATING’S FOR LOSERS.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.
SOME HAVE FAITH
THAT THEY DO.
BUT NO ONE KNOWS.
SO WE ARE SCARED. WE ARE ALONE. AND WE END. AND WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE GO.
SO WE CLING TO MONEY FOR COMFORT. AND WE CHASE AWARDS FOR IMMORTALITY. AND WE HIDE IN THE ROUTINE OF OUR DAYS.
BUT THEY END.
THE NIGHT.
ALWAYS THE NIGHT.
WHICH, WHEN IT HAS YOU ALONE, WHISPERS THAT MAYBE NONE OF THIS HAS ANY SIGNIFICANCE.
SO LOVE EVERYONE YOU'RE WITH...
BECAUSE COMFORTING EACH OTHER ON THIS JOURNEY WE NE

WHAT IS THAT, PIG?
A PAINTING I BOUGHT. IT SHOWS ALL THESE NICE SPANISH EXPLORERS FROM THE 1500S TEACHING NATIVE PEOPLE TO READ THE BIBLE.
PIG, THEY FORCIBLY CONVERTED PEOPLE AS A COVER TO STEAL THEIR SILVER AND GOLD WHILE SPREADING DISEASE THAT KILLED ALMOST ALL THE POPULATION.
DO YOU LIKE THE PRETTY HORSES?

WISE ASS
UNIVERSITY
OH, GREAT WISE ASS, LIFE IS FILLED WITH SO MANY IDIOTS WHO RUIN MY COMMUTE, RUIN MY JOB, RUIN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. WHAT'S THE KEY TO DEALING WITH THEM?
LIVE ALONE ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN.
HE'S FIGURED OUT EVERYTHING.

HEY, RAT, COULD I BORROW SOME MONEY FROM YOU TO GO TO THE MOVIES?
IN 2004, I TRIED TO BORROW TWENTY DOLLARS FROM YOU FOR A CASE OF BEER. YOU SAID NO.
PETTYMAN HAS A LONG MEMORY.

HEY RAT. I SAW YOU'RE
HAVING A PARTY THIS WEEK,
BUT I DON'T THINK I GOT
AN INVITE.
THAT'S RIGHT. BECAUSE ON
SEPTEMBER 16, 2015, YOU
HAD A COCKTAIL PARTY THAT
I WAS NOT INVITED TO.
I SEE YOU'VE
MET 'PETTYMAN.'
CAN PETTINESS
BE A SUPERPOWER?

ISN'T IT AMAZING TO BE ALIVE AT THIS MOMENT OF TIME WHEN SO MANY TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS ARE OCCURRING AND WE KNOW MORE THAN WE EVER KNEW BEFORE?
NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE UNIVERSE IS COMPOSED OF DARK MATTER AND DARK ENERGY AND WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS.
LET'S IGNORE THAT PART.
I'M HOPING IT'S PIZZA AND BEER.

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
AND THE CLOSEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN TO THE END OF IT.
PLEASE DON'T WRITE ON MY MOTIVATIONAL POSTERS.
JUST KEEPING IT REAL.

HEY, STEPH… WHAT'S IT LIKE BEING A CREATIVE PERSON?
FOR ME? WELL…
ONE DAY YOU CAN SEE THE BEAUTY IN ALL THAT YOU SEE… YOU WANT TO BE EVERYWHERE, DO EVERYTHING… YOUR ABILITY FEELS LIMITLESS…
IDEAS ARE EASY… THEY COME TO YOU IN BURSTS, SOMETIMES FULLY FORMED, LIKE YOU’RE NOTHING BUT AN ANTENNA.
THEN… THE CHEMICALS SHIFT IN YOUR BRAIN.
YOU WANT THE WORLD TO END. EVERYTHING FEELS HOPELESS. YOU SIT IN A CLOSET ALONE, BECAUSE DARKNESS IS COMFORTING.
THERE ARE NO IDEAS. THERE’S NO POINT TO IDEAS.
THEN… THE CHEMICALS SHIFT BACK.
YOU HAVEN’T ANSWERED.
JOYOUS!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, RAT?
I'M A TORTURED ARTIST.
YOU HAVE NO ARTISTIC SKILL.
I'M DOING THIS PART FIRST.
THE SKILL PART HELPS.
I'LL GET TO THAT EVENTUALLY.

OH, GREAT WISE ASS, I'VE SEARCHED HIGH AND LOW... READ ALL THE GREAT WORKS... STUDIED ALL THE PHILOSOPHIES... ABSORBED ALL THE RELIGIONS, BUT I AM STILL BURDENED BY THE SAME PERSISTENT QUESTION...
WHAT IS THE KEY TO HAPPINESS?
IT'S JUST BEER.
WE MAKE LIFE TOO HARD.

I'M HEADING TO SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE NEXT WEEK. IT'S A TOWN IN MEXICO FILLED WITH EXPATS.
OH, SORRY, PIG, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE WORD EXPAT MEANS?
YES, I KNOW WHAT EXPAT MEANS.
PEOPLE LIKE TOM BRADY.
NOT WHAT AN EXPAT IS.
SO WHY IS TOM LIVING IN MEXICO?

I THINK YOU JUST GOTTA TELL HIM IT'S NOT ALL RIGHT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
LIKE HOW MANY OTHER "JOES" ARE EVEN OUT THERE FOR YOU? YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
HE SHOULD BE VERY WORRIED, YOU KNOW WHAT I--
WE KNOW WHAT YOU @#$%@ MEAN!!
SOME EXPRESSIONS YOU CAN ONLY TOLERATE FOR SO LONG.
I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN.

CAN I HELP YOU?
YEAH, I'M HERE FOR THE SUPPORT GROUP FOR 'WINDOWS.'
'WINDOWS' IS VERY CLOSE TO 'WIDOWS.'

MONDAY RESOLUTION
I cannot control everything that happens to me. But I CAN control how I respond to it.
AAAAAHHHHHHH!!
SCREAMING IS ALWAYS A SOLID OPTION.

MOTIVATIONAL SEMINAR
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IN LIFE, YOU HAVE TO KEEP GOING.
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS IN LIFE, YOU HAVE TO KEEP GOING!
HOW?
NO ONE EVER TELLS YOU THE IMPORTANT PART.

I'D REALLY LOVE TO TAKE YOU ON A DATE, SARA.
WHY SHOULD I DATE YOU, PIG?
BECAUSE I GIVE EVERYONE I DATE MY LOVE AND ATTENTION AS PART OF MY PATENTED SYSTEM I CALL 'SHOWING TRUE DEVOTION.'
'SID.' FOR SHORT.
NO ONE WANTS MY STD.

OH, GREAT WISE ASS... HOW MANY YEARS DO I GET IN THIS LIFE?
NOBODY KNOWS.
EVEN A PARKING METER TELLS YOU HOW MANY MINUTES ARE LEFT.
LIFE IS CRUELER THAN A PARKING METER.

HEY RAT, I CALLED TO GET YOUR HELP ON SOMETHING, BUT YOU DIDN'T ANSWER.
OH. I HAD THE DO NOT DISTURB FEATURE ON.
HOW LONG DID YOU HAVE IT ON FOR?
SINCE I BOUGHT THE PHONE SIX YEARS AGO.
I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO HATE OR ADMIRE HIM.
HE'S MY HERO.

DO YOU
STILL WRITE
THIS COMIC IN
CAFES?
YEP.
BUT I THOUGHT
YOU DIDN'T LIKE TO
BE DISTURBED
BY OTHER PEOPLE
WHEN YOU WRITE.
I DON'T, SO I WEAR HEADPHONES AND
A HOODIE AND PULL THE BRIM OF MY
HAT WAY DOWN LOW.
SO YOU'RE LIKE
A UNABOMBER
WHO LIKES
PUNS.
NO.
I SAW YOUR
PICTURE IN THE
POST OFFICE!

HEY, RAT, HOW DO YOU PAN SEAR A TROUT?
A TROUT? I CAN GIVE YOU STEP-BY-STEP HELP WITH THAT. GOT A PEN?
SURE.
OKAY, WRITE THIS DOWN.
GOOGLE IT.
I HATE WHEN HE DOES THAT.

WHERE YOU OFF TO, RAT?
I HAVE A DATE TODAY.
OH, NICE. ARE YOU EXCITED?
NO. IT WILL BE A TOTAL, UNMITIGATED DISASTER.
WHY WOULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
SET THE BAR LOW AND ALL OF LIFE IS A PLEASANT SURPRISE.
HARD TO ARGUE.
LIFE WILL BE @#*%@ TODAY!

JIMMY'S LIFELONG GOAL WAS TO CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD.
SO JIMMY CLIMBED.
AND JIMMY CLIMBED.
GRUNT GRUNT
AND EVENTUALLY, JIMMY REACHED THE TOP.
WHAT NOW?
YOU JUST GO BACK DOWN.
JIMMY CONCLUDED THAT ACHIEVEMENT WAS OVERRATED.
HOW INSPIRATIONAL.
I KNOW. WE SHOULD ALL JUST SIT AROUND AND DO NOTHING.
I DO THAT ALREADY!