Car Colors

There are so many shades of red with cars. I didn't have a way to work in Patriot Red (Mitsubishi) or Colorado Red (Jeep), but maybe someday.... 

Explanation: In the game DOTA2, the teams are called Radiant and Dire. Also there's something called  Ultra Kill (four kills in a short time window). 

Text:
Title: DOTA2: A Day in the Life - Dragon Knight
L: My Honda is Radiant Red.
DK: Not Dire Red?!
L: ... Tesla has ULTRA RED. 

Erranding

 

Some errands can be made in whatever vehicle is available. Others are not that flexible. I mean, I could make it work - but I've gone this long without filling a gas can and I'm not feeling the need to break my streak. And that just seems overly complicated when I can just take my car to the gas station. 

Text:
M: You can take my car for errands when I WFH (work from home), if you want to get used to how it drives.
L: Well, one of my errands is to get petrol in my car.
M: Ah, that would be difficult to do in my car. 

Parking Spot Proximity

 

I realize I look like an able-bodied person, but two young kids count as an allowance for close parking spots. I believe that if you have a baby car seat in your car, you should be eligible for handicap parking (but obviously that's not the law). Because you need the extra space to get that carrier in and out of your car! But I understand that a change like that would shift the balance of how many handicap spaces are needed for a place. So maybe just push for more places to be like IKEA parking and have a "parent and baby" parking section with wider spaces for families. 

Text:
A: Have you considered leaving the closer parking space for those who really need it?
L: Have you considered that I really need it?

*redrawn with two young kids clinging to me*

Lane Departure

 

Sometimes it's very hard to keep the snide comments inside. I know that some safety features are overreaching and it's hard to adapt to all the lights and warnings that new cars have, but some just make sense. Stay in your lane (bro) or change over with your blinker on. 

Text:
A: I HATE how my car complains about "lane departure" when I switch lanes, like I KNOW! That's the point here!!!
B: ... Have you tried using your blinker?

Tune the Car Musically

Happy early Birthday to my father-in-law, sister-in-law, and nephew! So many birthdays this weekend. 

Explanation: Tuning a car and tuning an instrument are not very similar but we use the same word for both. Why is English like this.

Text:
A: Are you ready to tune the car? *holding a wrench*
B: To the key of C. *holding a tuning fork*
A: What?
B: What?

Plebe vs Proletariat

 

The truest of stories would have these characters in a car, but that's no fun to draw. Do I know what plebeians or proletariats are? Vaguely. I do know they go together like princes and paupers. No one was injured in the running of this stop sign, but you still shouldn't run stop signs (no matter your social class).

Explanation: Saying something is for plebes (the slang for plebeians) is to say only the lowly need to do it and if you're of a higher standing then you can ignore it. Proletariats were a higher standing than plebeians in the old order.

M: There was a stop sign - why didn't he stop?!?
L: Stop signs are for plebes - he seemed more proletariat. 

Car Call Signs

 

I was walking through a parking lot and thought this one up. 

Explanation: The call signs are car models (Jeep Renegade, Ford Maverick, Honda CR-V). 

Text:
L: Here are your call signs - Renegade, Maverick, CR-V.
R: Yes!
M: Sweet.
C: Wait a minute...

Odometer Reading

 

Clearly, since Europeans flip the month and day when writing the date [May 3 is written 3/5 rather than 5/3] then they also flip the beginning and end of the year [2024 becomes 2420]. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Also, why is "dyslexic" such a difficult word to spell???

Text:
M: The odometer was at 2420, so this year if you're dyslexic. 
L: I think that's how they write the year in Europe.

No Auto Idle

 

Speaking of new car features...

Explanation: The car salesman is talking about the auto idle system which is what "automatically switches the engine off at traffic lights and other brief stops, eliminating wasteful fuel consumption." However "idle" and "idol" sound the same and can lead to misunderstandings apparently. 

Text:
S: This car has auto idle-
M: NO IDOLS IN MY CAR!!!
L: DOWN WITH BAAL!!!

Car Safety Features

 

Some new safety features in cars are quite intrusive, but many safety features are just nice to have and help you drive more safely (like warning you that someone is in your blind spot). If you feel like this comic is targeting you, maybe reevaluate how you drive?

Text:
*redacted*: I can't stand all these new car safety features - turn them off!!! I don't want it telling me how or where to drive!!!
L: Quick question - would you want to be driven by someone who drives like you?

Car Color Options

 

Well that would be unfortunate. Yes, the drab color name is from a quote from one of the Pink Panther movies. 

Text:
S: Car color options are Radiant Red, Disgusting Drab, or "Color of the Day" which is where we mix up the leftover paint cans. 
M: Yeah, we'll take Radiant -
S: Oops, we're out of red. 

Price of Love

 

... But you really should cap how much money you pour into a vehicle. That's what I did, anyway, which led me to sell my beloved first car rather than get the transmission repaired. She just wouldn't start one morning and it was very sad. I had already been gently car perusing, so it wasn't a total shock and I had some options lined up fairly quickly. And I loved my second car! 

Text:
L: I loved my first car!
M: How much money did you spend on repairs?
L: You can't put a price on love!

Discontinued Renegade

 

Sadly my beloved Jeep was hit and totaled (we are fine, thank the Lord), so I am now searching for the next love of my car life. And I have a twinge of sadness every time I see a Renegade out there enriching someone's life. My toddler noticed a green Renegade in a parking lot and said it was like Mom's car, which I thought was a surprising correlation for a three-year-old since mine was a different color. But the Renegade is a more distinct car than a classic sedan. Anyways, I'm sure there'll be plenty of comics once I get a new car. Oh, a bonus panel! 

Explanation: In the Marvel Universe, a character named Thanos gets an important glove then snaps his fingers to make half the people in the universe disappear. In my comic above, I allude to Thanos snapping to remove all the Renegades from the Earth (so not a universal snap, just our planet).

Text:
L1: Why don't you get another Renegade?
L2: They've been discontinued :( 
L1: They're all gone?!
L2: Yep, Thanos snapped them off the Earth.
BONUS:
L1: ... so they might be on other planets?
L2: We can't rule that out.

TDM: Nailed It

 

In case you missed it, here's a link to my other comics in this series. Many are from 2017-2018, so you might not remember them. I certainly don't, and I drew them! 

Explanation: The show "Nailed It!" is a baking show where people try to make masterpieces and usually fail horribly/hilariously. When you hit a pothole full speed, your copilot is obligated to say "nailed it!"

Text:
Title: Totally different Movies TV Shows Presents... NAILED IT!
A: Listen to these tales of automobile woes and potholes:
B: You didn't even try to swerve!?!
C: *hangs head in shame*

VROOOM

 

Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law!

This was inspired by true events. I don't understand what there is to like about loud cars, but I did have a slightly loud car back in the day because it had hard engine mounts and those are a big job to replace, or so I was told. The car gave you a massage while you idled, it was as bonus feature!

Text:
Background: VROOOM!
A: They do not have a muffler.
B: What??

Fine Motor Skills

My little Oriole is working on his fine motor skills, it's like one day he's crying because he wants something he can't reach and then the next day he's just crawling over to get whatever he wants. Also, baby grip strength should not be underestimated. Tis very strong. 

Explanation: "Fine motor skills" refers to babies learning how to use their hands distinctly to do tasks other than just smacking things around. "Motor skills" would imply something with cars. 

Text:
L: *holding O*
M: Little man is working on his fine motor skills.
B: He's already driving?!?!

Getting Kicked on Route 66

 

In the last comic of the year, I reflect on a trip earlier in the year when we had the joy of experiencing Route 66 for a quick getaway to VA. Well, it would have been a quick getaway if there hadn't been multiple construction zones that we needed to pass through. But it was a nice getaway, once we got there. 

Text:
M: Traffic and construction everywhere! This highway is horrible!
L: Are we getting kicked on Route 66?
M: Yes.

Life is a Gridlocked Highway

 

I heard this song on the radio and this comic sprang to mind. I might have even been sitting in traffic. It might have been a Thursday since this is quite a throwback of a song - it was popular like when I was in college which was forever ago. But pre-pandemic seems forever ago as well. Maybe the past just seems a long time ago, whether or not it was a few years or a decade or longer. 

Text:
A: 🎵 Life is a Highway 🎵
B: Gridlocked and going nowhere fast?

Closed Rest Area

Another one from my Nebraska comics, this one is a play on the phrase "no rest for the wicked." I like to question why there are rest areas near my home since clearly we don't need them, we can just go home. Also I thought about trying to draw a more realistic car, but then I remembered my comic has stick figures so I don't need to make this too hard for myself. Hence the car that I've been drawing like that since I was a small child. I took a Java course in college and we learned how to draw shapes and the project for that chapter was to draw a car and later animate it, which was pretty cool. I made mine a yellow submarine and I had a little school of cartoon fish (ovals with triangles behind them) following my 'car.'

Text:
M: The rest area is closed.
L: I guess we all must be wicked!

Panicking Car

I taught my little siblings a helpful rhyme:
"When in danger or in doubt,
Run in circles, scream and shout!"
It's super helpful in nearly any situation. I highly suggest trying it any time you feel in danger or in doubt.

L: Why is your car spinning donuts with the radio on max volume?!
N: Oops, I hit the panic button.