avatar comment symmetry everybody! looky!

I wish I could acheive that, but I am not for the chopping off of peoples' heads, personally .

Yeah something is fucked and busted up when this comment has chubbies in only two digits.

You can see the receipt along the bottom edge of frame 3. It is clearly not a card.

Great hats

I imagine Teodor's as one of those green transluscently-billed bankers' hats.

A tampon receipt in a deck of cards? Obviously Lyle's doing.

(For some reason.)

Mrs. Onstad?

Yeah, exactly my thought!

Phillipe's hat..

Someone has been letting Phillpe watch Limp Bizkit DVDs.

The fact that no females have as yet been introduced clearly supports this.

Let's play word nerd! Make a Spoonerism out of 'man tampon.'

(Answer: tan mampom. You lose 5 cool points if you knew that one.)

Phillipe's hat.

b-boy hat! b-boy hat!!

He was only in the hand because he was hoping for the draw.

Isn't that Ben Folds' brother?

This might have been my first favorite strip. One I laughed about whenever I thought about it. Even now, coming back to rate it. Phillipe does not need tampons, also.

Is mostly a thing of chicks.

onstad ever still use that ol NES font anymore?

The text isn't even centered!

the otter makes a wise decision.

Cheer up, Philippe, a backwards cap more than makes up for a bad poker hand.

I've just realised what a fantastic punchline 'I fold' is. And it comes after Cornelius' already-fantastic punchline.

It's not just the phrase, it's the combination of the phrase, the lack of punctuation, and the intensely disappointed look on the face of the five year old stuffed otter.

You never fold with that hand!

Phillipe can always bring the roflcopter out

This may be my most quoted Achewood strip ever.

Phillipe knows to fold with this hand. He knows that is what to do.

Chubby for sounding like the alt text.

The expression on Philippe's face in the fourth panel totally sells this strip.

THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AT / SAFEWAY / BAKERSFIELD #3908 / 1 RST TRKEY...@$1.29/LB / 1 CHRISTN BROS...$10.99 / 1 NO-DOZ..........$6.99 / SUBT: $28.95 / TAX: @8.25% $2.89 / PAY: $31.34

Looks like someone was training for the Great Outdoor Fight.

Phillipe is so crest-fallen when told that receipts make bad poker hands

Aw, Phillipe.

Don't give up.

My friend's older brother used to have Magic: The Gathering patterned playing cards, so when you'd show him your hand of mountains and goblins, he'd show you his straight flush. Classic.

Chuck Norris could win with that hand. He once won a game of poker with only a 2 of spades, an 8 of clubs, a green 6 card from Uno, his driver's license, and a Get Out Of Jail Free card from Monopoly.

He won with that hand, because his opponent had a two and a receipt for a box of tampons.

I was wondering where that went.

actually i think this is the best hand ever

Wait a minute, who would even have a receipt for a box of tampons in this household? I am now curious.

Even in these early days of the strip, the guys were rooming at Onstad's place. There is a Mrs. Onstad.

Still just Mr. Bear, though. Phillipe is so far the only character whose development really didn't change much.

well, Lie-Bot and Lyle haven't changed much either.

Hm.

I disagree. Lyle seems to be in a position of relative authority at first (offering rewards like cigarettes and a toy catalogue), and is rather polite, inquiring after Cornelius's mother, and is (apparently) never drunk. A far cry from the modern Lyle.