OK, I know I’m behind, but it’s not like the story is zipping along at such a pace that I can’t catch up.
I’m torn now as to what is most annoying. Is it the really, really big dumb things in the strip, like introducing an Alley Oop look-a-like out of the blue with no explanation? Or is it all the little dumb things that add up over time, like in today’s strip where Queen Umpa tells Oola to “send word” if she needs help when we’ve already established that she is going alone? What is she going to do? Whip out her cell phone?
This Early Oop character’s sudden insertion into the strip reminds me of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where they suddenly revealed that Buffy had a sister named Dawn. And the most shocking thing about it was that Buffy, who we had understood was an only child up until then, reacted as if nothing was out of the ordinary and as if she had always had a sister. Of course, it was quickly explained in the series that Dawn wasn’t really Buffy’s sister, but an ethereal being known as “the key” who had the power to destroy the world if she were to fall into the wrong hands. Therefore, a group of magical creatures seeking to protect the key had transformed her into Buffy’s sister and then altered everyone’s memories so that Buffy would protect her. Or something like that. At least, they made the effort to explain the situation, unlike our Alley Oop writers who apparently don’t have enough respect for their readers to give them that much.
Finally, I want to second the comments in the previous thread about the inexcusable behavior of the Early Oop character with the implications that he is an abusive serial stalker and a menace to society. How the hell did that escape everyone in Moo’s notice up until now?
