Think again Earl! The only 'enemy' of Duke ever mentioned in the strip (aside from his time as a zombie) is Zeke!

Thank you for letting us catch up on Doonesbury history with the Flashbacks feature. I read it every day!

The irony just hit me. Doonesbury's previous Straw Poll was about the value of cursive writing, lamenting that the teaching of it may be dropped from some schools' educational objectives. Meanwhile GBT makes a very good living not just printing, but doing so in those pesky, annoying ALL CAPS.

GBT's eye is remarkable but, for me, the depth and breadth of his talent is best shown in strips like today's Flashback from 35 years ago. I love the strips from when Joanie was working in daycare (Will we ever see Ellie again?) (Please?) and my personal stuck-to-the-fridge favourite is Jeff's first word being 'although' (we had such hopes for him). I find GBT's sense of laser satire touchingly complemented by his delicate depiction of children.

Re WHAT I HAVE FEARED: Regarding the eyes of Zonker and Zipper, some of GBT's commentary in the 40-year retrospective of Doonsbury strips may explain the difference. The heavy lids of Zonker's eyes denote a certain worldliness and, perhaps, cynicism. Zipper's open (oval) eyes denote innocence; Zipper is a bit naive. The shape of the eyes (lidded or oval) provide a clue to the outlook on life of other characters in the strip as well.

Re A UNIQUE BAD GUY: Jeff's perfect for the CIA. His sense of entitlement ("Mom, just pay it!"), his adherence to magical thinking, his inability to pick talented people (Really? The nephew of the flakiest character in comicdom?), and his inability to take responsibility make him a perfect fit. He'll have Havoc's job soon.

Timing is everything -- I wake up to see your strip, and then find out that bin Laden is dead. Wow.

Given the news from last night, today's comic is eerily apropos.

My Goodness! Today's Doonesbury is ripped from today's headlines! Is this art imitating life, or is life just a comic strip?

Jeff is a unique bad guy. Most bad guys are motivated by simple themes such as money, dogma, selfishness or status, and their reactions are predictable. Jeff's bitter view of Zipper, despite just having risked his best friend's life in his own thoroughly incompetently planned escapade, is disgusting in it's callousness. A new type of villian is born.

Come back in about ten years, Samantha. When Prince Harry gets tired of airhead social climbers like Ms. Flaunter, he'll be ready for a good-hearted, grounded, intelligent girl like you.

Coming up tomorrow on the Flashbacks page, the Sunday, April 30th strip from 2006. It's going straight to my therapist. At least it helps to laugh.

The Donald said today, “I’m very proud of myself. . . . I feel I’ve accomplished something really, really important.” How unbelievably in sync with last week's strips!

Re WHAT I HAVE FEARED: hair color aside, Zonker and Zipper can be told apart. They have different eyes! They should look similar; they're related.

Inevitable! But Zonker, veteran of so many flops and disillusionments, is right there with a crumb of redemption.

I missed the "5 years ago" story arc that's now running on Flashbacks the first time around. Man, B.D.'s got it rough...

Love Sam's outfit, especially the hat. Brilliant, as the Brits would say.

Sam turns abruptly, she bumps "smak" into Prince Harry, he smiles -- angels sing. Cue music.

I have a sinking feeling I know what's next for Sam...