Sunday, July 1, 2012

July 1, 2012: Sunday Showdown!

(Click to Enlarge)

Clockwise from the bottom left:
  • It just doesn't get any better for Leroy than this panel. He's out on the water, enjoying a fine, leisurely day of fishing; all while making Loretta do something she dislikes and mocking her misery. I imagine heaven for Leroy to be this fishing trip going on for all eternity. Usually when faced with an unpleasant fishing excursion, Loretta manages to salvage a point by relentlessly taunting Leroy for his lack of caught fish. I can only assume that Leroy has actually been successful enough not to be the target of ridicule. Leroy kicks off the Saturday in fine form, reeling in the first point and going up 1-0.
  • I am not sure if Leroy is quoting a notable figure. A quick searched revealed no direct source, but it does sounds oddly familiar. I suppose it's just a common saying. For Leroy, the whole scene comes off as a bit uncharacteristically erudite (relative to what we usually get from Leroy). It's good to see him flashing some confidence as well. One thing I've learned after all these years of covering the Lockhorns is that obnoxious confidence and self assurance can often times make up for being totally on the wrong side of an argument. Leroy scores another point and runs up an early 2-0 lead.
  • If an individual with a notoriously long history of tax reporting issues had an interview with a presumably hostile IRS agent concerning their latest audit, one would assume they would at least put on a tie. Perhaps these meetings have become so routine and commonplace that Leroy has begun to approach them with increasing casualness. While it is unrealistic to expect much sympathy from the IRS agent, Leroy could have at least tried to show a little respect for decorum rather than dressing like Tony Montana. I'm surprised Loretta just went for the obvious "I told you so" route rather than playing fashion cop; whatever gets the points I guess. Loretta cuts the lead down to 2-1.
  • This scene may or may not be directly following the meeting in the previous panel with the IRS agent, from the back he looks to be wearing the same suit. I guess though that if this scene was post-interview they would likely be going downstairs rather than up. If I didn't know about Loretta's lifelong passion for making every second of Leroy's life as unpleasant as possible, it would have looked like she was trying to help motivate Leroy to have a healthier lifestyle by being more active. Loretta gets the point as she comes roaring back to tie things up at 2-2.
  • The black Speedo clad male diver that is so prominently featured in the center of the panel is the first example I can recall of a male "Lockhorns" character with a relatively proportional body. The length of the limbs are a bit exaggerated in that bimbo sort of way but he is far closer to a human male than Leroy or his Leroy-esque friend. Speaking of Leroy's freakish measurements, his squat round compact frame would make him a world class cannonballer. That goes the same for his doppelganger friend as well. Leroy manages to blow his commanding early lead as Loretta pulls off an impressive three panel run from the edge to, despite falling behind 0-2 early, come back to take the day 3-2. 
Official Count:
Leroy - 65
Loretta - 79
Push - 39

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