July 29, 2012: Sunday Showdown!

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Clockwise from the bottom left:

• I don't know why Leroy is so paranoid about identity theft. Having someone else assume his identity and the massive amounts of debt encumbering it would be a straight up blessing for him. Seriously, there is absolutely nothing to be gained from becoming Leroy Lockhorn. If I were Leroy, I would be actively baiting potential identity thieves into taking my miserable, wretched life. I suppose Leroy still doggedly protects his bad name because, despite it all, he is still a proud man. Also, that bald guy at the counter looks sort of like Lex Luthor; so one has to be cautious. Loretta gets the point for mocking Leroy. She leads 1-0.
• Leroy is just dropping banal idioms on top of banal idioms here. In the end it is still pretty much coherent. I do think the Cold War analogy is an apt one to describe the Lockhorns' marriage. They are in a constant state of tense antagonism punctuated by the occasional episodes of warfare. The friends and acquaintances around them are like the other nations of the world and the Lockhorns are constantly attempting to gain influence and win them to their own viewpoint while attempting to make the other lose face. I'm not sure what their version of mutually assured destruction is though. Leroy wins a point and ties the game up 1-1.
• If only Loretta were here to claim her point. She really managed to put Leroy in a humiliating situation in this panel. It's bad enough that he's a sweaty wreak, suffering along on the exercise bike but the excessive protective gear just adds insult to injury. He looks like a kid with severe seizure issues. It's commendable how she managed to get Leroy to comply to this mockery by exploiting his spendthrift nature. The whole scene is beautiful, but unfortunately all for naught since Loretta is absent. It's a push, the day is still 1-1.
• By this point the Lockhorns have completely resigned themselves to receiving overly invasive inspections of all their baggage and their persons. Ever the superficial showoff, Loretta decides to at least try to impress the TSA officials with her finest clothes. Although I can't really tell the difference between what she's packing and all her usual outfits, I'm sure she's packing away the more expensive purchases from her frequent shopping sprees. I don't think the airport officials will be all that dazzled though in the end. Another push and the score remains tied up at 1,
• Loretta clearly should have suspected that anytime Leroy suggests a restaurant that it will somehow end badly for her. This most recent lapse in judgement has led the Lockhorns to what I suspect to be the East Meadow "Hooters" on Hempstead Turnpike. Given the ideal ambiance, I don't know why Leroy doesn't frequent "Hooters" more often. He really is the ideal type of customer for the chain. Today, he is certainly in the right place to celebrate a close Sunday Showdown victory over Loretta. It looks like he'll be in for a victorious evening of wings, beer, and bimbos. Leroy wins the day 2-1.

Official Count:

Leroy - 73

Loretta - 89
Push - 49