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 Horizon Observatory visit
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 29-09-2026 06:30
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 Alpha Grade  Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Episode 1158 |
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| trevor travis |
Posted on 29-09-2026 07:04
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 Alpha Grade Posts: 9299 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Thank you for your positive reactions! Given how I handled the characters, I wasn't quite sure if it would go down well. I'm glad that you are all good sports! There are times when strip TT says something that real TT might not (not that I mind - the strip is huge fun). But, in terms of me making a "ginger" remark in relation to the Ginger Mercenary to wind up Paula, it's spot on  
Vote Og.
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 29-09-2026 08:19
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 Moderator  Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Shh! Don't let on we're feeding TT powdered glass. No one noticed the light was already broken as a ready-made scapegoat. Mwhahahahaha! The pizzas will be mine! ALL MINE!!! |
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 29-09-2026 08:19
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Moderator Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have said that out loud. |
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| trevor travis |
Posted on 29-09-2026 09:39
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Alpha Grade Posts: 9299 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Next time we're on a highly dangerous mission, I'm sending out JD as our test canary No-one steals my pizzas
Vote Og.
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| Paula |
Posted on 29-09-2026 19:46
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 Moderator Posts: 5559 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Thank you for your positive reactions! Given how I handled the characters, I wasn't quite sure if it would go down well. I'm glad that you are all good sports! There are times when strip TT says something that real TT might not (not that I mind - the strip is huge fun). But, in terms of me making a "ginger" remark in relation to the Ginger Mercenary to wind up Paula, it's spot on Yeah, it's hugely fun to tune in each day and read the most recent comic. Love it all. I'm always happy to egg Hugbot on, or any of the fellow readers, especially TT. Fun, fun, fun! Edited by Paula on 30-09-2026 18:59 Resist the Host
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 30-09-2026 08:12
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Episode 1159 |
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| trevor travis |
Posted on 30-09-2026 11:17
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Alpha Grade Posts: 9299 Joined: 16.01.22 |
A whole planet which is an obligatory Red Dwarf reference?
Vote Og.
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 01-10-2026 07:52
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Episode 1160 |
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 02-10-2026 01:57
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Moderator Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Simon Templar, I presume? Actually, that's an inventive way of keeping up a hat, as long as it doesn't get too wet. Plus you'd always be ready for a quick game of frisbee at lunchtime. |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 02-10-2026 06:40
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Actually, that's an inventive way of keeping up a hat It's based on a story that my mother told me. She attended a funeral where one of the guests, obviously lacking appropriate headwear, had fitted a borrowed hat with a cardboard ring. At the graveside, he respectfully took off the hat, oblivious to the fact that the cardboard ring was still stuck around his cranium. My mother had a hard time not to laugh out loud (which would have been highly inappropriate given the circumstances!). |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 02-10-2026 06:41
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Episode 1161 |
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 03-10-2026 03:46
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Moderator Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Ah! The perfect cue to tell Gareth Thomas' joke about butterflies. "AND VOT IS WRONG VIS SCHMETTERLING?!?" |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 03-10-2026 08:42
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
I feared that this old chestnut might come up. Time to lay this notion to rest. While I’d be the first to make jokes about German bureaucracy, terrible German TV series etc., the cheap jokes about the allegedly 'harsh' German language simply drive me up the wall. After all, this is the language in which I write stories to express myself for about 56 years now. And the joke is plain simply stupid as it is based on a pronunciation that does not exist and never existed. Nobody talks like this. Remember, this is the language in which Silent Night was originally written. Can you imagine that song being sung in the tone of the mad Austrian? And in particular Schmetterling happens to be a very lyrical word, very apt for these delicate creatures. Sorry for the rant, but this is actually one of my pet peeves. To clear up matters further, see today’s strip: Episode 1162 |
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| trevor travis |
Posted on 03-10-2026 12:27
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Alpha Grade Posts: 9299 Joined: 16.01.22 |
I feared that this old chestnut might come up. Time to lay this notion to rest. While I’d be the first to make jokes about German bureaucracy, terrible German TV series etc., the cheap jokes about the allegedly 'harsh' German language simply drive me up the wall. After all, this is the language in which I write stories to express myself for about 56 years now. And the joke is plain simply stupid as it is based on a pronunciation that does not exist and never existed. Nobody talks like this. Remember, this is the language in which Silent Night was originally written. Can you imagine that song being sung in the tone of the mad Austrian? And in particular Schmetterling happens to be a very lyrical word, very apt for these delicate creatures. Sorry for the rant, but this is actually one of my pet peeves. To clear up matters further, see today’s strip: Episode 1162 Any language can sound harsh if you've got the wrong man speaking it. As Trump is currently proving with the English language Anyway, let's move quickly on from politics, before we get told off * * which seems daft, given the deeply political nature of B7
Vote Og.
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 04-10-2026 07:17
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Episode 1163 |
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 05-10-2026 06:15
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Moderator Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
the cheap jokes about the allegedly 'harsh' German language simply drive me up the wall. Apologies Hugbot, no offence was meant. That stereotypical "Cherman" accent is about as accurate as thinking every pirate must have spoken with a Robert Newton/exaggerated West Country accent. Totally untrue but having developed (wooden) legs of its own. Arrrr! To be fair, I didn't quote the joke and my point was the B7 connection with butterflies (the topic in question) via Gareth Thomas, because he liked to tell it. It wasn't to denigrate the language that came up with brustwarze. I read somewhere that butterflies are called so because their excrement is yellow. I've no idea if that's true, though coincidentally I happened to read something last week about another insect who also produces yellow 'output'. ( I stress 'coincidentally' I'm not filling my hours reading Insect Excrement Weekly.) |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 05-10-2026 07:58
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
No need to worry, Joe, I didn't feel offended by you. I understood exactly what you were doing, i.e. mentioning the joke because of its B7 connection via GT. But I just had to put the record straight for the general public. As you said, these things tend to develop a leg of their own. There are lots of elements of German culture that deserve to be mocked, and I'm happily doing that myself, but this one is just nonsensical.
Edited by Hugbot on 05-10-2026 08:09 |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 05-10-2026 07:59
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
I'm not filling my hours reading Insect Excrement Weekly. Now there's an idea for an new story...  |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 05-10-2026 08:05
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
But now for something completely different! In previous years, there was a special Halloween episode on 31st October. This year, I have a whole Halloween story arc for you, starting... today! Readers of a nervous disposition may want to exercise caution! Episode 1164 |
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| trevor travis |
Posted on 05-10-2026 08:11
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Alpha Grade Posts: 9299 Joined: 16.01.22 |
But now for something completely different! In previous years, there was a special Halloween episode on 31st October. This year, I have a whole Halloween story arc for you, starting... today! Readers of a nervous disposition may want to exercise caution! Episode 1164 Sounds scary! Plastic pants on just in case And will Og finally make his strip debut during the month of Og-tober? Sadly, I fear it may prove to be a red herring 
Vote Og.
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 05-10-2026 11:36
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Moderator Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
I'm scared already! The yokels with the hats remind me of scarecrows, which reminds me of the Doctor Who novel "Scratchman" (supposedly written by Tom Baker but ghosted by James Goss, I believe). At the start, all the villagers in a small town are being turned into scarecrows. Frightening, walk-around-and-turn-you-into-a-scarecrow-too scarecrows. Brr! (Oh yes, there was Human Nature as well but they were hatless sack-head scarecrows. The ones in the book had hats, and were made of all sorts of bits and pieces.) |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 06-10-2026 06:37
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Sounds scary! Plastic pants on just in case I'm scared already! Oh dear, what have I done? I hope the storyline will not be too shocking! |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 06-10-2026 06:39
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
The yokels with the hats remind me of scarecrows, which reminds me of the Doctor Who novel "Scratchman" The hats are actually inspired by the headgear that Branimir Karabajić used to give any peasant characters in his Pauli the Mole comics in Fix & Foxi, the leading German comic strip magazine for children (don’t worry – in German, the name Foxi does not evoke any associations with “foxy”!). I was reminded of them a few month ago when I got a hardcover edition of the legendary Pauli adventure, Das Geheimnis von Schloss Grauenfels (The Mystery of Craig Dread Manor). As an 8-year old in 1972, I read the story in its original run of twelve exciting episodes, and re-reading it at the tender age of 61 was a lovely experience. In contrast to many childhood memories, it still holds up. Furthermore, in 1972 I missed the first instalment, and now after all these years, I was finally able to read the beginning of the adventure! |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 06-10-2026 06:39
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Episode 1165 |
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 06-10-2026 07:20
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Moderator Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
We're all still asking for zombies! Does that add-on to the title say "spooky" or "spoofy"? Either works... |
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| trevor travis |
Posted on 06-10-2026 08:50
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Alpha Grade Posts: 9299 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Bring on the zombies! PS Joe, I'm pretty sure it's spooky! Vote Og.
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 06-10-2026 13:58
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Moderator Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Thanks TT. |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 07-10-2026 08:43
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
I'm pretty sure it's spooky! It is! Reminds me of the scene in Billy Liar where on of his three girl friends tries to read the inscriptions on old gravestones and confuses the 'long s' with an f: 'Here lief...' At work, we had (for whatever reason) an old book with the title 'Reisen und Abenteuer' (Travels and Adventures) written in a Gothic font, which my boss jokingly read as 'Reifen and Abenteuer' (Tyres and Adventures). Edited by Hugbot on 07-10-2026 08:49 |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 07-10-2026 08:49
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Episode 1166 |
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| BlueyH |
Posted on 07-10-2026 10:07
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 Gamma Grade  Posts: 308 Joined: 04.02.25 |
Ooh…do we finally get a glimpse of the Suns of Warvan too? I look exactly as Avon reasoned I would.
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 08-10-2026 02:32
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Moderator Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Reminds me of the scene in Billy Liar where on of his three girl friends tries to read the inscriptions on old gravestones and confuses the 'long s' with an f: 'Here lief...' No one mention Alice reading the lesson in The Vicar of Dibley... |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 08-10-2026 07:44
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Episode 1167 |
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 08-10-2026 13:02
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Moderator Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Holy single puncture mark, TT! The vampires are standing sideways in a line taking turns so we think there's only one! There could be thousands of them! Diabolical! Either that or the dirty devils are using the same straw! |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 09-10-2026 06:49
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Episode 1168 |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 10-10-2026 06:57
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Episode 1169 |
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| Hugbot |
Posted on 11-10-2026 07:40
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Alpha Grade Posts: 3756 Joined: 16.01.22 |
1170 |
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| Joe Dredd |
Posted on 11-10-2026 12:57
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Moderator Posts: 3007 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Fantastically realised. The moustache is brilliantly done. |
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| trevor travis |
Posted on 11-10-2026 14:18
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Alpha Grade Posts: 9299 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Although how do we do the Y-M-C-A when we're floating heads? Vote Og.
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| Paula |
Posted on 11-10-2026 20:45
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Moderator Posts: 5559 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Oh dear, groan.
Resist the Host
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