It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Hawk of the Wilderness.
It's hard not to think that at least part of this weird, quasi-pivot is that Muir's feeling a little hot under the collar from Peanut Gallery pushback for going full Nazi.
A day by day look at Chris Muir's Day By Day, punctuated by efforts to make the hurting stop.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Hawk of the Wilderness.
It's hard not to think that at least part of this weird, quasi-pivot is that Muir's feeling a little hot under the collar from Peanut Gallery pushback for going full Nazi.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Dick Tracy Returns.
...
The fascinating thing is that Muir spouts this Nazi bullshit while not realizing it is Nazi bullshit.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Fighting Devil Dogs.
This kind of fascinating, a stopped clock moment where we have to acknowledge the stopped clock is a Nazi. Muir have taken his time coming to the Nazi Isolationist stance, but damn it, he's come to it, and he will not give it up lightly. One senses, in all his criticism, a desire to like Trump and Whiskey Pete, but simply put, these recent actions push too many of his newly acquired buttons.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Lone Ranger.
As Muir demonstrates that yes, his opposition to this needless war is based on the worst rationalization possible, I'd like to note that apparently he has only one shirtless drawing of Whiskey Pete.
The Clutch Cargo comparisons keep coming.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Zorro Rides Again.
I'm suddenly flashing back to the days of Muir's mancrush on Cruz, when we got Muir's... *ahem* highly fanciful version of the man.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because S.O.S. Coast Guard.
...Man, that weird traced version of Kegsbreath looks like he just parachuted in from an episode of Clutch Cargo.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Painted Stallion.
As I nodded at yesterday, there's something so pathetic in Muir's insistence in treating his cast as these redneck Secret Master movers-and-shakers.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Dick Tracy.
It's interesting. Once, Muir would have celebrated this without hesitation. You can see it in his clear desire to paint Kegsbreath as a macho man, the kind of guy who should be running the manly fighting stuff in Muir's warped, toxic masculinity tinged view. (Because, no, despite what Captain Mitty says, scaring random people isn't the Secretary of Defense's job.) But this is an area where his politics overall getting worse produces the illusion of him getting more thoughtful. So, prepare for him to worry about the manipulations of (((Israel))).
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Robinson Crusoe of Clipper Island.
The classic example of Muir casually demonstrating what a repugnant little fascist thug he is at heart, while imagining that he's somehow proving that he's the plain-talking man of the people. As usual, he not only demonstrates that his supposed patriotism is a fucking lie, but he doesn't understand the real McCoy, and wants the cheap counterfeit he's put up to be taken for it.
In the end, he's just fascist scum. Sometimes, he really rubs your face in it.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Vigilantes Are Coming.
Sometimes, Muir imagines worlds where his losses are really victories. And sometimes, he does this, imagines worlds where his causes are incredibly popular and self-evidently right, held back only by the treachery of the weak establishment. (To make it clear, while a few portions of the SAVE Act are broadly popular, largely because many people don't know they aren't necessary and don't understand how disenfranchising they'd be, it's not enjoying some immense groundswell of support.)
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Undersea Kingdom.
It says something that Muir is bringing up the inept, formless mess that was the John Blood plot once again, likely out of a vague need of something to do.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Fighting Marines.
It says something that even a fairly innocuous, hackneyed effort at a cliched 'Guy can't talk to the girl he's crushing on' strip sees some of the fascist argle-bargle that Muir's been stewing in seep through.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Adventures of Rex and Rinty.
It's funny how the Robot Sex Issues have developed issues on top of issues. A horrible sort of funny, mind you.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Miracle Rider.
There is something grim and joyless in how Muir tries to use shit like this to make himself out the fun guy, when he actually comes across as the bitter, brittle racist whinging about he can't use slurs anymore and that sucks.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Phantom Empire.
Another desperate flailing effort by Muir to avoid the fact that the administration he painted as the broom that would wipe things clean is in fact pure corruption. As usual, whenever Muir has something close to an argument--there exist truly dire people who have contributed to the Democrats--he overeggs the pudding by throwing in actual slander--the 'Schiff was an active participant in Buck's gay murder spree' is, well, a Very Online conspiracy theory boosted by the worst people. But again, Muir is pliable and gullible while imagining himself a clear-sighted, iron-willed man.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Mystery Mountain.
The other side of Muir checking out... him doing lots of strips about... this stuff.
Again, I'm just so in the weeds on the robot sex. It's weird, but not fun weird, especially as Muir's hypocritical pose of moral censoriousness always pokes its metaphorical head in.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Law of the Wild.
Once again, the extent to which he has just given up at this point is remarkable. He's retreated to the cheap comfort of squatting in the corner and shouting that everyone but him sucks.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Burn 'Em Up Barnes.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again--the extent to which Muir has checked out is breathtaking. We get strip after strip of him just whining about how powerless he is, in a Republican trifecta, because nothing is working, and so he has to go extra-heavy on the conspiracy to keep the reality that everything he wants is shit from breaking through.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Lost Jungle.
Sometimes, Muir underlines that he's a crabby, creepy old man trying, in a very half-ass manner, to write characters who are supposed to be young.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Mystery Squadron.
Of course, Muir is going off of bullshit Rightosphere accounts meant to tell nitwits like him that all their prejudices are correct, and all the apparent defeats are just esoteric victories that the uninitiated do not see. But what lurks behind this is that dim awareness that the administration he was praising is failing and unpopular, that the things he thought would be powerful and successful are weak and ineffectual. On top of which, Muir's pose of a rugged patriot is a bad counterfeit, and he's actually a lazy, entitled, bigoted schmuck who resents the country for not being the racist dictatorship he wants, and for demanding anything of him at all. In Muir's head, he ideally is owed everything while owing nothing. And so we get these pathetic little strawmen opponents where when you scrape off the idiotic exaggeration, there's this bitter offense at a government doing anything but be Muir's brand of racist awful.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Wolf Dog.
I've noted it multiple times, but Muir's straw leftists get more bizarre and pathetic every year. Partially this is because his own politics have gotten so wretched that he needs ever more ridiculous opponents to make what he wants look good. But another part is the further Muir travels into fascism, the less and less capable he becomes of envisioning good government. Gunpowder is a nakedly criminal tyranny where the power of the state seems to exist only to persecute those the Compound dislikes, and where things are accomplished by fiat. His only way of imagining bad government now is 'the opposite of what I want', and that gets the ridiculous thing he throws out here, a government that is simultaneously tyrannical, and yet also can't do anything, somehow.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Fighting with Kit Carson.
Aside from a confirmation that Muir's audience as as full of Mittyish tendencies as himself, two things are interesting. Firstly, how little Muir's cared about the Maduro operation, which still barely warrants a mention. Secondly, the way that Zed has been notably inactive throughout the second Trump presidency. You'd think Muir would go for the obvious route of having him called into duty to serve ICE, but, no, no, he's needed at home to... do things.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Three Musketeers.
Eva's problem of course is that she's typical of the hivemind--deluded, stupid, bigoted, weak whiny, with the underpinning that she views all these manifest flaws as signs of how clever she is. This is a growing issue for the cast, I'd argue--they spend ever larger amounts of time blubbering about how unfair everything is while simultaneously insisting that they are as tough as nails. A part of me can't help but think that even Muir is starting to have problems writing around his present state of ideological cringing when joined with the ever-present bluster.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Whispering Shadow.
The American Right. Proudly spewing the bullshit of the people the US helped thump but good, because patriotism.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Devil Horse.
I see we've found the one thing that will get Skye to behave like a proper straw liberal again. Blatant Nazi rhetoric. Which gets Muir to get all whiny about why don't anybody respect white people anymore.
Delightful.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Hurricane Express.
There is something so wearisome in this pretense of wit, in Muir trying to pretend he isn't saying what he's saying, and imagining he's getting away with it.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Last of the Mohicans.
Won't lie, I thought something like this was coming up, but only after Muir would first explain how we mustn't be hasty...
But no, next step is Muir shouting Nazi filth so he can chide those member of the Peanut Gallery who object for being sheeple when they object, because, no, no, he's not being a Nazi, honest, the jackboots and the armband are just for emphasis.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Shadow of the Eagle.
While this all could be Muir starting out one of his patented about-faces, I think Skye is about to tell her daughter that it's too early to tell, can't separate the wheat from the chaff yet, etc.
I just don't think he's ready to move on yet.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Lightning Warrior.
There's something so, so very sad about the late period shout-outs to fans.
While not being sympathetic, mind you. It all just makes me loathe everyone involved even more.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Vanishing Legion.
He says this as accounts of just what vicious thugs the regime's goon squad is circulate. But you, see Muir is offended, because the inferiors weren't supposed to fight back.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because King of the Wild.
The reminder that Muir watches things like Star Trek without comprehending them is looking quite pointed now.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Phantom of the West.
We've seen it time after time. The moment Muir's side is facing push back, he starts shouting conspiracy theories and claiming everyone against him is actually a subversive.
Because he's whiny, and once again, he and his project everything, including their own projection.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Lone Defender.
And once again, Muir jumps at the latest ridiculous conspiracy theory and treats it as gospel, all so he can whine how powerless the Right is.
When they have the government.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The King of the Kongo.
It's just extra-amusing that this blatant bullshit where Muir tries to insist that the crook was the hero and the hero was the crook happens shortly after a Texas State Senate seat deep in Trump country flips.
Keep yelling Muir. It will make you feel better.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Fatal Warning.
...It's the projection that gets you, Muir imagining he's just being a witty guy telling it like it is when he's being... well, this.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Vultures of the Sea.
I even have the misfortune to know just what he's referencing here, and this strip still leaves me somewhat puzzled.
Well, except for the eternal tendency of Muir's in-universe media endeavors to work through this strange sort of cargo cult fashion, Muir having the cast just do a rough version of media things, and somehow, it works until Muir gets bored with it.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Vanishing West.
It says something that he thinks this pathetic whining uttered by imaginary women who are his equally pathetic wish fulfillment is a fine display of what a real man does.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Golden Stallion.
In many ways, this is just classic Muir, burbling about the subversives, who are a dangerous disease who his sort are there to fix and no, the fact that every time they hold power we wind up worse than we were before doesn't mean anything, nope, nope, nope.
But this also draws attention to the extent that Muir genders politics, making running the state an explicitly male function--and makes it clear that he sees that function as largely consisting of beating the shit out of those he disagrees with. It's one of the calling cards of fascism, toxic masculinity as policy.
And it's a big reason why they generally lose.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Isle of Sunken Gold.
Muir declaring that of course they've got America with them, and if they just keep at it, the inferior schweinhund will knuckle under and get purged becomes bleakly amusing as we watch much of America decide they're sick of this shit.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Heroes of the Wild.
And as we are deep into 'Muir, after insisting that normal government is fascist tyranny, insists that fascist tyranny is normal government the moment the tables are turned', let's take a good long look at this absolutely wretched showing. It underlines one of Muir's biggest problems--he's a man who, lacking the virtues he professes, has to throw up twisted counterfeits in their place, and in moments like this, it shines through. This is a cowardly bully declaring that cowardice and bullying are the true displays of courage. A conniving thug mumbling that people have to be conspiring against him, as otherwise his conniving thuggery would work. A vicious man who hates the nation screaming that real patriot is being a vicious person who hates the nation, and is actively hurting anyone not like them.
And the best fucking part is this strip has aged like milk. Didn't get the memo that they were abandoning ICE, BP, and Bovino on this, ehh, Muir?
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Silent Flyer.
Not only is this even more of a rushed job than the last one, it's blatantly pathetic to anyone not in the bubble. Muir's stuck on this shit, with no off-ramp, and he's desperately trying to convince himself this is a winning move.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Philo Vance's Secret Mission.
I assume he was in a hurry, because I can't otherwise explain why he made a strip that was not only a good 9-10ths reused assets, but included some choices like 'Stock Shouting Black Guy' that made no sense at all.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Philo Vance's Gamble.
I won't lie, as bad as the strip is, it's a bit of a relief seeing Muir finally noticing the national debt during a Republican administration, instead of just pretending it doesn't matter. Of course, that noticing is couched in paranoia, delusion, and a complete misunderstanding of government spending, finance and economic realities. But it all suggests that Muir's rapidly shifting into just abandoning caring about actual politics because 'conspiracy', and that cheers me.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Calling Philo Vance.
Won't lie, there's always a good chance when Muir goes into one of these weird rants that he hits a new vein of awful, and yep, this is one of those times.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Trans-Atlantic Murder Mystery.
Aside from Muir's classic 'The imaginary thing that I wrote up demonstrates how right I am', it's that last bit about how they need to do this "electorally" that gets me. Not only is it meaningless gobbledygook, it comes on months--hell, years--of Muir dreaming about brutally purging the country of people who disagree with him. But this is another classic aspect of Muir--he'll get mealy-mouthed in his fascism at odd moments, and try to pretend that he didn't say what he said, or that it has some kind of special meaning that doesn't make it what it is.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Crane Poison Case.
Muir's constant insistence that his bigoted, cowardly nonsense is backed by "reason" is a pretty good example of his using definitions for words that don't match their actual definitions.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Campus Mystery.
It is of course dreadfully easy to declare your group the only real Americans when you make membership in the group the only way to be a real American. Muir can always attempt to live in his fantasy where the unpopular idiocy he supports isn't unpopular and isn't idiocy, but it keeps running into the simple problem of not being real.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Sideshow Mystery.
The finest epitaph I have read regarding Scott Adams, the second worst man to ever appear on beloved 90s cult sitcom Newsradio, ran that by dying at the age of 68, he had followed a lifelong tradition of almost but not quite being funny. Savage, but exactly what he deserved.
As we watch Muir memorialize the man with exactly the sort of awful politics Adams had dabbled in by the end, a part of me suspects that this is Muir--who remember is about the same age as Adams was--feeling his own mortality. Something he feels obligated to lead into with more of his nativist swill.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because Murder in the Pullman.
It's easy to convince yourself you're brave when you decide that cowardly bullying is a sign of courage.
Also, I'm baffled by the focus on Sam's oil-stained hand in the last panel. At least, I think it's oil-stained. A baffling artistic choice all around, but then, what do you expect from Muir?
POSTSCRIPT--On closer review of the word panels, I think that's Mari's oil-stained hands, which not only underlines his terrible blocking but remains an absolutely baffling artistic choice. And realize it took multiple attempts for me to figure out what he was trying to represent here.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Cole Murder Case.
There's something almost awe-inspiring in the number of times Muir has declared the conspiracy theory of the day proven, and then just moved on when, no, it wasn't, actually, in fact it was bullshit.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Skull Murder Mystery.
This little quasi-plotline is really dragging out and we are quickly hitting 'bears with power tools' territory in my book.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Studio Murder Mystery.
The manner in which Muir has veered off complaining about the phantom Somali fraudsters to this makes me wonder if he's being audited or something. Not that he needs much excuse to start insisting that the state is getting up in his bidness, man--it just seems like something brought this on.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Symphony Murder Mystery.
Mia, who has been in the US for years now, still acts like a bad 1980s sitcom foreigner who is baffled by our mysterious Yankee ways.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Week-End Mystery.
It says something that when the twins aren't talking like a pair of 30s comics moppets, they're talking like a couple of bitter racist old hicks.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Wall Street Mystery.
What I'm getting is that Zed has terrible reading comprehension, and also is terminally online. Wonder if he's about to start plugging terrible dietary supplements.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Clyde Mystery.
As usual, in response to tragedy and the crimes of his side, Muir demonstrates his gullibility, and his deep, deep awfulness.
Jesus fuck, is this a wretched husk of a human being.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Winter Murder Case.
How happy is Muir with things? So happy he's proposing 'not voting' as the answer.
No doubt Phase 3 of this brilliant plan is "PROFIT!", right after Phase 2 "???".
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Gracie Allen Murder Case.
Ahh, time for yet another thing that will be about to inevitably occur, and then suddenly, the cast will be pretending that, what, no, they never thought that would happen.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Kidnap Murder Case.
Muir is saying this in a situation where the Republicans hold both branches of Congress. Because even their present disgraceful obsequiousness isn't enough, and the fact that they could lose in the near future has to be some sort of plot. Because Muir knows if the things he supports don't work, it's because of treachery, and if his side loses the election, the other side cheated. Or shouldn't have been allowed to vote in the first place.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Garden Murder Case.
As we stare at Muir once again declaring that a dictatorship would be great, just great actually so long as it's his racist sort in charge, let's acknowledge that we've gotten something new with this one. An actual address to where he's getting this crazy 'That's not how it works' bullshit.
I checked it out and trust me, it's as batshit as you might imagine. Maybe even moreso.
Look, this guy is selling his own bizarre fundie novels on this substack. We are in 'the interwebs delivering the gibbering of crazy people straight to your brainpan' territory.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Casino Murder Case.
Ahh, racist whining about taxes. Behold the awesome patriotism of a man who feels he's owed everything and owes nothing, and how dare you call him on his bullshit!
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Dragon Murder Case.
You know, I'm genuinely torn as to what's the most fascinating part of all this wall of crazyfail, that Muir doesn't realize he's swapped out how the Evil Conspiracy of Evil works yet again, that Russia's back to being a bad guy, or that at the bottom lies Muir's eternal conviction that the things he wants just CAN'T be unpopular, that the Democrats can't just win elections, that it has to be an evil plot that gets them back into power and makes things he supports fail. (And when he himself finally acknowledges something he supported failed, this does not lead to any general reevaluation of his beliefs.) This is a man who feels powerless when those he supports hold power. And again, he just can never ask himself why that is, because the actual answer would destroy him.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Kennel Murder Case.
So, the same racist joke as before, only even more lifelessly done.
Oh, and Muir still doesn't understand how H1B visas work.
Well, let's see if Muir's going to gloat about Maduro tomorrow, or Monday, when things are likely to really be going off the rails.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Scarab Murder Case.
As Muir reminds us that A) he will entertain downgrading the cast's circumstances, but he won't commit to it, B) El Dorado Dad is fucking scum, and C) Muir has completely turned on a Congress that the Right largely controls, let's just really soak in the... art of today's strip, because... damn. El Dorado Dad's mustache looks very close to a crudely drawn mouth. That is just... shit.
It's the Day's Day of Days! Because The Bishop Murder Case.
A reminder that Sam was offering to hold Putin's gold in her depository. And that this was when Gunpowder was declaring itself sovereign.
I'm saying this because it amuses me that Muir wants to refer back to a plotline that he seems largely to have decided to sweep under the rug, it should be remembered just how batshit it was.