Dennis should be into Charlie XCX, he's been in his brat era since 1951

Dennis the Menace, 8/14/24

Despite the fact that she's a long-running fixture in a 73-year-old comic strip, I don't think Margaret has a particularly consistent set of characterizations -- she's usually whatever she needs to be in the "vaguely prissy" range to annoy Dennis -- but today's panel honestly feels tonally off to me. I don't buy that she would be expressing overt jealousy of Taylor Swift, and I don't buy that she would just call her "Swift." (I also don't buy that as a drawing of Taylor Swift, but that's neither here nor there.) Dennis in his interactions with Margaret similarly seems to take on whatever qualities are necessary to antagonize her, but I am intrigued by the implication that he's set off Margaret's rant because he's such a dedicated Swiftie.

Gil Thorp, 8/14/24