Sorry this one took me a little longer than expected, bank holiday Monday messed with my schedule, and I had a bit of an art block on, which is just one of those things that happens.
Cast: Ann Barber, Catherine Barber, Edmund Barber, Harriet Barber, June Barber, Nicola Barber, Sidney Malik
Comments (71)
ThoughtBubble
14 Nov 2026 – 15 Nov 2026
Harrogate Convention Centre
Manchester Megacon
31 Jul 2027 – 1 Aug 2027
Manchester Central
Well worth the wait. Also, nice angle and perspective on the first panel.
Everyone knoooows, Harry~! :p Everyone knows_Â0Â And it's wonderful. Such a fun family. ^^
I love just about every facial expression on this page. Not that I normally dislike the expressions, but I especially like these ones.
As much as she flirts with Wolfe, Nick cannot laugh too much. Yes, she flirts. She may not admit it, but she does seem to come up with a lot of reasons to come around, and check on him.
You have a really strange definition of flirting, my friend
flirting...keeping an eye on a known felon with a bounty on his head from a neighboring country... ... ...same thing.
I actually went back and checked, she either doesn't speak to him, is rather hostile, or is grudgingly accepting help because it furthers her case. I'm really not seeing any flirting, not on her side anyway!
Now see, the reason those two said that is because they watch Far Too Much Harem Anime and as such; have warped their senses of the proper definition of flirting. and i should know; i'm bad at being social in general and have to pay REALLY close attention to what i do and say and the responses in order to not screw myself over
I'm just pokin' fun. Yeah, I really didn't see anything from her that seemed "flirty"... ... ...Florrie on the other hand!
snrk Oh, the romantic sense of police officers! "Sex ... wrangling criminals to the ground ... same-" No, let's not go there!
Not sure where you got the "a lot of reasons to come around and check on him" impression from, but I can tell you that not all women who behave abrasively towards a man secretly want to be swept up in his arms and only mean their behavior for his encouragement to try harder ;)
That's because most women are doing it wrong. Now, me, I find that a good mix of disdain and rudeness really reels in the gentlemen. Never raise your voice above a sneer, and remember to kick him extra hard in the shins. Fellas love that. Advanced flirters will even find some way to spit on him in every conversation. I know it's tricky considering he's barely worth expending multiple words on, but if you pull it off, you'll be tied together in blissful matrimonial loathing in a jiffy.
Depends on if the gentleman is looking for a dominatrix or not... >:-D
Art block? -- Who can blame you!
Annie's one line has to be pulled off perfectly.
And.... I approve of your decision to dispense with all the doors. Tricky things, hinges..... and they just get in the way.
Eddie's face in the last panel is just perfect.
And is that Castle Waiting that June is pretending to read?
Yep! A volume that taught me a lot about comics and what they could be.
Nice catch there, I was straining my eyes try to pick up what Castle she was reading about :D
He can feel Harry's death stare without even having to look xD
Nicola : "finally made up... with her ... must... not... laugh..."
---
Hey, a musical instrument in the last panel ! I wonder who plays.
Usually they're kinda stored more safely tho ^^;
Or maybe it's a statue ? (I first assumed it was a kid basket to store the toys, since there's a doll too. It's kinda hard to be sure in this low-light environnement)
Ah, but she is enjoying it ... Shadenfreude is, i believe, the proper term for what she's feeling.
She better be careful though - i suspect her day is coming rather sooner than she suspects.
You would be quite correct in that. She's very definitely enjoying the discomfiture of her sister there.
Partly because it's an inversion of role from earlier, I'd guess.
Or maybe, she recalled Harry's mention of the "marry a gentleman, not dress like one" speech of her mother? But even though it may well be Schadenfreude, it's the friendly sibling sort, therefore rather harmless.
Yep. Experienced it a lot growing up.
Might be both: a toy musical instrument.
...eeh, good point. It may be exactly that.
It is, indeed. I guess you can blame my last binge-watch of Steven Universe for that particular prop!
Oh my God! The Horror of having to listen to someone else's children giving a musical recital. It really is too late to run isn't it?
You caught that, didn't you.
Alas Annie, that is no Gentleman. That is Mr Sidney Malik, dangerous criminal.
you mean Mr. Sidney Malik, King of Thieves... :)
Former King of Thieves- he did rid himself of the mark, after all.
Considering that the Mark is no more, he's the LAST King of Thieves...
And we have to admit, he's a natural, and could steal the fur off a Tiger.
Ooh! Return of the Zookeeper: "Attack, my striped horde -- Wait, why are all my tigers suddenly hairless?!"
Finding the striped horde having been turned into a stripped one ;)
[https://www.smbc-comics.com...](https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2011-05-26 "https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2011-05-26")
Still, it's a title: hence, "gentleman". ;)
Ah, yes, her mother will be so proud of her!
He's a very gentle man, though.
So Annie was right! He did do crimes!
Oh, Harry will roll with the punch and make some quip about Sid not being a "gentleman" but a wizard or assistant instead. Perhaps a tiny, good-humored poke at Sid while making it clear to all that what she and Sid have is a working relationship/friendship.
Harry is not always quite that adroit... ;)
In this case, she's forewarned by Annie's earlier comments so she should be ready for more of the kid saying those darnedest things.
Haha... better be careful Sid... you know you need to tread lightly when her FAMILY starts shipping you...
Lol I can't wait to see how Harry responds to this...
dunno about Harriet, but Sidney is about to get hella awkard.
Sidney didn't hear the earlier conversation... he'll may well be adorably clueless to the hidden meaning in Annie's comment, haha
hah. that's two legendary pages in a row now. and I don't label things legendary nilly-willy.
Ah there's a little "pick me up" for Nicola's mood.
Nothing quite like having a sister wander slap into the Kiddie Niece trap to get royally gunged, no. xD
Children say the darnedest things, don't they, Harry?
So her family ships them too. Nice to know one is not alone.
Well, Florrie's been the captain of this particular ship since the 21st comic (and she was only introduced in the 18th comic).
Don't forget +10 cuteness! It's super effective! (Though perhaps not for what the cute one intended) XD
Families tend to do that
Oh crap. The "wonder" of kids...
Too late kid, Harriet found him first. It's her job to find strange magical things after all...
This chapter has been so darn adorable. And kinda ominous. But mostly frickin' adorable.
Too adorable to be ominous much... yet. I guess we should relish the adorability while it lasts!
I have to wonder why the Dean (or whoever) was acting like that, if they're aware that the stealing is a magical condition. I suppose they just got sick of it.
Considering that our historical go-to cure for invisible illnesses has always been "pull yourself together!", I don't find it hard to buy. See also: "that's not a REAL condition" and "if you really wanted to stop, you'd just do it".
Plus, Sid was apparantly a real smartass about it :P
I got the impression he also flunked some exams.....
Never really twigged it before, but the whole Barber family (read: all primary and secondary characters) are wonderfully colour-coded! Some fine examples of one-colour dressing that doesn't look garish. :D
God, those kids are absolutely adorable
In which Annie continues to be cute as a goshdarned button. I love Sid's little blush there.
i love panel 2 Sid. I'f you're going to go out anyway, might as well make it worth it! :)
I've never seen a child held that way. Edmund must be pretty strong.
I lost count of how many times I checked for this early. You know... Just in case. :P
I thought this chapter was "Find the Lady," not find the gentleman!
I love her expression behind the book!
Sidney expulsion backstory! Sidney fitting right in with the family! Eddie and Catherine being an adorable couple and having adorable children!June reading Castle Waiting! Ann's last line, and everybody's reactions to it!
I sorta wish I could upvote this entire strip, because it's one of my favorites.
😂
... perfect delivery, kid.
Also, it looks like Malik has other admirers. ;)
Which I can undersdtand, he's certainly an appealing bloke.