Chapter 17, Page 24a: Impossible to Choose

Posted on August 5, 2026 by Brad Guigar

Captain Heroic has a showdown with Countess Influencia, but the former waitress isn't interested in going back to the diner — and she certainly isn't hearing his excuses! She has the city at her feet, and in her book, that's a win!

Fairmount City's top hero sees it differently. There's a big difference between trending and mattering. The Countess may be impossible to ignore... but that also makes her impossible to choose.

Cartoonist Showcase

If you're in the Columbus area, make plans to stop by the Billy Ireland Library & Museum on August 8th from 1-5 p.m. It's a free event, and I'll be there sketching and signing along with a bunch of my pals from the NCS.

Transcript

Captain Heroic faces Countess Influencia (formerly Hailey the waitress)

Panel 1:

Captain Heroic: You don’t have to do this! Come back to Ralph’s and —

Hailey: Oh! NOW you want to talk to me in the diner!

Panel 2:

Captain Heroic: Hailey, I stopped making content with you because I didn’t want to be part of using you for “likes.”

Panel 3:

Hailey: Problem solved. Now I’m using THEM for likes.

Panel 4:

Hailey: Everyone is watching me — praising me! I’m impossible to ignore!

Panel 5:

Captain: And that means you’re impossible to choose.

The Grinch on Broadway

Posted on June 27, 2006 by Brad Guigar

And on to my gripe for the day. It seems like a pretty standard announcement:

[ASSOCIATED PRESS:] The musical adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ holiday tale “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” will make its Broadway debut this fall at the Hilton Theatre, running from Nov. 8 until Jan. 7, 2007, according to a news release Monday. Previews of the show begin Oct. 25.

The widow of Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Geisel, will serve as an associate producer of the New York “Grinch” show. Geisel died in 1991. Read more.

But read that last paragraph again: Geisel’s widow will be an associate producer; her husband died in 1991.

Y’see, while the good Doctor was alive, he insisted that his characters not be used in marketing and merchandizing beyond the books. They lived very well off those books. There was plenty to go around on the books. Opening up the Cat in the Hat and his other creations to licensing and merchandizing options would only serve to cheapen their meaningfulness. There was a couple expections — a few animated features done in collaboration with Chuck Jones, for example — but for the most part, Dr. Seuss was absolutely against using his characters towards any commercial uses such as cereal boxes, T-shirts, lunchboxes, toys, TV shows, movies, etc.

Six years after he dies, his wife, Audrey, opened the floodgates. We’ve seen a steady stream of Seuss-related crappola ever since: A couple of big-budget movie stinkers, a wide array of apparel, and countless goo-gags.

And now a Broadway flop-in-the-making.

Mrs. Seuss: You should be as ashamed, ashamed, ashamed as can be; to defile poor Teddy’s legacy.