And here we thought the recession was easing. Turns out the Mitchells, those put-upon parents of funnies-page Tasmanian Devil Dennis the Menace, have lost all their money, throwing into question how they will continue to afford the Ritalin that keeps their son's baser desires in check.
So embarassed are Henry and Alice that they seem to be allowing Dennis to take phone calls from creditors and relay the sad news to them that the Mitchell bank account is depleted.
How did it all come to this? Perhaps Henry has gambled the family's savings account on illicit poker games? Maybe Alice surreptitously spent thousands of dollars on designer drugs aimed at helping her cope with Dennis's constant reign of terror over her and her neighbors.
Frankly, we're puzzled: The Mitchells' penury comes as other comics characters are feeling financial wind at their back. Why, just earlier this month, we noticed that Hi Flagston's "recession beard," a crop of facial hair that seemed to sprout every time he had to pay the bills, had more or less disappeared.
Whatever the reason for the Mitchells' financial situation, it seems clear that Dennis will be stuck wearing his red-and-blue striped shirt and his overalls for weeks, if not years, to come.
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