Timeline – 2005 Part 4

Beetle Bailey Sunday page digital proof, August 28, 2005.

General Halftrack frequently asks, “Now what?” at the end of an episode.  This reflects his total cluelessness.  Although he is in charge of Camp Swampy, he is always the last one to know what’s going on.

In the Sunday page above, it is Beetle who utters the General’s famous catch phrase.  “Now what?” is often the final punch line in a visual gag when there is really nothing more to say.  The lead up shows how that situation came to pass.

The episode below is a more typical example of General Halftrack’s reaction after observing the goings-on around the camp.  In this case, his exasperation is expressed with a multiple “Now what?”

Beetle Bailey Sunday page digital proof, October 16, 2005.

Click this link for more examples of classic “Now what?” gags.

http://beetlebailey.com/2018/08/26/timeline-1999-part-4/

Next week will be the last installment from 2005 in our Timeline series.

– Brian Walker