It’s not so much like Bernard’s DUMB to not notice that the house he’s standing directly in front of is BURNING, but rather that he’s fallen prey to the cartoon cliché that until something has appeared in frame, it essentially doesn’t exist. Of course, Herb can clearly see his house burn… sooooo…. maybe Bernard IS just a bit of a dunce. I’ll let you all decide.
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This strip is a good example of in instance where the character tells me to change the plot. When I started writing this strip, Dandy wasn’t going to be quite as pro-active in the last panel, but I think that this is the kind of thing he’d do. Prankster or not, I’ve shown on many occasions that Dandy really does love his little brother. Add to that the idea that an authority figure is telling him NOT to act, and you have a dog that’s willing to run into a smoldering building.
Of course, BEING Dandy, it was important to add his sarcastic zinger at the end. It’s actually a version of an expression I use a LOT when I behave contrary to anyones wishes… the “impression” part.
