- "Hello, world. You don't deserve such beauty. But here I am anyway. Because I'm a giver."
—Penny
Exactly What It Says on the Tin, this arc is a series of unconnected gag strips originally meant for showcasing the comic to newspaper syndicates, and shedding light on the title characters' contrasting personalities. Also features the first appearance of the popular supporting character, Lisa Winklemeyer. The first original chapter after the move from Modern Tales to Keenspot and consequent recap months.
Tropes
- The Aggressive Drug Dealer: Subverted. Aggie, in her first encounter with Lisa, mistakes her for this and runs off. It turns out Lisa only wanted to share some tunes with her.
- All Men Are Perverts: Subverted in that Penny enjoys
their gawking at her. - Dress Code: Penny's, Sara's and Michelle's miniskirts fall afoul of the one at school.
- Jaded Washout: Penny's father, Rob.Penny: Why do we have to go [out to dinner] anyway?
Rob: Because families do things together. I don't know why. We just do. - Lovable Alpha Bitch: Penny in several strips. Despite Aggie's and others' perceptions of her for much of the comic, this is the closest Penny ever gets to the straight-up Alpha Bitch character trope, and that's still quite a way off.
- Mirror Monologue: Penny psyches herself up for the day while putting on her makeup (see page quote).
- New Year's Resolution: Aggie resolves to write a poem a day. However, she sets such ambitious goals for herself, in terms of form and rhyme scheme, that by the end of the week all she's written is: "A tree. / It be. / The End."
- Playing Sick: Penny attempts this when she gets a pimple on a school morning. Her father embarasses her into going to school when he notes she'd stuck the
cat thermometer in her mouth. - Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Penny in several strips, particularly one in which she describes herself as "too important to share any feelings with the likes of you."
