Editing 280: Librarians

{{comic
| number    = 280
| date      = June 22, 2007
| title     = Librarians
| image     = librarians.png
| titletext = Don't expect any leniencies on late fees, though.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]] is pressing on [[Megan]] for stopping her idea to visit her family. While Megan is fully convinced that this visit will happen, Cueball takes advantage of her love of books. He starts to open up a brand-new {{w|hardcover}} book much farther than it was made to open, ruining the spine, and then mistreats it some more. Megan cannot take this anymore, and gives up on the family visit.

The title text goes on with the inflexible stereotype, as librarians will not make exceptions for or give reductions to their romantic partners' overdue fees. Alternately, it could mean that a librarian who is faced with the abuse of books as a bargaining tool would take retribution by not making an exception for late fees for their partner, particularly if said partner is absent-minded or otherwise disorganized.

The humor comes from the {{w|Librarians in popular culture|stereotype of librarians}} as very sensitive to proper treatment of books and inflexibility with rule-breaking.

==Transcript==
:Advantages to dating librarians.
:Megan: We're stopping in Baltimore to visit my family, and that's final.
:Cueball: Oh yeah?
:[Reaching inside paper bag.]
:Cueball: Hey, look, it's a new hardback book!
:[Holds book in hands.]
:Megan: You wouldn't.
:[The book is twisted and crinkled.]
:''crinkle''
:''creak''
:[Megan twitches.]
:''crack''
:[The book's spine is broken.]
:Megan: OKAY! You win!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]