THIS WEEK:
Some bad ideas
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Story Time in Sentinel & Enterprise and 2 Million Blossoms
BEHIND THE PAY WALL: Two truths and a lie
Buddy and Romeo Cartoon Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
We bought a lemon tree!
Pathetic and nearing the end, Real Romeo texted Real Buddy for help.
Let me rephrase that. With the lemon tree looking pathetic and nearing the end, Real Romeo texted Real Buddy for help.
Ours has become infested with spider mites, which (according to Real Buddy) is the same fate that befell the lemon tree that he and His Real Wife once owned. Theirs lived life to the fullest and gave fruit (maybe? I don’t know maybe it didn’t) for two years. Our didn’t last a month.
According to the garden center from which we purchased the tree, we have also overwatered it and put it into shock due to a miscommunication. (Frega watered the tree one Saturday morning and DiPerri merrily watered it again a few hours later. So it was his fault). This was an expensive mistake.
If the tree looks familiar, perhaps you are also in the process of killing a fruit tree. It’s also possible that — like Frega + DiPerri and Real Buddy and Real Buddy’s Real Wife — you studied art history in college.
This is Lamentation, a buonfresco from 1306 by Giotto di Bondone. Our lemon tree is featured in the top right.

This week, we’re full of regret.
Two versions of the same story.
The original black and white Mates and Dates comic strip version was first published in the July 5, 2017 edition of Sentinel & Enterprise.
The color single panel version was first published in the Winter 2021 issue of 2 Million Blossoms (and you can license it on CartoonStock with search ID CX911714),
Here’s a photo of the magazine surrounded by some of the house plants that we have since killed.
If you’re enjoying yourself at Buddy and Romeo’s expense so far, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. You’ll get exclusive comics and commentaries; behind-the-scenes drawings and project developments; and access to this entire Substack archive. Plus, the more coffee we drink, the more we’ll create.
Join us behind the paywall for more unfortunate situations — two of which are true stories.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Buddy and Romeo Cartoon Substack to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.