DONARUDO
WEEK 472 / 583 — Ninety Minutes
Vol. 7 ·  Chapter 50 — Fight Fight Fight · Jun 25 – Jul 1, 2024
Manga panel 1 of 5, Week 472 “Ninety Minutes”: The dueling ground, built and waiting: two empty podiums under crossed spotlights in a cold Atlanta studio — no audience, no notes, no referees.
ATLANTA. THE GROUND IS PREPARED: TWO PODIUMS, NO CROWD, NO NOTES.
“Crooked Joe Biden’s “Handlers” are loudly and profusely complaining that there will be no Fact Checkers during the Debate on Thursday.…”
Manga panel 2 of 5, Week 472 “Ninety Minutes”: Ninety minutes under the lights: he stands iron-still at his podium while across the stage the rival president bows over the lectern, sentences trailing into silence.
THURSDAY, NINE O'CLOCK. NINETY MINUTES.
THE COUNTRY WATCHES THE OTHER MAN GROW OLD ON THE STAGE.
Manga panel 3 of 5, Week 472 “Ninety Minutes”: Past midnight, flying home: the phone glows up into a slow smirk as the first congratulations land — the greatest debate win anyone can remember.
PAST MIDNIGHT, FLYING HOME. THE WIRE SINGS.
(Stephen Miller: “Congrats on the greatest debate win in the history of presidential debates.”)
Manga panel 4 of 5, Week 472 “Ninety Minutes”: The victory lap begins in Virginia while the other kingdom wakes to open panic — its own newspapers asking whether the old king can go on.
FRIDAY: THE OTHER KINGDOM WAKES IN PANIC. ITS OWN HERALDS ASK IF THE OLD KING CAN GO ON.
Strange things happen in big time politics, and believe me, this is big time politics!…
Manga panel 5 of 5, Week 472 “Ninety Minutes”: Monday morning the highest court hands back the armor — immunity for official acts — and every case against him has to redraw its map. The race is broken open.
MONDAY: THE HIGH COURT HANDS BACK THE ARMOR — IMMUNITY FOR OFFICIAL ACTS. EVERY CASE AGAINST HIM MUST REDRAW ITS MAP.
“BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”
TO BE CONTINUED →

This week in the saga

Thursday night, Atlanta. The debate he demanded — no audience, no notes, two podiums in a cold studio. For ninety minutes the country watches the other man grow old on the stage: the sentences trail into nothing, the mouth hangs open, the eyes stare at something no one else can see. He barely has to swing. By midnight his own side is exultant and the other kingdom is in open panic; by the weekend the rival's allies are asking in print whether the old king can go on. And on Monday morning the highest court in the land hands him back his armor: immunity for official acts. The week that broke the race open.

Readers' Corner

Letters from the readership on Week 472. Pick a pen name — no account needed.

Opening the mailbag…