Whomp!

If this strip looks a little different than recent ones -- and it doesn't -- then that's because it was entirely inked using the shiny new graphics tablet Mary and her parents clubbed together to buy me for Christmas. Can you tell the difference between this method and the pen/nib/brush method?

An ASBO, for those who don't know, is a civil court order in England called an Anti-Social Behaviour Order. It's used to demand that people stop doing any sort of behaviour that is deemed anti-social if they've been persistent offenders, with hefty jail terms for breaking the order. The thing about them is that they can be placed on just about anyone to stop them doing... well, pretty much anything. Choicer ASBOs include:

• In May 2004, a 16-year-old boy was banned from behaving in an anti-social manner at school. The five year order covers the whole of England and Wales and came as a response to his disruption of a science class.


• In February 2003, a 16-year-old boy was banned from showing his tattoos, wearing a single golf glove, or wearing a balaclava in public anywhere in the country. He was also forbidden from congregating in public places in groups of more than three people.


• In July 2004, a conman convicted at Harrow Crown Court was served an ASBO which orders him "not to call on any residential premises (by way of doorbell, knocking or phone call) without the prior permission of the occupier".


• The oldest recipient of an order to date is an 87-year-old who among other things is forbidden from being sarcastic to his neighbours.


• In October 2004, a 15-year-old was served an order for playing football in the street.


• A 26-year-old West Lothian man has been made the subject of an ASBO after playing the Band Aid single "Do they know it's Christmas" dozens of times daily to the annoyance of neighbours. He has been banned from "playing loud music, stamping his feet and dropping objects."


• A 43-year-old Port Talbot woman was also made the subject of an ASBO after making 765 nuisance calls to the emergency services in less than a year. On one occasion she complained she was having difficulty tuning in her television.


• A 17-year-old from Oldham has been banned from using the word "grass" as a term of abuse against people who "stood up to him" and from other abusive language and throwing missiles.