These were self published collections, printed and signed by the author. The Dinette Set firt began publishing in 1990 under the title of Suburban Torture. It became a syndicated comic strip in 1997 and offers a satirc look at middle class culture. It was a single-panel newspaper comic set in the fictional Midwestern suburban community of Crustwood. Iits main characters are 50-ish sisters Verla Darwin and Joy Penny. The comic poked fun at middle-class perceptions (and misperceptions) of common, everyday issues. It was retired in 2015.