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Adam@home - TV Tropes

  • ️Sat Jul 12 2014

Adam@home (Comic Strip)

Adam@home (originally simply Adam) is a Comic Strip created by Brian Basset for Universal Press Syndicate. It centers on the daily life of its nerdy title character Adam Newman, who is a work-at-home writer, and his family, compriseing his wife Laura and his children Clayton, Katy and baby Nick. The household is rounded out by Gumbo, a dog adopted by the family.

Basset no longer works on the strip full-time, turning his attention to Red and Rover. Since 2009, most duties were handed over to long-time assistant Rob Harrell, the strip's current artist.

This strip contains examples of:

  • All Girls Like Ponies: Katie loves ponies and hopes to own one someday.
  • Art Evolution: The comic was originally drawn in black and white before switching to color, and the characters' overal design slightly changed over the years.
  • A Boy, a Girl, and a Baby Family: Adam and Laura's kids consist of Clayton, Katy, and baby Nick.
  • Bumbling Dad: Protagonist Adam. He can afford to be that, with a wife who has more common sense.
  • Character Title: Adam's name is in the title and he is the main character.
  • Cheerful Child: Clayton is pretty much always optimistic and full of energy.
  • Christmas Enthusiast: Katie, Adam's daughter, has Christmas as her favorite holiday. Every December, multiple comics focus on her going all out to celebrate the holiday.
  • Colbert Bump: In-Universe example; in the May 09, 2023 strip, Laura realizes the sales of her book "The Wretched Turnip" skyrocketed because Oprah Winfrey has a copy.
  • Comic-Book Time: The characters haven't aged since the comic started, but over time modern inventions like smartphones were introduced and the characters frequently make references to current pop culture.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Laura, especially when commenting on her husband's ideas or behaviour.
  • Dream Sequence: A January 2024 story arc is set entirely in a dream by Adam in which his baby son and dog can talk. The two immediately lampshade the trope.
  • Dream Within a Dream: As part of the Dream Sequence mentioned above, Adam eventually seems to wake up only to realize his son and dog are still talking. When he asks them how this is possible, Nick explains the trope to him and even namedrops the trope:

    Nick: Dream within a dream, a pretty tired movie trope, I'd say.

  • The Ditz: Adam is not the brightest bulb on the tree.
  • Henpecked Husband: Adam, sometimes. His wife is clearly the boss in the house. Not that he really minds.
  • Holiday Aficionado: Three members of the Newman family have a specific holiday they are huge fans of and always want to go all out on. For Adam, it's Thanksgiving, for Clayton, it's Halloween, and for Katy, it's Christmas.
  • Human Cannonball: In a april 2022 arc, Clayton wants to start a human cannonball team with his dad to get rich. They never actually get this far though as Laura catches them in the act while they are training.
  • I Need to Go Iron My Dog: In the January 22, 2012 strip, Laura escapes a Motor Mouth by saying her llama is double-parked.
  • Medium Awareness: The characters regularly make it clear they are aware that they live in a comic strip, like mentioning how they hope a certain storyline is over before friday.
  • Must Have Coffee: A Running Gag deals with Adam's fondness for coffee.
  • Precious Puppies: In 2012, the Newmans adopted a labradoodle named Gumbo.
  • Predatory Business: A Running Gag is Clayton forgoing the traditional lemonade stand in favor of a coffee stand. One Sunday strip has him waiting for customers only for a sinister-looking limo to drive by. After asking them "Can I help you?", we Smash Cut to a panel of Clayton holding a wad of bills while his stand is bulldozed to make way for a new Starbucks.
  • Shout-Out:
    • To Phineas and Ferb: In one strip, the kids are seen watching "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror". In another, Adam states his personal manifesto, which includes the belief that "Phineas is nothing without Ferb".
    • Adam collapses in the grocery store from a kidney stone and calls Laura to tell her he is in the hospital:
  • Twitchy Eye: Laura can get pretty annoyed at Adam's antics once in a while, and shows it by twitching.
  • Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Adam and Laura: He's nerdy, balding and out of shape and she's very attractive and pretty much his opposite.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: In a few early strips, the Newmans had a dog named Kip. He was never seen again in any strips and an offhand comment by Adam in one strip mentions he died. The family would not have a dog again until Gumbo.
  • Women Are Wiser: Laura to Adam, as she is more level headed than he is.
  • Writer's Block: Another Running Gag is Adam struggling to come up with something to write about, and his subsequent attempts to find inspiration.