Gym Class Getaway

Milo and Oscar fake being sick to get out of a gym drill, but their journey to the Hokey Poke is more athletic than they think.

Plot
In gym class, Milo, Oscar, Albert, Jumbo and Steve are introduced to a new obstacle course, The Fighting Fish, by Coach Salmons. He shows the students how to complete the course, but Milo and Oscar don't want to do it. Coach Salmons offers Milo and Oscar the chance to go first, but Milo finds a way to get out of it - by pretending to have gotten The Ick, a rare fish disease. Coach Salmons lets them outside to 'ease the ache', and once he's gone, they make their escape. They don't go too far, however, when they are caught by Jocktopus and his henchmen. They are about to take part in a game of sardines, when Milo uses the "Snapping Turtle Action" technique, from the obstacle course, to help him and Oscar escape. Just as they are about to swim to the Hokey Poke, they swim into Bea, whose theater production needs two understudies because Koi and Finberley, who were supposed to play the lead parts, have just come down with The Ick. Oscar agrees to it immediately, and so does Milo, eventually. But, Oscar and Milo end up doing push-ups, so they take off their costumes and swim out. They see Coach Salmons in the hallway, so to avoid him, they take a shortcut out of the tank - going up a flag pole. At the bottom, is Jocktopus, who has finally caught up with them. Milo and Oscar fall to the ground and swim away from Jocktopus as fast as they can. Jocktopus chases them into the gym hall, where, in trying to escape, Milo and Oscar complete the obstacle course. Coach Salmons says they performed the fastest lap ever, and in reward they get a prize - which to Milo and Oscar's disappointment is the enrollment in the Inter-Aquarium Championships, full of much harder obstacle courses and drills.

Quotes

 * [After Coach Salmons has shown his class the obstacle course.]
 * Milo: No way! If I was supposed to climb and use my arms and stuff I would have been born as a monkey!
 * Oscar: Yeah! L-last time I jumped a snapping turtle...
 * [In the next panel, it shows Oscar looking at where the turtle has torn part of his outfit off and exposed his heart-covered underpants. Meanwhile, the turtle is eating what it tore off Oscar's outfit, and Finberley, Esmargot and Shellsea are floating around, laughing.]
 * Oscar: [narration] "Well, let's just say there were consequences..."
 * Shellsea: Well, I guess that answers the boxers or briefs question.


 * [After Milo and Oscar complete the obstacle course]
 * Coach Salmons: You performed the fastest lap ever...like you were born for it!
 * Milo: *puff* We sure *puff* trained *puff* for it!
 * Coach Salmons: Such achievements deserve a big prize!
 * Milo: A free lunch at the Hokey Poke!?
 * Coach Salmons: Heck no! I'll enroll you both in the Inter-Aquarium Championships! Dozens of obstacle courses...just way harder!
 * [Milo and Oscar fall flat on their backs]
 * Milo and Oscar: Oh, nooo!

Goofs

 * In the last panel on page 2, one of Milo's eyes is not colored in. A similar error is also in the panel at the bottom of page 6 - this time, one of Oscar's eyes is not colored in.
 * Jocktopus' tentacles at the bottom of his body are out of proportion throughout the comic.
 * In one panel, Jocktopus has NINE tentacles - seven on the bottom of his body and his two 'arms'.

Credits

 * Writer: Roberto Gagnor
 * Pencils and Inks: Federico Mancuso and Elisabetta Melaranci
 * Colors: Dario Calabria
 * Letters: Litomilano S.r.l.