It doesn’t do much to advance the story, but some papers do not have Sunday comics or even a Sunday edition, so a little bit of repetition is inevitable.
The Chicago Tribune dug up a strip from April 9, 2017. I have no idea why they wouldn’t have run the normal strip, but they might have chosen that one because it works as a self-contained joke, not needing strips from days before or after.
Maybe the Trib needs more lead time that they are getting. Contrary to popular opinion, the Chicago Tribune gets their strips from Tribune Content Agency like everybody else. It’s a separate company, although it may be in the same building.
Good morning™, everyone!
No warm welcome for Sam, either. I guess asking Blowtop was too easy to work.