"Better Days" aka "Well Sh*t" (w/Bonus Edit)

An interesting aside here with this two-panel piece, in that it triggered an infrequent vulgarity check from the Editor. As in, how far over the line is it to use a certain word, and would it be appropriate to add a grawlix? This mainly out of consideration of the newspaper readership demographics and also some sincere curiosity.
(Unedited version + more commentary below the fold)

"We train young men to drop fire on people, but their commanders won't allow them to write "fuck" on their airplanes because it's obscene!" - Colonel Kurtz

So after tentative pokes along the perimeter of decency and community standards of wholesome entertainment, I just defaulted to the fourth option ("C") included in my menu of possible versions. For those of our viewers keeping score along with us at home, that's now considered an emanata (Lexicon of Comicopia).

The crowning touch was sending off the watercolored original to my dear Anti, whom I was actually on the phone with during the penciling and inking phase. It also marked the first time I ever used the services of UPS, as opposed to a life-long fan of the USPS. Just threw a diva fit when I couldn't get any assistence with the mailing, so the competition is right down the street. But it was only a passing tantrum more connected to the unhelpful person working behind the counter. Aside from that it's an American institution deserving of support (esp. after narrowly surviving the contamination from malevolent incompetency aka Republican administration lackeys).