Donuts & Deadbolts
Donuts & Deadbolts is a Duty Calls double feature originally released January 11, 2026. It includes two juror stories: "Doug Zhang Seizes Opportunity" (Donuts) and "SmithLock's Overthunk Escape Plan" (Deadbolts) in one volume.
Cover Artwork
Cartoonish images of donuts alongside a safe, a padlock, and a set of old fashion keys adorn a simple gradient cover. The Os in both words are replaced with related icons.
Connections to Other Stories
- Bobby Zhang from Fester and Copper on Parchment makes a brief appearance as Doug Zhang's son whose homebrewing experiments inspired Doug'N Donuts
- Doug'N Donuts is the setting for the first half of Debaser
- Justin is unwittingly asked to break into the safe at Dalla Mia Camera restaurant and hides out at a bar across the street, both mentioned by the CEO of TTM, LLC, INC in Sent Packin'
- Doug & his assistant discuss an attempted break in at Doug'N Donuts, later revealed to be perpetrated by Justin at the end of the second story in this collection.
Behind the Scenes
The donut shop story was titled "Doug'N Donuts" for years, but was changed for this double-feature to not spoil the reveal of the shop's name prematurely. Another title under consideration was "DZ, This Could Be Donu-mite!" after a CarriageHaüs catchphrase.
"Another round from Uncle Doug" was inspired by the story of JL Civi's film professor accidentally having a similar phrase yelled repeatedly in the background of a documentary film.
The locksmith's misadventure was loosely inspired by the short story "Bored to Death" by Jonathan Ames, originally published in issue 24 of McSweeney's.