Everett True respects wood.

Not that particular wooden fence though.

There are some where he complains to his wife and ends up the target of her anger.

I wouldn't expect there to be any since him attacking shitty people is a match for the comic's title.

Not just art. They were making memes. Every strip has the same structure: Everett makes a statement of common decency, some random dude disagrees, then Everett physically assault the random dude. This is literally a meme template, from the early 1900s.

Question is: will the meme evolve in a similar fashion that we see modern memes evolve? Or does the fact that it has a single author prevent this natural evolution?

Sometimes the pun's more obvious

Yes. I'm pretty sure he wasn't implying homosexuality, but talking about general partying and gallivanting around, promiscuity, etc. I don't think "gay" came to mostly mean homosexual until later in the 20th century. I believe Everett is just telling him he doesn't want to hear him bragging about his immoral lifestyle or gossiping about someone else's. There were a lot of prudes back then. That's my take, anyways...

I've heard it as late as the 2000s from boomers, so it's not completely died out. Shit I've known people who aren't Mike pence that called their spouse "mother" and "father", though that's usually only silent and greatest generation, so that's largely gone.

I know a guy who addresses his wife as Woman. It started as a joke and stuck. She loves it. When he needs to get her attention in a public place he just shouts, "Woman!" and she cheerfully responds. It gets great reactions from people who don't know.