Name Dominoes
Name Dominoes
[This comic a large grid, 27 units wide and 35 units high, with 271 black "domino" tiles. On each tile there is a name written with white text. The grid is arranged so that each touching side corresponds with the first or last name of another person. Some of the domino tiles are rotated 90, 180 or 270 degrees so the text is either to be read down, up-side down or up. The names on the tiles are listed here below in approximate reading order starting at top left.] Christian Campbell, Neve Campbell, Joe McCarthy, Eugene McCarthy, Gene Vincent, Gene Kelly, Kate Hudson, Rock Hudson, Gordon Brown, James Brown, Jon Brown, John Howard, Columbo, Chris Columbus, Christopher Columbus, Naomi Campbell, Joseph Campbell, Joseph Smith, Frank Vincent, John Kelly, Katherine Johnson, The Rock, Chris Rock, Chris Isaac, James Newton Howard, John Wayne, Howard Stern, Howard Hunt, Chris Hughes, Naomi Watts, Naomi Klein, Kevin Kline, Francis Bacon, Francis Drake, Lyndon Johnson, Oscar the Grouch, Oscar Isaac, Isaac Hayes, Isaac Newton, Wayne Newton, Wayne Knight, Helen Hunt, Helen Hughes, James Watt (Steam), James Watt (Interior), Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Love, Lisa Frank, Frank Drake, Drake, Oscar de la Renta, Oscar de la Hoya, Sean Hayes, Wallace Shawn, Wayne Howard, Wayne Brady, James Brady, Tom Brady, Helen Thomas, Tom Hanks, Hank Aaron, Aaron Carter, Stephen James, Will Smith, Kevin Smith, Kein James, Garfield, James Garfield, Warren Buffett, Jimmy Buffett, Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Warren, Earl Warren, Eliabeth Kolbert, Stephen Colbert, George Wallace, Charles Wallace, James Monroe, Marilyn Monroe, Hank Williams, William C. Williams, Steve Harvey, Domino Harvey, Harvey Milk, James Saint James, Etta James, Jim Jones, James Earl Jones, Charlie Parker, Ray Parker Jr., Ray Charles, Charles Manson, Marilyn Manson, Robin Williams, Billy D. Williams, Will Wright, Fats Domino, Bill Clinton, Jimmy John, Tom Jones, Tommy John, Quincy Jones, James Earl Ray, Man Ray, Rachel Ray, Ray Allen, Tim Allen, Tim Cook, Tim Howard, Robin Wright, Wilbur Wright, Fatty Arbuckle, Fat Joe, George Clinton, John Kerry, Kerry Washington, John Irving, John Quincy Adams, John Adams, Amy Adams, Aimee Mann, Superman, Batman, Ayn Rand, Lily Allen, Paul Allen, Ron Howard, Howard Hughes, Joe Kennedy, George Bush, George Wasington, Wasington Irving, Martha Wasington, Ma Rainey, Jack Ma, Super Grover, Jack Black, Rand Paul, Paul Ryan, Paul Simon, Ron Paul, John Hughes, Langston Hughes, John F. Kennedy, Little Richard, Rich Little, Martha Stewart, Yo Yo Ma, Ma Bell, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Grover Cleveland, Jack White, Jack Ryan, Debby Ryan, Carly Simon, Carly Hughes, Charles Evans Hughes, John Williams, Little John, Stuart Little, Potter Stewart, Kristen Stewart, Kristen Bell, Kristen Hooks, Alexander Graham Bell, Franklin Graham, Lloyd Alexander, Meg White, Meg ryan, Debbie Reynolds, John Reynolds, Carly Fiorina, Grace Lee Boggs, Wade Boggs, William Safire, Prince William, Little Prince, Harry Potter, James Potter, James Hook, James Dean, Aretha Franklin, Frank Lloyd Wright, Barry White, Walter White, Walt Whitman, John Kelly, Grace Lee, Nancy Grace, Garnet, Prince, Prince Fielder, Prince Harry, Harry Styles, John Dean, Benjamin Franklin, Harrold Lloyd, Harrold Ford, Betty White, Meg Whitman, Christine Todd Whitman, Megyn Kelly, Grace Kelly, Grace Jones, Jack Nicholson, Jack Ruby, Jack Russel, Harry Fielder, Harry Trueman, Harry Jon Benjamin, John Edward, Benjamin Harrison, Harrison Ford, Henry Ford, Betty Ford, Betty Friedan, Chris Christie, Chris Pratt, Maggie Grace, Grace Hopper, Russel Crowe, Russ Smith, John Smith, Justin Long, John Bel Edwards, John Candy, John Henry, Henry James, Bill James, Chirs Cooper, Chirs Hemsworth, Chirs Evans, Topher Grace, Van Morrison, Sheryl Crow, Sheryl Sandberg, Cameron Crow, Long John Silver, Olivia Newton John, Huey long, John Edwards, Candy Crowley, Alestier Crowley, James Fenimore Cooper, James Cook, Robert Frost, Bob Evans, Evan Tayler Jones, Van Jones, James Cameron, Cam Newton, Cameron Diaz, Huey Newton, Huey Lewis, John Lewis, Jenny Lewis, Ryan Lewis, Burt Reynolds, Alistiar Cooke, Alistair Cookie, Cokie Roberts, John Roberts, Robert Johnson, Robert E. Lee, Tommy Lee, Tommy Lee Jones, Etta James, John Oliver, Ryan Reynolds, Alastair Reynolds

Dominoes is a family of boardgames played with rectangular "domino" tiles. A domino tile is divided into two squares, each displaying a number. Under most rules, a domino tile is placed on the table adjacent to another tile, and the adjacent ends must match in some way (usually by the number displayed on the touching ends). Randall's "name dominoes" shows a set of domino tiles with people's names instead of numbers, and adjacent tiles are matched by whether the closest name is the same (such as how Chris Evans' family name matches Evan Taylor Jones' given name).
The title text spells out a rule that a player may only place a tile if they know who that person is. This is a variation of a rule in Scrabble , where a player loses a turn if their chosen word don't survive a dictionary challenge over the validity of the word. This rule implies that players are allowed to create new name dominoes tiles and that it is not a fixed set. In this case the player that is challenged has used the name Frank Johnson of which there are 12 exact matches on Wikipedia along with six with a middle name and more.  (The player was likely trying to place a tile in the upper-left area of the board, in an attempt to connect the "Frank Vincent" and "Lyndon Johnson" dominoes.  The move was subsequently made impossible when the "Francis Drake" domino was played.)  In a google search as of the day the comic came out the first hit was Frank Johnson who is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. Randall has made several references to basketball in his comics.
A large board is covered in rectangular "dominoes" (271 pieces), with each domino bearing the name of a "well-known" person or character (fictional). The dominoes are arranged as if a game of dominoes were being played, but instead of the game requiring the number of spots of adjacent dominoes to match up, this game requires adjacent names to match up. Because most people have two or more names, different matches are made at each end of a domino. Fun fact is that two of the people are "named after" the game: Fats Domino and Domino Harvey .
The match can be exact (e.g., "Kevin" on one domino adjacent to "Kevin" on another), homonymic (e.g., "Klein" adjacent to "Kline"), nickname-based (e.g., "James" adjacent to "Jimmy", which in turn is adjacent to "Jim"), or gender different versions of a name (e.g., "Olivia" adjacent to "Oliver"). Sometimes last names are matched up with first names (e.g., " Elizabeth Warren " adjacent to " Warren Beatty "), and in some cases only a single name is used (e.g., " Columbo ", " Drake ", " Garfield ", " Prince "). Singular names are represented by a half-size square "domino" (or " monomino "), with a few exceptions: " Garnet " has a full-size tile (a complex reference explained below), and " Batman " and " Superman " have full-size tiles and are placed as though they were two-part names: the first square of "Superman" is matched with "Super", and the second square is matched with the second square of "Batman" (as though both characters had the last name "Man"). Some people have three or more names (e.g., " Frank Lloyd Wright ") and have a 3-square domino tile (or "straight tromino ", 50% longer than normal) which permits matching to a middle name (e.g. "Frank Lloyd Wright" is matched to " Lloyd Alexander " and " Harold Lloyd ").
The names come from a wide variety of fields: scientists (e.g., Isaac Newton ), historical figures ( George Washington ), musicians ( Drake ), politicians ( John Kerry ), actors ( Kevin Costner ), writers ( Washington Irving ), fashion designers ( Oscar de la Renta ), and so on. Most of the names are real people but a few are fictional characters, including some non-human characters like Garfield and Super Grover . In one case the nick name for a company is used: Ma Bell aka Bell System.
One notable reference beyond just the use of a name is in the bottom left, there is the connection [ William Safire ][ Garnet ][ Ruby, Jack ]. The connection seems to be based on the fact that Sapphire , Garnet and Ruby are all gemstones , which does not match the implied rules of the game. This tile is a reference to the character Garnet in the cartoon Steven Universe , who is a "fusion" formed by two Gems: Ruby and Sapphire. Thus, the name "Garnet" is treated as though it was two names "Ruby" and "Sapphire", requiring a two-square tile despite having a one-word name. Randall has previously made references to this universe in 1608: Hoverboard . (See this and this image from that comic).
Additionally, Ayn Rand, Paul Ryan and Rand Paul have been mentioned before, in the title text of 1277: Ayn Random . That idea may have been the prototype for this.
Connecting Marilyn Manson with Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson is likely a tongue-in-cheek reference, as the musician's stage name was literally chosen in the same way as this.
In at least one case it is not entirely clear who is being referred to: "John Kelly" most likely refers to Gen. John F. Kelly , Donald Trump's chief of staff, but the name is extremely common and could equally refer to any number of people .
The number # refers to the numbers on this numbered picture . Read more on this page: 1970: Name Dominoes/Numbered images .
Wiki links not tested as they were set in only from the name in the comic.
[This comic a large grid, 27 units wide and 35 units high, with 271 black "domino" tiles. On each tile there is a name written with white text. The grid is arranged so that each touching side corresponds with the first or last name of another person. Some of the domino tiles are rotated 90, 180 or 270 degrees so the text is either to be read down, up-side down or up. The names on the tiles are listed here below in approximate reading order starting at top left.] Christian Campbell, Neve Campbell, Joe McCarthy, Eugene McCarthy, Gene Vincent, Gene Kelly, Kate Hudson, Rock Hudson, Gordon Brown, James Brown, Jon Brown, John Howard, Columbo, Chris Columbus, Christopher Columbus, Naomi Campbell, Joseph Campbell, Joseph Smith, Frank Vincent, John Kelly, Katherine Johnson, The Rock, Chris Rock, Chris Isaac, James Newton Howard, John Wayne, Howard Stern, Howard Hunt, Chris Hughes, Naomi Watts, Naomi Klein, Kevin Kline, Francis Bacon, Francis Drake, Lyndon Johnson, Oscar the Grouch, Oscar Isaac, Isaac Hayes, Isaac Newton, Wayne Newton, Wayne Knight, Helen Hunt, Helen Hughes, James Watt (Steam), James Watt (Interior), Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Love, Lisa Frank, Frank Drake, Drake, Oscar de la Renta, Oscar de la Hoya, Sean Hayes, Wallace Shawn, Wayne Howard, Wayne Brady, James Brady, Tom Brady, Helen Thomas, Tom Hanks, Hank Aaron, Aaron Carter, Stephen James, Will Smith, Kevin Smith, Kein James, Garfield, James Garfield, Warren Buffett, Jimmy Buffett, Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Warren, Earl Warren, Eliabeth Kolbert, Stephen Colbert, George Wallace, Charles Wallace, James Monroe, Marilyn Monroe, Hank Williams, William C. Williams, Steve Harvey, Domino Harvey, Harvey Milk, James Saint James, Etta James, Jim Jones, James Earl Jones, Charlie Parker, Ray Parker Jr., Ray Charles, Charles Manson, Marilyn Manson, Robin Williams, Billy D. Williams, Will Wright, Fats Domino, Bill Clinton, Jimmy John, Tom Jones, Tommy John, Quincy Jones, James Earl Ray, Man Ray, Rachel Ray, Ray Allen, Tim Allen, Tim Cook, Tim Howard, Robin Wright, Wilbur Wright, Fatty Arbuckle, Fat Joe, George Clinton, John Kerry, Kerry Washington, John Irving, John Quincy Adams, John Adams, Amy Adams, Aimee Mann, Superman, Batman, Ayn Rand, Lily Allen, Paul Allen, Ron Howard, Howard Hughes, Joe Kennedy, George Bush, George Wasington, Wasington Irving, Martha Wasington, Ma Rainey, Jack Ma, Super Grover, Jack Black, Rand Paul, Paul Ryan, Paul Simon, Ron Paul, John Hughes, Langston Hughes, John F. Kennedy, Little Richard, Rich Little, Martha Stewart, Yo Yo Ma, Ma Bell, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Grover Cleveland, Jack White, Jack Ryan, Debby Ryan, Carly Simon, Carly Hughes, Charles Evans Hughes, John Williams, Little John, Stuart Little, Potter Stewart, Kristen Stewart, Kristen Bell, Kristen Hooks, Alexander Graham Bell, Franklin Graham, Lloyd Alexander, Meg White, Meg ryan, Debbie Reynolds, John Reynolds, Carly Fiorina, Grace Lee Boggs, Wade Boggs, William Safire, Prince William, Little Prince, Harry Potter, James Potter, James Hook, James Dean, Aretha Franklin, Frank Lloyd Wright, Barry White, Walter White, Walt Whitman, John Kelly, Grace Lee, Nancy Grace, Garnet, Prince, Prince Fielder, Prince Harry, Harry Styles, John Dean, Benjamin Franklin, Harrold Lloyd, Harrold Ford, Betty White, Meg Whitman, Christine Todd Whitman, Megyn Kelly, Grace Kelly, Grace Jones, Jack Nicholson, Jack Ruby, Jack Russel, Harry Fielder, Harry Trueman, Harry Jon Benjamin, John Edward, Benjamin Harrison, Harrison Ford, Henry Ford, Betty Ford, Betty Friedan, Chris Christie, Chris Pratt, Maggie Grace, Grace Hopper, Russel Crowe, Russ Smith, John Smith, Justin Long, John Bel Edwards, John Candy, John Henry, Henry James, Bill James, Chirs Cooper, Chirs Hemsworth, Chirs Evans, Topher Grace, Van Morrison, Sheryl Crow, Sheryl Sandberg, Cameron Crow, Long John Silver, Olivia Newton John, Huey long, John Edwards, Candy Crowley, Alestier Crowley, James Fenimore Cooper, James Cook, Robert Frost, Bob Evans, Evan Tayler Jones, Van Jones, James Cameron, Cam Newton, Cameron Diaz, Huey Newton, Huey Lewis, John Lewis, Jenny Lewis, Ryan Lewis, Burt Reynolds, Alistiar Cooke, Alistair Cookie, Cokie Roberts, John Roberts, Robert Johnson, Robert E. Lee, Tommy Lee, Tommy Lee Jones, Etta James, John Oliver, Ryan Reynolds, Alastair Reynolds
